INFO343-21S1

College of Business and Law

COURSE OUTLINE

IT Governance and Strategy

Semester One
Department of Accounting & Information Systems

Course Supervisor
Dr Stephen Wingreen,
Law Building, Room 404
Email: stephen.wingreen@canterbury.ac.nz

2021
INFO343-21S1 – COURSE OUTLINE 2

1. COURSE OBJECTIVES

The course focuses on organisational leadership, structures and IT management processes to

support and sustain business strategies. It examines important concepts and models related to
managing IT such as IT strategy, IT planning, IT alignment and IT evaluation. The course provides
students with knowledge and skills to be able to make useful contributions to a range of IT related
decisions in organisations, and become more employable in a world where IT has become so
important.

Learning outcomes
The course introduces important concepts and models related to managing IT. We expect students
to demonstrate their understanding of this knowledge in a number of ways. By the end of the course
you will be able to:

1. Explain important IT concepts, especially IT strategy, IT value, IT planning, IT

alignment and IT evaluation.
2. Analyse complex business situations to identify and evaluate IT alternatives, and make
informed recommendations.
3. Effectively communicate in writing.

2. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Assessment
Students are evaluated on the following basis:

Case study portfolio 25%

Presentations and participation 5%
Research Case 20%
Mid-term test 20%
Final Exam 30%

The date for the examination will be set by the university, possibly after the completion of
enrolment. It is your responsibility as a student to check the University’s ‘Course Information
System’ (CIS) web site http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/courses/ for the date and time for the exam.

To pass the course you have to:

a) gain a mark for the semester as a whole of 50% or more. (But the department reserves
the right to move this 50% threshold slightly up or down to ensure fairness.)
b) satisfy the ‘45% rule' of the ACIS Department. This means that in order to pass the
course as a whole you must average not less than 45% over the invigilated components
of your assessments. For the semester as a whole you could get more than 50% yet still
be awarded a D grade (a fail)!

In INFO343, the invigilated component is the mid-term test and final exam. Thus, to pass the
course, you must gain at least 45% average on the mid-term and final exam, and gain at least 50%
overall.
INFO343-21S1 – COURSE OUTLINE 3

For further information on the above please see ACIS Course Policies, which can be accessed via:
http://www.acis.canterbury.ac.nz/courses/.

Coursework

Inductive Teaching and Learning Methods

Inductive teaching and learning methods will be the primary pedagogical approach in this course.
Inductive teaching and learning begins with specific problems and issues, and proceeds to
generalize to higher-level concepts. In this course, this will be accomplished by the analysis of case
studies, technological news reports, and current events that involve the use of modern information
technology and information systems. Within the inductive teaching and learning paradigm, a case
may be “about” a number of things, and it is the analyst’s responsibility to determine what those
things are, and how the case is “about” them. For example, is a case about a company that uses
cloud computing to support its operations “about” infrastructure, cost management, strategic
alignment, sourcing, design of work, or all of those things (and other things too)?

Inductive teaching and learning stands in contrast to the “traditional” deductive university
pedagogy, since deductive methods begin with the higher-level concepts, and proceed by explaining
the concepts, and finally applying them to specific problems or solutions. Since most people
naturally learn things inductively, that is, by experience first, followed by contemplation about the
meaning of the experience, most people find inductive learning to be more effective than deductive
learning, once they become accustomed to the change in pedagogy. Inductive teaching and learning
is also more flexible, since the analyst has broad discretion to interpret any given case, whereas
deductive methods tend to force a case into a pre-determined solution.

In this course, although we will try to interpret cases according to the topic-of-the-week,
interpretations are not restricted to any one topic. For example, a case that accompanies the “IT
sourcing topic” may also be interpreted as a “design of work” case, or any other topic, as long as the
analyst is able to justify the interpretation.

Case presentations, and discussion participation

Students will work in groups of two to prepare the case analyses and presentations.

Case analysis and discussion is an important aspect of this course. These discussions are important
because the ability to present your ideas cogently is at least as relevant to success in management as
the quality of the ideas themselves. The ability to explain your reasoning is also central to the
inductive learning methods employed in this course. Thus all students are expected to participate
actively in class discussions. If you have any concerns about how to become an active participant,
please come and seek advice early in the course.

These discussions demand the free exchange of informed ideas among members of the class. You
are expected to be prepared to discuss and respond to questions concerning the assigned readings
and the textbook for every class.

It is my intent that this be a course directed at learning rather than lecture. Students are encouraged
to come to class prepared and ready to discuss the subject matter for that day. Guidelines for cases
study analysis are provided under “Portfolio of case study analyses”. Students should contribute to
discussion at least periodically, and of necessity, are required to lead discussion related to the cases
INFO343-21S1 – COURSE OUTLINE 4

they present themselves. If done correctly, this will become a useful resource for the essay exam,
which requires students to synthesize information from the case studies for their essays.

Students will be required to present and lead discussion in class for one case of their own choice,
which may be one of the cases prepared for the case portfolio described above. For full
participation credit, students are expected to upload their slides, notes, and analysis for the case they
presented in class for discussion, to the online course forum for the benefit of their fellow students'
exam preparations. Some exam questions will then be drawn from the class repository of cases.

Portfolio of case study analyses:

The portfolio should consist of three cases of the student’s choice from the textbook or an external
source, although all textbook cases are required reading. Cases are found at the back of each
chapter. Cases written from external sources, such as news reports or current events, should be
suitable for analysis (e.g. about some aspect of information systems and technology, and have
enough information available to support analysis). Students may optionally write about cases from
their own career or profession, as long as they are relevant to information systems management.
Each case analysis should be approximately 5 – 7 pages in length and consist of the following:

1) Summarize the story line of the case in 2 – 3 paragraphs.

2) Write approximately 3 - 4 pages of critical analysis about the case. Use the following guidelines
for thinking critically about case studies:
a) Adopt a system perspective to place the case problem in its web of relationships between
system elements. In your written analysis, it is a good idea to refer to relevant literature
about the domain of the problem.
b) Try to understand the social and historical context of the case.
c) Take note of how information was gathered for the case.
d) If the student is "close" to the case, then it is necessary to be sensitive to the student's
relationship to the case as well as the student's qualifications to be interpreting the
information being presented in the case. In your written analysis, you should describe your
role in the case, if applicable.
e) Throughout the case, be sensitive to possible contradictions between your expectations and
the actual case in hand.
f) Be open to the possibility of multiple interpretations. For instance, there may be different
perspectives among those participating in the case.
g) Always be suspicious toward possible bias on the part of those reporting the information
you are using in the case.
3) Write 3 – 4 paragraphs about what lessons we learn from this case. Include in this discussion
reference to the relevant topics covered in the additional readings or current research. For example,
“This case also highlights the importance of developing a strategy for managing the IT workforce,
as proposed by recent literature on the subject (Ferratt and Agarwal, “IT Workers”, pp. 23 – 28,
2006).

The due date for the case study portfolio is midnight Saturday at the end of week 14.

Research Case:

Research case studies differ from analytical case studies as follows:

1) Introduction that includes a clear problem statement, definition of the problem, and brief
theoretical framework for addressing the problem in ~1 page.
INFO343-21S1 – COURSE OUTLINE 5

2) Literature review that discusses the literature and theory that are relevant to the case in ~4 -
5 pages.
3) Integrate the story line of the case with a critical analysis in ~10 - 12 pages, as described for
analytical case studies.
4) Write ~4 – 5 pages about what lessons we learn from this case. Include in this discussion
reference to the relevant topics covered in the additional readings or current research.
For example, “This case also highlights the importance of developing a strategy for managing the
IT workforce, as proposed by recent literature on the subject (Ferratt and Agarwal, “IT Workers”,
pp. 23 – 28, 2006).

Research Case Study Rubric Guide

A - Excellent B – Above Avg C - Average D – Below Avg F- Failure

Introduction, The story line is The story line is The story line Little context or The context
Context, and clearly explained explained with has few of the background and/or
background with the most of the appropriate information background not
appropriate appropriate details provided about addressed
details details the story line
Critical Analysis Thorough Thorough Thorough Thorough Failed to analyze
of analysis of all analysis of most analysis of some analysis of few issues/problems
Issues/Problems the of the the of the
in case issues/problems issues/problems issues/problems issues/problems
Research of Excellent Good research Limited Incomplete Research support
problems, research into the into the issues research into the research or poor missing and/or
questions, theory, issues which which clearly issues that may links to the case links to the case
recommendations clearly links to links to the case not clearly links not clear
related to case the case to the case
Recommendation Realistic, Realistic Realistic Realistic In general failed
s  insightful, or recommendation recommendation recommendation to present or
  creative s supported by s for most issues s for most issues support
recommendation the information that is supported that has limited recommendations 
s supported by presented and by the support from the
the information research. information information  
presented and presented and presented and
research. research research.
Presentation Clearly written Generally well- Generally not Poorly written, Poorly written,
Clarity and and well- written and well- well-written and poorly poorly organized,
Organization organized with organized, with organized, with organized, no no graphics or
graphics and graphics and some graphics or tables.
tables as tables, although inappropriate use tables.
appropriate. with some of tables and
evidence of graphs.
incompleteness
(e.g. missing
tables or graphs).
Spelling, Free of errors in Generally free of Generally does Fails to follow Fails to follow
Grammar, and grammar, errors and not follow format and format and
APA Style punctuation, follows correct correct format contains many contains
Adherence word choice, format but and contains errors significant
spelling, and contains some errors number of errors
followed correct errors and format
format problems

The due date for the research case is midnight Saturday at the end of week 15.
INFO343-21S1 – COURSE OUTLINE 6

Essay Exams: The mid-term and final will consist of short essays aimed at summarizing and
synthesizing the case studies and assigned readings. A sample essay question might read:

IT professionals are continually challenged by the rapid pace of technology innovation to remain
current in their field. This also presents a challenge for managers who must maintain a certain level
of competence in the corporate IT skill portfolio in order to successfully undertake information
system projects.
1. Which three cases are the most relevant to IT managers interested in this problem?
What are the characteristics of the cases that make them relevant, and why are these
characteristics relevant? Include in your discussion reference to any relevant course
readings.
2. Which three cases are most relevant to IT professionals interested in this problem? What
are the characteristics of the cases that make them relevant, and why are these
characteristics relevant? Include in your discussion reference to any relevant course
readings.
3. Which three cases are most relevant to a manager addressing IT personnel issues for the
information security of his firm? What are the characteristics of the cases that make
them relevant, and why are these characteristics relevant? Include in your discussion
reference to any relevant course readings.

Curriculum map of course learning outcomes onto assessment items:

Case Research Case Mid-term Final

Learning outcomes
Analyses Case presentation Test Exam
Explain IT concepts I I I A A
Analyse complex business situations A A A I I
Write effectively A A I A A

A = advanced coverage in learning activities. I = intermediate coverage.

Learning Goals for the BCom Degree

There are four high level learning goals for the BCom degree. The four are listed below, as well as
comments on how this course helps contribute towards the goals.

1. Graduates can demonstrate advanced knowledge of their selected subject major, informed
by the broader context of commerce.
 All the assessments are opportunities to demonstrate advanced knowledge in
business and information systems. Advanced knowledge will be assessed in the
exam.
2. Graduates are able to use analytical thinking and problem-solving skills to address specific
problems.
 The executive summaries require analytical thinking and problem solving, while the
exam requires the application of theories to problems.
3. Graduates can understand issues from a range of ethical, global and multicultural
perspectives.
 This goal is not covered specifically in this course, though the cases we consider will
represent global coverage of IT issues.
4. Graduates are able to communicate effectively both orally and in written form.
INFO343-21S1 – COURSE OUTLINE 7

 Written communication is important in all three assessments, and is assessed in the

wiki. Oral communication is a very important part of the in-class case discussions.

3. TEACHING ARRANGEMENTS

The class will meet for 2 hours each week. There will be no additional dedicated tutorial or lab
times. Class times are scheduled by the University - see CIS website for times and venues.

Study Hours Budget.

As INFO343 is a 15 point course, students are expected to devote about 150 hours to the course, i.e,
about 10 hours per week for 15 weeks. we suggest you split your 150 hours as follows:
Total
Attend class 2 hours pw 24
Prepare individual learning activities prior to class 2 hours pw 22
Complete learning activities after each class 2 hours pw 24
Write five case study analyses 3 hours each 12
Readings etc. 2 hours pw 24
Prepare for exams 44
Total 150

4. STAFF

Dr Stephen Wingreen
Meremere Building Room 404
stephen.wingreen@canterbury.ac.nz

5. CONSULTATION

Students with questions or problems are invited to see the course lecturer immediately preceding or
following a class, or at other times by appointment. Email is the most efficient way of making an
appointment. An email address and/or a day/evening telephone number should be left to enable
return contact.

Class Representative
A class representative will be selected early in the year. Reps provide a valuable link between the
HOD, course supervisors and students. The representatives are expected to facilitate dialogue
between the students and the course supervisor on a regular basis. This process should help to
isolate and resolve potential concerns. The communications can also be used to provide positive
feedback on elements of the course which are going well.

6. LEARN

Learn will be an important resource. It will be used to hold course material, including links to some
readings and the case studies. Learn will also be used for discussion forums, announcements, and
for the wiki. http://learn.canterbury.ac.nz/
INFO343-21S1 – COURSE OUTLINE 8

7. TEXT AND RECOMMENDED READINGS

Pearlson, Keri E. and Saunders, Carol S. (2019). Managing and using information systems, 7th
edition. Wiley. ISBN-13: 978-1119560562, ISBN-10: 111956056X

Readings of recent and relevant interest will also be posted to Learn, as the occasion permits.

8. Course Prize

The top student will be nominated for the Deloitte Warren Marett Memorial Prize in Management
of Information Systems and Technology. The award is for excellence in INFO 303/343, and the
recipient receives $500.

Warren Marett was a local IT consultant and partner at Deloitte. He was a great supporter of the
University, especially the Commerce faculty. Sadly Warren died in 2011 and Deloitte set up this
award in his memory.

Previous recipients are: Jeremy Putt (2011), David Larson (2012), Laura Walker (2013), Amelia
Hayes (2015), John-David Chaker (2016), Georgia Ayers (2017), Chris Wakefield (2018), and
Charlie Kavanagh (2019), Raylitsa Jocelina & Juliet Samandari (2020).

9. Holding of Copies of Assignments/Tests

For quality assurance purposes the School is required to hold on record a number of
assignments/tests as examples of differing standards of work for up to five years. All work may be
held in an electronic form on a secure server and will be anonymised. If you have any objections
to the School holding your assignment/test for this purpose then email the course coordinator to
ensure your work is not used.
INFO343-21S1 – COURSE OUTLINE 9

INFO343 Calendar 2021

Week Topics & Readings
1 22 February Course Overview
CHAPTER 1 The
Information Systems Strategy
Triangle
2 1 March CHAPTER 2 Strategic Use of Case Study 2-1: Groupon
Information Resources Case Study 2-2: Zipcar
3 8 March CHAPTER 3 Organizational
Strategy and Information
Systems
4 15 March CHAPTER 4 Information
Systems and the Design of
Work
5 22 March CHAPTER 5 Information
Systems for Managing
Business Processes
6 29 March CHAPTER 6 Architecture
and Infrastructure (a lite
touch)
MID-TERM TEST (TBC)
Cases
Case Study 1-1: Lego
Case Study 1-2: Google
Case Study 3-1: The Merger of AirTran
by Southwest Airlines
Case Study 3-2: The FBI
Case Study 4-1: Trash and Waste Pickup
Services, Inc.
Case Study 4-2: Social Networking: How
does IBM Do It?
Case Study 5-1: Santa Cruz Bicycles
Case Study 5-2: Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Case Study 6-1: Enterprise Architecture
at American Express
Case Study 6-2: The Case of Extreme
Scientists

Mid-term Break

7 26 April Holiday – no class

8 3 May CHAPTER 8 The Business of Case Study 8-1: KLM

IT Case Study 8-2: BSC in BIOCO

9 10 May CHAPTER 9 Governance of Case Study 9-1: IT Governance at

the Information Systems
Organization
10 17 May CHAPTER 10 Information
Systems Sourcing
11 31 May CHAPTER 11 Knowledge
Management, Business
Intelligence, and Analytics
University of the Southeast
Case Study 9-2: MyJohnDeere
Case Study 10-1: Crowdsourcing at AOL
Case Study 10-2: Altia Business Park
Case Study 12-1: Stop & Shop’s Scan It!
App
Case Study 12-2: Business Intelligence at
INFO343-21S1 – COURSE OUTLINE 10

CKE Restaurants
12 26 May CHAPTER 13 Using Case Study 7-2: Sony Pictures
Information Ethically Case Study 13-2: Midwest Family
(also refer to Chap 6) Mutual Goes Green
The above plan may change. The readings are indicative only – and will be confirmed on a weekly
basis on Learn.

Readings - a selection of supporting readings and books:

Boddy, D., Boonstra, A., Kennedy, G., Managing Information Systems: Strategy and Organisation (3 rd ed), Pearson
Education Inc, 2008. ISBN: 9780273716815, 0273716816.
Brown, C.V., DeHayes, D.W., Hoffer, J.A. Martin, E.W., Perkins, W.C., Managing Information Technology, (6th Ed).
Pearson Education Inc, 2009. ISBN: 9780131789548, 0131789546.
Chen, D.Q., Mocker, M. & Preston, D.S. (2010). Information systems strategy: reconceptualization, measurement, and
implications, MIS Quarterly, 34:2; June; 233-259.
Carr, N., IT Doesn’t Matter, Harvard Business Review, May 2003, pp. 1-17. ISSN: 00178012.
Clarke, Steve. Information Systems Strategic Management: An integrated approach. Routledge. 1st Edition. 2001.
ISBN: 9780415381871, 0415381878.
DeLone, W H, McLean, E R, ‘The DeLone and McLean Model of Information Systems Success: A Ten-Year Update’ ,
Journal of MIS, vol. 19, no. 4, pp 9-30, (M E Sharpe Inc, 2003). ISSN: 0742-1222.
Earl, M.J., Management Strategies for Information Technology (1 st Ed). Prentice Hall International, 1989, pp. 62-66.
ISBN: 0-13-551664-1
Edwards, C., Ward, J. & Bytheway, A., The Essence of Information Systems, (2nd Ed). Prentice Hall International Ltd,
1995. ISBN: 0132847469.
Farbey, B., Land, F. & Targett, D., ‘Evaluating Investments in IT: Findings and a Framework’, in Willcocks, L.P. &.
Lester, S. (Eds), Beyond the IT Productivity Paradox, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 1996, Chapter 6, pp. 183-215.
ISBN: 0471986925.
Feeny, D.F. & Willcocks, L.P., ‘Core IS Capabilities for Exploiting Information Technology’, Sloan Management
Review, Spring 1998, pp. 9-21. ISSN:1532-9194.
Galliers, R.D. & Leidner, D.E., Strategic Information Management, (3rd Ed). Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann, 2003.
ISBN: 9780750656191, 0750656190.
Grant, K., Hackney, R. & Edgar, D. (2010). Strategic Information Systems Management, Cengage, ISBN 978-1-4080-
0793-8.
Lederer , A.L. & Sethi, V., The information systems planning process. Chapter 8, Galliers, R.D. & Leidner, D.E.,
Strategic Information Management, (3rd Ed). Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann, 2003, 216-238. ISBN:
9780750656191, 0750656190.
Lehman, C M & DuFrene, D D, Business Communication (12th ed), Southern-Western College Publishing, Cincinnati,
1999, pp 433-470. ISBN: 0538875224.
Luftman, J., Bullen, C.V., Liao, D., Nash, E. Neumann, C., Managing the Information Technology Resource, (1st Ed).
Pearson Education Inc, 2004. ISBN: 9780130351265, 0130351261.
Luftman, J. & Ben-Zvi, T., ‘Key Issues for IT Executives 2010’, MIS Quarterly Executive, Vol. 9 No. 4 (Dec 2010), pp.
263-273.
Luftman, J. & Kempaiah, R., ‘Key Issues for IT Executives 2007’, MIS Quarterly Executive, Vol. 7 No. 2 (June 2008),
pp. 99-112. ISSN: 1540-1960.
Luftman, J. & Kempaiah, R., ‘An Update on Business-IT Alignment: “A Line” Has Been Drawn’, MIS Quarterly
Executive, Vol. 6 No. 3, September 2007, pp. 165-177. ISSN: 1540-1960.
Mauffette-Leenders, L A, Erskine, J A & Leenders, M R, Learning with Cases, (2nd ed) (Ivey School of Business,
2001), pp 18-25; pp 32-37; pp 40-55. ISBN: 978-0771419690, 0771419694.
Morrison R., Mazey NCHL. and Wingreen SC. (2020) The DAO controversy: The case for a new species of corporate
governance? Frontiers in Blockchain, 3(25). http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fbloc.2020.00025.
INFO343-21S1 – COURSE OUTLINE 11

Pearlson, K.E., & Saunders, C.S., Managing and using Information Systems: A Strategic Approach, John Wiley &
Sons, 2004. . ISBN: 9780471346449, 0471346446
Pitt, L F, Watson, R T & Kavan, C B, ‘Service Quality: A Measure of Information Systems Effectiveness’, MIS
Quarterly, vol. 19, no. 2 (June 1995), pp 173-187. ISSN: 0276-7783.
Robson, Wendy, Strategic Management & Information Systems (2nd ed), Pearson Education Limited, 1997. ISBN:
0273615912.
Sarkar A., Wingreen SC. and Cragg P. (2017) CEO decision making under crisis: An Agency Theory perspective.
Pacific Asia Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 9(2): 1-22.
Sarkar A., Wingreen SC. and Ascroft J.. (2016) Governing information systems resilience: a case study. In Proceedings
of the European, Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Conference on Information Systems 2016 (EMCIS2016).
Silver, M.S., Markus M L & Beath C M (1995). The IT Interaction Model: an overview, excerpted from The
Information Technology Interaction Model: A Foundation for the MBA Core Course, MIS Quarterly, vol. 19,
no. 3 (September 1995) pp. 361-390. ISSN: 0276-7783. http://www.bnet.fordham.edu/public/ics/msilver
Szpiro, D A & Neufeld, D J, ‘Learning Information Systems With Cases’, IS World
Thomas, J.G. & Walters, B., Generic Competitive Strategies, Encyclopedia of Management, Enotes.com Inc,
http://www.enotes.com/management-encyclopedia/generic-competitive-strategies, accessed 20/1/2010.
Van Grembergen, W. Information Technology Evaluation Methods & Management, Idea Group Publishing, 2001. HD
30.2 .I437 2001, level 11 Central Library. ISBN: 187828990X.
Wade, M. & Hulland, J., ‘Review: The Resource-Based View and Information Systems Research: Review, Extension,
and Suggestions for Future Research’, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 28 No. 1 (March 2004) pp. 107-122. ISSN: 0276-
7783.
Ward, J. & Daniel, E., Benefits Management: Delivering Value from IS and IT Investments, (1 st Ed), John Wiley & Sons
Ltd, 2006. ISBN: 978-0-470-09463-1.
Ward, J. & Peppard, J., Strategic planning for information systems, Wiley, 2002, ISBN 0-470-84147-8.
Weill, P., ‘Don’t Just Lead, Govern: How Top-Performing Firms Govern IT’, MIS Quarterly Executive, Vol. 3 No. 1
(March 2004) pp. 1-17. ISSN: 1540-1960.
Weill, P. & J. Ross (2005). "A Matrixed Approach to Designing IT Governance." MIT Sloan Management Review
46(2): 26-34.
Willcocks, L.P. &. Lester, S. (Eds), Beyond the IT Productivity Paradox, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 1996. ISBN: 978-0-
471-98692-8.