Oakland University

Note: This syllabus provides a summary of the course and its methods and procedures. This document constitutes a high-level description of the components of the course and does not describe all the details. Details of all course activities are found on the course Moodle website. The course follows a "blended" model; course "meetings" take place either on-site at Oakland University or in "cyberspace". A schedule of activities detailing how these meetings take place forms the basis for the course structure and is available on Moodle.

When:	Thursdays, 6:30-9:20
Where:	208 Elliott Hall
Professor:	Dr. Paul Licker
Office:	432 EH
Office Phone:	248-370-2432
E-mail:	licker@oakland.edu
Office Hours:	Thurs 4:00 pm-5pm or by appointment. Email interaction is preferred, however.

The unprecedented worldwide political and economic changes in the last decade have propelled city, state, and country governments and also multinational corporations (MNCs) to expand business globally and enter into new markets. Information technology (IT) has played a key role in the globalization of businesses. To be successful, IT strategy must be created to support business strategy and processes

This course will focus on IT environments around the world, national infrastructures and regulatory regimes, global IT applications, global IT development strategies, global management support systems, and global IT management strategies. The course will inculcate an in-depth understanding of managing information resources across national borders, time zones, cultures, political philosophies, regulatory regimes, and economic infrastructures. The course will emphasize with lectures, examples, cases, applications, web-based discussions, and guest speaker presentations the critical role and issues of IT and Electronic Commerce (EC) in contributing to the success of global finance, marketing, manufacturing, trade and accounting practices. We will examine both the architecture of business as seen through an international IT lens as well as the architecture of the world economic system as seen through the lenses of cultural and social studies of a variety of countries.

This is an interdisciplinary course covering diverse perspectives including global, ethical, cultural, technological, political, social, legal, regulatory, and those addressing demographic diversity.

2. Be able to discuss intelligently the effects of culture on IT operations and global IT decision making

3. Describe how IT influences national economic, social and political development.

5. Be able to discuss intelligently how global e-commerce creates a business environment that is different globally from a domestic bricks-and-mortar business

6. Describe a variety of global IT management scenarios and be able to make decisions in a global environment

7. Describe a variety of global IT implementation issues and be able to make decisions in a global environment

8. Understand what influences global IT outsourcing decisions and how these affect organizations of various types.

The textbook is available from Ivy League Publishing. It is not available in the OU Bookstore, but is available at a discount directly from the publisher. Here is a link to ordering information and to the order form if you elect to send in a fax.

Grading Weights Assignment of Grades ParCla10%

Attendance will be taken each class and counts as a part of the participation component of the final course mark. Assignments should be completed on time. Participation in class and class discussions has been one of the more rewarding aspects of this course. Because this is a blended course, a number of activities are executed through the medium of discussion forums. Your participation in these forums is extremely important and the contribution of these to the grade reflects this.

All homework assignments are to be submitted electronically to Dr. Licker via Moodle. Moodle will confirm receipt and will return the graded assignment to you. Assignments, including the homework assignments, will be available through Moodle.

In groups of four to six, you will produce a report (max. of 10 pp double spaced, exclusive of title page and bibliography) on IT investment possibilities in a country of your choice chosen from among a list posted on the course website. You will write a report detailing information about the country that would be relevant to those wishing to invest in, install technology in, outsource some aspect of technology-enabled business to, or move into IT markets within this country. The report itself is due at the end of the course and will be made available to all course participants for their future reference and presumably economic enrichment. Each group will also make a maximum 45-minute presentation to the class on the country, focusing on those factors you believe to be relevant to IT investment activities. These presentations will be given according to a posted schedule and are to be rendered using PowerPoint (or equivalent) and must be emailed to Dr. Licker to be posted on Moodle. A schedule of presentation dates will be made available at the second class (see course timetable). Presentations are done in order to increase the quality of the final report. Each presentation must include a one- or two-page summary/agenda to be handed out in class.

The report may use any source of information you have at your disposal. Remember, however, that your sources must be cited and all of us in the class reserve the right to challenge you on your assumptions, your “data” and your conclusions. The paper and the presentation are in the service of answering this question:

What is the likelihood that investment in some aspect (you specify) of the global IT supply and value networks would be profitable or successful for all of the parties participating in this investment in this country (and possibly by extension, region)?

1. Characteristics of the country itself (demographics, culture, sociology, geography, language, education, economics, politics, etc.) and its region

4. Characteristics of the national business model(s) relevant to investment pertinent to the major question.

Please note that the four points above provide an excellent guide to organizing your presentations and papers.

Note that unlike prior years the background information presented in your report is not graded. Your grade depends exclusively on how convincingly you argue for or against the investment opportunities (at least two) you derive.

The course will be conducted using lectures, guest lectures (three), discussions using Moodle, videos and software demonstrations (if feasible), website exploration (where appropriate) and student presentations. You must have read all assigned readings and materials including cases before each lecture to have stimulating and enjoyable class discussions. Remember that success in a seminar course such as this depends critically on everyone’s participation (just as user participation is critical to the successful implementation of any information system!)

There will be two quizzes each worth 20% of your mark. Each will consist of short (200-300-word) essays or multiple choice questions; details about the quizzes will be provided in class and on the course website. There is no final exam. The quizzes are done out of class and submitted via Moodle.

There are three homework assignments worth 10% each. Each assignment relates to the reading assignment of the weeks prior to the assignment and is to be completed prior to class on the due date. The purpose of the assignments is twofold. First, the assignment provides you with the opportunity to express yourself on one or more issues brought up in the lectures. Second, the homework assignment gives Dr. Licker some idea about how well you are understanding the material in the chapters. The assignments are found on the course Moodle website. Please answer the questions only in the boxes provided.

60-75: Barely acceptable and lacking in credibility, evidence, writing, or pertinence.

86-100: Outstanding, worth publishing or at least sharing with others; shows evidence of critical thinking and writing, high standard of expression and argument.

Thus your assignments are marked based on how well you seem to have achieved a well-educated status to a similarly well-educated person (the instructor: “me” or “I” in what follows):

Component	Weight	Score Range	Grade
Participation	+/- 5%	90-100%	3.6-4.0
Country Study -- Report	25%	80-89.99%	3.0-3.59
-- Presentation	5%	75-79.99%	2.75-2.99
Homeworks (3 @ 10%)	30%	70-74.99%	2.0-2.74
Quizzes (2@20%)	40%	60-69.99%	1.5-1.99
	95-105%	50-59.99%	1.0-1.49
		< 50%	0