CIS 336 – Enterprise Architecture

Discussion 1
“Social Information Technology (IT) and Business Frameworks”  Please respond to the following:

Consider collaboration as one of the social IT categories in which Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, and Twitter are used to extend the reach of stakeholders and employees. Determine at least three business functions that could be used by this social IT. Predict possible problems that you foresee.
The Leavitt Business Diamond framework consists of four crucial components. Suppose we added an IS / IT component that sits in the middle of the diamond, thus creating a variation of the framework. Examine five relationships that the IS / IT components could facilitate between the other four components. Determine which relationship would be the strongest and which one would be the weakest. Support your reasoning.

 
Discussion 2
“Resources Frameworks and Plenitude” Please respond to the following:

One might argue that value is not always realized when using resource-based view (RBV) framework, especially when considering the IT infrastructure and Information Repository. Determine whether you agree or disagree with this viewpoint. Provide three examples to support your position.
From the video this week, determine five other IT resources within an organization that could be modeled in quantifiable terms that show value (i.e., software). Propose a model for one of the resources.

 Duscussion 3
“Organization Structures” Please respond to the following:

Suppose that you were creating a new global organization. The new organization will provide Information Technology (IT) infrastructure consulting services, computer security consulting services, and cloud computing consulting services. Determine whether you would employ a hierarchical, a flat, or a matrix organizational structure, and explain why.
From the video this week, propose how issues with hierarchical and flat structures should be resolved.

Discussion 4
 “Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) and Instant Messaging (IM)” Please respond to the following:

Suppose you worked for a company that uses ROWE. Predict whether you would be more productive or less productive, and explain why.
IM applications like Microsoft’s Lync, Microsoft Instant Messenger, and Yahoo Instant Messenger are being used in some organizations to facilitate communication between employees. Determine whether you believe IM improves or hinders employee productivity. Support your rationale with an explanation.

Discussion 5
 “Agility and  Business Process Management (BPM)” Please respond to the following:

Suppose that an organization did not use processes that were designed and built to be agile, particularly when it comes to IS / IT technologies. Predict the impact of environmental changes on an organization financially, socially, and in terms of survivability.
A BPM model may help manage and streamline IT processes that are otherwise manually executed. Examine one enterprise manual process (i.e., purchase order approval) and propose two BPM models that would replace the process. Determine the IT resources that you would employ to automate the process (i.e., electronic documents instead of paper documents).

Discussion 6
“The Impact of Crowdsourcing” Please respond to the following:

Dell’s Ideastorm, Best Buy’s IdeaX, New York City’s Simplicity, and Samuel Adams’ Facebook application to determine the next flavor of beer are a few of the examples that use crowdsourcing. From this week’s video, assess whether ideasourcing generates the best innovative ideas for a business or organization. Explain why or why not. 
Suppose that you recently acquired a considerable amount of money and want to invest in some type of business. Determine whether or not you would use crowdsourcing to determine the type of business you invest in. Predict whether the use of crowdsourcing to select your type of business would be disastrous or advantageous, and explain why or why not.

 
Assignment: Models for Competitive Dynamics

Competition has, since the 90s, led to wider gaps between industry leaders and laggards. There are more “winner-take-all” environments and greater churns among industry sector rivals. We have witnessed sharp increases in quality and quantity of IT (Information Technology) investments. We’ve seen striking competitive dynamics, particularly in sectors that spend the most on IT. Some of the competitive dynamics models include the Destroy Your Business (DYB) strategy, the Grow Your Business (GYB) strategy, the Information Systems (IS) and strategic advantage, and the social business strategy.
Write a four to five page paper in which you:

Compare and contrast the DYB and GYB strategies in terms of the ability to sustain a business in the marketplace over the long term, to be competitive against rivals, and profitability.
Examine the “cannibalization” strategy and determine if it is or is not a better strategy compared to the DYB strategy for growth, competitiveness, and market leadership. Provide two business examples.  
Determine whether or not changes in business strategy should entail reassessment of IS. Provide three reasons to support your position.
Examine how firms can use social IT in alignment with organizational strategy and IS strategy. Consider collaborative capabilities; and what, how, and who should use social IT for a social business strategy.
Use at three quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar websites do not qualify as quality resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Demonstrate an understanding of the integration of enterprise systems with inter-organizational partners.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in enterprise architecture.
Write clearly and concisely about enterprise architecture topics using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions. 

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.