Canadian Airlines International Ltd.
This case describes the situation Canadian Airlines found itself in during the early 1990s when they desperately needed to successfully implement the American Airlines SABRE system in their operations. Only by implementing this system would Canadian Airlines obtain the cash infusion they desperately needed to remain an independent airline. The primary focus of this case is on project management – not on the low-level, day-to-day details, but on the high-level questions of how to bring two very different organizations together and how to organize one of the largest systems transitions projects in history.
Possible chapters:
Chapter 10 – Project Management
Case Study On The Creation Of A Commercial South African Software Development Company
This case looks at many of the factors necessary for the development of a software development company, or an entire industry, in a developing country. The case firm is in South Africa, and the authors draw comparisons between software development companies in South Africa with those in Ireland, India, and Israel.
Possible chapters:
Chapter 8 – MIS Organization
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines entered into a ten-year outsourcing agreement with EDS when Continental Airlines was suffering financial setbacks and bankruptcy. This agreement was initially designed to provide expertise to Continental in an area that was not a core competency, and to also help cut costs for the airline. However, Continental successfully turned their business around in the mid-1990s, and this case discusses the implications this has for the relationship between Continental and EDS. While this relationship had worked well initially, there were some strains developing by the mid-1990s, and this case focuses on where Continental should go with their relationship with EDS.
Possible chapters:
Chapter 5 – IT and Business Transformation
Chapter 8 – MIS Organization
General Motors IS&S
This case describes the creation of the virtual IS organization at General Motors following the divesture of EDS in 1996. It describes the relationship that was developed between GM and EDS after the split, and how the internal IS organization was rebuilt, since everything had been turned over to EDS when the merger first occurred in 1984.
Possible chapters:
Chapter 6 – Architecture and Infrastructure
Chapter 8 – MIS Organization
Integrated Systems in State Government
This case describes the process that the State of Louisiana went through in implementing SAP R/3. They were the first state government to make this transition, and the process was not always a smooth one. This case describes the interactions between the State and their consultants. It also stresses the importance of planning for the changes inherent in any systems development effort of this magnitude. This is the key focus of this case.
Possible chapters:
Chapter 2 – Organizational Impacts of Information Systems Use
Chapter 3 – Information Technology and the Design of Work
Chapter 5 – IT and Business Transformation
Chapter 10 – Project Management
Integrated Systems: Management Approaches To Acquiring Them In Australian Universities
This case describes the situation that Central Queensland University (CQU) found itself in during the late 1990s as they faced increasing pressures from the government for information reporting, internal pressures to decrease administrative requirements of their systems and yet provide increasing responsiveness to their students, and the deadline of December 31, 1999 to solve their Y2K problem. To address all of these concerns, CQU decided to implement PeopleSoft. This case describes the process that a consortium of universities in Australia went through in trying to address these issues, and then the process that CQU specifically went through.
Possible chapters:
Chapter 5 – IT and Business Transformation
The Puerto Rico Education Project
This case describes a large-scale development project undertaken by a Washington D.C.-based consulting firm. The development was conducted in Puerto Rico, and the issues presented in the case evolve from this location. The project was beset with a number of different issues, from cultural differences to language problems, from poor planning to upset family members. Students will see in this case problems involved with systems development in “foreign” countries and problems that can arise when specifications for a systems project are not specified up front.
Possible chapters:
Chapter 10 – Project Management
Rock-Solid Life Insurance
This two-part case describes the process that a major insurance company, Rock-Solid, when through to assure Year 2000 compliance in their various systems. Complicating this process was the decentralized nature of their firm, including major operations in multiple countries. While this case is specific to Y2K preparations, it presents a useful framework for discussing how to assure compliance in a firm to any type of mandate – whether from a firm’s board of directors, new governmental regulations, etc.
Possible chapters:
Chapter 8 – MIS Organization
Chapter 10 – Project Management
Stately Furniture And Décor
This case describes the various business processes involved in taking and filling customer orders for custom-built furniture at Stately Furniture. These processes are explored from the view of a number of different departments in the firm: information systems, production, quality control, sales and marketing, and accounting and finance.
Possible chapters:
Chapter 5 – IT and Business Transformation
Chapter 6 – Architecture and Infrastructure
WWW.Flexlease.com
The Flexlease case describes a unique combination of two traditional businesses – an auto leasing firm and an Internet Service Provider (ISP). These two enter into a joint venture to offer automobile leases via the World Wide Web. This case could be used in the BPR case, as it describes how the current business processes had to be revised in order to make Flexlease a reality. The case further points out how some of the benefits of the system cannot be recognized because not all of the trading partners of Flexlease have the ability to tie into their electronic systems. This case concludes with a brief appendix that describes the workflow modeling technique used in the case.
Possible chapters:
Chapter 4 – Strategic Use of Information Resources
Chapter 5 – IT and Business Transformation
Chapter 7 – Managing in a World of Electronic Business