MIS 300

TECHNOLOGICAL LEADERSHIP EXERCISE

Please view the material here on technological leadership before trying this exercise.

This exercise is to be done in the same groups that you do your tutorials in. 

The purpose of this exercise is for you to understand that you can be technological leaders even when you are not technologists.  To do this, it is important that you perform the role-plays in the exercise honestly and effectively. 

Instructions

Read the case by clicking here. 

Assign role play parts to each person.  Continue the current meeting and talk through some of the issues.  Remember the upcoming meeting in a "week" and role play that meeting after giving all the role-players time to do some research into technological leadership, supply chain management, the leather industry or whatever you think will help.  At the end of the meeting, write an essay of no more than 600 words (the equivalent of two pages of 8-1/2" x 11" double-spaced) detailing the following:

1. What happened at the second meeting.  What resulted?
2. How Enola demonstrated technological leadership.
3. What Enola and others will have to do to make this partnership successful
or
4. If things went badly at the second meeting, what would have had to be done to make the second meeting successful, especially with regard to the management of technology.

Details, Contingencies

There are six possible roles available in this case.  They are as follows:

A. Ms. Arlene Alpha, founder, CEO and President
B. Mr. Bob Bernstein, CIO, equivalent to a VP for info systems
C. Ms. Carla Castille, VP Production
D. Mr. Dumont Doolittle, System Manager
E. Ms. Enola Eng, Receptionist and part-time Business major at Okidoki University
F. Mr. Fabian Fantastico, a salesperson from Lithe Leathers, an Italian leather manufacturer.

Click here to display printable role tents (can also be used as name badges)

Because your group may have four, five or six people in it, it's important to make sure that you have at least an essential core of roles performed.  If your group has only five people, you may eliminate D, Mr. Dumont Doolittle.  Arguments concerning how the information system will work can be handled by Mr. Bob Bernstein.  If there are only four people in your group, you will have to double-up some roles or perhaps eliminate Ms. Alpha and have Mr. Bernstein speak for her.

Submission (IMPORTANT)

The assignment is to be created using a word processor and the text is then pasted into an email message and submitted via email to the instructor.  All submitted assignments will be read using MicroSoft Outlook Express and will be returned to the email address from which the assignment was submitted.  In order to make sure that all students in the group are notified as to the grade, please include email addresses for everyone in your group in either the from: or cc: fields so that a "Reply All" will direct the assignment and the instructor's comments back to the whole group.  Word limitations will be strictly enforced: only the first 600 words will be read!  This relatively low word limit is being imposed to allow for rapid response with maximum commentary.