Managers today are charged with the responsibilities for reevaluating their organization’s IT strategy, making new software selections, implementing systems and processes, and managing systems to maximize return on investment. The knowledge necessary to address these issues is changing every day, and today’s manager is challenged with the task of staying current in order to make the very best decisions for his/her company.

Information management is addressed from two levels:

1. From a strategic level based on a discussion of Business Models for the internet and e-commerce and,
2. From an applications level with a discussion of tools which organizations use in decision-making.

The complexity of supply chain relationships and logistics tradeoffs within a firm necessitates the use of a growing array of modeling approaches that includes spreadsheets, simulations, and linear/integer programming algorithms. These tools and techniques used by supply chain analysts are playing an increasingly important role in formulating, evaluating, and implementing logistics strategies, as well as in designing integrated enterprise systems for the supply chain.

Topics that will be addressed in these modules focus on the approaches and techniques noted above that transform data into information in the supply chain. Within this context the following subject matters will also be covered: the nature of the "logistics product;" principles and analysis of product and customer segmentation; and designing and managing a supply chain.

The major learning objectives

1. The student will have an understanding of the strategic importance of information management in their organization.
2. The student will be able to understand the various tradeoffs (both financial and customer service) that occur in a supply chain from raw material purchasing to delivery of finished goods to the marketplace.
3. The student will be able to develop a classification framework for analyzing the firm's logistics product.
4. The student will be able to effectively manipulate and transform large databases into value-added information.
5. The student will be able to develop information management policies and strategies that contribute to customer value.

Topics

• How architecture wins technology wars


• Strategic development and deployment of information systems


• Increasing returns and the winner-take-all nature of the Information Age


• Impact of e-commerce on current business environment -- B2C and B2B


• Business models for the new economy


• Manipulating and transforming large databases into value-added information