AGSM @ UNSW Business School

Never Stand Still Business School

MNGT6382
IT and Organisational
Performance

Session 1, 2015

business.unsw.edu.au/agsm
CRICOS Code 00098G
The UNSW Business School is actively monitoring student learning and quality of the
student experience in all its programs. A random selection of completed assessment
tasks may be used for quality assurance, such as to determine the extent to which
program learning goals are being achieved. The information is required for accreditation
purposes, and only aggregated findings will be used to inform changes aimed at
improving the quality of UNSW Business School programs. All material used for such
processes will be treated as confidential and will not be related to course grades.

Published in 2015 by
UNSW Australia Business School
UNSW Australia
Sydney NSW 2052

CRICOS Provider Number: 00098G

This document is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research,
criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced
by any process without written permission. Inquiries should be addressed
to the publishers, UNSW Australia Business School.
IT and Organisational Performance

Course overview

We welcome ideas to improve these course materials.

Please email suggestions to coursematerials@agsm.edu.au.

ITOP 2015
Contents

Course Calendar 1
Session 1, 2015 1

Course outline 2
Course structure 9

Assessment 10
Summary of requirements 10
Assessment 1 – Online Participation 11
Assessment 2 – T
 he Vermont Teddy Bear case study 12
Assessment 3 – I T and Organisational Performance 13
Assessment 4 – Final exam 15

Learning technology 16
Course materials 16
eLearning 16

Acknowledgements 20
Course leader 20

Appendices 21
 Course Calendar

Session 1, 2015
IT & Organisational Performance
MBA (Executive)
Assessment due
Week no. Week begins Unit
(% weighting)

1 (Intro) 2 February 1

2 9 February 2

3 16 February 3

4 23 February 4

5 2 March 5 Assessment 2 (15%)

6 9 March 6

Assessment 1
7 16 March 7
(15%)

8 23 March 8

9 30 March 9

Easter Break Week

10 13 April 10 Assessment 3 (30%)

11 20 April 11

12 27 April 12

Final Exam (40%) (Saturday 9 May)

Course overview 1
 Course outline

Information and communication technology is at the core of many

business functions, operations, products and services. Today, organisations
worldwide spend over 50% of their new investment funds on IT and related
communications. How organisations manage these large investments is of
critical importance to organisational efficiency and effectiveness. Further,
IT is often the link between the business model and the critical drivers of
success. Many organisations have been unsuccessful with their IT-based
investments because of poor alignment of IT with the business.
IT and Organisational Performance (ITOP) will help you understand some of
the challenges in managing IT. The focus of the course is how organisations
can generate value from IT-based investments. We aim to assist participants
to understand and analyse the business and organisational implications.

When you have completed this course, you will be able to:
• outline frameworks and models that describe the management of IT
• reflect on your experiences with IT in your organisation
• apply the frameworks and models to analyse your experiences with
managing IT
• develop critical analytical skills in using the frameworks and models
• develop strategies to more effectively manage IT
• assess critical issues in managing IT and ebusiness.

The course contains four sections. Each section focuses on a different aspect
of managing IT. The sections are:
Unit 1-3

Section 1
Managing IT in
organisations Unit 4-6

Section 2
Capturing business value
from the IT function Unit 7-9

Section 3
Unit 10-12
IT-basedchange

Section 4
Special topics

2 IT and Organisational Performance

 Section 1: Managing information technology in
organisations
This section establishes the foundations for managing information.
Participants will learn about the role and function of IT in organisations,
and how to manage IT for strategic and competitive advantage.

Unit 1: The information technology challenge

In this unit, we outline the three eras of IT from 1960 to today. The first of
these, the mainframe era, is mature and its successes and problems are well
documented. The strategic challenges of, and operational responses to, the
second era, the distributed era, are still problematic for most organisations
and industries. The third era, the Internet era, is a mixture of high-risk and
high-growth options for most businesses. This unit will also start to consider
some of the business thinking required to generate value from IT-based
investments by proposing ‘domains of IT’.
To complete your preparation for Unit 1 you will need to interview a
senior IT staff member of either your organisation or one you know well.
This should be someone who has an understanding of both business and
technical issues. It might be the Chief Information Officer (CIO) or
somebody in a similar role. The interview should take you about 30 minutes
and Unit 1 contains the interview questions. You should ensure that this
interview is scheduled so that you can conduct it as part of your preparation
for the first class.

Unit 2: IT strategic alignment

This unit explores the business and IT relationship. We begin by
considering the question of business–IT alignment (fit). That is, what does
it mean to align IT with the business? We also consider different ways in
which IT change can impact an organisation. We then go on to use an
analytical framework to examine how organisations can move from one
state of alignment (fit) – or more likely from a state of misfit – to a new
state of fit. Rather than arguing for one best path to fit, which is implicit
in the literature, we explore a number of different paths by which an
organisation can align its IT capacity with its business focus. Finally, we
introduce the concept of an organisational structure. These are the drivers
of business–IT fit. Three principal forms are centralised, decentralised and
federal.

Course overview 3
 Unit 3: Roles and responsibilities
This unit considers the management processes, roles and skills required to
manage the IT function. We address the importance of the people involved
in IT management. We also explore the key role in determining the success
or failure of the IT activity of an organisation that can be played by the
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Information Officer (CIO) and the
Board of Directors
Classifications are presented for the differing approaches of a CEO to the
IT function within a business. We examine the way the CEO’s perspective
shapes the attitudes of the executive team and the climate of the
organisation in its approach to harnessing the IT effort of the organisation,
as it seeks to add value and provide competitive advantage. Similarly, we
examine the ways in which a CIO adds value to an organisation. The
Board of Directors’ role is contingent on the organisation’s view of IT.
Finally, we explore the growing importance of integrating more closely
the activities of IT specialists and the overall operation of a business.
Organisational and cultural barriers to achieving this outcome are
considered within a framework that allows you to review the performance
of your own or other organisations.

Section 2: Capturing business value from the IT function

This section provides an in-depth examination of how organisations realise
value from their investments in and management of IT. Participants will
begin by learning about the problems of, and opportunities for, successfully
developing and delivering IT projects in organisations. Next, the role of IT
infrastructure for organisational performance is described. Finally, you will
learn about the different options for IT outsourcing.

Unit 4: IT project management

Unit 4 is an analysis of the way in which IT projects can be effectively
managed. Any review of the performance of IT projects over the years
reveals that, with few exceptions, it has been characterised by poor
performance across most, if not all, industries. The general experience
has been that projects are delivered late, over budget and of unduly
compromised functionality. Generating value through IT has been difficult.
We begin with a framework that positions IT projects as vehicles for
delivering business value through organisational change. We then consider
the challenge of successfully managing projects within this framework. We
analyse the inter-related processes of an IT project that need to be managed
effectively, including the role and value of stakeholders, and the people
involved in or affected by project activities, both internal and external to

4 IT and Organisational Performance

 the organisation. Finally, we consider the critical importance of developing
effective project management capabilities and practices at multiple levels
within the project framework.

Unit 5: IT infrastructure
In Unit 5, we address the importance to a business of IT infrastructure
management and the way in which senior business managers can and
should take an active role in exploiting the technology decisions of the
organisation. Having shown why infrastructure is such an important
issue, the nature of IT infrastructure is explored, and the challenges of
infrastructure management are examined.
We then consider how to manage IT infrastructure effectively to enable
organisational objectives and performance. Aligning infrastructure with the
organisation’s goals provides a basis for directing IT investments in ways
that can improve the creation of value from IT. We show how this can be
done using a framework for matching infrastructure capabilities to business
goals. We also consider a variety of infrastructure choices that are available
to firms, including organisational and services-based approaches, and
examine the issues involved in managing infrastructure over time through
iterative life cycles.
Finally, we review some new technologies that offer the potential to
become mainstream infrastructure components, and reconsider the
challenges of navigating technologies options from hype to strategic value.

Unit 6: IT sourcing
Unit 6 explores the ways in which an organisation can source its IT needs,
with a particular focus on how the external IT services market can be used
effectively to leverage IT and business performance.
We begin with an overview of IT sourcing options available to firms
and then focus on the outsourcing decision. The benefits and risks of
outsourcing IT are highlighted and we consider the findings on experience
from past practices. The unit then investigates how effective IT-sourcing
decisions can be made using decision matrices that pinpoint the key
business, economic, market and technical factors.
Next we examine a life cycle model of outsourcing as a basis for managing
the deal from beginning to end. In particular, we consider the processes of
assessing supplier bids and arriving at a suitable contract and measurement
system. Then we detail the customer and supplier organisational capabilities
that are necessary to benefit from any IT outsourcing arrangement. In
evaluating IT sourcing options, the critical roles of assessment, monitoring

Course overview 5
 and avoiding potential problem areas in determining success or failure are
emphasised.
We conclude the unit with a consideration of the strategic role for IT
outsourcing in contributing to transformational organisational change.

Section 3: IT-based change

In capturing value from the IT function, one of the key concerns is how an
organisation manages change. In this section we cover three topics that are
particularly pertinent to understanding IT-based change.

Unit 7: The IT investment decision

Most management careers now involve some periods as a manager or
business sponsor of an IT-based project. Future business leaders must be able
to manage IT investments to the advantage of their firm or organisation,
and there is a widely held view that firms and organisations are not getting
value from their investments in IT. How can managers cut through this
complexity to ‘pick winning IT projects’, and deliver demonstrable business
value? How do firms and organisations ensure that they are obtaining value
from their large and rapidly growing investments in IT? In Unit 7, we
attempt to provide the tools that enable these questions to be analysed and
answered.
We introduce the underlying economics of IT such as returns-to-scale
and network effects. These affect IT capital investment decisions by
encouraging resource sharing and early investment, but confound equitable
cost allocation. Then we examine the different types of investments and
the governance structures and decision-making processes that apply to
them. Finally, we examine decision criteria such as Net Present Value
(NPV), payback and value analysis. These criteria have important, and
undesirable, second-order effects.

Unit 8: Leading IT-based strategic change

In Unit 8, we canvass the methods of leading IT-based strategic change,
recognising that this is a critical success factor in capturing business value
from the IT function. We begin with an analysis of the problem of IT-
based strategic change and provide illustrative examples. The analysis
differentiates the people who are affected by change from the people who
are trying to create change, and reviews a set of psychological factors.
Change agent types are identified – the technocrat, the facilitator and the
advocate – along with a range of change processes. We also discuss ‘bad’ IT-
based solutions, catalogued under technology and technology-task misfits,
cultural misfits, and political misfits. Two diagnostic tools – stakeholder

6 IT and Organisational Performance

 analysis and ‘rules of the game’ analysis – are presented as ways to help
make effective change.
We cover the process of strategic organisational change, and highlight a
range of models, including the ice cube model, the rubber band model and
the jagged edge model. Supplementing these models is an outline of several
additional diagnostic tools. Finally, we discuss extended enterprise systems
and inter-organisational change, canvassing both the similarities and
differences of intra- and inter-organisational change.

Unit 9: Enterprise systems

In Unit 9, we discuss the role of enterprise systems, focusing on Enterprise
Resource Planning (ERP) in particular, and the techniques of Business
Process Re-engineering (BPR) in driving organisational and business
change. We begin with a brief discussion about the role of IT in
organisational change and trace the history of the development of BPR as
a response to the growing recognition that organisations were not realising
the expected improvements in performance from their investment in IT.
We also run through Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and
Supply Chain Management (SCM) systems
We discuss theoretical issues and managerial strategies for successfully
managing the implementation of these enterprise systems in order to
support cross-functional processes. The issues considered in this unit will
provide you with a greater understanding of the challenges of organisational
change in implementing enterprise-wide systems, as well as the potential
business benefits of successfully integrating diverse processes.

Section 4: Special topics

In the closing three units of this course, we focus on some specialist topics
of interest. First, the challenges of managing small and medium-sized
enterprises are considered. Next, the concerns for capturing the benefits
from ebusiness and social media are outlined. Finally, the course closes with
some thoughts on the future role of IT in organisations.

Unit 10: Small and medium-sized enterprises and IT

While the majority of businesses today fall into the small and medium-
sized enterprise (SME) category, there has been little research into the
differences between the operating worlds of the major corporates or global
businesses, and the SME. In the IT context in particular, there is little
understanding of the influence and potential for IT to support the growth
and development of the SME. Such research that is available suggests that
SMEs handle IT in ways that are quite different from larger firms.

Course overview 7
 We identify key issues for SMEs to consider in unlocking the potential of
IT to manage growth and innovation, and focus on the strategic worth of
IT for small firms. We also look at the role of investment in IT within the
constraints of the SME world, and its importance in determining the short-
term survival and long-term success of the SME. Finally, we examine the
role of IT in supporting different growth paths for SMEs.

Unit 11: eBusiness and Social Media

New ebusiness applications are changing the way organisations perform.
The internet and associated technologies are supporting these changes.
This unit shows how, driven by technological developments, market
changes and new business models, we are seeing the process of integration
information technologies into the central core of organisations. To do this,
the unit first highlights the new basis for competition. It then outlines some
of the principles that organisations need to follow to move to an ebusiness
focus. Finally, it explores the use of social media in business.

Unit 12: The future role of IT in organisations

This final unit considers the future role of IT in organisations. The majority
of industries continue to be unclear about this. We consider developments
in technology, applications in different industries and the IT industry it self.
By speculating about the role of IT, you are encouraged to think about your
own business to determine the implications for it.

Program Learning Goals

This course contributes to the development of the MBA(Executive)
Program Learning Goals, which are the qualities, skills and understandings
we want you to have by the completion of your degree, as indicated below:
• An in-depth engagement with the relevant disciplinary knowledge in
its interdisciplinary context
• Team based skills
• Critical and analytical thinking
• Decision-making and problem-solving
• An ability to manage change

Program Learning Goals are developed throughout the program of study.

Each course will not necessarily address all Program Goals or develop them
to an equal extent.

8 IT and Organisational Performance

 Course structure
Section 1: Managing information technology in organisations

Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3

The information IT strategic Roles and
technology challenge alignment responsibilities

Section 2: Capturing business value from the IT function

Unit 4
Unit 5 Unit 6
IT project
IT infrastructure IT sourcing
 anagement
m

Section 3: IT-based change

Unit 7 Unit 8
Unit 9
IT investment Leading IT-based
Enterprise systems
decisions strategic change

Section 4: Special topics

Unit 10 Unit 12
Unit 11
Small and medium- The future role of IT
eBusiness andSocial
sized enterprises in organisations and
Media
and IT review

Course overview 9
 Assessment

Summary of requirements
Assessment 1 – Online Participation
Due: every week
Weight: 15%
Length: 2 x 200 words (max)
Assessment 2 – The Vermnont Teddy Bear case study
Due: Week 5
Weight: 15%
Length: 10 pages

Assessment 3 – IT & Organisational Performance

Due: Week 10
Weight: 30%
Length: 15 pages

Assessment 4 – Final exam

Due: Saturday, 9 May 2015
Weight: 40%
Duration: 3 hours

To complete the course, IT & Organisational Performance, successfully, you

will need to achieve a passing grade across all assessments. The assessment
process plays two roles: it provides feedback to you on your progress, and is
a means of testing and grading your performance. For more information on
assessment criteria and submission details and grading policy, please refer to
the ‘Policies and Procedures’ section of the MBA (Executive) Student area
on the AGSM Web site.

Assessment criteria
Unless otherwise specified, the following criteria will be applied in assessing
your written work:
• Evidence of understanding the concepts, theories and ideas developed in
the course.
• Ability to apply these concepts to examples.
• Capacity to structure an assessment logically, showing clarity of thought.
• Clarity of description, explanation and attention to the focus of the
exercise or assignment.
• Degree to which the material submitted for assessment addresses the
specified assessment requirements, including limiting the assessment to
the required length.

10 IT and Organisational Performance

 A completed assessment cover sheet must be attached to the front of each
submitted assignment.

Assessment 1 – Online Participation

Due: Each week
Weight: 15%
Length: 2 x 200 words (max)

Instructions
As this course is online, we have the luxury of being able to ‘drop into’ our
group when convenient. However, we also need the discipline to make
sure we do this regularly but not for great lengths of time. Each person will
have their own way of working. The facilitator will be logging onto the
site regularly but for a short spell, rather than spending an hour or so in one
sitting. If we were meeting ‘in class’ we would prepare to come to a class
and then spend 90 minutes discussing the thoughts, questions and issues in
that class with little contact in between classes. In this medium, we can
have a more fluid interaction with each other: we might still only spend 90
minutes (apart from our preparation) but that can be spread over a week
rather than concentrated in one evening.
The facilitator will log onto the site most days during the week except
Saturday and Sunday. We all need to be conscious of how we manage our
time so that, on the one hand, we give sufficient time to this course but, on
the other, it does not expand to consume all our ‘spare’ time.
The approach for this course is as follows: the facilitator will post a few
questions and comments to guide thinking and online discussion for each
week’s material. Students will post any questions regarding the material in
the unit generally by Monday morning of each week. That will leave all
of us time to respond to those questions before the end of the week. By
Sunday evening of each week, ie. the ‘end’ of the week, students must
make at least two posts contributing to the specific discussion around the
weekly exercises. The posts form one of the assessments for the course.
This is worth 15% of the total course grade. One third of the grade (5%)
goes towards how regularly you contribute. One third to the quality of the
contributions. One third goes to the quality of feedback to others’ ideas.
Contributions must be no more than 200 words and must demonstrate a
reasonable effort to engage with the material. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’
answer but there is a ‘right’ way of approaching this: ie. making a genuine
attempt to engage with the material. If a student’s posts suggest that they

Course overview 11
 misunderstand the material in a fundamental way, I shall contact them
individually about this.
The exercises in the units are intended to highlight issues and to help
clarify any areas where students are encountering difficulties or where
they have a particular interest. As such, we will not be going exhaustively
through each of the exercises in each of the units. We will begin by
addressing any issues that people wish to raise with particular exercises;
then move on to considering issues and questions that the unit throws up
more generally; and finally by adding in any ‘hot topics’, comments or ‘news
items’ that we have found and want to share with the group.
There will also be four teleconference sessions during the term. These
sessions will provide an introduction to the course material in each of the
four sections as shown in the course outline, page 9. You are required to
make use of this. It is the equivalent of the workshop time in a face-to-face
class. Attendance is necessary. The first teleconference will be held on
Wednesday 5th February, 2014 between 6.00 – 7.30pm, Eastern Summer
Time it will cover Units 1, 2 and 3. The second teleconference will be held
on Thursday 20th February, 2014 between 6.00 – 7.30pm, Eastern Summer
Time it will cover units 4, 5 and 6. The third teleconference will be held
on Thursday 13 March, 2014 between 6.00 – 7.30pm, Eastern Summer
Time it will cover units 7, 8 and 9. The fourth and final teleconference
will be held on Thursday 3rd April, 2014, between 6.00 – 7.30pm Eastern
Standard Time it will cover units 10, 11 and 12. Students will be provided
with information on how to phone in for these teleconferences. If you
have any concerns about your individual circumstances or any disabilities
or conditions that might impact on your participation in this course, please
contact your course facilitator to discuss how best to progress.

Assessment 2 – T
 he Vermont Teddy Bear case
study
Due: Week 5
Weight: 15%
Maximum length: 10 pages, excluding bibliography and title page

Learning outcomes
When this assessment is complete, you should be able to:
• Use a number of frameworks to analyse IT within an organisation
• Identify the main ways management of IT can influence organisational
performance.
12 IT and Organisational Performance
 Instructions
This is a group assessment. Organise yourself into groups of three or four. It
would be best if you have a mix of IT and non-IT people in your group. If
you need some assistance in finding a group, speak to your instructor. Read
the case, ‘Peak experiences and strategic IT alignment at Vermont Teddy
Bear’ (Appendix 1) and answer the following question:
How strong are VTB’s information systems, given VTB’s strategic and
operational needs? What should VTB do to improve alignment of IT
with business needs?
In answering this question, use the Scott Morton Alignment Model and
other relevant frameworks from the course material.
To assist you in your analysis you will find the appendix, ‘Guide to
analysing case studies’, useful.
Note: As part of this assessment you must complete a self and peer
evaluation of contributions to the group’s final product. This
evaluation sheet is provided as an appendix.

Assessment 3 – I T and Organisational

Performance
Due: Week 10
Weight: 30%
Maximum length: 15 pages (excluding cover pages, bibliography and
appendices)

Learning outcomes
When this assessment is complete, you should be able to:
• Select appropriate frameworks and explain why they are relevant for
the analysis
• Perform an analysis by gathering data, analysing the data and drawing
logical conclusions
• Argue for changes to the management of IT by explaining the benefits
to an organisation’s performance.

Course overview 13
 Instructions
This assignment asks you to analyse your organisation or one you are
familiar with. To perform a good analysis you will need access to someone
like your CIO and someone who uses IT to achieve business outcomes.
Take this opportunity to broaden your personal network and ask these
people to help you prepare for this assignment. If the assignment is done
well then the report will be helpful for the people concerned and you may
wish to distribute it.
Please introduce the business to the reader by writing a one-page
introduction. You may wish to define a business unit rather than the whole
organisation. Then answer the following question:
Identify a performance issue in the organisation that relates to at least one
of the following three topics:
Choose one of any of the following three topics:
1. IT Project Management
2. IT Infrastructure
3. IT Sourcing

First, interview the respondents for an hour, making notes and collecting
other information as best you can. Search the company intranet to see
what documentation is available then skim read it. Second, analyse the
data using frameworks from the relevant units. Plan to spend a few hours
doing this. Third, present your findings to the respondents and ask for their
criticism. Finally, develop recommendations and write your report.
Note: For those of you who work for a small or medium sized enterprise,
it could also be useful to read Unit 10 now, as part of your
preparation.
Adopt the following structure:
1. Introduction to site (1 page)
2. Current state
3. Recommended state
4. High level plan for transition including indicative costs and benefits
5. Bibliography
6. Appendices

14 IT and Organisational Performance

 Assessment 4 – Final exam
Date: Saturday, 9 May 2015
Weight: 40%
Duration: 3 hours (plus 15 minutes reading time)
The final examination is an open book exam covering the entire course,
Units 1 to 12. As with all the assessments, you will be assessed based on the
criteria for assessment outlined earlier. A copy of some past exam papers
have been included as Appendix 3 to this course overview to assist in your
preparation for the final examination.
The format of this year’s exam will be the same as last year. The exam has
three sections, and you must answer each section.
• Section one (40% of the total exam mark)
For this section, you will be given two questions. All students must
complete BOTH questions.
• Section two (30% of the total exam mark)
For this section, you will be provided with a quote, and asked to
respond to it.
• Section three (30% of the total exam mark)
For this section, you will be provided with an article, and asked to
respond to it.

Course overview 15
 Learning technology

Course materials
The material for this course includes a Course Overview and 12 study units
that correspond to the 12 weeks of the course. Each unit also includes a set
of readings that are integral to and complement the text.
Readings are included at the end of each unit in an appendices section. You
will be referred to these readings at appropriate places in the text. Many of
the exercises will utilise one or more of these readings, which are gathered
from a variety of sources.
Also, to help you understand the terminology used in this course,
Appendix 4 provides a glossary.

Website
The IT and Organisational Performance Website has been designed to
complement your course materials, providing links to other interesting and
relevant sites, as well as material in an online format. You can access this
material from the ‘My Courses’ area of the AGSM Web site once you have
logged in to your Student Home Page.
The online documents are PDF (Portable Document Format) files, which
allow you to access the course units in the same visual format contained
in the course material binders. The PDF files can be viewed, printed and
navigated using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Articles to which the AGSM does not have copyright are not included as
online documents.

eLearning
To access eLearning@AGSM MBA, go to http://telt.unsw.edu.au/ and
select Login to UNSW Moodle.
Login to the web Single Sign On (wSSO) using these details:
Username: zNumber
Password: zPass

eLearning support
Should you have any difficulties accessing your course online, please
contact the eLearning support below:

16 IT and Organisational Performance

 For login issues
UNSW IT Service Centre.
Hours: Monday to Friday: 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 11 a.m. to 2.00 p.m.
Email: ITServiceCentre@unsw.edu.au
Phone: Internal – extension 51333
External - +61 2 9385 1333

For assistance in using Moodle, including how to upload assessments.

The AGSM eLearning Coordinator
Hours: Monday-Friday, 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
Email: elearning@agsm.edu.au
Phone: Internal - x19541
External - 02 9931 9541
International - +61 2 9931 9541

For help with technical issues and problems.

External TELT Service Centre
Hours: Monday to Friday: 7.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
Email: externalteltsuppport@unsw.edu.au
Phone: Internal - x53331
External - 02 9385 3331
International - +61 2 9385 3331

Course overview 17
 AGSM MBA Programs contact details
Student Experience

If you have any administrative queries, they should be addressed to

Student Experience.
Student Experience
AGSM MBA Programs
UNSW Business School
SYDNEY NSW 2052
Tel: 61 2 9931 9400
Fax: 61 2 9931 9205
Email: studentexperience@agsm.edu.au

18 IT and Organisational Performance

 Additional student resources and support
The University and the UNSW Business School provide a wide range of
support services for students, including:
• ASB Education Development Unit (EDU)
(www.business.unsw.edu.au/edu)
Academic writing, study skills and maths support specifically for ASB,
AGSM and MBT students.
Services include workshops, online and printed resources, and
individual consultations.
EDU Office: Room GO7, Ground Floor, ASB Building (opposite
Student Centre); Ph: 9385 5584; Email: edu@unsw.edu.au
• UNSW Learning Centre (www.lc.unsw.edu.au)
Academic skills support services, including workshops and resources, for
all UNSW students. See website for details.
• Library training and search support services http://info.library.unsw.
edu.au
• UNSW IT Service Desk Technical support for problems logging in to
websites, downloading documents etc. Library, Level 2; Ph: 9385 1333.
Website www.its.unsw.edu.au/support/support_home.html
• UNSW Counselling Service (www.counselling.unsw.edu.au)
Free, confidential service for problems of a personal or academic
nature; and workshops on study issues such as ‘Coping With Stress’ and
‘Procrastination’.
Office: Level 2, Quadrangle East Wing; Ph: 9385 5418
• Student Equity & Disabilities Unit (http://www.studentequity.unsw.
edu.au) Advice regarding equity and diversity issues, and support for
students who have a disability or disadvantage that interferes with their
learning. Office: Ground Floor, John Goodsell Building; Ph: 9385 4734

Course overview 19
 Acknowledgements

Course leader
Alan Thorogood PhD, MBA, Henley Management Diploma
Senior Visiting Fellow, AGSM
Alan Thorogood is conducting research to improve organisations’ IT
investment decisions. In this research, he draws on nearly two decades of
global industry experience with IT vendors and users. Prior to establishing
his own consulting and research practice, Alan has led Accentures’ IT
strategy practice in Sydney and was a director at PwC. He is also a great
editor of the Journal of Strategy Information Systems and a lead researcher
for a cloud computing research project with colleagues from M.I.T., L.S.E.
& UMSL.
He is a Senior Visiting Fellow in the UNSW Business School and a
Director of Thorogood & Partners.
The AGSM awarded Alan an MBA in 2003 with the Australian Business
Limited prize for top academic performance and the Boston Consulting
Group prize for Strategy. In his research, he has co-authored papers for
the American Conference on Information Systems (2007), the Hawaiian
International Conference of Systems Sciences (2004, 2012), the Pacific
Asia Conference on Information Systems (2004, 2011, 2012), the Winter
International Symposium on ICT (2005), and case studies in the Journal
of Information Technology (2004 and 2006), MIT CISR (2009), the
International Conference on Information System (2010), and Pacific Asia
Conference on Information Systems (2011). Alan has been a Doctoral
Fellow at Bentley College, Boston and won two significant scholarships
in Australia: an Australian Postgraduate Award and the AGSM Merit
scholarship.

20 IT and Organisational Performance

 Appendices

Appendix 1 G
 ogan, J. L. and M. O. Lewis. 2011, ‘Peak experience and
strategic IT alignment at Vermont Teddy Bear’, Journal of
Information Technology Teaching Cases, vol. 1, pp. 61–70.
Appendix 2 Guide to analysing case studies
Appendix 3 Sample exam
Appendix 4 Glossary
Appendix 5 Learning Management System Information
Appendix 6 Assessment 2 peer evaluation sheet

Course overview 21