A case for BPR at GSBM....

This morning as I was making final preparations for this semester's new
courses I discovered that the campus bookstore had purchased, stocked,
and sold last year's textbook
for my spring courses.  Sometimes this would only be a minor
issue...say from the 3rd to the 4th Edition.  However, this year we
have fundamentally shifted the resources for my course.  We have a
completely new book, an online case study pack (as opposed to a printed
one), an HBS Simulation from hbs.edu and a freely distributed IBM
game.  However, none of this is in stock at the bookstore.

Why has this happened?  It's a classic case for BPR at GSBM.

To order textbooks for the bookstore we use the following process:

1. Faculty choose a book/resource.
2. Faculty alert an office administrator who single-handedly coordinates books/resources for all FTMBA courses.
3. Office
   Administrator (OA) then contacts a variety of sales reps from
   publishers, printers, and the bookstore to coordinate resources.
4. Each
   of these contact people work with either the university Follett
   manager, or the manager of the local bookstore to coordinate shipment,
   payment, and scheduling (it's unclear to me and most everyone else who
   is responsible for what in this process).
5. The local bookstore
   manager puts the books on the shelf along with placards indicating
   what's required for each course/instructor.
6. Students drop by the bookstore and pick-up whatever is on the shelf (often without consulting the syllabus).
7. Meanwhile,
   the instructor usually posts a link to where to buy the same
   book/resources at Amazon/BN/Froogle/FatBrain... for 20-30% less than
   the bookstore.

Why do we have such a complex process?  What
value-add does the bookstore and OA provide to this process?  Why not
simply have faculty members list a URL for resource acquisition in
their syllabus? 

When it comes to educational resources its well past time for channel compression.

Using micro-blogging as KMS...

A recent article at the NYT describes the increasing utilization of mirco-blogging sites like SocialCast, FriendFeed, Tumblr, and Twitter as KMS systems for the enterprise.  Is this the future of KM?  I'm currently experimenting with each of these plus Yammer.

Week 5 Announcements

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1. Security papers are still due next Thursday at 8am (Thanksgiving morning).

2. All other activities for next week's class are due by midnight on Monday, December 1.

3. Please replicate classroom conditions for the online quiz. Several of you have a quiz average below 80%, but somehow received 100% on the previous take-home quiz.

4. As discussed in class today, you may prepare your own “crib sheet” for the final exam to review the readings. Two important constraints:

   1. You must limit yourself to one page (double-sided, any font...)

   2. You must complete your own crib sheet. Please do not share this task because it will reduce the learning value.

5. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Survey from Bi Deng at CGU

A colleague at Claremont Graduate University recently approached Pepperdine Faculty and asked if we would be willing to allow him to survey our students about Leadership and Workplace Learning.  I (and several others) agreed to participate. 

As you know, academic research is a critical component of human progress.  Through participating in academic endeavors we open the windows to deeper understanding about issues that continue to challenge the greatest minds of the earth.

Bi Deng (a Ph.D. candidate) will be sending out an email to all of my students from this semester inviting you to participate in his survey.  You are under no pressure to participate.  It is not required, or a part of your grade.  It is simply to help advance social science.  If you have a few minutes during your holiday break, please complete his survey. 

Sincerely,
Michael

PS - His study is approved and monitored by the Institutional Review Board at Claremont.  A University IRB oversees all studies that deal with human subjects to ensure there are no ethical or legal violations.  You will not be "spammed" from Bi about this survey or any ongoing studies.

Strategy, Technology & Virtual Work Materials are Available

The materials for our online learning experience are now available. To begin the experience, read this overview document. It will provide an overview of the entire experience including learning objectives, participation requirements, grading, next steps, support issues, and all of the necessary links.

Please note:

• This experience will require 2-3 hours of time and includes individual, team, and class-based activities.
• You may complete it at your own leisure anytime between now and midnight on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
• You may begin this assignment immediately and complete it in one sitting, or over multiple sessions over the next few days.

I look forward to seeing you next Thursday morning.
MLW

The Economic Crisis and IT Employment

Based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and recent economic indicators, many predict the IT job market will not be as hard hit as many other sectors in this economic crisis.  Here's a story about it.

MBA 613 Course Requirements

An updated course requirement document is available here (http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dffxtf6v_19hb846swp) and on the Wiki.