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Class Time: Mondays 6:00 - 7:50 pm
Classroom: HSSB 1233 (First Meeting)
ALL OTHER CLASSES HELD IN: LSB 1101
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Office Hours: Mondays 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Or by appointment
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Course includes visiting speakers and field visits to facilitate learning about the critical issues in early stage IT and Telecom related companies. Specifically, this course investigates the development cycles and regulatory issues specific to IT and Telecom companies and how these impact management and organizational factors critical to the successful launch of a new product or idea. The course will be an introduction to different areas of expertise that are required to support the business of IT/Telecom and will expose students to career options both for science and non-science majors. Experts from both start ups and large companies will present an overview of their industry, of their company, and keys to formulating a disruptive technology-based strategy. Guest speakers, team projects and final paper.
1. Understand the process by which new IT/Telecom products are developed, how they advance from R&D to commercialization, and what are some of the key elements that create a successful launch.
2. Gain insight into the organizational and management factors influencing the success of a product/company.
3. Explore external factors that can affect market acceptance of a launch including political, legal, regulatory, and macro-economic factors, social and moral environment, global "flattening", speed of change in the market, entrenched technologies, internal management and organization, etc.
4. Learn the career paths available in an IT/Telecom company.
There are three separate assignments that students will receive a grade for this 2 credit 193C/293C course. Students from 101C/201C 1 credit class only need to complete Assignments 1 and 2 (ie. they do not need to hand in the final paper)
1 Outline Due April 21, 2008 (All students)
- Part 1: Working in small groups, identify a "next big thing" ("NBT") that technology could bring to the world. In the past 20 years or so we've seen "NBT"s from cell phones to wireless networking to satellite direct television broadcast to iPods to the Internet and there are many more examples. The NBT you identify can be in a variety of technological areas such as computers, networks, communications, consumer electronics, and how IT/Telecom might be important to various fields (ie. energy or biotech). Identify the problem that that NBT solves (if any) and the "leap of science" or "leap of technology" needed for that NBT to become practical.
- Part 2: For the potential NBT that you've identified, list external factors that would affect the market acceptance level associated with how large and rapid the influence of that NBT could be including political, legal, regulatory, and macro-economic factors, social and moral environment, global "flattening", speed of change in the market, entrenched technologies, internal management and organization, etc. It is not necessary to have a position or solution to these factors, just a list of things that would affect the acceptance of the NBT.
Provide a summary of your answers to Parts 1 and 2 in a one-page outline to bring with you to the April 21, 2008 class discussion with Steve Morley (see below).
1. Paper Due April 28, 2008 (All students)
- Part 1: Based on your NBT analysis in assignment 1 and the class discussion with Steve Morley, pick five of the external "mega-factors" that you believe would be the most influential in determining the market acceptance of your NBT.
- Part 2: For each of these five factors, discuss your understanding of how each factor would positively or negatively influence the market acceptance.
- Part 3: Discuss how you, as the CEO of a company hoping to capitalize on the market of that NBT, would 1) leverage the mega-factors to build greater market acceptance of your NBT and 2) position your company to be maximally successful in building a profitable business in that market.
Write a 3-5 page summary of your findings to be turned in to Steve Morley on April 28. Papers will be discussed on May 5 with Mr. Morley.
2. Individual assignment – Only 193C/293C students - Final paper due June 6, 2008
Write a paper, 3-4 pages in length, that analyzes an early stage IT/Telecom company of your choice using research methods presented by Janet Martorana (Davidson Library). What do you think the company will need in the way of resources to be successful? Is their current management team likely to appeal to investors and make it to commercialization? Why? What is the competitive environment? The project must state how the information was obtained (include names and emails, reference material, etc., depending on how you obtained the information). You are encouraged to consult with any of the speakers. A second optional topic would be to answer these same questions about the NBT which you presented in the Team Assignment. Individual papers are due by Friday, June 6 at 4:00 p.m in the TMP office, Trailer 937 next to Broida Hall.
Classes will be held once a week, 2 hours per session. Attendance will be considered in the grade, missing either of the Morley lecturers will result in a lower grade. Guest lecturers will provide information in their specific fields. Student teams will be created of not more than 3 persons. Each team cannot be comprised of all graduate students. Students will be expected to interact with the guest lecturers and industry experts. A roundtable discussion will be conducted and each student will be expected to participate.
Grades will be determined subjectively based on participation level, creativity of proposed answers to assignments and in-class discussion questions, ability to describe and defend a position about a particular potential NBT or mega-factor, and ability to propose ideas for maximizing the market success of various potential NBT's and the success of a company in that space.
33.3% Attendance and Individual participation in discussions with speakers
(students are required to interact with the guest lecturers/industry experts each evening).
33.3% Assignments 1 & 2 (66.6% for 101C/201C students)
33.3% Final Paper, Assignment 3 (for all 193C/293C students)
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