McCombs Business School

The University of Texas

Global Electronic Business:

Theory, Cases and Clinical Issues

An Advanced Graduate Elective Course

Listed as MIS 381N -03858, IB 395-04387 or ACCT XXX -XXXXXX

Supervising Faculty:

Larry Leibrock, Ph.D.

Associate Dean – Chief Technology Officer
J. Anderson Fitzgerald Centennial Fellowship in Information Systems-The
University of Texas
LLaarrrryy..LLeeiibbrroocckk@
@bbuuss..uutteexxaass..eedduu

Fall Semester 2002

Special Course Meetings Times

Page 1 of 14
 McCombs Business School
The University of Texas
Design
This course is designed for graduate students with experiences and professional
objectives in accounting, business, law, international business and perhaps the
engineering sciences.

This course is not a technical course or information management specialist class,

rather the course is intended for the general manager working in strategic and
operational decisional settings with an interest in global business strategies and
initiatives.
This course explores a range of managerial issues relating to the relationship among
information technology, global business, measurement, controls and legal custom
constraints. Students acting as global strategists will learn how to integrate
information technology into global strategy and business models that span national
boundaries. Students in the context of business cases will act as information
technology managers and learn how to manage technology infrastructure in the global
arena, and students acting as general managers will learn how to incorporate
emerging trends in both IT and global business in the implementation and success in
operating global electronic business initiatives.
To provide context to this course an inter-disciplinary perspective and pedagogy with
respect to wide range of global cases has been included in our case reviews. The
course has an extensive (heavy) set of assigned readings, assigned questions and in-
class case discussion. To reiterate, this course combines theory, cases, and
experimental learning in a global, inter-disciplinary framework.
The particular cases were selected to provide both a broad survey and sufficient
range of inter-dependent global electronic business issues. They cases include
multinational companies and local companies, companies from developing countries
and companies from developed countries, IT vendors and IT users

The orientation for this special course is to create managerial excellence in:
1. Assess factors inherent in global EB infrastructures and business models

2. Clarity of thought in developing and communicating IT systems framework

models in both the global enterprise and ebusiness (EB) space,
3. Creation of business value through IT investment, - The Business Case

4. Development and leverage of IT Infrastructures to support EB,

5. Frame certain technical Issues for EB,
Page 2 of 14
 McCombs Business School
The University of Texas
6. Recognition of components of EB in global settings,
7. Reviewing EB as systems framework in the context of EB,
8. Risk and risk abatement responses in EB settings,
9. Security and privacy aspects for EB,

10. Understanding legal, public policy and regulatory Issues and

11. Framing legal, ethical, measurement and controls for EB initiatives.

Objectives
The work in this course will center on both the individual and the small team
collaborative case development in the domain of global electronic business (EB)
project/systems management processes. The course is a conceived as a survey EB
course focusing on the management of the EB life-cycle for both governmental and for
profit business settings.
The course has an experimental component in the uses of technology-enhanced-
learning (TEL). An ancillary feature of the pedagogy is the use of TEL in the form of
networked collaborative tools, email discussion servers and collaborative web
publishing processes. We will use a range of tools to support collaboration in this
course. You should have access and use the Internet enabled personal computer to:
1. Reliably send and receive email messages,
2. Design and publish web documents
3. Prepare course documents and
4. Conduct web searches for case information.

If you do not have access to such a computing environment, you should not undertake
this course.

Cases and respective questions which deal with national, international issues and
domains will be sent out via email before each in-class case discussions. These
aforementioned questions will not focus simply on IT issues – rather a more holistic
review of international and multi-cultural issues will be explored.

Page 3 of 14
 McCombs Business School
The University of Texas

As an important note - the effective, periodic use of personal computing, web

document creation, web publishing and internet searches are central to the pedagogy
of this type of experiential learning.

Individual Work
Prepare your choice of one of the following individual requirements: (A or B)
A. A written technical note of a particular issue or technical component
relevant to EB. Some exemplary topics could include:
o E-Government and Not-for-profit uses of EB applications
(Governmental licensing – applications for services – revenue
collection – e-voting)
o Emerging EB technologies – i.e. WAP, digital certificates, M-business
tools
o For Profit business entrepreneurship in global settings
o Frameworks for assessing the range of strategic potential on EB
technologies

o Global project management techniques for EB systems.

o Nation-state or non-governmental organizations (NGO) attempts to
regulate EB or global IT uses and
o Tensions among collection of marketing data, uses of surveillance
and individual privacy

B. Develop a written book review and detailed critique for a recent book
dealing with a reasonable governmental and business aspect of EB. There
are a large number of books available in this topical area.
Given the choice of your work, you are asked to advocate and critique the main points
in language that helps everyone digest the course materials and place them in the
context of the course. Your analysis should contain a discussion of the clinical aspects
of envisioning, planning, designing, supporting and measuring EB in either a business
or governmental context.

Page 4 of 14
 McCombs Business School
The University of Texas
I leave it to your professional judgment to select either the topic or book. The
individual work should be in completed by the designated submission date and
available in both electronic and printed form. Each student will be required to
publish these on a business school Web Site here at UT.
The requirements for your personal web site will be sent electronically to you. You
are encouraged to use Microsoft FrontPage and you will be offered a special
laboratory which will serve to teach you how to publish using a set of tools on the
specified server. This lab will be announced and you are encouraged to attend this
learning opportunity.
I ask that your individual work be in the range of 1,500 to 3,000 words and be in HTML
format.

Small Team Work

Groups of 2 to 4 people will self-select in order to prepare a written case dealing;
including teaching notes, technical notes and PowerPoint materials, concerning an EB
initiative. The case should involve either a governmental or for profit business EB
initiative. These will be also be web published on a specific web server.
The case should take the executive decision-maker through a proposed EB initiative
from the “what is state” to the “to be state”. The case should offer a clear context,
business issues, the use of an IT infrastructure and conceptual framework for
organizing and making a range of decisions for the prospective EB initiative.

I ask that the case be developed with the following components:

1. Written Case –Setting Context: Introduction – Problem(s) – Relevant Facts –
Appendices (5 – 7 pages)

1. Teaching Notes (2 – 3 pages)

2. Technical Notes (2- 3 Pages)

3. MS PowerPoint. Discussion points may be contained in the speaker notes. (10 –

15 pages)
The final case project may have appendices with no relative limit.

The following topics:

Page 5 of 14
 McCombs Business School
The University of Texas
(1) Depth of materials,
(2) Intellectual content,
(3) Analytical framework,
(4) Demonstration of professional judgments based on case discussions

(5) Quality of research and

(6) Integration of theory, practice and timely topics.

All of these items, which should be contained in the presentation, will be the basis for
grading. You should look to our cases for illustrative models to create your
collaborative cases.

Delivery
Topical knowledge will be delivered through assigned readings, group discussion, and
lecturer/student presentations. I expect that everyone will make the necessary effort
to read assignments before class. Classes will include an in-class discussion of one or
more cases. It is the collective expectation that each student will read the
assignments and prepare responses to the assigned questions for each class meeting.
Assigned case and contextual questions will be sent by email at least 3 days (72 hours)
before each class meeting.

Each student is responsible to have a working business school internet email account,
network access and functioning personal computer with Office XP (MS Word
PowerPoint), FrontPage 2002 and MS Outlook. It is your responsibility to insure these
accounts, access and computer all work properly throughout the course. Each student
should understand and make use of internet search engines such as
http://www.google.com in developing your responses to the assigned questions.

Grades

Student performance for this particular course will be evaluated in the following
process -
Individual Work - A review of individual written – web published work will be
25% of the course grade. 25% of the grade is in-class case preparation and
discussions.

Page 6 of 14
 McCombs Business School
The University of Texas
Small Team Work - The small team EB Initiative project will be 50% of the
course grade. This project is conceived as a clinical learning experience. All
reports will be the equivalent of the prevailing industry standards and will be
based on current business project practices in most corporations.
The explicit statement for grading standards in this course:

• 25% of the grade is individual work (A. Technical notes or B. Book Critique)

• 25% in-class case preparation and discussions

• 50% is group work – preparation and delivery of the e-Business case.

Please note that there are no final examinations for this course. The final date
for all individual and group work is defined in the syllabus. All late submissions
will receive 1 grade penalty – unless you have a bono-fide medical emergency.

The course is not offered for audit or on a pass/fail basis.

Instructor
Larry Leibrock, Ph.D., is the course instructor. Larry is a member of the McCombs
Business School and Texas School of Law faculty for the University of Texas. Larry
serves as Associate Dean and Chief Technology Officer for the McCombs Business
School. He is a member of IEEE, ACM, Internet Society and USENIX/SAGE. He is also a
member of the Department of Defense Software Engineering Institute and a
participant in the Air Force Software Technology Conference. He has experience in
Global IT project management, systems security measures, systems audits, digital
forensics and systems management of global enterprise systems.
Office hours are Wednesday afternoons 5 PM or by appointment.

Readings
Internet Business Models and Strategies– ISBN 0-07-239724-1
Technology Forecast: 2001-2003 – ISBN1-891865-04-8
Books and case materials are not on library reserve.

Background Materials (These are not required – however, these are recommended for

Page 7 of 14
 McCombs Business School
The University of Texas
students who want background materials)

Education for Judgment – The Artistry of Discussion Leadership – ISBN 0-87584-

365-4

Global Electronic Commerce – Theory and Cases – ISBN 0-262-23205-7

PriceWaterhouseCoopers Executive’s Guide for E-Business from Tactics to

Strategy – ISBN 0-471-37639-6

The following are planned class meeting dates, topics and necessary
preparation

Meeting 0 Date/Time 8.28.02 6-10 PM

Topics:
Introductions
Course Plan & Requirements
IB Context for E-Business and E-Government
The Case Method
Use of Internet Search Engines and the PWC reference
Question Set: None
Read: NA
Case NA

Meeting 1 Date/Time 9.4.02 6-10 PM

Topics:

Page 8 of 14
 McCombs Business School
The University of Texas
IB Business Determinates and the Internet
Components, Linkages Models
Competition
Question Set: None
Read: Assigned Case & Afuah & Tucci Chapter 1
Cases: 1. A Note on Case Learning HBS 9-899-105
2. Pacific Century Cyberworks
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=900M31

3. Yipp article on Internet & Global Strategy

4. The Internet (an InClass Video Case)
Question Set: Sent By Email

Meeting 2 Date/Time 9.11.02 6 - 10 PM

Topics:
The Internet
Some Technical Components, Linkages and Models
Question Set: Sent by Email
Read: Assigned Case & Internet Business Models Afuah & Tucci Chapter
2 & PWC 617-698 & PWC 388-399
The Internet (an In Class Video Case)
Two Cases: CISCO China:
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=302069

Page 9 of 14
 McCombs Business School
The University of Texas
Mobile Communications Tokyo:
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=899077

Question Set: Sent By Email

Meeting 3 Date/Time 9.18.02 6:00 – 10:00 PM

Topics:
The Internet and its properties
The 5 C’s
Components, Linkages Models
Competition
Question Set: Sent by Email
Read: Afuah & Tucci Chapter 3 & PWC 25 – Internet Access
Case: Nokia Corp.: Innovation and Efficiency in a High-Growth Global Firm
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=IB23

Question Set: Sent By Email

Meeting 4 Date/Time 9.25.02 6 – 10:00 PM

Topics: Collaborative IT tools and Web Publishing using MS FrontPage
Requirements and Location of Lab sent by email

Meeting 5 Date/Time 10.2.02 6 – 10:00 PM

Topics: Web Publishing using MS FrontPage
Page 10 of 14
 McCombs Business School
The University of Texas
Requirements and Location of Lab sent by email

Meeting 6 Date/Time 10.9.02 6-10 PM

Topics:
Guest Lecture – Localization and HCI
Question Set: Sent by Email
Read: Afuah & Tucci Chapter 6 & PWC – Internet Access
Read: Afuah & Tucci Chapter 5 & PWC 245-252
Three Cases: The Development of the Internet in China (A):
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/includes/search/search_results.jhtml?_requ
estid=60488

Case: Latin America and Starmedia

http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=800166

Case: Singapore Tradenet: Beyond Tradenet to the Intelligent Island

http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=196105

Question Set: Sent By Email

Meeting 7 Date/Time 10.30.02 6-10 PM

Topics
IB – Code - IT
Question Set: Sent by Email
Read: PWC 165 to 309 and 715
Page 11 of 14
 McCombs Business School
The University of Texas
Case: Redhat and the Linux Revolution
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=600009

Question Set: Sent By Email

Meeting 8 Date/Time 11.6.02 6-10 PM

Topics:
Guest – China and the Internet Boom
The entrepreneur and the internet start-up
The role of Venture Capital
Valuation and Financing the Internet Firm
Question Set: Sent By Email
Read: Afuah & Tucci Chapter 7
Case: Tom.Com: Valuation of an Asian Internet Company
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=900N13

Question Set: Sent By Email

Meeting 9 Date/Time 11.13.02 6-10 PM

Topics:
The Environment
The Five Force Analysis
Co-competitors in E-Business
Macro Environment and Competition

Page 12 of 14
 McCombs Business School
The University of Texas
Question Set: Sent By Email
Read: Afuah & Tucci Chapter 7
Case: NTT DoCoMo: The Future of the Wireless Internet
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=701013

Question Set: Sent By Email

Meeting 10 Date/Time 11.20.02 6-10 PM

Topics:
Guest Lecture – IP issues in Asia
Intellectual Property
Risk Management and Global network Infrastructures
Question Set: Sent By Email
Read: Two Cases
Fighting 21st Century Pirates
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=HKU059i

The iPremier Case

http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=601114

Question Set: Sent By Email

Meeting 11 Date/Time 12.04.02 6-10 PM

Topics: The Future of E-Business, Outsourcing and Global Software
Development
Case - TBD

Page 13 of 14
 McCombs Business School
The University of Texas
Question Set: Sent By Email

Final turn-in sent by email - of all materials will be no later than 12.17.02 – this final
turn-in requirement includes all individual work and group work
1. Individual Work - A written technical note of a particular issue or technical
component relevant to EB. Or at your option a written book review and
detailed critique for a recent book dealing with a reasonable governmental and
business aspect of EB.
2. Group Work - Written Case (5 – 7 pages) including teaching notes (2 – 3 pages)
technical notes (2- 3 Pages) MS PowerPoint with discussion points to be
contained in the speaker notes(10 – 15 pages)
3. Any delay of submission, except in documents cases of medical or family
emergency, will have grade penalty.
4. All materials will be sent over the Internet email in a zipped archive format
with read receipts.

Updated 8.4.02
Authored by Larry Leibrock McCombs Graduate School of Business - The University
of Texas at Austin
Email larry.leibrock@bus.utexas.edu

Page 14 of 14