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The co-evolution of technology, work, and the workforce over the past 30 years has dramatically influenced our concept of organizations and the industries within which they compete. No longer simply a tool to support "back-office" transactions, IT has become a strategic part of most businesses, enabling the redefinition of markets and industries and the strategies and designs of firms competing within them. But to achieve these information age benefits, companies must adopt information age technology architectures. Organizations must radically transform outdated IT architectures and the IT organizations required to support them. This technological transformation is every bit as daunting as the organizational transformation. This note describes general frameworks and concepts that managers can use to analyze their existing IT architecture and to define and manage the IT architecture required to support the information processing requirements of the Information Age organization.

Provides students with a basic understanding of the technology and technical terminology for computer hardware and software.

Discusses the two stages of an organization's reengineering effort--the design and implementation. While the design phase needs to be revolutionary, an organization must assess whether the appropriate path to implementation should be evolutionary or revolutionary. Discussions are based on a two-year study of reengineering efforts at over 40 companies by the authors.

Consists of excerpts from Principles of Corporate Governance, a set of legal guidelines that enumerates the principal duties of corporate managers and directors, including fiduciary duty, duty of care, and duty of fair dealing. Also addresses legal obligations relating to tender offers and the supervision of employees.

Provides an introduction to the key concepts and questions individuals encounter in a diverse workplace. These concepts and questions are organized around three critical interactions and experiences in any individual's career: entry into an organization or work group; performance development; and interpersonal conflict. Relevant research noted.

Provides an overview of the basic technologies that comprise the communications infrastructure of a firm. Network architecture, wide area networks, local area networks, communication media, network protocols, and basic principles of data transmission over networks are covered.

Discusses accounting for long-lived fixed assets, depreciation, and asset impairments.

A glossary of some commonly used Industrial Relations terminology to be used in conjunction with introductory Industrial Relations cases.

Category management is a technique used by retailers where the product assortment is sub-divided into categories that 1) reflect the purchasing behaviour of the target consumers and 2) are managed as separate business units. In category management, retailers aim to improve the overall performance of a group of products, rather than focus on individual items. In other words, it is a change in perspective about the competitive dynamics of products in the assortment. Individual categories have a manager with the responsibility for making both the buying and merchandising decisions for the category and for planning and achieving the sales and profit goals. (A color version of this case is available at a higher price.)

Provides an introduction to three cash flow valuation methods. The three methods differ in their measure of cash flows and the discount rate applied to those cash flows. The names for the three methods correspond to the type of cash flow that is used in the valuation: Equity Cash Flow (ECF), Capital Cash Flow (CCF), and Free Cash Flow (FCF). The three methods provide consistent valuations when applied correctly.

Discusses accounting for intercorporate equity investments and the preparation of consolidated financial statements.

Describes the purpose and nature of industry self-regulation and outlines the factors self-regulatory groups must consider to avoid infringing U.S. antitrust laws. Several examples of industry self-regulation are discussed.

How can framing--alternative description of an object, event, or situation--can be used effectively in negotiation? A real estate dialog is used to illustrate three common varieties of framing: losses versus gains; short and long horizons; and aggregation and segregation.

Describes how first or opening offers can be used effectively in negotiation. Examines how opening offers serve as an anchor, changing one side's perception of the other side's bottom line and hence the set of possible outcomes.

Describes the strategic and organizational challenges of turning a fledgling enterprise into a self-sustaining business. In contrast to traditional life-cycle models, the note argues that businesses evolve in idiosyncratic ways. Therefore the leaders of young businesses have to develop strategies while taking into account the whole situation (rather than a "stage of growth") and after consideration of a broad mix of options. Furthermore, success in attaining sustainability is as much a matter of execution as it is of picking the right growth strategy.

The objective of this note is to define what is meant by mergers and acquisitions and to understand why they happen. The impact of these deals on shareholders of both the acquiring and acquired companies is investigated, and the reasons why some mergers succeed while others fail are examined. Finally, in order to determine the value of a firm, some valuation frameworks are provided.

Provides an elementary introduction to three major classes of derivative instruments: options, forwards and futures, and swaps.

Discusses accounting for contingency losses and gains.

Describes analyses that determine the appropriate limit to the scope of the firm. Examines both the production cost justification for firm diversification--economies of scope and shared resources, and the governance cost justification for including transactions inside the hierarchy rather than contracting for them on the market--transaction costs and agency theory. Concludes by identifying the line between corporate strategy and firm scope.

Illustrates the payoff structure of various positions involving put and call options and the use of put-call parity in understanding the relationships among various positions. Examines the cases of insured equity, interest rate caps and floors, callable and extendable debt, and corporate balance sheets.