Cases in APEX Global are not about IT hardware, developing an application or fixing and maintaining equipment. Instead, the cases focus on innovative applications of information technology in firms from any business sector which connect the worlds of IT and Business together.
Past Cases
2009
Featured case company is Vestas, the world’s leading wind energy provider. Vestas was seeking a strategy to handle the unpredictable yet rapid growth in the current market conditions while containing the costs of globally delivering corporate IT services. Teams must play the role of consultants engaged by Vestas to present their recommendation to the CIO within 24 hours of case deliberation. Written by Narayan Ramasubbu, Assistant Professor of Information Systems, SMU SIS.
You can download the case here: APEX Global 2009 Case.
Sample Business-IT Cases
Merger & Acquisition
You are given three years to reduce expenses by $60 million for a bank’s Merger & Acquisition. Half of the savings will come from reducing the number of employees whose roles have been duplicated as a result of the merger. The remaining savings will be achieved through the reduction of associated assets such as hardware, software and property. You have many hurdles to overcome, including motivating “soon to be made redundant” staff, finding and keeping the bank’s star performers, designing the new organizational structure for the technology group, choosing the target IT platform and performing the infrastructure consolidation. What is your strategy?
A Consultant’s Challenge
You are hired as a consultant to an Internet marketing services firm with a blue chip client list. The rapidly changing Internet environment demands continuous innovation and an exceptional level of creativity from the Technology Group. The company has set aside substantial resources in developing a creation-friendly physical environment and an IT Design Architecture that is intended to “keep creativity bubbling”. The company is ready to embark on a significant expansion in its customer base and the challenge for the management team is to integrate the confederation of country-specific organizations while maintaining the agility and responsiveness of the firm. What is your strategy?