1. Chapter 4 Hardware, Software, and Mobile Systems - Case & Exercise
Jason C. H. Chen, Ph.D.
Professor of MIS
School of Business
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA USA

2. Part I

3. In Class Exercise
UYK#4-4; p.156

4. 4-4.Describe how the class enrollment application at your university could benefit from a mobile application that uses the cloud.
The class enrollment application could enable students to view course offerings, register for classes, view class waiting lists, change class registration, and view class schedules. Being able to do all of these things would be highly valued by students who can be anywhere and perform these registration-related tasks at any time. (LO: 5, Learning Outcome: Discuss the role of information systems in supporting business processes, AACSB: Reflective Thinking Skills)

5. 4-5. Judging from your personal experience, describe the BYOD policy that appears to be in place at your university. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of the policy to you as a student and to the organization as a whole. How do you think that BYOD policy will change in the next five years? Explain your answer.
Student’s answers will vary widely depending on each institution’s approach to BYOD. As an example, this writer’s university has had in recent years a very restrictive policy on laptops—any laptop in use on campus that wanted access to the campus WiFi services had to be physically registered with the central Information Technology Services organization. Although this policy has been relaxed, it had the advantage of “forcing” each user to have certain malware protection installed. I believe that BYOD policies will have to continue to relax and accommodate with wide array of devices and respond to user demands. (LO: 7, Learning Outcome: Describe the major types of computer hardware and software used by companies, AACSB: Reflective Thinking Skills)

6. Case Study 4: The Apple of Your i (pp. 157-159)

7. Case Study 4: The Apple of Your i
Created mobile markets with iPod, iPhone, and iPad
Opened own stores
Open and inviting sales floor, Genius Bar help desk, incredibly well-trained and disciplined sales force
Pioneered Internet sale of music and applications
Tripled market share in three years
Second largest public company in world

8. Case Study 4: The Apple of Your i (cont’d.)

9. 4-12. Which of Porter’s four competitive strategies does Apple engage in? Explain
Apple is pursuing a focused differentiation strategy. It is focused primarily on the mobile computing device market and is differentiating itself through its incredible engineering and huge array of applications for its devices. Plus new one: INNOVATION (LO: 1, Learning Outcome: Explain how IS can be used to gain and sustain competitive advantage, AACSB: Reflective Thinking Skills)

10. 4-13. What do you think are the three most important factors in Apple’s past success? Justify your answer.
Student opinions on this will vary, but Apple has demonstrated a capability of creating innovative new products successfully. Apple has also been able to keep that stream of innovations going and to enable the innovations to play off of each other. A culture that encourages and supports these engineering successes is obvious. Apple also has developed an ability to sell and market its new products successfully. (LO: 6, Learning Outcome: Explain how IS can be used to gain and sustain competitive advantage, AACSB: Reflective Thinking Skills)

11. 4-14. Steve Jobs passed away in October 2011
Steve Jobs passed away in October Until his death, he had been the heart and soul of Apple’s innovation. Today, 80,000 Apple employees continue onward in his absence. A huge question facing many investors is whether the company can be successful without him. The current stock price would seem to indicate that the market does not. What do you think? What role did Jobs play? How can Apple respond to his loss? Would you be willing to invest in Apple without his leadership? Why or why not?

12. 4-14. (Ans) Jobs had a very hands-on involvement in the business
4-14. (Ans) Jobs had a very hands-on involvement in the business. He was the company’s chief innovator. Of course he didn’t do it all alone, but he seemed to set the direction for the business in a very effective way. He had the ability to be visionary and send his company’s engineers out to conquer challenges that paid off in big ways. The company then also had the ability to develop support systems for the new innovations. Another capability was to recover and move on from product failures, which Apple had its share of as well. Can this company continue its progress without Jobs? Obviously, only time will tell. Some students may feel that Apple will be unable to sustain its success without the unique vision and leadership style of Jobs and would therefore be unwilling to invest in Apple. Other students may feel that Apple’s executives have been hand-picked and mentored by Jobs and are therefore capable of continuing to lead Apple effectively. There is no question that Apple will be a different place without Jobs’ influence, but it is not necessarily doomed. (LO: 5, Learning Outcome: Explain how IS can be used to gain and sustain competitive advantage, AACSB: Reflective Thinking Skills)

13. Lack of a visionary leader since Gates has departed.
Microsoft took an early lead in the development of slate devices (like the iPad), and it had the world’s leading operating system and applications for more than 20 years. Provide five reasons why Microsoft was not able to achieve the same success that Apple has. Most industry analyst would agree that the skills and abilities of Microsoft’s 102,000 employees are as good, on average, as Apple’s
Students will have different opinions on this. Here is a list of a few ideas to get the discussion rolling:
Lack of a visionary leader since Gates has departed.
Very diffused focus—many market niches pursued simultaneously.
Emphasis on acquiring new technologies rather than in-house development.
Strategy of maintaining edge through strategic manipulation rather than product enhancement.
Few products that are truly amazing, must-have products.

14. Considering your answers to the four questions above, if you had a spare $5,000 in your portfolio and wanted to buy an equity stock with it, would you buy AAPL (Apple)? Why or why not?
Students will have different opinions on this. I would be sure to ask those who want to jump on board the Apple bandwagon several questions, including:
Is it the best strategy to buy a stock with the price at record highs?
Are you concerned about the loss of Steve Jobs on Apple’s future?
You seem to believe in the company’s ability to keep producing technical winners. On what do you base this opinion?

15. IN-CLASS GROUP EXERCISE
SO WHAT? (p.133)
IN-CLASS GROUP EXERCISE
#1,2,5

16. So What? New from CES 2015 Driverless Mercedes-Benz F 015
“Works with Nest” – home automation and IoT.
MakerBot
3D printing in metal, wood, and stone.
Print 50+% of typical household items.
Have students brainstorm:
What would be the benefits of Mercedes-Benz’s new “carriage”-type driverless car over a traditional car converted to be driverless?
Why would Mercedes-Benz want its new driverless cars to talk to pedestrians?
How could a Nest thermostat save you money?
What household objects would they print? Why?
What impact could filaments affect innovation, prototyping, and new product development

17. 1. What would be the benefits of Mercedes-Benz’s new “carriage”-type driverless car over a traditional car that has been converted to be driverless?
The styling helps reinforce the fact that you are experiencing a new type of travel experience. Traditional car styling ensures that eyes are facing forward, while in the new carriage styling that is no longer necessary.
Passengers can occupy themselves in a variety of ways that are made convenient by the car’s styling.

18. 3. How could a Nest thermostat save you money?
One way the Nest thermostat saves money is by being able to “know” when you leave the house in the morning and when you will get home.
The Nest thermostat can keep the temperatures at settings to save energy when you are away, but change them to your preferred levels when you are in the house.

19. 6. How could new composite filaments affect innovation, prototyping, and new product development?
The new composite filaments enable 3D printing in more materials, such as metal, wood, and stone. As new products are developed that involve these types of materials, the developer would not have to worry about the manufacturing process. The developer just sells the 3D printing blueprint to consumers who want the product. The consumer then “manufactures” the product. The developer is not burdened with the manufacturing process at all.