CA – What’s important in Information Technology & Strategic Management

With Enterprise Information Technology & Strategic Management being introduced in the second Group of IPCC, you may find it difficult to figure out what is important and what is not. The web is full of resources that you cannot possibly keep juggling between. So here we are compiling all the resources available, for you to find it all in one place. IT and strategic management need not be another nightmare for you anymore.

Topics to be covered

Although there is no set repetition of questions in the IPCC, the following cover most of the key topics that there are. Do go through these thoroughly in order to gauge an understanding in ITSM:

  • Corporate strategy
  • Benchmarking process
  • Production strategy and its relation with higher strategy
  • Diversification-horizontal and vertical
  • Strategic change
  • Leadership roles played by the strategic leader
  • Requirements for successful implementation of Supply chain management system
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • TOWS matrix
  • GE model
  • E-commerce and its effects on business
  • Six sigma
  • Hourglass structure
  • Human resource strategy formulation
  • Strategy implementation
  • Strategy formulation and implementation matrix
  • Porter’s value chain analysis model
  • Role of IT in BPR
  • Globalization- ways to go global
  • Porter’s five forces model for competitive analysis
  • PESTLE analysis
  • Product life cycle
  • Turnaround strategy
  • Benchmarking process
  • Skimming as a pricing tool
  • Strategic group map
  • Cycles of an Account Business Process Management
  • Entity-Relationship model
  • Threats to computer network security
  • Cloud computing
  • Business process automation
  • Database model
  • Mobile computing, Grid computing
  • Firewall
  • Virtual Memory
  • SSH Protocol
  • Differentiate between the following:
    • Client –Server Network and Peer-to- Peer Network
    • Ring Network and Star Network
    • Asynchronous and Synchronous Data Transmission
    • Data Flow Diagrams and Flowchart
    • Manual Information Processing Cycle and Computerized Information Processing Cycle
    • Tacit Knowledge and Explicit Knowledge
    • Hardware Encryption and Software Encryption
    • Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) and Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC)
    • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Guided Media and Unguided Media.
  • Long questions:
    • What do you understand by the term “Information System”? Discuss its components.
    • Discuss Business Intelligence and its tools.
    • Discuss the steps involved in implementing Business Process Automation.
    • Discuss Information System Life Cycle in detail.
    • What do you understand by the term Database Management System? Discuss its advantages and Disadvantages.
    • What is Transmission Media? Discuss its various types.
    • Define Threat. What are various threats to a computer network’s security?
    • Define Cloud Computing. What are the different types of clouds in a Cloud Computing Environment.
    • Discuss Service models of Cloud Computing.
    • What are the three critical pillars of Business process Automation (BPA)?
    • What is a Database Model? Discuss its various types.
    • What is Mobile Computing? What are the three major concerns related to mobile computing?
    • What is an Operating System ? Discuss various activities it performs.
    • Explain the OSI Model of communication in details.
    • Discuss Encryption Model in computer network.
    • Discuss FCAPS MODEL OF network management.
    • How can client computers be classified?
    • Discuss the common Switching Techniques used in computer networking.
    • Discuss strategic capabilities of Internet along with their business applications.
    • Define E-commerce. Discuss its benefits and risks involved.
    • What are the major control objectives in BPA ?
    • Discuss the steps involve in BPA.
    • Discuss Application controls and Boundary control in detail.
    • Briefly explain Grid computing. What are possible reasons of using grid computing.
    • Discuss some of the applications that help enterprise to achieve BPA.
    • List out different types of delivery channels through which information is delivered to the user.
    • What are the major reasons for failure of BPMS ?
    • How six sigma can be implemented for existing and new products?
    • Define Hourglass Structure ? how this structure benefits an organization ?
    • “Strategy is partly proactive and partly reactive”. Discuss.
    • Describe the major dimensions of strategic decisions.
    • What is a Financial Strategy ? State some important decisions & areas of focus involved in Financial Strategy formulation?
    • Write short note on Human Resource Strategy Formulation.
    • What is Strategy Implementation? How is it different from strategy formulation?
    • Draw and briefly explain Strategy Formulation and Implementation Matrix.
    • Briefly explain the different types of Organizational Structure.
    • Draw and explain Porter’s Value Chain Analysis Model.
    • Briefly explain the role of Information Technology in BPR.
    • What is globalization? Why do companies go global? Briefly discuss the ways in which globalization is manifested.
    • Discuss the Porter’s five forces model of competitive analysis.
    • Write short note on PESTLE analysis.
    • Explain Michael Porter’s Generic Strategy.
    • Explain the stages to implement turnaround strategy.
    • Skimming means pricing very low. Comment.
    • Is Culture an obstacle or ally in strategy execution.
    • What are the methodologies for implementing Six-Sigma ?
    • Strategic management cannot be used in Non-Commercial Organization. Comment.
    • Unfreezing the situation and Refreezing – the two stages of Kurt lewin change process.
    • Write short note on Expansion through acquisition and mergers.
    • Define ‘Strategic Group Map’. What steps would you take to construct a ‘Strategic Group Mapping’ for an industry ?
    • Write short note on PLC (Product Life Cycle) and its significance in portfolio diagnosis.
    • Discuss the impact of IT on education industry in india.
    • Under what conditions would you recommend the use of turnaround strategy in an organization ? what could be a suitable work plan for this ?
    • Explain how the process of benchmarking can be used by a cloth manufacturer

Learning ITSM

Information technology and strategic Management is a subject that has a lot of theory but still needs to be understood from a practical perspective. Therefore, we suggest that you develop a proper understanding of the subject in order to reciprocate the same in examinations. There are various virtual webinars available on the subtopics on the internet and you can always find interactive activities to develop your understanding.

17-Jan-2018




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