Journal of Information Technology Teaching Cases

Much has been written and said about the need to be agile for businesses to transform themselves and adapt in the dynamic digital economy. This case study traces the history of a Singaporean IT firm from its inception in 1993 to 2019. In particular, this case study illustrates how agility has enabled the company to grow from a start-up to be among the leading IT firms in Singapore albeit operating in the dynamic IT industry that has grown increasingly volatile with the emergence of disruptive digital technology and innovation. Apart from drawing insights on organizational agility and adaptation, this case study also provides illustration on the theme of entrepreneurship and leadership as manifested through the Founder and Chief Executive Officer.

Companies and governments have embraced digital transformation as the elixir of the 21st century. But what impedes digital transformation? This case study article is based on data gathered from field research with the Italian Parliament and the Digital Transformation High Commissioner’s Office in the Ministry of the Interior. The case surfaces the context, challenges, and solutions for large-scale public administration digital transformation. The case study highlights how public administration digital transformation in a large democracy is never a technical but a sociotechnical solution. Successful digital transformation needs to understand, address, and change sociopolitical and sociotechnical mores that often define the culture. Underscoring this research is an analysis of digital transformation within the Italian public administration. Public administration encompasses all governmental and public services, including services provided by federal, regional (e.g. states and provinces), municipalities, and local agencies. The Italian public administration, with 60 million people, 8000 municipalities, and 22,000 local administrations, highlights how a digital renaissance is a preface for innovative disruption challenges. The Digital Transformation case uses Italy as the backdrop and Team Digitale, a team of talented individuals embarked on building public administration efficiencies and rebooting Italy’s digital innovation footprint, as the protagonist. For granularity, the case focuses on two digital transformation projects: ANPR, a unified public registry for all Italian residents, and PagoPA, a universal digital payment platform for public administration. This case surfaces the best practices and challenges faced when trying to tackle a mega-project across an entire economy. The case offers digital transformation recommendations, generalizable across any global democracy. The case analysis and recommendations bring to light how, contrary to private organizations, institutionalizing a disruptive innovation in a democratic country at a time of fiscal austerity highlights interesting decision-making issues and facets.

Many e-commerce businesses are emerging in the form of start-ups in Iran. Plenty of these businesses fail to gain significant market share. Electronic retail stores are among the most commonly used electronic business models. Despite the many challenges facing e-retailers due to market changes and customer preferences, Digikala has been ranked as the most popular and most visited website and has managed to gain over 85% of the Iranian retail market. In addition, Digikala is one of the largest electronic retailers in the Middle East. This study aims at analyzing value creation in Digikala in order to overcome these challenges and answering the following question: What value does Digikala create?

One of the reasons most startups fail, despite their growing number, is the inability and lack of flexibility of their business models in responding to market changes. In addition, due to the uncertainty of the startups’ environment, it is difficult to gain competitive advantage; startups need to continuously change their business models. One of the most common electronic business models is the electronic retailer. Despite the many challenges facing e-retailers due to market changes and customer preferences, Digikala has been ranked as the most popular and most visited website and has managed to gain over 85% of the Iranian retail market share. The purpose of this study is to analyze the value creation in Digikala in order to answer the following questions: Through which atomic business model can business value be realized? What change strategies should be applied to be able to provide a unique and stable value and be successful?

Project management is a mix of both science and art. It is a science because project managers need to estimate and manage time and cost. It is an art because they should ensure that all team members are in sync, while stakeholders are efficiently projecting the point across without communication gaps. It has been long recognised that developing nontechnical (i.e. ‘soft’) skills of project managers and team members plays a critical role in the success of any project regardless of industry. Such skills reflect the leadership skills of project managers, which typically fall under the knowledge areas of project resource management, project communications management and project stakeholder management. Even though there are many strategies for improving soft skills in a project team, the challenges in implementing these strategies are not often discussed. Recognition of the significance of these aspects is not novel, yet most project management studies are focused on the technical (i.e. ‘hard’) skills of project management. This teaching case aims to bridge this gap by inviting students to reflect on how soft skills can make a difference throughout the project lifecycle. The case is about a mobile telecommunication network upgrade project in New Zealand. Despite being completed on time, on budget and at the agreed scope, the project was never implemented due to the acquisition of the client by a larger telecommunications company, which had other strategic priorities. The focus of the teaching case is on leadership skills and communication management in projects.

This case is designed to explore the impact of information technology on business processes. The case starts with a description of a customer’s new technology experience at a McDonald’s restaurant. McDonald’s introduced multiple technologies in recent years as part of its strategic growth plan. The fast-food company is improving its business processes, mainly the order process, with new technologies to provide customer convenience. Such changes are critical to staying successful in the highly competitive fast-food industry. Self-order kiosks, the mobile order and pay app, and the Uber Eats app are three major technologies which have changed the order processes at McDonald’s. Students explore how these technologies change the order process and describe the impact of these technology initiatives at McDonald’s.

Blockchain is the century’s most notable technological innovation that is reshaping all industries. Notwithstanding, the technology needs to achieve maturity and address critical problems to generate real business value. Consequently, blockchain-based new ventures have been dealing with high-technology-associated pressures to enter this modern market. Most of them are still in the platform proliferation stage, struggling to face serious regulation challenges. Alternatively, there are successful cases in which wise strategic choices allowed companies to overcome the challenges and leverage their business successfully – OriginalMy is one of them. It is a Brazilian born blockchain-based venture aiming to decentralise notary and authenticity contributing to reduce excessive bureaucracy and eventually restrain corruption that is relatively common not only in their country but all over the world. This Teaching Case covers how the venture strove against unpredictable and unfavourable situations to fund and develop its blockchain business. It is supplemented by in-depth Teaching Notes where we craft a synthesised theoretical background to support the complex decision-making process through which the Chief Executive Officer defined the company’s fate amid such challenges and uncertainties concerning blockchain technology. The case examines the entrepreneurs behind OriginalMy, its growth, the difficulties it has faced, the upright issues surrounding it and its future outlooks. It draws on theory from high-technology market entry and the inherent pressures of this kind of entrepreneurship, sustained by the strategies and alliances that entrepreneurs can enact to address them.

From its humble origin in 2003, BlaBlaCar has become a preferred ride-sharing platform for the passengers across Europe. BlaBlaCar is an online marketplace that connects drivers and passengers and helps them share the costs of journeys. In so doing, it creates value for both sides of the platform. Drivers save money of the cost of the trip, and passengers get a low-cost option to reach their destination. The case follows the company from the inception to its growth and current challenges. The case helps the students in understanding the business of digital platforms as it relates to value creation for the customers, matching the value proposition for two sides, revenue and pricing strategies, and the crucial role of trust in sharing economy.