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What could be the alternative solutions to the problems?

What could be the alternative solutions to the problems?

Understanding Business
Understanding Business
12th Edition
ISBN:9781259929434
Author:William Nickels
Publisher:William Nickels
Chapter1: Taking Risks And Making Profits Within The Dynamic Business Environment
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1CE
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What could be the alternative solutions to the problems?

OPENING CASE Tom Walters was watching the 2018 Super Bowl with friends and noticed players, coaches, and referees using tablets to review plays. It reminded him of a bad experience he had over ten years ago when he tried to convince his college to require students to use tablets. Tom had accepted a new position as the Director of Information Technology at his small, private college after having been a respected faculty member for 15 years. The college offered a variety of programs in the liberal arts and professional areas. Enrollment included 1,500 full-time traditional students and about 1,000 working adults who attended evening programs. Like other institutions of higher learning, the use of IT at the college had grown tremendously, but only a few classrooms on campus had computers for the instructors and students, and most other classrooms had only instructor stations and projection systems. Tom knew that several colleges throughout the country require that all students lease or own laptops or tablets and that these colleges incorporate technology into most courses. This idea fascinated him at the time. He and two other members of the IT department visited a local college that had required all students to lease laptops for the past three years, and they were very impressed with what they saw and heard. Because tablets were becoming more popular, they thought it would make more sense to require tablets instead of laptops. Tom had heard how easy it was for faculty members to create interactive course materials that would run on tablets; these materials also could help reduce the cost of textbooks, a concern expressed by many students. Tom and his staff developed plans to start requiring students either to lease or purchase tablets at their college starting the next academic year. Tom sent an e-mail to all faculty and staff that September briefly describing his plans. He did not get much response, however, until the February faculty meeting. As he described some of the details of his plan, the chairs of the History, English, Philosophy, and Economics departments all voiced opposition to the idea. They eloquently stated that the college was not a technical training school and that they did not have time to write their own course materials to run on tablets. They liked the books they used, and students could already buy books in an electronic format, but most preferred the print versions. Members of the Computer Science department voiced their concern that almost all of their students already had state-of-the art laptops and would not want to pay a mandatory fee to lease less-powerful tablets. The director of the adult education program expressed her concern that many adult-education students would balk at an increase in fees or required technology. Tom was in shock to hear his colleagues' responses, especially after he and his staff had spent a lot of time planning how to implement tablets at their campus. He remembered being totally confused at the time due to his lack of understanding of organizational change. He wondered how the National Football League handled their implementation of tablets.
Transcribed Image Text:OPENING CASE Tom Walters was watching the 2018 Super Bowl with friends and noticed players, coaches, and referees using tablets to review plays. It reminded him of a bad experience he had over ten years ago when he tried to convince his college to require students to use tablets. Tom had accepted a new position as the Director of Information Technology at his small, private college after having been a respected faculty member for 15 years. The college offered a variety of programs in the liberal arts and professional areas. Enrollment included 1,500 full-time traditional students and about 1,000 working adults who attended evening programs. Like other institutions of higher learning, the use of IT at the college had grown tremendously, but only a few classrooms on campus had computers for the instructors and students, and most other classrooms had only instructor stations and projection systems. Tom knew that several colleges throughout the country require that all students lease or own laptops or tablets and that these colleges incorporate technology into most courses. This idea fascinated him at the time. He and two other members of the IT department visited a local college that had required all students to lease laptops for the past three years, and they were very impressed with what they saw and heard. Because tablets were becoming more popular, they thought it would make more sense to require tablets instead of laptops. Tom had heard how easy it was for faculty members to create interactive course materials that would run on tablets; these materials also could help reduce the cost of textbooks, a concern expressed by many students. Tom and his staff developed plans to start requiring students either to lease or purchase tablets at their college starting the next academic year. Tom sent an e-mail to all faculty and staff that September briefly describing his plans. He did not get much response, however, until the February faculty meeting. As he described some of the details of his plan, the chairs of the History, English, Philosophy, and Economics departments all voiced opposition to the idea. They eloquently stated that the college was not a technical training school and that they did not have time to write their own course materials to run on tablets. They liked the books they used, and students could already buy books in an electronic format, but most preferred the print versions. Members of the Computer Science department voiced their concern that almost all of their students already had state-of-the art laptops and would not want to pay a mandatory fee to lease less-powerful tablets. The director of the adult education program expressed her concern that many adult-education students would balk at an increase in fees or required technology. Tom was in shock to hear his colleagues' responses, especially after he and his staff had spent a lot of time planning how to implement tablets at their campus. He remembered being totally confused at the time due to his lack of understanding of organizational change. He wondered how the National Football League handled their implementation of tablets.
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