One of the occupational hazards of being an IS professional is having to respond to a general manager's
query about some breathlessly-written "airline magazine" article they read. The article goes on and on
about how the way of doing business is going to be radically changed because of some new development
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in information technology. The general manager is excited (or scared), and thinks the organization has to
immediately do something in response to the development or be left behind. They are looking to you as
an IS person for answers.
Some examples of subject articles:
• Backdoor vulnerabilities discovered in Sony IP cameras
• Thanks to mobile computing and the cloud, we’re all starting to work from home more
• 13 Major Retailers and Services That Accept Bitcoin
prepare a paper that...
• Explains the technological development in terms that a business manager can understand.
• Discusses the implications of the development on how business is or will be conducted. Is this a
tectonic shift that is going to drastically change the competitive landscape, a minor development
that should be monitored but no reason to panic, or something in between?
• Suggests an action plan for the organization. (A plan to "do nothing" will probably not fly with
general managers).
The Briefing should be authoritative, and should cite authoritative sources (at least 7) as evidence for its assertions.