Raihan Vincent B.

Cardenas Mgt 186 TF (9:00-11:30)

2014-18484
Two Different Ways of Innovating with Information Technology
The New York Times and Boston Scientific operate in different areas. They also have
different strategies in their operating plan. However, there is one thing common between them, it
is recognition they spend on IT development. The New York Times, which is one of the largest
newspapers of US, still have to face with the rapid changes in newspaper market. In order to
continue to survive as well as develop, it had to change itself in such a way that is suitable with
the new trend of the market. It had spent so much time as well as money for the research and
development process. After a long time of research, it found out that IT-enabled innovation
should be at the top of its developing plan. Therefore, NY Times had put their focus on the work
of a research and development group which is managed by Michael Zimbalist. Furthermore, it
promoted for the innovation of new software for its website such as Times Reader or Times
Widget. The most significant thing that NY had done in order to get the advantage of IT
development is the release of film distribution with Netflix. Boston Scientific faced with
another problem: how to foster innovation without risks of disclosure and leakage of
very valuable intellectual property. In a modern market, the company can develop only when its
employees have enough knowledge in order to work as well as to innovate. However, when the
common knowledge of the firm is spread throughout the whole company, the risk of disclosure is
obvious. On the other hand, closing the access to knowledge of the employees is the largest
barrier that prevents them from innovating. Therefore, the balance between security and
knowledge sharing is essential for the company. For this problem, Boston had found out a
solution with the help of IT development.
Shared services have long been seen as a supporting unit for the rest of the business with
limited impact outside of the bottom line. A shared service means that its a resource available to
all the organizations business units. Typically, shared services operate as a profit center. This
means they generate internal charges (bills) for their work. The charge-back system helps IT to
quantitatively justify its existence to the organization.

Growth and innovation, two of the most critical issues facing companies today, are
historically, not the chief concerns of staff functions or of shared services. However, shared
services focus on process management expertise forms a critical tool for cost-effective growth.
This process management discipline, leveraged through innovation initiatives, allows companies
to overcome shortages of key technical talent and lower product cost curves, and expand into
international markets.

At the New York Times, tough times have elevated IT-enabled innovation to the top of
the agenda. A research and development group, created in 2006 operates as a shared service
across nearly two dozen newspapers, a radio station, and more than 50 web sites. The role is to
accelerate the entry onto new platforms by identifying opportunities, conceptualizing, and
prototyping ideas. The group work within a common framework based on idea generation,
development, and diffusion throughout the business. The teams work is intended to supplement
and support innovation taking place within the business units.

Shared services units would also influence how companies manage their human capital,
financial capital and technology, arguably three of the most important components of a
successful company today. The growth of shared services is increasingly linked to the broader
restructuring of businesses along the global lines and the need to establish solid platforms for
rapid global growth. Typically, drivers for implementing shared services are often related to
costs, quality, speed, dependability and flexibility.

As a marketing consultant, I would advise them to align accounting services with the
business strategy, eliminate non-value added activities, streamline the administrative processes,
reduce costs, obtain consistent information across sites and countries, free up resources for core
business operations, increase efficiency and effectiveness in non-core processes.

The company seek out software that allows the broader engineering community to share
knowledge while managing access to product development data . So that the way to address this
problem solve is active security. That is to regularly monitor whos accessing what, and adjust
permissions as business conditions change. Over the past few years, engineers have been focused
on quality system improvements. Boston Scientific is piloting Invention Machiness Goldfire
software, which provides the right mix of openness and security for data.
 Goldfire makes an automated workflow out such tasks as analyzing markets and milking
a companys intellectual property. It combines internal company data with information
frompublic sources, such as federal government databases. Researchers can use the software to
find connections among different sources, for instance by highlighting similar ideas. Engineers
can use such analysis to get ideas for new products and begin to study their feasibility. The goal
is to have any engineer be able to access any other engineers research. Although the goal is
more openness, not all data stay open forever. For example, as a project gets closer to the patent
application stage to the data about it is clipped to fewer people. Since installing Goldfire patent
application are up compared to similar engineering groups that do not use the Goldfire tool. With
this new system, researchers and engineers should be given an understanding of work systems,
procedural, and the provisions and restrictions that apply regarding accessibility to the data.
Application of this can be done through support by the executives at the company and also
through training.

The other components are create a statement of corporate values and beliefs, effective
communication, conducting a review of the organizational structure, re-design approach to
rewards and recognition, and conduct a review of all systems work. The cultural changes were
required that can be possible to this system is monitor all the employees who access the data and
also manage the authorization. It is also needed in conjunction with changes in technology since
both of these will support each other without focusing on one thing only.

We have had to educate people that we arent throwing security out the window but
making valuable knowledge available to the organization

As a marketing consultant, I would advise them to increased competitiveness because of the

a rapidly changing business environment. Developing systems has been often likened to "hitting
a bullseye." Improve project planning procedures given the fact that projects that take a year or
more to implement may well satisfy last year's needs, but may do little to address current
challenges. Increase familiarity with information systems development methodologies to help
make better decisions that have far-reaching effects. Cope up with the ever increasing customer
expectations. People with Internet access now get many services free: e-mail, calendaring,
scheduling, instant messaging, news, information, software, entertainment, and even free web
space. All these experiences play into users' expectations. Managers must overcome resistance
to change within their own organization. Employees should quickly become comfortable with
their work, and they find changing processes stressful. Managers need to foster a work
environment where employees see change as a routine part of their job.