DSRT 736 HC Enterprise Risk Management & Potential Events Dissertation
During this session, we looked at several topics on Strategic IT planning and strategy. We examined researchers, models, and issues in the area.
As you get closer to starting your own dissertation, you will need to choose a topic in your first dissertation class DSRT 736, so it is essential to start preparing.
This week, let us take a look at some topics to consider, and by the end of the week, we could have several ideas for dissertation topics.
Since you have already examined several research articles, another way would be to examine previous dissertations in these areas.
Visit the University of Cumberlands’ library, go to the Dissertation Database, and locate an interesting topic on IT strategy, or examine a model presented this term.
Here are some pointers that will help critically evaluate some viable topics.
- Is the topic attainable for a first-time dissertation student?
• Is the problem rooted in the literature?
• Is the research empirical, i.e., is there a survey, is there an interview guide, has the data been analyzed via some statistical tool?
• Is there a theoretical model or framework discussed?
Discuss the topic, the problem the model has been used in the research, and any present findings.
Do not read the entire dissertation, as the abstract and chapter one introduction should give a clear understanding of the research.
Reading reference:
Schiller, F., & Prpich, G. (2014). Learning to organise risk management in organisations: what future for enterprise risk management? Journal of Risk Research, 17(8), 999–1017. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2013.841725
R: 1. Jermey
First I wanted to say that I have been utilizing the UC Library for a year now and hadn’t realized that there was a dissertation database, so that was super exciting and helpful. I found a plethora of helpful articles that discussed topics that pertained to IT strategy. The one that I found interesting was titled “Organizational factors affecting business and information technology alignment: A structural equation modeling analysis” (Kanooni, 2009). In the dissertation, the researcher is utilizing two methods that include evolutionary perspective and contingency perspective together to understand if business and IT planning can be effectively integrated. I really liked this topic because it ties in nicely with other content learned from previous courses. There is typically a disconnect between IT and operations within an organization. I believe that this topic is obtainable for a first-time student due to how vague it is and the copious amounts of research there is to support it. The research utilized a survey in a quantitative approach. They send the survey to over 2805 IT firms across five states. There is a theoretical model discussed and presented.
R: 2. Mark
The thesis I found discussed the challenge of aligning information technology to business strategy. Generally, IT has a major role in business performance and those companies that treat IT like an outside service provider that just keeps systems running. A quick search can locate numerous papers and studies of failed IT investments, or companies that attempted to align too late. My own personal experience has a few examples as well. From a risk management perspective, this can have severe implications in regards to missed opportunities while resources are focused on implementing the failed IT project. The author cited a statistic that just between 2002 and 2004 $150 billion dollars worth of IT projects failed. This generally resulted from a lack of vision from top management. Organizations that had the vision to apply IT to the strategic plan are more successful than those that don’t. There were several frameworks proposed to facilitate IT and business process collaboration. The final outcome of the study, as you can predict, businesses that align IT with strategic plans and business processes are more successful than those that don’t. Wal-mart versus K-Mart – Netflix versus Blockbuster – Apple versus everybody.
