STRATEGIC PLANNING
(THINKING)
FOR THE DIGITAL ERA
 

February 2000  Volume 6, Number 7

by
Warren Groff
E-COMMERCE EVERYWHERE

"What we're seeing is really the birth of e-commerce.  In 1998, we added a million small businesses to the Internet.  In 1999, we're having a million small businesses create home pages.  The questions is, will we see a million small businesses with e-commerce in 2000?"  Ray Boggs, vice pres., Internatl.  Data Corp.

In: Sandlund. Chris (.January 2000) Small Business Computing and Communications, 5(i), 42-47. (See page 6)

EMERGING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) ROLES

Some research exists about the need for traditional types of IT professionals and technicians such as database managers, network administrators, programmers, systems analysts, etc.  In addition, E-Commerce (EC) and E-Business (EB) are a first generation of "siblings" followed by family members in roles of Chief Information Officer (CIO), Knowledge Manager (KM), Health Informatics (HI) specialists, and other occupations.

The role of a CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER (CIO) is becoming essential to all manufacturing and services establishments.  CIOs provide leadership in accessing databases via networks and distributing the information throughout the enterprise.  Electronic Newsletters (ENs) have increased in number and have improved in quality.  Organizations focused on research about Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer activity provide wave after wave of knowledge that must be managed by a growing number of KNOWLEDGE MANAGERS (KMs).  All types of enterprises, especially multinationals, have evolved CIOs and KMs roles throughout the enterprise over the past years.  Medium and small organizations must now meet that challenge, especially in education and health care "services" sectors.

Anticipating an expanded family of IT related roles requires alliances and collaboration at higher levels than is being practiced among education and establishments at all levels.  Alliances must identify stages of development in a "service" area and collaborate an specification of competencies and skills to evolve from one stage to an advanced stage.

STRATEGIC PLANNING (THINKING) FOR THE DIGITAL ERA


All establishments  need an Information Technoloqy (IT) Plan.  A plan could include categories for data and information on policy, mission priorities, strategic alliances, and curriculum and student learning Outcomes with appropriate benchmarks, technoloqy, - human resources development needs and strategies for meeting critical competencies, and financial resources.  These seven categories are especially useful when thinking about Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for computer based educatiuon in Anytime Anywhere Learning (AAL) formats.

The December newsletter focused on "Building Competencies and Skills at the Rate of  Innovation" and dealt briefly with the categories for policy, mission priorities, strategic alliances. and curriculum.  Education in the U.S. has a dual mission of equal access to high quality programs.  How can establishments plan strategically for assistive technology?  For example, laboratories around the world have been engaged in research on application of brain waves.  Human subjects with electrodes attached to their heads have moved cursors on computer screens.  A Knight Rider news release on .January 24, 2000 indicated that eight-year old Patrick Steenson in PIvmouth Meeting, PA. is working hard to rack up points on his Superman Computer game via a brain controlled computer.   He has been diagnosed with Attention Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD, making it difficult for him to concentrate and learn.  How can the research at NeuroDynamix and elsewhere be used to assist diverse learner needs?  http://www.neurodynamix.com/

The January Issue "raised the bar a bit" with a focus on Building Competencies and Skills at the Rate of Imagination and suggested that curriculum standards must go beyond that which is already being applied in a digital era of changing paradigms and consider ideas that are now on the horizon.  Globalization and the changing roles of an extended family of IT careers were highlighted followed by information about The Asia Society, Global Crossing, E-Commerce Times, and a learning module on "Culture,  E-Commerce, and Technology."  The Asia Society Electronic Newsletter (EN) is a continuous flow of essential information for inclusion in curriculum to prepare for careers to conduct business in Asia Pacific.  What ENs should be included in curriculum and at what level?  Criteria for the selection of ENs include (a) centrality, (b) quality, and (c), Return On Investment (ROI) Centrality has a focus on mission and vision of the entire enterprise.  Quality must be in relevance to primary product line and support services.  How can education evaluate ROI from ENs?

Databases & Networks are critical to include in Curriculum.  "A Learning Unit On Commerce Database Analysis" for areas in the Milwaukee region is an example of exercises that could be used in generic IT programs and in EC-EB specializations.  How could ENs enrich learning activity in EB concentrations on Asia Pacific Countries and be available to businesses?

A Learning Unit On Commerce Database Analysis
 
Critical thinking competencies and problem solving skills are essential now and will become increasingly. important.  The International Trade Administration (ITA) of the U.S. Department Of Commerce (DOC) added new information about export sales for metropolitan areas.  "Historical" data are listed for the years 1993 through 1998 with Percent change by "Market," "Product Description,"and other variables.  Exports for a few metro areas in Wisconsin are as follows:
5 yr 


change ranking

Metro Area 
1993
1998
% Change
5
Kenosha
126,851
.
.
27
La Crosse, WI-MN
.
.
.
54
Eau Claire 
289,716
.
.
93
Green Bay 
134,097
.
.
101
Madison
357,688
.
.
103
Janesville-Beloit 
76,567
.
.
127 
Sheyoygan
.
.
.
128 
Milwaukee-Waukesha 
2,337,305 
3,570,258
52.8
181 
Wausau 
122,465 
.
.
182 
Minneapolis-St Paul, WI-MN
.
.
.
177
Racine
.
.
.
192 
Appleton-Oshkosh-
.
.
.
Exercise #1
Access ITA:  http://www.ita.doc.gov/and click on "New."
Add the missing "historical" information and analyze it.
Exercise #2
"Markets" are listed by region and selected countries;.  Select one of the above areas or another area for analysis.  What countries accounted for most dollar value imports for 

1993
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________.

1998
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________.

What countries accounted for the largest 1993-1998 % change.
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________.
 

Exercise #3
"Product Descriptions" are listed for "Manufacturing" areas.  Manufacturing export sales in 1993 totaled $ ______________.
Manufacturing export sales in 1998 totaled $ ______________.
What "Manufacturing Products" export sales were largest in

1993
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________.

1998
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________.

What "Manufactured Products" had the highest positive change
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________.

What "Manufactured Products" had the highest negative change
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________.
 

Exercise #4
Reflect on your learning experience and identify information you need about "Countries" and "Manufacturing Products" to expand current product lines in existing or new markets.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY (AT)


The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has implications for all categories of establishments, especially education.  "Assistive technology" is the mix of devices and tools that help disabled people.  The U.S. Department of Education partnered with the Bureau of Export Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce to study the AT industry.  One of the objectives of the Study was/is to help the hundreds of businesses in the AT industry gain access to technology already developed in the more than 700 U.S. federal labs.

"Critical Technology Assessment: US Assistive Technology Industry" is a Survey to identify additional businesses in the IT industry.  The survey contacts are Margaret Cahill 202-482-8226 ( mailto:%20mcahill@bxa.doc.gov ) and Stephan Baker 202-482-3984  ( mailto:%20sbaker@bxa.doc.gov ).  Surveys are to be returned in February; results should be available later.

Businesses in the AT industry may have products and services on Web sites along with the applications and basic research.  Corporate leaders could serve on program advisory committees and strategic planning committees.  Jon Nakasone's project: Computer-Based Assistive Technology Strategic Plan at the University of Hawaii to Promote Equal Access to Electronic Information for Disabled Students. mailto:%20nakasone@hawaii.edu  Dr. Barry W. Birnbaum has recently published Connecting Special Education and Technology for the 21st Century.  (The Edwin Mellen Press, mailto:%20cs@wzrd.com )

FUTURE CIO: CHIEF CHANGE OFFICER


"E-business is creating a leadership vacuum.  CIOs must...."

"Chief information officer, takes no comfort in your title --it's a starting point at best.  Those who want to remain in a position of power and influence in the coming years will need to be something more: an E-leader.  CIO, VP of IT, MIS manager - whatever the application, the role has significantly evolved from its roots in the basement world of mainframe tech support.  And it continues to change.  The Supercharged E-commerce holiday season provides the most recent example of the need for new approaches."

Murphy, Chris.  "Reinventing The CIO." lnformationWeek, 768 Jan. 10, 2000, 48-62. http://www.informationweek.com/768/cio.htm

ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTERS


The August issue of the newsletter listed many ENs.  Some of the EN in this issue focus on policy as well as Asia Pacific so that people with responsibility for business curriculum can use the contents in online and site based formats.  How can EN content be available to culturally diverse learners of all ages in an Anytime Anywhere (24 X 7) Learning format?

A FUTURE DOMINATED BY E-COMMERCE


"Five years ago, Amazon was just a river in South America.  No one had ever bid for an item on one of e-Bay's online auctions.  Things have changed,.... Every aspect of doing business - products, pricing, marketing, customer relations, you name it - is, and will continue, to change at unprecedented rates."  A group of experts see a future: 

- DOMINATED BY E-COMMERCE,
- fulltime Internet connections running at high speed,
- more gadgets to keep you on top of your data.

Sandlund , Chris (January 2000) Small business Computing and Communications, 5(1), 42-47.

How are/will municipalities, regions, and states respond to the changing paradigms?  What policies and strategies should be pursued to assure leadership and at the same time reduce the digital divide of culturally diverse people and nations.  What are the implications for education and training?  Examples are presented of activities in two states and then the work of an outstanding professional is highlighted.

E-COMMERCE: THE KEYSTONE IN THE DIGITAL ERA


Governor Tom Ridge appointed a Blue Ribbon Panel to analyze advances in technology and advise him on policy and strategy for the keystone State.  Government Technology ranked PA first among the states in the use of technology.  "Made in PA highlights part of the commitment to EC.  The Governor's School of Excellence included two new additions focused on career Paths in Information Technology (IT) for juniors with a possibility to specialize in EC. http://www.state.pa.us/

WiscNet
WiscNet is an association dedicated to adding Value to the Quality Of Life (QOL) to Badgers by melding "communities of interest" in an Anytime Anywhere (24 x 7) Learning format.  WiscNet membership consists of virtually all Wisconsin colleges and universities, a rapidly growing number of  K12s, the state of Wisconsin and municipal governments, libraries, and non-profit organizations.   http://www.wiscnet.net/

CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND RESPONSE STRATEGY


Dr.  Oscar Vazquez-Melendez became concerned about Hispanic farm workers for whom he provided services in a multistate area. Practiums on "Development of a Conceptual  Database Design to Maintain and Transfer Educational Records of Adult Migrant Farmworkers" and "An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Fundamentals of English Computer-Assisted Instruction Curriculum on Hispanic Migrant Farmworkers Studying English as a Second Language" led to a dissertation to F-reparE on Development, Implementation, and Evauation of a Model  Distant Learning Curriculum in Spanish to Prepare Hispanic Farmworkers for the General Educational Development Tests in G, N,C SC, TN.  BROWSE the Web site:  http://www.escuelaelectronica.com/

ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER


National Governors' Association
The National Governors' Association and The NGA Center for Best Practices provides many insights about policy issues.

E-QUALITY
Ensuring a Level Playing Field for Am.  Business.  http://www.nga.org/Internet/equality.asp

OVERVIEW 
http://www.nga.org/Internet/Overview.asp

MYTHS AND FACTS
http://www.nga.org/Internet/Facts/asp

THE NGA PROPOSAL
http://www.nga.org/Internet/Proposal/asp

Visit the NGA Web site
http://www.nga.org/
to subscribe.

E-Commerce Minute, E-Commerce Times
E-Commerce Minute provides a continuous flow of EC-EB info for a broad range of topics such as (Dec 14, 1999, issue):
- Top E-Commerce News Headlines
- The Victims- of E-Commerce
- New Anonymity Service Raises Ethical Questions
- Internet Taxes Would Cause Drop In E-Commerce Sales
- AsiaWorks Draws $85M Investment
- For full story see:
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles/991214-6.shtml
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/
mailto:%20newsdesk@ecommercetimes.com

Influencial Trends
Influential Trends e-newsletter is intended to help viewers keep informed of global trends in technology training and the design/development of media-based training.  Subscribe via email to  mailto:%20kpais@influence.com  with the words "subscribe trends" in the subject line of your email message.

Asia Society
The Asia Society Digest contains contemporary information on programs it sponsors throughout the U.S. and elsewhere:
1. The Aging of the World's Population - Its Impact on Asia
2. The Information Age in Asia: Impact on Governments, Economies, and Society
3. Internet Infrastructure and E-Commerce (March 7)
4. Is the 21st Century Really the Asian Century?
Note:
Send an e-mail message to mailto:%20webmaster@asiasociety.org with "subscribe" in the subject field.  Related Web sites:
http://www.asiasociety.org/
http://www.asia-source.org/
http://www.askasia.org/
http://www.asia-forkids.com/

The January 12, 2000, Asia Source EN contained a special report on E-commerce in China.  The analysis included E-Commerce sales in China rose fivefold in 1999.  China Merchant Bank Generated US $1.6 Billion in E-Commerce.  China Postal Bureau Hops on E-Commerce Bandwagon.  China.com Adds Companies to Grow Asia E-Commerce Network.  Firms Enable Direct Web--based Sales between China and U.S.

CAUTION: Be careful about the ENs  that are selected.  Company revenues are generated from the sale of e-mail addresses.  Infoglut  must be managed.  Maintain  focus.

COMMUNITY OF LIFE LONG LEARNERS
Would you like to join a Community of Life Long Learners?
Access http://www.blackboard.com/courses/webcom  and you will  see:

User Name:     ___________________ 
Enroll...   I would like to enroll in....

Password:    _______________________________
Guest Access  Visit as a guest

Course Categories:    Education: Distance Learning
Course Instructor:        Warren Groff
Course Description:    Warren Groff's Web Community of LLLs

Click  on "Announcements." first item on the top left column.
Then click  on "Course Documents" to KG Applied Dissertation
KG's Dissertation Prospectus HTML
KG's Dissertation Conceptual Framework
KG's Expanded Conceptual Framework

Kathy Green is working on a prospectus to assess the needs and wants of international people in a college service area and then develop a strategic plan to respond to ideas within the mission of the college.  She may focus on the needs of individuals from South Korea and Taiwan.  Adults may want assistance in English as a Second Language (ESL).  Could services provided to adults also benefit children and youth.  A children and parent product available in a campus utility and supported by Web pages could help language development Lightspan  has products to promote child-parent partnerships.
http://www.lightspan.com/

Now click  on "Warren Groff's Newsletters"
December 1999 contains a conceptual framework for categories of information to consider when planning.

January 2000 contains information about  curriculum competencies and skills to match the rate of innovation.

Click  on "External Links" and "The Friend]y Forum."
and BROWSE The Friendly Forum: Class Discussion
http://www.irvine.quick.com/kgreen/discus
Note the topics that you can MINE.  Then, add information.
1.  Strategic Planning (Thinking) for the Digital Era.
How is your establishment planning strategically?
What links can you add to this and other topics?

Foreign Students in U.S.

How are you assessing the needs of International Students

How is your establishment responding to meet the needs?

Now, check Globalization, E-Commerce, AAL, Teacher, etc.

Then, send Kathy a. message of "Thanks" and-feedback.. to me.

In the message  to Kathty, provide ideas for her project.

mailto:%20kgreen21@hotmail.com

mailto:%20groffw@fcae.asast.nova.edu

CONFERENCES


Consider requesting 30 copies of a brochure to distribute to advisory committees boards, chamber members, or employees.

DCI"S Customer Relations Exposition     Feb 16-17  Chicago
http://www.dci.com/tour/crmbiw.chi

Enterprise Architectures Conference Mar 20-22  San Diego.  CA 
http://www.dci.com/mailto:%20cats@dci.com    1-800-767-2755

DISA's E-Business and Internet Conference Apr 25-28  Boston   http://www.disa.org/  1-800-217-6113 x 152

The e-business, e-commerce, e-security e-vent     May 1-4   Dallas.  TX 
Entrust   http://www.securesummit.com/    1-800-4-PROJEC

7th Annual Project Leadership Conference     June 26-27    San Francisco
ABT Corp.   http://www.abtplc.com/     1-800-4-PROJEC

FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDING
FOR CURRICULUM AND TECHNOLOGY


Federal government programs are available to fund projects that focus on curriculum and technology.  Some funds can go directly to a Local Education Agency (LEA) such as:

Technology Innovation Challenge Grant
http://www.ed.gov/Technology/challenge

Star Schools Program
http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/StarSchool/index.html

Telecommunications and Inforamtion Infrastructure Program
http://www.nita.doc.gov/

About $17".5 million is available (applications due Mar 16).

Some programs pass through a State Education Agency (SEA):
Technology Literacy Challenge Fund http://www.ed.gov/Technology/TLCF
States vary the approach to funding projects.  IL funds projects that fit within the approved district technology plan that meets state guidelines.  IN will fund curriculum based projects to impact on student learning primarily at the secondary school level this year.  WI will fund projects that go beyond the basics and that are linked to standards and 70% of a project must be dedicated to staff development.

RESOURCES


Brekke, W. A.  "Taiwan's  Drive to Internationalization." Asia Pacific business Outlook  1999 Conference Proceedings, (University of Southern California, March 22-24, 1999. http://www.stat-usa.gov/   American Institute in Taiwan

Groff, W. H. (1994).  Toward the 21st Century: Preparing, Proactive Visionary Transformational Leaders for building Learning Communities. Human Resources Development, Orange County Cluster, Spring 1994. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 352 126).  This document contains many of the slides used at an international conference in Taiwan, 1994.