Problem Solution: Harrison-Keyes Inc.The new strategic plan will convert Harrison-Keyes' existing and new publications to electronic format

AS and A Level Business Studies

Problem Solution: Harrison-Keyes Inc.

Running head: PROBLEM SOLUTION: HARRISON-KEYES INC.

Problem Solution: Harrison-Keyes Inc.

LaKisha Spurlock

University of Phoenix

John Matthews, Jr.

Week 4

August 24, 2006

Problem Solution: Harrison-Keyes Inc.

Over a century old, Harrison-Keyes, Inc. is a successful publication company that is recognized internationally. The company started out publishing “the works of literary giants” and with the changes in demand, the company adapted and focused more on publishing business, scientific, and technical journals or publications. With the recent advances in technology and the gaining popularity of e-books, Harrison-Keyes’ Board firmly believes that in order for the company to continue with its growth and not become obsolete, the company has to once again adapt. The new strategic plan will convert Harrison-Keyes’ existing and new publications to electronic format. Before Harrison-Keys can successfully implement its strategic plan, the company has to consider several variables, such as the challenges, ethical dilemmas, and opportunities that exist.

Describe the Situation

Issue and Opportunity Identification

Meg McGill, Harrison-Keyes’ new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), was hired on during the strategic implementation of the project and was not part of the strategic planning. Her background is high-tech and is a big proponent of digital media and anything high-tech. She may not have full understanding of print publication. Harrison-Keyes has suffered the woes plaguing the entire industry. There has been a loss in revenue due to competition from low-cost retailers and lenient return policies.

Mark Evans, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) lacks formal education in IT and his knowledge ...

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Describe the Situation

Issue and Opportunity Identification

Mark Evans, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) lacks formal education in IT and his knowledge is outdated. Jan Peters, the Senior Vice President of Business Development and Head of Implementation, has been having a tough time working with Asia Digital Publishing, the Indian company selected to format the e-books. She stated that they are never around when she calls them and that they are having trouble understanding what she means by the word “deadline”. Will Harper, a well-established and well-known author on the “A” list, has reservations about e-books and is leading what has become known as the “author’s opposition group”.

Harrison-Keyes is also experiencing problems with website/commerce and conversion of products. The e-commerce software that the company had planned on using to sell the e-books directly from their website is still not functioning properly. The CIO thinks that they are going to need to upgrade the hardware that is running the e-commerce server. He also thinks that they might need to purchase an additional e-commerce module from the vendor, or one that calculates foreign shipping costs. They will need around $250 thousand for the hardware and $75 thousand for the software upgrades.

Harrison-Keyes has to deal with negative publicity caused by the recent article published by Crain’s Business Magazine. Publisher’s Weekly will probably run a similar article talking about problems between Harper and Harrison-Keyes as well as problems with the strategic implementation.

Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas

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Frame the “Right” Problem

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Table 1

Issues and Opportunities Identification

Table 2

Stakeholder Perspectives and Ethical Dilemmas