Running head: EXTERNSHIP PAPER - DDEWAK3181 1

Externship Paper

Dewakar Devi

Sullivan University

MGT 696: Graduate Management Externship

August 31, 2016

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Introduction:

The main idea of this Externship paper is to highlight the correlation between the courses

we take in the quarter and the job we do at our workplace. This paper would also explain how the

job we do every day helps us to excel in the course studies and also how the courses help us to

excel and perform better at our workplaces. This paper starts with listing the outcomes in the

courses that I am taking in this quarter and goes on to propose a recommendation based on the

courses that I am taking this quarter to improve the workplace conditions and increase the

efficiency.

Courses I am taking this quarter:

The two courses that I am taking this quarter are,

1. CSC560Z Electronic Commerce & Intranet Development

This is a hybrid course taught by Dr. Sukhen Dey and meets 3 times in the

quarter.

2. MGT620X – Operations Strategy

This class is taught by Dr. Wendy Achilles and is a completely online course.

Link Outcomes from CSC560Z Electronic Commerce & Intranet Development to JP

Morgan Chase:

The course outcomes for CSC560Z – Electronic Commerce & Intranet Development,

according to Sullivan University (2016a) are,

To define electronic commerce (EC) and its various components and categories; to identify

the major EC activities, the processes that support them, and their characteristics; to describe
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electronic retailing, types of electronic retailing, and major electronic retailing models;

explain the role of e-commerce in government activities, businesses, education, knowledge

management, organizational training, and collaborations; to compare B2B, EB, B2C, C2C,

mobile-commerce and the roles of advanced computing infrastructure in m-commerce; to

explain security, privacy, legal, and ethical issues associated with EC, and types of EC frauds

and how to protect against them; to explain mobile computing and the infrastructure that

supports m-commerce (devices, software, services) and to illustrate other EC innovations and

their benefits. (p.1)

This course has provided me the opportunity to understand and identify the various e-

commerce systems that JP Morgan Chase utilizes in conducting its business. There were various

distinct e-commerce systems in place for use by the customers to apply for the various loans

available in the market - auto, mortgage etc. This course has also helped me identify the security

concerns with the e-commerce systems, the legal issues involved and also the ethical issues with

e-commerce.

Link Outcomes from MGT620X – Operations Strategy to JP Morgan Chase:

The course outcomes for MGT620X – Operations Strategy, according to Sullivan

University (2016b) are,

To communicate effectively using quantitative data; to develop leadership and teamwork

skills; to analyze operations data using statistical and management science techniques and to

develop decision-making skills in ways useful to help solve business problems. (p. 1)

This course has taught me the ways to look at quantitative data differently and to use the

data to make effective decisions that impact the businesses positively. This course has helped me
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identify the various leadership issues and how team work affects quantitative data analysis and

decision making. This course has helped me utilize the business intelligence tools and analyze

the business problems using statistical and management sciences.

Applying work experiences to CSC560Z Electronic Commerce & Intranet Development

course:

JP Morgan chase utilizes e-commerce sites to sell products and to promote their various

lines of businesses. Being able to understand the sites and the impact it has on customers and

business has helped me to contribute effectively in class and to adapt the ideas that I see at work

in my various papers and projects in the course. By understanding the various support systems in

place for a successful e-commerce site at JP Morgan Chase, I am able to draw parallels with the

various other industries that we dissect and analyze in class.

Applying work experiences to MGT620X – Operations Strategy course:

By understanding and experiencing the various processes that make up an IT project, I

am able to tie up the concepts that I learn in the operations strategy class with my job. As a

business analyst one of my main responsibilities is to understand the current state process and

identify the gaps in the system. This would help prepare an efficient and effective process map

that would impact the business positively.

Work Proposal – Integrating business processes and IT to achieve operational efficiency:

Introduction:

Operations management play a major role in any businesses and impact the ultimate

bottom-line of the businesses. It becomes imperative for any business to take charge of any
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present and future threats to its profits and competitive advantage to maintain and attain

perpetuity. According to Segerstrom (2003) strategic analysis of the operational process

highlights the consistency in planning and also correlates with any businesses performance.

Background:

Businesses today face the problem of not looking at the long-term strategies but rather

focus solely on the short-term plans to succeed in today’s environment. According to Segerstrom

(2003) Businesses and banks today either maintain a price-oriented strategy to attract customers

or attract customers based on the fact that they offer something new and unique from other

banks.

Problems:

The problem thus arises due to the fact that competition one day catches up to the price

strategy and thus it becomes imperative for a bank to garner operational efficiencies to reduce

the costs associated with doing business. This would in turn ensure that the banks can pass on the

cost savings to its customers thereby maintaining a stronghold over its competition.

Opportunities:

The opportunities in achieving operational efficiencies arises in IT. According to Tallon

(2007) alignment is important in the right areas to achieve cost effectiveness and thus stay as the

market leader. Alignment is not just important in achieving tight fit but also in attaining the right

type of fit in the operational processes. The main objective is in identifying the key processes

that impact the alignment between the IT and business strategy because misalignment can pose a

major threat to the optimal performance of a business.

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Recommendations:

According to Tallon (2007) IT processes are susceptible to imitation from the

competition and thereby the businesses can lose their competitive edge. This would impact the

main objective of businesses that is to create a sustainable advantage that would enable them to

stay in the industry for longer. A strategy would be to integrate the IT processes with the

business activities thereby creating ambiguity in a strategy that cannot be so easily replicated by

the competition.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, integrating operations strategy and business processes enables a tight fit

and also the right type of fit needed to achieve competitive advantage. This would also ensure

that the operational processes that ensure cost effectiveness through IT are not so easily

replicated by the competition. This would ensure that the businesses and banks can retain their

industry strong-hold and also implement a strategy that can sustain against the various

competition.
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References

Segerstrom, J. R. (2003). Aligning operating tactics with strategic decisions. Bank Accounting &

Finance, 16(6), 15-23.

Sullivan University. (2016a). CSC560Z Electronic Commerce & Intranet Development

[Syllabus]. Retrieved from sullivan.angellearning.com

Sullivan University. (2016b). MGT620X – Operations Strategy [Syllabus]. Retrieved from

sullivan.angellearning.com

Tallon, P. P. (2007). A process-oriented perspective on the alignment of information technology

and business strategy. Journal of Management Information Systems, 24(3), 227-268.