Your Health, Inc. case from the seventh edition of this text, now with updated tasks based on this

edition. Template files are also available on the Companion website. This running case starts

here and continues through Chapter 13. Tasks based on this case are explained in the following

Tasks section; throughout the book, these tasks will build on work done in previous chapters and

scenarios.

Economic inequality is a huge issue. A recent study found that the world’s 80 wealthiest

individuals own as much as the entire world’s poorest 3.5 billion people. The richest 1 percent of

the world’s population control half of the world’s total wealth.15 Many individuals, corporations,

charities, and government agencies have projects and programs in place to attempt to tackle

this and other important global issues such as sustainability, but there are many opportunities to

do more.

A grassroots group of college students has decided to work together to do their part in

making the world a better place. The students are from many different countries, and several

of them met at global conferences, through study abroad experiences, or on various Internet

groups. Strategic goals of this group include developing skills for both college students and for

needy populations, sharing information on existing products and services that promote economic

growth and sustainability, and promoting entrepreneurship. Leaders of this group were reviewing

some ideas for projects (all with a significant IT component) that they could do to support their

strategic goals:

1. Global Treps: Many people are familiar with the television show called Shark Tank where

entrepreneurs (sometimes called “treps”) present their business ideas to a group of investors

or sharks. Several colleges, high schools, and even elementary schools throughout the

world hold unique versions of a shark tank like event. You believe that creating a nonprofit

organization with one central mobile-friendly website/application to assist groups in

organizing these types of events would spark even more entrepreneurs throughout the

world. You would plan to hold several shark tank like events during the term of the project

and create a site and applications to help continue developing more global treps. This site/

application would include the following capabilities:

• Provide guidelines and templates for running a shark tank type of event.

• Accept donations from potential investors targeted toward specific schools or

organizations wishing to host an event (similar to the popular www.donorschoose.org

site where people can fund teacher’s requests).

• Accept ideas for needed new products or services.

• Provide the ability for organizations to create their own custom site to solicit local

participants and sharks, accept applications, and promote the winners as well as losers.

• Research ideas for a mechanism where a certain percentage of all donations and

profits earned by contestants are donated back to the Global Treps organization.

• Provide an online version of the events by showing videos of contestants and live

reactions of the sharks while also getting live inputs and donations from viewers.

2. Change the Laws Campaign: Launch a global campaign to change laws to reduce further

income inequality and promote social responsibility. This project would also involve creating

a mobile-friendly website/application that would include information about current and

proposed laws, allow discussions of potential ideas to change laws, organize people to

contact appropriate lawmakers, etc.

3. Wealthy Unite: Develop a system to enable the richest people in the world to provide their

input on how they can make the world a better place. Provide information on what several

people are currently doing (i.e., Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, famous celebrities, etc.) to

promote philanthropy. Allow others to donate to suggested causes and recommend other

ways to reduce economic inequality.

4. Global Smart Shoppers: Develop a mobile app and website that recommends products and

services produced by organizations that promote social responsibility. Customize the app

so it works in any country in the user’s desired language. Work with large companies that

do not currently sell products or services in certain countries to expand to regions in need.

Allow small companies to easily add their products and services to the shopping network.

Tasks

1. Summarize each of the proposed projects using a simple table format suitable for

presentation to top management. Include the name of each project, identify how each one

supports business strategies, assess the potential financial benefits and other benefits of

each project, and provide your initial assessment of the value of each project. Write your

results in a one-to two-page memo to top management, including appropriate back-up

information and calculations.

2. Evaluate the four projects by preparing a weighted scoring model using the template

provided on the Companion website for this text. Develop at least four criteria, assign

weights to each criterion, assign scores, and then calculate the weighted scores. Print the

spreadsheet and bar chart with the results. Also write a one-page paper that describes this

weighted scoring model and the results.

3. Prepare a business case for the Global Treps project. Assume that the project will take six

months to complete, use many volunteer hours, and cost about $130,000 for hardware,

software, travel, and labor. Use the business case template provided on the Companion

website for this text. Be sure to research information on the television show and events held

by colleges and other groups, which have been sparked by the need for more successful

entrepreneurs. Also visit DonorsChoose.org to see how that site operates and look into

steps for forming a non profit organization.

4. Prepare a draft project charter and an assumption log for the Global Treps project. Assume

that the project will take six months to complete and have a budget of $130,000. Use the

project charter template provided in this text and the sample project charter provided in

Table 4-1 as guides. For the assumption log, document at least two assumptions including

an assumption ID, date, source, category, description, and status. You will be the project

manager, and Dr. K. will be the project sponsor. Other team members will include Bobby,

Ashok, Kim, and Alfreda. You plan to hold four shark tank like events plus develop the Global

Treps site and application.

5. Start a lessons learned register to document knowledge learned on this project. Include

la lessons learned ID, date, source, category, description, impact, recommendations, and

proposed actions. Be creative in then making two entries.

6. Prepare a change request for the Global Treps project, using the template provided on the

Companion website for this text. Assume that you have decided not to provide an online

version of the show as it would be too much work for the initial project. Be creative when

making up information.