Fall 1999: Time and Technology: Competing for Customers in the Future

Speaker:

James C. Wetherbe, Ph.D., FedEx Professor of Excellence and Director of the Center for Cycle Time Research.

Synopsis

In the morning presentation, Dr. Wetherbe will explore competitive strategies, technology, and cycle time as ways to allow organizations (both public and private sector) to gain competitive advantage by differentiating their products and services and serving niche markets in compelling ways. A framework is provided for interaction with customers through technology and cycle time to determine the types of innovations and improvements they would like to see in an organization’s products and services.

The afternoon session will be used as a workshop to explore application of the framework to specific organizations in attendance. To this end, participants are encouraged to think about critical processes, customers, and technologies in their respective organization.

Speaker: James C. Wetherbe, Ph.D.

Dr. Wetherbe is FedEx Professor of Excellence and Director of the Center for Cycle Time Research at the University of Memphis as well as Professor of MIS and Director of the MIS Research Center at the University of Minnesota. He is internationally known as a dynamic and entertaining speaker, author, and leading authority on the use of computers and information systems to improve organizational performance and competitiveness. He is particularly appreciated for his ability to explain complex technology in straightforward, practical terms that can be strategically applied by both executives and general management.

He is the author of 17 highly regarded books include the Information Technology for Management (Wiley Publishing), So, What’s Your Point? (2^nd edition, Mead Publishing, 1996), Systems Analysis and Design: Best Practices (West Publishing, 1994), and his newest book The World On Time: 11 Management Principles That Made FedEx an Overnight Sensation (Knowledge Exchange) released in August 1996. In addition, he is the publisher of Cycle Time Research. Quoted often in leading business and information system journals, Dr. Wetherbe has also authored over 200 articles, writes regular columns, and serves as consulting editor for publishing companies.