24-Hour Knowledge Factory : Syllabus

ENTR/MGMT/LA S 414/514-001

24-Hour Knowledge Factory: International Management of Services in a Knowledge Economy
Instructor: Amar Gupta, Ph.D
Date/Time: F 9:00 - noon
Location: McClelland Hall 129
Semester: Spring 2008

The objective of the course is to look at several innovative and entrepreneurial aspects of the emerging Knowledge Economy, with special emphasis on how teams of individuals can work together in a seamless manner across national boundaries to render professional services of diverse types and varying sophistication.

In particular, the course will analyze the 24-Hour Knowledge Factory model in detail. This model envisages that a professional in the US will work from the usual work day from 9 am to 5 pm. At the end of the work day, the professional will transfer the work to a colleague in China or Australia who will then work from 9 am to 5 pm, based on the clock in that country. At the end of the latter's work day, the work will be transferred to a colleague in Poland or Romania who will work from 9 am to 5 pm based on the clock in Eastern Europe. Finally, the work will be transferred back to the original professional in the US, who will feel that a magic fairy was working hard while the professional was asleep. More details are available at:

http://next.eller.arizona.edu/projects/24HrKF/

An agreement was signed between the University of Arizona and leading universities in Australia and Poland to enable personnel of the three universities to collaborate on 24-Hour Knowledge Factory concept and to undertake projects of mutual interest and benefit.

Students with background in information technology will be encouraged to study the issue of new technical concepts that will foster the above type of collaboration. Other students will be encouraged to study the economics, business, legal, political, and other aspects of such knowledge-oriented frameworks based on the student's interest and background.

Additional details about the new course will be added to the course website on a continuing basis. This course is open both to graduate and undergraduate students. Among undergraduates, this course is appropriate for students who are juniors or seniors.

Each student will be required to do a research project on a relevant topic and and to write a paper on it. Students are required to secure prior approval of the topic of the paper by contacting the instructor for this course via email. The course grade will be based primarily on this paper, and partially on class attendance and participation. Graduate students and honors students will be required to submit an additional interim paper during the middle of the semester. The reports should be 10-15 pages long for graduate students and 8-10 pages long for undergraduate students.

Grading:
Undergraduates:
75% - Final Paper
25% - Class Attendance, Participation in Class Discussions, Lectures, etc.

Graduates:
30% - Mid-term Paper
45% - Final Paper
25% - Participation in Class Discussions, Lectures, etc.

For more information, please contact us.