TTMG5003P
Issues in Telecommunications
(Web-delivered section)

Winter 2007

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OFFICE HOURS
The instructor is available through email at any time.  He is available by telephone during office hours on Fridays from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST or at other times by appointment.  His physical office is in the Mackenzie Building, room 4446, on the Carleton University campus.

TIME AND PLACE
Saturday 9:05 a.m. to 11:55 a.m. EST.  
This is a web-delivered course.  To participate in the online classes, students require access to a telephone (able to dial a toll-free number) and access to a computer with an Internet connection and a Java-equipped web browser.  At the day and time of class, students must connect to both the phone and web portions.

Detailed instructions, including telephone numbers, URLs, and access codes, have been distributed to course participants via email and posted to the MyCarleton Portal.  Detailed instructions for accessing the MyCarleton Portal are provided in the following section.  

Technical support for course participants is available 24/7 at 1.800.804.8608 or +1.514.282.4047 or press *0 within a conference.

COURSE WEBSITE
There are two websites for TTMG5003.

This site, archived at http://www.sce.carleton.ca/faculty/muegge/courses/TTMG5003P, contains the course syllabus and links to course readings on the public Internet.

A second site, at the MyCarleton University Portal (password required) is accessible only to registered students of the course.  It contains a repository of lecture notes, a file archive of additional course material, a message board for moderated discussion, and the capability to email other course participants.  To access this repository, log into MyCarleton, select the "Academic Services" tab, then select "My Courses".  From the list of courses in which you are currently enrolled, select "TTMG5003".

COURSE OBJECTIVES
The objective of TTMG 5003 Issues in Telecommunications is to examine issues relevant to engineers and computer scientists who manage engineering processes in companies competing in the global marketplace of telecommunications products and services. Specifically, in this course we examine the global business infrastructures anchored around new telecommunications technologies from the perspective of the engineering manager who must assess what is going on and determine how to respond.

Our units of analysis are the firm, the industry, and the interactions between the firm and the industry in which it competes.

Our particular focus is the converged telecommunications industry, where we will examine current issues such as regulation, modularity and commoditization within the evolving value chain, and innovations in technology and open business models that are emerging at the industry fringe. We will learn about and apply tools and concepts for the
evaluation of industry trends, industry structure and competition, the identification and assessment of new business opportunities, and conducting research in these areas of management.

The major course deliverable is a business plan that will be developed incrementally in several stages throughout the term, and will include all of the components expected by a potential investor. We will work together to practice and perfect an elevator pitch, define the offering, perform an analysis of the market, craft an operations plan, assess the risks associated with the venture, and prepare a detailed financial plan (with cash flow projections, pro-forma income statements and pro-forma balance sheets). Students will present their plans to an audience that will include invited guests from the local business community.  Students will also apply their learning to forecast the impact of a recent development in the telecommunications industry, and deliver either a Gate 0 research proposal (M.A.Sc. classroom section) or a project proposal (M.Eng. web-delivered section).

CLASS SESSIONS
Class sessions will be conducted as lecture and discussion sessions. There may also be guest speakers.

PAUL MENTON CENTRE
Students with disabilities requiring academic accommodations in this course are encouraged to contact a coordinator at the Paul Menton Centre (PMC) for Students with Disabilities to complete the necessary letters of accommodation. After registering with PMC, make an appointment to meet and discuss your needs with your instructor at least two weeks prior to the midterm exam. This is necessary in order to ensure sufficient time to make the necessary arrangements. Please note the following deadlines for submitting completed forms to the Paul Menton Centre: Friday March 12 for Winter term courses.

PLAGIARISM
The Undergraduate Calendar defines plagiarism in the regulations on instructional offenses as “to use and pass off as one’s own idea or product work of another without expressly giving credit to another." Click here for a detailed description and discussion of plagiarism.