Developing and using Management Information Systems (MIS) effectively requires an understanding of the business organization, management, and information technology. The overall objective of this course is to expose the student to the full range of management issues raised by information technology. After an overview of the conceptual foundations underlying all information systems, the course deals with MIS applications within the individual functional areas of business and covers specific types of information systems including decision support systems, executive information systems, expert systems, and office automation. MIS applications development is discussed, encompassing information resource planning, systems analysis, design, and implementation. The course covers the management, control, and security of MIS resources, and societal and international issues. Students will gain an understanding of business concepts and develop skills in solving management problems using software.
Objectives:
1. Describe examples of how MIS is used to achieve competitive advantage; 2. Discuss the strategic importance of recent advances in computer technology and the Internet. Students will be able to discuss how the World Wide Web, the Internet, e-commerce, and associated technologies are dramatically changing organizations; 3. Discuss various issues, risks, and resource decisions facing organizations as they attempt to harness the ever-expanding power of Information Systems; and, 4. Use computers to design and build their own applications (e.g., Web site, database, complex spreadsheets) in a way that extends their computer literacy while illustrating the principles of MIS.
Prerequisite:
None
Format:
A variety of teaching techniques will be used, including traditional lectures, class discussions, hands-on exercises, discussion boards, and distance learning sessions.
Term:
Spring 2010
Time/Location:
We will meet Mondays, from 6:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M. in GR003 (a computer lab in the basement of Hagan Hall) and in Hagan 209.
Text:
The required text is Management Information Systems, 10th Edition, ISBN: 0-13-230461-9, by Laudon and Laudon. You may use either the 8th or 9th edition, as well, but it is entirely your responsibility to coordinate the reading assignments with those I assign.
Attendance:
Less than half of the course content is presented by the book. Being in business today is all about being entrepreneurial—self-motivating and risk-taking. So it is with this course. Schedule the work at your convenience, but if you fall behind in your weekly work, you will find it very difficult to catch up.
Academic Integrity:
Ethical choices are essential to your professional and personal life. I expect that you will conform to the highest standards of academic honesty and ethical behavior in accordance with the mission of this program. Cheating—attempting to deceive me or the school on matters of authorship or academic performance—includes, but is not limited to:
aiding another student during a test;
departing from any stated condition of a test;
plagiarising—i.e., failing to attribute clearly and completely the intellectual contribution of others in accordance with generally recognized style guides, such as those of the APA, MLA, or Chicago Manual of Style;
changing a grade in my personal or official records;
possessing, accessing, or transmitting unauthorized copies of a test; or,
submitting work for assessment that was done, in whole or in part, by someone else.
I understand that you may face enormous pressures and temptations, but I reiterate: cheating or abetting cheating, of any kind, for any reason, will not be tolerated. There is no exception. There is no wink-and-a-nod of tacit approval. You are personally and solely responsible for your actions.
Assessment:
Grades will be calculated using this weighting:
Participation
15%
Group project
15%
Term paper
15%
Individual assignments
15%
Quizzes
20%
Exams
20%
Total
100%
Your class participation grade is based on the quality—not the quantity—of your contribution to each class including your behavior.
Tentative Course Schedule
We will do approximately 1 Unit (below) per class. The syllabus and course outline are subject to change at my discretion during the term. Any changes will be announced in class and posted at my Web site. Neither the syllabus nor the course outline shall be construed as a contract, implied or expressed, between the student and the professor and/or this school.
Unit 1
Lessons:
Reviewing the syllabus
Introduction to the course
Reviewing the common user interface
“The Productivity Paradox“
Review Materials:
To review the concepts of the Productivity Parodox, download and examine the handout on the Productivity Paradox.
If your basic PC skills are rusty, you may want to download this Computer Concepts handout.
To review the common user interface, download and examine the handout on Keyboard Shortcuts.
Homework: before our next class:
Read Chapter 1 in the text.
Download and review the syllabus. (Be sure to follow the instructions on downloading .pdf files!)
Examine this Web site.
Deliverables:
Within 48 hours of our first session, e-mail me: spies@aya.yale.edu. In the body of the message:
confirm that you can access Microsoft® Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access);
confirm that you have read the syllabus and examined this Web site;
tell me any questions, concerns, or reservations of any kind you have about the course; and,
tell me, in two paragraphs, about yourself — nothing of a private nature, of course. Just give me a sense of who you are and where you are going.
Unit 2
Lessons:
On personal productivity
Using Word styles
Assessing information quality
Group formation
Review Materials:
If your file-management skills are rusty, you may want to download this “File Management” handout.
Homework: before our next class:
Read Chapter 2 in the text.
Unit 3
Lessons:
On MIS
On Résumés
Intellectual property
Moving beyond the analogue: the word-processing paradigm
Submit a résumé created with Microsoft® Word or Corel® WordPerfect, following my guidelines. Do not submit an old document or one that is created by Word’s Résumé Wizard.
On the Group Project
You are to meet with your group to select your group project, which will be presented near the end of the term.
Possible Projects. With your instructor’s approval, select a topic. Here are examples of previous successful projects:
“Road Warriors: Managing the Mobile Workforce”;
designing an IT strategy for a not-for-profit agency;
“Wi-Fi in a Corporate Environment”;
developing an IT strategy for a small firm;
“Help Desk Management”;
using social networking (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace) in business;
“Designing a Corporate Information Portal”;
a proposal for an IT system supporting an entrepreneurial venture; or,
Deliverables: Two weeks prior to our last session, your group’s lead should submit:
a one-page Executive Summary of your project; and,
your Presentation Document; e.g., a Microsoft® PowerPoint presentation, a Web site of your own design, a formal paper, or a Microsoft® Publisher document.
During our last regularly scheduled meeting, your group will present its findings to the class, at a time to be announced.
Your project will be graded on:
the thoroughness of the analysis; and,
the quality of the presentation and Presentation Document.
You are to research and identify the hardware, software, and networking resources required by a hypothetical firm. You are to analyze IT’s contribution to its goals, in terms of the text material.
Here are some examples of the types of questions that you might address:
What are the computer processing and storage needs of your firm?
What software will you use?
How will decisions on new hardware and software made, and what criteria will be used in the decision?
How will computer resources managed?
Outline your firm’s IT SOPs and AUPs.
How will your firm utilize databases to manage information?
Focus: The Internal Analysis examines an organization’s internal environment, in terms of the practical application of information technology, focusing on material presented in the first half of our text (Chapters 1-7).
Format: The paper must be well-formed. By “well-formed,” I mean you must include the normal structural elements of a professional paper: title, headings (using Word styles), automatic reference numbers for illustrations, headers and/or footers, appropriate citations, and a table of contents.
Length: As in real life, the paper should be as long as necessary and as short as possible. I would expect that a reasonable analysis would require somewhere in the range of 2,500-4,000 words.
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a practical understanding of the concepts presented in the first half of the text book as they apply to a real-world setting, and to demonstrate your ability to write a well-formed, undergraduate-level research paper.
Grading: This paper is to be written in English at a college level in terms of content, style, and documentation, and submitted in Microsoft® Word or Corel® WordPerfect format. Use this link to download the grading rubric for papers (a read-only Microsoft® Word document). This may clarify my expectations.
Deliverables:
Submit the Internal Analysis paper as an attachment to e-mail by 11:59 P.M. Saturday of the week in which Unit 11 is scheduled.
Competitive Analysis Paper (Optional)
With my written approval, you may write a Competitive Analysis paper in lieu of the Internal Analysis, the Team Project, or the Quizzes. There are two differences between the Competitive Analysis and the Internal Analysis:
Due date: Submit your paper as an attachment to e-mail by 11:59 P.M. Saturday of the week in which Unit 10 is scheduled.
Content: The Internal Analysis is a examination of an organization’s internal environment, focusing on material presented in the first half of our text (Chapters 1-7). The Competitive Analysis is an analysis of the external, competitive environment, focusing on material presented in the second half of our text (Chapters 8-15).
The format, length, and grading criteria of both papers are identical.
For the Competitive Analysis paper, you are to analyze how a firm would use IT to compete in and to manage its external environment. How would this firm use its IT capabilities to gain strategic advantage? What opportunities and threats does IT present? You might consider its role in delivering value to stakeholders and winning in the marketplace. Topics might include:
compliance with regulators;
value chain management;
customer management;
public relations;
service to the community;
managing the distribution chain;
competitive intelligence;
advertising and marketing;
e-commerce; and/or,
the consumer-life-cycle.
You might interview IT professionals or managers, or research published documents or the Web for relevant information.
Unit 6
Lessons:
Databases
Enterprise systems
Homework: before our next class:
Read Chapter 6 in the text.
Systems, especially enterprise systems based on databases, dominate large firms and have become increasingly important in smaller firms—even very small companies. You probably fall into one of two categories:
you are new to databases; or,
you are familiar, but you’d like to know a lot more.
Review the Microsoft® Access materials listed above.
If you are new to databases: construct a database of your own. For example, you might create a table of clients or friends. After building that table, create two queries based on that table, and, finally, create a form based on the table and each query (for a total of three forms).
If you are familiar with databases, but want to know more about Access: E-mail me for more hand-outs on Access, and use those skills to create a database project of your own design.
Your grade will be based on the project’s adequacy, regardless of your category. The purpose is to put the text into perspective by seeing the a database in action and demonstrate their power. If you start a project and run into a dead end, contact me.
If you are unfamiliar with sending Access files as e-mail attachments, be sure to download these important instructions.
Pick one category that interests you from the blue table. After examining the links (usually six to ten links) therein (if the category is large, you may use a sub-category), in the body of an e-mail message, list:
the one site that you like best;
the one site that you liked least; and,
a URL that you would suggest for that category, based on your own research or experience
write a brief criticism—a list is fine—of what is wrong with the site you like best and what you would suggest to improve it. It’s likely that you can easily identify seven or eight problems.
Work with your team to select a team project. Select a representative. The representative should send me an e-mail identifying the team members and the topic for my approval.
Create a functional Web page, with a minimum of two links and two images, using the tools that we used in class (or those mentioned in the hand-out) only.
You will will have fifteen minutes to present your project to the class. You may assume that everyone is familiar with your Executive Summary.
Your group leader should send me a one-page Executive Summary, which I will distribute to the class. He or she should also send me the Presentation Document.
Review the Executive Summaries of the projects that will be e-mailed to you.
Deliverables
A five-minute e-mail assignment will be announced after the group presentations. It will be due within 24 hours.
Deadline: All work to be graded for this term must be submitted within 24 hours of our last session.
(Optional) If you elected to do the Competitive Analysis paper, you must submit it by 11:59 P.M. Saturday of this week.
Unit 14
Lessons:
Exam
How to Contact Me
Mail:
Wayne Thomas Spies
127 Santa Fe Avenue
Hamden, CT 06517
U.S.A.
Phone:
Call me at (203) 930-8786. Do not call or leave messages at any other number.
My job is to help you thrive in this course, in this program, and in your career.
2.
Set up appointments for on-line or personal consultations via e-mail.
3.
Do you have special needs? A disability or medical condition? Language or cultural issues? Child care or other family responsibilities? The extent to which these factors require special accommodation may not be obvious! If you have special needs, discuss the matter with me at your earliest convenience, and I will be happy to work with you to avoid and/or address any problems.
4.
I provide information at this Web site for your convenience. Nothing posted on this Web site should be construed as a contract, implied or expressed, between the student and me and/or the school.
Bad Weather & Emergencies
1.
See the official Iona College Web site: www.iona.edu.
2.
Check this Web site.
3.
For classes held at Blue Hill or at other locations in Rockland County, call (845) 620-1350 for guidance.
On Grades & Criticism
Part of my job is to evaluate your performance. Francis O’Walsh once said that some people find fault as if it were a buried treasure. I take no pleasure in finding fault in your work. I’d be a lot happier and a lot more popular if I simply gave “A’s” for inferior work.
You will receive grades and feedback on-line. That creates a problem, because it’s always hard to receive criticism, and it’s especially hard to receive criticism on-line. The nature of the medium makes it sound very cold, very fast. Don’t take it personally! However it may sound, I am criticizing your work, not you.
I’m trying to equip you for the world you will face after this course. I point out mistakes now, so that you won’t make them later.
If you’re unhappy about a grade, telephone me during my office hours (posted above), and we can discuss the matter. At your request, I will be happy to re-evaluate your work, but be aware that this may result in your grade going up or down.
To see my detailed grading expectations, follow this link.
Late Policy
I appreciate the fact that you have a life outside my classroom. I know how difficult it can be to juggle the demands of jobs, family, illness, vacations, job interviews, games on the west coast, cats, academics, and all matters, trivial or deadly serious, that makes life so hectic. I’ve always believed that a slavish devotion to deadlines interferes with our purpose. After all, you are here to learn, not merely to jump through a bunch of arbitrary hoops. I greatly prefer that you turn in a good paper late than a bad paper on time. Still, I must insist that you observe these policies:
Individual papers: I accept late assignments for one week after the due date, without penalty. After that, there will be a 10 percent reduction per week or fraction thereof. I am unable to give late papers much — if any — feedback.
Discussion Boards: Discussion Boards are a component of your participation grade. Late contributions will receive no points. Such contributions are analogous to showing up two hours late for a meeting, saying something to the empty room, and then expecting to be rewarded.
Group Projects: By missing your group’s deadlines, you let down the people who counted on you. Once the Group Project is due, subsequent individual work is irrelevant and will receive no consideration. If you are unable to participate in the Group Project, you may do the optional Competitive Analysis paper to take its place.
Quizzes: If you miss a quiz, you will receive a zero for that quiz.
Exams: If you miss an exam, you have one week to take a make-up exam, at a time and place that I will specify.
I reserve the right to grant exceptions on a case-by-case basis, if you let me know the circumstances at the earliest opportunity and if, in my opinion, an exception is warranted.
Submit Homework via e-Mail
If you do not prepare and submit your work properly, you might not receive proper credit.
Prepare:
When you save your document, give it this name:
150 [Name] [Project]
For example, if your name is Smith, save your Analysis paper, as:
150 Smith Analysis
Submit:
Unless told otherwise, submit work via an attachment to e-mail sent to:
BUS 150: Information Systems