44045 Bakes

M&IS 44045-001

INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

FALL 2014

TR 11:00 am - 12:15 pm

Room 110 BSA

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Information technology has changed how small to medium size businesses, large corporations, banks, government agencies, healthcare institutions, and other organizations operate and succeed in today’s global economy. Organizations can use IT to transform themselves, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations, and achieve a tremendous competitive advantage.

This course will examine the issues surrounding the design, application, and effective use of information systems. It will show how critical information systems have become for all organizations and take an in depth look at IT best practices. The course will have a real world orientation and focus on the role of IT in finding practical solutions to business problems. It will provide a comprehensive overview of IT applications, current trends, and cutting edge technologies, as well as timely and insightful perspectives.

Course highlights will include innovative ways that actual enterprises are using IT in their operations and the impact IT has on these enterprises, their users, customers, society, and the environment. CIOs, CTOs, directors, and other key professionals from the IT community throughout Northeast Ohio will bring course concepts to life by providing real world examples of how information systems are employed in support of their organizations’ missions and to achieve competitive advantage.  Students will have an unique opportunity to meet and network with these IT leaders and benefit from their vast experience.

Topics to be addressed in the course include: 

·         IT infrastructure

·         Business process reengineering and change management

·         Enterprise and global systems

·         IT in small to medium size enterprises

·         Legal, ethical, and environmental issues surrounding the use of information systems

·         IT auditing and risk management

·         Software and hardware acquisition strategies

·         Cloud computing

·         Business intelligence and big data

·         IT security

·         Disaster recovery and business continuity planning

·         IS hiring

·         Healthcare IT

·         Team dynamics

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this course students should:

·         Understand how organizations of all types can leverage IS to improve business process design and how critical it is for IT to be aligned with the organization’s mission

·         Understand IS concepts, technology, and terminology, as well as the role of information systems in enabling firms to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness, manage organizational knowledge, and gain competitive advantage

·         Have the knowledge to participate in, and contribute to, discussions about IS with co-workers, consultants, and vendors

·         Have the ability to participate effectively in conceiving, planning, building, implementing, maintaining, managing, and modifying IS in organizations

·         Have the skills needed to analyze business requirements, evaluate existing and emerging technologies, assess future trends in IT, and make recommendations to senior management regarding the most appropriate roles for IT to play in support of current and future business needs

·         Have developed strong analytical and problem solving skills

·         Have an awareness of compliance issues and the implications of various regulations and standards

·         Have the communication skills needed to write clearly and give effective presentations

·         Have learned to conduct themselves as business professionals in interactions with their peers, superiors, and subordinates

·         Have the ability to work effectively in project teams, as a team member and leader

·         Have developed their networking skills and built professional relationships that will strengthen their employment prospects

GRADING POLICY

On their respective due dates, course assignments requiring hard copy submission are to be turned in during class and those requiring electronic submission are to be submitted before 11:59 pm. Unless you have a legitimate excuse with supporting documentation and obtain my permission prior to the due date (or, if that’s impossible, at the first opportunity after the due date), you will receive a zero for a missed or late assignment.

If you have questions concerning a grade you receive on any course assignment, it is your responsibility to inform me within 1 week of the graded assignment being returned. Grades will not be discussed after that time. Also, to protect your privacy, any issues related to your performance in the course will only be discussed in my office or via e-mail.

After rounding your numeric score to the nearest integer, your course letter grade will be assigned according to the scale:  A = 93-100; A- = 90-92; B+ = 87-89; B = 83-86; B- = 80-82; C+ = 77-79; C = 73-76; C- = 70-72; D+ = 67-69; D = 60-66; and F = 0-59.

COURSE WEB SITE

Access to the course website is through Blackboard, the University’s course management system. To log on, go to http://learn.kent.edu and enter your username and password.

IMPORTANT DATES

⁺ During finals week we are scheduled to meet on Tuesday 12/9 at 12:45 to 3 pm

ATTENDANCE AND CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR

In this course we are extremely privileged to have the opportunity to listen to and learn from guest speakers of exceptional caliber.  The guest lectures will be the most important element of the course, and the value to be gained from exposure to the speakers is immense. To do well in the course you should pay close attention to the speakers, take good notes, and avail of opportunities to ask questions.

You are required to attend every class meeting. Failure to do so would be highly embarrassing to me, yourself, the College, and the University. Sign in sheets will be used to track attendance. They will be available at the front of the room before each class begins, and you are on your honor to sign in truthfully.

For each class meeting that you miss, 5 points will be deducted from the attendance component of your course grade. A makeup assignment will only be accepted for grading if you have a legitimate excuse (i.e., sickness, athletic event, religious observation, military responsibility, or death in immediate family), obtain my permission prior to class time, provide written documentation, and submit the makeup assignment within 1 week of the class you miss. At my discretion, it is likely to take the form of a 2 page paper on the topic covered on the day you missed.

You are expected to be respectful of our guest speakers, other students, and the instructor at all times during the semester. It is not fair to others to cause a disruption by the noise and disturbance of a late arrival or early departure. Therefore, unless you have a legitimate reason for not doing so, come to class on time and stay until the class has ended. Otherwise, each time you arrive late or leave early, 2 points will be deducted from the attendance component of your grade.  Also, if you must leave the classroom temporarily, please do so quietly.

Use of cell phones is not permitted during class. They must be turned off before class begins, stored somewhere they are not in view, and not taken out or turned back on until after class has ended.

Improper classroom behavior will not be tolerated and is grounds for dismissal from the course, resulting in a grade of F.

GUEST LECTURE PARTICIPATION

You are strongly encouraged to participate in class by asking questions about the content of that day’s lecture, your project, or any other appropriate topic. By doing so, you can earn 2 points on each of 4 days that you ask a guest speaker a question during class, i.e., a total of 8 points. To obtain these points, e-mail your question to me before midnight, put “44045 Participation: your name” (e.g., “44045 Participation: Cathy Bakes”) in the subject, and include the answer. When you wish to ask a question, raise your hand and, if someone else is speaking, wait until they have finished. Then clearly state your name and, unless instructed otherwise, address the guest speaker by his/her title and last name. 

If you talk to a speaker after class, you may wish to shake hands and offer him/her your business card.

GUEST LECTURE FORMS

Select any 8 guest lectures (GLs) and complete a GL form for each one. Download the form from Blackboard, carefully follow all the instructions, and submit a hard copy at the start of class on the first Tuesday after that lecture (except for the week 11 forms which are due on 11/13, i.e., the Thursday of week 12). If you submit more than 8 forms, the first 8 will count towards your grade. You are not permitted to submit a GL form for a GL that you missed!

GUEST LECTURE SURVEYS

There will be 2 guest lecture surveys during the semester. Each survey will be available on Blackboard starting at 11:59 pm on the Friday before its due date and cover approx. 12 guest lectures. 

QUIZZES

To supplement material covered in the guest lectures and provide a supporting theoretical framework, you are required to read the course text. Your understanding of all course concepts will be tested through 6 open book and open notes quizzes. Each quiz will be available on Bb starting at 11:59 pm on the Friday before its due date and cover material from the text and guest lectures as indicated in the following table:

You are responsible for all material presented in class and should not expect any special consideration if you miss material due to being absent.

TEAM PROJECT

Each team of up to 4 students is to complete a project (and present it in class) that examines the ways in which information technologies have impacted a pair of organizations from the same business sector, industry, or service area. I will assign you to a team, and then the team will have the option of selecting 2 organizations to study or having me assign them for you. If you choose the former option, you must obtain my approval by the project topic due date. You may do this during office hours or by e-mail. If you do not obtain my approval by the due date, I will make an assignment for you.

For ideas on the pair of organizations you might wish to study, I suggest that you browse through the text, explore the Internet, and/or consult the following list:

·         Banking

·         Ecommerce/Retail

·         Education

·         Entertainment  

·         Government  

·         Healthcare  

·         Hospitality  

·         Insurance  

·         Libraries

·         Manufacturing  

·         Military  

·         Non-profit  

·         Social networks

·         Transportation/Logistics  

·         Travel  

·         Utilities

Each team (including every member) is to present their project in class at the end of the semester. The presentation should be clear, complete, and concise, provide an insightful analysis of the use of IT by the selected organizations, and have a section for each of the following:

(1)   Introduction

(2)   Overview and history of 1^st Organization

(3)   Examples of where 1^st Organization has used IT effectively and areas that could be improved

(4)   Overview and history of 2^nd Organization

(5)   Examples of where 2^nd Organization has used IT effectively and areas that could be improved

(6)   Lessons that each organization could learn from the other

(7)   Conclusion

Use PowerPoint to develop your presentation and submit the final version of your PPT file (i.e., you will not be permitted to make changes to the file after submitting it) using either e-mail or the File Exchange function available on Blackboard. Name the file “44045 Team X Topic” where “X” is your team number and “Topic” is the title of your project, e.g., “44045 Team 3 Allstate and Progressive Insurance.”

When giving your presentation, you are strongly encouraged to (1) not read the information you present, (2) begin the presentation by introducing your team, naming the organizations you studied, and providing an outline of the topics to be addressed, (3) include illustrative figures and tables, (4) conclude with a summary of the key findings and recommendations, and (5) rehearse your presentation to ensure that it fits the allotted time (this will be based on the class size and announced in class approx. 2 weeks before the presentations begin). You may assume that a computer and projector will be provided, although I strongly recommend having a backup plan in case of equipment failures.

PROJECT PRESENTATION FORMS

You are required to attend all the project presentations and to submit a form (available on Blackboard) for every presentation except your own!  Print each form (and staple the pages if there is more than one), bring it to class on the appropriate day, complete it during class (make sure to write legibly and to follow all the instructions provided), and submit it before you leave.

PEER EVALUATION FORM

All team members are expected to contribute equally to completing a high-quality, integrated, professional project. Each team will be self-managed and responsible for determining the roles played by its members, and the nature of the contributions may differ across team members. It is up to the team to make these decisions appropriately, and all team members should ensure that their contributions are on track and sufficient. 

Project grades will be assigned initially based on how well you satisfy the requirements outlined above.   However, I reserve the right to make adjustments to individual grades based on information you are to provide on a peer evaluation form. You are to use this form (available on Blackboard) to award points that indicate the value of the contributions of each member of your team (including yourself) and to provide written comments justifying the points you award. Carefully follow all the instructions provided on the form and submit a hard copy.  Failure to complete and submit a peer evaluation form is likely to result in a negative adjustment to your own project grade.

MISA

The Management Information Systems Association (MISA) is the student organization for CIS majors or any other students interested in the role of information systems in today's business environment.  Representatives from area businesses, recent IT retirees, and local technology "experts" give presentations at MISA meetings.  MISA also hosts networking socials with experienced professionals as well as tours of local corporate data centers.  MISA members enjoy preferred scholarships, certification exam reimbursements, networking opportunities, guidance in CIS classes, and a great way to land an internship or job.  To learn more visit http://misa.bsa.kent.edu.

COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY POLICIES

Prerequisites: Students attending the course who do not have the proper prerequisite risk being deregistered from the class.

Academic Honesty:  Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, projects, assignments) so as to get undeserved credit.   In addition, it is considered to be cheating when one cooperates with someone else in any such misrepresentation.  The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense.  It is the University's policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade for the work or course.  Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University.

Course Withdrawal: For Fall 2014, the course withdrawal deadline is Sunday, November 2, 2014.

Students with Disabilities:  University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these accommodations through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit http://www.kent.edu/sas/index.cfm for more information on registration procedures).

Course Registration: Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes.  You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Student Tools on FlashLine) during the first two weeks of the semester to ensure you are properly enrolled in this class and section.  Should you find an error in your class schedule, you have until Sunday, September 7, 2014 to correct the error.  If registration errors are not corrected by this date and you continue to attend and participate in classes for which you are not officially enrolled, you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the conclusion of the semester for any class in which you are not properly registered.

Graduation Information: If you are eligible to graduate, it is your responsibility to apply for graduation before the set deadline (May Graduation: Apply before September 15^th August Graduation: Apply before December 15^th December Graduation: Apply before March 15^th). If you apply after the deadline you will be assessed a $200 late fee. Please see your academic advisor as soon as possible if you are uncertain as to your progress toward graduation.  To apply for graduation, log onto your Flashline account and complete the following steps:

1.     Click on the Student Tools tab

2.     Look in the Graduation Planning Tool Box

3.     Click on Application for Graduation

If an error message appears, you must contact your advisor.

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE

NOTE:  A tentative class schedule is provided on the following pages. Any schedule changes will be announced in class, or you will be notified by e-mail.