64042 Brandyberry

MIS 64042 – Global Technology Strategy - SYLLABUS Summer I 2014

Kent State University Management & Information Systems Department

(Preview - This syllabus is complete and there are no plans to make changes – however, the instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus up to the first day of class)

Instructor:

Dr. Alan A. Brandyberry

Class Times:

Asynchronous Web-based Course

Office Hours:

Since the class is Internet-based, the office hours will be also. All inquiries should begin with an email (put 64042 in subject line) and if I cannot fully respond to your question(s) or issue(s) through that method we will schedule a phone conversation.

Office:

Business Building A425 (Kent Campus) – I will be there only sporadically over the summer but appointments may be possible though not guaranteed – I do guarantee I will always be accessible electronically.

Phone:

330-672-1146 (email is strongly preferred and will result in a quicker response)

Email:

abrandyb@kent.edu (preferred contact method - please put 64042 somewhere in subject line)

Web Sites:

Course: http://learn.kent.edu/

Catalog Description:

Focus is on the strategic issues around how a firm should manage its technology in a global market. Strategic issues include understanding the technological and competitive landscape, innovations, competitive advantages in the high-tech marketplace, outsourcing and information ethics. The core emphasis in on integrated decision-making in the age of globalization.

Prerequisite:

Basic computer proficiency. Graduate standing.

Required Texts:

Laudon & Laudon, Management Information Systems, 13/E, Prentice Hall © 2014. ISBN-10: 0133050696, ISBN-13: 978-0133050691*

* There are several texts by Laudon & Laudon – make sure the ISBN matches!

Note for those opting for an electronic version of the book: The required lockdown browser will not allow you to have your text open while taking a quiz (and they are open book). The work around is to use two computers –

one for the quiz and one for the text. If you have only one computer available you are advised to not opt for the electronic version.

Course Objectives:

This course focuses on the fundamentals underlying the design, implementation, control, evaluation and strategic use of modern, computer-based information systems for business data processing, office automation, information reporting, decision-making, and electronic commerce. The major emphasis will be on the managerial and strategic aspects of information technology in a global environment.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Terminology. The student will be able to explain the meaning of terms used to describe common techniques and concepts in business information systems.

2. Advanced Information Systems Concepts. The student will be able to describe the ways in which computers are and will be used in business and management. These concepts include telecommunications, electronic commerce, data warehousing and mining, artificial intelligence, and future directions of computer-based information systems.

3. Strategic Use of Information Systems in a Global Environment. Students should understand the issues and trade-offs involved in applying computer-based information systems strategically.

4. Behavioral and Organizational Issues. The student will be able to identify and suggest appropriate responses to managerial and organizational issues stemming from development, implementation, and use of computer-based information systems.

5. International Issues. The student will recognize the reality of implementing international information systems, including economic and cultural differences.

6. Social and Ethical Issues. The student will understand the major social and ethical issues involved in the development and use of information technology.

Upon completion of this course, students will:

1. Have an understanding of the principles, practices, methodologies and terminology used in planning, designing, developing, and implementing information systems in organizations. 2. Have developed abilities to identify organizational situations where management processes can be best supported with a computer-based

information system. 3. Have developed skills in recognizing how organizational decision making and productivity can be improved by using well planned and executed computer-based information systems. 4. Have an understanding of the concept of a computer system including detailed knowledge about hardware and software. 5. Know the components of a computer-based information system (CBIS). 6. Have an understanding of data communication and telecommunication terminology. 7. Be acquainted with the hardware and software used in a typical business communications network. 8. Understand the characteristics of the various information system types. Understand how they work and what their benefits and limitations are. 9. Learn about end-user computing, its control and its impact on organizations. 10. Learn about information systems applications in the business functional areas. 11. Understand basic concepts of E-Business and E-Commerce including inter and intra-organizational systems.

Class Format:

Although this is a fully web-based course, it is designed to be as close to an in-class experience as the method currently allows. Students will read text chapters, view audio-augmented PowerPoint lectures, ask and answer questions on discussion forums and take a competency quiz online for each chapter in the text. Cases will be presented and discussed by student groups (see below for details) and a deeper understanding of the material will be assessed via individual written essays and/or cases.

I have heard that some believe that an online course is ‘easier’ than a traditional course (I’m also certain that is not a universal perception but I thought I would address it). This class is not designed to be easier – it is also not designed to be more difficult than a traditional class. The sole goal is to make the learning experience as similar as possible to the traditional classroom course while allowing the student (and instructor) to be anywhere with an Internet connection during the course term.

The university and instructor are responsible for the technologies used in the course. If adjustments need to be made because some technology fails (such as a needed web site going down for extended periods), they will be. However, I cannot be responsible for the technologies used by the student. If your computer, network, or Internet connection fails you are still responsible for meeting deadlines and requirements. I suggest you have a contingency plan in place for such occurrences. Know where there are cybercafés or libraries that you can access the Internet from. Talk to friends that may allow you to use their equipment if yours fails, etc.

Participation (Discussion Forums):

Participation in online discussions is required for every chapter reading and group case (described in following section). Participation scores will be based on the total quality and significance of inputs – not simply the number of posts. You do not need to participate in all threads of the discussion – participation scores are based on the aggregate participation in all threads of the entire topic (chapter or case) forum. Posts without meaningful content will not be counted (such as “I agree with the previous comment”). It is acceptable to interject these types of comments but please do realize they do not count toward participation scores. If you post anything substantive, you will receive a B- (82%) or better. Obviously to get in the A range requires a bit more (multiple substantive posts). As a guideline, if you post three or more high value posts for each discussion you should do well (A- or higher) per discussion depending on whether you ‘just meet’ the three substantive post requirement (A- level), or you meaningfully exceed it (A level), or you really set the bar and are one of the top substantive posters in the class (A+). Again, I remind you that even one post of some substance per discussion will earn you a B-. What you want to avoid at all costs is not participating in a discussion at all (0%)! Zeroes are grade killers – make sure to post something on each discussion! Note, keep track of, and manage course deadlines well to avoid accidently being shut out of a discussion.

Be courteous and respectful while presenting your ideas. Inappropriate posts will be deleted and will negatively impact your score. This does not mean you must always agree with others – as graduate students, I expect you can disagree and offer an alternative view in an appropriate manner.

Group Cases:

Groups of students will present cases by uploading a PowerPoint-based analysis of an assigned case to a discussion-thread. You will need to collaborate online via email and other means since members of your group may not be local. The analysis should pose pertinent and interesting questions to the class. Focus on questions that do not have a specific correct answer, such as those that different students will likely have different opinions on. Start with 4-5 broad questions and then interject follow-up questions to the forum.

Students other than those in the group will then participate in discussing these questions (see ‘Participation’ above). Read and/or watch case materials and look at the group’s presentation before participating. While this will still be done asynchronously (as there will not be an exact time for participation), there will be a ‘window’ of time for participation of 3-4 days. You do not have to participate each day of the window – your grade will be assigned based on the total quality of input regardless of the day(s) you participated. The discussion forums will open and close

automatically and will not be extended for any reason other than technology failure (e.g. Learn goes down for an extended period – this rarely happens). This is the only portion of the course that cannot be completed anytime the student wants to (before the due date at least). You need to be available to login and participate in these discussions during their time windows.

Guidelines for case presentations:

 Use PowerPoint. Upload the presentation to the assigned Learn discussion forum as an attachment to the initial post prior to the commencement of the discussion time window. Audio-augmentation is encouraged but not required.

 Search the web for updated information on the company and situation in question where applicable. Link to web resources where appropriate.

 Present case background and updated information.

 Do not simply present your answers to the questions; it is your job to lead a class discussion on these issues. Ask for input from the class and after discussion present your take on it in the forum.

 You will need to be engaged in the discussion during the window on a regular basis. It is your job to moderate and guide the discussion (redirect discussion, ask follow-up questions, etc.).

Grades for the presenting group will be group-based and will be based on the quality of all the elements above. Notify instructor immediately on any important group issues that you are unable to resolve yourself.

If you will be unavailable for any of the time windows below (see schedule) to be involved in leading the discussion let me know as soon as possible (provide the reason for unavailability and note you will still need to participate in another group’s case). I will try to assign you to other windows if possible. Otherwise groups will be randomly assigned.

Chapter Discussions and Quizzes:

Each chapter will have an associated discussion forum where students can post their questions and answer others’ questions. I will also post questions to elicit discussion. Discussion forums for chapters will close on the date the associated essay exam is due (see schedule).

Quizzes will be online and multiple choice (one per chapter). Since there is no way that I can ensure students are not accessing their texts during these quizzes I have designed this as open book. I am certain you understand that a multiple choice, open-book exam has little value if you can simply look up all the answers. Therefore, this necessitates implementing a time-limit for taking the quiz. The time-limit will be more than sufficient to answer each question from your own knowledge. I am sure most of you will have

sufficient time to look up a few answers but you will not be able to look up most or all of the answers during the quiz time. This means you should prepare for the quiz as if it were closed-book to maximize your score. The quizzes will use the ‘lockdown browser’ available on Learn to enhance security. You should not discuss question content with any other students (this would fall into the academic dishonesty section below). Also note that doing so may damage your own grade by making a grading curve less likely or at least higher. You must complete the quizzes for all related chapters before submitting your essay exam. You may complete the quizzes any time prior to the due date and prior to taking the associated essay exam.

Note for those opting for an electronic version of the book: The lockdown browser will not allow you to have your text open while taking a quiz (and they are open book). The work around is to use two computers – one for the quiz and one for the text. If you have only one computer available you are advised to not opt for the electronic version.

You must take the quiz for each chapter at least once. You may, if you choose, take the quiz a second time. If you do so, your grade on the quiz will be the average of your two scores.

Essay Examinations:

Multiple choice quizzes are a useful method to ensure that students are doing their readings and to make sure they have basic definitions and concepts down. However, they are not as useful for evaluating a deep understanding of the material. The depth of your understanding is partially measured by your participation in discussions as described above. The final measure in this category will be submission of two essay exams regularly dispersed through the term and associated with the material you should have covered prior to the essay’s due date. Some or all of the essays will be based on short cases. Essays will have a strict word count maximum (I do not want a ‘brain-dump’ – use your word processor to count words – I will) and will be evaluated on the quality and originality of your solution. Essays should be well written and deductions will be taken for grammar and spelling errors.

To maximize the quality of your essay I strongly suggest that you do not just sit down and start writing. Outline your ideas and points and make sure there is a logical flow to the conclusion. Prioritize items and determine how many words you can afford to discuss them. Do not summarize the case or question in your answer – I obviously have that. Then…start writing.

It is critical to recognize that these essay examinations are strictly individual efforts. The questions and cases will not be designed to illicit a single correct answer but to allow the student to demonstrate their

knowledge and analytical and problem solving skills. Therefore, answers are expected to vary widely and solutions that seem to follow the same logic will become suspect. Additionally, if you use any ideas from other sources, those sources must be cited (see plagiarism section below). Do not directly quote any works; you must put them into your own words. Further, ideas gleaned from other sources should not make up a large portion of your essay. Ideas from your textbook and other course sources do not need to be cited since it is understood that the majority of your ideas would arise from your exposure to these materials. It is not the book concepts themselves that you will be graded on (other than demonstrated knowledge of these concepts) but, rather, how you apply them to the problem at hand.

Note on grading essays: To maximize the flexibility of your time you may submit the exam anytime before the due date; however, I cannot grade them until after I receive all of the exams (this is to increase grading consistency). Please do not expect a grade to be determined until after the due date has passed.

Finally, I do not ‘pre-grade’ examinations. This means that you should not ask me to give feedback or evaluate what you have written prior to grading. This is usually in the form of “Is this what you are looking for?” or “Will this get a good grade?” type emails. This does not mean that you should not ask questions concerning course concepts if you have them.

Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is a serious academic offense that can cause harm to your grades including failing an assignment, exam, and/or a course. Repeated offenses may even result in expulsion. Changing the words or context of someone else’s work (published or unpublished) does not mean you do not have to cite the work!

This is a good source to review on paraphrasing that avoids plagiarizing: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml

The following information is a direct quote from:

Plagiarism FAQs (n.d.) Retrieved May 28, 2010, from <http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_plagiarism_faq.html>

If I change the words, do I still have to cite the source?

Changing only the words of an original source is NOT sufficient to prevent plagiarism. You must cite a source whenever you borrow ideas as well as words.

If I cite the source, can I still be accused of plagiarism?

You are allowed to borrow ideas or phrases from other sources provided you cite them properly and your usage is consistent with the guidelines set by fair use laws. As a rule, however, you should be careful about borrowing too

liberally -- if the case can be made that your work consists predominantly of someone else's words or ideas, you may still be susceptible to charges of plagiarism. Also, if you follow the words of a source too closely, and do not use quotation marks, it can be considered plagiarism even if you cite the source.

If I write something somebody else already wrote, but I didn't know they wrote it, is that still plagiarism?

While it is possible that you might write on the same topic as someone else, odds are that you will not have exactly the same ideas or express them in exactly the same way. It is highly unlikely that you would be accused of plagiarizing a source you have never read. Be careful, however, of "accidentally" plagiarizing from sources you have read and forgotten -- if your ideas turn out to have been influenced by a source that you read but failed to cite for any reason, you could be guilty of plagiarism.

Grading:

POINTS Quizzes 20% Chapter Discussion Participation 20% Case Discussion Participation 15% Group Case Presentation 15% Essay Examinations 30% Total 100%

Letter-grade determinations will be made on the following percentage basis (your score rounded to the nearest whole number): A >93; 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 F <60. A lower curve may be substituted at the discretion of the instructor. Grade curving is only done at the end of the term for final grades. Do not try to anticipate the curve - target the score that will get you the desired grade on the straight scale above. Students are welcome at any time to inquire into their current grade status.

Grading Miscellaneous:

No "extra credit" will be considered. I often am requested to provide extra credit work to students who are not satisfied with their current scores. Although I appreciate the willingness to do extra work, the concept of extra credit does not function in courses where a curve may be applied to the final grades. In this environment, students are effectively penalized if they do not do the extra credit work, which should not be the case.

"Incompletes" and "In Progress" grades will only be given in cases where unforeseeable and unavoidable circumstances have made it impossible to complete the work required for the course in time. Although I do understand that many of you work, have family obligations, and may be taking other courses, you are expected to adjust your course loads so you can allot sufficient time to the courses you are taking. If you choose to overload yourself, you will have to live with the consequences.

That said; please contact me with any problems you are having with the course. I may not be able to offer you extra credit or an incomplete but I will do anything in my power (that is ethical and upholds the academic integrity of myself and the University) to make this course a positive and successful learning experience for all students who are willing to put in the effort required.

SCHEDULE:

Topics discussed will mirror the required text:

Part One: Organizations, Management, and the Networked Enterprise Chapter 1: Information Systems in Global Business Today Chapter 2: Global E-Business and Collaboration Chapter 3: Information System, Organizations, and Strategy Chapter 4: Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems Part Two: Information Technology Infrastructure Chapter 5: IT Infrastructure and Emerging Technologies Chapter 6: Foundations of Business Intelligence: Databases and Information Management Chapter 7: Telecommunications, the Internet, and Wireless Technology Chapter 8: Securing Information Systems Part Three: Key System Applications for the Digital Age Chapter 9: Achieving Operational Excellence and Customer Intimacy: Enterprise Applications Chapter 10: E-Commerce: Digital Markets, Digital Goods Chapter 11: Managing Knowledge *Not Covered Chapter 12: Enhancing Decision Making Part Four: Building and Managing Systems Chapter 13: Building Information Systems*Not Covered Chapter 14: Managing Projects*Not Covered Chapter 15: Managing Global Systems

*Chapters 11, 13, and 14 are not covered due to practical limits to the amount of material that can be covered in 5 weeks. Certainly there is material here that any manager who has responsibility for making any technology decisions should be aware of. Reading through these three chapters is suggested but will not be addressed as part of the course.

Essay Exams - Due Dates:

NOTE: All chapter quizzes MUST be complete prior to submitting essay examination!

Due Date:

Chapter(s):

June 27th or any time before

1,2,3,4,5,6

July 11th or any time before

7,8,9,10,12,15

Group Cases – Date Windows for Participation:

Group:

Case:

Dates: All windows begin at 12:01 AM and end at 11:59 PM

1

TBA

June 13th-June 16th

2

TBA

June 18th-June 21st

3

TBA

June 23rd-June 26th

4

TBA

June 28th-July 1st

5

TBA

July 3rd-July 7th

6

TBA

July 8th-July 11th

The Following Policies Apply to All Students in this Course:

A. Students attending the course who do not have the proper prerequisites risk being deregistered from the class.

B. Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes. Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes. Should you find an error in your class schedule, you need to correct the error with your advising office no later than Tuesday, May 20, 2014 for Intersession 2014 – Thursday, June 12 for Summer I – Sunday, June 15 for Summer II - and Thursday, July 17 for Summer III. If registration errors are not corrected by these dates 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.

C. 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 another 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 may result in dismissal from the University.

D. Summer I 2014 course withdrawal deadline is Sunday, June 29, 2014.

E. 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 for more information on registration procedures).