MIS 44045 Fall 2009 Bakes

M&IS 44045-001

INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

FALL 2009

TR 3:45-5:00 PM

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 enterprises, 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.

Other topics to be addressed in the course include: 

·         Data and document management

·         Telecommunications and networking

·         IT security

·         Electronic commerce and mobile commerce

·         Customer relationship management

·         Social networks

·         Enterprise and global systems

·         Business intelligence and decision support systems

·         IT strategy and planning

·         Legal and ethical issues surrounding the use of information systems

·         Software and hardware acquisition strategies

·         IT economics

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 improved their analytical and problem solving skills

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

·         Have improved their communication skills, including the ability to write clearly and give effective presentations

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

·         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 completed before midnight. No assignment will be accepted for credit after its deadline.

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 in class. Grades will not be discussed after that time.

After rounding your numeric score to the nearest integer, your course letter grade will be assigned according to the scale:  A = 90-105; B = 80‑89; C = 70‑79; D = 60‑69; and F = 0‑59. 

ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES

*NB:  On Dec 18, we are scheduled to meet at 7:45-10:00 am

GUEST LECTURE ATTENDANCE

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. Therefore you are required to attend every class meeting. Failure to do so would be highly embarrassing to me, yourself, the College, and the University.

To do well in the course you should pay close attention to the speakers, take good notes, and avail of opportunities to ask questions. For each guest lecture that you miss, 5 points will be deducted from the guest lecture 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 assignment by its due date. At my discretion, it is likely to take the form of a 2 page paper on the topic covered on the day you missed, or a related topic.

GUEST LECTURE FORMS

In addition to attending all the guest lectures, you are to select any 20 and, for each one, complete a guest lecture form. Download the form from Vista, carefully follow all the instructions, and submit a hard copy at the beginning of class on its due date.  

GUEST LECTURE PARTICIPATION

You are strongly advised to participate in class by asking questions (during class or afterwards) about the content of that day’s presentation, your paper, or any other appropriate topic. To encourage you to do so, you will earn 1 point towards the guest lecture participation component of your course grade (up to a maximum of 2 points per guest lecture and 10 points for the course) for each question you ask a guest speaker during class time.

When asking a question during class, clearly state your name and, unless instructed otherwise, address the guest speaker formally by his/her title and last name.  When asking a question after class, you may also wish to shake hands with the speaker and offer him/her your business card.

QUIZZES

To supplement material covered in the guest lectures and provide a supporting theoretical framework, you are expected to read the course text. Your understanding of the concepts presented in the text will be tested through quizzes posted on Vista and graded online.

All quizzes will be open book and open notes. Each will deal with material from 3 or 4 chapters in the text (see the following table) and consist of objective questions. The quiz will be available on Vista for at least 5 days, you will be allowed an unlimited number of attempts until the deadline to complete it, and your final attempt will count towards your course grade.

PAPER

Each student is to write a paper (and present it in class) that examines the ways in which information technologies have impacted a particular business or other type of organization and compares that organization with at least one other (e.g., a competitor) from the same business sector, industry, or service area.

Begin your paper by providing a brief history of the selected organization and then discuss its current use of IT. Describe ways that IT is being leveraged in support of the organization’s mission and to drive competitive advantage, and outline areas where IT is being applied successfully as well as where it might be failing to achieve its objectives.

Then select at least one other organization in the same sector (e.g., compare Amazon and Borders, or LL Bean and Chadwick’s, etc.) and compare its performance to that of the one you selected originally. Identify areas where each organization performs better than the other and provide at least 3 lessons that they could teach (or learn from) one another. Also provide some future recommendations.

You are to select an organization and obtain my approval by September 24. You may do this in person during my office hours or by e-mail.  For ideas on types of organizations you might wish to study, I suggest that you browse through the text, explore the Internet, and/or consult the following list:

·         Bank

·         E-Commerce site  

·         Educational institution

·         Entertainment (e.g., theater, sports, radio or TV station)

·         Government (e.g., local, state, or federal, or police or fire dept)

·         Healthcare (e.g., hospital, medical or dental practice, nursing home)

·         Hospitality (e.g., hotel, restaurant)

·         Insurance company

·         Library

·         Manufacturing company

·         Military service (e.g., army, air force, coast guard, national reserve)

·         Non-profit organization

·         Retail (e.g., chain of department or grocery stores)

·         Transportation (e.g., trucking or bus company)

·         Travel (e.g., airline, airport, car rental)

·         Utility company (e.g., communications, gas, or electric company)

The paper should be as complete, concise, and insightful as possible. It should have a (1) cover page, (2) body with at least 3 numbered pages of text, (3) bibliography, and (4) appendix with illustrative figures and/or tables. At a minimum, the cover page should have the title of the paper, your name, and the date.  The body of the paper should address the issues outlined in the above paragraphs. The bibliography should include a list of all your references, and each reference should be cited wherever appropriate in your paper. The figures and tables should be numbered systematically and consistently, have captions, and be discussed and referenced at appropriate locations in the paper. Use size 12 Times New Roman font, 1.25 inch margins (for all 4 margins), double spacing, and left justification (only).

The paper will be graded according to how well you satisfy the above requirements as well as the following criteria: professionalism; clarity; organization; and effort.

Note that you will have the option of partnering with another student and using the November 24 class time to meet at a location of your choice and provide each other with feedback and suggestions.

PRESENTATION

Each student is to present their paper in class at the end of the semester. You are strongly encouraged to (1) use PowerPoint, (2) not read the information you present, (3) begin the presentation by introducing yourself, naming the organization you chose to study, and providing an outline of the topics to be discussed, (4) conclude the presentation with a summary of the key findings, 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 computer projector will be provided, although I strongly recommend that you have a backup plan in case of equipment failures.

The presentation will be graded according to the following criteria: breadth; depth; professionalism; pace/diction; eye contact; visual aids, effort; time management; enthusiasm; and clarity/organization.

EXTRA CREDIT PRESENTATION FORMS

You are required to attend all the student presentations at the end of the semester, and you have the option of submitting up to 5 presentation forms (available on Vista) for presentations other than your own! On each form enter your name, the date, and the presenter’s name. Then complete the form during class making sure that you write legibly and carefully follow all the instructions provided.

COURSE WEB SITE

Access to the course website is through Vista, the University’s course management system. You can log on to Vista by going to http://vista8.kent.edu and entering your username and password.

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://#..

CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR

You are expected to be respectful of our guest speakers, other students, and the instructor at all times during the semester. Come to class on time and stay until the class has ended. Unless you have a legitimate reason for doing so, do not come to class late or leave early. It is not fair to cause a disruption by the noise and disturbance of a late arrival or early departure. Any time you have questions ask them, in class (raise your hand and, if someone else is speaking, wait until they have finished), during office hours, or via e-mail. This is likely to benefit you as well as other students. Similarly, any time you have comments, please don’t hesitate to share them. Use of cell phones or pagers is not permitted during class. They must be turned off before class begins and not turned back on until after class ends. Improper classroom behavior will not be tolerated and is grounds for dismissal from the course, resulting in a grade of F.

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 2009, the course withdrawal deadline is Sunday, November 8.

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 through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit http://www.registrars.kent.edu/disability/ 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 6, 2009 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.

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.