Syllabus

GSB 622 Management Information Systems

Mondays and Wednesdays 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm

Blended course - some class sessions optional

Summer 2011 7/6-8/22/2011

 

Instructor:      James Miller

Email:             jmiller@dom.edu

Cell phone :    847-530-0550

Class Location : Crown Library 330

 

Texts (required):  

Laudon & Laudon, Management Information Systems:  Managing the Digital Firm.  12 ^th Ed.  Prentice Hall . ISBN 9780132142854

 

Our textbook Salesman, Ken Shipbaugh has sent me an email saying that you could save 50% by using the e-book version (See http://www.coursesmart.com).

 

We will also utilize Microsoft Office software, especially Excel, Project and Access.  This software is availabe in the Dominican Tech Center

 

Course Description: This course explores and assesses the current and future role of information technology in business, from both a management and a user perspective. Topics include: the strategic role of IT, distributed computing, hardware and operating systems, software development tools and processes, relational databases, security concerns, ethical issues, privacy issues, enterprise applications, intelligent systems, role and influence of IT on business processes, and the influence of web technologies on e-business and m-business. Hands-on experiences include web, database, spreadsheet, graphical user interface (GUI) tools, and computer security techniques.  Case studies are also used to facilitate discussions focused on the course topics.  

 

Prerequisites:  GSB 611, 612, 613. 

 

Grading: (see also grading details at the end of this syllabus)

Homework	24%
Midterm and Final Exams	21%
Online Discussions	20%
Online Quizzes	30%
Short Paper	5%

 

At the end of the course the final  letter grade will be computed as follows:
Letter Grade		Corresponding Percentage
A:		93-100%
A-:		90-92.9%
B+:		88-89.9%
B:		80-87.9%
C+:		78-79.9%
C:		70-77.9%
C-:		68-69.9%
F:		0-67.9%

 

 

 

Logistics:

You will need a Dominican email address. Please see the Computer Lab aides if you do not already have the required accounts. Use of Blackboard is required. You can enroll yourself in GSB 622 without a special password once you have a Dominican email address.

 

All assignments are due at the beginning of the class. A late penalty of 25% per class generally applies. If you have a good reason why your assignment will be late, contact me before the due date. There is a 100% late penalty for missing deadlines for Online Discussions. The class does not benefit from late discussion postings.

 

Midterm/Final Exam:  Each exam portion will cover all materials presented in class up to the exam date.  An emphasis will be placed on the class lectures, notes, handouts and the required reading.  If you must miss an exam, you must obtain approval before the exam date. The exam may be made up on a mutually agreeable schedule but make up dates generally are before the scheduled exam date.

 

Online work (Blackboard): Some class sessions will be "located" online instead of at Dominican. Quizzes, homework, and the short paper will be submitted via Blackboard.

 

Schedule details: The schedule is subject to change. A detailed schedule by class date can be found here

 

 

Objectives: 

• Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

  • Describe the evolution, current state, and trends in information technology as well as their
    business implications.
  • Explain how information systems can be used for strategic competitive advantage.
  • Identify opportunities that exist for information technology applications in a particular business environment
  • Explain the issues involved in the effective management of information system resources, processes and systems.
  • Analyze and explain the applicability of various network alternatives within a particular business environment, and explain the requirements and challenges associated with the management of same
  • Analyze and explain the applicability of various software applications within a particular business environment, including decision support systems, intelligent systems, and executive information systems.
  • Analyze and explain the applicability of database systems and data mining within a particular business environment, and explain the requirements and challenges associated with the management of same
  • Assess computer security concerns and vulnerabilities associated with information technology and systems within an organization
  • Develop a plan to support business process reengineering using an information systems planning approach
  • Explain the relevance and evaluate the potential of e-commerce, e-business, and m-business with respect to a particular business environment
  • Assess the ethical, legal, and privacy issues associated with information technology and information systems
  • Demonstrate an effective use and an understanding of the applicability of spreadsheet software (such as Excel) and data management software (such as Access).

Grading Details:

Disucssions: Online discussion participation In the Online Discussion area of the course, students are required to interact with classmates to explore questions and comments related to the content of this course. Discussions will always open on Monday or Wednesday immediately after class at 9:30 pm (CST) and close at 6:30 pm, (CST) 7 days later.. A successful student is one who takes an active role in the learning process. You are therefore required to participate in the discussion areas to enhance your learning experience throughout each Unit. Online discussions are graded at the end of each Unit based on:
1. Frequency—Number and regularity of your discussion comments, and
2. Content —Content of your contributions.

Students are expected to log into the course Blackboard web site and post (respond) in each of the unit’s threaded discussion topics on a minimum of two separate days per unit. Note that there may be two or three discussion topics in a particular Unit. You are required to post at least two times in EACH threaded topic (so if there are two discussion topics, that would total to a minimum of four posts for the unit).

Content— points awarded to the content of your contributions. Points are awarded based on strong evidence of reading, reflection, and careful composition. Maximum points are only awarded to posts which elaborate on previous comments with additional information contribution, or posts which present explanations of concepts or which provide clarifying examples, or posts which provide a URL and an explanation in your own words for a relevant area researched on the Internet. Note: It is impossible to make up discussion points once the week ends.  Each discussion is worth a maximum of eight (9) points. Again, students are required to participate in the online discussions on at least two different days during the Unit in each of the graded threads identified for the Unit. Note that just meeting the minimum requirements will not get you a 100% discussion grade.