(Tentative Class Schedule)

INFORMATION SYSTEMS & Technology, Summer,  May 10-July 5, 2005

CIS 601.601- {6:00-8:45} T,TH OC2025
Dr. Abbas Foroughi - Office: OC3018 Office Phone: 465-1667
Office Hours: T,TH  (4:20 - 6:00 pm) or by appointment
E-MAIL: aforough@usi.edu,  Homepage: http://business.usi.edu/aforough
 Go to Class Schedule

(Note: When you send me an email message, please always begin the “Subject” of your message with “CIS601”)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed to prepare the MBA student to be an effective exploiter of computer/communications technology, where information technology is viewed in very broad terms—not only traditional data processing and management information systems, but also office automation, telecommunications, engineering, and scientific computing, factory automation, decision support systems, executive information systems, video, artificial intelligence, e-business, and the World Wide Web. The course focuses on the opportunities and pitfalls provided by these technologies, the resources (computers and microelectronics, networks, software, data, and people) that are necessary, alternative approaches to managing them, and what the user-manager needs to know to make effective use of these technologies. The course prepares the individual manager to exploit these technologies in his career and to manage and exploit information technology for strategic benefit.

Required Text:

O’Brien, James. A .and George M. Marakas.  Management Information Systems, 7th edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2006. ISBN: 0-07-293588-X

URL: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/007293588x/information_center_view0/

Optional Text: Applegate, Linda M.; Austin, Robert D.; and McFarlan, F. Warren. Corporate Information Strategy and Management: Text and Cases, 6^th edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2003.

URL:  http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072456728/#

Suggested Supplemental Readings:

 Rappa, Michael.  Managing the Digital  Enterprise. URL:  http://digitalenterprise.org/

Turban, Efraim; King, David; Lee, Jae; and Viehland, Dennis. Electronic Commerce 2004: A Managerial Perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: 2004.

The Companion Website for the text is accessible at:

http://myphlip.pearsoncmg.com/cw/mpbookhome.cfm?vbookid=593

You will be asked to read, summarize, and discuss various academic articles as a supplement to the text. The instructor will provide more detailed instructions in this area as needed.

 Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism, cheating, etc., WILL NOT be tolerated.  Any student found violating this rule of honesty risks a grade of “0” for the assignment/test (at the very least) and possible expulsion from the class and/or program. Please consult student handbook for specific information in this area. All work submitted for this class should be developed solely for this class as a part of a particular assignment.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is required and expected at all class meetings. Attendance will be noted by the instructor. Poor attendance will result in a lowering of student’s final grade. We will have case discussions each time we meet, and all students are expected to participate in these discussions; absence prevents this participation. Case specific questions will likely be on the exam.

Make Up Exams

Make up exams will be given to students receiving PRIOR permission to be absent during the regular exam period. Such permission will be granted only if student demonstrates a strong need. Make up exams will likely be different (both in form and content) from the regular exam. Students will not be allowed to use regular class time for make up exams.

Incomplete Grades

Students will be given a grade of “I” (incomplete) at the end of the semester only in the event of extreme hardship. A grade of “I” is not to be used to offset poor time management skills that result in unfinished/unacceptable work.

Disability Support

Students with disabilities can receive assistance through the University Counseling Center. More information is available from the Counseling Center in OC 1022, (812)464-1867 or TDD (812)465-7072. Students are encouraged to discuss any special needs with instructor at the beginning of the semester.

LEARNING APPROACH

I.   LECTURES (including guest speakers) and ASSIGNMENTS

Professor will act as facilitator to lecture on the major points in each chapter and will coordinate class discussions, case presentations, and direct students to appropriate resources.

 
II.   INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS:

A.     READING ASSIGNMENTS/CLASS DISCUSSIONS (30 points)

The course schedule indicates the daily topics and readings. You are expected to have read all readings before the class for which they are assigned. The reading assignments will be either in the text or will be distributed in class. The syllabus also lists five cases that are included in the Appendix at the end of the text.

Your class discussion grade will be based on the amount and quality of your class participation, as determined by your instructor. Attendance is mandatory, and (as discussed above) class participation does count in the grading of the course. Class participation includes questions you ask or points you raise during lectures or as part of case presentations, personal experiences and original ideas you share in class, and teaching resources you share with the instructor or in class.

B.       SHORT CASE ASSIGNMENTS (10, each worth 10 points = 100 points)                                                       

The syllabus lists 5 cases found in the textbook Appendix, and 5 cases  in PDF files . In preparation for class, students should read the assigned case, prepare written answers to the questions that follow the case, and be ready to participate in discussion of the case assigned. Written case assignments must be handed in during class on the day on which the case is assigned.

C.    ARTICLE PRESENTATION (30 points)

Students will locate and present one current article which describes practical applications of the topics discussed in the text, for presentation to the class. Articles should pertain to the material in the chapter being studied at the time. The professor will assign dates for each student's presentation, so that students will be able to plan ahead to find appropriate articles. Students should hand in a photocopy of the article and a short outline of the important points brought out in the article. In preparing presentations, students should try to go beyond merely summarizing the main points, concentrating on what makes this article relevant to the topic we are studying and the issues or problems it raises. Article presentation grades will be determined using the following standards:

C - Student read the article and presented it.

B - Good choice of article, but comments are primarily of a summary nature

A  - Good choice of article, good thought-provoking, critical analysis

Note: While content will be a major consideration for grading the presentation, grammar and organization of thoughts will also be taken into consideration.

D.            PERSONAL WEB PAGE: (30 points)

Electronic communication will be used as part of the class.  World-Wide Web, online databases, and other electronic resources will be explored and used by the class. Students will have Internet assignments/projects, which will be explained in detail at a later date. These assignments will include:

1)       Creating your own Web Page

2)       Publishing your own Web Page

Note: Information about creating and publishing web pages is available at the following URL:

http://business.usi.edu/aforough/abbsyll.htm

Personal web pages should include at minimum a background, hypertext, links, various fonts and colors, images, and interactive e-mail.

E.    TERM PAPER OR EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW PROJECT (each due at the end of the semester)  (100 points)

1) For the term paper option, students will choose a topic to research which relates to the management of information systems. The term paper must include a list of sources used and citations of the sources (books, journals, manuals, web sites, or others) in the body of the paper. The paper should be approximately 10 pages, double- spaced, in length.

The term paper grade will be determined in the following manner: while content will be a major consideration for the grading of the paper, students should realize that grammar, spelling, organization, and neatness -professionalism - will have a large impact on the grade. As you write, please remember that quality, not quantity, is the goal here. Students should submit a topic proposal for the term paper on the date indicated in the class schedule. Due dates for the Term Paper are listed in the class schedule. Students are expected to present their paper to the class during the last week of class.

2) The second option is an interview with one or more eBusiness or IT executives. Students may choose from among the following interview topics: IS planning, IT/eBusiness Strategy, Global IT, Relationship of IT and organizational structure, and Outsourcing. Students may choose format for writing the interview results/presenting the material, but the questions must be included in the final report. The quality of the questions will impact on the grade. The written product should include: the interview questions, the answers to the interview questions, and student’s reaction to, and analysis of, these answers. Analysis and reaction will impact on the student’s grade for this project.

F.        IN-CLASS WRITTEN EXAMS (250 points)

There will be two in-class exams, including the final exam. All exams will be closed-book. The midterm exam will be worth 100 points, and the final exam, 150. Questions will be taken from the text, class discussions, case analyses, and assigned readings.

III.  GROUP  PROJECTS:

Teams will be formed early in the course based upon student preferences for the case they wish to present. These teams will work together on a case analysis and critique, as well as on a group web page. Please read the following case analysis and group web page descriptions.

 
A.   CASE ANALYSIS (70 points)

We will conduct numerous in-depth case analyses. Each group will be given a case assignment for which they will be responsible for writing and presenting to the rest of the class their analysis of the case. For each presentation, another group will be given the assignment of critiquing the case presentation.

A problem-solving approach to case analysis will be introduced in class. For this approach, the team should take a consultant role, and assume that it was hired by the organization to: 1) make use of your knowledge of IS

 management; 2) provide an objective opinion on one or more problems; and 3) provide realistic options for action for this organization.

For other cases, a problem-solving approach may not be relevant, and the team should take an educator role. The case may be viewed as a "textbook example" to be critiqued in relation to other class readings and/or experience.

Note: These cases are not followed by discussion questions. If your group needs some direction in analyzing the case, please email Professor Foroughi for assistance.

1. Written Presentation

The text should be a maximum of 6 double-spaced pages. You should include copies of all tables, diagrams, etc. used in your presentation. The cover sheet should include team member names. Provide one copy of the entire text to the critiquing team and one copy to the instructor. Also, please make a brief summary of your analysis and recommendations and provide enough copies for the entire class.

2. Oral Presentation

The presentation should be your professional best, last no more than 45 minutes, and each team member should have a part. An overhead projector is always available, and other audiovisual equipment can be provided upon request.

 
B.    TEAM CRITIQUE OF CASE PRESENTATION (30 points)

The critiquing team should read the case assigned to them very carefully and be prepared to analyze the case presentation given in class. They should not prepare a write-up of the case prior to class, since the focus is on analyzing the presentation given by the other group. There will be a 10-minute break after the oral presentation while the critiquing team prepares. During this time the other class members will complete a presentation evaluation form for each presenter.

The critiquing team should point out the positive aspects of the case presentation as well as those areas where there may be room for improvement or alternative conclusions. If a problem-solving approach was appropriate for this case, the critiquing team should evaluate the case presentation for the following:

1)        Accurate assessment of the current situation.

2)        Complete formulation of issues or problems.

3)        Technologically and organizationally sound recommendations for action.

If a problem solving approach was not appropriate, the critiquing team should evaluate the case presentation for:

1)        Accurate presentation of the situation.

2)        Relevant application of class readings and experiences.

In either situation, if you have little to criticize you should be prepared to briefly discuss what implications you think the case has for user managers. The critiquing team should prepare a one-page summary of their recommendations and make enough copies for distribution to the class at the next class session.

 
C.   GROUP WEB PAGE (30 points)

As a group, students will create a fictitious company and a homepage to display what the company is all about and also create the appropriate links to other related homepages. Students will present the homepage to the other students in the class, discussing the target audience and the rationale/reasoning (marketing, financial, managerial, communications, legal, etc.) for representing the company the way they did on the www. Groups should use graphics and multimedia as appropriate.

Group web pages should include at minimum a background, hypertext, hyperlinks, hyperlinks to the web pages of each of the group members, various fonts and colors, images, and interactive e-mail.

In short:

(Tentative Class Schedule)

INFORMATION SYSTEMS & Technology, Summer,  May 10-July 5, 2005

CIS 601.601- {6:00-8:45} T,TH OC2025
Dr. Abbas Foroughi - Office: OC3018 Office Phone: 465-1667
Office Hours: T,TH  (4:20 - 6:00 pm) or by appointment
E-MAIL: aforough@usi.edu,  Homepage: http://business.usi.edu/aforough

(Note: When you send me an email message, please always begin the “Subject” of your message with “CIS601”)