Faculty Contact Information:
Mr. Ken Mindel
Home (DSN)676-5871
e-mail kmindel@faculty.ed.umuc.edu
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Consultation:
Class meetings: 0900-1600
29/30 Oct; 5/6 & 19/20 Nov; 3/4 Dec
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Required Texts and Readings:
Bruner, R., Eaker, M., Freeman, R., Spekman, R., Teisberg, E., and
Venkataraman, S. (2003). The Portable MBA (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
O'Brien, James A. and Marakas, George M. (2006). Management Information
Systems (7th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
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Supplementary Readings:
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The standard for papers in the graduate program is the APA style. All participants in this course and all graduate INSS, MGMT, PUAD, and ECON courses should have a copy of the style guide:
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition. Washington DC: Author. All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at http://www.umuc.edu/library/. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students' research and writing skills.
Throughout the course, the instructor may assign specific articles that students are expected to read and discuss as part of the “Participation” component of the course grade.
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Recommended Journals:
A variety of full-text, online, free-of-charge, and pay-per-view academic journals are available through the MIS Webboard at http://webboard.ed.umuc.edu/~mis.
Also, there are the publications of the various professional societies (such as ACM -- the Association for Computing Machinery, the IEEE Computing Society, and the various management professional societies). In addition, there are many trade journals (such as eWEEK) that MIS professionals should become familiar with, many of these being published both weekly and on-line.
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Course Description:
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3 semester hours credit. Prerequisites: Undergraduate principles of management and economics, or permission of the Program Director. Introduces basic management information systems concepts and examines the fundamental types of information systems. Personal, work group, and enterprise information systems are discussed. The challenge and use of information to gain competitive advantage are also examined. Other topics to be discussed include: the economics of information, use of value added concepts to evaluate information system effectiveness, and the application of system theory to information system architecture.
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Course Goals:
As a required course in both the M.S. in Management Information Systems and the M.P.A., as well as the Information Systems Analyst Certificate, the Certificate in E-Government and the Certificate in Public Management, this course seeks primarily to:
1. improve the professional skills of the participants,
2. provide students with a foundational knowledge of the various
roles of information systems in organizations, and
3. assist degree-seeking students in preparing for the comprehensive
exam, and
4. improve the students' comprehension of the link between information
management and public administration.
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Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:
1. Compare and contrast the various roles information systems play
in organizations and discuss how these roles are reflected in the
organization's structure,
2. Analyze different organizational situations involving the use of
information systems and/or the application of information
technology and make recommendations for improvement,
3. Analyze and demonstrate the impact of advancements of information
technology on organizational variables (such as: communications,
work groups, management decisionmaking, and security),
4. Demonstrate knowledge of basic techniques and elementary skills in
in using application software (such as: databases and spreadsheets),
5. Demonstrate familiarity with the literature in information systems
or a field of their own interest (e.g., medicine or welfare) with
a focus on the use of information technology in that field,
6. Demonstrate knowledge of the other functional areas of an
organization (such as: finance, marketing or public relations,
operations, human resources, and research and development) so that
information systems analysis of any organization can be performed
in a more comprehensive fashion,
7. Analyze ethical issues surrounding the use of information technology
in organizations,
8. Discuss the importance of networkds to organizations, including
issues of security and privacy,
9. Analyze the extent to which an organization's use of information
technology contributes to its competitive advantage, and
10. Apply value added concepts in the evaluation of information system
effectiveness.
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Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A 92%+ B 80 – 91% C 70-79%
F Below 70% or for regular non-attendance F(n)
Please note that the Bowie State grading system does not include the grade of D.
Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC – Europe policies. Please refer to the UMUC – Europe Graduate Catalog available at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/general_info/publications/catalogs/index.html or your local Education Center.
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Course Requirements:
Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society.
Grades in this class will be based on:
15% Midterm Examination
20% Final Examination
15% Organization Analysis Paper and Presentation
15% Comps-question Paper and Presentation
10% Portable MBA Paper and Presentation
15% Applications Exercises, Discussion Questions
10% Participation
Class Policies:
* Every class meeting is important. Attendance in clas is mandatory. Emergencies, illnesses, and duty assignments constitute excused absences. The student is responsible for material covered and assignments missed during an absence. It is the student's responsibility to coordinate make up work.
* The student is expected to participate regularly in discussions and complete homework and class assignments on time.
* No penalty will be assessed for assignments submitted late due to TDY or a bona fide family emergency. Grades for other late submissions will be penalized for lack of timeliness.
* A participation score will be assessed based on a student's active discussion, positive attitude for learning, and communicative, cooperative attitude.
* A student must be prepared to discuss and work with readings during the session for which they are assigned; you must read ahead to be prepared for class.
* The instructor reserves the right to modify the class schedule based on needs of the students and class progress and with regards to the course objectives.
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Description of Course Requirements:
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Midterm and Final Examinations will be in-class.
Portable MBA Paper and Presentation – Session 5:
Each student will make a 10-minute presentation on a chapter from the book The Portable MBA. The instructor will assign the chapters. There may be more than one student assigned to the same chapter, depending on class size. Visual aids and inclusion of additional information from sources beyond the textbooks are highly encouraged. These chapters will be covered on the exams. Minimum requirements for the chapter review are:
1. Chapter review must include a summary and at least five (5) major points, and must compare and contrast the ways in which the chapter topics apply in the business world and in public administration.
2. Summary and discussion of major points are to be written up and posted to the Webboard no later than 24 hours prior to the presentation. The other students are encouraged to read this before the in-class presentation, and come prepared for discussion.
Comps-question Paper and Presentation – Session 11:
Prior to the end of Session 6, each student will be assigned a comps-type question. The student is to research the question, using several sources in addition to the textbooks, write a 4-7 page paper answering the question, and prepare a PowerPoint presentation of the answer to the class in Sessions 11 and 12. More than one student may be assigned the same question, but the work is to be done independently.
Organization Analysis Paper and Presentation – Session 14:
Each student will select an organization or company, and investigate how it manages its information system(s), and the ability of the(se) information system(s) to support the needs of the company or organization in the future. Since there are three weeks between the first and second weekends of class in this term, we will use e-mail for your topic proposals and instructor feedback.
1. No later than Session 4, you must submit a one-page proposal (Microsoft Word or Notepad document) identifying the organization or company (and the industry in which it operates), a description of why you have chosen this company or organization, and the sources you expect to use for your research (you may add sources as your work progresses). You will receive feedback from the instructor on within two days regarding the suitability, scope, etc. of your proposal.
2. Once approved, perform an analysis of the company or organization. This should consist of an in-depth study that provides a brief overview of the company or organization, discussing the appropriateness of their current systems, and assessing the future potential of these systems to support growth, reduce costs, maintain competitive advantages, and otherwise support the future needs of the organization. The results of the analysis should be presented as if it were by a consultant hired to recommend an improved system to the board of directors, which outlines a go-forward systems approach for the next decade and beyond. Include financial (cost to implement) and Return on Investment (ROI) data.
3. Documentation should consist of an 8-10 page paper, double-spaced, with standard margins and type font/pitch.
The final version of your paper will be due, again via email and as a Word or pdf document, no later than half a week before Session 14. You are encouraged to submit a rough draft for feedback no later than two weeks prior to that time.
4. You will give a Powerpoint presentation on your findings during Session 14, possibly extended to Session 15 depending on the number of presentations. If you cannot be present that day, contact the instructor to arrange an alternate time for your presentation.
All papers must conform to the APA style.
Applications Exercises, Discussion Questions:
Exercises and questions from the O’Brien text (and other sources) will be assigned throughout the course. Some of these will be done in-class, others will be assigned as homework exercises. Details of these assignments might be posted to Webtycho or the Webboard.
Participation:
Every member of the class will be provided with access to either Webtycho or the Webboard for this class (http://webboard.ed.umuc.edu/~mis/) and will be expected to check there frequently.
From time-to-time, questions will be asked in class (by the instructor and/or by students) for which you will be told to search out an answer (using the web, library, or other sources) and share the information found with the rest of the class via Webtycho or the Webboard. This is part of “Participation,” as the Webboard is our mechanism for communication during the weeks between class meetings.
The remainder of the “Participation” component of the grade comes from traditional in-class discussions.
Absences:
If you must miss class, you are responsible for obtaining the information from fellow students regarding what you missed. Assume that there will be discussion and/or lecture information that is not in the textbook. Realize also that the Course Schedule shown below is subject to change by the instructor as needed. The instructor is willing to help you regarding what you missed, but will not have notes regarding the discussions that take place in the classroom, nor on the presentations, and cannot repeat the class. Your “Participation” for the missed class should come in the form of postings to Webtycho or the Webboard.
If you must miss an exam, you are responsible for making arrangements with the instructor, in advance if possible.
You are required to conduct professional-level research, including appropriately citing works of others and avoiding plagiarism. Resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC, UMUC-Europe or BSU), partially or in its entirety, is not acceptable in this course and will result in an automatic failure on the assignment.
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Course Schedule:
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Projected Course Schedule:
Students are expected to have read the chapter(s) and other assigned readings BEFORE the class period in which they are to be covered.
This schedule is subject to change.
Session 1 (29 October 2005): Class Introduction; Discussion of the roles of information systems in organizations.
Foundations of Information Systems in Business (O'Brien Ch. 1)
Session 1 (29/30 October 2005): Basics – Computer Hardware, Networks
Computer Hardware (O'Brien Ch. 3)
Telecommunications and Networks(O'Brien Ch. 6)
Session 2 (30 October 2005): Basics – Computer Software, Application Software
Computer Software (O'Brien Ch. 4)
Session 2 (30 October 2004): Basics – Data Management
Data Resource Management (O'Brien Ch. 5)
Session 3 (05 November 2005): Telecommunications and Business
Telecommunications and Networks (O'Brien Ch. 6)
Electronic Business Systems (O'Brien Ch. 7)
Session 3 (05 November 2005): Fundamentals of e-Commerce
Electronic Commerce Systems (O'Brien Ch. 9)
Session 4 (06 November 2005) : Question time; Midterm Exam (comprehensive)
Session 4 (06 November 2005): Information Systems in Support of Functional Areas
Decision Support Systems (O'Brien Ch. 10)
Developing Business/IT Solutions (O'Brien Ch. 12)
Enterprise and Global Management of IT (O'Brien Ch. 14)
Session 5 (19 November 2005): Use of IT to gain Competitive Advantage
Competing with IT (O'Brien Ch. 2)
Strategy: Defining and Developing Competitive Advantage (MBA Ch. 11)
Session 5 (19 November 2005): Value Added Concept in Evaluation of Information Systems
Comps question presentations
Enterprise Business Systems (O'Brien Ch. 8)
Session 6 (20 November 2005): Networks and Issues of Privacy and Security
Security and Ethical Challenges (O'Brien Ch. 13)
Session 6 (20 November 2005): Ethical Issues
Security and Ethical Challenges (O'Brien Ch. 13)
Session 7 (03 December 2005): Student presentations of final papers.
Discussions of Case Studies – Bringing it All Together,
Review, and Course Wrap-up.
Session 8 (04 December 2005): Final Exam
(Comprehensive - with a heavier emphasis on material since the Mid-term)
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Academic Policies:
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The University has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps prevent plagiarism from internet resources. I may be using this service in this class by either requiring students to submit their papers electronically to Turnitin.com or by submitting questionable text on behalf of a student. If you or I submit part or all of your paper, it will be stored by Turnitin.com in their database throughout the term of the University's contract with Turnitin.com. If you object to this temporary storage of your paper, you must let me know no later than two weeks after the start of this class. Please Note: If you object to the storage of your paper on Turnitin.com, I may utilize other services to check your work for plagiarism The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: "Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi."
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Code of Civility
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center.
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Faculty Bio:
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Mr. Mindel graduated from the University of Lowell (now part of the University of Massachusetts system) with a Bachelors Degree in Management Information Systems in 1990. After joining the Air Force in 1992, he went back to school in 1999 and graduated from Bowie State University with a Masters Degree in Management Information Systems.
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