Faculty Contact Information:
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E-mail: aharris@faculty.ed.umuc.edu
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Consultation:
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On line as needed. E-mail: aharris@faculty.ed.umuc.edu
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Required Texts and Readings:
Wheelen, T. and Hunger, J. (2004). Strategic Management and Business Policy (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
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Supplementary Readings:
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 edi.). Washington DC: Author.
Cases: There are two cases for which you will be responsible. These cases will be in either of the two primary texts.
Handouts and Other Readings: Other readings may be assigned from time-to-time. You will be responsible for any reading assignments made.
All graduate students should be prepared to utilize theUMUC online 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.
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Recommended Journals:
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Publications of the various professional societies (such as ACM -- the Association for Computing Machinery, the IEEE Computing Society, and the various management professional societies) are strongly recommended. 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: All undergraduate prerequisites and INSS 540, or permission of the Program Director. Examines the issue of linking business performance with information systems technology. Alternative structures for matching the information system organization with the overall organization are discussed and evaluated. Planning mechanisms and strategies are examined. Behavior and legal issues that relate to information systems management are addressed. Case studies are used to expose students to information systems policy issues. Students in the public administration program are not eligible for INSS 620.
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Course Goals:
As a required, advanced, course in the Master of Science in MIS, this course builds on previous coursework and professional experience to focus on high level strategic and policy decisions. Upon completion of the course, participants should have an understanding of:
- Principles of strategic management,
- Strategy formulation and environmental scanning, and
- The process of policy evaluation.
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Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:
- Develop an understanding of concepts, research, and theories concerning strategic management.
- Develop and apply a framework of analysis for practical problem solving.
- Develop conceptual skills integrating management issues in public and commercial organizations.
- Develop an appreciation for problems associated with globalization of the economy.
- Develop abilities to analyze, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the performance of people responsible for strategic decisions.
- Improve research capabilities and critical thinking required for strategic policy formulation and evaluation.
- Recognize and apply appropriate ethical standards as part of the strategic management process.
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Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
- A 90% or higher
- B 80 – 89%
- C 70 – 79%
- F Below 70%
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade F is used to designate academic failure. F(n) is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog, available online at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/general_info/publications/catalogs/ or in 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. The grading for this class is as follows:
Group Project-Strategic Analysis/Suggested Implementation Plan for an Existing Company 60 points
Case Analyses (2 @ 30 points each) 60 points
Exam Conferences (2 @ 45 points each) 90 points
Presentation - Case & Group Conferences (4 at 15 points each) 60 points
Participation - Discussion Conferences (in class case questions/dialogue - 7 Conferences @ 15 points per conference) 105 points
TOTAL 375 points
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Description of Course Requirements:
Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the face-to-face classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an 8-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job. Most 14-week graduate distance education courses require at least 10 hours per week of dedicated time, plus time spent in the virtual classroom.
Participate in classroom discussions: You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner.
Complete graduate level projects and write graduate level papers and case studies: 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.
Orally/visually present prepared material: You are required to present your results in a professional manner. In a DE class, this means creating a visual/textual presentation for your instructor and classmates.
Complete one or more written examination(s): The examination process in this class will assist you in developing the writing and critical thinking skills necessary for successfully passing the comprehensive exam required of all graduate students. The examination questions used for this course will be written as though to be included on a comprehensive exam.
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Course Schedule:
This course schedule is tentative and may change as circumstances dictate and the class develops. Students are expected to read the assignments and participate in all scheduled discussions via Study Groups or Conferences.
SMBP = Strategic Management and Business Policy (9th Edition), by Thomas L. Wheelan and J. David Hunger
Oct 31 – Nov 6 Conference 1 - Introduction to the Course
SMBP Chapters 1 & 2
SMBP Chapter 14
Nov 7 – Nov 13 Conference 2 - Environmental Scanning and Industry Analysis & Internal Scanning: Organizational Analysis
SMBP Chapters 3 & 4
Nov 14 – Nov 20 Conference 3 - Strategy Formulation
SMBP Chapters 5, 6 & 7
Nov 21 – Nov 27 Conference 4 - Case Discussion #1
Nov 28 – Dec 4 Conference 5 - Strategy Implementation & Control & Strategy Implementation & Control
SMBP Chapters 8, 9 & 10
Dec 5 – Dec 11 Conference 6 - Other Strategic Issues (Managing Technology & Innovation; Entrepreneurial Ventures & Small Business; and Not-For-Profit Organizations)
SMBP Chapters 11, 12, & 13
Dec 12 – Dec 17 Mid-Term Exam
Dec 18 – Dec 23 Conference 7 - Course Specific Issues
INSS620:
Outsourcing
MGMT640:
Setting the Scene
Purposes of Evaluation
Roles for the Evaluator
Dec 24 – Jan 1 Break
Jan 2 – Jan 8 Conference 8 - Case Discussion #2
Jan 9 – Jan 15 Conference 9 - Course Specific Issues
INSS620:
IT for Competitive Advantage
MGMT640:
Writing the Report and Disseminating Results
Design of the Evaluation
Jan 16 – Jan 22 Conference 10 - Group Presentations
Jan 23 – Jan 29 Final Exam
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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:
I am Dr. Al Harris and I will be your instructor for this DE course. This is a combination course of INSS620 and MGMT640. This course examines the concepts, research, and theories concerning strategic management.
A little background on me:
• I received my BS degree in Business from Indiana University, my MS in Administration degree from the George Washington University, and my Ph.D. in Management Information Systems (MIS) from Georgia State University.
• I spent four years as a Marine officer during the Vietnam era.
• After leaving the Marine Corps, I spent 17 years in the consulting profession. During that time, I programmed, designed, and managed the development of many information systems. I also ran my own small consulting business for the last six years of that time, doing a lot of strategic IS planning for many companies.
• After getting my Ph.D., I joined the professorial ranks. I am currently a Professor of Computer Information Systems at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., where I teach a variety of undergraduate and graduate classes.
• I took a sabbatical in the Fall semester of 2001 and taught INSS620 in the European Division of UMUC for two terms before taking it on as a DE course. This is my second time teaching the combined course.
• I live in Boone, NC, a small town in the mountains of northwest NC. I love to travel. From 1994 to 1999, my wife and I visited all 50 states. After visiting all of the states, we decided to travel internationally. Since 1999, we have visited over 45 different countries on five continents. In 2004, my wife and I accompanied 12 students for a 4 week study abroad in Japan and Taiwan. This past June, we spent a week in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Dubrovnik, Croatia. We then flew to Bucharest Romania, and spent 3 weeks in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, Germany, and Prague, Czechoslovakia. I am scheduled to go to Evora, Portugal about April 1 for 3 months to teach a graduate class on a Fulbright Award.
• I love teaching these courses. I hope my excitement and enthusiasm on the subject will be contagious.
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