Division of Business Syllabi A. Catalog Description Syllabus Management Information Systems MISM5306-SA02 Instructor: Tommy J. Thompson Fall 2001 Term - Tuesday Information systems types, components, technology, and development are studied within an organizational framework, with emphasis on business problem solving. Emphasis will be placed on principles, vocabulary, and concepts; what a manager needs to know to make effective use of information technology. Prerequisites: MISM 3311, or COSC1300. B. Textbook Essentials of Management Information Systems, Organization & Technology in the Networked Enterprise, Fourth Edition, by Kenneth C. Laudon and Jane P. Laudon, 2001, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458. C. Course Outline The class will consist of lecture, discussion, and projects. Sufficient time will be provided for group project work, however it is expected that the student will devote an appropriate amount of study time outside the classroom environment. Group assignments, exercises, and projects will be made the first class session. Each group will select a leader - a student to coordinate the work and activities of the group. Projects will be assigned for each group during the first class meeting. All group and individual projects and presentations must be completed using the class schedule listed in Section I below. D. Requirements for Graduate Credit The final course grade will be determined using the following scale: End of chapter case assignments (4) 20% (5% ea.) Written Research Paper (1) 25% Oral Presentation 5% Mid-term exam (1) 25% Final exam (1) 25% E. Methods for Assessing Outcomes Upon completion of this course, students will have developed an understanding of the systems at work in an organization with specific emphasis on the MIS and DSS. The student will understand how a MIS and DSS can be used to achieve a competitive advantage through the proper use and understanding of the decision-making tools available using MIS and DSS. Student progress will be measured by administering two tests, three chapter case problems, and one individual
research paper. Each project and case problem will require a group or individual presentation. Each student will give an oral presentation of his or her research paper to the class. During this course, students are expected to attend all classes and to be on time. Students are responsible for all assignments and lecture material including material missed during any absence. Students are expected to makeup any missed work due to absence or tardiness. The mid-term exam will be administered in class the sixth week of the term. The final will be a comprehensive exam taken in class the final evening of the course. If you are absent the night of the final exam, you must take the makeup exam in the office no later than close of business on Friday of the eleventh week in order to receive a grade. The computer lab is open for your use Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Work conflicts, family emergencies, military TDY, and sudden changes in your scheduled work hours are not considered an excuse for failure to submit your assignments on time. You are expected to attend all class meetings. The university attendance policy can be found on page 77 of the 2001-2002 academic catalog. If you do not have a catalog, you may obtain one through the main office. To summarize, the attendance policy states that any student who misses 25 percent (three classes for the San Antonio Campus) or more of a term will receive a grade of F. The university has a very liberal drop policy, especially for military TDY and medical exigency reasons. These policies can be found on page 35-36 of the academic catalog. Since the semesters are only eleven weeks in duration, the university does not differentiate between excused and unexcused absences. Three late arrivals, early departures, or combination of the two may be counted as an absence. Should it be necessary for you to miss three classes, discuss the situation with me. Rather than awarding a failing grade I may be able to lower your grade one or two letter grades depending on the circumstances, and still maintain fairness within the class for those students who attended regularly on a timely basis. F. Supplementary Materials The software available for your use on the lab computers is Microsoft Office 2000 Premium. Personal software may not be loaded onto the lab computers. Please be sure to use the spell checker and grammar checker; however do not become too dependent on either one. Remember that it is your paper, not Microsoft's. Your research paper will be evaluated according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fourth Edition, 1994, with fifth printing in 1995, by the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., and the locally published APA addendum. Additional research resources are available through the university s Internet web at http://www.sa.wbu.edu. G. Method of Instruction The course will consist of eleven classes, each class meeting one night a week for four hours. Each class will consist of a lecture followed by individual or group project work and presentations. Students will be required to take two tests, one Internet project, three end of chapter case problems, and one research paper. Each case problem will require a group presentation. Each student will give an individual presentation on his or her research paper. H. Bibliography The university provides students with a handout listing available research facilities and libraries in the San Antonio area. The San Antonio Campus provides access to the Internet through the lab computers. The San Antonio web site provides the numerous links to the local library and research resources. You may also connect to the Harrington Library Facilities through the Main Campus web site. Refer to the attached sheet for additional resources. I. Schedule of Assignments See attached schedule for weekly listing of assignments and tests. My office hours are by appointment Monday through Friday. Call 826-7595 ext. 225 to arrange an appointment. You may leave a message for me after normal office hours by calling 826-7595 ext. 225. My e-mail address is t-thom@mail.wbu.edu or tom@wbusa.wbu.edu.
J. Provision for Handicapped Students Students with physical limitations may wish to use the front or East End of the building. Reserved parking for students with a valid handicap sticker is available at these locations. It is university policy that no otherwise qualified disabled person be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity in the University. Any student, who because of a disabling condition may require some special arrangement to meet course requirements, should contact the instructor on the first day of class to make the necessary accommodations. K. Supplemental Instructions The research paper will be evaluated in accordance with the guidelines established in the APA Manual. The following additional instructions are provided for clarity. Papers must be typed. Papers must be double-spaced. Papers must be left justified. Papers must contain a title page listing your name and class number, and must contain the total word count of your paper. Papers must contain an abstract. The body of the paper must be a minimum of 2,000 words and a maximum of 3,500 words, not counting the title page, reference list, bibliography, illustrations, charts, and other attachments. Papers must contain a bibliography or reference list. Your references will be checked. Papers must contain a minimum of eight references in addition to your text and the APA Guide. These references may come from the Internet, periodicals, and manuals including technical publications, in additional to the standard library research references. You may not use any publication or paper you have written or assisted in writing previously either for grade or for work. This includes writing a term paper that is to be used for your work or another class. Newspapers may be referenced as needed, but do not count as one of the required references. Be sure you cite electronic references correctly. Refer to the class web site if needed for the correct method to reference electronic media. Your assignment is to choose a business that has an established automated IS, contact the business and discover as much as you can about the IS used. Your paper should discuss in detail the pros and cons of the system. Support your conclusions or recommendations concerning the system by explaining how and why the business would or would not benefit. You may not select a business that is in the same type of industry you currently work. For example, if you are connected with the federal government you may not select another federal government entity. If you are in the computer industry you may not select a business that is also in the computer industry. Your paper will be graded for grammar, length, format, and content logic (did you support your conclusion with solid facts etc.). The paper is due by the end of class on the evening of the tenth week of class. The four case studies must be typed, double spaced, and be left justified. Do not attach a cover sheet, but type your name and assignment data in upper right corner of the first page. Answer the questions at the end of each assigned case study, and be prepared to discuss your responses in class. The www.prenhall.com/laudon web site also contains a multitude of study aids for your use. Each chapter has true/false and multiple-choice questions that will be graded immediately through the interactive web site. The feedback you receive will assist you as you prepare for the mid-term and final exams. You are encouraged to take advantage of what this interactive site has to offer. I have established a web site for this class at www.sa.wbu.edu/mism5306.
Class meeting and examination schedule. Week 1 - August 21 Lecture on chapters 1-2; review of the syllabus and assignments. Week 2 August 28 Lecture on chapters 3-4. Case Study #1 Managing Hardware Assets Pays Off, page 138 assigned, and due beginning of class next week. Week 3 September 4 Lecture on chapter 5 and 6. Week 4 - September 11 Lecture on chapters 7 and 8. Case Study #2 Can Low-Price Retailers Survive on the Internet, page 283 assigned, and due beginning of class next week. Week 5 September 18 Lecture on chapter 9. In class group analysis and discussion Case study: Avon Calling for a New System, on page 322. Week 6 September 25 Lecture on chapter 10 and 11. Mid-term exam, covering chapters 1 9, will be administered. Week 7 October 2 Lecture on chapters 12 and 13. Case Study #3 Did the FAA Fly Off Course?, on page 447 assigned, and due beginning of class next week. Week 8 October 9 Lecture on chapter 14. Week 9 October 16 Lecture on chapter 15. Case Study #4 Citibank Asia-Pacific: Managing Information Technology Consolidation, Change and New Challenges, page ICS 1. Week 10 October 23 Student oral presentations on individual research paper. Last day you may submit your research paper. Week 11 October 30 Course evaluation followed by a comprehensive, written, closed book final exam. This syllabus is subject to change as classroom environment may dictate.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Students are encouraged to use the Internet s search tools to improve information gathering and provide a broader array of up-to-date sources. The World Wide Web is a section of the Internet that offers easy access to text, graphics, and other multimedia resources. Some of the major search engines are: Altavista (http://www.altavista.digital.com) Argus (http://www.clearinghouse.net) DejaNews (http://www.dejanews.com) Excite (http://www.excite.com) HotBot (http://www.hotbot.com) Infoseek (http://www.infoseek.com) Lycos (http://www.lycos.com) Magellan (http://www.mckinley.com) MetaCrawler (http://www.metacrawler.com) Switchboard (http://www.switchboard.com) Webcrawler (http://www.webcrawler.com) Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com) Additional research and informational services are: Welcome to the White House (http:www.whitehouse.gov) WWW Virtual Library (http://www.w3.org/hypertext/datasources/bysubject/overview.html) http://www.prenhall.com/~bookbind/pubbooks/rodrigues/ http://wbu1.wbu.edu/lrc.htm http://www.ollusa.edu/mainlibrary/mainlbry.htm http://www.ci.sat.tx.us/sapl/index.html http://www.gasou.edu/psychweb/tipsheet/apacrib.htm http://clever.net/cam/encyclopedia.html http://c.gp.cs.cmu.edu:5103/prog/webster http://link.tsl.state.tx.us/f/facts/index.html#encyclopedias