Management Information Systems
MBA 513
Spring 2004
Office: 203 Dauch
E-mail: gmargot@ashland.edu
Office Hours: By appointment
Course
Materials: Principles
of Information Systems,
Stair R. M. and Reynolds G. W.,
Sixth Edition,
Course Technology, 2003
Prerequisites: None
Course
Description: A Management Information System (MIS) is a
set of systems and
activities used to provide managers with information needed
to support planning
and decision-making.
Effective and efficient use of a firm’s information resources
are facilitated by computer-based storage, manipulation,
retrieval, analysis, and
presentation of relevant information in a timely
fashion. This course provides a
perspective on the design, development, implementation,
utilization, and
administration of computer based information systems. Topics covered include
Systems Analysis and Design, Decision Support Systems, Artificial
Intelligence
including Expert
Systems, Fuzzy Logic and Neural Networks, End-User
Computing, Telecommunications including the Internet, and the
application of
information systems to a firm’s competitive strategy.
Teaching
Methodology: Material will be presented in class through
lectures, assigned
readings in the text and other publications. Students are encouraged and expected
to actively participate in class discussions of readings,
and will be required to
present an oral presentation in class including a written
summary.
Course
Outcomes:
Critical Thinking: Uses conceptualization to
incorporate a strategic viewpoint to
think long term as well as short term.
Specialized Knowledge: Provides for a mastery over usable facts and
concepts.
Linking
Outcomes and Evaluations: Written and oral communication skills will be
addressed through a class presentation, presenting one
current article to the class
dealing with technology, one position paper, one final
paper, and multiple essay
questions on the 4 required tests. Critical thinking skills
will be developed through
analysis of information presented in lectures and
presentations and applying the
information to a final paper dealing with a future
technology issue. Specialized
knowledge skills will be demonstrated by interacting with
technology specialist
within an organization to extract information necessary for
a position paper, and
by demonstrating the ability to pass tests in business
technology material.
Course
Guidelines:
Academic integrity is completing the
assignments/ tests/experiences of each class on one's own and presenting no work
completed by others as one's own. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not
limited to, the following:
1. Plagiarism - the intentional or
unintentional presentation of someone else's words, ideas or data as one's own work.
In the event the faculty member deems the plagiarism is unintentional, he/she
shall typically require the student to rewrite the assignment. In the event the
faculty member believes the plagiarism is willful, the sanctions in this
document will apply.
2. Fabrication - the intentional falsification or
invention of research, data, citations, or other information.
3.
Cheating - an act of deception in which a student represents mastery of
information that he/she has not mastered.
Office of Disability Services (see
Student Handbook)
Students who have documentation from a
medical doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist for specific learning disabilities
and/or physical or health handicaps may receive services through the Office of
Disability Services. The documentation must clearly state the nature of the
disability and support the need for accommodations based on the testing and/or
medical documentation. For specific
learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders, the documentation must
be no older than three years. The Office
of Disability Services reserves the right to ask the student to update or to
obtain individual basis and may include relocation of courses for classroom
accessibility, sign language interpreters, out of classroom assistance for
learning strategies, taped books, note takers, test accommodations and techniques for stress
management. Students who suspect that
they have a learning disability will be required to provide current
documentation for their disability before any accommodations will be made. If the
student does not have such documentation, arrangements for testing may be made
through a local psychologist at the student's expense. The Office of Disability Services is located
at 105 Amstutz Hall. Office hours are from
Attendance: You are strongly encouraged to attend every
class. Since a large portion of
the learning in this class will come from in-class
discussion of readings and cases,
a missed class is a missed opportunity to learn from your
fellow student. In
addition, poor class attendance obviously will have an
adverse effect on the Class
Participation/Attendance portion of your grade. In the event you must miss class,
it is your responsibility to obtain a copy of any materials
distributed during your
absence and to find out what you may have missed.
Assessment of
Competencies: There will be four examinations in the
course. The
typical exam will include multiple choice questions and
subjective (essay)
questions, based on material presented in the lectures, from
the text, and from class
discussion. The remainder of your grade will be based on
your oral presentation
including the written summary, a final paper, the position
paper, and your class
participation and attendance. Therefore your final grade
received in the course will
be based on:
Four exams @ 100 Points each
................................................. 400 Points
Oral Presentation
...................................................................… 50
Points
Final Paper
.............................................................…..............
50
Points
Position Paper …………………………................................…
30 Points
Class Participation* and Attendance
........................…............. 20
Points
Total ......... 550 Points
*
Class
participation includes bringing in 1 current
article relevant to the topics assigned from the course outline for a
specific week and presenting the article to the class.
Final letter grades will be assigned using the
following grading scale (expressed in terms of the percentage of total possible
points earned):
94 - 100 =
A (517 - 550 Points)
90 - 93
= A- (495 - 516 Points)
87 - 89
= B+ (478 - 494 Points)
83 - 86
= B (456 - 477 Points)
80 - 82
= B- (440 - 455 Points)
77 - 79
= C+ (423 - 439 Points)
73 - 76
= C (401 - 422 Points)
70 - 72
= C- (385 - 400 Points)
0 - 69 =
F ( 0 - 384 Points)
Oral
Presentation
Each
student will be responsible to present to the class a case study on one of the
topics identified in the course outline, presented by the professor, or agreed
upon by the
student and the professor. In some
instances topics will be assigned to more than one student, depending on the
topic and the number of students available.
The
case presentation should focus on the way a particular technology has been used
in the “real world”, and should include factors such as rationale,
implementation, impact, problems, and benefits derived from the technology. The
case may be presented
using literature (research), or can be one in which you have some
personal familiarity.
Presentations
should be relatively brief (10 to 15 minutes), and should focus on the
application of the technology to the situation.
Involvement from the class is highly encouraged.
Your
case should be written up in one or two pages by the next class session after
your presentation, with your grade being based on both the class presentation
and the submitted written report. Refer to the handout provided by the
instructor for a specific breakdown of how your grade for the oral presentation
will be determined.
Final Paper
A final paper is to be prepared for a
technology covered in class. You are to
prepare a brief paper (7 to 10 pages) on the technology to inform management of
its potential. The report should include
your own understanding of the technology.
Refer to the handout provided by the professor for a specific breakdown
of how your grade for the term paper will be determined. The general format for the paper should be as
follows:
·
A brief discussion of the technology
·
How can it be of benefit to the organization
·
Discuss application areas
·
Cost, availability, strengths and weaknesses
·
Conclusions and recommendations
·
Bibliography (3 to 5 selected references)
Position Paper
During the semester students will be given
the opportunity to comment on an issue discussed in class. Four or five major topics will be provided,
with the student choosing one of those topics for written discussion. This assignment should be two to three pages
in length. Refer to the handout provided by the professor for a specific
breakdown of how your grade for the position paper will be determined.
If you need assistance
with writing projects for your coursework, contact the
Class
Topics Covered
Text
1
Introduction
An Introduction to Information Systems Chap. 1
2 Information Systems in Organizations
Chap. 2
Organizing Data and
Information
Chap. 5
3
Hardware: Input, Processing, and Output Devices Chap. 3
TEST 1 (Chapters 1,2,5)
4 Software: Systems and
Application Software Chap. 4
5
Telecommunications and Networks Chap.
6
6 The Internet, Intranets, and Extranets Chap.
7
7
Electronic Commerce Chap. 8
TEST 2 (Chapters 3,4,6,7)
8
Transaction Processing and ERP Systems Chap. 9
9 Information and Decision Support
Systems Chap. 10
Artificial Intelligence, Expert Systems,
and Virtual Reality Chap. 11
TEST 3 (Chapters 8,9,10)
11
Systems Investigation and
Analysis Chap. 12
Systems Design,
Implementation, Maintenance, and Review
Chap. 13
12
Security, Privacy, and Ethical Issues
in Information Systems Chap. 14
and the Internet
TEST 4 (Chapters 11,12,13,14)