2010 New England College of Business and Finance Page 1 of 10
MBA 515: Management Information Systems
Syllabus Overview This syllabus contains all relevant information about the course: its objectives and outcomes, the grading criteria, the texts and other materials of instruction, and of weekly topics, outcomes, assignments, and due dates.
Consider this your roadmap for the course. Please read through the syllabus carefully and feel free to share any questions that you may have. Please print a copy of this syllabus for reference.
Course Description 3 Credits Prerequisites: MBA501: Strategic Leadership and Management MBA502: Applied Quantitative Methods for Business
This course introduces the various information and communications technologies. Students will research and practice using modern productivity applications. Students will examine how information systems are used to solve problems and make better business decisions and apply these concepts to analyze business cases.
Course Outcomes At the end of this course, students should be able to:
Integrate into business situations and analysis, and evaluate both theory and practice relevant to Management information systems Fully explain the relationship among and between information systems and management Analyze how technology can be used to synthesize complex data to make sound business decisions Fully understand how cloud computing will change all aspects of MIS from hardware and software to the hiring of technology personnel and managers Prepare processes, in conjunction with technology personnel, to use MIS for competitive advantage Ascertain and be cognizant of the ramifications of management information systems on personal privacy Employ several methods of organizational change theory and methodology to implement new or replacement management information systems through understanding and evaluating how resistance to change can affect MIS implementation
Bloom: Evaluation, synthesis and analysis Course Syllabus MBA 515: Management Information Systems
2010 New England College of Business and Finance Page 2 of 10 Faculty I nformation Faculty information can be found in the Getting Started section of your course, under the title of Meet Your Professor.
Course Materials
There is no text for this course. Readings are listed for each week.
Library Services: Detailed information about online library services can be found in the Getting Started section of the course, or at www.necb.edu.
Help Desk and Technical Questions: If you experience problems accessing your course, downloading content items, or posting discussion threads, your first troubleshooting resource is the Technical Services Help Desk at 1-800-997-1673 or by email at [email protected]. The Technical Services Help Desk is available to assist you during these hours: Monday - Friday 11:00am -10:00pm EST Saturday 11:00am - 5:00pm EST
Be sure to notify your professor of any technical difficulties you are experiencing since it may be impacting other students as well. Student Orientation Tutorial: It is essential that you know how to navigate the online teaching and learning environment. If you have not yet taken the GoCourse orientation tutorial, it is essential that you do so before getting started with the course. It will be of great help to you.
MBA 515: Management Information Systems
2010 New England College of Business and Finance Page 3 of 10 Week by Week Schedule Week 1 Main Topic Management Information Systems: Introduction and Overview Outcomes Set a foundation from which to discuss management information systems. Analyze various information systems as a means of strategically solving organizational problems. Examine how database processing and components of a database system can be used most efficiently in an organizational setting. Both analyze and then be able to evaluate new systems and procedures necessary because of the potential disruption to the management of information systems, processes and personnel as a result of cloud computing Bloom: Evaluation, analysis, knowledge Lecture Larry Elison http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FacYAI6DY0&feature=related Cloud computing Google http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylBLVZykjgM Readings Systems Thinking http://www.infed.org/thinkers/senge.htm Introduction to MIS http://mis.mathiesons.com/tiki- index.php?page=Introduction+A+-+Goals chapters 1 and 2 IT Doesnt Matter http://www.nicholasgcarr.com/articles/matter.html download the article and read several of the commentaries on it Does Nick Carr Matter (pdf) Business Driven Technology (pdf) Future of Cloud Computing Pew Foundation (pdf) Pages: @80 Discussion Question 1 Think of a current process at work or in your personal experience where hardware and software need to be purchased, stored, upgraded now. How will Cloud Computing affect, if at all, that process? Bloom: Application Discussion Question 2 What is meant by firms as value systems? Use examples from the readings and your experience as well as by bringing to the discussion additional suggestions of readings that support your point. Bloom: Synthesis Assignment Research and write a comprehensive paper (5-8 pages) agreeing or disagreeing with Nicholas Carr that IT Doesnt Matter. Use the readings from the week plus additional readings of your choice to support your argument. You may also include examples from your own company or experience that support the position you have taken. Consider, too, the tools in the Introduction to MIS chapter. Do those tools matter? Will they be replaced? The paper must be written in an APA format, 12 point font and in Word. Bloom: Analysis MBA 515: Management Information Systems
2010 New England College of Business and Finance Page 4 of 10 Week 2 Main Topic Systems Development, Business Information Systems, Data Warehousing and Decision Support Systems Outcomes Development of enhanced strategic thinking and sophisticated methodological procedures to analyze various data communication systems and business information systems from a strategic management perspective. Amplification of decision making strategies and theories in support of competitive advantage integral to 21 st century business practices Utilization of several methods of evaluation in development of critical success factors including, but not limited to, empirical data, systems development and modeling. Bloom: Evaluation and synthesis Lecture The Five Forces that Shape Strategy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYF2_FBCvXw Use of Court Data http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=- j5J7lXav7Y&feature=related Readings Porters Five Forces (pdf) The Social Life of Information http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/1403.html Decision Support Systems by Power and Sharda (Springerlink) Empirical Investigation of Factors in Data Warehousing Success in Management Information Quarterly Vol 25 Issue 1 Systems Development http://www.archives.gov/records- mgmt/initiatives/sdlc-checklist.pdf Establishing a Model to Identify Information Systems in Non-traditional Organizations Pages: @110 Discussion Question 1 This weeks readings are eclectic yet connected. One way to consider their connection is through one of the questions posed to John Seeley Brown regarding his concept of the social life of information. That question is: How can a consideration of the "social life" of information help us better use technological change to our advantage? Using the readings from this week and the first week, what is your response to the question? Bloom: Synthesis Discussion Question 2 Considering the changes in technology, hardware and software, are the factors for success that are outlined in the article on Data Warehousing success factors still valid? If so, why? If not, why not? Please use additional research to bolster your point. Bloom: Analysis
Modify the Systems Development Checklist used by the US Government for an MIS process in your firm or for a process you use regularly personally for record keeping. The number of steps should not be less than that of the government template but may exceed the total steps in the government example. MBA 515: Management Information Systems
2010 New England College of Business and Finance Page 5 of 10 Bloom: Evaluation Week 3 Main Topic Business Intelligence Systems, CRM, and Competitive Advantage Outcomes Analyze business intelligence systems use in competitive advantage, customer relationships (CRM) and e-commerce by integrating Porters 5 Forces and decision support systems theory into the analysis Assess the value and importance of MIS in non-corporate systems Build expertise in critiquing MIS processes, both technical and regarding human behavior Bloom: Analysis Readings Education Management Systems in Nigeria (pdf) State of the Art in e-Tourism (pdf) Middlesex County Jury System (available from the Kennedy School of Government Case Studies (can pay by credit card online) Porters Five Forces (see week 2) Building IT Infrastructure for Strategic Agility http://www.ics.uci.edu/~wscacchi/Tech-EC/EC-EB-Infrastructure/IT- strategy-infrastructure-invest-SMR-2002.pdf Pages: 75 Lecture The Long Tail http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/chris_anderson_of_wired_on_tech_s _long_tail.html Discussion Question 1 Read the Middlesex County Jury System. We will review the change to the system from several different perspectives in an online debate. Details included when the Discussion opens for this week. Bloom: Analysis Discussion Question 2 View all the segments of http://ecorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?mid=1668 and then offer to the class a brief (no more than 75 word) summary of what you consider to be the most significant part of his lecture as it relates to CRM. What theories apply? You may also use your own experience in your post. Bloom: Application Assignment After participating in and reviewing the results of the online debate, consider the Middlesex Jury System. If it were overhauled today, what type of MIS system might be used in its development? Would it be similar to the educational system process in Nigeria or more aligned to the systems in the e-Tourism article? Write no more than a two-page memorandum recommending a system for its design. You can agree to keep the current system. Explain your recommendation. Bloom: Evaluation Week 4 Main Topic Security and Privacy Outcomes Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages to MBA 515: Management Information Systems
2010 New England College of Business and Finance Page 6 of 10 outsourcing of information systems' management and resources. Integrate system decision support and other theoretical and methodological approaches into development of effective incident response Improve and be able to communicate to others an understanding of risk considerations in MIS implementation and operation Incorporate ethical consideration into the design of management information systems Development of rapid response higher order thinking skills. Bloom: Analysis Readings Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems (pdf) Risk Management Guide for Information Systems (pdf) Evaluation Information Security Tradeoffs in Computers and Society 2007 Kagan et. Al Why Risk Matters in IT Outsourcing (pdf) The Challenges of Security Management (pdf) Handbook for Computer Incident Response Teams (pdf) skim Pages: over 150 Discussion Question 1 Note: One of the Discussion Questions this week will be superseded by the Assignment. Question One: Look around your office, home, etc. and consider your own practices regarding the Internet, Facebook, etc. What security breaches at work or at home can you easily anticipate? What will you do to make everything more secure? Bloom: Application Discussion Question 2 Much has been written about information technology contributing to society giving up privacy for convenience. Comment on this situation using the article Ethical and Social Issues as your starting point. Please include other references in your response. Bloom: Understanding Assignment During the week there will be an incident affecting IT systems. You will have 24 hours from the time the incident occurs to respond. Details will be included with the description of the incident. Bloom: Evaluation and synthesis Week 5 Main Topic Implementation Outcomes Analyze the impact of resistance to change on implementation of MIS systems Assess the impact MIS and Information technology can have on the transformation of organizations and industries Enhancement of research, annotation, and synthesis skills. Bloom: Application and synthesis Readings Strategic Alignment (pdf) MBA 515: Management Information Systems
2010 New England College of Business and Finance Page 7 of 10 Multilevel Model of Resistance to Change (pdf) Are Information Technology Professionals Prepared to be Change Agents (pdf) Pages: 70 Discussion Question 1 Are information technology professional prepared to be change agents? Should they be? Bloom: Analysis Discussion Question 2 You have been asked by your boss to write a very short synopsis of what you learned in this course so that you can share your knowledge with your colleagues. In no more than 75 words, tell your boss and your colleagues what the use of and future for MIS will be. Bloom: Evaluation and synthesis Assignment Webliography- Prepare an annotated webliography on MIS issues, trends, privacy, business practices, Cloud Computing and other aspects of this field. The webliography should include no fewer than 15 sources and no more than 30 sources. At least half of the sources should be from reputable journals and/or magazines. Wikipedia is not an acceptable source. Annotations should include the source, the author, the URL, the journal (use APA style), newspaper articles, etc. The bibliography itself should also follow APA style. The annotation itself should give the reader enough information to determine if he or she wants to read the original article or go to the web page itself. Here is an excellent source describing the formation of an annotated bibliography: http://www.umuc.edu/library/tutorials/bibliography/bibliography- text.shtml
MBA 515: Management Information Systems
2010 New England College of Business and Finance Page 8 of 10 Grading and Evaluation Your grades will reflect the way in which you present and support your topics and positions in the various learning activities used in this course. The grades will be based on the quality and quantity of your comments and responses in the various activities. The grades for the course will be based on an accumulation of points throughout the course. The various graded activities are weighted as follows:
Course Element % of Grade Discussions 30 Assignments 24 Annotated Bibliography 46 Total 100%
Please refer to the rubrics provided in the course for specific grading criteria. The final course grading criteria is described in the table below.
Letter Grade Grade % Description A 94 100% Very Good to Excellent. Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. A- 90 93% B+ 87 89% Good. Moderately broad knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. B 83 86% B- 80 82% C+ 77 79% Satisfactory. Reasonable knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. C 73 76% C- 70 72%
Marginal. Minimum knowledge and understanding of subject matter. D 60 69% F Below 60% Failing. Unacceptable level of knowledge and understanding of subject matter.
Make-Up Exams or Assignments To be determined by the instructor on a one-to-one basis. All Assignments are due on time and the Mid Term and Final Exams must be completed during the stated exam period. There will be NO exceptions.
MBA 515: Management Information Systems
2010 New England College of Business and Finance Page 9 of 10 Reasonable Accommodations Policy I ndividuals with Disabilities NECB does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of physical or mental disability and is fully committed to providing reasonable accommodations, including appropriate auxiliary aids and services, to qualified individuals with a disability, unless providing such accommodations would result in an undue burden or fundamentally alter the nature of the relevant program, benefit, or service provided by NECB. To request an auxiliary aid or service please contact the VP for Academic Affairs at NECB, 10 High Street, Boston, MA 02110
Individuals requesting an auxiliary aid or service will need to complete an Application for Auxiliary Aid. To enable NECB to timely provide an auxiliary aid or service, NECB requests that individuals complete and submit the Application for Auxiliary Aid six weeks before the first day of classes, or as soon as practicable. Disagreements regarding an appropriate auxiliary aid and alleged violations of this policy may be raised pursuant to NECBs grievance procedures.
Course Policies and Procedures Learner Success Guidelines These policies and guidelines will help you complete this course more successfully: Participate in the class introduction activity on the first day of class. Submit ALL assignments and take the Mid Term and the Final Exam by the posted due dates and times. Check your emails daily. Put your first and last name and your course number (i.e., Joan Brown, ENG101), on each of the emails you send to your Professor and/or other NECB staff. Participate fully in all threaded discussions. Contact the help desk by email (preferable) at [email protected] for resolutions to your technology problems. Contact your Professor (by telephone or by email) if you have questions about an assignment or need additional help completing your work successfully. Academic dishonesty is grounds for dismissal from the program.
Student Attendance It is strongly recommended that students post class introductions the first day of class. In line with the Colleges Add/Drop Policy, it is required that students post attendance (log into the class and introduce themselves) within the first three days of the term. Students who are registered for a course must officially withdraw from the course within the first three days of the Term if they do not plan on continuing in the course. Registered students are not automatically withdrawn from any course. Students who withdraw from the course after the third day (Wednesday) will be subject to partial to full tuition charges as outlined in the Colleges Withdrawal Policy. NECBs add/drop and withdrawal policies can be reviewed on NECBs website in the Academic Catalog or Student Handbook.
Additional Expectations Students will be expected to meet all the deadlines of the class as indicated throughout the course and in the syllabus. This is primarily so we don't get behind in the course. In addition, discussions cannot overlap from one unit to the next. This is to ensure that all discussions and submissions take place within the week they are scheduled in order to be of value to the entire MBA 515: Management Information Systems
2010 New England College of Business and Finance Page 10 of 10 class as well as to help you not get behind. If there are extenuating circumstances, you will need to communicate that to the professor and make arrangement accordingly, if appropriate. Asynchronous and Synchronous Work All required work for the course may be done asynchronously; i.e., students can login to the course, read/download materials, post to the Discussions, and submit assignments throughout the course week. Please carefully follow syllabus and the weekly checklists to help manage your time throughout the course week; once we enter week 2 or 3, students typically become much more comfortable with the pace and flow of the course.
Feedback You can expect frequent and consistent feedback from your instructor.
Academic Honesty & Student Integrity Academic honesty and student integrity are of fundamental importance at NECB and we want students to understand this clearly at the start of the term. As stated in the NECB Rights and Responsibilities handbook, Every member of the NECB Community is expected to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty. A student shall not receive credit for work that is not the product of the students own effort. A student's name on any written exercise constitutes a statement that the work is the result of the student's own thought and study, stated in the students own words, and produced without the assistance of others, except in quotes, footnotes or references with appropriate acknowledgement of the source." In particular, students must be aware that material (including ideas, phrases, sentences, etc.) taken from the Internet and other sources MUST be appropriately cited if quoted, and footnoted in any written work turned in for this, or any, NECB class. Also, students will not be allowed to collaborate on work except by the specific permission of the instructor. Failure to cite resources properly may result in a referral being made to the Office of Student Development and Judicial Education. The outcome of this action may involve academic and disciplinary sanctions, which could include (but are not limited to) such penalties as receiving no credit for the assignment in question, receiving no credit for the related course or suspension or dismissal from NECB.
Further information regarding academic integrity may be found in the NECB Academic Catalog and the NECB Student Handbook. You should read these publications, which all can be accessed from the NECB Web site, www.necb.edu. A student who is in doubt about standards of academic honesty (regarding plagiarism, multiple submissions of written work, unacknowledged or unauthorized collaborative effort, false citation or false data) should consult either the course instructor or other academic staff of NECB.
Articles and full-text documents accessed through various online library databases may be copyrighted. The distribution of published materials without prior permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.
Caveat The above schedule, content, and procedures in this course are subject to change in the subject field, changes in the knowledge base or other unforeseen circumstances.
Andaya, L. (2002) - Orang Asli and The Melayu in The History of The Malay Peninsula. Journal of The Malaysian Branch of The Royal Asiatic Society, 75 (1 (282) ), 23-48.