L OUISIANAS TATEUNIVERSITY

E. J. Ourso College of Business Administration • Department of Information Systems & Decision Sciences
Baton Rouge • Louisiana • 70803-6316 • 225/578-2126 • fax 225/578-2511
Andrew Schwarz, Ph.D. • Professor of Information Systems
(225) 578-9075 • [email protected]

BADM 7050
Information Systems

Instructor: Dr. Andrew Schwarz

e-mail address: [email protected] (e-mail preferred)
Skype: andyhsphd
Office Hours: Skype (e-mail to schedule)

Course Description

This course is designed to contemporary topics in information systems, including a survey of information system analysis
and design; introduction to business data communication, database management systems, and knowledge based systems;
enterprise-wide systems and information systems control.

Course Objectives
The Digital Age

The business world of today is fundamentally different than any other time in history. Advances in technology have
created a New Economy and placed the information technology (IT) department as an integral component of every
business. It is impossible to visualize a successful company not using IT. Due to the strategic importance of IT, it is
important that you, as a future manager, become aware of basic IT concepts.

A Business Focus

This course assumes a modest level of understanding of IT. Additionally, it focuses heavily on practical applications in
the field of information systems, and will have an organizational and managerial focus rather than a technical one. For
example, during the discussion of hardware, while it important for the technical staff to possess knowledge of how to set
up a new server, the primary focus will first, be on laying a foundation of fundamental concepts, and second, to learn
how that box fits within the overall IT strategy. As future managers, it is important that you begin focusing upon
decisions at the strategic, rather than operational, level.

There are five objectives that you can expect in completing this course. The course-level objectives are that you will be
able to:

1. Understand the fundamental concepts involved in IT

2. Assess the role of IT and identify new strategic applications of IT in an organization
3. Summarize the key issues involved in the management of IT
4. Identify the key technologies that will have profound impacts on organizations in the future
5. Identify future trends in the IT field
Course Topics

The course will be segmented into seven weeks:

1. Managing in the Digital, Global Business Environment. In the first week, we will be discussing the trends that are
shaping business today and begin to understand how IT is facilitating changes in the economy, in competition, in
organizations, and in society.

2. Managing and leveraging information systems as an agent of change. With the trends in mind, how are
organizations responding? They are responding by using IT as an agent of change. In the second week, we will
discuss how firms are managing and leveraging IT as an agent of change.

3. Managing the decision-making processes within the organization. So now that we have seen the power of IT and
recognized how IT can be an agent of change, we will turn towards a discussion of how to leverage this power to
facilitate better decision-making. What IT solutions can be put in place so that management can make better
strategic decisions and exercise operational control?

4. Managing the flow, storage, retrieval, and security of data and information. In this module, technology basics will be
discussed (including hardware, software, and infrastructure) as well as how these building blocks enable IT to
empower the firm to design and develop business processes. How should IT create IT-enabled business processes?
How does IT enable operational success?

5. Managing the relationship between IS and the functional units of the organization. Given the need to deploy IT
across the enterprise, how does IT manage these complex relationships? How does IT facilitate organizational
effectiveness at an enterprise level – we will explore these issues during week 5.

6. Managing the information systems function. In this week, the structure of the IT function will be examined. Now
that you have selected the technology, how are you going to implement it? Get your users to use it? Derive value
from it? Create strategies that align with the business?

7. Leveraging future and emerging information technology for competitive advantage. In the final week, issues that
impact IT, both now and in the future will be studied, including the moral issues in technology, and the challenge of
using IT for a strategic and competitive advantage.

Course Management

Moodle will be an integral part of this course. Everything that you need for the course will be linked through Moodle.

Student Responsibilities

Course conduct: Students are expected to show respect for their fellow students as well as for the instructor. Even
though we are not physically going to see each other face-to-face, you are expected to do the following:

• Actively participate in online discussion boards

• Ask questions to clarify material that is not understood
• Initiate meaningful discussions to extend analysis on topic of interest (related to class material)

Email & technology: Moodle will be used for this class and your PAWS address will be required; it is your
responsibility to check it regularly.
Course Book and Materials

• Managing and Using Information Systems by Keri Pearlson and Carol Saunders. Kindle edition.
• Harvard course packet (linked from Moodle)

Course Structure

Every week, you will be completing the following:

1. Listen to a series of micro-lectures and related web videos that cover the topics of the week
2. Read the book
3. Complete either a quiz or exam based upon the course material
4. Work on the semester project
5. Apply your knowledge to a simulation or case study from real-life organizations

You should expect to spend a minimum of 10 hours per week on this course.

Grading Scale

Letter Letter Letter Letter Letter

Points Points Points Points Points
Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade
97 or 87 to 77 to 67 to Under
A+ B+ C+ D+ F
Above 89.9 79.9 69.9 60
93.1 to 83.1 to 73.1 to 63.1 to
A B C D
96.9 86.9 76.9 66.9
90 to 93 A- 80 to 83 B- 70 to 73 C- 60 to 63 D-

Course Evaluation

Element Points
Exam 1 200
Exam 2 200
Real Life Case Study Project 200
Case Study Analysis (5 @ 40 points apiece) 200
Quizzes (5 @ 20 point apiece) 100
Simulations (2 @ 35 points apiece) 70
IT Conversations 20
Case Study Coach Exercise 10
Total 1000

Exams

The objective of the exams will be to demonstrate that you are aware of the fundamental concepts that we have discussed
in class. All exams will be conducted by Proctor U. During the time specified in the syllabus, you will schedule a time
convenient for you to take the examination. The exam will be multiple choice; Exam 1 will cover weeks 1-4 and Exam 2
will cover weeks 5-7.

Exams will be closed book and will be based on the class discussions and material from the book. Since you will be able
to schedule an exam at a time convenient for you, make-up exams will NOT be given, except in cases of extreme
emergencies. Cheating during an exam will not be tolerated; you will be watched very closely during the exam, and you
will be punished to the fullest extent if you are caught!
Case Study Assignments

We will be reading 5 case studies throughout the semester. At the end of the syllabus, you will find a series of questions
about each case study. Answer the questions and upload them into Moodle by 8 PM on Sunday in the week designated
in the class schedule.

Real Life Case Study Project

You will be selecting a real organization to profile and discuss. This project will take the semester to complete and you
will submit the paper through Moodle at the end of the semester.

Case Study Coach Exercise

During week 1, complete the 90-minute coach analysis coach tutorial that is included in the Harvard course pack.
During your time in the MBA program, you will be asked to analyze a variety of cases. This tutorial will assist you in the
program so that you can better analyze case studies. The tutorial includes a Case Analysis worksheet to analyze the
cases used in the tutorial. By the end of Week 1 (8 PM on Sunday), the worksheet must be uploaded in to Moodle.

Quizzes

At the beginning of each week, an open-notes quiz will be posted on Moodle. All of your quiz scores will be summed to
create your quiz score. Each quiz will be worth 2 point. All quizzes are due by 8 PM on the Sunday in the week
designated in the class schedule. Make-up quizzes will NOT be given under any circumstances.

Simulations

During the semester, we will conduct two simulations. In each simulation, you will be working in a simulated
environment to enact an initiative and to run a company. You will run the simulation and then respond to a series of
questions that will be provided in Moodle.

IT Conversation

At the beginning of the semester, you are to create a Twitter account and follow your professor (instructions can be found
in Moodle). Over the semester, you are expected to engage in meaningful conversation on Twitter during every week
we are in class (meaningful is defined as interactive, substantive tweets every week we are in class). These conversations
are meant to encourage interaction between yourself and your professor, as well as between the colleagues in the class.

How to be Successful in BADM 7050

Your instructor wants you to be successful, not only in this course, but also in your future IT career. All of the material
and assignments have been designed so that you are prepared for real life! To be successful in BADM 7050 and your
future business career, consider a few suggestions:

1. Plan. You now have the syllabus for the course that includes all of the important dates. Keep track of the dates and
plan your schedule around your work load.
2. Ask questions. The only bad question is the one that you did not ask (and then missed on the exam).
3. Be professional. Think of your instructor as a boss that you want to impress – be professional with him and he will
return the favor.
4. View this class within the right context. You are now starting a career, so do not look for shortcuts – failing to learn
the course material will hurt you when you are looking for a job. Start planning for your success now by treating this
course as you would a job.
Academic honesty

All portions of the LSU Honesty code will apply in this class. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. For
clarification on the university’s definition of plagiarism, consult the discussion on the LSU’s Judicial Affairs Department
website - www.lsu.edu/judicialaffairs.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

I would like to help students with disabilities achieve their highest potential in this class. To this end, in order to
receive accommodation on exams or assignments, students must make arrangements with me prior to the exam or
assignment. In addition, I recommend that students with disabilities learn about their rights and responsibilities from
the Office of Disability Services. This center provides a wide variety of academic support services to all currently-
enrolled LSU students who have any type of mental or physical disability of either a temporary or permanent nature.
If you feel that you may need assistance of this nature, you may wish to call the Center at 225-578-5919.
 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7
Weekly Managing in Managing Managing the Managing the Managing the Managing the Leveraging
Topic the Digital, and decision- flow, storage, relationship information future and
Global leveraging making retrieval, and between IS systems emerging
Business information processes security of and the function information
Environment systems as an within the data and functional technology
agent of organization information units of the for
change organization competitive
advantage
Micro- Micro- Micro- Micro- Micro- Micro- Micro- Micro-
Lectures Lectures 1a to Lectures 2a to Lectures 3a to Lectures 4a to Lectures 5a to Lectures 6a to Lectures 7a
1g 2e 3f 4g 5f 6e to 7d
Readings 1, 4 2, 3 7, 12 5, 6, 9 8, 11 10 None
Case Study/ Case Study Otisline case Zara: IT for Data analytics Change Eastman Real Life
Simulations/ Coach and study analysis Fast Fashion simulation Management Kodak Co.: Case Study
Exercises Mrs. Fields due by 8 PM case study due by 8 PM Simulation Managing Project due
case study Sunday analysis due Sunday and Cisco Information by 8 PM
analysis due by 8 PM Systems, Inc.: Systems Saturday
by 8 PM Sunday Implementing Through
Sunday ERP case Strategic
study analysis Alliances case
due by 8 PM study analysis
Sunday due by 8 PM
Sunday
Assessments Complete Complete Complete Complete Complete Complete Complete
Quiz 1 by 8 Quiz 2 by 8 Quiz 3 by 8 Exam 1 by 8 Quiz 4 by 8 Quiz 5 by 8 Exam 2 by 8
PM Sunday PM Sunday PM Sunday PM Sunday PM Sunday PM Sunday PM Saturday
 Case Study Assignment Questions

Instructions: Read each of the case studies. After reading the case, complete your answers to the following questions
and upload your answers into Moodle by 8 PM on Sunday.

Grading: Each question is worth 8 points. Each answer must: (1) articulate a position to the question, (2) support that
position with evidence from the case (including quotes or references to the text), (3) be clearly written, and (4) demonstrate a
critical analysis of the case. If any of these elements is missing from the answer, a 2 point deduction will be taken for that
question. Each case has 5 questions, resulting in 40 possible points for each case study.

Mrs. Fields Cookies [HBR case #189056]

1. Would you describe Mrs. Fields’ Cookies as more of a functional hierarchy structured along traditional functional
lines or more of an IT-enabled network consisting of tailored business processes?
2. What role does IT play in the Mrs. Fields’ organizational structure?
3. What challenges does Mrs. Fields Cookies face in the next five years? How well positioned is the company to meet
these challenges?
4. What advice would you have given Debbi and Randy Fields in 1988?
5. What one concept from the lecture or the book did you find applicable to this case?

Otisline Case Study

1. How important is OTISLINE to the North American operation?
2. What elements of Otis Elevator’s value chain have been affected by the company’s use of information technology to
date?
3. What adjustments in the organization were made to accommodate OTISLINE?
4. What advice would you give Otis management concerning future direction?
5. What one concept from the lecture or the book did you find applicable to this case?

Zara: IT for Fast Fashion [HBR case # 604081]

1. What information does Zara need to operate its business model?
2. In your opinion, what are the most important aspects of Zara’s approach to information technology?
3. What current or potential weaknesses (if any) do you see in Zara’s IT infrastructure and IT strategy?
4. How would you advise Salgado to proceed on the issue of upgrading Zara’s POS systems, namely should the
company upgrade the POS terminal to a modern operating system?
5. What one concept from the lecture or the book did you find applicable to this case?

Cisco Systems, Inc.: Implementing ERP [HBR case #699022]

1. Cisco was highly successful with its enterprise resource planning (ERP) effort. What accounts for this success? What
were the most important things that Cisco did correctly?
2. Did Cisco do anything wrong on this project? If so, what?
3. Cisco went lives with ERP in a big bang fashion, which is inherently risky. How did Cisco mitigate this risk?
4. Was Cisco smart or lucky with its ERP implementation?
5. What one concept from the lecture or the book did you find applicable to this case?

Eastman Kodak Co.: Managing Information Systems Through Strategic Alliances [HBR case #192030]
1. Why did Kathy Hudson make such a major change in IS resource management at Kodak?
2. What factors contributed to Kathy Hudson’s decision to outsource data center, telecommunications, and PC services
to IBM, DEC, and BusinessLand?
3. Do you agree with her philosophy and approach for selecting outsourcing partners and negotiating the agreements?
If not, what would you have done differently?
4. What advice would you give Hudson concerning long-term management of Kodak’s “networked” IS organization?
5. What one concept from the lecture or the book did you find applicable to this case?
 Real-Life Case Study Project

Overview

The objective of this assignment is to integrate all of the knowledge that you accumulate through the semester and apply
it to a “real-life” IT context. This assignment will span the entire semester and will be broken down into five sections.
The final paper will be the composition of these five sections. During the last week of class, you will submit a Word
application and deliver a 5 (five) minute presentation about your project to the class.

First Steps

Your first step is to identify an organization. You should select an organization that you: (a) are working at now; (b)
Have worked for previously; or (c) Have a friend or relative working at now. The organization can be of any size (I
highly recommend that you pick an organization with at least 100 employees), but you must have access to the organization
so that you can interview one or more employees of that organization at a point later in the semester. There are some
requirements on the type of organization that you select. The firm must be a for-profit organization and cannot include
the federal, state, or local government as well as any branches of the military, a non-profit organization, a charitable
organization, a not-for-profit hospital, a university, a school, or an organization that derives any of its’ funding from the
federal, state, or local municipalities. If you select any of these types of organizations, you will receive a zero on this
project.

1. About the Company

a. History of the company

The first step is for you to understand the company. For you to understand the company, you need to begin with
the company history. Drawing upon information that is publicly available as well as information that you find
from your informant, trace the history of the company from beginning to the current time period, including the key
executives, key milestones in the evolution of the company, and key developments that led to this point in the
organization.

b. Current organizational profile

The next step is for you to understand the current organizational profile. Describe the strategy, vision, and mission
for the company, as well as the current products and services that the company offers, the industry that the company
competes in, and who the current competitors are to the company for each of the industry sectors in which the
organization competes.

c. Competitive Landscape

With an understanding of the products and services offered by the company, the next step is to understand the
competitive landscape. Examine the company from a Porter’s Five Forces perspective to understand the market
dynamics of the firm and the strategy of the firm using the four types of organizational strategy. Use this
understanding to discuss the key differentiators for the company.

d. Business Model

The company discussion should conclude with an analysis of the business model of the company. Visit Strategyzer
(www.strategyzer.com) and “Sign up for free.” Once there, you will find a series of resources – we will be using the
“Business Model Canvas.” Once you have familiarized yourself with the Business Model Canvas, complete an
analysis of your firm using the Business Model Canvas approach.
2. Profile of Information Technology

a. Information Technology by Level of the Organization

Drawing upon the distinction of an organization according to three different levels and the lecture material upon the
different systems that correspond to those levels, discuss the different IT systems that are used at the three levels of
the organization. This should not just be a bulleted list, but should be a discussion of the role of each of the different
systems.

b. Information Technology by Functional Units

Drawing upon the distinction of an organization according to the different functional units in the organization and
the lecture and book material, discuss the different IT systems used by the different functional units in the
organization. This should not be a bulleted list, but a discussion of the role of each of the different systems.

c. Information Technology across all levels of the Organization

There are certain IT systems that are used by all members of the organization. Discuss the different IT systems used
by everyone in the organization.

d. Strategically Important IT Systems

Based upon your analysis of the primary and secondary value chain activities of the firm, which of the IT systems are
the most strategic in the organization and why.

e. IT limitations

Based upon your analysis of all of the IT systems in the organization, where can the organization improve with the IT
systems that are used? The limitations should be focused mainly upon the issues with the specific technologies that
the firm is using currently.

3. Management and Governance of IT

a. Enterprise Architecture

Using the framework presented in the lectures, discuss the Enterprise Architecture in place for the organization. For
the data and information and the networks and infrastructure levels, a non-technical assessment of the capabilities of
the organization is sufficient.

b. Assessment of Enterprise Architecture

Based upon your discussion of the Enterprise Architecture of the firm, assess the EA maturity of the firm. Are the
dimensions of the firm inter-dependent? Or are alterations necessary?

c. Sourcing of IT

Present the outsourcing approach utilized by the organization. Discuss what aspects (if any) of IT are outsourced
versus kept-in-house.

d. Governance of IT

Present the governing architecture of the firm, focusing upon reporting relationships. Discuss any councils or
governing bodies that govern IT decisions. Then, using the framework presented in class, assess the input and
decision rights that are assigned within the firm.

e. Assessment of Governance

Based upon your discussion of the governance of the firm, assess the governance of the firm. Is the governance of
the firm appropriate (focusing upon the input/decision rights)? Or are alterations necessary?
f. Strategic assessment of IT

Analyze the strategic utilization of IT within the firm. First, analyze the strategy making process of IT within the
firm. To what extent does the firm utilize the strategic planning process outlined in the lecture and book? And,
based upon this, is IT and the business aligned? Use the strategic alignment framework presented in the lecture to
assess the strategic alignment of the firm to IT.

4. Grand IT Challenge

a. IT for Competitive Advantage

Is the firm using IT to gain a competitive advantage for the firm? If so, how are they doing this? If not, why not?

b. Grand IT Challenge

Based upon everything that you have analyzed about the company, what is the greatest IT challenge facing the
company. State the challenge and then analyze why this is a challenge for the firm. In this section, you are trying to
get to the root cause of the challenge so that you can effectively solve the problem. Reflect on the lectures and book
chapters to talk about where IT should take the organization moving forward to solve the grand challenge that you
described. Use all of the course material in giving your recommendations about the role of IT in the firm moving
forward.

5. Solving the Grand IT Challenge

Your final task is to solve the grand IT challenge for the organization. Create an implementation timeline that outlines
how this challenge can be implemented effectively and then how this solution is consistent with the organizational and
strategic direction for the firm as well as for IT within the organization.

Project Timeline

Nothing is due in Moodle until the final report and final presentation. But, to keep you on task, I would recommend that
you adhere to the following timeline.

Section Due Date

Section 1 End of week one (optional; suggested to keep you on task)
Section 2 End of week three (optional; suggested to keep you on task)
Section 3 End of week five (optional; suggested to keep you on task)
Section 4 End of week six (optional; suggested to keep you on task)
Final report and 5-minute End of week seven, 8 PM Saturday
presentation

Deliverables

There are two deliverables for this project:

• Deliverable #1: Final report. The final report is a Word document that includes all of the sections of the paper.

• Deliverable #2: 5-minute presentation. In Moodle, there is a link for a Kaltura video assignment. Using your
computer webcam, record yourself giving a presentation of your report. Be creative – you can integrate Power
Point slides if you wish or use any other resources at your disposal. Do not simply show yourself reading the
paper to us. You must (at a minimum) show your face or you will receive a zero for this assignment – do not just
record a PowerPoint presentation. Keep it under 5 minutes!
 Real Life Case Study Project
Grading Guide

There are 200 points available for this project: 125 points are devoted to paper content, 50 points to the style of the paper,
and 25 points to the video.

Paper Content [125 points]

About the Company [20 points]

Extremely Slightly Slightly Extremely

below below Average above above
average average average average
Quality of company 1 2 3 4 5
background discussion
Extent to which task met 1 2 3 4 5
objectives
Integration of course 2 4 6 8 10
material

Profile of Information Technology [20 points]

Extremely Slightly Slightly Extremely

below below Average above above
average average average average
Quality of IT background 1 2 3 4 5
discussion
Extent to which task met 1 2 3 4 5
objectives
Integration of course 2 4 6 8 10
material

Management and Governance of IT [20 points]

Extremely Slightly Slightly Extremely

below below Average above above
average average average average
Quality of IT organization 1 2 3 4 5
discussion
Extent to which task met 1 2 3 4 5
objectives
Integration of course material 2 4 6 8 10

Grand IT Challenge [30 points]

Extremely Slightly Slightly Extremely

below below Average above above
average average average average
Critical analysis of firm 2 4 6 8 10
Group’s understanding of firm 2 4 6 8 10
Extent to which grand challenge was 2 4 6 8 10
consistent with firm’s strategic and
operational direction
 Solving the Grand IT Challenge [35 points]

Extremely Slightly Slightly Extremely

below below Average above above
average average average average
Quality of recommendations 1 2 3 4 5
Critical analysis of grand challenge 1 2 3 4 5
Extent to which recommendation 1 2 3 4 5
was consistent with firm’s strategic
and operational direction
Group’s understanding of firm 1 2 3 4 5
Integration of course material 1 2 3 4 5
Extent to which recommendation 2 4 6 8 10
answered the grand challenge

Paper Style [50 points]

Below Above
Poor Average Excellent
Average Average
Business-appropriate language 2 4 6 8 10
Ease of reading 2 4 6 8 10
Grammar and spelling 2 4 6 8 10
Structure of paper (appropriate 2 4 6 8 10
headers, logical flow)
Writing quality 2 4 6 8 10

Video [25 points]

Below Above
Poor Average Excellent
Average Average
The organization of the information 1 2 3 4 5
within the video was…
The professionalism of the video 1 2 3 4 5
was…
The delivery of the audio within the 1 2 3 4 5
video was…
The pacing of the video was… 1 2 3 4 5
The integration and use of interview 1 2 3 4 5
was…