Required Text:
Essentials of Management Information Systems, by Kenneth Laudon and
Jane Laudon, 9th edition, Prentice Hall, 2011, ISBN 0-13-611099-1.
Description of Course:
Introduction to essentials of management information systems; describing
how people, organization and technology elements work together to create and
manage an information system solution to the business challenges;
emphasizing how business objectives shape the application of new information
systems and technologies. Prerequisites:
BUS115 or CSC151/CIS151 & CSC152/CIS152.
Objectives of Course:
The growth of the Internet, the globalization of trade, and the rise of information economies have recast the role
of information systems in business and management. Internet technology is supplying the foundation for new business models,
new business processes, and new ways of distributing knowledge. Information systems knowledge and skills are
essential for creating competitive firms, managing global corporations, and providing useful products and
services to customers. Many businesses look for candidates who know how to
use information systems, making a general understanding of information
systems an asset to any business student. This course provides an introduction to management information systems that business students
will find vital to their professional success. The objectives of this course are as follows:
- Give you an in-depth understanding how information technology can be used to improve management and to solve
business problems.
- Strengthen your analytical and decision-making skills.
- Offer in-depth cases that illustrate the use of technology.
- Provide exercises and group assignments that allow you to interact with a computer, to use application
software to solve managerial problems, and to work with a team.
- Assist you in planning a career in the information systems field.
- Promote team-work skill.
- Lead you in self-managed learning, fostering the development of cognitive habits and skills that
enable you to become an independent learner.
- Give you a sense of the adventure of learning.
Importance of the Course
Today, computers are everywhere. Advances in information technology are creating a new infrastructure for business,
scientific research, social interaction, and education. The workforce in the information age is participating in a
global economy in which work is increasingly complex, broad collaboration is essential, more interactions are needed,
and high-skill jobs demand complex thinking and reasoning. This means that future workforce is required to effectively
use information technology to remain competitive, employ creativity and critical thinking to solve problems, possess
the ability to communicate and collaborate with others, and have the capacity to readily acquire new knowledge and
skills. Computers have become the tools people use to access information and communicate with others around the world.
No matter what your chosen profession - whether it is accounting, finance, economics, marketing, MIS, clinical lab,
sciences, or engineering - to a major extent your future will be impacted by information technology.
Business is accelerating at a breakneck pace. The more information a
business acquires, the more difficult it becomes to make decisions. The
amount of information people must understand to make good decisions is
growing exponentially. In the past, people could rely on manual
processes to make decision because they had limited amounts of
information to process. Today, with massive columns of available
information it is almost impossible for people to make decisions without
the aid of information systems. High complex decisions-involving far
more information than the human brain can comprehend-must be made in
increasingly shorter time frames. Managers must depend on information
systems to make decisions for the following reasons:
- People need to analyze large amounts of information -
Improvements in technology itself, innovations in communication, and
globalization have resulted in a dramatic increase in the alternatives and
dimensions people need to consider when making a decision or appraising an
opportunity.
- People must make decision quickly - Time is of the essence and
people simply do not have time to sift through all the information manually.
- People must apply sophisticated analysis techniques, such as modeling
and forecasting to make good decision - Information systems
substantially reduce the time required to perform these sophisticated
analysis techniques.
- People must protect the corporate asset of organizational information
- Information systems offer the security required to ensure organizational
information remains safe.
The scope of responsibilities of a business professional today ranges not only throughout the organization but also
throughout the entire interconnected network of suppliers, customers, competitors, and other entities, no matter where
they may be located. This broad scope offers business professionals a new challenge: how to help the organization
survive in a highly interconnected, highly competitive international environment. Your opportunities
for employment and for future advancement will be greatly influenced by your abilities to harness the power of
computing machinery.
Teaching Philosophy and Methods
Traditional instruction method is becoming increasingly obsolete in the information age where dynamic change in
organizations continually forces the integration of new and innovative technologies and processes into the workplace.
Organizations more often restructure the knowledge and skills set of their workforce. Given this trend, we must emphasize
the learning environment that enable individuals to understand the changing world, create new knowledge, and
shape their own destinies. We must respond to new challenges by promoting learning in all aspects of life, through
all institutions of society, in effect, creating environments in which living is learning.
This MIS course is based on the belief that learning is a constructive activity that the learners themselves have to carry out.
This course presents the learning material and provides learning tools, but cannot impose understanding, for
it must come from within. In other words, learning is active mental work, not passive reception of information.
Learners construct their knowledge and understanding from their learning experiences.
You will benefit from small-group interaction, team-work project and
self-directed learning in this course. The focus of this course is the facilitation of active learners, not the production of passive knowers.
The philosophy of this course is: learning by doing. Learning resources
will revolve around the basic concepts of information systems and the fundamental
knowledge and skills you need to understand
how people develop information systems and how computers are used in the these systems. Exercises and assignments
will allow you to interact with a computer and actually learn by using the computer.
The assignments and group project are designed to assist you in learning to design and develop hands-on computer
applications to solve managerial problems.
Active learning and cooperation among students are encouraged in this course. Due to the technical and intensive
nature of this course, it is essential that you allocate adequate time to prepare for every class and lab session
and to keep up with the assignment. Do not get behind!
My Expectations
I expect that:
- You have motivation to learn information technology
- You take advantage of this course to develop computing knowledge and skills
- You are actively involved in the learning process
- You are an active member in your team
- You have knowledge and
skill to use Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint (These knowledge and skills
should be taught in BUS115 or CSC151/CIS151 & CSC152/CIS152. If you don't
have these knowledge and skills, please contact Brenda Harrison brendaha@umflint.edu for tutoring).
- You help me create a productive and encouraging learning environment by telling me your comments and suggestion
Policies
- Attendance: Attendance is required according to new university
attendance policy. In this course, non-attendance will affect your final
grade in the following way:
- If your total score is in A level, non-attendance will not affect your final grade
- If your total score is in B level, one point will be taken off from your total score for each missed class
- If your total score is in C or D level, two points will be taken off from your total score for each missed class
- Homework: You will be normally given one assignment each week. Assignments should be turned in by
midnight on the due date. Late assignments will only be accepted for two
days. 25% off for the first day late, and 50% off for the second day late. If you have difficulty with your assignment
you are expected to ask me for help.
I encourage you to study with your
classmates for the assignments. But you should do your assignment by your
own. In other words, you cannot copy other student's work or let other
person copy yours. For any violation, I will report it to the SOM
administrator. For the first violation, you will be given zero for the
assignment; for the second violation, you will be given "E" for the
course. Obviously it's against the academic rules to copy chunks from your
friend's homework, and it's also plagiarism to borrow passages from books or
articles or Web sites without identifying them. You know that the purpose of
any work is to show your own thinking, not create a patchwork of borrowed
ideas. You cannot use Copy/Paste to copy any content from the e-cook or other
web sites to answer the questions in assignment. You should type the
answers.
When sending your assignments through email, please put your name,
class, and assignment number into "Subject:"; for example,
"Kent Lee, Bus381, Assignment 3". I don't grade any assignment
which is without identification.
Use a word processing software
such as Microsoft Word to do your assignments. Put your name, assignment
number and date on the left upper corner of the page as illustrated in the
following image:
- Exams: There will be three tests.
The multiple-choice questions in each test will be selected from the Reviews Questions. Make-up
test will be given only in the case of emergencies.
- Group Project: There will be one group project. Detail on the project can be found on
the project web page.
Students should participate in project. Throughout the project you are working in team to develop a system to solve a
business problem and deal with a real-world application case. It is your
team's responsibility to identify the communication methods used by your
team members and determine the time and place for your team meeting and
activities. As a
part of your grade, you are being asked to evaluate your team members for
their performance in the
project. If you submit the evaluation form, you will
earn 10 points.
- SOM Laptop/Wireless Devices Policy:
School of Management doesn't allow use of laptops, PDA's, cell phones, or
any other wireless device during class time, unless allowed specifically by
the instructor. In cases where laptop use is allowed, the usage is limited
to academic work only. You are not to connect the laptop to the network
unless explicitly required by the instructor. Any use of these devices for
non-class activities during class time will be considered a serious
violation.
- Incomplete Grade: A student whose work is incomplete in a minor
way at the end of the term, or who is unavoidably absent from the final exam
for a reason considered executable by the instructor, may receive an I
(Incomplete). According to University's policy on incomplete grades, the
grade of I may be awarded where the course requirements have not been
satisfied by a student for reasons beyond his/her control and which are
acceptable to the instructor. A grade of I is recorded as a failing grade if
all work is not satisfactorily completed by the end of the fifth week of the
next official semester. In extenuating circumstances, the Academic Review
Committee may grant an extension of time. A student's petition must be
endorsed by the instructor and received by the Committee before the
expiration of the specified five-week period.
- Standards of Honesty: The university's policy on academic dishonest will be strictly followed in this course.
Any incident of academic misconduct would be handled through the UM process. All assignments, tests, and papers are
to be considered individual work unless the instructor specifically identifies an assignment as a group assignment.
Please refer to the "Academic
Integrity Policy" for general definitions of academic misconduct.
- SOM Accessibility Policy: School of Management provides its
students with disabilities the necessary tools for empowerment,
self-advocacy, and independence in the university environment through
Accessibility Service of the University. To request academic accommodations
due to a disability, please contact Accessibility Services in 264 UCEN,
762-3456.
Grading:
There are 1000 points possible for this course. Please don't ask for extra
credit.
| Tests (T) |
240 |
| Group Projects (GP) | 200
|
| Peer Evaluation (PE)
| 10 |
| Assignments (HW) | 550 |
| Total
| 1000 |
| Final Grades
|
| A+:
| 975 - 1000
| A:
| 925 - 974
| A-:
| 900 - 924
|
| B+:
| 875 - 899
| B:
| 825 - 874
| B-:
| 800 - 824
|
| C+:
| 775 - 799
| C:
| 725 - 774
| C-:
| 700 - 724
|
| D+:
| 675 - 699
| D:
| 625 - 674
| D-:
| 600 - 624
|
| E:
| < 600 | | | |
|
|
You can turn in your completed assignment anytime by the due date. Usually I
grade your assignment within 48 hours after you turned it in. It is your
responsibility to make sure that I have graded your assignments and posted your
grade on the grade page. Your scores are
posted on the Grade page. If you don't want your scores displayed on the Grade
page, please notify me through email.