BA 471: MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS 

Oregon State University

Fall 2006

[Schedule] [PowerPoint] [Word Documents]

Instructor Contact Info:

Name: Dr. V.T. Raja

Phone: 737-6058

E-mail: Raja@bus.oregonstate.edu

Office: Bexell 405

Office Hours: Tuesday: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday: 4:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

Thursday: 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m., and by appointment.

Class Time/Place: Section 1: TR: 10:00 – 11:20 p.m., Bexell 207

Section 2: TR: 12 noon – 1:20 p.m., Bexell 321

Section 3: TR: 4:00 p.m. – 5:20 p.m., Bexell 321

Textbook: Authors: Ralph Stair and George Reynolds

Title: Principles of Information Systems

Edition: Custom Edition (selected chapters from seventh edition)

Publication: Thomson Course Technology (Copyright 2005); ISBN#: 1-4188-9584-9

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Information technology (IT) has been transforming business operations for decades, and the pace of change is only increasing.  To be successful in the "information age," organizations will need people who are knowledgeable about both the opportunities and the pitfalls associated with IT.  BA 471 has been designed to help OSU business students better understand IT, how organizations may tap the potential benefits of IT, and reduce the risks associated with IT.  For an organization to thrive in today’s business environment, managers and functional specialists in all areas – finance, accounting, marketing, production and operations management, human resources, and international business must perform their jobs effectively and efficiently.  The BA471 course helps students from different options understand that IT plays a major role in supporting all organizational personnel, (regardless of their functional areas), so that they can perform their jobs effectively and efficiently.  The course helps students understand that IT provides the tools that enable all organizational personnel to solve complex problems and to capitalize on opportunities that contribute to the success of an organization. 

The lectures, readings, and assignments will introduce you to a number of key concepts and timely issues related to IT applications in organizations.  Some major topics expected to be addressed include effect of IS/IT on competition, strategic role of IT, computer hardware, software, database, telecommunication networks, IT controls and governance, system development life cycle, and outsourcing of information systems.  

Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes:

After completing this course, you should be able to:

- Understand information systems, their role in businesses (strategic, operational, tactical, etc.);

- Understand what comprises information systems, the hardware and software technologies integrated to deliver the technology businesses require;

- Recognize the competitive edge – and limitations – that information technology offers to business, as well as its effects on productivity;

- Provide an overview of programming languages, the different generations of languages and current trends;

- Explain the principles and role of Open Source Software, its major players and representatives;

- Understand data base design, and differentiate between data warehouse, data mart and data mining;

- Understand the basic architecture of the world-wide web, as well as some of its governing protocols;

- Explain the practice and relevance of both the governance and auditing of information systems.

- Successfully collaborate with others, and use the practices of project management, to work on group tasks;

- Communicate – verbally and in writing – in acceptable business English about information technology practices and principles;

PREREQUISITES

Required: BA 271 (Information Technology in Business), BA 275 (Quantitative Business Methods), BA 340 (Finance), BA 350 (Organizational Systems), BA 357 (Operations Management), BA 390 (Marketing), and senior standing.  Highly desirable: Interest in learning how technology may be used to support and enhance the way businesses operate. 

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT/APPROACH

The course will use a variety of means to address the course objectives.  The lectures, readings, individual and group assignments will introduce you to a number of key concepts and timely issues related to IT applications in organizations. The assignments/projects will provide you an opportunity to explore and get exposure to business applications of information technology. 

COURSE READINGS

1) Reading chapter contents from textbook is expected, unless otherwise mentioned in class. Chapter readings will be assigned starting second week of classes.

2) Lecture notes and handouts distributed in class. 

3) There may also be additional readings available through the OSU library, and web links announced in class. 

GRADING

Tentatively, individual grades will be based on a weighted average as follows.  Instructor will announce in class, any changes to the weighted averages given below.

Class Participation 5%

Quizzes 15%

Assignments 25%

Exam 1 25%

Exam 2 30%

===

Total 100%

Expect individual grades to be assigned as follows:

A: student's overall score >= 93% C+: 77% <= score < 80%

A-: 90% <= score < 93% C: 73% <= score < 77%

B+: 87% <= score < 90% C-: 70% <= score < 73%

B: 83% <= score < 87% D+: 67% <= score < 70%

B-: 80% <= score < 83% D: 63% <= score < 67%  

F: Below 63%

GRADING: Notes and comments

· Exams: There will be one mid-term exam and one final exam.  The date, venue and date for the exams will be announced later in class.  All students are expected to be present for the exams at the announced date, time and venue.  It is the student’s responsibility to check with the instructor in a timely manner regarding the date, time and venue of the exams.  A student who expects that he/she would be unable to take the mid-term on scheduled date, must notify the instructor by the end of the fourth week of the term via e-mail and in person. Typically, no makeup exams will be given without the instructor’s prior approval.  Make-up exams for genuine reasons (such as medical emergency when supported with appropriate documentation), will typically be given only after the regularly scheduled exams. 

· If you miss class: If a student is unable to attend a class session, it is the student's responsibility to acquire the class notes, assignments, announcements, etc. from a classmate. The instructor will be unable to give private lectures for those that miss class.  If a student misses more than seven lectures then they could receive a severe penalty in their overall grade and may end up receiving an “F” grade in the class.  Switching among sections without instructor’s prior approval would be considered as missing class.  Please expect the instructor to make exceptions to this rule only if you have genuine reasons such as medical emergency, which should be supported with appropriate documentation.  If the instructor makes any exceptions to this ground rule, please expect penalty (up to 50%) to be assessed. Please note that usually all sections of BA471 run at full capacity. So, requesting for a change in section usually may result in an overcrowded class.

· Type the assignments: To receive full credit, homework assignments must be typed, have an appropriate cover page, checked for spelling, grammar, etc.

· Late submission of assignments: Your performance in this course will depend to a major extent on your ability to complete and submit your work assignments on time.  Assignments must be turned in before the specified deadlines.  Assignments will not be accepted for credit after the due date/time. (Note: A computer/network/printer crash is not an acceptable excuse for late assignments.)  If you have a legitimate personal emergency (e.g., health problem) that may impair your ability to turn in an assignment on time, you will have to take the initiative to contact the instructor before the due date/time (or as soon after your emergency as possible) to communicate the situation.  An emergency may be taken into account when dealing with situations of this type.  Be prepared to document your emergency.  If the instructor approves any late assignments, even then you may suffer a penalty of 20% of the assignment grade, for each day the assignment is late. 

· For obtaining prior approvals from instructor with regard to missing a class or submitting a late homework, 72-hour advance notice from the student is expected, for non-emergency situations.  Excuses without proper documentation are unacceptable. 

· Grade appeals: If you are not satisfied with a grade you have received for an exam, assignment, or quiz, the instructor will be willing to review the situation.  If you wish to appeal a grade, you may do so with a verbal request initially.  The instructor may ask you to submit a brief written summary of the situation to the instructor (e.g., an E-mail message), along with a justification of why you believe a better score is warranted. After reviewing the situation, the instructor will provide you a feedback.  Two key ground rules apply: 1) you must appeal for a grade correction within one week of the time the score (for your exam, homework, quiz, or participation) is made available to you, and 2) class time will not be used to discuss grade appeals. 

· Quizzes: Announced and unannounced quizzes may be given.  The unannounced quizzes may be given at any time during class session.  Typically, there will be no makeup quizzes.  If the instructor approves any makeup quizzes, even then the student may suffer a penalty (e.g., 50% off) on the total score obtained by the student for the makeup quiz.  If the instructor approves any makeup quizzes, even then the student should expect to complete the quiz before the quiz grades (feedback) are provided to the class, which could be as early as the class period following the administration of the quiz.   

· Participation: Participation scores will be evaluated based on several factors such as: 1) the quality of each student's individual contribution to the classroom lecture/discussion, 2) attendance, 3) punctuality, 4) group participation in class for team activities, and 5) classroom conduct.  E-mail participation is acceptable to a certain extent, but cannot be used to entirely substitute any of the above mentioned participation points evaluation criteria.  Full participation points are not given merely for attendance and group participation activities.  Individual participation points must be earned. Professional behavior is expected at all times. This includes active engagement in the activities in progress, positive contributions to discussions, demonstrating respect for others, and avoiding racial or discriminatory comments and avoiding harassing others.

If a student comes to class every day, is polite, but does not make a strong attempt to participate, then that student can expect to earn low credit for participation (50-60%) of participation points).  Students who participate occasionally (i.e., once every week or so), but do not do much to advance the discussion can expect to earn a somewhat higher grade (60-80%).  Students who consistently contribute to the classroom discussions and advance discussions in a meaningful and productive way will receive the highest grades (80-100%). 

· "Silent" participation: Students may wish to supplement their oral classroom contributions by participating "silently" by submitting contributions to the instructor (e.g., a relevant recent magazine clipping with description of why clipping is useful, a link to a relevant WWW site with description of why site is useful, an E-mail message which follows up on a class discussion, etc.).  As with in-class oral participation, the "silent" contributions will be evaluated for quality.  Selected "silent" contributions may be shared with the entire class via E-mail (so that the class may benefit from the contribution).  Note that "silent" contributions may be used as a supplement to class participation, but may not be used as a replacement for class attendance and/or class participation. 

· Incomplete grades: Incomplete grades are very rarely given.  Students will not be given an incomplete grade in the course unless there is a documented reason (e.g., medical reason) approved by the instructor and the conditions of the case warrant an incomplete grade.  Substandard performance does not warrant an incomplete grade. 

PERSPECTIVES OF ISSUES: Ethical, political, social, global, legal, regulatory and technological issues are integrated into BA471. 

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:

Oregon State University is committed to providing equal opportunity to higher education for academically qualified students without regard to a disability.  Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Office of Students with Disabilities (SSD) to learn more about their rights and responsibilities.  Students with documented disabilities who may need accommodations, who have any emergency medical information the instructor should know of, or who need special arrangements in the event of evacuation, should make an appointment with the instructor as early as possible, no later than the first week of the term. 

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Students are expected to uphold the OSU standard of conduct for students relating to academic dishonesty.  At OSU, academic dishonesty is defined as:

…academic dishonesty is defined as an intentional act of deception in which a student seeks to claim credit for the work or effort of another person or uses unauthorized materials or fabricated information in any academic work….

Students assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of the academic work they submit.  The guiding principle of academic integrity shall be that a student's submitted work, examinations, reports, and projects must be that student's own work for individual assignments, and the group’s own work for group assignments/projects.  Students shall be guilty of academic dishonesty if they:

1.   Use or obtain unauthorized materials or assistance in any academic work (i.e., cheating).

2.   Falsify or invent any information regarded as cheating by the instructor (i.e., fabrication)

3.   Give unauthorized assistance to other students (i.e., assisting in dishonesty).

4.   Represent the work of others as their own (i.e. plagiarism).

5.   Modify, without instructor approval, an examination, paper, record or report for the purpose of obtaining additional credit (i.e., tampering).

 The penalty for academic dishonesty is severe.  Any student guilty of academic dishonesty may be subject to receive a failing grade for the exam, assignment, quiz, or class participation exercise as deemed appropriate by the instructor.  In addition, the penalty could also imply that the student receive a failing grade for the course and be reported to the University officials at the College of Business, and the officials at the Office of Student Affairs. If a student is unclear about whether a particular situation may constitute academic dishonesty, the student should meet with the instructor to discuss the situation.