BA 483 – IT Strategy and E-Commerce - Course Syllabus

 

PowerPoint Slides                  MSWord Documents

 

INSTRUCTOR:         Dr. V.T. Raja  

OFFICE:                      Bexell 405

PHONE:                      541-737-6058

E-MAIL:                      Raja@bus.oregonstate.edu

 

OFFICE HOURS:       First week of term and finals week: By Appointment

Tuesday:           6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday:     11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.;

Thursday:         1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., and by appointment. 

CLASS TIMING:      Section 1: TR 4 p.m.-5:50 p.m.

CLASSROOM:          BEXELL 207

 

COURSE OVERVIEW:

This course, a capstone course for MIS option students, is organized as a miscellaneous topics course with a term long project component.  This term the course will expose students to a number of key concepts and timely issues related to information systems/information technology (IS/IT) applications in organizations.  In particular, the lecture component of the course has two tracks. 

 

The first track covers IT strategy concepts such as:

v     using IS/IT to influence competition (based on Michael Porter’s Competitive Forces Model)

v     using IS/IT to facilitate value chain activities and linkages

v     using IS/IT to facilitate business process reengineering

v     strategic information systems

 

The second track exposes students to some fundamental issues in the e-commerce environment from security, legal, ethical, and international perspectives.  With regard to legal issues, a guest lecture is expected to be arranged in order to cover some current legal topics in the electronic commerce environment.  With regard to security issues, students learn about desirable properties for a secure communication. In particular, they learn about:

v     network availability and access control

v     confidentiality

v     authentication and

v     message integrity

A framework is provided to enable students to understand management’s role in cyber security.  Students gain a fundamental understanding of physical security, firewalls, symmetric key and public key cryptography.  Applications of algorithms such as 3DES, AES, RSA, MD5 and SHA are discussed. Students learn about Key Distribution Centers, Kerberos, certification authorities and digital signatures. 

 

The project component typically requires students to work on term long group projects. Clients for the project are usually small organizations or some division(s) of a large organization with operations in the State of Oregon.  The deliverables for this project are related to topics covered in the first track of the lecture component, and also typically involve the development of a prototype website that interacts with a database. Being a capstone course, students are expected to integrate their knowledge/skills gained from their MIS option classes and other courses such as Project Management and Strategic Management and Business Policy. 

 

The project will be divided into different parts for ease of implementation.  Details on all parts of the project will be provided in a separate handout.  Confidential evaluations of team members and self are included and will count towards each student’s project performance.  The project may also involve an in-class presentation by each team, although the presentation may be viewed as an in-class assignment and not as an explicit deliverable for the group project. 

 

PREREQUISITES

This is a required class for students in the MIS option.  Students taking this course should have successfully completed BA370, BA371, BA479, and also should be of senior standing.  It is highly recommended that students concurrently take BA372 if they have not already completed that course. 

 

READINGS

There is no required textbook for this course.  Instead, the instructor will provide lecture notes in class.  Handouts distributed in class will be posted on the course website.  For some lectures, readings may be assigned and information about these readings would be made available in the course website.  Some readings may be accessible through web links, the URLs of which will be announced in class. 

 

Note: Some announcements for this class may be made via COB e-mail. 

 

Class participation will be evaluated based on: attendance, (verbal) quality contributions to classroom lectures/discussions, punctuality, classroom conduct, and (written) quality contributions to the instructor (e.g., a relevant article, a relevant web site, an e-mail message following a class discussion, etc.).  If an individual comes to class every day, is punctual and polite, but does not make a strong attempt to participate, then that individual will earn low credit for class contribution (60% of contribution points).  Individuals who contribute occasionally, but do not do much to advance the discussion will earn a somewhat higher grade (70-80%).  Individuals who consistently contribute to the classroom discussions and advance discussions in a meaningful and productive way will receive the highest grades (90-100%). 

 

Exams are scheduled to be held in class during class time.  Any changes to the time or venue will be announced in class.  Date(s) for the exam will be announced in a separate handout that provides a schedule for BA483 lectures this term.  It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor directly to find out if any announcements have been made regarding the exam date, time and venue.  Exam(s) will be of a closed book/closed notes format.  A student who is unable to take the exam during their scheduled times, must notify the instructor within one week of announcement about exam date and make alternate arrangements for a make-up exam with the instructor.  Typically no makeup exams will be given if the instructor does not approve an excused absence for the student in advance.  In case of illness, appropriate medical documentation has to be provided to the instructor. 

 

GRADING POLICY: Individual grades will be based on a ‘weighted’ average as follows:

Exam 1                                                 20%

Exam 2                                                 25%

Class Participation                                5%

Assignments                                         15%

Team Project                                        35%

                                                            ------

Total                                                    100%

                                                            -------

Individual grades will be assigned as follows:

A:         score >= 93%

A-:       90% <=  score  < 93%

B+:       87% <=  score  < 90%

B:         83% <= score  <  87%

B-:       80% <= score  <  83%

C+:      77% <= score  <  80%

C:         73% <= score  <  77%

C-:       70% <= score  <  73%

D+:      67% <= score  <  70%

D:         63% <= score  <  67%

F:         score < 63%

 

 

Assignments may include mini-case analysis, in-class presentations, and submitting handouts (e.g., PowerPoint handouts) for such presentations.  Assignments are typically in-class assignments.  Some assignment(s) may be of a take-home nature.  To receive full credit for take home assignments and PowerPoint handouts, these should be typed and must be of a professional quality (e.g., spell check, grammar, use of non-sexist language).  Late submission of assignments will result in a 20% penalty for each day the homework is late.  A computer/printer crash is not an acceptable excuse for late submissions.  As mentioned earlier, the project may also involve an in-class presentation by each team, although the presentation will be viewed as an assignment and not as an explicit deliverable for the group project.   

 

Students who miss an assignment without prior permission of the instructor are typically not allowed to make up the assignment, except for illness with documentation, and emergency reasons supported by appropriate documentation.  In all other cases, even if students are allowed to make up an assignment, such a make up will have to be submitted to the instructor before the assignment feedback is provided (could be as early as next class session), and a penalty of up to 50% may be levied.  It is the student’s responsibility to schedule a make up assignment or exam with the instructor at appropriate times.  It is expected that students will notify instructor via e-mail at least one day in advance of missing any class. 

 

Grade Appeals: If you are not satisfied with a grade you have received for an exam, or assignment, you are welcome to discuss it with the instructor after class hours.  Written grade appeals with appropriate justification have to be made within one week from the time the grades are given out by the instructor.  Incomplete grades will be given only under circumstances deemed unusual by the instructor, and will require appropriate documentation. 

 

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 AND STUDENT CONDUCT

Students are expected to uphold the OSU standard of conduct for students relating to academic dishonesty, harassment etc.

As described in the "Student Life Policies and Regulations",

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.

 

Any student guilty of academic dishonesty is subject to receive a failing grade for the course and to be reported to 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. 

 

Students are expected to uphold the OSU standard of student conduct.  Please refer to: http://oregonstate.edu/admin/stucon/regs.htm http://oregonstate.edu/admin/stucon/oars.htm#acdis

for details on student conduct and academic dishonesty.  Feel free to talk to the instructor if you have any questions about the above two important issues. 

 

PERSPECTIVES OF ISSUES

A variety of perspectives recommended by the AACSB are addressed in the BA 483 course: ethical issues (assigned reading), political/social issues (specific lecture and assigned reading), legal/regulatory issues (specific lecture and assigned reading), and technological issues (integrated throughout course). 

 

Schedule of Lectures

 

BA483 – Spring 2007 – Tentative Schedule of Lectures: April 2 – June 7, 2007

 

Date

Lecture Topics

 

Week # 1 – Introduction

April 3 (Lecture # 1)

Tuesday

Syllabus; Course Overview; Student Questionnaire

Brief introduction to group project

Classification and types of Information Systems

April 5 (Lecture # 2)

Thursday

ERP; Business Intelligence

Group Project – Preliminary discussion among group members and clarifications with instructor in his office if necessary

 

 

Week # 2 - Module # 1 – Alignment of IS/IT with Business Strategy

April 10 (Lecture # 3)

Tuesday

Effective/Efficient use of IS/IT

IS/IT and Michael Porter’s Competitive Forces Framework

April 12 (Lecture # 4)

Thursday

IS/IT and Value Chain Framework

IS/IT and Business Process Reengineering; Virtual Organizations

IS/IT and Competitive Advantage

 

 

Week # 3 – Module 1 (Continued)

April 17 (Lecture # 5)

Tuesday

IS Project Management

Application System Documentation

Group Project Discussions – First deliverables for group project due

Assignment discussion among group members – while instructor is discussing about client/team selection with other groups

April 19 (Lecture # 6)

Thursday

Strategic Information Systems frameworks and applications

Risks associated with IS/IT

 

 

Week # 4 – Complete Module 1 and Introduction to Module 2

April24 (Lecture # 7)

Tuesday

Complete Module 1 (Aligning IS/IT with Business Strategy/Needs)

Report for Part 1 of project due

April 26 (Lecture # 8)

Thursday

Management and Planning of IS - Operational reviews

IS Project Management

Security Basics; Need for securing IT resources

Group Project - meeting regarding Part 2 of project

 

 

Week # 5 – Exam 1 and Group Project Discussions

May 1 (Lecture # 9)

Tuesday

Exam 1 – In-class (Closed Notes; Content: Module 1)

 

May 3 (Lecture # 10)

Thursday

Characteristics of Secure Communication; Ciphers

Group Project Discussions – Second meeting regarding Part 2 of project. 

Week # 6 – Module 2 – Security

Date                                        Lecture Topic

May 8 (Lecture # 11)

Tuesday

Symmetric Key and Public Key Cryptography

Introduction to Digital Signatures, Key Management

 

May 10 (Lecture # 12)

Thursday

Guest Lecture by:

Mr. James Farricker – Boeing/University of Washington)

Firewalls, Digital Signatures, Key Management, Network Security

 

 

Week # 7 – Module 2 – Security (Continued)

May 15 (Lecture # 13)

Tuesday

Physical IT Security

Group Project Day – First meeting regarding Part 3 of project

Part 2 of project due by 4 p.m. on Tuesday (May 15)

Exam 1 Feedback

May 17 (Lecture # 14)

Thursday

Guest Lecture by Mr. John Scrimsher – Hewlett Packard

Host based security, malware, social engineering, intrusion detection and prevention systems

 

 

Week # 8 – Module 2 – Security (Continued)

May 22 (Lecture # 15)

Tuesday

Security – Part 4 (Management’s role in cyber security)

May 24 (Lecture # 16)

Thursday

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning; Review for Exam 2

 

 

 

Week # 9 – Exam 2 and some legal issues in e-commerce

May 29 (Lecture # 17)

Tuesday

Exam 2

May 31 (Lecture # 18)

Thursday

Guest Lecture by Dr. Nancy King

Applications of e-business issues and trends: Some legal issues in e-commerce; Trademarks, Copyrights, Patents

Part 3 of Project due by Friday (June 1) at 5 p.m.

 

 

Week # 10 and Finals Week – Group Project Presentations

June 5 (Lecture # 19)

Tuesday

Testing; Business Impact of IT

Group Project Presentations begin

June 7 (Lecture # 20)

Thursday

Valuation of Assets

Application System Documentation and Project Presentations continue through during finals week

Peer evaluations due by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, June 7

 

This is a tentative schedule – and is subject to change at instructor’s discretion. 

 

 

 

Students interested in pursuing the CISA certification given by ISACA could use the table below to map the ISACA Compliance Grid to relevant topics in BA483 

 

 

ISACA Model Curriculum

Relevant Subtopics in BA483

Hours

Figure 2:

IS/IT Strategic Planning

  • IS/IT Strategic Planning
  • Competitive Strategies
  • Strategic Information Systems frameworks and applications;
  • Classification and types of Information Systems

6

IS/IT Management Issues

  • Some legal issues in e-commerce
  • Trademarks, copyrights, patents

2

Techniques

  • Operational reviews

2

 

Figure 3:

Service Center Management

 

 

  • Security Management

2

 

Figure 4:

Information Assets Security Management

  • Need for securing IT resources
  • Security basics and concept of IT security
  • Policy framework on IT assets security

3

Applied IT Security

  • Principles of network security
  • Firewalls basics
  • Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)
  • Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS)
  • Symmetric Key Cryptography
  • Public Key Cryptography
  • Digital Signatures and Key Management

7

Physical and Environmental Security

  • Environmental issues and exposures
  • Concepts on physical IT security
  • Physical access exposures and controls

1

 

Figure 5:

Protection of the IT Architecture

  • Management support and commitment to the disaster recovery/business continuity process
  • Testing, maintenance and revision of the plan; training
  • Valuation of assets: equipment, people, information process, technology

2

 

Figure 6:

IS Planning

Information Management and Usage

  • ERP software enterprise applications integration
  • Knowledge management systems and data warehouses

2

Development, Acquisition of IS

  • IS Project Management

2

Impact of IT

  • Applications of e-business issues and trends

2

 

Figure 7:

Audit and Development of Application Controls

  • Application system documentation

4

Total

35