DIS620: MIS in Decision Making: Fall 2003

Section 401, Tuesday, 6:00‑8:30, 309 Gatton

 

Instructor: Prof. Al Lederer

Office: 425C Gatton, School of Management, UK, Lexington, KY 40506-0034

Hours: Tuesday 3:15‑5:00 PM; Thursday, 3:15-4:30; also by appointment

Phone: 257‑2536 (o), 257‑8031 (office fax), 278‑4499 (h)

E‑mail: Lederer@uky.edu

Web: www.uky.edu/~lederer and www.uky.edu/~lederer/dis620.htm

 

            The objective of this course is to prepare students to be more effective and efficient users or managers of information systems for managerial planning and control. To accomplish this, students will learn about basic concepts about the use of information systems within organizations; hardware, software, database, and telecommunications technologies; potential applications of information systems; and the development and acquisition of information systems.

 

Date

Topics

2-Sep

Welcome; Foundations (chapter 1)

9-Sep

Foundations (ch 1); Information Systems within the Enterprise (ch 2)

16-Sep

Organizations, Management, Strategy (ch 3)

23-Sep

E-Commerce (ch 4)

30-Sep

Ethics (ch 5); International Issues (ch 15)

7-Oct

Test 1 (ch 1-5, 15)

14-Oct

Hardware & Software (ch 6)

21-Oct

Database Management Systems (ch 7)

28-Oct

Telecommunications (ch 8); Presentation topic due

4-Nov

The Internet (ch 9)

11-Nov

Systems Development and Acquisition (ch 12 & 13)

18-Nov

Test 2 (ch 6-9, 12-13)

25-Nov

Presentations

2-Dec

Presentations

9-Dec

Presentations

Dec15-19

MBA Program Event

 

Text: Lauden, K.C. and Lauden, J.P. Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm, Prentice Hall, eighth edition, 2004.

 

Tasks

Class Participation

            Participate in class by discussing the answers to the Case Study Questions from the text. For each assigned Case Study Question, type brief answers and be prepared to you discuss them. Your answers for the day's Case Study Question will be collected intermittently, and applied to your homework score. Also, participate in class by responding to questions or asking meaningful ones.

 


Presentation

            Form a group with one or two others with similar interests in your section of DIS620. Consider an information systems question of interest to all of you. It may be related strictly to information systems or it may be related to both information systems and another area of your interest such as your MBA concentration or career plans. You may want to skim the textbook for ideas. Some possible examples of questions (neither required nor recommended!) are:

‑What are the current and future impacts of information systems on a particular career?

‑What are the current and future impacts of information systems on a particular industry?

‑What is virtual banking?

‑Why are information systems projects often delivered late?

‑How do search engines work?

            By the beginning of class on the "Presentation question due" date in the schedule, one member of your group must e‑mail the question to the instructor with the names of each member of the team and with a copy to each. You may be asked to change your question so begin developing the presentation in earnest only after you have received approval by e‑mail.

            On the first day of "Presentations" in the syllabus, turn in a one page, double‑spaced abstract that summarizes the answer to your question, a printed version of a PowerPoint slideshow (its format is described below) that will accompany your presentation, and a list of 10 to 20 references (per team member) from journals or other periodicals or books (excluding your textbook) on which your presentation is based. You may include World Wide Web references but if you do, you must print and keep a copy of each relevant page when you view it.

            Your references should be alphabetized and formatted like this:

Lederer, A.L. and Mahaney, R.C. "Using CASE Tools in Strategic IS," Information Systems Management, 13(4), Fall 1996, pp. 47‑51.

Lederer, A.L. "My Search for the Great Spirit," http://www.uky.edu/~lederer/mysearch.htm, September 17, 2003.

            Please include the author, title, URL, and date for Web references. If the Web page has no date, use the date on which you viewed and printed it. Use Anonymous for the author if the page has none.

            On your assigned date, give a PowerPoint slide presentation. Just before you begin it, give each student a printed copy of your slides in "Handouts (3 per page)" format if you use graphics or in "Outline" format if you do not use graphics. A duration will be announced later in the term and will depend on the number of presenters. Do not exceed it. Make your presentation as interesting and understandable as possible.

            Attend each session during which other students give presentations. Attendance will be taken. If you must miss one or more sessions for any reason, you must write a paper to avoid receiving zero credit for your own presentation. The requirements for the paper will be made available later in the semester.

            A late paper receives partial credit.

 

Homework Assignments

            A few homework tasks will be assigned during the term. Answers to the Case Study Questions  ‑ when collected ‑ count as homework. Late homework receives partial credit.

 

Test 1

            A test on the date in the schedule covers the designated chapters.

 

Test 2

            A test on the date in the schedule covers the designated chapters.

 

Task Weights in Grading

            10% Class Participation

            15% Presentation

            15% Homework Assignments

            20% The lower of test 1 and test 2

            40% The higher of test 1 and test 2

 

Late work receives partial credit. A final percentage of 90% guarantees an A and 80% guarantees a B.