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Tentative Syllabus

CIS-601DE Information Systems and Technology

Summer I, 2017 (May 8-June 24)

Dr. Abbas Foroughi - Office: BE2069 Office Phone: 465-1667 E-MAIL: aforough@usi.edu, Office Hours: Tues. 10-11:30 and 1:30-3:00; Thurs. 1:00-3:00; or by appointment

Homepage: http://faculty.usi.edu/aforough When you email me, always begin the “Subject” of your message with “CIS601.”

COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this course, you will learn how to think strategically about information systems. You will explore the relationships between organizational strategies and the implementation of IT, as well as the models and methods for aligning a business strategy with appropriate investment in information technology infrastructure and services. You will develop a deeper understanding of the vital role of information systems in supporting the organization's business processes, achieving an edge over its competitors, and enhancing the decision-making of its managers and staff. You will evaluate a variety of information and technical architectures and the ways they relate to different business strategies; as well as the strategy and policies used to ensure that investments in these information technologies will deliver real value for the organization. You will also develop an awareness of issues in information systems, such as those concerning sustainability and green initiatives, ethical and social challenges, change management, and information security.

Course Objectives Explain how information systems aid and constrain business organizations and create opportunities.

Identify the relationship between business strategy, information systems strategy, and organizational strategy (structure).

Explain how IS/IT is/can be used to create competitive advantage in organizations.

Evaluate how IS/IT impacts business decisions, business processes, and the design of work (jobs) in the business organization.

Familiarize students with the vocabulary of IS management and be able to participate in IS management decisions.

Develop in students an understanding of the basics of managing the IS organization (governance) and funding IS/IT.

Introduce the security threats that exist to information systems and ways of mitigating risk.

Emphasize the ethical and moral considerations in the use of IS in business and translate this knowledge into ethical decision making.

Develop in students an appreciation for the role of knowledge management (KM), business intelligence (BI), and business analytics (BA) in the business organization.

This course supports the MBA Program Objectives in the following ways: An in-depth understanding of the functional fields of business and their interrelationships in complex

organizations. Both the textbook and the IT Savvy text emphasize the interrelatedness of all business functional areas and how information systems enable the integration of the information from all functions to facilitate strategic decision making.

Experience with applied quantitative and behavioral tools of business analysis and decision-making: Students will learn to use Tableau software, a powerful business analysis tool; the textbook also familiarizes students with other software for this purpose.

The ability to think critically and creatively within a global business context. Both the textbook and the IT Savvy text emphasize the importance of information systems in helping companies obtain a competitive edge in global markets.

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A heightened sense of ethical considerations in decision-making within the business world. The textbook covers ethical concerns related to the use of information technology.

Improved communication and decision-making skills through utilization of information technology. Both the textbook and the IT Savvy text emphasize how information technology improve, enhance, and offer new avenues for communication, among employees, within an enterprise, with suppliers, and with customers. Students will complete and critiqued the assignments of other students on the Blackboard Discussion Board.

REQUIRED TEXTS: Managing and Using Information Systems: A Strategic Approach 6th Edition by Keri E. Pearlson, Carol S. Saunders, and Dennis F. Galletta. John Wiley & Sons, 2016.

IT Savvy: What Top Executives Must Know to Go from Pain to Gain By Peter Weill and Jeanne W. Ross, Harvard Business School Press, 2009.

PREREQUISITES: None

MAJOR STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

Explain how companies can align information strategy with business and organizational strategies.

Describe how a business can achieve competitive advantage using its IS.

Detail how organizational decisions impact IS decisions, and vice versa.

Evaluate how the work of the individual in an organization is affected by decisions concerning IS.

Identify ways in which information systems are integrated with business processes.

Describe the components of an IS architecture.

Explain how IS can be kept secure.

Detail how an IT organization is managed and funded.

Demonstrate how IS decisions are made.

Compare and contrast the sources that should provide IS services and how and where they should be provided.

Outline how IS projects are managed and risks from change management mitigated.

Explain how business intelligence is managed within an organization and analyze and present data with Tableau software.

Analyze and debate the ethical and moral considerations that bind the uses of information in business.

DISABILITY SUPPORT: If you have a disability for which you may require academic accommodations for this class, please contact Disability Resources at 812-464-1961 or email Ronda Stone at rfstone@usi.edu as soon as possible. Students who are approved for accommodations by Disability Resources should request their accommodation letter be sent to their online instructors. Due to the nature of online courses some accommodations approved for on campus courses may not apply. Please discuss this with Disability Resources to clarify as needed. Students who receive an accommodation letter from Disability Resources are encouraged to discuss the provisions of those accommodations with their professors before or during the first week of the semester. If you will be in an internship, field, clinical, student teaching, or other off-campus setting this semester please note that approved academic accommodations may not apply. Please contact Disability Resources as soon as possible to discuss accommodations needed for access while in this setting. For more information, please visit the Disability Resources website at http://www.usi.edu/disabilities.

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT POLICY: USI does not tolerate acts of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment and all forms of sexual violence. If you have

experienced sexual misconduct, or know someone who has, the University can help. It is important to know that federal

regulations and University policy require faculty to promptly report incidences of potential sexual misconduct known to them to

the Title IX Coordinator to ensure that appropriate measures are taken and resources are made available. The University will

work with you to protect your privacy by sharing information with only those who need to know to ensure we can respond and

assist. If you are seeking help and would like to speak to someone confidentially, you can make an appointment with a

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counselor in the University Counseling Center. Find more information about sexual violence, including campus and

community resources at www.usi.edu/stopsexualassault.

BLACKBOARD: For this course, you will use Blackboard for Written Assignment submission and the Final Exam. Grades,

assignment information, and exams will be distributed via Blackboard. If you experience problems with access or retrieval of information, you need to contact the Instructional Technology Services Office at USI directly at 465-7182. If you have issues accessing library resources, please call 461-5328. Grades and assignment information will be distributed via Blackboard. If you experience problems with access or retrieval of information, you need to contact the Instructional Technology Services Office at USI directly at 465-7182.

COMMUNICATION POLICY: If there is an urgent matter, please let me know and we will address it as needed. I check my email each day. IF YOU HAVE TECHNOLOGY PROBLEMS OVER THE WEEKEND, CALL ME at my office number (812-465-1667).

STUDENT CONDUCT: USI policies and regulations governing the conduct of students and the procedures for handling violations of these policies and regulations apply to all students and can be found in the USI Bulletin. These policies cover a variety of forms of academic misconduct, such as cheating, fabrication, and plagiarism. Any form of academic misconduct on exams, papers, or assignments will not be tolerated in this class. Please note that, in accordance with university policy, you cannot use materials for this class that you have used or are using for a grade in another class.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:

Academic dishonesty such as plagiarism, cheating, etc. WILL NOT be tolerated. Any student found violating this rule of honesty risks a grade of “0” for the assignment/test (at the very least) and possible expulsion from the class. Please consult the student handbook for specifics in this area.

INCOMPLETE GRADES: Students will be given a grade of “I” (incomplete) at the end of the semester only in the event of extreme hardship for circumstances that arise near the end of the term. A grade of “I” is not to be used to offset poor time management skills that result in unfinished/unacceptable work .

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS: Your course activities for each week are described on Blackboard. After logging in, click on the course name in the upper right hand corner. Then, click on the week you need: Week 1, Week 2, etc., and you will get to the assignment page for that week. All assignments are individual and are to be submitted on Blackboard.

1. Textbook Chapter and IT Savvy Reading Assignments: A link to a detailed PowerPoint in the textbook is included with each reading assignment. Make a new folder "CIS601DE PPTs" on your computer desktop to store the chapter PowerPoints. Each week, open the PowerPoint, do a Save As, and put it in your "CIS601DE PPTs" folder.

2. Written Assignments (4 x 15 points = 60 points):

Go to the course site on Blackboard, click on the week you want in the red course menu, find the Written Assignment link and enter your answers to the questions in the Submission field below. Be sure to include your name. Scroll down and click on SUBMIT. Your submission should include at least 3-4 sentences for each question asked. No outside sources are required, but if you want to use some, follow the Writing Standards included later in this syllabus. Written Assignments

include:

End of Chapter Discussion Questions.

Case studies in the text give you an opportunity to evaluate software applications and explore the way they can be used to develop business solutions—tasks which are required in real-world MIS environments.

Material in IT Savvy.

Videos related to course content.

3. Discussion Board Forums (4 x 15 points = 60 points): You will participate in several Discussion Board forums on Blackboard. The goal of the discussion forum is a rich, critical discussion of an issue that pertains to the assignment. Each Discussion Board assignment will involve completion of the following tasks: a. View the assigned video/read the assigned case for the week. b. Click until you reach the Thread Detail page.

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c. Reply to the link at the bottom of the Thread Detail page to post your answers (3-4 sentences). d. Engage in discussion about this topic by responding to other students’ answers. You can earn up to 15 points for each Discussion Board assignment, based on the quality and relevance of your answers

to the discussion questions and your interaction with the other students about the topic of the assignment. Keep in mind that, when you respond to other students’ answers, you must not only say that you agree/disagree, but must also make a clear statement of why—in other words, add something yourself. The following guidelines will be used for grading Discussion Board participation: Provide complete answers to each question, 3-4 sentences per question asked, regarding the content of the video or case

study in question, including your insights into the issue being discussed, and support your statements with facts from the case study, video, or from your own experience. No outside sources are required, but if you want to use some, follow the

Writing Standards included later in this syllabus. Spelling and grammar will be evaluated as part of the grade on these and all other written assignments in this course. Use only complete, grammatically correct sentences. Forum Decorum

When replying to another student, address that student directly to keep the conversation flowing.

Make sure to post in the right space:

Student 1 Post

Student 3 Reply to Student 1

Student 2 Reply to Student 3

Student 2 Post Hit reply when reading the post to which you want to reply.

3. Projects (4 x 50 points = 200 points) (Detailed instructions are on Blackboard, in the blue menu on the left-

hand side of the course site.) 4. Final Exam (200 points) The final exam will be comprehensive and will consist of essay questions. It is to be completed and submitted on Blackboard, the same way you submit other assignments. The final exam will be posted on the Week 7 page on Blackboard at 8 a.m. Central Time, on Saturday, June 17, and must be completed and submitted on Blackboard by the deadline of 11:59 p.m. Central Time, on Friday, June 23.

Writing Standards Grammar, organization, and clarity of expression are expected and required in each assignment you complete for this course—and they will be taken into account in grading your work. Since all of your interaction with the instructor and with your fellow students will be in written form, clarity and, of course, good manners are essential. Think of this as a good opportunity to concentrate on your written expression, a skill that is demanded and required in the workplace. All assignments must be word processed, and proper grammar, sentence construction, spelling, editing etc. are required.

For Projects 1 and 2:

Begin Project 1 with Project 1, followed by your project’s title, and your name. No abstract is required. Projects 1 and 2 should

be 4-7 pages in length.

If you use sources beyond your own experience, the textbook, or IT Savvy, you must cite them in the body of the text and

include them in a reference section at the end of the project: You are not required to use outside sources (beyond your own

experience, the textbook, or IT Savvy), but if you do, you must cite them. There is no minimum number of sources required.

Use APA format for citing sources. The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) has instructions for reference citing using APA.

Sample Citation: “This case highlights the importance of managing change, as discussed in research literature on the subject

that discusses successful approaches to managing change in an organization. The study found that positive response to

change by a workforce was directly related to management’s quality of communication (Neilsen & Van Selm, 2008).”

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Magazine/Journal Articles

--Nelissen, P. & Van Selm, M. (2008). Surviving organizational change: how management communication helps. Corporate

Communications Journal, 13, 306-318.

--Booth, S.A. (January 1999). High-Drain Alkaline AA-Batteries. Popular Electronics, 62, 58.

Books

--Dell, R. M., and Rand, D.A.J. (2001). Understanding batteries. Cambridge, UK: The Royal Society of Chemistry.

--Weill, P. & Ross, J.W. (2009) IT Savvy: What Top Executives Must Know to Go from Pain to Gain. Cambridge,

Massachusetts, Harvard Business Press.

Online articles:

--Devitt, T. (2001, August 2). Lightning injures four at music festival. The Why? Files. Retrieved from

http://whyfiles.org/137lightning/index.html

--Health Canada. (2002, February). The Safety of Genetically Modified Food Crops. Retrieved from

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/protection/biologics_genetics/gen_mod_foods/genmodebk.html

--Hilts, P. J. (1999, February 16). In Forecasting Their Emotions, Most People Flunk Out. New York Times. Retrieved from

http://www.nytimes.com

Source materials:

Your source materials may come from any number of quality venues, including on----‐line databases, journals, newspapers,

and magazines:

a. Scholarly, peer-‐reviewed journals include MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Management Science, the

Journal of Electronic Commerce, The Journal of Management Information Systems, the Journal of International Business

Strategy, and Communications of the ACM, to name only a few.

b. Practitioner-oriented journals include, but are not limited to, Sloan Management Review, Harvard Business Review,

California Management Review, IEEE journals.

c. Quality news sources include, but are not limited to, major newspapers such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal,

Los Angeles Times, etc.; news and trade journals such as Newsweek, the Economist, Fortune, Forbes, Business Week,

Wired (and wired on----‐line www.wired.com), Fast Company, Information Week, Business 2.0; as well as reputable news

sources from other countries that you will be researching in your projects.

d. Online sources include the – Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Edgar and Disclosure databases, CIA world reports,

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), UN, and World Bank publications, and other SU

online database sources.

Note: Wikipedia is not considered a definitive source.

Grading Rubric: Written Assignments: These are essay-like, and you are free to express your opinion (s). No sources are required. Write 3-4 sentences for each question asked. Projects 1 and 2: Cite all sources used (beyond your own experience, the textbook, or IT Savvy) in body of text and in a references section at the end of the project. Projects 1 and 2 should be 4-7 pages in length.

CRITERIA DEVELOPING (C) COMPETENT (B) EXEMPLARY (A)

Required Elements

Assignment is incomplete and missing more than one of the required elements

Assignment is complete and has all of the required elements

Assignment is complete and has all required elements

Problem-solving/Analysis

Information does not support the solution

Has no apparent application of critical thinking

Has no clear goal

Has significant factual errors, misconceptions, or misinterpretation

Information loosely supports the project solution

Has application of critical thinking that is apparent

Has clear goal related to topic

Has some factual errors or inconsistencies

Information is constructed in a logical pattern to support the project solution

Reflects application of critical thinking

Has clear goal that is related to the topic

Assignment is accurate

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CRITERIA DEVELOPING (C) COMPETENT (B) EXEMPLARY (A)

Composition Skills

Assignment demonstrates basic control of composition skills

Logical organization but lacking some transitions

Generally effective diction, syntax, and mechanics

Numerous spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors

Assignment demonstrates competent composition skills

Logical and coherent organization

Appropriate use of diction, syntax, and mechanics

Assignment contains few (1 to 3) spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors

Assignment demonstrates exemplary composition skills

Logical and coherent organization

Highly effective diction, syntax, and mechanics

Assignment contains no spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors

Performance Assessment

Number Points Grading Scale:

Exam (200 pts.) Final Exam 200 points

A (90-100%)

B+(86-89.9%)

Written Assignments

4 x 15 points 60 points B (80-85%) C+ (76-79.9%)

Discussion Boards

4 x 15 points 60 points C (70-75.9 %)

Projects

4 x 50 points 200 points D+ (66-69.9%)

D (60-65.9%)

F (0-59.9%)

Total Points 520 points

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Tentative Syllabus CIS-601DE- Information Systems and Technology, Summer I, 2017 (May 8-June 23)

Date & Chapter Assignments

(Wk 1- May 8-14)

All assignments due by 11:59 p.m. Central Time, on Sunday, May 14

Module 1: IS & Strategy

Introduction

Textbook Ch1 & 2

IT Savvy Chs 1, 2, & 7

Module 1 Introduction

Reading Assignments

Textbook Introduction.

IT Savvy chapters 1 and 7.

Optional supplement readings

Nicholas G. Carr. “IT Doesn’t Matter.”

Nicholas G. Carr. “The End of Corporate Computing.”

Discussion Board Assignment

Introduce yourself by answering these questions: 1. What is your current job position? 2. What was your undergraduate major? 3. What are your long-range career plans? 4. How do information systems relate to your long-range career plans?

__________________________________________________________________

IS Strategy Triangle

Reading Assignments

Textbook chapter 1 and PowerPoint.

Optional supplemental readings

Andrew McAfee & Erik Brynjolfsson, “Investing in IT that Makes a Competitive

Difference.”

Andrew McAfee, “Mastering the Three Worlds of Information Technology.”

David M. Upton and Bradley R. Staats, “Radically Simple IT.”

_______________________________________________________________

Strategic Use of Information Resources

Reading Assignments

Textbook chapter 2 and PowerPoint.

IT Savvy chapter 2.

Optional supplemental readings

Michael E. Porter & Victor Millar, “How Information Gives You Competitive Advantage.”

Mohanbir Sawhney, Robert C. Wolcott, & Inigo Arroniz, “12 Different Ways that

Companies Innovate.”

Alan Hughes and Michael S. Scott Morton, “The Transforming Benefit of

Complementary Assets.”

Diana Farrell, “The Real New Economy.”

Written Assignment

Read the Zipcar case at the end of textbook chapter 2 and answer the questions at the

end of the case.

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(Wk 2 – May 15-21)

All assignments due by 11:59 p.m. Central Time, on Sunday, May 21.

Module 1: (cont.)

Textbook Chs 3 & 4

Module 2: IS & the Organization

Textbook Ch4

Project 1 is due.

Module 1 (cont.)

Organizational Strategy & IS

Reading Assignments

Textbook chapter 3 and PowerPoint.

Optional supplemental reading

Paul Hemp, “Death by Information Overload.”

_________________________________________________________

Module 2

Digital Systems & the Design of Work

Reading Assignments

Textbook chapter 4 and PowerPoint.

Optional supplemental readings

Mahlon Apgar, “The Alternative Workplace: Changing Where and How People

Work.”

Ann Majchrzak, Arvind Malhotra, Jeffrey Stamps & Jessica Lipnack, “Can Absence

Make a Team Grow Stronger.”

Written Assignment

1. Read textbook Case Study 4-2 “Social Networking: How Does IBM Do It?” and

answer the questions at the end of the case. Case is on p. 98.

Project 1 is due.

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(Wk 3 – May 22-28)

All assignments due by 11:59 p.m. Central Time, on Sun., May 28.

Module 2

(cont.)

Textbook Chs 5 & 6 IT Savvy Ch 4

Project 2 is due.

Module 2 (cont.)

IS and Business Transformation

Reading Assignments

Textbook chapter 5 and PowerPoint.

Optional supplemental readings

Peter F. Drucker, “The Information Executives Truly Need.”

Michael Hammer, “Reengineering Work: Don’t Automate, Obliterate.”

Cynthia Rettig, “The Trouble with Enterprise Software.”

___________________________________________________________

Architecture and Infrastructure

Reading Assignments

Textbook chapter 6 and PowerPoint.

IT Savvy Chapter 4

Optional supplemental reading

John Hagel III & John Seely Brown, “Your Next IT Strategy.”

Written Assignment

1. Read textbook Case Study 6-1 “Enterprise Architecture at American Express,”

on pp. 145-146, and answer the questions at the end of the case.

Project 2 is due.

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(Wk 4 –May 29-June 4) All assignments due by 11:59 p.m. Central Time, on Sunday, June 4.

Module 3:

IT Management

Textbook Chs 7 & 8 IT Savvy Chs 3 & 6

Module 3

Textbook Chapter 7: Security

Reading Assignments

Textbook chapter 7.

IT Savvy chapter 6.

Discussion Board Assignment

Watch the “West Wing” video and answer the questions about it.

_____________________________________________________________

Textbook Chapter 8: The Business of Information Technology

Reading Assignments

Textbook chapter 8 and PowerPoint.

IT Savvy chapter 3.

IT Savvy chapter 6.

Written Assignment

Read textbook Case Study 8-2 “Balanced Scorecards at BIOCO,”

and answer the questions at the end of the case.

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(Wk 5 – June 5-11) All assignments due by 11:59 p.m. Central Time, on Sunday, June 11.

Module 3: IT Management

(cont.)

Textbook Chs 9 &10 IT Savvy Ch 5

________

Module 4: Sourcing, IT

Projects,& Business Intelligence

Textbook Ch10

Project 3 is due.

Module 3 (cont.)

Governance of the IS Organization

Reading Assignments

Textbook Chapter 9 and PowerPoint.

IT Savvy—Chapter 5.

Optional supplemental readings

Peter Weill & Jeanne Ross, “A Matrix Approach to Designing IT Governance.”

Richard Nolan & F. Warren McFarlan, “Information Technology and the Board of

Directors.”

Discussion Board

Read textbook Case Study 9-1 “IT Governance at University of the Southeast, on pp,

205-206, and answer the questions at the end of the case.

_____________________________________________

Module 4

Information Systems Sourcing

Reading Assignments

Textbook Chapter 10 and PowerPoint.

Optional supplemental readings

Joseph W. Rottman & Mary C. Lacity, “Proven Practices for Effectively Offshoring

IT Work.”

John Cross, “IT Ousourcing: British Petroleum.”

Project 3 is due.

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(Wk 6 – June 12-18) All assignments due by 11:59 p.m. Central Time, on Sunday, June 18.

Module 4: (cont.)

Textbook

Chs 11 & 12

Project 4 is due.

Module 4 (cont.)

Managing IT Projects

Reading Assignments

Textbook Chapter 11 and PowerPoint.

Optional supplemental readings

Bent Flyvbjerg & Alexander Budzier, “Why Your IT Project May be Riskier than

You Think.”

Byron Reimus, “The System That Couldn’t Deliver.”

Discussion Board Assignment

1. Watch the “Agile vs. Waterfall” video.

a. Answer the questions listed on Blackboard.

2. Watch the “American Genius: Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates” story.

a. Answer the questions listed on Blackboard.

.

__________________________________________________________

Business Intelligence, Knowledge Management, and Analytics

Reading Assignments

Textbook Chapter 12 and PowerPoint.

Optional supplemental readings

Project 4 is due.

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(Wk 7 – June 19-23) Final Exam is due by 11:59 p.m. Central Time, on Saturday, June 24.

Module 5: Privacy & Ethics

Textbook Ch13

IT Savvy Appendix

Final Exam

Module 5

Privacy and Ethical Considerations in Information Management

Reading Assignments

Textbook Chapter 13 and PowerPoint.

IT Savvy Appendix.

Final Exam is due.

The final exam questions will be available on Blackboard on the Week 7 page, beginning at 8 a.m. Central Time on Saturday, June 17.

It is an open-book, open-notes exam. You have until midnight on Saturday, June 24, the end of this 7-week session, to complete the exam. I have given you several days to complete the exam, because I want you to have time to think about and polish your answers. You are expected to give complete, thoughtful answers to the final exam questions. For each item in each question, you should write 5-6

sentences--a well-developed paragraph.