Faculty Contact Information:
William G. Stewart, Ph.D.
HQ USEUCOM
CMR 480 Box 669
APO AE 09128-0669
email: bstewart@faculty.ed.umuc.edu | |
Consultation:
Class meets on weekends from 0900-1600 hours
3-4 April, 24-25 April, 8-9 May, 22-23 May
Consultation available thirty minutes before and after class or by appointment. Communication via email works extremely well for consultation in a weekend-format class. | |
Required Texts and Readings:
Bruner, R., Eaker, M., Freeman, R., Spekman, R., Teisberg, E., and
Venkataraman, S. (2003). The Portable MBA (4th ed.). New York: John
Wiley andSons, Inc.
O'Brien, James A. (2003). Management Information Systems: Managing
Information Technology in the E-Business Enterprise (6th ed.).
New York: McGraw-Hill. | |
Supplementary Readings:
The standard for papers in the graduate program is the APA style. All participants in this course and all graduate INSS, MGMT, PUAD, and ECON courses should have a copy of the style guide:
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington DC: Author
All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at http://www.umuc.edu/library/. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students' research and writing skills. | |
Recommended Journals:
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Course Description:
| 3 semester hours credit. Prerequisites: Undergraduate principles of management and economics, or permission of the Program Director. Introduces basic management information systems concepts and examines the fundamental types of information systems. Personal, work group, and enterprise information systems are discussed. The challenge and use of information to gain competitive advantage are also examined. Other topics to be discussed include: the economics of information, use of value added concepts to evaluate information system effectiveness, and the application of system theory to information system architecture. | |
Course Goals:
As a required course in both the M.S. in Management Information Systems and the M.P.A., as well as the Information Systems Analyst Certificate, the Certificate in E-Government and the Certificate in Public Management, this course seeks primarily to:
1. improve the professional skills of the participants,
2. provide students with a foundational knowledge of the various
roles of information systems in organizations, and
3. assist degree-seeking students in preparing for the comprehensive
exam, and
4. improve the students' comprehension of the link between information
management and public administration. | |
Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:
1. Compare and contrast the various roles information systems play
in organizations and discuss how these roles are reflected in the
organization's structure,
2. Analyze different organizational situations involving the use of
information systems and/or the application of information
technology and make recommendations for improvement,
3. Analyze and demonstrate the impact of advancements of information
technology on organizational variables (such as: communications,
work groups, management decisionmaking, and security),
4. Demonstrate knowledge of basic techniques and elementary skills in
in using application software (such as: databases and spreadsheets),
5. Demonstrate familiarity with the literature in information systems
or a field of their own interest (e.g., medicine or welfare) with
a focus on the use of information technology in that field,
6. Demonstrate knowledge of the other functional areas of an
organization (such as: finance, marketing or public relations,
operations, human resources, and research and development) so that
information systems analysis of any organization can be performed
in a more comprehensive fashion,
7. Analyze ethical issues surrounding the use of information technology
in organizations,
8. Discuss the importance of networkds to organizations, including
issues of security and privacy,
9. Analyze the extent to which an organization's use of information
technology contributes to its competitive advantage, and
10. Apply value added concepts in the evaluation of information system
effectiveness. | |
Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A 90% and above
B 80 up to 90%
C 70 up to 80%
F Below 70% F(a) or regular non-attendance F(n)
Please note that the Bowie State grading system does not include the grade of D. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC – Europe policies. Please refer to the UMUC – Europe Graduate Catalog available at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/general_info/publications/catalogs/index.html or your local Education Center. | |
Course Requirements:
Grades in this class will be based on:
10% Participation
15% Applications Exercises, Case Study Presentations, Comprehensive Exam Preparation Exercise
25% Organization Analysis Research Paper
25% Midterm Examination
25% Final Examination
Class Policies:
-Every class meeting is important. Attendance in class is mandatory. Emergencies, illnesses and duty assignments constitute excused absences. The student is responsible for material covered and assignments missed during an absence. It is the student’s responsibility to coordinate make up work.
-The student is expected to participate regularly in discussions and complete homework and class assignments on time.
-No penalty will be assessed for assignments submitted late due to temporary duty travel or a bona fide family emergency. Grades for other late submissions will be penalized for lack of timeliness.
-A participation score will be assessed based on a student’s active discussion, positive attitude for learning, and communicative, cooperative attitude.
-A student must be prepared to discuss and work with readings during the session for which they are assigned; you must read ahead to be prepared for class.
-The instructor reserves the right to modify the class schedule based on needs of the students and class progress in consonance with course objectives. | |
Description of Course Requirements:
Participation:
You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner. This means that you have read the assigned material and will not engage in "social loafing" by depending on your classmates to cover for your lack of preparation. Usually this requires two to three hours of additional study for every hour of classroom activity.
Applications Exercises & Case Study Presentations:
Exercises and cases from the O’Brien text (and other sources) will be assigned throughout the course. Some of these will be done in-class, others may be assigned as homework exercises.
Comprehensive Exam Preparation Exercise
Prior to the class period specified in the schedule for this exercise, you will examine the following web link containing information and a history from prior exams and be prepared to discuss your own comprehensive exam strategy. http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~meinkej/comps/
Complete two written examinations: The midterm and final examinations will be similar in nature in that they will contain a mixture of objectively and subjectively evaluated questions focused on examining your knowledge, understanding, application, synthesis, and evaluation of the class material. Short essays will require you to develop ideas and use supporting examples and references from your own research; they will also be scored on organization, word choice, and sentence structure.
Organization Analysis Research Paper:
Each student will select an organization or company, and investigate how it manages its information system(s), and the ability of the(se) information system(s) to support the needs of the company or organization in the future. With an uneven amount of time between class meetings on weekends, we will use email for your library research exercises, topic proposals, and instructor feedback on hypothesis statements and outlines.
1. Library Research Exercise:
Using standard web browser software and an Internet connection, you are to access the UMUC Information and Library Services web site as per instructions in class. In one of the available full-text databases you are to find one journal article on a topic of interest that could be used as part of the research for your Organization Analysis Research Paper. Read the abstract and scan the text of the article. In a word processing file (DOC or RTF) with your name on it, submit the reference you found in proper APA academic style along with your summary of how the article could support your final research paper. Here is an example of a citation for a journal article with one author:
Freeman, E. (1997). Datamining unearths dollars from data. Datamation, 43, 84.
Do this task by Friday, 9 April, via email.
2. Topic Proposal
You will submit a one-page word processed proposal (DOC or RTF file) identifying the organization or company and the industry in which it operates, a description of why you have chosen this company or organization, and the sources you expect to use for your research; of course you may add sources as your work progresses. You will receive early feedback from the instructor regarding the suitability, scope, etc. of your proposal.
Do this task by Friday, 16 April, via email.
3. Once approved, perform an analysis of the company or organization. You will present a one page written hypothesis statement and outline of your Organization Analysis Research Paper.
Do this task in class by Saturday, 24 April, for instructor feedback.
4. Write a minimum of an 8 page (2000 word) Organization Analysis Research Paper. This should consist of an in-depth study that provides a brief overview of the company or organization, discussing the appropriateness of their current systems, and assessing the future potential of these systems to support growth, reduce costs, maintain competitive advantages, and otherwise support the future needs of the organization. The results of the analysis should be presented as by a consultant hired to recommend an improved system to the board of directors, which outlines a go-forward systems approach for the next decade and beyond. Include financial (cost to implement) and Return on Investment (ROI) data. I expect at least three scholarly references outside of your text.
Submit the completed term paper via email attachment (DOC or RTF file) by Friday , 14 May.
APA style:
The paper must reflect the academic standard appropriate to a graduate-level course in the University System of Maryland. Your paper should conform to the standard APA style manual. Use the reference list style with citations indicated parenthetically in the text. Papers should be double-spaced using one-inch margins on all sides and be presented in a 12-point type face. There should be an appropriate title page; your pages should be numbered. Papers will be scored with a weight of 25% for correct written expression and style with a 75% weight for class content.
A PowerPoint summary of using references in the APA style can be found at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/pp/APA2.PPT and a more extensive description of the APA style is available at http://owl.english.purdue.edu. | |
Course Schedule:
This schedule represents 16 units or modules, with each unit corresponding to a regular three-hour weekday meeting, or a half-day on weekends.
AM Sat 3 Apr: Course introduction. Review of syllabus, clarification of goals, objectives, and requirements. Introduction and discussion of the roles of information systems in organizations. Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapter 1
PM Sat 3 Apr: Basics – Computer Hardware
Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapter 13
AM Sun 4 Apr: Basics – Computer Software, Application Software Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapter 14
PM Sun 4 Apr: Competing with Information Technology; Strategy: Defining and Developing Competitive Advantage
Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapter 2; MBA Chapter 11
AM Sat 24 Apr: Data Resource Management
Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapter 3
PM Sat 24 Apr: Telecommunication & Networks
Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapter 4
AM Sun 25 Apr: Introduction to e-Business Systems
Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapter 5
PM Sun 25 Apr: Review; Midterm Exam
Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapters 1-5; MBA, Chapter 11
AM Sat 8 May: Enterprise e-Business Systems
Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapter 6
PM Sat 8 May: Electronic Commerce Systems
Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapter 7
AM Sun 9 May: Decision Support Systems
Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapter 8
PM Sun 9 May: Developing Business/IT Strategies; Operations Management: Implementing and Enabling Strategy
Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapter 9; MBA, Chapter 7
AM Sat 22 May: Developing Business/IT Solutions
Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapter 10
PM Sat 22 May: Security & Ethical Challenges; Business Ethics
Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapter 11; MBA, Chapter 4
AM Sun 23 May: Enterprise and Global Management of Information Technology; International Business
Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapter 12; MBA, Chapter 14
PM Sun 23 May: Final Exam
Reading assignment: O'Brien, Chapters 1-14; MBA Chapters 4,7,11,&14
Comprehensive, with heavier emphasis on material since the mid-term | |
Academic Policies:
Please refer to the UMUC - Europe Graduate Catalog, available online at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/general_info/publications/catalogs/index.html or from your local Education Center, for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities | |
Faculty Bio:
William G. Stewart, Ph.D. Collegiate Professor of Business and Management
Bill Stewart completed his doctoral work in Organizational Leadership at the University of Oklahoma, writing a dissertation on perceptions of leadership and management in the Armed Forces of the United States. He received the M.B.A. from the University of South Dakota and the B.A. in International Relations and German from Brigham Young University. He joined the University of Maryland faculty in 1990, after retiring from the U.S. Air Force with service in ICBM operations, as a pilot, and in international politico-military affairs for Germany and the United Kingdom. | |