D R A F T

MBAD 6252 HC Management of Information Systems CRN 11585

Summer 2014

1.5 credit-hours
Seven weeks: May 19 July 3, 2014

Instructor: Professor E. J. Cherian
Funger Hall Room 515M
2201 G Street, NW
Office Phone (202) 994-8969
E-mail Cherian@gwu.edu
Office hours: Available daily; appointments for the convenience of students if desired

Co-Instructor: Jennifer Golden; Jennifer.golden@acu.edu

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

This course provides an overview of information systems and applications in a variety of
organizational settings. Specifically the course provides an introduction in bridging the gap between
top management and technologists in organizations; understanding both the decision making needs of
managers and the terminology of technical staff in order to have intelligent communication with both
groups.

Students will be introduced to information technology and the use of this technology in modern digital
organizations: The transformation of organizations to the digital economy. All organizations require
information for problem solving and decision-making, and thus organizations adopt procedures and
develop systems to acquire and organize information. In recent years computer-based information
technology has progressed to where most organizations understand the need to focus on the digital
economy, and adopt an organizational information system.

Understanding information technology and the use of information systems and emerging technologies
will be sought by focusing on specific learning objectives. Students successfully completing this
course should possess:

1. An ability to have an intelligent conversation with both the technical staff and executives
concerning the role of information technology in modern organizations

2. The capacity to be a critical thinker regarding implementation of various information systems
used in enterprise management and decision making

3. An understanding of how the Internet and electronic commerce has changed the nature of
business in organizations

4. Added experience with the case study method

5. The capability to conduct a critical review of information technology journal articles

6. Improved writing skills in the IT field.
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REQUIRED TEXT

Principles of Information Systems (2014), Ralph M. Stair and George W. Reynolds, 11
th
edition, E-
Book or paper, Course Technology, Boston, MA

In order to keep pace with advances in information systems technology, it is necessary to routinely
scan the current literature for articles dealing with relevant technology topics. Students are encouraged
to seek current articles related to class assignments. Some suggested sources are:

Journal of MIS
Harvard Business Review
Sloan Management Review
Journal of Systems Management
Management Science
International Journal of Electronic Commerce
The Economist
Business Week
Fortune
The Wall Street Journal
The New York Times



CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENTS

There will be three short case study assignments in this course. Students are required to submit a
written response to each case. Often questions, which accompany case studies, serve to provoke
student thoughts and to guide one to issues raised in the case; merely answering the questions provided
is not a valued response. Your analysis of the issues raised in the case is what is sought. Students
should include reference to at least one added relevant reading (excluding the textbook) in addressing
this assignment.

Each written report should be no longer than two pages (including any attachments and references);
typed, double-spaced, 12 pt font, no cover page. Case study assignments not submitted on the due day
will be downgraded one letter grade if submitted no later than 7 days late. Assignments submitted later
than one-week past the due date will not be accepted.

Proper use of the English language is included in the grading of these assignments.

A brief guide to case study analysis is included as Teaching Note 7.2.00, as well as an Assessment
Rubric, teaching Note 5.6.09 appended to this syllabus.


CRITICAL THINKING ASSIGNMENTS

There are two critical thinking assignments in this course; critical journal article reviews. For these
assignments the class is divided into two groups.
3

The assignment is to individually write a critical review of a journal article defending your position for
or against the authors tenets, assertions and conclusions. The first journal article is, IT Doesnt
Matter, (ten years later) by Nicholas Carr. This is a research paper assignment. For this assignment
Group One will assume a position of support for the authors tenets, a Pro position, for the journal
article review. Group Two will assume a position contrary to the authors tenets, a Con position for
the journal article review assignment.

Be sure to review Teaching Note 4.1.14 in this syllabus. Also review the Assessment Rubric (Teaching
Note 7.7.13) for additional guidance on the grading of this paper.

The second journal article for review is, Is Google Making Us Stupid?, also by Nicholas Carr. In
this assignment Groups One will assume a Con position and Group Two will take a Pro position in the
writing of papers.

In general for critical thinking assignments begin your paper by noting Pro or Con position next to
your papers title. Your critical review should be 3 - 5 pages TOTAL - in length (typed, double-
spaced, 12 pt font, no cover page), including bibliography and any attachments. Students are expected
to prepare for this task by researching the subject, seeking other authors views on the issues, and by
searching and reviewing other pertinent materials, at least three research sources other than the article
under review. Blogs are usually not good research sources. Please dont use Wikipedia!

Late papers are automatically downgraded one letter grade if submitted within one week. Papers
submitted later than one week are not accepted. Grammar, composition, spelling, sentence structure
and proper citations are included in the grading of papers.

If this is your first research/critical review paper or if you are unsure about handling reference sources
and quotations, please refer to the attached Teaching Note 11.4.98 concerning plagiarism, . If there
are issues of doubt during your writing process, ask your instructor to be sure. Also if you are unsure
about the appropriate format, citations, references, etc. for a research paper, please consult an
authoritative source such as:

Gibaldi, J. (2009) The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7
th
Edition, New York: The
Modern Language Association of America.

Turabian, Kate L. (2007) A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7
th
Edition,
Chicago, American Psychological Association.

__________ (2003) The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors and
Publishers, 15
th
Edition, Chicago, University of Chicago.



BLACKBOARD COLLABORATE SESSIONS

Blackboard Collaborate sessions have been scheduled for this course to provide for students to discuss
issues, assignments, offer comments, etc with classmates and the Instructor. The sessions are
scheduled for Tuesdays evenings, 6 - 7PM EDT. Students are encouraged to participate and discuss
matters of information technology related to current assignments, as well as raise questions or seek
answers to issues concerning the course. Students will need a speaker connected to their computer in
order to listen to the Instructor, and can respond with comments only by texting.
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Unless otherwise notified, sessions will be held on:
May 27
June 3
June 10
June 17
June 24
July 1

If there is insufficient interest in these discussions, the sessions will be cancelled.


ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Your instructor supports and enforces every aspect of the George Washington University Code of
Academic Integrity. The following is an extract from the Code of Academic Integrity:

"Academic dishonesty is defined as cheating of any kind, including misrepresenting one's own work,
taking credit for the work of others without crediting them and without authorization and the
fabrication of information.
Examples of cheating include;
- Using unauthorized materials, information or study aids in any exercise.
- Fabrication or falsification of information.
- Plagiarism - intentionally misrepresenting another's work, failure to paraphrase.
- Forgery of academic documents.
- Facilitating academic dishonesty."

The full code is at http://www.gwu.edu/~ntegrity/code.htmlt.


BLACKBOARD

A Blackboard account has been established for this course. The instructors Power Point slides, course
syllabus, files and spreadsheet assignment are also posted on blackboard.gwu.edu. Students are
encouraged to download these items for use.


STUDENT ASSESSMENT

There will be one Test, consisting of 60 multiple choice and True/False questions, 60 minutes long,
which will cover all text assignments and lecture materials included in the course. In addition to
reviewing the PowerPoint slides students are encouraged to review the Self-Assessment and Review
Questions which appear in the text at the end of chapters covered in this course.

A make-up test will not be provided for students who may miss the test except in very special cases,
and only prior to the scheduled test date.

Student grades (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C- or F) will approximately consist of the following elements
as related to learning objectives:

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Assessment Learning Objectives

Case study assignments - 3 30% 1, 2, 3, 4, 6
Critical review of journal article - 2 30% 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
Test 40% 1, 2, 3

Students are encouraged to work together, cooperatively, in all assignments and activities, except in
taking the test.

Final course grades will be calculated as follows:

93-100 = A
90-92 = A-
87-89 = B+
83-86 = B
80-82 = B-
77-79 = C+
73-76 = C
70-72 = C-
69 -- = F
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MBAD 6252-HC Course Outline/Schedule Summer 2014
Session Lecture Notes Assignment

Meet Your Professor (video)
Week One Introduction and Course Overview
May 19 1) the Information Society
2) Introduction to Information Systems Ch. 1, 2


Week Two 3) Information Technology Infrastructure Ch. 3, 4
May 26 - hardware
- Software

Case Study 1: Gaining the Edge (page 90)
(Due June 1)

Week Three 4) Database Systems & Business Intelligence Ch. 5
June 2 - data warehouses
- Data mining

Critical Journal Article Review Assignment IT Doesnt
Matter (10 years later)
(Due June 8)

Week Four 5) Telecommunications & Enterprise Networks Ch. 6
June 9
Case Study 2: Helping Marines and Sailors. . (Page 245)
(Due June 15)

Week Five 6) the Internet, Intranets, and Extranets Ch. 7
June 16
Critical Journal Article Review Assignment Is Google Making Us Stupid?
(Due June 22)

Week Six 7) Electronic & Mobile Commerce Ch. 8
June 23 8) Supply Chain Management

Case Study 3: No More Wires in the Dorms. . (Page 295)
(Due June 29)

Week Seven 9) Transaction Processing Systems Ch 9
June 30 10) Enterprise Applications

Test July 2 - 3





7

Teaching Note: 7.2.00
Some Notes On The Case Method
*

Edward J. Cherian

There is no single approach to case teaching and learning any more than there is a single answer to a
case study. The case method has proven to be a valuable learning technique and we use case
discussions to accomplish what cases do better than other pedagogical methods.

The essence of case discussion is the airing of conflict between two or more opposing views. The best
discussions include opposing views that are supportable and reasonable.

The case method depends upon the active and effective participation of all students. Students have the
primary responsibility for learning, and have to accept and maintain ownership of the discussion.

Students should be committed to:

- Preparation; read and analyze the case beforehand
- Presence; be present and prompt in order to participate
- Participation; share your understanding and judgments with the class to advance the group's
collective skills and knowledge
- Plan; have a plan of action for the protagonist in the case.

The instructor is responsible for preparation of material and for guiding the case discussion when and
where it is necessary. The instructor is primarily a listener in the case discussion. The instructor may
make summary and "off-line" comments that review and highlight the discussion, but such comments
should only consist of a few minutes of lecture.

In writing a response to a case study, try to avoid re-stating the case. You can/should refer to facts in
the case as you present your analysis. Do use the facts of the case to support your analysis, but dont
waste your time describing the case. Take the role of an outside consultant in presenting how you see
the case; how you would have handled the situation; what decisions you would make, if any, that are
different than those made in the case.

Often the authors of case studies include some questions at the end of the case. Merely answering these
questions is not a satisfactory case study response. The questions are usually of value in that they
often lead to illuminating issues in the case.

Lastly, learning is sometimes hard work but can also be an enjoyable experience with a bit of lightness
and humor.




____________________
* Largely from Hints For Case Teaching, Benson P. Shapiro, Harvard Business School Publishing,
Boston, MA 1984.
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Teaching Note 4.1.14
Writing a Critical Journal Article Review or a Critical Thinking Paper: A Research Paper
Edward J. Cherian

A critical review of a journal article or a contemporary information technology issue is a valuable
assignment in the study of information technology. Students are asked to write a critical review of a
significant article, or IT issue, chosen from the current scholarly literature in information technology,
often of a contemporary issue or controversy. Students are required to defend a position for or against
the authors tenets, assertions and conclusions.

This critical review assignment should be short (3 - 5 pages in length, typed, double-spaced, 12 pt
font), and focused only on the article or issue under review. Students are expected to prepare for this
task by researching the subject, seeking other authors views on the issues, and by searching and
reviewing other pertinent materials. This is basically a small research paper assignment; also be sure
to review the Assessment Rubric for additional guidance and grading of these papers.

1) General Guidance

The three most important things in writing a critical review paper are: 1) it is a research paper not an
essay, 2) reframe from including your own opinions and experiences, and 3) limit the amount of
material you repeat from the journal article. Extensive repetition of the article has no value added for
your paper. Assume the reader has read the article; it is your presentation and analysis of research
references that is your way of developing a critical review.

Print media are the most reliable and reputable sources for your research. Students are encouraged to
seek these research materials first. If you focus your research on Web sites, try to again stay with print
media sources; all the reputable ones have Web sites. Top level domain sites, e.g. .gov and .edu are
the best; .com sites are inappropriate and the least reliable, but there are some good exceptions. Please
stay away from blogs.

2) Format

Begin with the Title of your paper and your position; Pro or Con. In a short paper 5 pages or less a
separate title page is unnecessary. The title, students name, course, date, etc. can all be placed at the
top of the first page of the paper.

A Summary or Abstract of your paper is required, not both, at the beginning. Limit the summary to half
a page. It should be written after the rest of the paper is completed. It should briefly summarize your
paper and include, perhaps, a hypothesis or overall question, results, and one important finding or
conclusion.

An introduction is not necessary in a short research paper, but may be included in the beginning of the
body of the paper if you wish.

The main body of the paper can be organized in many ways:
- Describe the problem, issue(s), or hypothesis, the intent of the paper
- Present data and /or findings
- Present the views of experts from research sources the sources cited in your bibliography,
reference or works cited section
9
- Contrast advantages from disadvantages if appropriate
- Discuss research results

Subheadings where appropriate, like:
A.
B.
C.
D.
are very useful in that they help to organize your paper and should lead to where you are
taking the reader.

A Conclusion or Summary of Findings (not both) is required and is the part of your paper where you
can add your opinion(s) about the research you offer. One-half page should be sufficient.

Finally a Bibliography or References section includes all the research sources you used to
construct the paper and are cited in the body of the paper. Be sure to use one of the
accepted/approved citation methods noted in the syllabus and be consistent in the form used.

3) Dos and Donts

Do not make unsupported assertions. This is the most common error made in research papers. Do not
write; most CIOs agree, several studies show, it is well known. Be specific in referring to
research sources. Where possible go directly to the original sources, dont use secondary sources to
get facts since these sources may interpret incorrectly.

Do not include personal experiences or personal opinions (unless you are a qualified expert in
the area under study) in the paper until you arrive at the Conclusion section where it is
appropriate to summarize findings and include your judgment. If you consider yourself an expert
in the area under study, please tell your professor, submit a resume with publications and other
references noting your expertise, and you may qualify to be one of the five references required
for this paper.

The Conclusion is your analysis/logic of the facts/data/findings presented above. If conclusion is
too formidable, a Summary of Findings is also a useful heading for this section. Do not
introduce any new data or findings in this section.

10
Teaching Note: 11.4.98
PLAGIARISM*
Edward J. Cherian
Plagiarism can be defined as copying or imitating the language, ideas, and thoughts of another author
and passing off the same as one's original work. Plagiarism is a form of cheating; a false assumption
of ownership, or intellectual theft.

During research and writing it is important to guard against the possibility of inadvertent plagiarism by
keeping notes that distinguish your work and thoughts and the thoughts and material you gather from
others. You may certainly use other persons' words and thoughts in your writing, but the borrowed
material must not appear to be your creation.

Suppose for example, that you want to use the material in the following passage, which appears on
page 625 of an essay by Wendy Martin in the book Columbia Literary History of the United States.

Some of Dickinson's most powerful poems express her firmly held conviction that life
cannot be fully comprehended without an understanding of death.

If you write the following sentence without any documentation you commit plagiarism.

Emily Dickinson strongly believed that we cannot understand life fully unless we also
comprehend death.

But you may present the material if you cite your source.

As Wendy Martin has suggested, Emily Dickinson strongly believed that we cannot
understand life fully unless we also comprehend death (625).

Here the source is indicated, in accordance with the MLA style guide, by the name of the author and a
page reference. The named author must also appear in the works-cited list or bibliography, which
appears at the end of the paper.

In writing your paper, then, you must document everything you borrow - not only direct quotations and
paraphrases but also information and ideas. Of course, common sense as well as ethics should
determine what one documents. For example, you rarely need to give sources for familiar proverbs
("You can't judge a book by its cover"), or well-known quotations ("We shall overcome"), or common
knowledge ("George Washington was the first president of the United States"). But you must indicate
the source of any appropriated material that a reader might mistake for your own work.

If you have any doubts about whether or not you are committing plagiarism, cite your source(s).
In situations of doubt, ask your instructor if you are uncertain as to how to acknowledge sources or
contributions.
______________________
Largely from: Gibaldi, J. (1995) The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers . 4
th

Edition, New York: The Modern Language Association of America




11
Teaching Note: 7.7.13
Critical Journal Article Review - Assessment Rubric

Student Task Task Assessment
Weighting 5 4 3 2 1
Excellent Good Adequate Poor Unacceptable

1. Provides support, or contradiction,
for the journal article authors tenets 20%

2. Student supports his/her facts and
conclusions 15%

3. Correct use of grammar, punctuation,
sentence structure, spelling 15%

4. Uses strong and appropriate research
references 15%

5. Uses proper citations and references 10%
in paper

6. Has a logical paper organization and
Structure 8%

7. Minimum repeat of article details 8%

8. Paper focused on the subject article 5%

9. Paper contains appropriate title,
and notes Pro or Con position 2%

10. Paper appropriate specification length 2%



12
Teaching Note 5.6.09
Case Study - Assessment Rubric

Student Task Task Assessment
Weighting 5 4 3 2 1
Excellent Good Adequate Poor Unacceptable

1. Identifies the case issue(s) 35%

2. Provides support, or contradiction,
for the case issue(s) 30%

3. Correct use of grammar, punctuation,
sentence structure, spelling 15%

4 Minimum repetition of case details 12%

5. Uses (at least 1) additional research reference
and provides appropriate citations 6%

6. Paper appropriate specification length 2%