ISM500 - Business and Information Technology
Credit Hours: 3Contact Hours: This is a 3-credit course, offered in accelerated format. This means that 16 weeks of material is covered in 8 weeks. The exact number of hours per week that you can expect to spend on each course will vary based upon the weekly coursework, as well as your study style and preferences. You should plan to spend 10-25 hours per week in each course reading material, interacting on the discussion boards, writing papers, completing projects, and doing research.
Faculty Information
Name: Phone:
CSU-GC Email: Virtual Office Hours:
Course Description and Outcomes
This course introduces students to the ways private and public enterprises depend on information technologies for achieving strategic and operational objectives. Businesses have expanded to include technology linkages between supplies and customers that imply increasing the need for information technology resources within firms. These resources have become more visible and the accompanying roles and accountability of information systems functions have changed dramatically as a result.
The overall objectives of this course are to provide comprehensive coverage of IS management practices and technology trends for advanced students and managers.
Students are exposed to the role of the information technology manager. Students will learn how to align business and IT objectives toward common strategic directions promoting operational efficiency. Students will learn strategies for assessing the feasibility of technology-based solutions to complex problems in organizations that rely on information technology to achieve business objectives. Students will also learn strategies for evaluating cutting edge technology along with current industry standards with a focus on the impacts to an organization. Emphasis will be placed on the role of an information technology manager in the preparation and implementation of enterprise-wide IT infrastructure solutions that are flexible, sustainable, and efficient and that add value to an organization.
Course Learning Outcomes:
1. Appropriately apply information technology terminology
2. Describe information systems that are used in organizations to accomplish operational tasks 3. Analyze and evaluate information technology trends
4. Describe various impacts of technological innovation on business 5. Analyze cost considerations with information technology initiatives .
6. Analyze and explain the benefits of networking technology in the workplace
Participation & Attendance
Prompt and consistent attendance in your online courses is essential for your success at CSU-Global Campus. Failure to verify your attendance within the first 7 days of this course may result in your withdrawal. If for some reason you would like to drop a course, please contact your advisor.
Online classes have deadlines, assignments, and participation requirements just like on-campus classes. Budget your time carefully and keep an open line of communication with your instructor. If you are having technical problems, problems with your assignments, or other problems that are impeding your progress, let your instructor know as soon as possible.
Course Materials
Required:
Austin, R. D.,Nolan, R. L., & O’Donnell, S. (2009). The adventures of an IT leader. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business Press. ISBN 13: 9781422146606. (Available in Skillsoft Books 24 x 7 in the Library under “Find Books – ebooks”)
Brown, C. V., DeHayes, D. W., Hoffer, J. A., Martin, W. W. & Perkins, W. C. (2012). Managing information technology (7th Ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. ISBN 13: 9780132146326
Course Schedule
Due Dates
The Academic Week at CSU-Global begins on Monday and ends the following Sunday.
Discussion Boards: The original post must be completed by Thursday at 12 midnight MT and Peer Responses posted by Sunday 12 midnight MT. Late posts may not be awarded points.
Mastery Exercises: Students may access and retake mastery exercises through the last day of class until they achieve the scores they desire.
Critical Thinking Activities: Assignments are due Sunday at 12 midnight MT. Week #
1
Chapters 1, 2, & 3 in The Adventures of an IT Leader Chapter 1 in Managing Information Technology
Carr, N. G. (2003, May). IT doesn’t matter. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from
http://www.proxios.net/pdf/ITDoesn'tMatter.pdf
Discussion (25 points)
Critical Thinking (75 points)
2
Chapter 2 in Managing Information Technology Discussion (25 points) Critical Thinking (75 points)3
Chapters 3 & 4 in Managing Information Technology Discussion (25 points) Critical Thinking (75 points)4
Chapters 13, 14 & 16 The Adventures of an IT Leader
Melville, N., & Ramirez, R. (2008). Information technology innovation diffusion: An information requirements paradigm. Information Systems Journal, 18(3), 247-273.
doi:10.1111/j.1365-2575.2007.00260.x
Discussion (25 points)
5
Chapters 5, 6 and 7 in Managing Information Technology Discussion (25 points) Critical Thinking (75 points)6
Chapter 12 in Managing Information Technology
Greengard, S. (2009, December). 10 trends for 2010. Baseline, (101), 16-22.
Discussion (25 points)
Critical Thinking (75 points)
7
Chapters 11 & 13 in Managing Information Technology Discussion (25 points) Critical Thinking (75 points)8
Chapters 4 & 5 in The Adventures of an IT Leader
Carr, N. G. (2003, May). IT doesn’t matter. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from
http://www.proxios.net/pdf/ITDoesn'tMatter.pdf
Brynjolfsson, E. (2003, July). The IT productivity gap. Optimize, (21). Retrieved from
http://ebusiness.mit.edu/erik/Optimize/pr_roi.html
Discussion (25 points)
Portfolio Project (350 points)
Assignment Details
This course includes the following assignments/projects:
Module 1
Critical Thinking: Case Study Recommendations for Midsouth Chamber of Commerce (75 Points)
Midsouth Chamber of Commerce (A): The Role of the Operating Manager in Information Systems
Write a debriefing report to include issues that arose in the case study; give suggestions for improvement for the future to the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for MSCC that details the following:
Recommendations for role modification
Recommendations for third party vendor contract (specifically Unitrak)
Recommendations for adopting new information technology in the future. Label each section clearly.
Your report should be 3-4 pages in length, well-written, and in conformity with CSU-Global guidelines for APA formatting.
Module 2
Critical Thinking: Case Study: Selection of an Information Technology Platform (75 points)
Read the following case study from the 7th edition of Managing Information Technology. IMT Custom Machine Company, Inc. Selection of an Information Technology Platform
Write a debriefing report that includes the pros and cons of the four options presented to the VP and Division Manager in the case study. Include a recommendation for the one of the four options you feel would be the most appropriate solution. If none of the four options is the appropriate solution, recommend a new option. In your response remember to address the following:
• How well staff is able to handle the option
• Key applications and their ability to work with type of system • Tools available that work with the type of system
• Stability of vendor[s] • Cost
• Consistency with business group strategies and vision • Budget and capacity planning
• Software licensing
Your report should be 4-5 pages in length, well-written, and in conformity with CSU-Global guidelines for APA formatting.
Module 3
Critical Thinking: Case Study: Debriefing Report for VoIP2.biz, Inc. (75 Points)
Read the following case study from the 7th edition of Managing Information Technology. VoIP2.biz, Inc.: Deciding on the Next Steps for a VoIP Supplier
Write a debriefing report to include options for future activities to be presented to the Board of Directors detailing the following options:
• Staying with current plan • Closing down the company • Selling the company
• Slowing down rate of growth
• Asking for a 90 day extension to take care of the cash flow problem • Reduce expenses
• Other possibilities
Your report should be 3-4 pages in length, well-written, and in conformity with CSU-Global guidelines for APA formatting.
Module 5
Critical Thinking: Website Analysis (75 Points)
The objective of this assignment is for you to increase your knowledge about how businesses are leveraging the Internet to conduct business. Because you will be using public web sites to do your research, the focus will be on marketing, sales, and customer service transactions with end-consumers (B2C).
1. Choose an industry of interest where several companies have developed online e-business strategies with public B2C web sites. This industry might include traditional companies operating as bricks-and-clicks firms, as well as dot-com companies.
2. After you have looked at several public web sites for companies in this industry, select 3 or 4 companies you think will provide an interesting comparison about how companies are leveraging the Internet today. (Hint: you might want to include one company with a website you think is significantly inferior to at least one other company’s site.)
3. Analyze each of the websites in terms of the overall “look-and-feel” of the site from the perspective of the targeted consumer, as well as how well each web site has addressed the 7Cs in the model developed by Rayport and Jaworski (described at the end of Chapter 7 in the textbook).
4. Write up your findings, including the following content:
Introduce the industry you selected and the web sites you selected. Include the reasons why you chose this industry and these particular companies, and include the URL for each site.
Describe and also compare the ways that these companies’ web sites address the 7Cs and any other characteristics you wish to emphasize. For example:
o How easy was it to identify the content or services available? o How easy was it to navigate between pages?
o Did the site download easily?
o Was the use of graphics and animation appropriate for the target audience? o Were the linking capabilities of the Web exploited?
o Was there a sense of “community”?
o Was a privacy policy available and easy to find?
Based on your analyses, provide some recommendations for the company whose web site you considered to be the weakest. Be sure your ideas are appropriate for the industry you selected, and take into account whether companies in this industry traditionally have sold directly to end-consumers or not and using what channels (e.g., catalog, physical store, or via a distributor).
5. Use outside resources to provide current statistics and forecasts for the industry you selected, as well as any information about B2B applications that the companies may be using. Be sure to provide full citations to all third-party sources, including a “last date accessed” for all references to a URL.
Your paper should be 3-4 pages in length, well-written, and in conformity with CSU-Global guidelines for APA formatting.
Module 6
Critical Thinking: Case Study: Making Information Systems Investments (75 Points)
Read the following case study from the 7th edition of Managing Information Technology.
The case study provides an example of the practical and political difficulties encountered in IS planning and also provides an example of assessing current IS resources.
Develop a detailed outline of a long-range information system plan for Clarion—Milwaukee. A long-term plan should include the following sections:
• Statement of precise objectives
• Analysis of current and future environment, including business, information technology, and user information
• Proposed information technology action plan, including hardware, applications, personnel, network, and facilities
• Resource and funding needs justification • Implementation plan
• Organizational change • Training
Label each section clearly.
Note: special consideration should be made to adoption of innovative, emerging, or IT trends.
Your outline should be 2-3 pages in length, well-written, and in conformity with CSU-Global guidelines for APA formatting.
Module 7
Critical Thinking: FastTrack IT Integration (75 Points)
Read the following case study from the 7th edition of Managing Information Technology. FastTrack IT Integration for the Sallie Mae Merger
This case demonstrates how strong IS leaders from the acquired firm (USA Group) were able to deliver a complex systems integration project successfully with minimal consultant expenses, despite their geographic distance from the headquarters of the firm that acquired them (Sallie Mae).
Write a debriefing report responding to the following question:
What are the cost factors that contributed to the choice of the CIO and the Indianapolis data center location? Your report should be 3-4 pages in length, well-written, and in conformity with CSU-Global guidelines for APA formatting.
Module 8
Portfolio Project – Consultant Case Study (350 pts)
For your final Portfolio Project in ISM500, you will put together a case presentation based on one of the following options:
1. Case from the text book Managing Information Technology 2. Case based on The Adventures of an IT Leader
Follow a problem-solving approach. You will play the role of consultant assuming you have been hired by the organization to do two things:
1. Provide objective opinion of the situation (specific details below) 2. Provide realistic options for actions for the organization.
Though the final Portfolio Project for ISM500 is geared toward a singular end, you will complete it two distinct parts.
Part 1: For the first part of your project, you must construct a visual presentation in PowerPoint, Google Docs Presentations or some other presentation software that can be loaded to the grade center. Each slide should include lecture notes – i.e., what you would say if you were actually presenting this. Make sure each slide summarizes the general idea and your lecture notes expound – you do NOT want to be reading slides to your audience so be sure your lecture notes add substantive material that is relevant for each slide.
Your presentation should be 7-10 slides long, visually appealing and effective in delivering your message. Please note, however, that your PPT will need to be converted to a PDF file upon submission, so you need not worry about incorporating fancy transitions or animations as those will be lost upon submission. Part 1 is due by the end of Week 8 and is worth half (175) of the final project points.
Part 2: For the second part of your project, you must write a summary report of your final project findings. Your paper can include copies of tables and diagrams used in presentation, but they must be cited according to APA guidelines. Your report should also contain the following components:
4. Describe the current situation.
5. The problem/and or opportunity, depending upon which case you have chosen. 6. The solution and justification for why you’ve chosen that solution.
7. An evaluation of the solution and how it will be effective in solving the problem or leveraging the opportunity.
Your report should be 8-10 pages long, well written and formatted per CSU-Gobal’s APA style and writing expectations. Likewise, you are encouraged to convert your MS Word document to a PDF file prior to submission in order to keep any images and formatting intact. Part 2 is due by the end of Week 8 and is worth half (175) of the final project points.
Course Policies
Late Work
Students are permitted a 7 day grace period during which they may submit a Critical Thinking assignment after the original due date without penalty. Papers submitted between 8 and 14 days after the original due date will be accepted with a potential 10 percent reduction in grade for late submission. Papers submitted 15 or more days beyond the original due date may not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor. No Portfolios will be accepted late and no assignments will be accepted after the last day of class unless a student has requested an incomplete grade in accordance with the Incomplete Policy.
Course Grading
20% Discussion Participation 45% Critical Thinking Activities 35% Final Portfolio Paper
Grading Scale and Policies
A 95.0 – 100 A- 90.0 – 94.9 B+ 86.7 – 89.9 B 83.3 – 86.6 B- 80.0 – 83.2 C+ 75.0 – 79.9 C 70.0 – 74.9 D 60.0 – 69.9 F 59.9 or below
FN* Failure for Nonparticipation
I** Incomplete
* Students who stop attending class and fail the course for nonparticipation will be issued the “FN” grade. The FN grade may have implications for financial aid and scholarship awards.
** An “I” grade may be assigned at the Instructor’s discretion to students who are in good standing (passing) in the course. Students should have completed a majority of the coursework in order to be eligible for the “I” grade. Students should request an "I" grade from the Instructor with a written justification, which must include explanation of extenuating circumstances that prevented timely
completion of the coursework. If the request is approved, the Instructor will require a written agreement consisting of a) the specific coursework to be completed, b) the plan to complete the coursework, and c) the deadline for completion. The agreement will be kept on file at CSU-Global Campus. An incomplete course must be satisfactorily completed within the time frame stipulated in the agreement, but no later than the end of the following semester from the date the “I” was given. An incomplete not removed within one year shall convert to an F and be included in the computation of the student’s grade point average.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism offenses are to be reported to the Office of Student Success, which will record offenses, instruct Faculty of needed interventions, and meet with students as appropriate. For more information on the penalties for plagiarism, please review the Student Handbook.
APA
Students are expected to follow the CSU-Global APA requirements when citing in APA (based on the APA Style Manual, 6th edition). For details on CSU-Global APA style, please review the APA resources located under the Library tab in Blackboard.
Netiquette
All posts and classroom communication must be conducted in a professional and respectful manner in
accordance with the student code of conduct. Think before you push the Send button. Did you say just what you meant? How will the person on the other end read the words?
Any derogatory or inappropriate comments regarding race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, are unacceptable and subject to disciplinary action.
If you have concerns about something that has been said, please let your instructor know.
Institutional Policies
