BMGT 301: INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Section 0601 Mon, Wed 5:00PM - 6:15PM (VMH 1412) Section 0701 Mon 7:00PM - 9:40PM (VMH 1303)

Instructor: David J McCue Teaching Assistant: -djmccue@rhsmith.umd.edu 0000 Van Munching Hall Mobile phone: (571) 212-9300 Office Hrs: Wednesday 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM and By Appointment

NA

Description

This course integrates management concepts and information systems and technology. We will discuss how information systems are used for competitive advantage. We will learn how information systems are used by successful marketers, accountants, and finance and operations executives and more. Because our readings are online and current, we will learn how key business theories explain and enable what is happening today in business when information systems are being used. We will learn how to apply management concepts to understand the opportunities created by, and threats arising from, the effective use of information systems. We will discuss how to analyze and design information systems for business and how those systems are used in different businesses and business functions. We will cover the use of spreadsheets and databases for analysis and decision making. We will learn about key technologies such as telecommunications. Course Perspective When you read a business publication website such as the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Business Week, or even a general publication such as the Washington Post or the New York Times, you will see a large number of stories directly related to the use of information systems in business and government. Business people get excited because Information Systems (IS) have the power to create and restructure industries, empower individuals and firms, and dramatically reduce costs. Business people get scared because they know, when poorly implemented, IS can squander shareholder wealth, taxpayer money, and destroy firms and careers. Every manager in business, non-profits and government has to pay attention to the impact on their

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business and career of information systems, information technology, and the innovations in that technology. Finance majors will fund investments in technology. They will lend to technology firms, will buy and sell technology stocks, and will try to understand how shifts in technology will affect investments. Investment bankers will finance startup technology companies and need to understand topics such as Cloud, Software Defined Networks, and Digital Presence. Marketing majors will use information systems to figure out what customers want and how to sell it to them. New roles such as the Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Digital Officer will have success defined by how they leverage technology to achieve their job objectives. Every business with accounting majors uses information to store, process, and analyze its accounting and financial data. Logistics and supply chain majors use information systems to make their operations more efficient and nimble than their competitors’. HR managers use technology to find, evaluate, keep, and train employees. And business owners and corporate lawyers now worry about intellectual property, piracy, and privacy issues that did not exist before information systems were used. Opportunities are almost everywhere for IS majors and for dual majors who blend deep IT and Functional knowledge. Business school graduates who know business and information systems are being sought by almost every employer. The number of business information systems opportunities in the US and throughout many countries is growing faster than almost all other opportunities. Outcomes of this Course You will be ready and able to understand key business models, concepts, frameworks, and issues concerning information systems and their use in business. You will be able to assess the current uses and value of IS in an organization, identify where IS can provide strategic advantage, and identify where firms and markets are vulnerable to being disrupted or severely compromised. You will be able to recall, from our class, examples of successful and failed uses of information systems for competitive advantage, and use these examples to support your points in meetings and discussions. You will be able to demonstrate how Excel and Access can be used for modeling and solving business problems. You will be able to positively differentiate yourself from students from other schools when seeking opportunities after graduation.

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Pre-Requisites and Expectations

There are no prerequisites. You should expect to work hard and learn a lot. Learning will occur in the classroom, as part of a small group project with work done outside the classroom and by significant use of self-paced/managed online instruction material. The online services are representative of how most corporations provide training and development for their staff. It is also the norm for most industry certifications. You should expect to actively manage your learning efforts and be proactive in learning style. You should expect the course to be interesting, rigorous, challenging, fun and valuable. I expect you to be on time for the start of class; arriving late is a disruption. I expect you to be an active participant in our discussions and activities, and you should expect that I will ask you to share your knowledge and your questions. It is your responsibility to contact me if you have additional questions or need clarification on class topics and assignments. I will try to schedule a time that works for both of us. I may not have time for students who wait until the last minute.
Course Materials Recognizing that students are asked to buy textbooks that often cost significant amounts, we have adopted a book that can be purchased as a digital PDF or read online for significantly lower costs. The textbook for the class is: Information Systems: A Manager’s Guide to Harnessing Technology by John Gallaugher version 3 and published by Flatworld Knowledge. This book can be read online, can be downloaded as a PDF file or printed per chapter at a nominal cost (digital access for Fall 2014 is available for $24 to $42 USD). Traditional soft cover edition, Study Aids – Flash cards with key terms – are available also for purchase. See the website for details. Version 3 of the textbook was released August 25, 2014. It can be found at: https://students.flatworldknowledge.com/course/1742947 As a student in BMGT 301, you will be using SAM at Cengage.com as part of your course work, specifically delivery of online Excel and Access instruction modules. This will be a required instruction part of our course. The cost will be $46 USD. This service will be used for both online instruction and graded assignments that will become part of your final course grade.

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You will be auto-enrolled into the appropriate SAM course after the UMD Add/Drop period. DO NOT attempt to purchase or register yourself for SAM prior to my providing step-by-step instructions. Those instructions will help you purchase access SAM at the appropriate time from a unique website that offers a specially discounted rate. What is SAM? SAM stands for Skills Assessment Manager, an interactive online learning environment that helps students master Microsoft Office skills and computer concepts that are essential to academic and career success. SAM engages students in self-paced learning of Microsoft Office applications – including Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Windows, Internet Explorer, and Outlook, as well as technology concepts and issues; SAM will include graded assignments and exams that will be part of your course grade. We will focus on Excel and Access during this course As part of our course, you will need to demonstrate competency with MS Excel and Access. You will be using Cengage SAM online for course work and graded assignments. In addition to the graded service, you also have free access to Lynda.com, which provides supplemental selfpaced ungraded training on many topics you may find useful. As it to relates to MS Office, there are six online training topics for Excel and Access that supplement our course. They are: Excel Essentials Training -- Excel Analyzing and Managing Data -- Excel Power Shortcuts Access Essential Training - Access Power Tip - Access Queries in Depth All are available for Office 2013. You will find investing the time to do these online topics will enhance your skills materially.

Readings and other materials will be posted periodically and available online in our Canvas space under Course Documents or other sections as indicated in Announcements and Class discussions. Additional readings and materials will be posted throughout the semester. Throughout the course I will flag current events and articles of interest via Twitter - each tweet for this purpose will use a hash tag of "#bmgt301" to help identify it and will come from Twitter ID - @djmccue. Awareness of these tweets is strongly advised.
Course Website on Canvas:

It is very important for you to visit Canvas for the latest announcements and course materials. The site will be regularly updated. Announcements, slides and other course materials will be distributed through

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the site. Please make sure your e-mail address and phone number are correctly recorded in the U MD system, so that e-mails and phone calls will reach you. If you change them, please remember to update the U MD system too.
Course Format and Schedule

The course consists of a combination of lectures, online instruction, discussions, and small group interactions in class, plus group assignments, and hands-on workshop sessions.

Please see the course schedule in the syllabus for topics and readings. It will be updated throughout the semester as new readings are added and to reflect the incorporation of the Cengage and Lynda components.

Computers and Software Used in This Class We will use Microsoft Excel, Access and Word in this class. This software runs only on a computer with the appropriate Microsoft Windows operating system or MAC. For homework, if you do not have a computer with Excel, Access, and Word, the PC’s in our Smith School computer labs are equipped with this software.

If you have a Windows or MAC notebook computer with Excel, Access and Word or a tablet with MS Office capabilities, please feel free to bring it to the class sessions involving software.

You are welcome and encouraged to bring your notebook or tablet device to class to assist in class activities, taking notes and referencing course material. Non-course related activities during class (ex. Email, Facebook, extraneous messaging, streaming media, etc.) are prohibited and will be viewed as both disruptive and grounds for dismissal from class, reduction in course grade or other disciplinary action based on specifics of the incident.
Grading

The grading for the course is as follows: Mid Term Examination – in class Final Examination – in class Excel, Access Group Assignment (1) Class Participation 20% (individual effort) 30% (individual effort) 25% (individual effort) 15% (team effort) 10% (individual effort)

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Note: Exams are cumulative from the start of the course. Additionally, the exams will include MS Office elements which when broken out from the exam score will result in MS Office being 30% of your course grade. The grade distribution for this course is not fixed. Grading is based on rank order performance, and the distribution of grades relative to your peers. The cutoffs for the various letter grades will vary depending on how the class as a whole performs and in accordance with Smith policies. Please note that the Smith School guidelines for grade distribution target a class average of a 3.1 GPA or 300 level courses.
Exams

The Mid-Term, Pop Quizzes (if administered) and Final Exams will be closed-book, closed notes, and “no devices” exams and will be based on the topics covered in class, all material in the text book (regardless of whether it was specifically discussed in class), assignments, online material, and assigned readings beyond the text. The Mid-term Exam will be administered in our classroom. The Final Exam will be administered in the room assigned when Final Exams are scheduled. The exams are comprehensive from the first day of class through the date of administration and will test your ability to recall and apply business models, concepts, frameworks, and issues concerning information systems and their use in business. The exams will cover what we have studied and discussed, to test, both for you and for me, how successfully you are learning and able to apply what you’ve learned. The exams will also test your ability to apply issues and examples in our readings and discussed in our class. I consider exams to be an essential learning activity because at work or in an interview, those who succeed know the answers and how to apply them. The exams may contain short answer, brief essay, multiple choices, and fill in the blank questions. Everyone registered for the class will be required to take the tests on the days and at the times for which they are scheduled. There will be no make-up quizzes or exams unless required by the school policy that governs make-up exams and quizzes. Written documentation describing the reasons for the student’s make-up request must be submitted and meet the policy’s requirements. Assignments

Your assignments are due before the class starts and unless otherwise instructed are to be electronically submitted directly in Canvas and/or via the specific online service (ex. Cengage). When submitting electronic files to Canvas, all files are to be in native format (ex. Doc, docx, xls, xlsx,

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ppt, pptx, pdf) – do not submit any compressed files (zip, arc, rar). We may discuss the topics of the assignment on the day that they are due, late assignments will not be accepted and will receive a zero grade. If you cannot attend class on the day an assignment is

due, you must still electronically submit before the start of class. If you have a question about your grade on an assignment or you believe that you were graded incorrectly please contact me. Be prepared to objectively support your request for reconsideration. Project Assignment: This is a team assignment, requiring the students to form teams of 5 (adjustments will be made for odd number of students in a section). Your team will prepare a case study presentation describing how a particular business or organization has successfully used an information system for competitive advantage. Alternatively, your team will prepare a briefing presentation describing how a particular technology or tool or technique is being used successfully by businesses and organizations. The topic of the briefing or case study will be one of the first tasks to be completed by your team. Canvas will have a location to document your proposal. In the case of duplicate topics, the first team I approve the topic for will own it; others will need to make alternative selections. Briefings and case study presentations will be given on the date indicated in the schedule. PowerPoint may be used but is not required for your presentations. Learning to present beyond just or without PowerPoint is an essential skill in business. Demonstrations, either live or recorded, and collateral material such as videos are encouraged. Team briefings and presentations will be graded competitively. The best briefings and presentations will receive the highest grades. The lesser briefings and presentations will receive appropriately lower grades. Each member of the team will be asked to complete a “peer review” describing the contributions of their teammates to the team’s efforts. All the students on a team will receive the same grade if the peer reviews indicate all students contributed equally and fully. If the peer review indicates that one or more students on the team did not fully contribute, then the grades for those students will be adjusted downward. Excel/Access Assignments: There will be assorted assignments for which computer files must be electronically submitted. These assignments enable you to demonstrate your ability to apply Excel and Access software to business problems. These assignments require the use of Excel and Access, and may include Word. They are computer-based exercises, which you should answer as completely and concisely as possible.

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Assignments must be submitted before the start of class on the due date or in accordance with other specific instructions. Please include your name, section number and your honor pledge within your submission

Document Form and Exposition:
It is expected that all written work submitted will be neat, legible, grammatically correct, understandable, and free from spelling errors. Illegible and / or unintelligible work will not be graded. Use of Microsoft Office or equivalent applications is encouraged.

Class Participation

Class participation is very important and will also be included as part of the grade. It is your responsibility to assist me in knowing who you are. Please be helpful in using visual name cards, at your seat saying your name in verbal discussions and other assistance until you are sure I am consistently matching name and face. Questions are welcome and encouraged. You are expected to be prepared to participate in our class discussions. Your insights, comments, and experience are important and a key component of what we are learning. To keep the class conversation focused and on topic, I will sometimes request that the conversation be deferred and picked-up outside the class period. For example, if your comments refer to a website or article to share, you can post it on the Article Discussion Board forum. All students are expected to contribute at least occasionally in class. The quality of your contribution is more important than quantity. I recognize that not all students are comfortable participating in class. Our class is a relatively low risk environment in which to practice presentation, discussion and negotiation skills that you will need later in life. If you are unable to attend a class, please let me know, just as you would if you were unable to attend a business meeting you were invited to. If you miss a class session, you are responsible for the content of that day’s discussion and for finding out from your classmates what was discussed. Attendance will be taken at each class. The university’s policy on attendance is available online. The prerequisites for a high class participation grade include attending class regularly, participating constructively in class, and NOT reading e-mails, surfing the web, texting messages, listening to unrelated media on a smart device, playing a computer game, working on homework for other classes, talking to your neighbors when someone else is speaking, speaking on your cell phone, or otherwise disrupting the class or those around you. If you are concerned about your class participation, please come and see me to work out a solution. I will post preliminary participation grades following the mid term exam. These preliminary grades are

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subject to dramatic change based on performance and will provide you with a checkpoint.

Posting and Presentation of Current Events’ Articles (extra credit opportunity)

As you prepare to begin your career after graduation, you should be keeping current on trends and issues in business, especially those related to your major. When you meet a prospective employer or someone who can refer you to a prospective employer, being knowledgeable about what is going is essential. This assignment is designed to encourage you to do this, and especially to consider the role IT plays in your field. Throughout the semester, you have an opportunity to find an article that discusses or demonstrates the impact of information technology or systems in an area of business of interest to you. Please post a link to the article and a brief summary (about ½ of single spaced page) on the course AND SECTION Discussion Board for Articles. Be prepared to give the class a brief summary of the article upon request (not all posting will be requested and the timing of the request may not coincide with when posted) and why you found it interesting (2-3 minutes). Written and oral summaries should include an explicit explanation of how the article relates to Information Systems and why it is relevant to your major. Generating peer interest from your classmates in the form of electronic comments posted is a goal. You should select articles from respected publications such as: http://www.cio.com/, http://www.cfo.com/, http://www.nytimes.com/, http://www.businessweek.com/ http://www.ft.com/home/us, http://www.economist.com/ (This is not a complete list – other professional publications or news sources may be used). You can complete this assignment THREE TIMES during the semester. For each article you post you may earn extra credit toward your grade.

Inclement Weather and Other Situations Class will be cancelled when the campus is closed for any reason. Please dial the weather number for your campus. You will be notified by Canvas Announcement if class is cancelled in other situations.

Please make sure your e-mail address is correct in Canvas. Please check Canvas for announcements regarding changes to deadlines, make-up classes, etc. related to class cancellation.

Academic Integrity

The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland

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for all undergraduate and graduate students. The Student Honor Council proposed and the University Senate approved an Honor Pledge. The University of Maryland Honor Pledge reads:

I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination.
Unless you are specifically advised to the contrary, the Pledge statement should be included signed on all papers, projects, or other academic assignments submitted for evaluation in this course. Students who fail to include the Pledge will be asked to confer with the instructor. Electronic submission of your material is considered to be your electronic signature on and acceptance of the Pledge. As a student you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit the University’s website. On any paper based exam or assignment you need to include the below pledge and sign your name - "I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination "
.

Special Needs

If you have a disability and/or special needs, you should bring this to my attention as soon as possible, and not later than the second week of class. If applicable, documentation from the appropriate university service must be provided.

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Class Schedule – As of 20 August 2014

McCue Common Syllabus Fall 2014 – Mapped to Gallaugher V3.0
Class Sessions 1 Introduction Mapping to Master Course
SESSION 1: INTRODUCTION SESSION 2: WHAT ARE INFORMATION GOODS?

Gallaugher
Ch 1 Setting the Stage: Technology and the Modern Enterprise Ch 4 Netflix in two acts: the making of an E-commerce Giant and the Uncertain future of Atoms to Bits Ch 12 – Software in Flux: Open Source, Cloud and Virtualized and App driven Shifts Ch. 2: Strategy and Technology

Date – 0601 M/W
Sept. 3

Date – 0701 M
Sept. 8

2

The digital business —1

Sept. 8

Sept. 8

3

The digital business —2 IT strategy—1 IT strategy—2 IT strategy—3 Outsourcing Innovation Database — 1

SESSION 3: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND DIGITAL RIGHTS SESSION 4: IT AND STRATEGY – BASICS SESSION 5: IT AND STRATEGY - FIVE FORCES SESSION 6: IT AND STRATEGY - PRICING STRATEGIES SESSION 7: History of Outsourcing SESSION 8: Business Innovation SESSION 9: SOLVING BUSINESS PROBLEMS USING ACCESS – I

Sept 10

Sept 15

4 5 6 7 8 9

Sept 15 Sept 17 Sept 22 Sept 24 Sept 29 Ch 13 The Data Asset: Databases, Business Intelligence, Analytics, Big Data and Competitive Advantage October 1

Sept 15 Sept 22 Sept 22 Sept 29 Sept 29 October 6

10 11 12 13

Database— 2 Database— 3 Database — 4 Web 2.0

14 15

Mid-term IT essentials—

SESSION 10: SOLVING BUSINESS PROBLEMS USING ACCESS – II SESSION 11: SOLVING BUSINESS PROBLEMS USING ACCESS – III SESSION 12: SOLVING BUSINESS PROBLEMS USING ACCESS – IV SESSION 13: CONTINUING EVOLUTION OF THE INTERNET SESSION 14: MIDTERM EXAMS SESSION 15: IT HARDWARE

October 6 October 8 October 13 Ch. 9: Sharing Economy Ch 10: Facebook Ch. 6: Amazon Ch 5: Moore’s Law: Fast, Cheap Computing and October 15

October 6 October 13 October 13 October 20

October 20 October 25

October 20 October 25

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1 16 17 18 IT essentials— 2 IT essentials— 3 IT essentials— 4
SESSION 16: SOFTWARE AND OPEN SOURCE SESSION 17: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT SESSION 18: NETWORKS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

What It Means for the Manager Ch 11 – Understanding Software, a Primer for Managers Ch 12 – Software in Flux: Partly Cloudy and Sometimes Free Ch 14: A Manager’s Guide to the Internet and Telecommunications Ch 15: Information Security: Barbarians at the Gateway Chapters 3,4, 6-9 Ch 7: Understanding Network Effects

October 22

October 27

October 27

October 27

October 29

Nov 3

19 20 21 22

The digital market —1 The digital market —2 The digital market – 3 Enterprise applications 1 Enterprise applications 2 Enterprise applications 3 Case

SESSION 23: IT AND MARKETS (outsourcing, ecommerce) SESSION 19: NETWORK EFFECTS AND STRATEGY SESSION 25: IT AND FINANCIAL MARKETS SESSION 22: IT AND ORGANIZATIONS SESSION 26: IT AND MARKETING SESSION 27: IT AND SUPPLY CHAIN SESSION 24: CASE DISCUSSION SESSION 21: Enterprise & Global Compliance SESSION 20: Cyber Security SESSION 28: The CIO Role

Nov 3 Nov 5 Nov 10

Nov 3 Nov 10 Nov 10 Nov 17

23

24 25

Ch 11 – Understanding Software, a Primer for Managers Ch 16: Google in three parts: Search, Online Advertising, and Beyond Ch 3 Zara: Fast Fashion from Savvy Systems

Nov 12

Nov 17

Nov 17

Nov 19

Nov 24

26 27 28 29

Faculty’s choice Faculty’s choice Faculty’s choice Final exam

Nov 24 & Dec. 1Note: No Class Nov 26 Dec 3 Dec 8

Nov 24

Dec 1 Dec 1

Dec. 10
Done during final exam week Thurs. Dec 18 4 – 6 PM

Dec 8
Dec 15 7 – 9 PM

Much of the content of this syllabus is based on syllabi prepared by Smith School faculty and by faculty at other business schools, especially Professor Barney Corwin of Smith and Professor John Gallaugher of Boston University’s Carroll School of Management.

Acknowledgement

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