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MBA

BUS 5114 MIS and Technology


BUS 5114: Management Information Systems and Technology

Credits: 3

Prerequisites:

Recommended:

Course Description: Managers function in an environment of burgeoning and constantly-changing information flows. Successful professionals must understand the key role of information technology in organizations and be able to use and manage information systems. The course will introduce ways in which technology can be leveraged to streamline processes, increase efficiency and achieve operational advantages. It will explore how small business technology and systems support developing enterprises. Strategies for assessing an organization’s information needs, researching and evaluating available alternatives, understanding the limitations of technology, and designing and managing effective processes and systems will be covered. Students will apply knowledge of information technology and the information it provides to formulate a successful management strategy that includes decisions about the information to be collected, how to gather it, when having it is most useful in the decision cycle, and how to interpret and display it in ways that add value to the decision-making process and help organizations make sense of their world.

Required Textbook and Materials: UoPeople courses use open educational resources (OER) and other materials specifically donated to the University with free permissions for educational use. Therefore, students are not required to purchase any textbooks or sign up for any websites that have a cost associated with them. The main required textbooks for this course are listed below and can be readily accessed using the provided links. There may be additional required/recommended readings, supplemental materials, or other resources and websites necessary for lessons; these will be provided for you in the course's General Information and Forums area, and throughout the term via the weekly course Unit areas and the Learning Guides.

    • Bourgois, D.T., Smith, J.L., Wang, S., & Mortati, J. (2019, August 1). Information systems for business and beyond (2019). Saylor Foundation. https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=open-textbooks. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0
    • Information systems: A manager's guide to harnessing technology. (2015). University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution – Non-Commercial-Share Alike License. Download here
    • Watson, R. T (Ed.). (2007).  Information systems. Global Text. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0.
  • Additional readings are located in each Unit

Software Requirements/Installation: No special requirements.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes:

By the end of this course students will be able to:

  1. Distinguish the goals and key components of information systems and the role of the MIS Manager within an organization.
  2. Evaluate computer-based information systems from a management perspective.
  3. Assess how information systems are used to improve organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and ideally competitive advantage
  4. Generalize the challenges confronting the management of information systems

Course Schedule and Topics: This course will cover the following topics in eight learning sessions, with one Unit per week.

Week 1: Unit 1 - Management Information Systems: Introduction and Overview

Week 2: Unit 2 - IT Architectures: Hardware, Software, and the Cloud

Week 3: Unit 3 - Data, Information, and Knowledge Management

Week 4: Unit 4 - Big Data, Analytics, and Competitive Advantage

Week 5: Unit 5 - Creating Competitive Advantage through Information Systems

Week 6: Unit 6 - Supporting Business Processes through Information Systems

Week 7: Unit 7 - Information Systems Design and Development

Week 8: Unit 8 - Ethical, Global, and Security Implications of Information Systems

Learning Guide: The following is an outline of how this course will be conducted, with suggested best practices for students.

Unit 1: Management Information Systems: Introduction and Overview

  • Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
  • Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
  • Respond to the Case Questions and participate in the Case Discussion

Unit 2: IT Architectures: Hardware, Software, and the Cloud

  • Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
  • Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
  • Complete and submit the Written Assignment

Unit 3: Data, Information, and Knowledge Management

  • Peer-assess the Unit 2 Case Study
  • Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
  • Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
  • Respond to the Case Questions and participate in the Case Discussion

Unit 4: Big Data, Analytics, and Competitive Advantage

  • Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
  • Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
  • Complete and submit the Written Assignment
  • Complete and submit the Case Study Assignment
  • Begin the Portfolio Activity (Due in Unit 6)

Unit 5: Creating Competitive Advantage through Information Systems 

  • Peer-assess the Unit 4 Case Study
  • Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
  • Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
  • Respond to the Case Questions and submit the Portfolio Activity

Unit 6: Supporting Business Processes through Information Systems

  • Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
  • Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
  • Submit the Portfolio Activity (Assigned in Unit 4)

Unit 7: Information Systems Design and Development

  • Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
  • Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
  • Complete and submit the Written Assignment

Unit 8: Ethical, Global, and Security Implications of Information Systems

  • Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
  • Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum

Course Requirements:

Written Assignments & Assessment Forms
Some units in this course require that you complete a Written Assignment. Assignments can vary in type: short papers, research-based, case studies, and the like. You are required to submit your assignments by the indicated deadlines and in addition, to peer-assess three of your classmates’ assignments according to provided instructions. During this peer-assessment, you are expected to provide details in the feedback section of the assignment’s Specimen Assessment Form, indicating why you awarded the grade that you did to your peer. Failure to submit assignments and/or peer-assessments may result in failure of the course. This course utilizes Case Studies; please review the General Guidelines for Case Studies to be sure you understand the expectations for these assignments.

Any materials cited in this course should be referenced using the style guidelines established by the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA format is widely used in colleges and universities across the world and is one of several styles and citation formats required for publication in professional and academic journals. For assistance with APA formatting, view the Learning Resource Center: Academic Writing.  

Discussion Assignments
Some units in this course require that you complete a Discussion Assignment. You are required to develop and post a substantive response to the Discussion Assignment in the Discussion Forum. A substantive response is one that fully answers the question that has been posed by the instructor.

In addition, you must extend the discussion by responding to at least three of your peers’ postings in the Discussion Forum.

Discussion Forums are only active for each current and relevant learning week, so it is not possible to contribute to the forum once the learning week has come to an end. Failure to participate in the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum as required may result in failure of the course.

Case Discussions

In this course, there is a second category of Discussions: Case Discussions.  Case Discussions are a preliminary activity that will inform the Case Study papers that appear in the unit immediately following the Case Discussion. These Discussions may contain additional readings, so review them early in the unit.  The Case Discussions are not peer-assessed, the instructor will grade your participation in all Case Discussions at the end of the course.  

Course Forum
The Course Forum is the place to raise issues and questions relating to the course. It is regularly monitored by the instructors and is a good place to meet fellow students taking the same course. While it is not required to participate in the Course Forum, it is highly recommended.

Course Policies:

Grading Components and Weights
Each graded component of the course will contribute some percentage to the final grading scale, as indicated here:

Portfolio Activities 10%
Discussions 25%
Written Assignments 35%
Case Study Participation 30%
TOTAL 100%


Letter Grade
 Grade Scale Grade Points
A+ 98-100 4.00
A 93-97 4.00
A- 90-92 3.67
B+ 88-89 3.33
B 83-87 3.00
B- 80-82 2.67
C+ 78-79 2.33
C 73-77 2.00
C- 70-72 0.00
D+ 68-69 0.00
D 63-67 0.00
D- 60-62 0.00
F Under 60 0.00
CR N/A N/A
NC N/A N/A
NF N/A N/A
W N/A N/A


Grade Appeal
If you believe that the final grade you received for a course is erroneous, unjust, or unfair, please contact your course instructor. This must be done within seven days of the posted final grade. For more information on this topic, please review the Grade Appeal Procedure in the University Catalog.

Participation
Non-participation is characterized by the lack of any assignment submissions, inadequate contributions to the Discussion Forums, and/or lack of peer feedback to Discussion/Written Assignments. Also, please note the following important points about course participation:

  • Assignments must be submitted on or before the specified deadline. A course timeline is provided in the course schedule, and the instructor will specify deadlines for each assignment.
  • Any student showing non-participation for two weeks (consecutive or non-consecutive) is likely to automatically fail the course.
  • Occasionally there may be a legitimate reason for submitting an assignment late. Most of the time, late assignments will not be accepted and there will be no make-up assignments.
  • All students are obligated to inform their instructor in advance of any known absences which may result in their non-participation.

Academic Honesty and Integrity
When you submit any work that requires research and writing, it is essential to cite and reference all source material. Failure to properly acknowledge your sources is known as “plagiarism” – which is effectively passing off an individual’s words or ideas as your own. University of the People adheres to a strict policy of academic honesty and integrity. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in sanctions by the University, including dismissal from the University or course failure. For more information on this topic, please review the Academic Integrity Policy in the University Catalog.

Any materials cited in this course should be referenced using the style guidelines established by the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA format is widely used in colleges and universities across the world and is one of several styles and citation formats required for publication in professional and academic journals. 

Code of Conduct
University of the People expects that students conduct themselves in a respectful, collaborative, and honest manner at all times. Harassment, threatening behavior, or deliberate embarrassment of others will not be permitted. Any conduct that interferes with the quality of the educational experience is not allowed and may result in disciplinary action, such as course failure, probation, suspension, or dismissal. For more information on this topic, please review the Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog.

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