MBA 260: Management Information Systems

Spring 2007 Syllabus

contact information / required texts / course description /objectives /grade /

 

Contact Information

Instructor:
Dr. Leonardo Legorreta

Office:

Tahoe 2075

Office Hours:

An hour before class in the classroom and by appointment

Phone:

(916) 278-7120

Email:

legorret@csus.edu


Website:


http://www.csus.edu/indiv/l/legorretal

Address:



California State University, Sacramento
College of Business Administration
6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95819-6088

 

Weekends, I go "unplugged," totally off the net. So unless you make an appointment or drop by my office before class, I can be hard to contact. BAI answer my emails usually within 48 hours, except for weekends, when I'm "unplugged"; weekends don't count towards the "48-hour rule." If you send me emails or leave me messages on my answering machine over the weekend, please do not expect a reply before Monday. I will get back to you, but allow some lag time. I appreciate your understanding and patience in this matter.


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Required Materials

  1. CoursePack:
  2. HBR Case Studies: To be assigned

All required materials will be made available for purchase online only. You will have unlimited online access to these materials during the term, but only limited downloading and printing privileges.

To purchase and access your online CoursePack, you will need to do the following:

1. Go to: http://www.xanedu.com/login.shtml?PackId=261066

2. If you have previously registered for another CoursePack, log in. If not, click the "Student Registration" button under the "New Users Register Here" banner. Complete the registration page, and click Continue.

3. Confirm your CoursePack selection, and click Continue.

4. Complete your billing information, confirm and click Continue.

5. After completing the purchase pages, you will be taken to your CoursePack.

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Course Description

According to the Catalog:

MBA 260. Management Information Systems. Use of information technology (IT) as management resource. Focus is on management decision-making related to telecommunications, data-bases, system development, and decision support systems. Use of technology to reengineer the business organization. Prerequisite: Classified graduate status. 3 units.

According to the Instructor:

In IT it is very easy to miss the forest for the trees. "Factoids" are endless. Without a focused approach, an MBA student will easily get lost in the complex world of Information Systems. So what is the right focus? Why this course, anyway? Why do executives need to learn about IT and IS? The focus we will take in this course presupposes the following answers to these questions.

  1. Executives need to learn about IT and IS because this knowledge will enable them to make better use of technology in managing operations, in making informed and intelligent decisions, and in gaining competitive advantage.
  2. This course is important because without this key managerial knowledge, executives may miss out on the opportunities that technological innovations will provide in the future and might become victims of the problems associated with such innovations. The world is changing and execs need to be prepared.
  3. We will focus on those items in the IT and IS curriculum that will most help executives.

In most organizations, there is a chasm that separates managers from IT personnel. They might as well live on different planets. "Managers are from Mars; IT personnel, from Jupiter." Our focus for our course therefore will be, not on becoming experts in the subject matter, but on experts at bridging the gap . . . acquiring (a) the flexibility and interest in IT and IS necessary to open communication channels with the IT geeks in the organization, (b) the depth of knowledge to know what it possible, and (c) the sensibility to foresee potential issues with technology adoptions.

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Objectives

In this course you will:

  1. Learn the core concepts of IT and IS needed for you to communicate effectively with IT personnel
  2. Acquire the ability to foresee potential applications of IT and IS for operational and strategic advantage as well as potential pitfalls
  3. Develop a strong interest in IT and IS

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Grade

You will be evaluated along four dimensions

  1. Knowledge and Skills
    a. exams,
    b. papers,
    c. discussions
    d. other activities
  2. Creativity
    a. originality,
    b. outside-the-box thinking,
    c. interesting contributions
  3. Professionalism
    a. participation
    b. work quality
  4. Leadership
    a. shows initiative,
    b. takes responsibility for self and others,
    c. helps others make meaningful contributions,
    d. encourages others,
    e. inspires

Each of the above dimensions is evaluated on the following scale

Scale
Exceeds expectations: 5 points
Meets expectations: 4 points
Approaches expectations: 3 points
Below expectations: 2 points
Minimal effort: 1 point
No effort: 0 points

"Expectations" are set to objective scales based on professional standards. These standards are made clear at the onset of each task. Be sure you know what is expected and why at the onset of each task. In addition, you are encourage to think outside the box, and are allowed do things that are not assigned yet that may enhance the educational experience for you or for the class as a whole. These student-initiated activities will be recognized appropriately and objectively.

Grade
A: 16 or more points
B: 13 – 15 points
C: 10 – 12 points
D: 7 – 9 points
F: 6 or less points

For example, to get an A you will need to meet expectations on all four dimensions; alternatively, if you exceed expectations in one dimension, you merely have to be approaching expectations in another dimension to still get an A in the course. If you merely approach expectations on all four dimensions, however, you will get a C. On the other hand, if you meet expectations in only dimension, you merely have to approach expectations in the other three dimensions to get a B. Expectations are set at professional standards and are exceedingly high. It will be hard to meet them let alone exceed them; however, with due diligence and consistent work, you will get a B. To get an A you will need to push yourself.

Learn to manage expectations
The instructor does not “give” grades; you earn them. This is not a subjective grading scheme. You must take it upon yourself to determine what is expected. The instructor will make every effort to spell things out but he will not spoon feed you. You need to meet him half-way. Clarifying what is expected of you is a skill critical to your success in this class, in business, and in life. There are no dumb questions. Don’t assume. Always ask for clarifications and explanations so you know what it is needed to meet and what it will take to exceed expectations. You must develop your expectations management skills to do well in this class. Learn to manage expectations.

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Academic Policies

Incomplete Grade (I)
An incomplete grade (I) will only be issued in accordance to College of Business Administration policy. Among the conditions imposed by the instructor that must be met (but are not limited to) are (1) a current passing grade (70 percent or better), (2) the successful completion of all prior assignments and exams, and (3) an unforeseen and unusual event beyond your control which prevents you from completing the semester, and can be documented and verified (employment-related events do not qualify). (4) An incomplete will only be considered after it has been determined that a withdrawal (W) cannot be issued. If you do not meet (1) through (4), you do not qualify for an incomplete. As stipulated by the University, an incomplete cannot be assigned when it is necessary for the student to attend additional class meetings to complete the course requirements.

Unauthorized Withdrawal (U) and Failing (F) Grades
An unauthorized withdrawal ("U" letter grade) will be awarded to students who fail to take the final exam since it is the last component to the semester's requirements. An attempt at the final will be regarded as a student's attempt to complete the course requirements. If the student does NOT possess sufficient points to pass, a letter grade of "F" will be assigned.


Academic Dishonesty
Incidents of academic dishonesty (as defined below) will not be tolerated. Such incidents will result in a failing semester grade and more as deemed appropriate by myself and/or the department chair.

Academic dishonesty involves acts that may subvert or compromise the integrity of the educational process of the university. Included is any act by which a student gains or attempts to gain an academic advantage for him/herself, or another, by misrepresenting his/her, or another=s work or by interfering with the completion, submission, or evaluation of work. These include, but are not limited to, accomplishing or attempting any of the following acts:

1. Using any unauthorized materials during an examination.
2. Copying from another student's paper during an examination.
3. Collaborating (i.e., talking, passing notes, and/or signals) during an examination with any other person by giving or receiving information without specific permission of the instructor.
4. Stealing, buying or otherwise obtaining information about an examination.
5. Substituting for another person or permitting any other person to substitute for oneself to take an examination.
6. Submitting another person's work (i.e., homework, project) as yours either in its original or altered form.
7. Giving someone else your work to fulfill his/her assignment.
8. Using the assignment of another class to fulfill an assignment for this class without authorized consent of the instructor.
9. Plagiarizing published works, i.e, failing to acknowledge the source of a published work other than your own and relying for extensively on one sole published source without adding your own or other people's work for purposes of validating or contradicting the extensively cited work.


 

Any part of this syllabus may be revised during the semester at the discretion of the instructor.

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