BSA/405 End User Business Applications
University of Phoenix rEsource Syllabus
Course Title
BSA/405 End User Business Applications
Course Schedule
Mondays, beginning with the agreed-upon start date provided by UoP Directed Study Office
Location: “Directed Study Campus”
Course Materials
All materials can be found on
eCampus Web site.
, which can be accessed through the University of Phoenix
Instructor’s Name
Greg Binder
Primary eMail Address
gbinder@email.uophx.edu
gbinder69@qwest.net
Alternate eMail Address
greg.binder@phoenix.gov
Telephone Number(s)
(602) 942-6448 (H)
(602) 256-3589 (W)
Availability
Mr. Binder can be reached by any means above. In many cases, you will have to leave a message;
however, he will return your contact as soon as possible. You may call the work number and the home
number at any time. Home calls should be limited to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. For sending documents by e-mail
using the Internet, use the following address: gbinder@email.uophx.edu
University Policies
Please review University Policies regarding topics such as student conduct, attendance, and plagiarism in
your Program Handbook, which can be accessed through the University of Phoenix eCampus Web site.
Modality Procedures
Assignments are due on Monday evening, as if you are attending an on-ground class on that night – I am
required to submit attendance on Tuesday, and the submission of homework is the only indicator of
attendance. You will need to stay on schedule in order for your record to show weekly attendance.
Feedback
I will print out, grade and return your submissions by mail. You are welcome to contact me with any
questions in this regard.
Course-Specific Standards
The following STANDARDS FOR WRITTEN WORK are promulgated by the University of Phoenix and
should be referred to by the student when submitting written work, and will be used by the instructor to
evaluate that work:
Content/Development
 All key elements of the assignment are covered in a substantive way.
Copyright  2005, 2006 by the University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. The University of Phoenix® is a mark of Apollo Group, Inc.
in the United States and/or other countries.
BSA/405 End User Business Applications

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Content is comprehensive, accurate, and/or persuasive,
Major points are stated clearly, are supported by specific details, examples, or analysis, and are
organized logically.
Where appropriate, the paper supports major points with theory relevant to development of the ideas,
and uses the vocabulary of the theory correctly.
There is integration of theory and practice whereby the writer is able to link theories to practical
experience (i.e., application to the "real world" work setting).
Research is adequate and timely for the topic.
The context and purpose of the writing is clear( e.g., critique, research, sample memo, business
plan).
Organization
 The structure of the paper is clear and easy to follow.
 The paper's organization emphasizes the central theme or purpose and is directed toward the
appropriate audience.
 Ideas flow in a logical sequence.
 The introduction provides sufficient background on the topic and previews major points.
 Paragraph transitions are present and logical, and maintain the flow of thought throughout the paper.
 The conclusion is logical and flows from the body of the paper.
 The conclusion reviews the major points.
Format
 The paper, including citations and the reference page, follows APA guidelines for format.
 The paper is laid out effectively and uses reader-friendly aids (e.g., sections, summaries, tables of
contents, indices, appendices) when appropriate.
 The paper utilizes references appropriately.
 Headings, the use of italics, etc., aid in the readability of the paper and are not "overdone."
 The paper is neat, with attention given to format requirements.
Grammar Punctuation/Spelling
 Rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation are followed.
 Spelling is correct.
Readability/Style
 Sentences are complete, clear, and concise.
 Sentences are well-constructed, with consistently strong, varied structure.
 Sentence transitions are present and maintain the flow of thought.
 Words used are precise and unambiguous
 The tone is appropriate to the content and assignment.
I will provide you with as much feedback as possible to assist your understanding. If you have further
questions, please feel free to call or e-mail.
Incompletes
If you are unable to complete the coursework you should seek guidance from your academic counselor –
as a matter of University policy, incompletes are not granted.
Late assignments
All written work (does not include homework questions) will be according to the University of Phoenix
Approved Style Guide (APA). Your grade will be based on style, content and format including such items
as clarity of communication, sentence and paragraph construction, punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
Late work will be reduced by 10% per week late.
If you are unable to complete the coursework you should seek guidance from your academic counselor –
as a matter of University policy, incompletes are not granted.
Copyright  2005, 2006 by the University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. The University of Phoenix® is a mark of Apollo Group, Inc.
in the United States and/or other countries.
BSA/405 End User Business Applications
Welcome
Welcome to End User Business Applications! This document provides a description of the directed study
course, as defined by the instructor and the University of Phoenix. Students at many colleges and
universities take such an introductory course. This course reviews the common information system
applications that an end-user would use in a typical business environment. Both individual productivity
tools as well as enterprise tools are explored. The course relates the information system applications to
material presented in other courses in the program.
Instructor Bio
Your instructor comes to you with 32 years of teaching experience. He is a graduate of the US Military
Academy at West Point and holds a Masters Degree in Computer Science from the University of Arizona.
He taught Computer Science at the Academy for three years. Subsequently he served on the staff of the
US Army Management Systems Support Agency at the Pentagon. Since 1980, he has worked for the
City of Phoenix Information Technology Department, consulted for the US Army Pentagon and the State
Department, and taught in the Business College and School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University.
He has been a faculty member with the University of Phoenix since 1983, in all aspects of graduate and
undergraduate information systems subjects. He is involved with both classroom delivery and Directed
Study programs. At the City of Phoenix Mr. Binder has managed development of the e-commerce
program, privacy, the e-government program, and served as project manager for web-based applications.
He currently heads the Enterprise Technology Management team, with responsibilities for enterprise
architecture; strategic, technical, and operational technology planning, data security and privacy. He is
also on the MBA faculty of Ottawa University.
Academic Honesty
Academic honesty is highly valued at the University of Phoenix. Students must always submit work that
represents their original words or ideas. If any words or ideas used in a class posting or assignment
submission do not represent the student’s original words or ideas, all relevant sources must be cited
along with the extent to which such sources were used. Words or ideas that require citation include, but
are not limited to, all hard copy or electronic publications, whether copyrighted or not, and all verbal or
visual communication when the content of such communication clearly originates from an identifiable
source. Please see the University of Phoenix Catalog for more information about academic honesty,
including consequences of academic dishonesty.
Privacy and Confidentiality in the University of Phoenix Classroom
One of the highlights of the University of Phoenix academic experience is that students can draw on the
wealth of examples from their organizations in class discussions and in their written work. However, it is
imperative that students not share information that is confidential, privileged, or proprietary in nature.
Students must be mindful of any contracts they have agreed to with their companies.
Copyright  2005, 2006 by the University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. The University of Phoenix® is a mark of Apollo Group, Inc.
in the United States and/or other countries.
BSA/405 End User Business Applications
WEIGHTING of WORKSHOP ASSIGNMENTS (see below for details of each assignment)
ASSIGNMENT
POINTS
Discussion Questions (Week One)
50
Discussion Questions (Week Two)
50
Individual Assignment (Week Two)
100
Discussion Questions (Week Three)
50
Individual Assignment (Week Three)
100
Discussion Questions (Week Four)
50
Individual Assignment (Week Four)
100
Discussion Questions (Week Five)
100
Total
600
POINT/GRADE CONVERSION
Grades are calculated as a percentage of the total points %
Grade
%
94+
A
76-77+
91-93+
A73-75+
87-90+
B+
69-73+
84-86+
B
67-69+
81-83+
B<67
78-80+
C+
Grade
C
CD+
D
F
WORKSHOP ASSIGNMENTS
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Week
One
 Respond with a 3-4page paper.
Two
 Respond with a 3-4page paper.
Three
Respond with a 3-4page paper.

Four
Discussion Questions – See readings for each workshop
What process does your organization use to select software? Is it
different than the selection of hardware or platform equipment?
Discuss why or why not these processes are separate.
What is the difference between a RFP and a RFQ?
Name some ways to research different applications.
Why is requirement generation important prior to selection of an
application?
Build a decision matrix for open source, shareware and commercial
software applications. Discuss strengths, weaknesses and pitfalls.
Why are system performance metrics important?
What should you look for in a beta test site?
Name some advantages of implementing a collaborative enterprise
application suite.
State evaluation criteria for the selection of a networked printing
Copyright  2005, 2006 by the University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. The University of Phoenix® is a mark of Apollo Group, Inc.
in the United States and/or other countries.
BSA/405 End User Business Applications

Respond with a 3-4page paper.
Five
Respond with a 4-6page paper.

application.
Find three suppliers based on product queries from the Internet, and
use your criteria to make a recommendation.
Discuss the pros and cons of more stringent privacy legislation. Take
one point of view and expand upon it.
How is employee e-mail different from personal e-mail? Discuss the
pros and cons of a company reading employee e-mail.
Discuss the two approaches to protection of personal privacy. Take
one approach and expand upon it.
Discuss the differences between the various types of digital divides.
Which do you think will disappear the most quickly? Why?
Discuss the various types of teleworking.Which do you think you
would choose if you were to become a teleworker? Why?
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS
Refer to “Standards for Written Work” and “Standards for Presentations” in your Program Handbook,
which can be accessed through the University of Phoenix eCampus Web site.
A link to the Virtual Organizations can be found on the rEsource page.
Week
One
Two
Three
Four
Individual Assignments
Complete reading assignments posted on the rEsource course page. Not
graded
Prepare a 4–6 page paper describing a software selection process for an
organization. Describe the evaluation criteria that you would use. Discuss
the issues and strategies for stakeholder involvement. Define how the
software application(s) will meet the business requirements of the
organization that you have selected. Add decision matrices and your
weighted evaluation criteria for software selection.
Prepare a 4–6 page wherein you identify and research three different
accounting software applications. Compare and contrast each accounting
application. Describe the industries and organization size that the application
is best suited for. Identify each application’s strengths and weakness.
Describe your evaluation criteria and how each accounting application met
the criteria. Select your top choice of accounting applications based upon
your criteria. Also create a 2-3 page memo (in standard classroom paper
format) sharing your findings with the executive sponsor of the accounting
application selection project.
Prepare a 4–6 page paper describing a successful or unsuccessful software
application implementation from your experiences. Identify and describe why
the implementation was successful or unsuccessful. Create a list of best
practices and lessons learned from this implementation that you can apply to
future software application implementation projects. Support your paper with
research references describing best practices from an industry and
application implementation perspective.
Five
Copyright  2005, 2006 by the University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. The University of Phoenix® is a mark of Apollo Group, Inc.
in the United States and/or other countries.