BMGT 301: INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION SYSTEMS
FALL 2012
Section 0701 M 7:00pm- 9:40pm (VMH 1303)
Professor Guodong (Gordon) Gao
4325 Van Munching Hall
Email: ggao@umd.edu
Office phone: (301) 405-2218
Office Hrs: MW 4:30-5:00, and by appointment
Blackboard: https://bb.rhsmith.umd.edu
TA: Palash Padliya <palashp@gmail.com>
Description
The course offers a comprehensive overview of information systems (IS). It will explore
both strategic and tactical issues related to IS. Basic concepts in analyzing and designing
information systems for business applications will be presented. Aspects of data
management such as databases and data analysis will be analyzed. The basics of the
Internet and e-commerce will be introduced. The course will include a laboratory
component that will enable the students to apply concepts learned in class in a practical
setting.
Pre-Requisites
There are no prerequisites except for a general interest in both business and technology
issues.
Course Objectives
This course is essential for all business students graduating in the digital age. The
students will learn about the effective use of information systems (IS) and technology to
solve business problems in a variety of fields including accounting, finance, logistics,
marketing, and operations, and supply chain management.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
 Obtain an in-depth knowledge of IT-enabled competitive advantages and
organizational changes
 Grasp essentials of major components of information technologies and various
information systems
 Become familiar in the use of tools such as Excel and Access for modeling and
solving business problems
 Analyze business models of major e-commerce companies
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Course Materials
Textbook:
Information
Systems:
A
Manager’s
Technology. Version 1.4 (eISBN: 978-1-4533-4580-1).
Guide
to
Harnessing
Extra readings will be posted on Blackboard or distributed in class. It is important for you
to visit the blackboard site (https://bb.rhsmith.umd.edu/) for important announcements
and course materials. I may also post your questions anonymously and my answers on the
blackboard if the questions may be of interest to other students in class. Make sure your
email address in Testudo and University directory is up-to-date. Announcements, slides
and other course materials are often distributed through the site.
Course Format
The course consists of a combination of lectures and hands-on laboratory sessions.
Please see the course schedule for topics and readings. There will be 2 assignments that
need to be done in teams, and others are individual effort.
Grading
Grading is based on a number of individual and group exercises:
Problem Sets (2)
Essays (4)
Team Project (2)
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Class performance
Extra credit
10% (individual effort)
10% (individual effort)
10% (team effort)
25% (individual effort)
40% (individual effort)
5% (individual effort)
up to 2% (individual effort)
Please submit all your assignments via Assignment in Blackboard before the class
starts. Because we will often discuss the problem set and cases on the class that they are
due, late assignments cannot be accepted.
The extra credit is used to help you better understand the roles of technology in business,
as well as academic research in knowledge creation. You might be invited to certain IS
events, or non-commercial academic research sessions during the semester. More details
will be discussed in class.
If you have questions regarding grading, please submit them in-written within one week
after the grade is posted. Explain why you want the assignment to be re-graded. There is
a risk that the re-grading will result in a lower score than the original one.
It is Smith School policy for all 300 level classes that the class GPA should average
3.10.
Guidelines for Written Work
Problem Set (Technical Problems). There will be 1 problem set related to Microsoft
Access and 1 problem set on Excel, respectively. Please submit your work via
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blackboard (In Blackboard, click on “Assignment” and then “View/Complete
Assignment”, then attach your excel and access files using “Attach local file”). Name
your file as “LastName_FirstName” to facilitate the handling of grading. Please note that
submission of assignments to the blackboard can only be done once. So please ensure
that you are submitting the correct/final version.
Essays. There will be 4 essays corresponding to the cases and topics that will be
discussed in class. The essays should address the question(s) posted. The essays should
be 2 pages long (font size 12, 1.5 spaced). They are principally intended to get you
prepared for class discussion. Although there will be no detailed feedback to your
writings, they will be reviewed for quality. The essays should be submitted via
“Assignment” in blackboard too. Attach your file either in word or pdf file format.
Team Projects. There will be 2 team projects. The first project will ask you to explore a
specific technology-related phenomenon. Your team will be asked to present to the
class for 10 minutes, and your team needs to submit a 5-page written analysis as well
(font size 12, 1.5 space). You are encouraged to use bullet points that help you organize
and present your thoughts. Maximal credit is given to thorough answers that address the
question without extraneous comment. Post your team’s written analysis and
presentation slides to the group wiki.
The second project is in-depth analysis of a market or industry which is heavily
transformed by IT in recent years. More details on blackboard.
Class Participation
Students are expected to come prepared to participate in the case discussions and all
students are expected to contribute regularly in class. I recognize that not all students are
equally comfortable with participating in class; however, this is a relatively low risk
environment in which to practice skills that you will need later in life.
Technology Use in the Classroom
Cell phones and similar electronic communication devices should be turned off during all
classes. Leaving the room to take a cell phone call is inappropriate, and can cause a
disruption to the learning environment. You are welcome to use a notebook computer to
take notes as long as it does not hinder your ability to actively participate in the class
discussion. Just as you should not surf the web during a business meeting, you should not
use a computer during class time for activities unrelated to the class. Doing so will lower
the contribution and professionalism portion of your grade. When computers are not
needed – for example, during a guest speaker’s presentation – you are expected to close
your machine.
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 for all undergraduate and graduate students. 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 http://www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/whatis.html.
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Inclement Weather and Other Emergencies
Class will be cancelled when the campus is closed, either due to inclement weather or
other situations. To ensure the progress of the class, I ask that you check the blackboard
announcements regularly, since announcements will be made regarding whether make-up
sessions will be held, as well as the changes to deadlines.
Special Needs
If you have a disability and/or special needs, you should bring this to my attention as
soon as possible, but not later than the second week of class.
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