New Jersey Institute of Technology
College of Computing Sciences Course Syllabus
IS-677-101 (Evening) - Information Systems Principles
Instructor:
eMail:
Vikas A. Tipnis
vatipnis@NJIT.edu
Description
This course introduces the field of Information Systems: the study of how people and organizations can use
information technologies effectively. We shall examine several major areas in the field, analyzing key issues,
trends and problems. We will survey the role of information systems in organizations and how these systems
support organizational vision, mission, and objectives while providing competitive business advantages. We will
discuss basic concepts, such as, the systems capabilities, the architecture & design of a system, the nature of
information and data flows, as well as how people, process, information and related analytics concepts
interrelate.
We shall examine various types of information system applications such as eCommerce, Supply chain, Decision
Support, integrated enterprise-wide resource planning (ERP) systems, OLTP, and so on. Finally, we will
consider critical ethical and socio-cultural issues including privacy, personalization, and security.
Course Objectives
The course intends to build a wide range of analytical, communication, interpersonal, leadership skills in the use
of information systems and technology in business. Students will be able to:




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Explain how across an enterprise, information systems enable and support business capabilities, and
provide an integrated, comprehensive understanding of a firm's information and knowledge assets.
Understand how organizations can use IT/IS for competitive advantage.
Understand issues surrounding investment in information systems’ development, acquisition, maintenance
and management.
Explain the roles of technology, people and organizational components of information technology /
information systems (IT/IS) in businesses.
Discuss the ethical concerns associated with information privacy, accuracy, intellectual property rights, and
accessibility/security.
Course Textbook & Readings
1. Gabrielle Piccoli., Essentials of Information Systems for Managers, 2nd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, 2012,
ISBN: 978-1-1180-5711-7 (paperback copy). www.wiley.com/college/piccoli
2. Notes & Articles (currently posted some occasionally added) at the IS677-101 site in Moodle
3. On-line, Moodle-based discussion forums
Course methods
o Lectures. Our class topics will be organized to match the progression of the subject matter in the text book.
I therefore expect you to come to class having read the relevant Chapter in the text book ahead of each class.
In class I will make reference to the text book chapters, occasionally using Chapter slides; as well as other
related notes and articles. In class, from time to time, I will also share relevant cases from my professional
experiences and assignments.
o
Class Participation Class members come to IS-677 from a myriad of backgrounds, experiences, ideas
and opinions. This provides an opportunity for everyone to benefit from one another's knowledge base. The
course has been structured to encourage discussion, both in the classroom and on-line, via Moodle (see
below) between classes. All are expected to engage and participate in these discussions.
o Online/virtual Discussions. The purpose of the online Moodle-based discussions is to interact and
learn from one another’s readings, experiences, knowledge and points of view. There will be three
(3) on-line discussion forums on various IT/IS topics, with each the participation period in each
discussion lasting two to three weeks. To receive credit towards your course grade every class
member must post his/ her comments/observations by the end-date/time indicated. Late postings
will not be credited – no excuses!
There are two parts to each on-line discussion forum, and you are required to complete both parts
to receive credit. The first part is the requirement to post a summary addressing the questions
posted in the discussion bulletin board. Content-free or content-lite comments such as "I agree"
will not count for any credit!
o Team Assignment: IS Solution Proposal & Presentation. Each team shall respond to a request
for proposal (RFP) for an Information System solution to fill a business need as outlined in the
supplied mock business cases. Team members shall work together on developing and writing the
proposal document slides-deck. On Monday Nov 26th, each team will present their proposal in
class – each team will have 30 mins for their scripted presentation, divided equally between each
team member, with 15 mins for Q&A
Teams will have a private Moodle forum for interactions and messaging, and will consist of 3 to 4
members randomly assigned by me. Each team member must contribute equally to each segment
of the effort. A team member who does not contribute may be FIRED (dropped!) by the
others. That FIRED member will then be required to do the assignment on his/her own at
the cost of lose 20% of the grade.
The Honor Code
Any evidence of cheating in any form, including plagiarism, will be dealt with according to the honor code of
NJIT (course failure and suspension or expulsion). Please note: There will be no warnings or chances with
regard to cheating. Any discovered case of cheating will be immediately passed to the Dean of Students for
further investigation. You may not only fail this course but may also be suspended from NJIT. The full text of
the NJIT Honor Code is available for your review at http://www.njit.edu/academics/honorcode.php
Grading
1. Online Discussions (individual)
2 at 10% of grade each
2. Team Assignment and Team Presentation
3. Online Exams (1st and 3rd at 15%; mid-Semester at 20%)
20%
30%
50%
There will be several major activities/assignments over the semester. All assignments are due at 11:55
pm on the due date. Late assignments receive zero (0) credit. Each team member will receive zero (0)
credit for late team assignments. All assignments are to be posted in the appropriate assignment area in
Moodle.
The following scale will be used to determine your grade for the class:
A (93 - 100%),
B+ (88 - 92%),
B (80 - 87%),
C+ (75 - 79%),
C (65 - 74%), and
F (Below 65%).
Incompletes will be awarded only in unforeseen, dire and document-able circumstances (e.g., serious
illness or death of a close family member).
Final Comments
In all your assignments, you will be assessed not merely on content, but also on how well that content
is organized and presented. This covers everything from correctness of your language to coherence of
your arguments and your style of presentation (i.e., its degree of professionalism and appropriateness
given the target audience).
This course develops your ability to critique, exploit and build upon prior knowledge in how to use
IS/IT effectively. To demonstrate your knowledge, you will write standard English-language prose (as
opposed to building computer programs, proving theorems or soldering motherboards).
Moodle Learning Management System
At NJIT we extensively use the Moodle learning management system ( http://moodle.njit.edu/). Moodle
provides a variety of tools including online discussions forums, online chats, course and assignment details, for
submitting your completed assignments, and so on. You are encouraged to learn about Moodle ASAP, so as not
to fall behind in the class.
MISQ Format http://www.misq.org/manuscript-guidelines
IS 677 Course Schedule Evening
Week
Chapter
#
Date
#
Topic
1
3/09/12
2
10/09/12
1& 2
3
17/09/12
3
Organizational Information Systems and Their Impact
4
24/09/12
4
The Changing Competitive Environment
5
1/10/12
5
6
8/09/12
6
Electronic Commerce: New Ways of Doing Business
Exam 1 – Chapters 1 thru 5
Strategic Information Systems Planning
7
15/09/12
7
Strategic Information Systems – Value Creation
8
22/10/12
8
Value Creation and Information Systems
10
29/10/12
9
11
12
5/11/12
12/11/12
10
11
Appropriating IT-Enabled Value Over Time
Exam 2 – Chapters 6 thru 9
Funding & Governance of Information Systems
Creating Information Systems
13
19/11/12
12
Information Systems Trends
14
26/11/12
15
3/12/12
13
16
10/12/12
1. Team Assignment Presentation in Class
2. Exam – Chapters 10 - 13
Security, Privacy and Ethics
Enterprise Architecture Frameworks
Course Review
No Class!! Labor Day
1. Information Systems & the Roles of Business Managers
2. Information Systems Defined -- with a Retrospective on
their Evolution
Work this week
Read ahead Chapters 1&
2
 Read ahead Chapter 3
 Watch Wal-mart Video
 Read ahead Chapter 4
 Watch Friedman Video
 Read ahead Chapter 5
 Read Zwass & Malone
articles
 Discussion #1 opens
 Read ahead Chapter 6
 Discussion #1 closes
Read ahead Chapter 7
 Read ahead Chapter 8
 Discussion #2 opens
 Read ahead Chapter 9
 Discussion #2 closes
Read ahead Chapter 10
Read ahead Chapter 11
Read ahead Chapter 12
 Read ahead Chapter 13
 Submit IS Proposals
by 25/11/12
Read ahead Chapter 13
Additional Readings
These articles are posted in the Weekly Forums and are required. They are in MISQ format.
1. Markus, M. L.1983. "Power, Politics, and MIS Implementation," CACM, (26: 6), pp. 430-444
2. Nielsen, J. 1992. "The Usability Engineering Life Cycle," IEEE Computer, March, pp. 12-22.
3. Zwass, V. 2003. “Electronic commerce and organizational innovation: aspects and opportunities,”
International Journal of Electronic Commerce, (7:3), pp. 7-37.
4. Romano, N.C. and Fjermestad, J.2007. “Privacy and security in the age of electronic customer
relationship management,” International Journal of Information Security and privacy, (1:1), pp.
85-106.
5. Malone, T., Yates, J., and Benjamin, R. I. 1987. "Electronic Markets and Electronic Hierarchies,"
Communications of the ACM, (30:6), pp. 484-497.
6. Fjermestad, J. and Romano, N.C. 2003. “Electronic Customer Relationship Management Revisiting the
General Theories of Usability and Resistance: An Integrative Implementation Framework,” Business
Process Management Journal, (9:5), pp. 572-591.
7. Patten, K.P., Fjermestad, J., Withworth, B. 2009. “How CIOs use Flexibility to Manage Uncertainty in
Dynamic Business Environments, Proceedings of the Fifteenth Americas Conference on
Information Systems, San Francisco, California, (August 6-9). Awarded Best Paper Practitioner
Oriented Category
Videos
What MIS is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiaqoAGEhi8
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8754807177810381947&hl=en
In the Mind of Google http://www.hulu.com/watch/116372/cnbc-originals-inside-the-mind-of-google
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9212234366223965964
Boeing 787- http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/multimedia/news/business/building-the-dreamliner/boeing787.html
The other side of outsourcing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8quDb3FIUuo
Firedman- The world is flathttp://mitworld.mit.edu/video/266/
Outsourcing in Mexico
http://www.itbriefingcenter.com/programs/gartner_716_canieti.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/view/
http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/417
in Google type in Bezos Videos
Social networking
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?play=1&video=1196213577
http://www.midasoracle.net/2008/03/26/googles-enterprise-prediction-markets/
The Mac from 1987
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mLqJNDWx-8
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=4584
Project Natal Xbox 360 Announcement X-box a better interface
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2qlHoxPioM
Knowledge Management (a little fuzzy)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6395347688190577033&ei=u_nHSYv7JZKqrQL_kNnJAw&q=know
ledge+management+videos&hl=en
Understanding computers and the internet
http://academicearth.org/courses/understanding-computers-and-the-internet
ISWorld
http://www.osu-tulsa.okstate.edu/nromano/wwwroot/iswjsp/
Workshop on information in networks
http://www.winworkshop.net/videos.php
Implementing Financial Information Systems
http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/voddocs/502/1014/hi.htm
What MIS is:
http://degreedirectory.org/multimedia/What_Is_Management_Information_Systems_MIS_-_Video.html
http://www.criticalthinking.org/aboutCT/definingCT.cfm
http://cism.mccombs.utexas.edu/
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/?wlc=1290613781
Future Tech- Discovery Channel
http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/future-tech-science-2057/
IBM analytics
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/business-analytics-optimization/bao.html