SELLINGER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Spring 2002

Course Description:

Examines the development and use of information systems in organizations. Students discuss the integration of information systems into business activities and apply word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation applications to a business task. Topics include the foundation of business functions; the components of an information system; the benefits of information systems; information technology; and contemporary approaches to building information systems.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course student will be able to:

• Describe the role of information systems in organizations and discuss in their own words the relationship of information systems to organizational objectives and structure.
• Demonstrate competency of basic techniques in representing system structure.
• Define the hardware, software, organization and people components of information systems.
• Differentiate among the various types of information and information systems used in business.
• Design, implement and document a specified database system using Access QBE.
• Appreciate the existence and use of standardized systems such as SQL.
• Design, build and document a usable spreadsheet model with Excel.
• Develop skills in a graphically oriented package such as a presentation or a web development package.
• Describe in their own words ethical dilemmas and implications of using information technology in organizations.
• Demonstrate the ability to teach oneself advanced features of a software tool.
• Demonstrate the ability to do research on current technology topics using the internet and traditional paper media and to reference it appropriately.

Course Requirements:

Exams

There will be a midterm and final examination as part of the course requirements. The midterm exam will be held in Week 7. The final exam is non-cumulative and will be held on the appropriate exam day. See the Class Schedule for actual dates.

Unexcused absence from an examination will result in a zero (0) grade for that exam. Make-up exams will be given only if the student’s absence has been excused by the instructor in advance. In cases of illness, a written excuse from the physician will be required.

Group Project

The group project will consist of teams of five students. Each team will produce a written research paper based on a topic relevant to this course and deliver an oral presentation summarizing their topic. Guidelines for the team project (including suggested topics) will be distributed during the second week of class. All team members are expected to participate equally.

Assignments - Excel, Access, FrontPage

In order to build proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite and to demonstrate business applicability, there will be three assignments, one each for Excel, Access, and FrontPage. Word and PowerPoint skills will be demonstrated in completion of the group project.

Class Participation

Class participation is comprised of multiple subjective and objective activities. These activities have been diversified to address student ability and interest. Subjective activity is your contribution to the class discussions based upon lectures and various class exercises. This contribution can take the form of asking thought provoking questions or providing examples of concepts discussed in class. Objective activity is primarily based on your completion of in-class exercises and group activities. There will be approximately 12 of these activities worth 5-15 points each. Most of the participation activities will be graded on a pass/fail basis. It is your responsibility to read each chapter and be prepared to discuss it on the appropriate date (see Class Schedule). If the instructor feels that students are not reading chapters and preparing for each class, pop quizzes may take the place of some components of class participation!

Although attendance is not mandatory, it is not possible to make up class work missed due to absence. The only exceptions to this rule will be for athletes who file the official documentation prior to a missed class or documented (doctor's note, etc.) cases of severe illness. Please refrain from eating during class as this is highly disruptive. Drinks (particularly with caffeine) are fine. Kindly turn off cell phones and pagers. Do not use the classroom computers unless instructed to do so.

Grading:

The breakdown of points to determine your grades is as follows:

Grades will be given on the basis of the following final point totals:

Notes:

1. Graded exams and projects may be retained by the instructor for future reference.
2. You are responsible for all material covered and any announcement made in any class session, whether you are present or not.
3. It is possible that certain components of Class Participation will be substituted as opportunities present themselves.

Inclement Weather / Class Cancellation:

In the event that a class is cancelled due to inclement weather or other adverse conditions, an alternate assignment will be posted on Blackboard within 24 hours (the next day at 6:30 PM).

Honor Code:

All students of the College are expected to understand the meaning of the Loyola College Honor Code. Ignorance of the Code is not a valid reason for committing an act of academic dishonesty. The following will constitute violations of the Code and are defined in the Community Standards Handbook (www.loyola.edu/honorcouncil): cheating, stealing, lying, forgery, plagiarism, and the failure to report a violation.

 

		CLASS SCHEDULE
Week	Date	Topics	Text
1	Jan. 15	Course Introduction The Networked Economy: A New Way of Doing Business	Chapter 1
2	Jan. 22	Information Technology: The Infrastructure of the Networked Economy Distribute Group Project Guidelines	Chapter 2
3	Jan. 29	Sharing Information and Resources through Networks Distribute Excel Assignment	Chapter 3
4	Feb. 5	Handling the Present with Transaction Processing Systems	Chapter 4
5	Feb. 12	Remembering the Past with Organizational Memory Collect Excel Assignment	Chapter 5
6	Feb. 19	Preparing for the Future with Decision Support Systems Distribute Access Assignment	Chapter 6
7	Feb. 26	Midterm Exam
	Mar. 5	No Class - SPRING BREAK!
8	Mar. 12	Preparing for the Future with Electronic Commerce	Chapter 7
9	Mar. 19	Developing Information Systems 1 Collect Access Assignment	Chapter 8
10	Mar. 26	Developing Information Systems 2 Distribute FrontPage Assignment	Chapter 9
11	Apr. 2	Crime and Security in the Networked Economy	Chapter 10
12	Apr. 9	Privacy and Ethical Issues in the Networked Economy Collect FrontPage Assignment	Chapter 11
13	Apr. 16	Societal Issues in the Networked Economy	Chapter 12
14	Apr. 23	Team Presentations
15	Apr. 30	Team Presentations
	May 7	Final Exam (6:30 PM - 9:30 PM)