BUS206: Management Information Systems

Read this overview of the topics involved in studying information systems. You will see that it is much more than just studying technology. After you read, reflect upon the different topics. Which topic surprised you the most? Which topic will be the most difficult for you to understand?

This chapter introduces the components of information systems. It begins by discussing the history of information systems and their role in business. This chapter gives a high-level overview level; we will be going deeper later in this course. After you read, think about how you use information systems in your everyday life. You probably encounter them almost every day in some way!

This video gives an overview of information systems. Pay particular attention to the examples of information systems. After you watch, consider how this lecture compares to the chapter you just read.

After you review these materials, post and respond to this topic on the course discussion board. Also, feel free to start your own related posts and respond to other students' posts.

Suppose that you had to explain to a member of your family or one of your closest friends the concept of an information system. How would you define it? Write a one-paragraph description in your own words that you feel would best describe an information system to your friends or family.

The advances in information technology over the past several decades have directly led to innovations in business. In this video, you will see several examples of the significance of these changes for all aspects of business. Pay special attention to how the use of technology has influenced whole industries. After you watch, reflect upon current trends in technology and how they affect companies.

Watch this lecture on information systems hardware. The personal computer is the primary device that has driven the information systems revolution in the past thirty years.

This chapter focuses on how the personal computer works and then addresses other hardware devices. Be sure to read the section on Moore's Law carefully. As you read, focus on how Moore's Law might describe all of the different components and devices discussed in this chapter.

As you read this chapter, focus on how software differs from hardware. There are several ways to categorize software; the most significant difference is between systems software and application software. This chapter will introduce you to the concept of open-source software and cloud computing, two important concepts in business right now.

This lecture accompanies the chapter you just read on software.

After you review these materials, post and respond to this topic on the course discussion board. Also, feel free to start your own related posts and respond to other students' posts.

If you were running a small business with limited funds for information technology, would you consider using cloud computing? Find some web-based resources that support your decision. Explain your decision in at least two paragraphs. Hint: you can find materials about this decision by searching on the term "cloud computing for small business".

In this chapter, you will read about how communications technologies allow our computers to send messages to each other. The evolution of these technologies has brought us the Internet and all of the wireless communications we use today.

This chapter focuses on several important concepts related to information security. Be sure you understand the components of the information security triad. This chapter also considers how you might want to review your personal information security – you are highly encouraged to take stock of your efforts to stay secure!

This video discusses the CIA Information Security Triad in more detail. Pay attention to each of the components of the triad. After you watch, consider how you apply these components in your work life or personal life. For example, if you work at a bank, you might consider how you try to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility of one kind of data.

This chapter covers the concepts of data and databases. Businesses are becoming more and more "data-driven"; understanding how data is collected, stored, and managed is essential for anyone wanting to succeed in business. Pay special attention to the sections on data warehouses and data mining, as they provide examples of how companies use data strategically.

Watch these videos and reflect on the different approaches to defining the terms in both videos and the reading assignment. Which do you like best? Write a short definition for each of them.

This video explains how one presenter used data to make decisions, as well as the importance of using intuition. Think about the decisions you make in your work or personal life. How could having more data help you make better decisions? What kind of data would you need? How would you balance your own intuition and data to make better decisions?

Watch this video and reflect on the role of information technology in knowledge management. What are the components of knowledge management? Can a company claim to be doing "knowledge management" by simply implementing one or more information systems? Consider writing a response in two or three paragraphs.

A database is a storage location for data. But what does the term "database" really mean? This exercise will help you understand the term better.

This video is somewhat technical, so be sure you have completed the previous materials in this unit first. What demands will companies put on databases in the future? As data becomes more and more the lifeblood of business, databases will require new methods for processing and managing data. After you watch, think about why the relational database model may not be the best one to serve the purposes of database management in the future. Compose your answer in a brief four-slide presentation as follows:

This article gives a detailed summary of the role of data warehouses and data mining, and their relationship to organizational databases. As you read, pay attention to how data warehouses are used to improve decision-making in organizations. Keep a summary in your notes of how an organization you are involved with could benefit from data mining and data warehousing.

This chapter centers around the idea of the strategic value that information systems can bring to an organization. Pay attention to the arguments around the idea of competitive advantage. After you read, reflect upon the arguments presented about the impact that information technology has on competitive advantage.

This chapter looks at one way information systems can bring competitive advantage through their effect on business processes. As you read, think about the previous chapter on competitive advantage. How are the two concepts related?

Read these sections on the value chain and Porter's five forces. While you read, think about the impact information technology can have on these concepts.

This video is about one company's decision support system (DSS), which is a computerized program used to analyze data in order to make informed decisions. After you watch, write a paragraph that describes your understanding of the steps to developing a decision support tool. You have now also seen an application of MIS in the workforce. What part of this decision support team inspired you most?

So far, you learned about one of the criticisms of an ERP system: ERP systems drive all businesses to use the same business processes, thus eliminating competitive advantage. After you review these materials, post and respond to this topic on the course discussion board. Also, feel free to start your own related posts and respond to other students' posts.

If you were implementing an ERP system, in which cases would you be more inclined to modify the ERP to match your business processes? What are the drawbacks of doing this? Do some independent research to support your conclusions.

In this chapter, you will learn about the "people" component of management information systems. As you read, think about the Decision Support Systems video and the importance that each person plays in the success of an organization, not just the successful implementation of the technology.

After you review these materials, post and respond to this topic on the course discussion board. Also, feel free to start your own related posts and respond to other students' posts.

IT offshoring is a very controversial issue because it shifts jobs to other countries. At the same time, it has the potential to decrease the organization’s costs significantly. Whether offshoring is good or bad for the people of affected countries is an issue of constant controversy. Explain how you feel about this issue.

This chapter focuses on the concepts surrounding the development of information systems. It begins with a discussion of software development methodologies, then covers programming languages and tools, and finishes with a review of implementation methodologies. As you read, reflect upon all the different pieces that must come together in order for a system to be developed.

This chapter reviews the role that information technologies have had in the globalization of our world. As you read, pay attention to the many positive and negative changes that globalization has brought.

As you watch this keynote, focus on the impact that information technology has had on globalization. Which of the "flatteners" do you think is having the biggest impact today? What other concepts from the video stood out to you as important?

In this chapter, you will learn how the ubiquity of information systems today compels us to act ethically and legally. As you read, consider the sorts of ethical questions that we must ask ourselves now that did not exist before. How does this affect you personally?

This text provides a comprehensive overview of how information systems relate to ethics. While reading, consider the relationship between ethical action and legal remedies. Many people think that the ethical issues raised by new technologies are just the same issues in a new form. Do you agree or disagree? Has technology created a new class of ethical issues? What are the difficulties raised by creating new laws and regulations to solve these issues?

As you read this article, reflect on how our expectations of privacy have changed over the past few generations. After you read, take some time to think about the activities you engage in that could be subject to data collection. Does this bother you? What do you do to limit the data collected from your online activity? Write an essay of two or three paragraphs summarizing your thoughts.

This chapter gives an overview of the trends in information systems. As you read, think about which of these trends may affect you the most. Are you excited for or apprehensive of any of these trends?

Mary Meeker, a venture capitalist and the head of Bond Capital, presented her research on the upcoming trends in Internet technologies in 2016. Her yearly presentation has become quite an industry event and a trend in itself.  As you watch, identify two or three key trends that interest you most.

This video explores how blockchain technology may transform networking systems.