COURSE OBJECTIVE

This course prepares students with the background knowledge and terminology necessary to understand how organizations leverage information technology effectively for business success. The course focuses on the opportunities and pitfalls provided by information technologies, and how information systems can affect business productivity and organizational strategy.

INSTRUCTOR AND CONTACT INFORMATION

Course Website: www.ltrc.mcmaster.ca/webct. The course website will be the primary mode of information dissemination. Please check this website regularly for posts concerning the course. For questions about Assignments 1 and 2, please contact the Head TA at pittawjj@mcmaster.ca. For all other inquires about the course, contact the Course Instructor

Students corresponding via email must send messages that originate from their official McMaster University email account. This protects the confidentiality and sensitivity of information, as well as confirms the identity of the student.

This course emphasizes the strategic role of information systems in modern business. Topics include: the technical foundations of information systems, the impact of information systems on business operations and decision-making, and the processes that are required for successful implementation of business information systems.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to complete the following key tasks:

• Assess a company’s e-business requirements and strategies.

• Understand how information systems support business operations, managerial decision-making, and strategy.

• Understand the application of the Internet and related Web technologies to facilitate business, electronic commerce, and collaboration.

• Understand issues related to the management of information systems, such as privacy, security, and ethical concerns.

• Be knowledgeable about the management of data and information as key organizational resources.

• Understand how information systems are developed, including project management and systems design methodologies.

• Be knowledgeable about the technical aspects of information systems architecture, hardware and software.

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS AND READINGS

Baltzan, P., Phillips, A., & Detlor, B. (2008). Business Driven Information Systems (1st Canadian Edition): McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

EVALUATION

Learning in this course results primarily from reading, class lectures and discussion, assignments, and exams. Both the midterm exam and final exam are in the form of multiple choices questions. All work will be evaluated on an individual basis.

Components and Weights

The components of the course grade will be weighted as follows. The instructor reserves the right to modify the weightings to adjust for more or less material covered during the semester.

released. Two library tutorial labs, needed to complete the assignment, will be given by McMaster’s business librarians during regular class times. Check WebCT closer to the dates of these labs for specific times and locations.

The assignment will be released on WebCT on Monday March 2nd. The due date is MARCH 24^TH at 2:00 PM (14:00). Late submissions incur a 2% penalty per day, meaning that after 5 days past the due date, late submissions receive zero marks.

100%

Grade Conversion

At the end of the course your overall percentage grade will be converted to your letter grade in accordance with the following conversion scheme.

Communication and Feedback

Students that are uncomfortable in directly approaching an instructor regarding a course concern may choose to send a confidential and anonymous email to the respective Area Chair at:

http://www.degroote.mcmaster.ca/curr/emailchairs.aspx

Students who wish to correspond with instructors directly via email must send messages that originate from their official McMaster University email account. This protects the confidentiality and sensitivity of information as well as confirms the identity of the student.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Please note that students involved in academic dishonesty will receive a ZERO grade on the particular component in which the infraction occurred and a notation of academic dishonesty in the Dean’s office; and may receive a ZERO grade on the course, and a notation of academic dishonesty on their transcripts. The University Senate Resolutions on Academic Dishonesty

states: Academic dishonesty is not qualitatively different from other types of dishonesty. It consists of misrepresentation by deception of by other fraudulent means. In an academic setting this may take any number of forms such as copying or use of unauthorized aids in tests, assignments, examinations, lab reports, term papers, or cases; plagiarism; talking during in-class examinations; submission of work that is not your own without citation; submission of work generated for another course without prior clearance by the instructor of both courses; submission of work generated by another person; aiding and abetting another student’s dishonesty; and giving false information for the purpose of gaining admission or credits; and forging or falsifying McMaster University documents. No excuses for violation of this policy, including ignorance of the policy, are accepted.

For more detailed information please see: http://www.mcmaster.ca/policy/ac_ethics.htm.

Please be careful when handing in assignments, reports, essays and/or cases that are based on individual work. TAs have been instructed to NOT grade any paper that is deemed to have similar content with another person’s work. In instances when work is suspected to be copied, all students involved will be notified and the case will be reviewed by the Dean’s office.

COPYRIGHT

McMaster University has signed a license with the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright) which allows professors, students, and staff to make copies allowed under fair dealing. Fair dealing with a work does not require the permission of the copyright owner or the payment of royalties as long as the purpose for the material is private study, and that the total amount copied equals NO MORE THAN 10 percent of a work or an entire chapter which is less than 20 percent of a work. In other words, it is illegal to: i) copy an entire book, or ii) repeatedly copy smaller sections of a publication that cumulatively cover over 10 percent of the total work’s content. Please refer to the following copyright guide for further information:

http://library.mcmaster.ca/about/copying.pdf

POLICY ON MISSED MID-TERM EXAMINATIONS / TESTS

The Faculty of Business has approved the following policy:

Where students miss a regularly scheduled midterm for legitimate reasons as adjudicated by the Academic Programs Office (APO), the weight for that test will be distributed across other evaluative components of the course at the discretion of the instructor. Documentation explaining such an absence must be provided to the APO within five (5) working days upon returning to school. The approved McMaster Medical Form must be used to document absence for health related reasons. If an exam is missed without a valid reason, students will receive a grade of Zero (0) for that component. University policy states that a student may submit a maximum of three (3) medical certificates per year after which the student must meet with the Director of the program. Please see the following URL for APO forms:

http://www.degroote.mcmaster.ca/UG/register.html

Students unable to write at the posted exam time due to the following reasons: religious; work-related (for part-time students only); representing university at an academic or varsity athletic event; and conflicts between two overlapping scheduled midterm exams, have the option of applying for special exam arrangements. Such requests must be made to the APO at least ten

(10) working days before the scheduled exam along with acceptable documentation. There will be only one common sitting for the special exam. Instructors cannot themselves allow students to unofficially write make-up exams/tests. Adjudication of the request must be handled by the APO.

CLASS SCHEDULE