CIS9.2/BUS 31.3 Management Information Systems
Required Text: Business Driven Information Systems
Authors: Baltzan and Phillips Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Final Exam - May 21st , 3:30-5:30 PM
- All material from Databases and on
- All assigned articles and videos
Click here for the Course Syllabus
Lecture Notes in PowerPoint- Click a lecture below to open it
- Information Systems in Business
- Strategic Decision Making
- E-Business
- Databases & Data Warehouses
- The Networked World: Are We Ready For It? Lou V. Gerstner Video lecture at MITWorld
- Networks, Telecomm & Wireless Computing
- Excel Pivot Tables
- Systems Development
- Project Management
- Project Management Techniques
Additional Material
- Decision Making Using Excel (pdf document)
- Basic Skills & Tools Using Access (pdf document)
- Problem Solving Using Excel - Pivot Tables(pdf document)
Assignments/Articles
HW8 Due May 14: Project Management
Read the article When Bad Things Happen to Good Projects
Write a 2 page summary of the article describing the major reasons for failure in HP's implemenation of an ERP system and what lessons can be learned from their experience?
HW7 Due April 30: Pivot Table
Established in 2002, t-shirts.com has rapidly become the place to find, order, and save on Tshirts.
One huge selling factor is that the company manufactures its own T-shirts. However,
the quality manager for the production plant, Kasey Harnish, has noticed an unacceptable
number of defective T-shirts being produced.
You have been hired to assist Kasey in understanding where the problems are concentrated. He suggests using a PivotTable to perform an analysis and has provided you with a data file, T3_TshirtProduction_Data.xls. The following is a brief definition of the information within the data file:
A. Batch: A unique number that identifies each batch or group of products produced.
B. Product: A unique number that identifies each product.
C. Machine: A unique number that identifies each machine on which products are produced.
D. Employee: A unique number that identifies each employee producing products.
E. Batch Size: The number of products produced in a given batch.
F. Num Defect: The number of defective products produced in a given batch.
Write a report analysing different pivot scenarios and explain what each pivot tells you about the possible source of the problem and what to do about it.
Here's the production data file (xls file)
You have been hired to assist Kasey in understanding where the problems are concentrated. He suggests using a PivotTable to perform an analysis and has provided you with a data file, T3_TshirtProduction_Data.xls. The following is a brief definition of the information within the data file:
A. Batch: A unique number that identifies each batch or group of products produced.
B. Product: A unique number that identifies each product.
C. Machine: A unique number that identifies each machine on which products are produced.
D. Employee: A unique number that identifies each employee producing products.
E. Batch Size: The number of products produced in a given batch.
F. Num Defect: The number of defective products produced in a given batch.
Write a report analysing different pivot scenarios and explain what each pivot tells you about the possible source of the problem and what to do about it.
Here's the production data file (xls file)
HW6 Due April 14: Apply Your Knowledge - Page 438/ Project 46
Include a written explanation of the realtionships between the tables
Submit your database via e-mail but first zip it so that my e-mail will accept it.
HW 5 Due March 26: E-Business Comparison
Select and compare Web sites of two retailers that are in the same business (for example jcrew.com vs. abercrombie.com,
or amazon.com vs. bn.com). Use the list of "do's and don'ts" from
Top 10 do's and don'ts to compare the two sites.
Review the range of information resources and services used in the sites and the ways in which they are organized,
designed, and presented.
The basic question you should attempt to answer is how well the sites support the conduct of e-business.
Compare the strengths and weaknesses of the two sites and draw a conclusion as to which one you think does the
best job of attracting customers to the Web site and retaining them once they get there.
Also, comment on how well you think each site:
Also, comment on how well you think each site:
- Offers a fast and convenient shopping experience
- Provides access to help or additional information
- Selects desirable products and displays them and describes them in an attractive and easy-to understand manner
- Describes its method for getting purchases to customers promptly
HW 4 Due March 5: Case Study
Read the case study
Harrah’s High Payoff from Customer Information
and answer the following questions
1. Why did Harrah’s become a customer-centric business? 2. In what ways did it become customer-centric? 3. What role did IT play in this change? To answer this discuss: a. WINet – what it provided and where it received data from b. Total Gold loyalty card/Total Rewards c. Hotel reservations d. PDB e. MWB f. Closed loop marketing 4. How is Harrah’s protecting the privacy of its customers? 5. What was the effect of the technology and new business strategy on the bottom line?
HW 3 Due February 20th: Tech PlugIn 4 - Question 4
HotSprings Spas manufactures and sells two spa models: the Steamboat and the Classic. HotSprings Spas receives spa bodies from another manufacturer and then adds a pump and tubing to circulate the water.
The Steamboat model demands 15.5 hours of labor and 14.5 feet of tubing.
The Classic model requires 10.5 hours of labor and uses 20 feet of tubing.
Based on selling patterns, the owner, Deborah Liebson, has determined that the Steamboat model generates a profit of $400 per unit, and the Classic model generates $345 profit.
While Deborah would like a large labor capacity and sufficient tubing and motors to build any number of spas, her resources are limited.
For the next production period, Deborah has 2,650 labor hours, 3,450 feet of tubing, and 231 pumps available. Deborah needs assistance in figuring out how many Steamboat and Classic models (in integer value) to build in order to maximize her profit. Given the constraints above, use Solver to assist Deborah in her what-if analysis.
Here's the data file to begin (xls file)
The Steamboat model demands 15.5 hours of labor and 14.5 feet of tubing.
The Classic model requires 10.5 hours of labor and uses 20 feet of tubing.
Based on selling patterns, the owner, Deborah Liebson, has determined that the Steamboat model generates a profit of $400 per unit, and the Classic model generates $345 profit.
While Deborah would like a large labor capacity and sufficient tubing and motors to build any number of spas, her resources are limited.
For the next production period, Deborah has 2,650 labor hours, 3,450 feet of tubing, and 231 pumps available. Deborah needs assistance in figuring out how many Steamboat and Classic models (in integer value) to build in order to maximize her profit. Given the constraints above, use Solver to assist Deborah in her what-if analysis.
- Watch the video from about 3 minutes in to the end of the lecture portion (about 48 minutes in). You can skip the Q&A session.
- Mr. Friedman discusses the first three chapters of his book: While You Were Sleeping, Ten Flatteners and The Triple Convergence. Summarize his ideas on globalization, flatteners and convergence.
- Do you agree or disagree with his ideas? If they are correct, how might they impact your future in the business world.
HW 1 Due Feb 6th: How Apple Could Mess Up, Again Business Week Jan 9, 2006
- Who is Clayton Christensen?
- Briefly summarize his ideas on what causes successful companies to fail to innovate?
- Based on this article, what does he think about Apple's future with the iPod?
- Do you agree or disagree with him? Explain your response.