University of Wales The Turning Point

MC4 – Business Information System Management

Subject Outline
The Turning Point
February 2008

Credit Points: 10
Lecturer: Stephanie McKern
Email: smckern@logis.com.sg

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Table of Contents
Section 1: General Information................................................................................3
1.1 Lecture Time & Location............................................................................3
1.2 Brief Outline..............................................................................................3
1.3 Aims...........................................................................................................4
1.4 Learning Outcomes...................................................................................4
1.5 Attendance................................................................................................4
1.6 Required Texts & Readings.......................................................................4
1.7 Supplementary Reading............................................................................5
Recommended Journals.......................................................................................................5
1.8 Course Schedule........................................................................................6
1.9 Web References........................................................................................7
1.10 Policies on Educational Issues and Student matters...............................7
1.11 Assessments............................................................................................7
1.12 Submission Dates....................................................................................8
Section 2: Assessment.............................................................................................9
2.1 Grades Awarded........................................................................................9
2.2 Satisfactory Completion Requirements of this Subject............................10
2.3 Assessment Weight.................................................................................10
2.4 Assessments............................................................................................10
Assignment Guidelines......................................................................................................10
2.5 Examination Information.........................................................................11
2.6 Google Groups..........................................................................................12
2.7 Assignment Submission............................................................................17
Section 3: Citation & Plagiarism.............................................................................22

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SECTION 1: GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 Lecture Time & Location

This subject will be taught over 2 weekends, plus have scheduled weekend
meetings to assist with project research and discussion.

Friday 15th February 2008 1900 – 2200 hrs

Saturday 16 February 2008
th
1400 – 1800 hrs
Sunday 17th February 2008 0900 – 1800 hrs

Saturday 22nd March 2008 1400 – 1800 hrs

Sunday 23rd March 2008 0900 – 1800 hrs
Monday 24th March 2008 1900 – 2200 hrs

Saturday 5th April 2008 1300 – 1600 hrs EXAMINATION

1.2 Brief Outline

Students will develop an appreciation of the value of Information Systems, and

will understand the strategic role of information systems and technology. This will
include an awareness of knowledge management, as well as developing an
understanding of how business systems work and the practice of systems
thinking. Students will be able to recognise information systems in an organisation
and understand how information systems contribute to the competitive position of
the business. Additionally, students will understand the need for identifying gaps
between current business system capability and what is required of the business,
presenting business cases for solutions that bridge these gaps and be aware of
the management of change in implementing these solutions.

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1.3 Aims

This module aims:

• To appreciate the value of Information Systems

• To understand the strategic role of information systems and technology
• To be aware of knowledge management and requirements for developing
knowledge management systems
• To be able to define and accommodate ethical and social issues in
information systems
• To recognise the contribution of information systems to the competitive
position of the organisation
• To emphasis and interpret gap analysis and business case development
• To know how to implement change in IS arena
• To identify the Internet and electronic commerce applications as strategic
business tools

1.4 Learning Outcomes

On successfully completing the subject participants should be able to:

1. Recognise that technological change creates a reliance and IT commits an

organisation to continual change
2. Identify and explain the implications of information being a resource and a
commodity which can be bought, sold or exchanged
3. Explain information's dynamism in the business environment
4. Construct and implement a strategy for an organisation to use IT as a
business weapon
5. To explain the factors that encourage globalisation of world trade in
Information Technology from a systems perspectives
6. Explain and evaluate the effects of E-commerce on organisations, and
determine suitable strategies for implementation and use
7. Identify the critical success factors of strategic implementation of IS/IT for
business survival
8. Identify the impact of IT/IS and the need for understanding and applying
cyber-law, especially with regards to changes in the current legal
environment

1.5 Attendance
Attendance is strongly recommended in order for students to be able to
satisfactorily attempt the final examination. Students are required to sign in their
attendance for every lecture attended.

1.6 Required Texts & Readings

Management Information Systems, 10th Ed
Laudon, K.C. and Laudon, J.P., 2007
Prentice Hall.

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1.7 Supplementary Reading

• Turban, E., Leidner, D., Mclean, E., Wetherbe, J. , Information
Technology for Management: Transforming Organizations in the
Digital Economy (2007) 6/E, John Wiley and Sons
• Bagranoff, Nancy A., Simkin, Mark G. and Norman, Carolyn S,
Core Concepts of Accounting Information Systems, 10th ed.
(2007) John Wiley and Sons
• Wainright, M.E., Brown, C.V., DeHayes, D.W., Hoffer, J.A. and
Perkins, W.C., Managing Information Technology (2004) 5/E,
Prentice Hall
• Thompson, R.L., Information Technology and Management
(2002) 2/E, McGraw-Hill

Recommended Journals
Bank Systems & Technology
CIO Magazine (online at www.cio.com)
European Journal of Information Systems
Information & Management
Information Strategy: The Executive's Journal
Information Systems Journal
Information Systems Management
Information Systems Security
Journal of Information Systems
Journal of Management Information Systems
Managing Office Technology

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1.8 Course Schedule

The following schedule covers materials to be addressed over the weekend
sessions.

Students are advised that they should seek to cover as much of the material as
possible prior to attending each of the weekends.

Weekend Dates Indicative Content

1 15th February 2008 Focus on Learning Outcomes (LO) 1, 2, 3, 5 & 6

LO 1 – Chapters 14 & p 514-523

LO 2 – Chapters 3, 6, 11 & 12
16th February 2008 LO 3 – Chapters 2 & 3
LO 5 – Chapters 1 & 15
LO 6 – Chapter 2

17th February 2008

2 22nd March 2008 Focus on Learning Outcomes (LO) 4, 6, 7 & 8

LO 4 – Part 4 (All Chapters)

LO 6 – Chapters 9 & 10
23rd March 2008 LO 7 – Chapters 7 & 8
LO 8 – Chapter 8

24th March 2008

Please ensure that you read the respective chapters before coming to class.

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1.9 Web References

It is expected that students will make good use of the online materials
that are now available from a myriad of organisations on the world-
wide-web. The following are a list of predominant organisations whose
web sites will provide material most a appropriate to this module.

Http://www.wales.ac.uk/ University of Wales

http://www.economist.com/ The Economist
http://www.forbes.com/ Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/home_asia/ Forbes Asia
http://www.agsm.edu.au/~eajm/ Australian Journal of Management
http://www.spea.indiana.edu/ids/SBE.html Small Business Economics
http://www.businessweek.com/ Business Week
http://www.itbusinessedge.com/t/Business- IT Business Edge – Service Oriented
Integration/Service-Oriented-Architecture- Architecture
(SOA)/
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/itbusine Australian IT
ss/
Http://www.cio.com CIO.com – Business Technology
Leadership

1.10 Policies on Educational Issues and Student matters

Please refer to the student handbook available from the University of
Wales Website.

1.11 Assessments
All assignments are expected to be the original work of students. Each
assignment should give details of references used and all quotations
should be clearly attributed to their source. Although group
preparation is encouraged it should be noted that collusion and
plagiarism will not be tolerated and will be subjected to severe
penalties.

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1.12 Submission Dates

Assignments should be submitted to the office and not directly to the

lecturer. A completed Assignment Submission Cover (see attached)
should accompany each assignment. The centre will set deadlines for
submission of assignments and students must adhere to this deadline.
Assignments received one week after the deadline will be marked
“Late submission” and 5% of marks apportioned to the assignment
will be deducted. Assignments submitted later than a week after the
deadline will be deemed as a fail. Submission of assignments is
compulsory: you cannot pass a module unless you have completed
the assignments.

Submission of an assignment is considered to be final. A student is not

entitled to revise an unsatisfactory assignment and may only re-
submit an assignment when the Examination Board gives permission
to do so. The assignment mark provides part of the composite subject
mark upon which the award of MBA is based and the submission of
assignments should be treated as part of the final assessment and as
a formal process.

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SECTION 2: ASSESSMENT

2.1 Grades Awarded

The approved grades of performance and associated ranges of marks this subject
is:

A Grade: To be awarded a Grade A you must provide evidence of wide reading of

relevant literature, exercising discernment in the selection of appropriate
quotations and evidence to support your work. The use of appropriate models and
concepts should be accurate and demonstrate depth of understanding and
creative application to the subject companies. Your work should be logical and
coherent, presented in an interesting and accessible style. By definition A Grade
work is of an “exceptional” standard.

B Grade: To be awarded a Grade B you must provide evidence of wide reading of

relevant literature, selecting appropriate quotations and evidence to support your
work. The use of appropriate models and concepts should be accurate and
demonstrate understanding and application to the subject companies. Your work
should be logical and presented in an interesting and accessible style. Work in the
G Grades can be generally defined as very good.

C Grade: To be awarded a Grade C you must demonstrate that you have

undertaken a review of relevant literature and that you have used the information
to illustrate your answer. You should clearly demonstrate your ability to apply the
key theories and concepts to the given circumstances. Your work should be
logical, correctly referenced and convincing. Work in the C range can generally be
described as average.

D Grade: To be awarded a Grade D you must demonstrate that you have

undertaken a review of relevant literature. You should attempt to apply relevant
models and concepts to the given circumstances. Work in the D range is a
marginal pass.

E Grade: An E Grade is a marginal fail. Your work may be similar to the

description of C grade, but failing to meet the objectives of the assignment and
not satisfying the learning outcomes. Work not properly referenced.

F Grade: This is a clear fail. Inadequate literature review, not properly

referenced. Limited attempt to apply models and concepts to circumstances
and/or inaccurate application. General failure to meet the objectives of the
assignment and not satisfying the learning outcomes. Work not properly
referenced.

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2.2 Satisfactory Completion Requirements of this Subject

In order to satisfactorily complete the requirements of this subject, the student
must achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50% for the subject, and achieve a
mark of at least 40 % in the final examination. Students must ‘reasonably’
complete all assessment components other than the final examination and submit
by the final week of session/ intake or by the final examination date (whichever is
earlier) in order to pass the subject. ‘Reasonable’ completion of an assessment
will consider instructions given to the student including; word length,
demonstration of research and analysis where required, University Plagiarism
Policy, and completion of each section/ component of the assessment. Failure to
‘reasonably’ complete any assessment components to the standard specified
above will result in a Fail grade awarded for the subject. Assessment tasks
submitted after the due date may be penalized. Refer to Penalties for Late
Submission of Assessment policy.

2.3 Assessment Weight

Assessment Type Word Length Weightin Due Date

g

1. Assignment 3000 - 5000 60% 22nd March 2008

2. Examination - 40% 5th April 2008

2.4 Assessments
There are two pieces of assessment for this subject.

The assignment information is available in a separate handout.

Assignment Guidelines

Assessment of postgraduate assignments is based on postgraduate standards.

This means that an assignment should demonstrate evidence of good
understanding of what the question asks. The structure of the answer should be
relevant to the question and provide evidence of critical thinking and good use of
appropriate research material. Assignments should be correctly referenced using
the Harvard System of Referencing and Citation of Electronic Sources in line with
the guidelines provided in this Outline.

The assignment is a paper is to be prepared in no more than +/- 10% of the word
count indicated.

Please type wherever possible, using 12 point font, Times New Roman or Arial.

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Please note: Any analysis and evaluation conducted should make appropriate use
of the methodologies, concepts and frameworks studied in the module.

You are also encouraged to read other sources at your discretion.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Please see the guides to citation,

referencing and plagiarism appended to this outline.

Students must retain a copy of all assessment work submitted. Marks will not
usually be modified or scaled. Feedback on assessment tasks will be returned to
students before the final examination date.

Although student attendance records will be kept, attendance or class

participation will not be part of the assessment for this subject.

2.5 Examination Information

There is an examination for this subject. It is scheduled for 5th April, 2008.

Please follow the examination information as uploaded in your Google Group for
more information.

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2.6 Google Groups

Additional information is made available to students from the school and your
lecturer through the use of Google Groups. This allows:
• Files to be shared amongst everyone in the group
• Emails to be sent to everyone using a single email address

Please note that basic information about the requirements for citation and
referencing, information about examinations and other useful documents are also
placed in the group for your access.

When you commence each subject, you will be sent an email that will allow you to
access the Google Group for that subject. A step-by-step guide on how to access
Google Groups follows.

STEP 1: Open the email

(please check your spam box if you cannot see the email in your in box)

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Step 2: Sign in to the Google Group

If you are not signed in to a Google Account

Click on the 'sign in and apply for membership' as indicated above. This will allow
you to sign in to Google Accounts, Apply for a Google Account (if you don't already
have one) and enter the group.

If you are already signed in to a Google Account

Refer to Step 4 – you should be permitted to access the account automatically. If

this doesn't happen, then please click on 'Apply for membership'.

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Step 3: Sign into your Google Account

(1) If you already have a Google account, please sign in.

(2) If you do not have a Google account, please create one **

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** Note that creating a Google Account DOES NOT automatically give you a new
email address. It just associates a Google Account with your existing email
address.

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Step 4: Set up how you want to participate in the group.

Our suggestions are below.

You MUST specify a nickname. Your name is probably a good idea.

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Please note that you must click on 'Accept invitation' to access the group.

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Step 5: Access and Explore the online area of the group

Note the areas 1, 2 and 3 above which will have information for your reference.

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2.7 Assignment Submission

You are required to submit your assignment online through the website service
called Turn It In. Instructions are as follows.
STEP 1: You will receive an email like the one below.

Click on the link in the email: http://submit.ac.uk

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STEP 2: Enter the 'Turn It In UK' website

After you click on the link in the email, you will see the following web site (or
something similar)
Click on [user login]

Use the username and password in the email to log in.

You will be prompted to change your password. Please do so and choose a

password that you will remember. Write it down somewhere just in case.

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STEP 3: Enter the class

Click on the class name for the assessment that you are going to submit.

STEP 4: Click on the 'Paper icon' next to the name of the assignment you will
be submitting.

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STEP 5: Upload the file to the system

Fill in the fields as requested, select the file using the browse button, and click on
'SUBMIT':

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STEP 6: Verify your submission

You will see the screen below, which will have a copy of your assignment printed
out. Read your assignment AND VERIFY THAT IT IS ALL THERE. If it is OK, click on
'yes, submit'.
If there is a problem, click on 'no, go back' and upload your file again.

The file types that will be accepted are: MS Word, WordPerfect, PostScript,
PDF, HTML, RTF, and plain text.

TROUBLESHOOTING TIP: If you have trouble submitting your file using Microsoft
Word, then use the cut and paste method. To do this, go back to Step 5 and
change the 'submit a paper by' to 'cut and paste' instead of 'file upload'.

STEP 7: Once your assignment has been submitted, your screen will show
confirmation of the submission and email you a digital receipt to confirm that your
assignment has been received by the system.

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SECTION 3: CITATION & PLAGIARISM

Please see the attached guide from the University of Wales for information on how
to avoid plagiarism and reference for your assignments.

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