MGCR 331 Course Outline Page 1 of 7 Winter 2010 section 1&2

Information Systems MGCR 331

IT Impacts on Organizations
Winter 2010

Section 1 & 2
Tuesday & Thursday
10:05 to 11:25am - Bronfman 423 (section 1)
11:35 to12:55 pm - Bronfman 423 (section 2)


Instructor: Genevive Bassellier
Bronfman 587
genevieve.bassellier@mcgill.ca

Office hours Tuesday & Thursdays 3-4pm
or by appointment


Course Description

Information Technology is fundamental to any successful business. Looking at Fortune 500
companies, many are either IT firms (e.g. AT&T at #8, HP at #9, IBM at #14, Dell at #33 and
Microsoft at #35) or firms that leverage IT to get where they are (e.g. Banking and financial at
#11, 12, 13 and 16). All business magazines cover IT stories on a regular basis, because IT
means business. It can alter industries, enable business opportunities, and change the way
people work, collaborate and communicate.

IT matters, because (1) it is important to all top firms, (2) its everywhere, (3) many of the richest
people and successful entrepreneurs in the world made their fortune with IT, (4) it makes huge
waves for developing countries, and (5) its essential knowledge for every entrepreneur.

In fact, many of the highest paid jobs are now almost linked to IT. All organizations make use of
information systems and need qualified people with a background in Information Systems, as
they are the experts in integrating business concepts and technology. IT firms are also rated
among the best firms to work for and offer some of the best careers (see cnn.money.com).

The main objectives for the course are (1) to understand and talk about IT and how it relates to
business; and (2) to take an active role by using tools to properly access and manage data to
improve decision making.

This course will introduce you to the principles of information systems as they are applied to
business. The course is organized around three themes: (1) Strategic role of IT, (2) Managing
data, and (3) IT in todays world.
MGCR 331 Course Outline Page 2 of 7 Winter 2010 Section 1 &2


Learning Outcomes

As a result of this course, you will be able to:

Appreciate and explain the strategic role of IT in all types of organizations
Examine how an organization can create business value from IT
Understand the importance of managing data
Familiarize yourself with the tools used to access information and to create business
intelligence for effective problem solving and decision making
Recognize and explain current and future IT trends


Course Materials

Suggested Text






Introduction to Information Systems Supporting and Transforming Business
Canadian Edition by Rainer, Turban, Splettstoesser-Hogeterp, Sanchez-
Rodriguez, Wiley, ISBN: 978-0-470-15349-9

Chapters 2 & 3 from Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network
Economy, by Shapiro and Varian, McGraw-Hill, ISBN: 087584863X
Available as an eBook at McGill Library (www.mcgill.ca/library)

Required Clicker

Turning Point Clicker available at the bookstore
Clickers will be used in this course to enhance engagement, increase
interactivity, and access class participation
New and used clickers are available at the McGill Bookstore, 3420
McTavish Street or at the Macdonald Campus Students' Society
Bookstore, Centennial Centre at Macdonald Campus.
Purchase only one clicker for all your courses. Only one type of clicker
is authorized for use on campus.
One clicker cannot be shared between multiple students (see Student
Code of Conduct, http://www.mcgill.ca/cio/e-policies/).
Register your clicker to your McGill ID by going to any course in
myCourses (WebCT Vista), click on the link Register your clicker, and
follow the instructions on screen. You will only need to register your
clicker in one course and it will be registered in all your courses.
Lost clickers must be replaced at your own expense and re-registered
in all your classes using the link in myCourses (WebCT Vista) stated
above.
For verification that a clicker is working correctly, please consult the ICS
Service Desk at 688 Sherbrooke, Room 285 (9:00 am and 5:00 pm).
For any other questions, please see the frequently asked questions
(FAQ): http://www.mcgill.ca/tls/projects/srs/faq/

Course Notes To be found on the course website at http://www.mcgill.ca/webct

Course Software MS Excel 2007 and MS Access 2007 available in the Computing lab.
MGCR 331 Course Outline Page 3 of 7 Winter 2010 Section 1 &2

Evaluation Method

Value

Use of Clickers (in class) 5% Throughout the semester

Wiki

10% Throughout the semester -
details will be posted on WebCT
(team of 4 students randomly
assigned by instructor)

Database Assignment 1%

14%
Access Assignment #1 (pre-lab)

Access Assignment #2 (teams of
2 students from same section)

Decision Support Assignment using Excel 1%

14%

Excel Assignment #1 (pre-lab)

Excel Assignment #2 (teams of 2
students from same section)
Midterm exam 20% Common for all 4 sections
Friday, February 19
th
12:00-2:00pm

Final Exam 35% Common for all 4 sections
(between April 15 & 30 check
dates from B.Com office)
Always make sure that you have back-ups of all handed in work

You must earn a passing grade (50% or 27.5/55) on the combined midterm and final exams to
pass the course. If this is not attained, a letter grade of F will be recorded. For overall grades,
please refer to the Faculty Grading Policy.

NOTE: In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the Universitys control, the content
and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.


Clickers

Throughout the semester, we will be using clickers in class to enhance engagement and
increase student participation in class. Since clicker records will be used to compute a portion of
course grades, the use of a clicker other than your own is considered an academic offense.
During class, possession of more than one clicker, or that of another student, will be interpreted
as intent to commit an academic offense. Please refer to McGills policy on Academic Integrity
and Code of Conduct. http://www.mcgill.ca/integrity and http://www.mcgill.ca/cio/e-policies
If you have a hearing, visual and mobility impairment, please contact the instructor
immediately (in advance of any evaluations or other class requirements) in order that appropriate
arrangements can be made for you to use a clicker.
MGCR 331 Course Outline Page 4 of 7 Winter 2010 Section 1 &2
In-Class Labs

Tutorials for Excel and Access will be held in the classroom. Everyone who owns a
laptop is encouraged to bring it to class on the tutorial dates. Ensure that you have MS
EXCEL 2007 and MS ACCESS 2007 installed on your laptops (If you do not have
required software, you may be able to get MS Office 2007 Pro Plus (which includes Excel
2007 and Access 2007) at discounted price from the bookstore
(http://www.mcgill.ca/mcs/products/software/student/). You may also be able to borrow a
laptop from Libraries (http://www.mcgill.ca/library-using/computers/).

Course Schedule

This is a brief summary of the current plan for session-by-session topics and readings.
This schedule may change so check on WebCT for updates on topics and readings.


Session

Topic

Readings / Write-Up
1 J an. 5

Course Introduction & Expectations
2 J an. 7

Information Systems Concepts Lecture Note 1
3 J an. 12

Information Systems Concepts
4 J an. 14

Technology and Strategy Lecture Note 2
5 J an. 19

Technology and Strategy
Wiki (Phase 1)
Due: J an. 29, 11:59pm
6 J an. 21

Web and Social Media
Lecture Note 3

7 J an. 26

Web and Social Media
Excel #1 (pre-lab)
Due: Feb. 5, 11.59pm
8


J an. 28 e-Commerce
Wiki (Phase 2)
Due: Feb 12,11.59pm
9 Feb. 2

e-Commerce; IT careers
10 Feb. 4

Managerial Support Systems (Expert Systems, DSS,
BI, Data Mining) Lecture Note 4
11 Feb. 9

Using IT for Decision Support (in-class lab) Recap
(Basics, Absolute/Relative, If, Nested If), SUMIF,
COUNTIF
Excel #2
Due: March 5, 11.59pm
12 Feb. 11

Using IT for Decision Support (in-class lab) -
VLOOKUP, Goal Seek, Solver

MGCR 331 Course Outline Page 5 of 7 Winter 2010 Section 1 &2
13 Feb. 16

Using IT for Decision Support (in-class lab) - Pivot
table, Pivot Charts, Examples and Wrap-up
14 Feb. 18
Review class for the midterm

2 hour midterm examination on Friday, February 19
th

Time 12:00 to 2:00pm - (covering sessions 1 to 12)
Reading Week February 22-26
15 Mar. 2

Using IT for Data Management (Data, Info,
Knowledge, ERD)
Lecture Note 5
Access #1 (pre-lab)
Due: March 7, 11.59pm
16 Mar. 4

Using IT for Data Management (Data, Info,
Knowledge, ERD)
17 Mar. 9

Using IT for Data Management (in-class lab) -
Tables, Relations, QBE
Access #2
Due: March 26, 11.59pm
18 Mar. 11

Using IT for Data Management (in-class lab) QBE
19 Mar. 16

Using IT for Data Management (in-class lab) -
Forms, Reports
20 Mar. 18

Organizational Information Systems
Lecture Note 6
Wiki (Phase 3)
Due: April 2,11.59pm
21 Mar. 23

Organizational Information Systems
22 Mar. 25 Information Security Lecture Note 7
23 Mar. 30

Information Technology Economics - Digital Goods
Shapiro & Varian
Chapters 2 & 3*
24 Apr. 1

Information Technology Economics Lecture Note 8
25 Apr. 6

Information Technology Economics - Network Effects
26 Apr. 8 Review class for the final
3 hour final examination (between April 15 & 30)
(covering sessions 11 to 26 plus your Wiki assignment)


* For Shapiro & Varian, Chapters 2 is in full. In Chapter 3, we will be covering the Overview,
Designing your Product Line, Adjusting Price & Quality and Bundling sections only.

There will be optional Excel and Access Tutorials during the semester. Details will be posted on
WebCT.
MGCR 331 Course Outline Page 6 of 7 Winter 2010 Section 1 &2
Course Web Site
All handouts, grades, updates and news will be posted on WebCT.
Use the discussion forum to post your questions instead of e-mailing your professor.
This is more efficient than individual back-and-forth e-mail. Please post your question in
the relevant topic.
Before posting a question, make sure that you read the other questions that other
students have posted. Often, you will find the answer to your question there.
The use of the discussion board is restricted to course material and will be monitored.

Course Policies
Please refer to the Code of Professional Conduct in the Classroom

Class Behavior
It is strongly suggested that you limit your absences. You are responsible for:
Everything that is covered in class
Materials in the notes and reading material posted/assigned on WebCT
Course handouts
All electronic devices (cell phones & beepers) must be turned off during class time.
Disruptive behavior (in spite of Instructors warnings) will lower your class participation
marks.

Assignments
Assignments may be written in either English or French.
All assignments and exams must include your name, student number and section
number (else you will lose marks!).
Always make sure you have a backup of your assignments.
If you are not satisfied with the grading of an assignment or exam, you may request a
review within 1 week of grade posting.
Indicate in writing where and why you feel the marks are unjustified and give it back
to the instructor for re-grading.
Note that the entire assignment or exam will be re-graded and your grade can go up
or down (or stay the same).

Midterm & Final exams
If you are to miss the mid-term, you must report this as soon as possible to your
instructor. It will be up to the instructor to decision an appropriate course of action.
If you are to miss the final, you must report this to the B.Com office with the appropriate
documentation. The B.Com office will then inform the instructor of the decision and
course of action.

McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must understand
the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences
under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (see
www.mcgill.ca/integrity for more information).

For more information of academic integrity, see the following book:
Lipson, C. Doing honest work in college: how to prepare citations, avoid plagiarism, and
achieve academic success, Chicago, 2004.
This book is available on Reserve in the library
at call number PN171 F56 L56 2004.
MGCR 331 Course Outline Page 7 of 7 Winter 2010 Section 1 &2
Code of Professional Conduct in the Classroom
Desautels Faculty of Management - McGill University

In preparing our students for careers in business, government, and non-profit organizations, it is essential
that we strive for the highest levels of professionalism. Central to that objective is the development of a
respectful and professional atmosphere in and around the classroom. It is expected that both students and
professors will treat each other as well as visitors to the Faculty with respect and consideration. In order
to foster such an environment, the following is expected of all parties:

Communal Responsibilities:
Classroom Preparation: Students and professors must come to class prepared for that days
topic and ready to engage themselves.
Timeliness: Both students and professors should arrive before the official start of class, such that
the professor then begins class on time. It is the responsibility of the professor to then end class
on time, thus not causing students to be late for their next class.
Food: Individuals should be discreet in the bringing of food into the classroom, and it is the
responsibility of each person to properly dispose of any waste they may create so as not to detract
from the development of a professional atmosphere.

Student Responsibilities:
Electronics: Electronics should only be used in support of the classroom experience. Towards
this end, the following policies hold:
Cell phones/blackberries should be turned completely Off (Using the Silent mode is
not sufficient). At no time should someone during the course of the class engage in
making/receiving phone calls, sending/receiving SMSs/emails, using cameras, or surfing
the internet with such devices.
The use of computers is at the discretion of the professor, and should be made clear by
him/her. If they are allowed, they should only be used to support that days material (i.e.,
taking notes, using the web as directed by the professor). Checking email, surfing the
web for non-class related topics, chatting on the net, or working on other projects are not
acceptable forms of behavior.
All other forms of electronics (i-pods, MP3 players, PDAs, etc), should also be
maintained in the Off position.
Newspapers/Other Material: No one should be reading newspapers or other material not
related to that days class.
Leaving Class: Students should not be walking in and out of class to attend to other matters.

Professor Responsibilities:
Class Cancellation: If a professor cancels a class, he/she must reschedule it with proper notice
to all students. The Area Coordinator and Associate Dean Academic should be notified of such
cancellations.
Returning Assignments: Assuming their assignments are turned in on time, students are entitled
to have their coursework returned within a reasonable amount of time and be provided with
appropriate feedback.
Final Grade Submission: Professors are required to submit final grades in accordance with
university-designated deadlines.