CIS 2200 - INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES

Zicklin School of Business Baruch College CUNY

Instructor: Arturo Castellanos
Dept of Computer Information Systems
E-Mail: arturo.castellanos@baruch.cuny.edu
Phone:
646-312-3378
Office:
VC11-242B
Fax:
Office Hours: Mondays 1 p.m. or by appointment
COURSE SYLLABUS
Overview:
Successful organizations must deal effectively with intense global competition, a heightened
focus on the bottom line, an increasingly rapid pace of change, and a close scrutiny of their
ethical practices. For an organization to thrive in today's business environment, managers and
functional specialists in all areas - accounting, finance, marketing, production and operations
management, and human resources - must perform their jobs effectively, efficiently, and
ethically. Information technology provides the tools that enable all organizational personnel to
solve increasingly complex problems and to capitalize on opportunities that contribute to the
success of the organization.
This course introduces students to information systems in business. The major role of
information systems is to support organizational personnel in every functional area and
hierarchical level in the organization. The goal is to teach undergraduate business majors how to
use IT to master their jobs and to help ensure the success of their organization. The focus is not
merely learning the concepts of IT, but also on applying those concepts to facilitate business
processes.
Course Objectives:
The purpose of the course is to provide students with a solid foundation in business uses of
information technology and to discuss critical issues surrounding the use of IT in organizations.
Specific learning objectives are:

Explain the basics of Information systems and how Information systems are used in business.
Articulate the role that business information systems play in different organizations.
Demonstrate literacy in information, technology, and business.
Identify business problems and opportunities that can benefit from information systems support.
Create awareness of the social and ethical issues related to the use of information systems and
technologies in organizations
Discuss the crucial role that information systems play in your career as well as in business and society
in the 21st century.

Course Prerequisites: BUS 1000 Introduction to Business, or waiver

Textbook: Business Driven Technology, McGraw-Hill, 6th Edition by Baltzan. The custom Baruch
edition is loose leaf and bundled with a personalized Connect access card. The ISBN of the Custom
Baruch Edition is ISBN 1259909522 / 9781259909528. The textbook should be purchased:

 directly from McGraw Hill (price $65, the cheapest option) using the direct-to-student site at:
http://shop.mheducation.com/mhshop/store/BARUCH/productDetails?isbn=1259909522&category=4
363

at the CONNECT site while registering for access (price $80) or

at the Baruch bookstore, for a higher price that includes the bookstore markup.
Once you have purchased the book + Connect access, register for my course:
http://connect.mheducation.com/class/a-castellanos-fall-2016

Note that the textbook package includes a personalized access card with a code to access Connect
(McGraw-Hills online platform). Do not throw away the card and when you register in Connect make
sure that you use your baruchmail address.

CAUTION: If you purchase the textbook from another source, the price will be higher (this
is a brand new edition) and the Connect Card will NOT be included.
Additional materials: articles and handouts will be posted in the course Blackboard site.
Learning Goals: Because of its content and its emphasis on case study discussions, this course develops
the following learning goals: Analytical and Technological skills | Oral and written communication skills |
Ethical decision-making |Business knowledge integration

Course Methodology and Evaluation:

The course is structured around a combination of class lectures, software demonstrations, case study
discussions, and individual assignments or quizzes and group projects. Students are expected to attend all
lectures, read the assigned readings in advance, hand in the assignments on time, and actively participate
in classroom and online discussions.
Course grades will be based upon the following weights:
CONNECT Online Assignments and/or Quizzes
15%
Software Projects
15%
Midterm Exams
30%
Final Exam (Comprehensive)
33%
Attendance & Participation
5%
Research Requirement (Subject Pool)
2%
Individual Assignments
Throughout the semester, there will be individual online assignments through Blackboard to check
understanding of the material. This component of the grade may include reading checks, quizzes and/or
homeworks and it is designed to reinforce the material and to check that the assigned readings are done on
a regular basis. Late assignments will be penalized at the discretion of the instructor (Connect
assignments are penalized with 20% deduction every day is late).
Software Projects
Students will demonstrate their proficiency of specific tools (e.g., excel, database, etc.) through projects
that could be assigned to individuals or very small groups, at the discretion of the instructor. Projects must
be submitted according to the specifications provided by each instructor on the due date. Late projects
will not be accepted.

Exams
Exams will consist of a combination of true/false, multiple choice, short essays and problem-solving
questions. All exams will cover material from all aspects of the class sessions (lectures, software,
demonstrations, discussions, videos, labs, extra handouts and so forth). There could be one or two
midterm examinations, as assigned by the instructor. There will be one comprehensive final exam on the
date assigned by the Registrars office during final exam week. (Please be sure to check the date of the
final exam prior to planning any trips during this time).
Attendance and Participation
Students are expected to attend all lectures and read the assigned readings before the lectures. Attendance
grade is computed based on the student presence at the lectures. Participation grade is based on the
students active participation in the classroom and online discussions. Attendance and participation are
important elements of the class and they do make a difference in the final grade.
Research Requirement (Subject Pool)
Students are required to participate in 1 hour of research time as subjects in one or more research projects.
Students will receive course credit for their participation and will be able to choose the study(s) they
would like to partake within the semester of their enrollment. Students will also have the option of
completing an alternative assignment, or doing a combination of both. Please refer to CIS2200 Research
Requirement insert at the end of this document for more information or contact Prof. I. Taksa at
cisresearch@baruch.cuny.edu.
Final Letter Grades
Letter grades are calculated according to the Official Grading System of Baruch College. The instructor
reserves the right to curve the scale when computing final grades, if deemed necessary.
Tentative Weekly Schedule
The following is a tentative schedule of topics and lectures. Changes may occur as the semester
progresses. These changes will be announced in class. In addition to the assigned readings, students are
responsible for any other handouts distributed in class.
.

Preliminary Weekly Schedule

Topics

Readings*

Week 1

Course Overview. Introduction to Information Systems and Technologies in

Business. Hardware and Software

C1, B1, B3

Week 2

Organizational strategy and competitive advantage with IT

Measuring the success of strategic initiatives

C2, C3, C4

Week 3

Decision Making in Organizations. Decision Analysis with Spreadsheets (What C9, T2, T3
if and Goal Seek)

Week 4

Advanced Features in Excel Lists, Filters and Pivot Tables. Supply Chain
Management (SCM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems

T4, C10, C11

Week 5

Business Processes. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

[First Midterm exam]

B2, C12

Week 6

Organizational Information and Storing Data. Fundamentals of Databases

C6, C7, T5

Week 7

Implementing a Database with Microsoft Access (Queries, Forms and Reports)

Data Mining, Data Warehouses

T6, T7, C8

Week 8

Telecommunication and Networking. Enterprise Computing

Impact of the Internet on Organizations

B5, C13, C14

Week 9

Technology for collaboration (blogs, wikis, tagging)

Integrating Wireless technologies in Business.

C15, C16

Week 10

Designing Web Pages. Fundamentals of HTML

[Second Midterm exam]

T9, T10

Week 11

Developing Software for Operations. Methodologies and Project Management

C17, C18, C19

Week 12

MIS Infrastructure in Organizations. Cloud Computing. Virtualization. Business B4, B9, B10
Intelligence

Week 13

Ethics, Privacy and Security

B6, B7

Week 14

Global and Technology Trends

B12, C20

Final Exam
* The textbook is structured into short chapters (C), Business Plug-ins (B) and Technology Plug-ins (T). Each is
about 5-6 pages long. The readings listed in the schedule use the letters C, B or T for Chapters, Business Plug-ins
and Technology Plug-ins, respectively. Please note that the Technology Plug-ins are only available online through
Connect.
General Course Policies
Exams
No make-ups will be given for missed exams or quizzes.
In case of extraordinary circumstances, students who cannot attend an exam must contact the instructor in
advance and provide a written justification/documentation for their absence.
The students will have an opportunity to check their graded exams but the instructor retains all midterms and
final exams.
The final exam must be taken in the time slot posted in the college bulletin.
The exams will include materials from both the readings and from the topics covered in the lectures. Some of
the lecture material may not be found in the book. Therefore, it is very important to attend class regularly and
keep up with the pace of the reading assignments.
Behavior during exams is expected to conform to Baruch College guidelines. Any form of cheating or
communications with other students or any other incident of improper behavior will be dealt according to the
guidelines established by the College.
Class Attendance
Class attendance is an important element of the course, so make every effort to attend. To avoid disruption, you
should arrive to the classroom on time.
Any evidence of cheating in the attendance sign on sheet will be handled according to the academic integrity
guidelines established by the College.
If you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out about any announcements or assignments you may have
missed. It is not necessary to email the professor if you miss a class.
Laptops, cell phones, pagers and other electronic devices should be turned off during class and especially during
exams.
Students should refrain from engaging in any kind of disruptive behavior during class.
Students are expected to spend significant time outside the lectures doing homework, reading the assigned
materials and checking the course web site.
Work Submission Standards
Assignments are considered on time only if they are submitted on the due date as per the submission guidelines.
Hand-written work will be refused and will earn no credit. As with any other academic submission, students
must do their work carefully, striving to achieve high quality work. This includes writing clearly, checking the
spelling and grammar, proofreading the submissions, and handing in the work on the specified due date. Staple
all the pages of your submission together and include a cover page indicating your name and section. If you are
required to submit a diskette along with your printouts, use an envelope or pocket folder.
Extensions can be granted for situations involving illness, family business, or personal emergencies. If you need
an extension, you must request one in writing or via e-mail before the due date of an assignment. Note:
extensions will not be granted for problems relating to use of home or workplace computer systems (please use

the BCTC facilities to avoid such problems), and back up your work. You will never be liable for failures of
BCTC systems or CONNECT availability.
For individual assignments or group projects, any instance of copying, cheating or plagiarism will be penalized.
Students (or groups) handing in similar work will both receive a 0 in the assignment and will face disciplinary
actions. (See academic integrity statement below)

Academic Integrity Statement

The CIS Department fully supports Baruch College's policy on Academic Honesty, which states, in part: "Academic
dishonesty is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Cheating, forgery, plagiarism and collusion in dishonest acts
undermine the college's educational mission and the students' personal and intellectual growth. Baruch students are
expected to bear individual responsibility for their work, to learn the rules and definitions that underlie the practice
of academic integrity, and to uphold its ideals. Ignorance of the rules is not an acceptable excuse for disobeying
them. Any student who attempts to compromise or devalue the academic process will be sanctioned. "
Academic sanctions in this class will range from an F on the assignment to an F in this course. A report of suspected
academic dishonesty will be sent to the Office of the Dean of Students. Additional information and definitions can
be found at: http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.html

CIS2200 RESEARCH REQUIREMENT

You will need to earn 1 hour from out of class research-based assignments. The purpose of these
assignments is to provide the student experience with Information Systems research. There are
two options for completing these assignments and you may complete the required credits through
(1) research participation; or (2) essay submission or (3) a combination of the two options.
1) You may volunteer to participate in information systems studies for 1 hour of
participation time. You can sign up for studies which range from 30 minutes to 1 hour
on the SONA website (http://baruch-cis.sona-systems.com/). The cis.sona system is
set up to count each half an hour segment with one point. Therefore, to fulfill the one
hour requirement, you must accumulate two points in the cis.sona system. Please
note that this system operates independently from other sona systems used in
participant pools in other departments (such as Management or Psychology) Your
password for the cis-sona system will be emailed to your Baruch account within 2
weeks of the start of class. You must be at least 18 years of age to participate in a
study. When signing up for studies, please remember:
a. to print the page with the name/date/place/time of the study and the
experimenters name (keep this information until the end of the semester);
b. to cancel though the website before the scheduled time to cancel if you cannot
make the study.
If you forget your password, go to http://baruch-cis.sona-systems.com/ and use the lost
password recovery link on the left hand side of the welcome screen. If you have any
disputes about your participation in a study, you should contact the experimenter directly.
According to the ethical guidelines, participation is voluntary and individuals may
withdraw from a study, at any time, without penalty to that individual.
2) You may write a 2-page (approx. 500-words essay) using Microsoft Word on how
Information Technology has changed the way in which individuals, businesses or
society operates nowadays. Your essay should include at least one reference from the
press or from business magazines. Please make sure that your sources are properly

referenced in your essay. (500 words = 1hour). See details of the essay submission in
the participant instruction handout. Essays must be submitted through turnitin.com to
be considered as an alternative to the research requirements. Guidelines and
submission details are available at the sona-FAQ section.
Please note that credits earned for other courses in Psychology, Marketing or Management
can not be applied to the SCIS Department requirement. Make sure that you use the cis.sona
system to sign up for studies and earn points towards the CIS2200 requirement.
If you have any questions about the CIS Research Requirement guidelines, please send an email
to the Participant Pool Manager, Prof. I. Taksa at: cisresearch@baruch.cuny.edu.