COMM 226

Business Technology Management

Section EC
Summer 2017
This syllabus is subject to change and any changes will be posted in the Announcements
section of your eConcordia portal.

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

About the Course

Instructor: Prof. Dennis Kira

Office: MB-12.127
Office Hours: Mondays 2:00 pm to 4:00pm

Phone: (514) 848-2424 ext. 2981

E-mail: dennis.kira@concordia.ca

Course Description

The objective of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the role of information technology in
business organizations. Students learn how information technologies can be used to create business value, solve
business problems, accomplish corporate goals and achieve and maintain a competitive advantage.

Course Overview

Information technology dominates the modern business environment. This creates a need for managers that not only
understand technology but also know how to use it to create business value for the organization. Business
Technology Management (BTM) is a set of processes and services that unite an enterprise's business technology
(BT) and business management (BM) strategies to extract total BT solution value potential. The course introduces
students to information systems and technology with a focus on its application to help businesses to achieve and
maintain a competitive advantage. Modern information systems and approaches used to support organizations in
their operations and interactions with other business are emphasized in this course, including enterprise resource
planning (ERP), supply chain management (SCM), Business Intelligence (BI) and customer relationship management
(CRM). Database management and design is covered as a tool to improve decision making and to support
operations. The use of internet technology as a business tool to expand markets, improve efficiency and facilitate
operations is introduced to students with practical business cases. Students are also exposed to information
technology risks such as computer crimes and learn how to mitigate them by using information security. This course
also provides students with hands-on experience to an ERP system (SAP) and a database system (Microsoft
Access).

Learning Objectives
The main objective of this course is to provide an in-depth understanding of the role of information systems in
supporting business activities and enhancing organizations competitive advantage. Upon successful completion of
this course, students will be able to:

Describe the main concepts of information systems and the related concepts;
Describe the relationship between information systems and competitive advantage;
Identify the major trends in IS technologies such as Customer Relationship Management Systems,
Supply Chain Management Systems and Enterprise Resource Planning and their use to improve
business efficiency, increase profits and support other business functions;
Learn how to use E-commerce and E-business in order to create new or improve existing businesses.
Demonstrate how information systems can enhance business decision making and help create
business partnerships;
Describe how organizations develop, acquire and implement information systems;
Discuss issues related to computer crime and security, and information systems ethics.

Instructional and Learning Methods

Reading: Students need to read course material from the textbook and other sources. Students can
determine own pace by referring to the agenda attached at the end of this course outline.
Mini-case studies and discussions: Real or fictional business scenarios may be presented, and there
will be in-class discussions on how to apply information systems to solve business problems.
Assignments and activities: Students will be required to complete assignments and activities designed
to complement and enhance learning of the course material as well as to provide some practical
experience of management information systems.
Exam: The final exam will take place in the computer lab. The final exam will cover the material in the
book. The date, time and rooms for the final exam will be announced in July

Obtaining Required Material:

The text required for this course is available through the course website and is included in the cost of
the course textbook fee.
Learning Lab:
o You need to register to a 3rd party interactive learning tools, learninglab.newgraph.com (DO
NOT TYPE WWW before the link) for a nominal fee. (1) you need to create a user account
(SIGN UP) at the website of Learning Lab. (2) Verify your email address to confirm your sign
up. (3) Login to learninglab and select the course Introduction to MIS, and pay the
subscription fee. (4) Login again to have access to the learning tools for course. For support to
LearningLab please email learninglab.helpdesk@gmail.com.
Software for assignments
o You will also need various specific software applications for your assignments in this course,
such as SAP GUI and Microsoft Access. When each assignment is announced, specific
instructions will be provided to obtain and install the required software.
Important Note for Apple Macs users.
o The assignments teach you how to use real-world business software. Unfortunately, much
software in the business world does not work well or at all on Apple OS X. Thus, if you use a
Mac, you will sometimes need to also run Windows on your Mac. Instructions will be provided
for how to do this.

Assessments

Evaluation

Pre and post assessment - 0%

(Very important to measure what you already know about the subject and how much you have learned by the end of
the course. So please complete the pretest before you start your studies and compete the posttest before your final
exam.)

Online activities - 25%

Case discussion (5 X 1% ) - 5%

EISEL Practice (3 X 3.33%) - 10%

Peer2Peer Activity (pilot) [%-Participation] - 2% Participation, 2% Participation, 6 % question total 10%

[Dates will be announced in econcordia, and emailed to you.]

Assignments - 15%

Assignment 1: ERD - 5% (Individual)

Assignment 2: Databases (Individual) - 5%

Assignment 3: DSS in Excel (Group of two students) - 5%

Final examination (during examination period with examinations office) - 60%

Total - 100%

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

Assessment Details

Pre and Post Assessment

There will be a short pre- and post-test that need to be taken by the course participants. These two tests are worth
zero marks. You need to take the MIS Knowledge (Pre Assessment) at the beginning of the class. Afterward, you can
take the MIS Knowledge (PostAssessment) after you complete the class. These two tests will help you to calibrate
the learning outcomes that you achieved in this course.

Case Discussion

You must do the following in Learning Lab to get full Case Discussion Marks. There will be 3 cases posted by the
professor in Learning Lab. You must post your response to each case with a minimum of 300 words in the
discussion section for each case. Your response should engage with the teachers case and provide your personal
thoughts/understanding and response.

The case discussions are a versatile learning method in an online course. It is akin to putting your hand up in class,
but with a bonus: each and every student can read the comments, questions, and the various answers posted, at
their leisure. To earn their marks on Case Discussion, each student is expected to contribute to the discussion on
cases. This can be done by contributing relevant material-related comments or questions, by answering others
questions, by adding to others comments, by providing counter-arguments, real-life example, and the like. In
addition, make sure that you make reference to relevant chapters in the book to not only strengthen your argument
and feedback but to manipulate the content in the book for better understanding the concepts.

Guidelines for Posting on the Discussion Board:

 Do not post your telephone number, student ID, or any other personal information on the discussion
board.
Read the other postings to confirm that a question has not already been answered repeatedly.
Repetitive postings will not earn marks.
The Discussion Board is meant for the academic discussion of the course material. Keep postings
pertinent to the course material. Questions pertaining to grades, technical issues or questions of a
personal nature must be addressed directly to your TA via e-mail or by using the question center in
Learning Lab. Posts of this nature will be removed.
Of vital importance is respectful behavior on the discussion board. Refrain from making offensive
statements and derogatory comments. For example, students must never insult another person or
teaching assistant in a discussion.
Students who fail to respect these rules will get zero mark for Case Discussions and will be asked to
leave the discussion. It is within our discretion and authority to edit or remove any posting at any time.
Please see the http://www.concordia.ca/students/rights.html

EISEL Practice Learning Tool

EISEL: The Educational Information System for Enhanced Learning (EISEL) is a learning tool made of multiple
choice questions to help you practice the subject matter and reinforce your knowledge of what you have learned by
repetition. EISEL presents you with some questions that you answer just like in a test. But here you are allowed to do
them as many times as you wish. Ideally, to use EISEL for its maximum potential, you would continue practicing the
questions until you start answering them correctly all the time. Using EISEL is also intended to help you practice for
the final exam questions as the questions in the final exam would be of similar nature. You should be practicing
EISEL throughout the semester and not in the last days before the final exam, if you want to get the most benefit from
it. The grade in EISEL is calculated based on the running average.

Peer2Peer Learning Tool

The Peer2Peer learning tool will be run virtually. It is composed of three phases. One specific chapter or subject
within the course will be given. Phase 1: You will be asked to create a number of questions. Phase 2: You will be
asked to evaluate a number of questions created by your peers on relevancy, clarity and level of difficulty. Phase 3:
You will be asked to complete a test from the questions created (by the students taking the class). Phases 1 and 2
may or may not have participation points (check the evaluation section above). We will use the tool also before the
final exam for practicing purposes.

Assignment

There are three assignments during the semester; please refer to the schedule for the due dates.

Assignments 1 and 2 is to be completed individually, Assignment 3 can be done as an individual or by groups of

maximum two students.

Late assignments class policy: Late assignments, for any reason, will be subject to a 25% penalty for the first day.
An additional 10% will be deducted for each additional day.

Final Exam

The final examination is worth 60% of the total mark for this course. However, in order to pass the course, you must
score at least 50% in the final examination. The final examination is comprehensive; it will cover all of the chapters
and sections of the textbook listed above. The final examination will have both multiple choice questions and word
problems.

Date: To be determined by Concordias Examination Office

Duration: 3 hours
Coverage: All course material covered
Learning Outcomes Final exam Asgn. 1 Asgn. 2 Asgn. 3
Describe the main concepts Theory-based multiple- Business process Database Design
of information systems and choice exam questions modelling and for a business
the related concepts notation
and application-based case
exam questions Use of an ERP
Describe the relationship Theory-based multiple- Use of an ERP Use of an e-
between information choice exam questions procurement
systems and competitive system
advantage. and application-based
exam questions
Identify the major trends in Theory-based multiple- Use of an ERP Use of an e-
IS technologies such as choice exam questions procurement
SCRM, SCM and ERP and systems
their use to improve and application-based
business efficiency, exam questions
increase profits and support
other business functions;
Learn how to use E- Theory-based multiple- Use of an e-
commerce and E-business choice exam questions procurement
in order to create new or systems
improve existing and application-based
businesses. exam questions
Demonstrate how Theory-based multiple- Implementation Use of an e-
information systems can choice exam questions of a database procurement
enhance business decision system systems
making and help create and application-based
business partnerships; exam questions
Describe how organizations Theory-based multiple- Business process Design and
analyze, develop, acquire choice exam questions modelling and implementation
and implement information notation
systems; and application-based of a database
exam questions system
Discuss issues related to Theory-based multiple-
computer crime and choice exam questions
security, and information
systems ethics. and application-based
exam questions

Numerical Scores and Letter Grades

At the end of this course, the instructor will produce an overall score for the students performance on the various
components of this course, and then convert that score to a letter grade. The following list provides the numerical
equivalent for the letter grades that will be reported at the end of the term:

Score Letter
90 100 A+
85 89 A
80 84 A-
77 79 B+
 73 76 B
70 72 B-
67 69 C+
63 66 C
60 62 C-
57 59 D+
53 56 D
50 52 D-
< 50 FNS

* D- is the minimum requirement to pass the course.

Please refer to section 16.3 of the Undergraduate Calendar for more information about the grading system,
examinations, and performance requirements. (http://registrar.concordia.ca/calendar/16/16.html#16.3)

Technical

Time zone

Please note that the eConcordia HelpDesk is open Monday to Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET

Technical Requirements

The technical requirements for accessing the online material are listed within the course content and may also be
found at: http://www.econcordia.com/home/elearning.aspx?section=224.

If your existing hardware does not meet the requirements, you may experience a lower level of quality and
accessibility to our website and course content.

The course requires the use of Microsoft Software that can only run on Windows XP or higher. Students using Mac
OS will be required to install a virtual machine with Windows OS. It is the responsibility of the student to install this
virtual machine. Details of the installation procedures will be provided during the semester. Lab facilities with
Windows are also available on campus.

Students are expected to have access to MS Office 2003 or higher as assignments will require the use of MSWord
and MSExcel for electronic submissions.

MAKE SURE TO SATISFY THESE TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS BEFORE YOU ENROLL IN THIS COURSE.

Communication

You will be communicating with your assigned Teach Assistants through the Question Center on
www.learninglab.newgraph.com.

For any technical issues concerning LearningLab, please contact learninglab.helpdesk@gmail.com

For any technical issues concerning eConcordia, please contact helpdesk@econcordia.com

You are required to be polite at all times and to include the following information in all your e-mail communication:
 Full name
Concordia student ID number
Course name and number pertaining to your inquiry

Save a copy of all e-mail correspondence for the duration of the term and until the final letter grade for your course
has been posted in your MyConcordia portal.

We strongly encourage you to use a Concordia University e-mail account or an account from a provider such as
Sympatico, Videotron, etc.

Free e-mail accounts such as Hotmail, Yahoo, etc. are NOT recommended and very often lead to communication
problems.

Your e-mail address must be registered in your MyConcordia Portal as well as in the Student Profile of your My
eConcordia Portal

Announcements:

Important information regarding the course will be communicated to you via the Announcements Section of the
course website.

The Announcements are located in the centre of the main page upon logging in to your eConcordia account. Please
make sure to read the postings frequently, at least twice per week.

Discussion Board: will not be used in this course!

Important Information

Topic Link

Academic Integrity Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity Quiz How to take the quiz

Access Centre for Students with Disabilities ACSD

Concordia Library Citation & Style Guides Citing - Help & How-to

Course Communication Tools Communication

eConcordia Policies Policies

Final Exams Information Final Exams

Helpdesk/Support FAQ

Refunds Refunds

Technical Requirements Technical Requirements

Tips for Studying Online Studying Tips

Tutorial Companies
Please note that private tutorial companies, some of whom aggressively promote their services on and off campus,
are not authorized by Concordia University to distribute flyers on University premises and may not use Concordia
University facilities to promote or provide their services on some flyers.

Concordia University and its academic departments do not have any affiliation with these companies even though
names such as JMSB, Concordia, or references to specific departments often appear in a visible way. If you are
interested in the Universitys approved tutoring services, all you need to do is ask your Professor or consult the
services listed in your course outline.
COMM 226 - Business Technology Management
Agenda
Summer 2017
All deadlines indicated are on the due date listed by 11:59 p.m. unless otherwise indicated.

Week 1: May 1 - May 7

Navigate the course website
Review the course outline
Module 0: About this Course
May 03 First day of classes
May 05 Discussion Board opens at 2 PM.
Module 1: Introduction to IS & IT Careers (Textbook (E-MIS)1

(Careers in BTM supplement )

Week 2: May 8 - May 14

May 10 Last day to add or swap courses in this term.
May 10 DNE Date: Academic withdrawal deadline (with tuition refund)
Module 2: Technology Essentials (Textbook: Chapter 4 (E-MIS))

Week 3: May 15 - May 21

Module 3: Productivity, Innovation and Strategy (Textbook: Chapter 3 (E-MIS))

Week 4: May 22 - May 28

Journe nationale des patriotes (Quebec), Victoria Day (elsewhere in
May 22
Canada) University closed.
Module 4: Using IS to Improve Processes (Textbook: Chapter 5 (PS&I)2)

Week 5: May 29 - June 4

Module 5: Supporting Processes with Enterprise systems(Textbook 6, 7 and
Appendix 7 (PS&I))

Assignment 1 due on June 1

Week 6: June 5 - June 11

Continue with Module 5: Supporting Processes with Enterprise systems
(Textbook 6, 7 and Appendix 7 (PS&I))
QUIZ 1 (includes chapters 1, 4, 3 in E-MIS ,chapter 5 in PS&I and careers
June 12
in BTM)
 Week 7: June 12 - June 18
Module 6: Database Management (Text book 5,5a, 5b (E- MIS) and Database
systems supplement)

Week 8: June 19 - June 25

June 24 Fte Nationale - University Closed
June 20 Mid-term break starts
University Closed
June 23
Complete the discussion 1 and 2 by June 30

Week 9: June 26 - July 2

July 01 Canada Day - University Closed
June 27 Mid-term break ends
June 30 University Closed
Module 7: Networks and the Internet ( Textbook: Chapter 6 (E-MIS))

Week 10: July 3 - July 9

Module 8: E-Commerce, Social Networking and Web 2.0 (Text: Chapter 9 (E-
MIS))
July 7 ASSIGNMENT 2 DUE

Week 11: July 10 - July 16

July 10 DISC Date: Academic withdrawal (without tuition refund)
Module 9: Acquiring IS through projects (Textbook: Chapter 10 (E-MIS))

Week 12: July 17 - July 23

Module 10 Structure, Ethics and IT Governance (Textbook: Chapter 11 (E-
MIS))

Week 13: July 24 - July 30

QUIZ 2 (includes chapters 5, 5a, 5b, 6, 9 in E-MIS and 6,7, appendix 7 in
July 31
PS&I and Database systems supplement)).
Course evaluations are sent - the link to complete the evaluations are
July 26
sent via email.

Week 14: July 31 - August 6

Module 11 IS Security Management and Privacy (Textbook: Chapter 12 (E-
MIS))

Week 15: August 7 - August 13

Review all course material and prepare for the final exam.
August 7 Assignment 3 due, complete discussions 3,4 and 5 by this date
August 09 Last day of classes
August 10 Deadline Complete Course Evaluation

Examination Period: August 11 - August 16

Final Exam date, time and location is posted on your MyConcordia Portal

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