CS330Management Information Systems

Spring 2015

Ahmed AtaullahUniversity of Waterloo

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Who?• Instructor: – Ahmed Ataullah (aataulla at uwaterloo dot ca)– About me:• Did my undergrad, masters and PhD at Waterloo• Specialized in Information Systems, worked as a consultant

for some time, forgone MBA instead of technical career

• TAs– Also really great people that will be grading

assignments/midterms

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Course Setup

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• 1. Piazza– Marks, Slides, Communications etc.– Should get an email today inviting you to signup!

• 2. UW-Learn– For grades only!

• 3. School of Computer Science Website– http://www.cs.uwaterloo.ca/~cs330– Only for prospective students– stick to Piazza as

this will not get updated– Google: cs330 waterloo

Textbook and Lectures• Textbook (listed on website) is not required – but recommended

– Should read if you’re interested – I will refer to case studies that are interesting and useful for learning

– Google/Wiki the technical terms and examples I mention in class

• Focus on the slides especially the terms in bold• COME TO CLASS!!!

– Slides are brief summarizations of topics– I will emphasize stuff that is important to know in real life and for a higher

grade

• Statistics show students who come to class get higher grades• Above point has no impact on participation component of the grade– Class “participation” is MANDATORY in this course

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Grading• Assignments (22.5% + 2.5% flex grade)

– 3 individual assignments (5%, 7.5% and 10%)– Additional 2.5% (flex) will be allocated towards your best assignment

result• Midterm (25%)• Final Exam (50%)• Class Participation

• Exams are closed-book and you must pass the combined exam portion to pass the course

• You must “participate” in class to pass the course – details later

• How to do well in this class?– Come to class and take notes!– Pay special attention when I say “this is going to be on the exam” 5

Specifics of Grading• A1: Two page written report• A2: Short answer questions + tiny written

component• A3: Short answer questions only• Midterm: 60 Multiple Choice Questions• Final: 50 Multiple Choice Questions + 50 Short

answer questions

• Writing skills conschunk of your grade

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Re-grading Policy• Grades posted online on UW-Learn

– It is your responsibility to verify that the posted grade corresponds to the grade actually received and to notify the TA of any error ASAP

• ONLY written re-grading request should be submitted within 14 days after graded assignment is returned– TA will decide on the marking issue – if you are unsatisfied with his/her remarking put in an

another written request for me to examine the disagreement with what the TAs said to your original remark request

• Hard deadlines– No late submission– For unforeseen events (such as documented medical

emergencies) please contact me as soon as practical. 7

Class participation• You must participate in class in order to pass the

course– Yes you read that correctly!

• There are no iClickers for this offering• “How do I get the participation credit?”

Option (a) Learn more: Ask at least two questions in class or Piazza during the term and check your name off on the class list that I bring to class

Option (b) Convince me otherwise: Explain to me why you should be given the full participation credit

Option (c) Too cool for class participation eh?: Get a weighted 85% or more on the assignments 8

Communications• Try to get your question answered in class or

immediately after class (except for when I have to go teach the other section)

• Use PIAZZA• E-mail and any other messages (if for some

reason you cant use Piazza):– Start your email as follows: “Hi, I am taking CS330 this

term and … ”– Put CS330 in as the first word in your subject (e.g

“CS330 A1 Clarification” – Otherwise spam filters might not catch it

• Sorry no twitter, facebook, instragram, whatsapp etc. – myspace is okay though!

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Why NOT to take this course• Bird course!– Maybe, depends. Are you tech savvy? Are you genuinely

interested in how computers continue to reshape our society and workplaces?

• CS330 is NOT entirely a “management” course– Unfortunately we will go into technical details…but just enough

to make you a “smart manager”– No programming – Applications of the technical concepts will be emphasized

rather than their inner workings

• “I need to know/take this course for controlling all the techies after I graduate and get an senior executive position and a large multinational conglomerate” – True statement for the wrong reason

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Why take this course?• Information Systems impact and often dictate the

activities of our daily lives– In our lifetime this influence is only going to increase

• Understanding information systems is essential for your success– As an individual– As a professional– As a citizen of the future world of technology

• Bird course?11

Corporate and consumer technology is your friend/enemy

• Nortel? Nokia? Motorola? RIM?• Kodak? Agfa? Fuji?• Sony? RCA? – What happened?

• In the next 30 years you will work for companies and live in a world that will drastically be changed by technology– So many fail to predict technological future– In CS330 you can learn to avoid making some serious

mistakes. Or at least be aware of the risks!– So pay attention and come to class 12

Sample Questions in Exams• What is computer security? What is the difference between virus, worm

and Trojan horse?• What is the difference between firewall, anti-malware, anti-spyware,

anti-virus?• Who owns the user generated content? (Management)• What is LTE, RFID, Bluetooth, 802.11?• What do you need for your IT infrastructure? (Management)• Why don’t we prefer storing data in database instead of files? Can you

name a few benefits of using database?• What is a data warehouse anyway?• How much does it cost to have an IT infrastructure? How long does it

last?• How is online banking secure? • Can the police search my work computer without a warrant? What

about my boss?• Is my phone better/faster than my friend’s phone?• What is cloud computing?• How does a management information system improve performance?13

Don’t be afraid to ask questions• For one thing you have to!• But more importantly it enhances your learning

experience• You have varying backgrounds and I may have

expectations of “general computer knowledge” that may be false:– Which courses you took impacts this– Did you grow up with access to a computer at home?– Is your exposure to aspects of computing different from

your peers?– Can you solve most of your computer problems your self?

Do you Google for technical support or ask your friend?

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CS330: A one slide summary• An MIS course offered by the computer science

department– Technical concepts will be discussed and be

explained at a relatively high level– Their applications and impact will be examined– Broader picture will be emphasized

• Why? To be a productive [employee/manager] you must understand CS concepts

• So yes an “easy” CS course but still a CS course!15

How will CS330 operate

• I will talk and talk and talk…– Slow/fast? You can dictate the pace

• Sometimes we will watch videos pertinent to the discussion at hand

• Can/will take a 5 minute break during some long and/or boring lecture topics

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Other formalities

• Students are expected to know what academic dishonesty means:– Read the course webpage and University Policies

• If you have special needs please contact me or the OPD at your earliest

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Questions?

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What is a Management Information System (MIS)?

Raise your hand if you have (n)ever used one

19Picture source: http://www.cardiomyopathy.org/index.php?id=281

Definitions (The M in MIS)

• M: Management– Does not always mean people in suits sitting in a office– Operational vs Executive Management– Users of a system can “self-manage” it

• Manage: The dictionary definition– direct, control, organize, monitor, run, fix, improve,

responsible for, can be blamed for, benefit from…

• In order to manage one must– understand (not just superficially)

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Definitions (The I in MIS)• I: Information– Distinguish between information and data

• Things that are derived from information– Knowledge, procedures, best practices, decisions

• In order to be informed one must– Continuously collect, analyze, and learn from the

information presented

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Definitions (The S in MIS)• S: System

– Any organized method that is identifiable• Aspects of a system

– Reliability, Reliability, Manageability, Upgradability, Scalability…

• A system does not need to be computerized or have anything to do with computers – but in our daily lives how many “systems” have no interaction

with computers?– Example: Birth records for our grandparents were all paper

based…were they ever entered in a computer system?

• Have MISs always existed? Certainly not in the way shape or form they do exist today

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So who here has used an MIS?

• Raise your hand if you still think you have never used an MIS!

• Bottom Line: an MIS = IS with a well defined meaning given to the M

• Remember: Information Systems have been there for a very long time, computing technology only emerged in the past 75 years

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Functions of an information systemFunctions of an information system

VERY IMPORTANT SLIDE:<WILL BE IN ONE OF THE TESTS > 24

• Every computer system has 3 + 2 major components• Input, Processing and Output• …Storage and Networking (could be collapsed in the above

two but often considered inseparable from the notion of computing)

Class Exercise / Sample Question• University of Waterloo QUEST system• Who is the management/users of the system– Students, Faculty, Administration, etc.

• For each of these “managers”, what information are they managing?– …

• What aspects of a good system does the QUEST system provide?– …

• What are the inputs, outputs, processing, storage and networking aspects of QUEST?

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What a non computer based QUEST system would look like

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• Source: The daily mail (UK) website

The Two Sides of MISThe Two Sides of MIS

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Course Outline / Schedule

SEE PIAZZA / COURSE WEBSITE

Other (M) Information Systems you have interacted with

• ATM machine – hooks into the “Bank’s system”• Do you have a driver’s license, social insurance number,

health card etc?• You have “accounts” with many organizations• Every website you login to including facebook (personal

information management)• Every grocery store purchase or online purchase• Literally everywhere your life you play the part of an agent

in an MIS– Can you identify the M, the I and the S in each of these systems?– Can you identify Input, output, processing, storage and

networking aspects of these systems?

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Issues to Consider• Most textbooks consider MIS = Management Information

Systems– Information Systems for (business) Manager(s)

• MIS can also mean Management of Information Systems– Once these complex systems are built they need to be maintained,

upgraded, improved etc.

• How do we develop these large systems?– Design, implement and integrate

• How to manage?– Training, new business practice– Dealing with bad customers, bad employees, people who just don’t

“understand the system”– Privacy and security

• How to take advantage of new technology?– This might be a life-or-death question for business! 30

But why do I care as a Manager?• Headstrong managers destroy businesses• If you don’t understand technology and

information system infrastructure you may get duped into making bad decisions– “Our old network system is slow, we need to upgrade

to optical fiber right now!” – your IT manager– “Research departments budget on exploring new

information storage systems has been exhausted. We need more funding to examine cloud storage” – Head of Research

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Why?

• You must know “enough” about technology – To tell techies confidently when they are mistaken– To recognize when you are mistaken– To examine alternatives and argue intelligently in their

favor– To gain the respect of techies and non techies alike– To make better decisions for your organization– To know what can be done tomorrow with upcoming

technology and plan for it today [Assignment 1]• All of the above involve learning computer science

concepts• Remember: Hundreds of businesses being run by

much smarter people than you and I failed because of the above simple mistakes 32

Facebook – yes it is an MIS• MIS for businesses can basically be your simple

tools used differently• Warning: No one will ever use the terms MIS or

IS other than in a business context• My grandmother will never say to me: – “Im using the facebook technology and information

system architecture as an audio-visual content management system”

• Businesses will say: We use facebook and twitter as a vital tool in our business identity and brand management systems as well as a marketing tool

• https://www.facebook.com/barackobama 33

Example: From Data to InformationExample: From Data to Information

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Sales Data Information

Item Number

Item Name

Customer Name

Address Quantity Price Store Number

Date

133 Mouse Kate 123 Waterloo

2 10 2 07/01/2010

019 CPU Michael 222 Toronto

6 101 3 09/11/2011

111 Keyboard Liam 90 Guelph 5 50 2 03/09/2010

019 CPU Neo 34 Windsor

3 101 6 02/19/2011

… …

But why should I care? Because its your JOB as a Manager!

Benefits of Information SystemsBenefits of Information Systems

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Case Study: Damned if you do, damned if Case Study: Damned if you do, damned if you don’t!you don’t!

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• A successful architectural design firm adopts a new system to store their designs and blueprints

• The new system requires all designs to be drawn by AutoCAD

• Many senior architects refuse to learn and use AutoCAD

• If you are the manager, what would you do?– Fire them all and hire new ones? Congratulations you’ve

destroyed your business– Better: Convince the staff. Incentivize the change…

– Why implement an MIS if you’re minting tons of cash?– But you have to embrace the future don’t you?– Don’t get left behind but don’t try to outrun yourself

either!

Wal-Mart vs. Its Competitors

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Example: Color on a web site

• If you are in charge of developing a web site for a wedding catering company, what color scheme would you suggest? Why?

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Picture source: User-Centered Website Development - A Human-Computer Interaction Approach, by Daniel D. McCracken and Rosalee J. Wolfe

Disciplines in Each SideDisciplines in Each Side

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A Sociotechnical Perspective on ISA Sociotechnical Perspective on IS

Figure 1-1140

• What are the advantages of working in a virtual environment like the one created by Accenture? What are the disadvantages?

• Would you like to work at a company like Accenture? Why or why not? Explain your answer.

• What kinds of companies could benefit from being run virtually like Accenture? Could all companies be run virtually like Accenture?

Case Study: Virtual Management at Case Study: Virtual Management at Accenture (Textbook)Accenture (Textbook)

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