INSTRUCTOR: Ghassan Y Yacoub, Ph.D.

BIOGRAPHY:  Dr. Yacoub has been with Intel Corporation's Business and Technology Programs organization since 1997 serving as a Project Manager and more recently as a Strategic Technology Planning Manager. He has extensive experience working for large and small companies. Prior to Intel, he was with the Hughes Electronics Corporation for twelve years and served as Section Head of VLSI Signal Processing Design for five years before leaving in 1993 to co-found dQdt, a Hughes spin-off company which was later acquired by Mentor Graphics Corporation in 1996. Subsequently, he founded ASAP Solutions, Inc. one of a handful of Internet companies at the time. The Indian operation of ASAP was acquired by Satyam Infoway in 1999 for $115 Million. Ghassan has over twenty years experience in the high-tech industry, fifteen of which in managing organizations. His interdisciplinary interests include international business management, business processes, strategic planning, and management information systems. He is a Howard Hughes Doctoral Fellow and holds a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) where he served as a Visiting Scholar in 1997 conducting research in advanced digital & analog VLSI chip design methodology. 

NOTE: Course syllabus and schedule may be subject to adjustment in the event of extenuating circumstances (July 10, 2002).

Phone: 650-678-4478 (cell)
Email: Ghassan Y Yacoub (gyacoub@ndnu.edu)
OFFICE HOURS: After class meeting and by appointment.

LOCATION:  Summer II, 2002, term (weeks of July 1 through August 12, 2002), Saturday (9:00 AM to 12:15 PM) at CU 9.

TEXT:  Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (2002). "Management information systems: Managing the Digital Firm." (7th ed.). New York: Prentice Hall.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Evaluate, design and select information systems which support an organization's knowledge management goals. Includes knowledge management; information system analysis, design and implementation; selection criteria; current and advancing technology; strategic objectives, business processes, reengineering systems; database management systems, decision support, data mining.

Invited Speakers:  
We are lucky that Mr. Troy Carter and Mr. Jose Solera have accepted to each give an invited talk to our class. Mr. Carter will speak on Systems & Change Management on 7/27. Mr. Solera will speak on IS Security & Control on 8/3. Both speakers will host a Q&A session with the class to address specific interests and questions.

Troy Carter most recently served as VP of Operations for eFORCE, a Hayward-based ecommerce technology services firm, where he helped drive company growth from a staff of 90 to 425 between December 1999 and December 2000.  His primary responsibility encompassed the areas of IT infrastructure, project quality, facilities expansion, project staffing, and most importantly, quality of project delivery.  Prior to eFORCE, Troy spent five years at Wells Fargo Bank as VP of Application Development, during which Wells Fargo completed two large mergers, with First Interstate and Norwest between 1995 and 1999.  Troy managed seven application development and support teams in three metropolitan areas during his tenure with Wells Fargo.  Prior to Wells Fargo, Troy worked as Financial/Operations Controller for an IT services unit of TRW and in aerospace and high-tech manufacturing in Silicon Valley.  Troy received his MBA from UC Berkeley in 1986.

Jose Solera is the Assistant Director of Intel's Security and Safety Initiative Program Office. In this role, he co-manages the corporate-, world-wide effort to assess and improve, where necessary, Intel's security and safety preparedness in all areas, including cyber and physical security. A 19-year veteran of Intel, Jose has held numerous positions, including managing the world-wide year 2000 program for Intel and leading the development of one of the first client/server production systems in support of the Intel Inside® Program. Jose is a graduate of Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management and of the United States Military Academy (West Point). In addition, he is a Project Management Professional and was, at one point, APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management.

OVERALL OBJECTIVE: To provide a framework for understanding and managing information systems in organizational environments.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: To successfully complete this course, the student will:
1. Appreciate the increasing importance of information systems technology and how it is changing the role of the business manager.
2. Understand the evolving role played by the various hardware platforms in the business organizations of today.
3. Recognize how networks are being used to reduce costs and delays, provide improved customer service and build strong links with customers and suppliers.
4. Appreciate the need for data management and understand management’s key role in establishing and maintaining an effective data management environment.
5. Become proficient in identifying the fundamental types of information systems used to provide real business benefits.
6. Recognize the need for an effective information system development process, and will be able to describe the tools needed to support it.
7. Appreciate the need for an information technology plan, identify its key elements, and outline a process to develop one.
8. Recognize the term business process reengineering and will be able explain how it can lead to dramatic changes in the business.
9. Become knowledgeable in management’s key role to ensure the successful development and acquisition of information technology resources.
10. Appreciate the need for management to make certain that the organization has a sound plan for ensuring computer security and disaster recovery.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Chapter summary & case study analysis. Each student will select a chapter, present its key concepts and lead the discussion for a chapter case study.
2. Weekly assignments/WebCT discussions:  There are weekly assignments for which you will present/discuss using the online WebCT course environment.  During the class meetings on Saturdays, those problems will be reviewed but your online contributions are critical. All weekly assignments to be turned in at the beginning of the class.  The project case study assignments are team efforts and the review exercises are individual efforts. Homework is due on the first class meeting as outlined in the table below. Each case study and each homework length to be in the range of 1-6 pages. Late assignment turn-in require previous arrangements. 
3. Relational Database Project
4. Midterm-end of section case study.
5. Final-trends project. This is a group analysis and presentation on a management information systems trend (i.e., the next three to five years). The trend may be product, process, people or technology oriented. The specific topic must be developed by the students with prior approval of the Professor. (PowerPoint slides are required. A hard copy of the slides must be delivered to the Professor at the time of the presentation.). A hard copy of the presentation (including 6 page narrative) to be submitted to the instructor by Class 7 on 8/17/02.

The premise of the research endeavor is to allow you to conduct an autonomous learning endeavor within an area that interests you. It should be noted that the professor of this course is predominately concerned with facilitating an atmosphere conducive to learning and thinking. You should seize this opportunity to conduct some viable research that will facilitate our common learning. Do not confuse this creative opportunity with an easily completed task for evaluation - the lack of specificity of this project was an intentional consideration that should afford one a great deal of creativity and learning.

Please recognize that a graduate level analysis differs from the typical undergraduate project. Graduate level research is not just a repeat of information found in textbooks. The graduate project should demonstrate your understanding and application of advanced concepts of the discipline, as they are currently defined. That means your investigation should include the latest academic and professional research on the subject.

METHOD OF INSTRUCTION AND COURSE PROCESS:
Lecture on selected topics, class discussion of assignments, and class participation. This course is conducted as a graduate seminar. Class participation is crucial, and students are encouraged to share ideas, experience, knowledge and opinions. Students are expected to have read all the assigned readings and case studies before each class. Material will be discussed in the classroom that is not covered in the readings. Graduate level work ought to be both challenging and experiential in nature. You can look forward to a lively, interactive class.

Additional class interaction will occur online, particularly using the WebCT environment.

Participation is integral to successful mastery of the material. Students will be asked to share their understanding of the material and evaluate the applicability of selected concepts to actual practice. Since the discipline derives much of its applicability from interdisciplinary thought, many of the class projects will incorporate the use of teams and a percentage of every individual’s grade will be based on team participation.

METHOD OF EVALUATION:

BEFORE First Class:
1. MS Access:  Students must have at least a Windows 1998/2000 based computer with Office 98/00 and a connection to the Internet. 
2. READING:  Read the assigned Chapters for Class 1 (refer to SCHEDULE Table below).
3. WebCT STUDENT INTRODUCTIONS:  During June 24 through July 5, introduce yourself in the class WebCT environment before the first class meeting.  Read your fellow-students introductions before the first class meeting.
4. ASSIGNMENTS: 1-3 pages to be turned in for each assignment during the first class meeting.

ASSIGNMENT OF GRADES:  A = 90-100%; B = 80-89%; C = 70-79%; D = 60-69%; F = less 60%

ATTENDANCE POLICY:  The student is expected to attend all classes. Exceptional cases will be handled on an individual basis.

MAKE-UP POLICY:  Missed classes may require additional assignments, including written material to be turned in and/or examinations. Make-up examinations may differ from original exams.

ADVISEMENT TIME: The Professor can be contacted for appointments by calling the Professor’s home phone, and/or e-mail.

ACADEMIC ETHICS: Details on the ethical standards of reporting information may be found in the "Publication Manual of the APA." The NDNU "Standards of Conduct" published in the "Graduate Bulletin" should also be consulted.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT: If the student’s disabilities fall within ADA, please inform the Professor at the beginning of the course of any special needs or equipment necessary to accomplish the requirements for this course.

COURSE SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS: