IS100 IS240 IS350 IS500

Course topics:

1. Industries that have been replaced/transformed by IT  - yellow pages, mail, newspapers, music, movie rental, cable TV, Encyclopedias, entertainment, personal taxes, advertising, shopping, news reporters, stock brokers, airplane ticket sales, book sales, bank tellers, film cameras, CD/DVDs, landlines, music instruments, marketing
2. How other industries may be transformed in the future - accounting, finance, movie making (animation, virtual reality, 3D)
3. Labor shortage in IT
4. IT Entrepreneurship case studies (Google’s Founders, Facebook’s founders, Microsoft’s founders, Dell, Walton family, Carlos Slim Helu)
5. Social media/Web 2.0
6. Mobile Apps
7. Mobile App project
8. Website Design project
9. Database project
10. ERP using case studies of Micro-finance, ERP/SCM enables WalMart to respond to Katrina hurricane several days before FEMA or the US Army
11. SCM - SCM improves Nike’s Sweatshops

Reading material:

Industry transformed by IT:
10 markets transformed by the Internet: http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/24/markets-transformed-internet-markets-marketsp07-cx_mm_1025internet_slide.html

Finance and IT:
http://singularityhub.com/2011/01/03/wall-street-computers-read-the-news-before-trading/
http://singularityhub.com/2010/09/23/i-bank-or-when-computers-take-over-wall-street/
http://singularityhub.com/2010/12/02/trading-stocks-at-the-speed-of-light-computers-own-finance-next-the-world/

Marketing and IT
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/08/business_customers_are_digital.html
Discussion/group: How many jobs will be replaced by IS jobs by 2045

IT Entrepreneurs:
Startups:
http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/17/500-startups/
http://www.inc.com/articles/201108/jay-parkinson-how-a-start-up-is-changing-health-care.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/mar/09/forbes-rich-list-facebook-six
2006: http://www.forbes.com/2006/08/18/egan-rich-technology_06egang_cx_mn_0818techrich.html
2010: http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/09/microsoft-google-facebook-technology-business-intelligence-billionaires-2010-richest.html
http://www.businessinsider.com/myyearbook-acquired-by-quepasa-for-100-million-2011-7
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/08/female-tech-founders_n_916751.html#s318621&title=Jess_Lee_Polyvore
Discussion/group: How did these entrepreneurs succeed? What ideas do you have for the next IT innovation?

Mobile Apps Intro (Smartphone/Tablet/Portable electronic devices like iPhone, iPad, Android, etc)
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/10/09/iphone-app-design-trends/

Mobile App Project:
This project simulates the jobs of Information Systems professionals. Your group is tasked with designing an Mobile App. The App should not be anything that is available in existing App store currently. If a similar app exists in an App store, you should suggest improvements so that customers will have a reason to prefer your app to any similar apps already available.
Deliverables: One presentation per group. Work in Google Docs. Make sure you share the presentation with me at vvinekar@mail.fairfield.edu. Each presentation should include the following:

1. The first slide should have the title of your Mobile App, as well as the names of all the group members
2. The second slide should have a brief description of the iPad app
3. The remaining slides should have drawings of all the screens of the App as it would look on the mobile device. One slide per screen

Make sure that the slides clearly show all screens and how to navigate between screens. If a mobile app programmer cannot clearly understand how build the UI from these slides, you will lose points!
Each group will present their app to class - presentations and group work are a very important part of an IS professional's job!

And if you decide you want to build your mobile app: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/217545?cm_mmc=Market-_-Outbrain-_-NA-_-NA

Labor Shortage in IS
Even in a tough job market, IT is where the jobs are:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-08-15-cnbc-it-jobs-unemployment_n.htm
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704376104576122581603676882.html
Discussion: Why is there a labor shortage in IT? Are the industries being transformed causing this labor shortage? Will this labor shortage persist in the future when more industries are transformed?

App Economy jobs: Facebook App Economy adds over 200 thousand jobs last year:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/19/facebook-app-economy-adds_n_970017.html

Best Jobs in America:
Why are IT jobs always the the best job in America? Why are so many IT jobs on the list?
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2010/full_list/

Web Design project:
First class: Follow the instructor (helping each other) as he goes step-by-step to build a website using Google Sites

Second class: Design another website in groups. The website can be for any real or fake organization, professional, person or cause. A website consists of several webpages. The webpages on your website should have a common theme and link to each other using hyperlinks. In addition, you should use both text as well as image links. There should be links to external websites as well. Make sure you share the website with me at vvinekar@mail.fairfield.edu. Also, ensure that the topic of your website is not something more suitable for a blog. Not following these instructions will result in the loss of points from your grade!

Database Project
Use the Northwind sample database (Downloaded from the Internet or provided by your instructor). In this database, create database queries. Check every query by hitting the run button (the red exclamation point).

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR):
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/business/shared-value-gains-in-corporate-responsibility-efforts.html

CSR - Creating “Shared Value”
http://hbr.org/2011/01/the-big-idea-creating-shared-value/ar/1

IS for Small organizations:

Social Media / Web 2.0 Introduction:

Social Media Revolution: http://mashable.com/2011/06/28/social-media-revolution/

An article on Social Media from 2006. What of it is still true and what has changed?
http://gigaom.com/2006/05/29/social-networks-are-the-new-media/

How Social Media impacts companies, consumers, choices and advertising (video): http://www.commoncraft.com/socialmedia

Social Media Project:
1. Go through the readings and videos below and make a list of what the authors say you should do or not do with social media.

1. How to use Social Media to help a small business: http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/aug2009/sb2009087_245691.htm
2. How to use Social Media Successfully:
   http://www.clicknewz.com/1689/how-to-use-social-media-successfully/
3. What not to do on Social Media:
   http://www.clicknewz.com/1688/social-media-marketing-a-warning/
4. How businesses can use Social media: http://www.commoncraft.com/social-media-workplace-video

2. Pick a small/mid-size organization (e.g. restaurants/bars/clubs, hotels, non-profits, artists, bands,/DJs, entrepreneurs/startups) and analyze their social media strategies. Work in Google Docs Presentation. Make sure you share the presentation with me at vvinekar@mail.fairfield.edu. The Google Presentation should have the following:

1. Go through the list you made of the strategies in your class readings. Are they doing everything the authors recommended to do? Are they doing any of the things the authors recommended not doing?
2. Are they replying to reviews and opinions of the general public on other blogs, Yelp, Tripadvisor, Expedia/Orbitz/Hotwire, Youtube, Amazon, IMDB or  other review sites?
3. Have they had any criticisms online? How have they responded to this on social media?
   
   Enterprise Resource Planning:
   Microfinance: http://www.kiva.org/about/microfinance
   
   e-Government: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-09-02/news/30105909_1_soda-village-ancestral-village-sarpanch
   
   Wal-Mart's ERP/SCM:
   
   Wal-Mart at the forefront of Hurricane Relief: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/05/AR2005090501598.html
   Wal-mart and the the poor: http://consumerist.com/2008/04/wal-marts-katrina-heroism-above-all-do-the-right-thing-ceo-told-managers-before-katrina-struck.html
   How Wal-mart beat the feds to New Orleans (CIO) http://www.cio.com/article/13532/How_Wal_Mart_Beat_Feds_to_New_Orleans
   
   Sweatshops & SCM (Supply Chain Management):
   Secrets, lies and sweatshops: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_48/b4011001.htm
   Where sweatshops are a dream: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/opinion/15kristof.html
   
   Excel Project:
   

   Here are the instructions for your Excel project. First, download the Excel Spreadsheet by clicking on this sentence. This spreadsheet has data for several large US firms, similar to what you worked on in class. You will have add columns in this spreadsheet using functions:

   1. In the first empty column (CN), calculate the Profit Margin for each company by dividing Income (Column E) by Revenue (Column D) and multiplying by 100. In the row below (Row 97) calculate the average Profit Margin of these companies.
   2. In the next empty column (CO), calculate the Total Costs for each company by subtracting Income (Column E) from revenue (Column D). In the row below (Row 97) calculate the average Cost of these companies.
   3. In the next empty column (CP), calculate the Cost Ratio by dividing the Total Costs (column CO) by Revenue (Column D). In the row below (Row 97) calculate the average Cost Ratio of these companies.
   4. In the next empty column (CQ), calculate the Average Sales for the 5 years y0-y4 by taking an average of the columns titled y0Sales12, y1Sales 12, y2Sales 12, y3Sales12, and y4Sales12. In the row below (Row 97) calculate the average sales of these companies.
   5. In the next empty column (CR), calculate the Average Number of Employes for the 5 years y0-y4 by taking an average of the columns titled y0Emp29, y1Emp29, y2Emp29, y3Emp29, and y4Emp29. In the row below (Row 97) calculate the average Number of Employees for these companies.
   6. In the next empty column (CS), calculate the Average Net Income for the 5 years y0-y4 by taking an average of the columns titled y0NI172, y1NI172, y2NI172, y3NI172, and y4NI172. In the row below (Row 97) calculate the average Net Income of these companies.
   7. In the next empty column (CT), calculate the IT Budget to Income ratio by dividing the ITBudget (Column R) by the Income (Column E). In the row below (Row 97) calculate the average ITBudget to Income Ratio of these companies.
   8. In the next empty column (CU), get the 2nd letter of each company's name (Column AC)
   9. In the next empty column (CV), get the last letter of each company's name (Column AC)
   10. In the next empty column (CW), get the first letter of each company's name (Column AC)
   11. In the first empty column (CX), create a new code for each company by concatenating (I.e., putting together into one word) the last letter, the 2nd letter, and the first letter of each company's name, in that order.
   12. In the next empty column (CY), write a function that will put in a "1" each time Column CW has the first letter of your first name, and a 0 for all other letters. In the last empty row, calculate the number of occurrences by totaling up the column.
   13. In the next empty column (CZ), write a function that will put in a "1" each time Column CV has the first letter of your last name, and a 0 for all other letters. In the last empty row, calculate the number of occurrences by totaling up the column.
   14. In the next empty column (DA), write a function that will calculate the number of times the first letter of your first name appeared in column CU using the CountIf function.
   15. In the next empty column (DB), write a function that will calculate the number of times the first letter of your last name appeared in column CU using the CountIf function.

   Give each column appropriate names based on what you're calculating. When you're done, upload the spreadsheet to Mentor (Fairfield.edu/mentor) under the Assignment "Excel Project". The Excel project is due next Tuesday.

   
   Supply Chain Management:
   This is a very long pdf. Don’t read the whole thing, only read Panel 12 (on page number 60) “An Agreement in Bangladesh”: http://www.unicef.org/sowc97/download/sow2of2.pdf
   
   The CEO of the Fair Labor Association talks about the real reasons for the existence of sweatshops:
   http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_48/b4011010.htm
   Discussion Question: How can Supply Chain management / IT automation solve the problems that the CEO of the Fair labor organization identified as the main reasons for sweatshops?