Introduction to MIS

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Introduction to MIS

• The Most Important Course in the Business School!
• David M. Kroenke

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Thank You!
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Our Situation

• MIS is incredibly important to business
  commerce today
• Almost no one (in academics) knows that!
• Non-IS colleagues
• Students
• Administrators

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Claim

• Introduction to MIS is the most important class
  in the b-school
• Argument rests on two pillars

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Moores Law Ensures

• Data communications is essentially free
• Data storage is essentially free
• Snooze, yawn
• so what???

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Heres some of what

• YouTube
• iPhone
• Facebook
• Second Life
• HuLu
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

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But What about Johnson Electronics???

• Do businesses have legitimate uses of social
  networking???
• Of course
• But which???
• And how???

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MIS the Most Important Course

• B-school grads must be able to
• Assess
• Evaluate
• Apply
• Emerging information technology

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MIS the Most Important Course

• B-school grads must be able to
• Assess
• Evaluate
• Apply
• Emerging information technology
• Where will students learn to do that?

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Fired? Youre firing me???
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Why Was Jennifer Fired???

• She was unable to perform non-routine cognitive
  skills

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Jennifers Process Diagram!
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Robert Reichs Key Skills

• Abstract thinking
• Systems thinking
• Experimentation
• Collaboration

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Robert Reichs Key Skills

• Abstract thinking
• Systems thinking
• Experimentation
• Collaboration

Where will students learn to do that?
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Abstract Thinking
Five Components of IS
ER-Models
Process Modeling (BPMN)
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Systems Thinking
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Collaboration

• If two employees have the exact same opinion,
  then we have no need for one of them (Darwin
  John, worlds first CIO)
• Iteration Feedback
• Conflict facing
• Collaboration IS
• Google Docs Spreadsheets
• Microsoft SharePoint
• Google Wave
• Others

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Experimentation

• Dealing with uncertainty ambiguity
• Using realistic projects (Office, SP, other?)

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Experimentation

• Dealing with uncertainty ambiguity
• Using realistic projects (Office, SP, other?)

You manage the choir. What to do?
So many ways to go with a project like this!
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Intro to MIS Is the Most Important Class in the
Business School

• 1. Teach students to
• Assess
• Evaluate
• Apply
• IS to business
• 2. Best course to learn key skills
• Abstract thinking
• Systems thinking
• Experimentation
• Collaboration

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Caveat Weve Got to Have Content!

• Abstract thinking Experimentation
• Systems thinking Collaboration
• Require that the course have content!
• Not a dictionary
• Not MIS story time
• Rather
• Models Processes
• Systems Meaningful Applications / Activities

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Exciting Time to Teach MIS!

• Technology exploding
• Innovative applications everywhere
• New technologies for delivering content
• The most important class in the business school!
• Tell the world!
• And have fun!!!