MIS and Decision Science at TAMIU The Department and its programs

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MIS and Decision Science at TAMIU The
Department and its programs
Ned Florencio Kock, ChairDept. of MIS and
Decision ScienceTexas AM International
University
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What are MIS and DS?

• MIS Management Information Systems
• Field of research and teaching concerned with the
  study of information technologies and their
  impact on people and organizations
• DS Decision Science
• Focuses on the use of quantitative methods for
  decision making in organizations, primarily using
  complex statistical analysis tools (e.g., SPSS,
  LISREL, PLS)

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MIS vs. computer science

• First computer ever ENIAC, 1946
• IT applications computer science, up until
  1970s
• MIS emerges in the 1970s
• Largely because of dismay IT productivity returns
  in the service sector
• MISQ journal first published in 1977
• First ICIS conference in 1980
• MIS today IT to enable business process
  improvement
• Largely due to the emergence of business process
  redesign in the early 1990s

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IT productivity returns question

• What has been the average increase in labor
  productivity from the late 1960s to the early
  1990s?
• Considering that
• The average IT investment per employee has been
  3,000 per year in the service sector
• The average IT investment in the manufacturing
  sector has been of 1,500 per year

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IT productivity returns answer

• In the service sector as a whole
• zero percent
• In the banking and insurance areas
• minus 10 percent
• In the manufacturing sector
• 15 percent

Sources Hacket, 1990, Sloan Management
Review Rai et. al, 1997, Communication of ACM
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Productivity growth from the 1950s to the 1990s
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MIS vs. outsourcing

• Jobs that focus on using IT to enable business
  process improvement are relatively difficult to
  outsource
• Key reason They require local business knowledge
  in addition to IT knowledge
• Jobs that focus on IT knowledge along are
  relatively easy to outsource
• E.g., generic computer programming, preparation
  of generic manuals for IT hardware and software
• MIS programs usually prepare students for the
  first type of jobs above

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MIS and DS programs at TAMIU

• Major programs
• Master of Science in Information Systems (MS-IS)
• Bachelor of Business Administration with a major
  in Management Information Systems (BBA-MIS)
• Other programs
• Management Information Systems Concentration in
  the Ph.D. Program in International Business
  Administration
• Management Information Systems Concentration in
  the Master of Business Administration Program
• Minor in Management Information Systems Program
  (for undergraduate students majoring in programs
  outside the College of Business Administration)

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Master of Science in Information Systems (MS-IS)
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Bachelor of Bus. Admin. with a major in MIS
(BBA-MIS)
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MIS Concentration in the Ph.D. Program in IBA
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MIS Concentration in the MBA Program
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Minor in MIS Program
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MIS career paths

• MIS graduates begin their careers in a broad
  range of roles, which include software systems
  analysis, technical marketing, and management
  consulting. They often later migrate to other
  business functions where they may take a more
  managerial role with respect to a
  technology-based business activity, but
  nevertheless are effective in extracting value
  from that technology because of their technical
  background.

Source Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara
University
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What are our students saying?
Juan Sanchez, BBA-MIS (2004) The course content
and instruction was exceptional. Course content
involved both past, current, and future trends
and elements of the IT industry. The information
obtained in the classroom gave me a competitive
edge when seeking internship/employment
opportunities. Overall, the faculty of the MIS
and Decision Science Department can be best
summed up as energetic, insightful, and
student-oriented. Rene F. Cruz, MS-IS
(1999) As a graduate of the MS-IS program at
TAMIU and lifelong resident of Laredo, TAMIU has
provided me with the opportunity to expand my
educational endeavors. My work experience and
Masters degree has allowed me to progress to the
position of Director of Information Technology at
Laredo Medical Center. During my coursework, I
was continually challenged by the faculty in
terms of conducting research, developing
strategic planning skills, exploring new
technology, and exchanging different
points-of-views among faulty and fellow students.
I highly recommend TAMIU to anyone who is
interested fulfilling his or her potential.
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