COMM 226

Business Technology Management

Section EC
Summer 2020
This syllabus is subject to change and any changes will be posted in the Announcements
section of your eConcordia portal.

Disclaimer: In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University's control, the
content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.

About the Course

The instructor for this course is Dr. Joe Abou Jaoude | MB12-107 | Tel. 4388965854 (please send
an email to [email protected] to schedule a meeting time before calling)

NB: Any emails about the course should go to ([email protected]) and as per the instructions below. Make
sure that you insert in your email subject matter “BTM200 Winter 2020 & your student ID”

Teaching Assistants: Hossein Azarpanah, Yushan Liu

Course Description
The objective of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the role of information technology in
business organizations. Students learn how information technologies can be used to create business value, solve
business problems, accomplish corporate goals and achieve and maintain a competitive advantage. Prerequisites:
None

Expanded Course Description

Information technology dominates the modern business environment. This creates a need for managers that not only
understand technology but also know how to use it to create business value for the organization. Business
Technology Management (BTM) is a set of processes and services that unite an enterprise's business technology
(BT) and business management (BM) strategies to extract total BT solution value potential. The course introduces
students to information systems and technology with a focus on its application to help businesses to achieve and
maintain a competitive advantage. Modern information systems and approaches used to support organizations in
their operations and interactions with other business are emphasized in this course, including enterprise resource
planning (ERP), supply chain management (SCM), Business Intelligence (BI) and customer relationship management
(CRM). Database management and design is covered as a tool to improve decision making and to support
operations. The use of internet technology as a business tool to expand markets, improve efficiency and facilitate
operations is introduced to students with practical business cases. Students are also exposed to information
technology risks such as computer crimes and learn how to mitigate them by using information security. This course
also provides students with hands-on experience to an ERP system (SAP) and a database system (Microsoft
Access).

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Learning Objectives
The main objective of this course is to provide an in-depth understanding of the role of information systems in
supporting business activities and enhancing organizations’ competitive advantage. Upon successful completion of
this course, students will be able to:
1. Describe the main concepts of information systems and the related concepts;
2. Describe the relationship between information systems and competitive advantage;
3. Identify the major trends in IS technologies such as Customer Relationship Management Systems, Supply
Chain Management Systems and Enterprise Resource Planning and their use to improve business
efficiency, increase profits and support other business functions;
4. Learn how to use E-commerce and E-business in order to create new or improve existing businesses.
5. Demonstrate how information systems can enhance business decision making and help create business
partnerships;
6. Describe how organizations develop, acquire and implement information systems;
7. Discuss issues related to computer crime and security, and information systems ethics.
Instructional and Learning Methods
• Reading: Students need to read course material from the textbook and other sources. Students can
determine own pace by referring to the agenda attached at the end of this course outline.
• Mini-case studies and discussions: Real or fictional business scenarios may be presented, and there
will be on-line discussions on how to apply information systems to solve business problems.
• Assignments and activities: Students will be required to complete assignments and activities designed
to complement and enhance learning of the course material as well as to provide some practical
experience of management information systems.
• Exam: The final exam will be online using COLE and Unproctored. The final exam will cover the
material in the book. The date, time and details for the final exam will be determined by the examination
office.

Course Material
• The text required for this course is available through the eConcordia course website and is included in
the cost of the course textbook fee.
• Software for assignments

o You MAY also need various specific software applications for your assignments in this course,
such as VISO and Microsoft Access. When each assignment is announced, specific
instructions will be provided to obtain and install the required software.

o It is best to learn how to run the required software on your own computer.
• Important Note for Apple Macs users.

o The assignments teach you how to use real-world business software. Unfortunately, much
software in the business world does not work well or at all on Apple OS X. Thus, if you use a
Mac, you will sometimes need to also run Windows on your Mac. Instructions will be provided
for how to do this.

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Teaching Methods and Assessments
Pre-Course-Test 1% (Participation)
(Very important to measure what you already know about the subject
and how much you have learned by the end of the course. So please
complete the pretest before you start your studies.)
Post-Course-Test 1% (Participation)
Case discussions [done in the Forum section] 20%

Assignment 1: SAP (Individual) 16%

Assignment 2: ERD, Business Processes and Databases (Groups 16%

of max. two students)
Assignment 3: Excel and Tableau Data Analytics (Individual) 16%

Final Exam - Exam Date To be Announced by Concordia

Exam will be Online using COLE and Un-Proctored
You must get 50% of the final exam grade to pass the course. 30%
Total …………………………………………………………………………….100%
Note: In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University's control, the content and/or evaluation
scheme in this course is subject to change.

Details
Pre and Post tests
There will be a short pre-test and post-test that need to be taken. These tests are worth 1% participation each,
whatever the score you receive. You need to take the MIS Knowledge (Pre-Test) at the beginning of the class before
you start any reading or work for the course. Just do take your time and do your best. Your score will be used only for
benchmarking the effectiveness of the online activities during the semester.
Case Discussion
You must participate in all the discussions in the forum to get full Marks. There will be 5 cases posted by the
professor. You must post your response to each case with a minimum of 1000 words in the discussion section
for each case. Your response should engage with the teacher’s case and provide your personal
thoughts/understanding. You are also required to evaluate a number of your classmate’s posts. Note that the number
of discussions you need to participate in may vary from one semester to the other.
The case discussions are a versatile learning method in an online course. It is akin to putting your hand up in class,
but with a bonus: each and every student can read the comments, questions, and the various answers posted, at
their leisure. To earn your marks on “Case Discussion”, each student is expected to contribute to the discussion on
cases. This can be done by contributing relevant material-related comments or questions, by answering others’
questions, by adding to other’s comments, by providing counter-arguments, real-life example, and the like. In
addition, make sure that you refer to relevant chapters in the book to not only strengthen your argument and
feedback but to process the content in the book for better understanding the concepts.
Guidelines for Posting:
• Do not post your telephone number, student ID, or any other personal information on the discussion
board.
• Read the other postings to confirm that a question has not already been answered repeatedly.
Repetitive postings will not earn marks.
• The Discussion Board (Forum) is meant for the academic discussion of the course material. Keep
postings pertinent to the course material and subject matter at hand. Questions pertaining to grades,
technical issues or questions of a personal nature must be addressed directly to your TA via the
COMM226 e-mail Posts of this nature will be removed.

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 • Of vital importance is respectful behavior on the discussion board. Refrain from making offensive
statements and derogatory comments. For example, students must never insult another person or
teaching assistant in a discussion.
• Students who fail to respect these rules will get zero mark for “Case Discussions” and will be asked to
leave the discussion. It is within our discretion and authority to edit or remove any posting at any time.
Please see the http://www.concordia.ca/students/rights.html
Assignment
There are four assignments during the semester; please refer to the schedule for the due dates. All assignment
instructions will be provided in the blog and announcement sections. You must follow the assignment instructions.
Late assignments class policy: Late assignments, for any reason, will not be accepted after the due date.
Final Exam (Run by examination’s office - Concordia)
The final examination is worth 30% of the total mark for this course. However, in order to pass the course, you must
score at least 50% in the final examination. The final examination is comprehensive; it will cover all of the chapters
and sections of the textbook listed above. The final examination will have both multiple choice questions and word
problems.
Numerical Scores and Letter Grades
At the end of this course, the instructor will produce an overall score for the student’s performance on the various
components of this course, and then convert that score to a letter grade. The following list provides the numerical
equivalent for the letter grades that will be reported at the end of the term:
Letter and Number Grades

Letter Score
A+ 90 - 100
A 85 - 89
A- 80 - 84
B+ 77 - 79
B 73 - 76
B- 70 - 72
C+ 67 - 69
C 63 - 66
C- 60 - 62
D+ 57 - 59
D 53 - 56
D- 50 - 52
FNS 0 - 49
* D- is the minimum requirement to pass the course.
Please refer to section 16.3 of the Undergraduate Calendar for more information about the grading system,
examinations, and performance requirements. (http://registrar.concordia.ca/calendar/16/16.html#16.3)

Technical
Time zone
Please note that the eConcordia HelpDesk is open Monday to Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET
Technical Requirements
The technical requirements for accessing the online material are listed within the course content and may also be
found at: http://www.econcordia.com/home/elearning.aspx?section=224.
If your existing hardware does not meet the requirements, you may experience a lower level of quality and
accessibility to our website and course content.
The course requires the use of Microsoft Software that can only run on Windows XP or higher. Students using Mac
OS will be required to install a virtual machine with Windows OS. It is the responsibility of the student to install this
virtual machine. Details of the installation procedures will be provided during the semester. Lab facilities with
Windows are also available on campus.

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Students are expected to have access to MS Office 2003 or higher as assignments will require the use of MSWord
and MSExcel for electronic submissions.
MAKE SURE TO SATISFY THESE TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS BEFORE YOU ENROLL IN THIS COURSE.

Communication
Communication
• Please use [email protected] for all your emails. Make sure that you insert in your email
subject matter “COMM226 Winter 2020”
• On the first line of you email include the object of your email. For example: About the final exam; For
assignment 1, etc…
• Expect a response within 2 business days during the week (Monday-Friday).
• For any technical issues with eConcordia, please contact [email protected].
• You are required to be polite, respectful and professional at all times. See academic conduct
section below. Include the following information in all your e-mail communication:
• Full name
• Concordia student ID number
• Course name and number pertaining to your inquiry
• Save a copy of all e-mail correspondence for the duration of the term and until the final letter grade for
your course has been posted in your MyConcordia portal.

Announcements
• Important information regarding the course will be communicated to you via the Announcements
Section of the eConcordia course website.
• You are required to check the announcement postings for updates at least three (3) times per
week.

Academic Integrity
The most common offense under the Academic Code of Conduct is plagiarism, which the Code defines as “the
presentation of the work of another person as one’s own or without proper acknowledgement.”
This could be material copied word for word from books, journals, internet sites, professor’s course notes, etc. It could
be material that is paraphrased but closely resembles the original source. It could be the work of a fellow student, for
example, an answer on data for a lab report, a paper or assignment completed by another student. It might be a
paper purchased through one of the many available sources. Plagiarism does not refer to words alone - it can also
refer to copying images, graphs, tables, and ideas. “Presentation” is not limited to written work. It also includes oral
presentations, computer assignments and artistic works. Finally, if you translate the work of another person into
French or English and do not cite the source, this is also plagiarism.

In Simple Words:
DO NOT COPY, PARAPHRASE OR TRANSLATE ANYTHING FROM ANYWHERE WITHOUT SAYING FROM
WHERE YOU OBTAINED IT!
(Source: The Academic Integrity
Website:http://www.concordia.ca/students/academicintegrity/plagiarism.html)

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 Suggested Readings and Schedule (subject to change)

Date Week Suggested Readings Chapter

May 4 1 Introduction to Information Systems Chapter 1 Pre-Test IT
Knowledge opens May
4
May 11 2 Hardware/Software/ Cloud Computing Technology
guide 1,2, and
3
May 18 3 Organizational Strategy, Competitive Advantage, Chapter 2 Assignment 1 opens
and Information Systems May 11

May 25 4 Business Processes and Business Process PLUG IT IN 1 Pre-Test IT

Management Knowledge due May
28
Assignment 1 due May
28
June 1 5 Introduction to Enterprise Systems/ The Chapter 3,4, Assignment 2 opens
Procurement Process (SAP) and 5 June 08
June 8 6
June 15 7 Data and Knowledge Management Chapter 6
June 22 Mid-Term Break
June 29 8 Business Analytics Chapter 7 Case Discussion 1 & 2
due June 25
Assignment 2 due
June 25
July 6 9 Creating Visual Analytics with Tableau Desktop/ Chapter 8,9, Assignment 3 opens
and 10 July 06
Connecting to Your Data/
Building Your First Visualization
July 13 10

July 20 11 E-Business and E-Commerce/ Social Chapter 11 and

Computing 12
July 27 12 Acquiring Information Systems and Applications Chapter 13 Case Discussion 3&4
due July 23
Post-Test IT
Knowledge opens July
23
August 3 13 Ethics and Privacy/
Information Security and Controls
August 10 14 Ethics and Privacy/ Chapter 14 and Assignment 3 due
15 August 06
Information Security and Controls
Post-Test IT
Knowledge due
August 06

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 Case Discussion 4&5
due August 06
Discussion Board
closes August 06
Assignments due (by 11:59PM on date indicated)

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