Managing Knowledge Resources Concentration

In today’s increasingly competitive environment, successful organizations are those that are able to effectively manage their information systems and knowledge assets.  This 3-course track will examine managers’ legal, social, and ethical responsibilities for overseeing information resources; familiarize them with new and emerging technologies for capturing, codifying, and sharing knowledge; and introduce them to the tools and technologies needed to manage complex IT projects involving globally-dispersed and diverse teams.   

This concentration consists of three required courses.

1 .   ISM 6930  Contemporary Issues in Information Systems Management

This course will look at a variety of legal, ethical, and social issues involving the use of computers as well as managers' responsibility for ensuring that computing resources are adequately protected and appropriately used.  Cases, films, guest lecturers, and articles from the business press will be used to highlight contemporary concerns. Class discussion will focus on both the issues involved and possible administrative and technical solutions.

2 .     ISM 6930    Knowledge Management

This course will examine the dynamics of knowledge management from a manager’s perspective, as well as a wide range of tools and techniques for capturing, codifying, and sharing both personal and organizational knowledge.  Through a combination of case studies, readings, and hands-on activities, students will learn the basics of data warehousing and data mining, as well as a variety of artificial intelligence techniques.  Class discussion will focus on strategies for discovering the value in an organization’s information assets, increasing the return on its knowledge capital, and managing knowledge in an ethically responsible fashion.

3 .     ISM 6930     Collaborative IT Project Management

This course will focus on: (1) the foundations of project management - project integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk, and procurement - using the experiences of real-life businesses and online tools; (2) the societal impact of failed and challenged projects; and (3) the management of virtual teams, from diverse geographical locations, participating in global projects.