Management Information Systems

Research Project

OVERVIEW

In this course, you will write a research paper about how the technologies we are learning could benefit a business.

Working on this Research Project paper will help you better understand Management Information Systems (MISs) that are frequently used by managers at many levels in various types of organizations. You will also enhance your professional growth by conducting research using primary sources to write this scholarly paper.

SCENARIO

You are working for a medium-to-large aviation-related enterprise, and thanks to your ERAU College of Business degree, you have substantial knowledge of MIS. Because of your expertise, you were placed in a mid-to-upper level management position. Now your superiors expect results! Upper management has asked you to investigate and evaluate five different MIS solutions that, if implemented, could improve and enhance the efficiency of the company's various business processes, leading to increased profitability.

PROJECT BRIEF

The project is broken down into smaller assignments, or Project Submissions, that you will complete throughout the course. You will submit Project Submissions in Modules 3, 5, and 7, and then you will submit your 14-page final paper in Module 8.

Project Submissions #2, #3, and #4 should provide details regarding how the departments in your organization could benefit from the implementation of the Management Information System (MIS) technologies that you are studying in this course.

Consider:

• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• Maintenance, Marketing, Operations
• Reservations
• Sales

Distinguishing how the MISs will benefit your company,

• Provide details and examples of applications and solutions offered by retail vendors.
• Describe the framework for each solution that the internal staff of your company might develop and implement.
• Present an account of the strengths, weaknesses, and cost considerations for those solutions.
• Finally, identify and describe how a solution can provide a competitive advantage, influence strategy, affect organizational performance, and increase operational efficiency.

SOURCES

HUNT LIBRARY

The Hunt Library  is an excellent source of scholarly articles, and the library provides online support on their Ask a Librarian web page. You may use any reliable Internet resource. Also, there is a list of reference sources at the conclusion of each chapter in your textbook.

TURNITIN

Your instructor will use Turnitin to screen your papers for citation and plagiarism issues. Turnitin is a service that checks your work for improper citation or potential plagiarism by comparing it against a database of web pages, student papers, and articles from academic books and publications.

WARNING

You cannot use Wikipedia as a primary research source, but you may be able to use the references at the end of Wikipedia articles as they sometimes contain scholarly articles. Course Hero is another source that is off-limits as a primary source. Unless you are a subject matter expert on the topic, based on your

degrees, certifications or "on the job training," do not submit data obtained only from personal experience.

APA STYLE REQUIREMENTS

For this Research Project paper, remember to utilize only primary reference sources outside of the course textbook. For information regarding primary reference sources, select Academic Resources in the course (Start Here section). Reviewing this data will greatly assist you in locating outside primary reference sources and utilizing APA Style formatting and composition throughout the project.

Also, be sure to use the Course Specific APA Style Instructions and Guidance for the APA style requirements in this course.

The basic writing style for your research project should follow the recommendations of the current APA Manual, Section 8.03. The text throughout the document should be

• double-spaced
• typeface 12-point size
• Times New Roman font
• 1-inch margins

Be sure to use current APA style for in-text citations and references. You are required to cite and reference any data that you have "borrowed" from a reference source. This requirement pertains to both direct quotes and data that you may have paraphrased. Use the Academic Resources and Course Specific APA Style Instructions and Guidance pages in our course for specific tips on how to correctly format citations and reference data in APA style.

WRITING MECHANICS

Your composition needs to be grammatically sound and free of spelling errors. Using terminology from the reference sources will enhance your grade. Use a "grammar/spell-check" tool to check your document before submission. Remember that "grammar/spell-check" tools do not always provide the proper data so carefully check the suggested modifications.

PROJECT SUBMISSIONS

Note: To begin the body of the text before providing specific content relating to your first MIS topic, compose a brief paragraph consisting of 3-4 sentences that introduce the need for MIS solutions in your company. In that paragraph provide a bulleted list of the five MIS topics that you chose to present.

MODULE 3: PROJECT SUBMISSION 1 TOPIC SELECTIONS AND 5-PAGE TEMPLATE Overview

Project Submission 1 requires you to select a title for your project, choose five MIS topics to conduct research on, and build a five-page template in current APA format. The template that you create in this module will become a working document and end up as your final paper submission in Module 8.

The document that you submit for this project submission should consist only of a

• Title Page
• Abstract page with no text data
• Body page that contains only the list of your five chosen MIS topics
• Conclusion page with no text data
• Reference List page with no text data

Details

Title Page: Page one of your template is a properly formatted APA style title page. The title page contains a page header (running head) that includes the words "Running head:" followed by the title of your paper in all uppercase letters and the page number. Include the title of your paper, your first and last name, our institution's name spelled out entirely, and the date of submission centered in the body of the title page.

Abstract: On page two of your template, center the word "Abstract" at the top of the page. Other than the page header and the word "Abstract," no other data should be present on this page at this time. You will fill in the Abstract data in the later modules.

Topic Selection: Page three of your template should contain only a list of the five topics that you selected from the thirteen MIS-related topics provided. In the later milestones, you will replace the list of your selected topics on page three as you begin to compose data in the "Body of the Text" section.

• Digital Dashboard with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Transaction Processing System (TPS)
• Decision Support System (DSS)
• Cloud Computing
• Database Management System (DBMS)
• Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW)
• Electronic Records Management (ERM)
• Mobile Infrastructure
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Transportation Management System (TMS)
• Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM)
• Supply Chain Management (SCM)

Conclusion: Page four is the conclusion page of your document in the template state. As you fill in your research findings in the body of the text page(s), the page number will change. Center the word "Conclusion" at the top of the page. No other data should be present on this page at this time. You will fill in the conclusion data as you finish composing the final draft of your document.

Reference List: Lastly, but critical for a good grade, the reference list page will contain your references. Center the word "References" at the top of the page. No other data should be present on this page at this time. You will fill in the references data as you compose your document.

Project Submission 1 is due by the end of Module 3.

MODULE 5: PROJECT SUBMISSION 2 TOPICS 1 AND 2

In your role as an employee at a medium-to-large aviation-related business, it's time to drill down to the specifics for two of the Management Information Systems you selected. As you perform research and compose your data, remember that you are in a mid-to-upper level management position and have significant decision-making influence with your company.

• The minimum number of full pages of double-spaced text in the Body of the Text section that
  you are required to compose and submit in the Project Submission 2 assignment is four.
• To begin the body of the text before providing any specific content relating to your first MIS topic, compose a brief paragraph consisting of 4-5 sentences that introduces the need for MIS solutions in your company. Include a bulleted list of the five MIS topics that you chose to present in that paragraph.
• The Title Page, Abstract, Conclusion, and Reference List pages are not considered part of the Body of the Text section.
• As you do your research, keep up the Reference List page and make notes for the Conclusion page of your final draft document.

The instructor will use the Project Submission 2 Rubric to grade your assignment. Project Submission 2 is due by the end of Module 5.

MODULE 7: PROJECT SUBMISSION 3 TOPICS 3 AND 4

If you are reading this, you are still an employee with managerial influence at the medium-to-large aviation-related enterprise. Even though you have already investigated two solutions, your "higher-ups" want you to investigate three more Management Information Systems. Who knows, you may get a substantial bonus after this project is completed.

The directions for Project Submission 3 are similar to Project Submission 2.

• Review the five Management Information System topics from the list that you selected while working on the Project Submission 1 assignment. Conduct research and compose scholarly data on two additional topics of the three remaining in the list.
• You are required to compose a minimum four new pages of data in the Body of the Text section for the two new topics that you chose for this assignment. You are therefore required to submit a minimum of eight full pages of double-spaced text in the Body of the Text section in the

  Project Submission 3 assignment (four pages created in Project Submission 2 and four created in Project Submission 3).

  • The Title Page, Abstract, Conclusion, and Reference List pages are not considered part of the Body of the Text section.
  • A minimum of four primary reference sources outside of the course textbook are required to be cited and referenced in the Project Submission 3 assignment document submission.
  • As you do your research, keep up the Reference List page and make notes for the Conclusion page of your final draft document.

  The instructor will use the Project Submission 3 Rubric to grade your assignment. Project Submission 3 is due by the end of Module 7.

  MODULE 8: PROJECT SUBMISSION 4 FINAL PAPER SUBMISSION

  There's a rumor going around the coffee break room that if you conduct thorough research on the five selected MIS topics and submit a scholarly, well-reasoned and composed document, the "powers that be" are certain to promote you into that management position for which you have labored and worked so diligently. If you can produce some critical analyses that will give the upper management folks a clear picture of the bottom line with respect to which MIS solutions could greatly benefit the company, you will be certain to receive an offer of a larger office along with a hefty pay raise. This is all part of the career plan that you first developed at ERAU.

  Begin working on Project Submission 4 by first resaving the corrected Project Submission 3 document as a new Project Submission 4 working document.

  The directions for Project Submission 4 are similar to Project Submission 3.

  • Review the five Management Information System topics from the list that you selected while working on the Project Submission 1 assignment. Conduct research and compose scholarly data on the last one of the topics remaining in the list.
  You are required to compose a minimum two new pages of data in the Body of the Text section for the one new topic that you chose for this assignment. You are therefore required to submit a minimum of ten full pages of double-spaced text in the Body of the Text section in the Project Submission 4 assignment (four pages created in Project Submission 2, four created in 3, and two created in 4).
  • The Title Page, Abstract, Conclusion, and Reference List pages are not considered part of the Body of the Text section.
  • A minimum of five primary reference sources outside of the course textbook are required to be cited and referenced in the Project Submission 4 assignment document submission.
  • As you do your research, keep up the Reference List page and make notes for the Conclusion page of your final draft document.

  The instructor will use the Project Submission 4 Rubric to grade your assignment. Project Submission 4 is due by the end of Module 8.

  Allow enough time after researching the last topic to complete the Abstract, Conclusion and Reference List pages of your paper. Don't forget to save a copy of your final draft for safe keeping.