Business Information Systems Course

Lesson 1 • Information Quality and Value

Defines accuracy, timeliness, completeness, and relevance as quality dimensions. Students apply these criteria to evaluate real information outputs.

Lesson 2 • Organizational Context of BIS

Examines how organizational structure, culture, and strategy shape BIS design. Connects technical choices to business goals.

Lesson 3 • What Is a Business Information System

Defines BIS and distinguishes data, information, and knowledge. Anchors all subsequent technical and strategic content in a shared conceptual baseline.

Lesson 4 • Ethical and Social Dimensions of BIS

Introduces privacy, intellectual property, and responsible data use. Grounds ethical reasoning that recurs throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Structured Query Language Essentials

Teaches SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and JOIN operations. Students retrieve and manipulate data to answer common business questions.

Lesson 2 • Relational Database Design

Covers entity-relationship modeling and normalization through third normal form. Students produce schemas that eliminate redundancy and enforce integrity.

Lesson 3 • Database Administration Fundamentals

Introduces performance tuning, indexing, and capacity planning. Students understand the operational responsibilities that keep databases reliable.

Lesson 4 • Data Integrity and Security

Addresses constraints, transactions, and access controls that protect data. Links database-level controls to broader information security principles.

Lesson 1 • Cloud Computing Models and Services

Distinguishes IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS and evaluates deployment models. Students match cloud options to cost, control, and scalability requirements.

Lesson 2 • Internet and Web Technologies

Examines HTTP, DNS, and web application architecture. Connects internet protocols to e-commerce and cloud-based business systems.

Lesson 3 • Network Security Essentials

Introduces firewalls, VPNs, encryption, and intrusion detection. Prepares students to identify and mitigate common network-level threats.

Lesson 4 • Infrastructure Planning and Governance

Covers capacity planning, SLAs, and IT governance frameworks. Students draft infrastructure requirements aligned with business continuity goals.

Lesson 1 • Process Improvement and Redesign

Covers BPR, Lean, and Six Sigma principles applied to IT-enabled processes. Students redesign a flawed process and justify changes with data.

Lesson 2 • Workflow Automation and RPA

Introduces robotic process automation and workflow engines as implementation tools. Students identify automation candidates using a structured decision framework.

Lesson 3 • Process Modeling with BPMN

Teaches Business Process Model and Notation symbols and diagram construction. Students model as-is processes for a realistic business scenario.

Lesson 4 • Process Thinking and Value Chains

Introduces value chain analysis and end-to-end process thinking. Students identify where information systems add value across primary and support activities.

Lesson 1 • System Integration Patterns

Introduces point-to-point, middleware, and API-led integration approaches. Students select appropriate patterns based on complexity and maintenance trade-offs.

Lesson 2 • Enterprise Resource Planning Systems

Explains ERP modules, master data, and cross-functional process integration. Students trace how a single transaction flows through finance, inventory, and HR.

Lesson 3 • Customer Relationship Management Systems

Covers sales force automation, marketing analytics, and service management within CRM. Links CRM data to customer lifetime value and retention strategy.

Lesson 4 • Evaluating and Selecting Enterprise Systems

Provides a structured framework for vendor evaluation, TCO analysis, and fit-gap assessment. Students produce a scored vendor comparison for a case scenario.

Lesson 1 • Data Visualization Principles

Applies visual encoding theory to chart selection and dashboard layout. Students critique and redesign poorly constructed visualizations.

Lesson 2 • Descriptive Analytics and Reporting

Covers KPI definition, report design, and OLAP cube navigation. Students build structured reports that answer specific business questions.

Lesson 3 • Analytics Governance and Data Literacy

Addresses data ownership, metric definitions, and building organizational data literacy. Students draft a data governance policy for a case organization.

Lesson 4 • BI Architecture and Data Warehousing

Explains ETL pipelines, data warehouses, and data marts. Students trace data from source systems to analytical reports.

Lesson 1 • Incident Response and Business Continuity

Defines incident response phases and business continuity planning components. Students draft an incident response playbook for a simulated breach scenario.

Lesson 2 • Risk Assessment Frameworks

Applies qualitative and quantitative risk assessment methods to BIS environments. Students build a risk register with likelihood, impact, and priority scores.

Lesson 3 • Security Controls and Countermeasures

Covers preventive, detective, and corrective controls across physical, technical, and administrative domains. Students map controls to identified risks.

Lesson 4 • Threat Landscape and Attack Vectors

Catalogs malware, phishing, insider threats, and social engineering. Students classify threats by likelihood and potential business impact.

Lesson 1 • Digital Business Models

Analyzes platform, subscription, and data-monetization business models enabled by digital technology. Students evaluate model viability for a given industry.

Lesson 2 • Measuring and Governing Digital Value

Introduces IT balanced scorecards, benefits realization, and digital governance structures. Students design a measurement framework for a transformation initiative.

Lesson 3 • IT Strategic Planning

Covers IT strategy frameworks, portfolio management, and alignment with corporate strategy. Students draft an IT strategic plan for a case organization.

Lesson 4 • Emerging Technologies and Business Impact

Surveys AI, IoT, blockchain, and edge computing through a business-impact lens. Students assess adoption readiness and strategic fit for each technology.