MNGT 7870/7876
Expert Systems in Business
Dynamic Syllabus
(Last modified 11/14/06)

Prerequisites:  BUSI 7220 or equivalent with grade of "C" or better.

Texts:  Turban, Aronson, & Liang (2005).  Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, 7^th ed.  Pearson Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Course objective: To give the advanced student a thorough knowledge and understanding of the nature and characteristics of decision support and intelligent systems for business applications, including their development and implementation, and associated issues.

Policy:

>> Exams: Exams will cover the material from the text, from readings, and from class presentations and discussions. No make-up exams will be given unless (1) I am notified prior to the exam’s regular administration that you will miss the exam, and (2) an acceptable University-approved excuse is provided promptly.

>> (1) Project or (2) Research Paper (Your choice): (1) You may develop an expert system using an ES development system (shell) or other resources at your disposal.  The problem to be addressed, as well as the development environment, will be chosen by the student with the approval of the instructor.  (2) .The topic of the research paper will be chosen by the student after consultation with and approval by the instructor. Papers should be typed, double spaced, and no longer than 20 pages (except in special, approved circumstances), including an abstract and all tables, illustrations, and references. References should be done in APA style (a reference for the APA style manual is given below). The topic should be chosen, and a one or two page topic proposal/description submitted to me, by July 1; a thorough, detailed outline should be submitted by July 7; a status report/partial draft is due on July 16; a complete draft is due on July 27; and the completed, final paper is due by July 29. You may also consult with me at other stages in the development of your paper. Criteria for research paper performance will be discussed in class. IMPORTANT: The papers are expected to be of very high, professional quality, and appropriate for submission to a conference or journal.

>> Class M.O.: Class time will be spent, for the most part, discussing assigned material. Discussions will focus on (1) answering questions left unanswered by the assigned material, (2) understanding the material better, (3) integrating the material into appropriate constructs, and (4) identifying and defining "gaps" in the material and therefore topics for research projects. Therefore, students should study the material in such a way as to prepare for this focus.

>> Evaluation:

      Your grade will be assigned based upon the following traditional grade categories:
A: 90% & up   B: 80%- below 90%   C: 70%- below 80%   D: 60%- below 70%  F:  below 60%

>>  Important: All students are expected to be prepared to actively and constructively participate in each class discussion. Student are expected to have read and studied the material before each class and to bring the textbook to each class session.  I expect a professional attitude throughout the course.  "Whatever it takes" should be your approach to the class.

>> If you need to contact me, there are several alternatives:
            -- By e-mail: My address is: ford@business.auburn.edu; Homepage: http://www.auburn.edu/~fordfn1/
            -- By phone: 1) At my office: During office hours or any other time you can catch me in my
                office and I'm free. 2) At home: I don't mind if you call me at home as long as it is after
                7:00 a.m. and before 10:00 p.m. CST. In case of emergency, you may call any time.
            -- By mail:         Department of Management
                                     415 W. Magnolia, Suite 401
                                    Auburn University, AL 36849-5241

>> We will use your Auburn University e-mail address (userid@auburn.edu) for course communication. It is your responsibility to contact the Information Technology Help Desk to have this address forward mail to the e-mail address that you regularly check.

>> Academic Honesty: ALL PORTIONS OF THE AUBURN UNIVERSITY HONESTY CODE (TITLE X11) FOUND IN THE TIGER CUB WILL APPLY TO THIS CLASS. All violations or alleged violations of the Student Academic Honesty Code (see SGA Code of Laws in the Tiger Cub) will be reported to the Office for the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

>> Special Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Students who need special accommodations should make an appointment as soon as possible with the faculty member in charge of your lecture section to discuss your Accommodation Memo. It is essential that the faculty member be aware of necessary accommodations at the beginning of the course. If you do not have an Accommodation Memo but need special accommodations, contact the Program for Students with Disabilities, 1244 Haley Center, 334-844-2096 (Voice T/O).

>> As an attempt to reduce delays in completing courses and to maintain the integrity of the testing process, the College of Business Graduate Programs Committee has established the following policies:
-- Unless prior arrangements are made with the professor, Outreach students must take an exam within eight (8) WORKING days of its administration on campus. (The test must be date-stamped by the on-site proctor.) The penalty for not complying with this policy is a loss of five (5) percentage points from the exam per day past the eight-day time frame.
-- Students within an organization taking the same class must take the test on the same day, unless prior arrangements are made with the professor. The penalty for not complying with this policy is a loss of thirty (30) percentage points from the exam for those students.

Reference for the APA style manual:
             American Psychological Association (1983). Publication manual of the American
                        Psychological Association (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

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Tentative & Dynamic Course Schedule:
 

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Note: This document/syllabus is subject to change by the instructor by either verbal or written statement. Verbal instructions will accompany these written instructions.

Name___________________________________                 SS#______________________

Address___________________________________________________________________

Phone #(s)_______________________________                 Hometown_________________

E-mail address______________________________________________________

Homepage URL_____________________________________________________

Previous Academic Degrees:
    Degree                       School                      Yr                     Major/Minors
___________    ____________________  _____    ________________________________

___________    ____________________  _____   ________________________________

___________    ____________________  _____   ________________________________

Currently working on what degree:                             Expected graduation date:
_________________________________                 _________________________

Activities:
 
Where employed?____________________________________________________________
 
     Title________________________________________________________________
 
     Primary job responsibilities_______________________________________________

     Full time or part time?     Full time______     Part time______

Family_____________________________________________________________________

Hobbies/entertainment_________________________________________________________

Other?_____________________________________________________________________

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