Faye P. Teer

A Study of the Database Marketing Course in AACSB–Accredited Business Schools

This article presents findings of an empirical investigation of the database marketing (DBM) course in business schools within the United States accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Results indicated that from 2001 to 2005 there was a 52.5% increase in the percentage of business schools o fering an undergraduate DBM course and that the content of the DBM course had changed. The major change in topical coverage in the DBM course over the time frame studied was the addition of ethics coverage. There was also an increase in the amount of coverage in the course for areas such as lifetime value of a customer, direct marketing, data warehousing, market segmentation, and customer relationship marketing. During the 4 years between surveys, the analytical techniques covered in class stayed essentially the same with the exception of cross-tabs, in which theoretical and hands-on use increased greatly.

Determining documentation requirements for user-developed applications

Abstract Adequate documentation of user-developed applications is important to insure that they are developed in accordance with appropriate quality assurance methods, that they can be properly used, and that they can be maintained. A study of opinions of information center personnel indicates that not all user-developed applications have the same level of documentation requirements. Thirteen factors affecting the documentation requirement level of an application are identified and ranked. The top-ranked factors are: maintenance requirements, the use of output by another system, financial impact, scope of application, and its complexity. Forms of documentation preferred for different application types — modelling, data analysis, simple query, report preparation, transaction processing, and graphics — are also identified and ranked for applications with low and high documentation requirements. Two forms of documentation, users instructions and narrative descriptions, are recommended as appropriate for all applications, regardless of their type or documentation requirement level. The appropriateness of other forms of documentation such as output layouts, design documents, and hardware/software requirements depends on the level of documentation requirements, and the type of application.

International telecommunications service management

This paper discusses the importance of high-quality telecommunication service management and discusses the standards used in international telecommunications service management. Telecommunication service management and standards are tightly coupled with each other as better standards result in better service management. The major standardisation bodies that are responsible for creating the technical specifications of major telecommunication service management standards are ITU-T, TeleManagement Forum (TM Forum) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO). A state-of-the-art survey of the telecommunications service management arena and forecast of the future direction and applications of international telecommunications service management standardisation are described.

Computer Security Practices and Perceptions of the Next Generation of Corporate Computer Use

The purpose of this article is to present the results of an empirical study of the computer security practices and perceptions of the next generation of corporate computer users, undergraduate university students. The authors surveyed undergraduate university students who represented 42 different majors. The findings relate to the students’ usage of antivirus programs, firewalls, password security, and security patches. Student perceptions of computer security and its importance are also reported. Research in this area is important for two reasons. First, potential employers may find the results useful in assessing their vulnerability to unsafe practices from entry level employees. Secondly, research in this area can give those responsible for providing computer security education a better understanding of students’ computer security training needs.

RFID: New Technology on the Horizon for IT Majors

Educators have an ongoing challenge as they strive to stay up-to-date with new technology. One emerging technology, RFID (radio frequency identification) tags, has the potential to impact information systems in businesses as well as in our lives. Educators responsible for planning curriculum need to consider how to incorporate topics pertaining to RFID technology into a wide variety of technology courses. Therefore, one purpose of this manuscript is to give curriculum planners and teachers a summary of RFID by: presenting an overview of RFID technology; exploring RFID limitations and possible solutions; and examining the future outlook of RFID. An additional purpose further assists educators in considering how to incorporate this new course topic into the curriculum by providing some teaching resources, objectives and suggestions pertaining to RFID.

Management of Telecommunications Services: A Vital New Content Area and a Course Model for the College of Business

Telecommunications companies are facing a challenge in satisfying changing customer demands related to telecommunications services. Historically, the industry challenge was managing the changing technology; today, the industry also must focus on the management of telecommunications services. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to provide an argument for the importance of the management of telecommunications services as a vital new course area at the university level and (2) to describe one possible model for a new undergraduate course, Management of Telecommunications Services. The paper is targeted to university faculty and administration and corporate representatives responsible for technology education. The ultimate goal of the course is to align the university curriculum with the needs of the telecommunications industry and provide industry with entry-level Information Technology (IT) employees who have an understanding of the fundamentals of the management of telecommunications services.

A new approach to teaching CIM: the CIM lab workstation

Discusses why computer‐integrated manufacturing (CIM) is an important subject area that should be incorporated in technology‐focused coursework at the collegiate level. Presents an innovative and successfully implemented strategy for utilizing a CIM lab workstation in teaching a CIM course and provides a description of the workstation. Examines concept coverage and the pedagogical resources needed to support a CIM course. In this CIM course, several functional areas of business are integrated through hands‐on, real‐world projects. Discusses the numerous benefits of this interdisciplinary approach to student learning.

Peer taught microcomputer skills: an untapped resource for stretching the budget

Abstract This article presents a solution to the problem of providing students with microcomputer education without significant increases in funding. One method of providing students with software training is through peer teachers. Students teaching other students to use software is an untapped resource that should be carefully considered. The article describes an approach in which students who were familiar with Lotus 1-2-3®∗ were enlisted to teach other students the Lotus® spreadsheet software. Significant savings in faculty time were obtained through the peer teaching approach.