Professional Coursework| BIS 638 - Database Management | | In BIS 632, we learned how to properly design relational databases. We discussed object oriented databases, but did not do anything with development of them. For our database development we used Oracle 9i.
Projects in the course included creating a fictional business for which we then created a database. The relevant part of this project was that every part of the database must be justified within the context of the business. This ensured no group was creating tables, queries, forms, or reports with reckless abandon.
Another project in the course was a research paper. I chose the topic of CRM databases, and how companies who have a properly designed CRM database are more successful than companies without a properly designed CRM database. The initial goal of the paper was to develop a framework for CRM databases, but that proved to be a greater undertaking than I was ready for.
The best component of the course for me was the presentations. The first presentation covered a chapter from the text book, XML and ADO.NET. The highlight of this presentation was being able to demonstrate XML in action, by showing my own website.
The second presentation covered a database my group designed for the fictional company we created. The actual project is covered in the projects section. One of the requirements for the presentation was to demonstrate our system, complete with forms and reports. | | | | MBA 691 - Organizational Development | | In MBA 691 we learned about Organizational Development (OD) interventions. Nothing like comparing consulting to a twelve step program to motivate attendance. The class is an elective in the MBA program, and was very useful to me because we were able to practice some of the intervention techniques on ourselves. We chose teams during the first class session and managed ourselves for the following seven sessions to determine strengths and weaknesses.
One of the interesting things I noticed is that even though the team leader changed from exercise to exercise, the same person was always viewed as the informal leader as well as spokesperson for the group.
Highlights of the class included a presentation by Bill Neale, President and CEO of the Neale Group, and co-owner and partner of Denison Consulting www.denisonculture.com. He spoke about connecting the soft science of consulting with the hard numbers of a business. The next step from that is being able to predict the affects of cultural changes on the bottom line of an organization.
| | | | BIS 632 - Telecommunications Management | | In BIS 632, we learned about networking computers. The course was designed mostly for network administrators, but those of us who consider ourselves programmers were still able to benefit. The majority of each class session was devoted to the nuts and bolts of networking, although a significant portion was dedicated to managing those networks.
The highlight of the class for me was a paper discussing converting a standard wired computer lab into a wireless computer lab, and whether that would be a step up or a step down. The main conclusion I drew was that even though wireless may seem better because it’s newer technology, the lack of portability of the standard desktop computer proved reason enough to not make the move to wireless.
The strongest argument for a wireless lab is it is very easy to change the layout. The wireless for internet connectivity would be achieved, although power would still have to be provided to each workstation, something wireless technology can’t handle yet.
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