- The goal of this project was to research a topic that we did not learn about in depth in our MIS 2502 class. The topic we picked had to correlate with our class materials in some way. I chose to discuss big data because I am highly interested in it. MIS 2502 extra credit assignment
Search Results for: --------
ProPoints Project
This project was for students to learn about a topic related to MIS that we did not have the opportunity to learn in class. I wrote about the topic of artificial intelligence and how that relates to data analytics.
Internet of Things
The goal for this project was to analyze and research a topic based on Data Analytics. Upon further research on different topics, the Internet of Things (IoT) resonated with me as it functions in our day-to-day lives. As society advances technologically, IoT plays a major role in connecting all the dots for a better tomorrow. The system of interrelated, internet-connected objects can analyze, collect, and respond to data over the internet without human intervention. Many companies such as Google have started to roll out services of IoT due to its effectiveness in the workplace. Corporations have been seeing the importance of IoT as it reduces the cost margin for many operations, creating an efficient work structure. The Internet of Things is steadily improving and adopted into our lives and the corporate world.
MIS2502: Data Analytics Optional Extra Credit Assignment
Mike McGill
Prof. Raven
MIS 2502
4/11/21
MIS2502: Data Analytics
Optional Extra Credit Assignment
In the modern business efficiency has become the name of the game. With this big of an emphasis on the importance of maximizing efficiency more and more industries turn to technology to scrape any competitive edge. In MIS 2502 we are beginning to build the foundational tools of using data bases to reduce “redundancy”. On a larger scale in both production and data management businesses are expanding into pairing AI with Big Data to bring efficiency to a near frictionless point. Chemical companies like Solenis, have implemented AI to negate any waste in chemical application. Titans of business like Disney, are using Big Data analytics to predict market movements as if they were privy to tomorrow’s news. AI and Big Data are changing our definition of efficiency, and the companies that wield this power are holding the competitive edge in the modern business.
Artificial intelligence otherwise known as AI is the expansion of automated technology into areas that would normally require human input. AI is capable of predictive calculations as well as sorting data at a rate no longer matched by humans. In 2019 Solenis successfully released OPTIX Applied Intelligence an AI designed on the platform of ProcessMiner, with the goal to better the paper and pulp industry (1). Today, Solenis has seen great success with OPTIX still continuously increasing the product quality while reducing the usage of raw materials as well as water and energy consumption in the mills that bring in Solenis. With the algorithm set to perfection OPTIX makes certain that mills waste no bottom line in subpar batches of product. The predictive capabilities of this technology mean that any chemical input on Solenis’ end is done at the bare minimum needed to achieve success, so there are no wasted inputs of material in production. Beyond the monetary bottom line that the AI implementation of OPTIX will save a company when it comes to efficiently reducing waste, the modern world also has a huge demand for sustainability. Simply said, we live in a world of finite resources and AI ensures that none of those resources go to waste and the industrial process becomes a lot greener.
Big Data refers to every single bit of information that can be inputted and used for the benefit of business. Recently we learned how NoSQL can be used to sort through these inputs to answer specific questions. During our assignments we sorted through a few hundreds of fake inputs and answered trivial questions. Disney on the other hand is sorting their Big Data analytics with an Affective AI. This allows them to accurately gauge the potential consumer appeal of unreleased products at a more precise level than what normal market tests can provide (2).
Big Data and AI are no longer a thing of the future. In fact, companies that steer away from their benefits are falling further and further behind. In the ever-increasing demand for optimization in business, technology is seemingly the only path for a competitive company to stay afloat.
Works Cited
- “OPTIX AI Helps Paper Mill Operations.” Solenis, 22 Feb. 2021,
- “Big Data Behind Disney Magic.” Digital Innovation and Transformation, 13 Nov. 2019,
digital.hbs.edu/platform-digit/submission/big-data-behind-disney-magic/.
April 2021 – Chair’s Message
While we look to the summer and fall with hope for returning to normal, I am proud of what our students, faculty, and staff have accomplished during a challenging year.
I am pleased to highlight two significant achievements, one from our faculty and one from our students. First, Temple MIS faculty were the most prolific in the world in 2020, according to the Association for Information Systems’ List of High-Quality Journals. This accomplishment reflects the dedication and diverse research interests of our faculty.
Second, the Temple University Student Chapter of the Association for Information Systems (Temple AIS) won Student Chapter of the Year for the 2019-2020 academic year. Read about how Temple AIS continues to excel amid a challenging year, fulfilling its mission to its members and the larger community.
We feature professor Aleksi Aaltonen, who studies how people work with data in real-world business settings. Learn how his work goes beyond analytics to investigate the problems caused by big data and how companies should solve them.
Read about how our new, innovative undergraduate course in user experience (UX) design prepares our majors for the workplace. You’ll hear from two recent graduates who have used the UX skills they learned in their careers.
We also profile three of our alumni. Read about how Thomas Steigerwald (BBA ’10) applies the lessons he learned in the Temple MIS program to succeed in multiple roles at Lamps.com. You will also learn how MS in Information Technology Auditing and Cyber Security alumni James Foggie (MS ’19) and Magaly Perez (MS ’17) used their degree to pivot into new careers.
This year has certainly been unique, but it has also been gratifying to see our students and faculty continue to achieve extraordinary success.
Temple AIS wins Student Chapter of the Year
The Temple University Student Chapter of the Association for Information Systems (Temple AIS) has won Student Chapter of the Year for the 2019-2020 academic year. The Student Chapter of the Year Award is the highest award given to an AIS chapter. According to the AIS Student Chapter website, it is given to a chapter “that has demonstrated an exceptional, well-rounded, and organized program.”
“We are truly honored to receive this award on behalf of this year’s and last year’s leadership team,” said Kevin Publicover, senior MIS major and president of Temple AIS. “Keeping our members engaged was a big challenge during the pandemic, but we were able to successfully pivot online last Spring and keep our organization going this year.”
“I’m proud of what Temple AIS’ leadership has been able to accomplish during a difficult year,” said Steven Sclarow, assistant professor of MIS and faculty advisor for the student chapter, “This award reflects the hard work of the entire team.”
Temple AIS has many activities that provide their members professional development opportunities that also serve the broader community. Notable initiatives include creating a coding club for middle school students at the Tanner Duckrey School in North Philadelphia and launching the Optimize Consulting Group, which provides pro-bono technology services to non-profits.
Student Chapter of the Year is the highest honor Temple AIS has received since 2015 when they won Distinguished Student Chapter, the second-highest honor for a student chapter. Temple AIS previously won Student Chapter of the Year in 2013.
The organization will be recognized at the virtual 2021 AIS Student Chapter Leadership Conference on April 9 and 10. More information can be found on the AIS Student Chapter website.
Temple MIS tops list for research productivity
The MIS department was created with a focus on research. So for those who work and study here, it came as no surprise that Temple MIS faculty were the most prolific in the world in 2020 according to the Association for Information Systems’ List of High-Quality Journals, specifically MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, the Journal of Management Information Systems, and the Journal of the Association for Information Systems.
Temple faculty enjoys the distinction of having published in those four journals 14 times in 2020. Jason Thatcher, who joined the faculty last fall and holds the Milton F. Stauffer Professorship, topped the 2020 list.
“Our research productivity is a function of our excellent faculty,” says MIS chair and professor David Schuff. “We also provide an environment that strongly supports and encourages research,” he says.
Temple was also the most frequently published institution in those journals during the period from 2018 to 2020. In addition to Thatcher, four other MIS faculty appeared on the list during that period: Taha Havakhor, Detmar Straub, JaeHwuen Jung, and Anthony Vance.
Thatcher credits the atmosphere at Temple for his remarkable achievement. “I knew I was joining Temple, and I felt like I had to measure up. Temple MIS has a really strong tradition of people doing really good things,” he says.
Thatcher, who studies how people use technology to make decisions, also points to a culture unusually friendly to doing research. “The department recognizes the top researcher, and there are enough resources for doing research,” he says.
The breadth of subjects faculty focus on also adds to the department’s high rate of published research. “We don’t have 12 people working on the same subject,” says Schuff. Faculty members study strategy, the business value of IT, individual decision making, modeling, and more, notes Thatcher.
Another important ingredient in this formula for publication success is the MIS students themselves. “Really smart people from all over the world apply to this program. The best way of teaching people to do research is to do research with them,” Thatcher says.
MIS 2502 Extra Credit Assignment
The goals of this assignment were to gain a better understanding of a current topic in data analytics not covered in the MIS 2502 course. Once we selected a topic, we had to provide an overview, relate it to the course, and a real life application example. From this assignment, I learned about the Internet of Things and how it is highly involved in the collection of data involved in data analytics. I also learned how massive and beneficial the IoT network is, and how it will play a large role in the MIS industry in the coming years.
New UX design course helps students stand out
When the new MIS curriculum was rolled out a year and a half ago, the department made some bold decisions. For one thing, it replaced the Systems Analysis course with a User Experience (UX) course. “UX is what today’s C-suite cares about,” says professor Munir Mandviwalla, who created and teaches the course. “Having a strong UX foundation makes our students better prepared for a more digitized economy and society,” he adds.
There are many ways of defining UX, but for Mandviwalla, who applies Donald Norman’s worldview on the subject of UX, it encompasses every aspect of a user’s interaction with a product, business, or brand. “Today you need to consider the emotional and social experience as well as the functional requirements and the steps you take to complete a task,” he says.
The course takes students through two hands-on projects. They conduct a usability analysis of an existing website they are randomly assigned and later they create a new transactional website that demonstrates their growing UX design expertise.
“The user experience has become much more crucial as the role of tech has expanded from the back office into our everyday lives. We judge an institution or business on how good the UX is,” says Mandviwalla.
In the course, he helps students learn to approach UX design from more than one point of view. “For example, the ease of use perspective suggests reducing the number of clicks it takes to complete a task. But sometimes the business model is such that you may want to add clicks to provide a better experience,” he says.
The course has helped recent MIS graduates launch their careers. “The UX Design course forced me to think about every single possible user interaction before it happened. A good design is one that is a step ahead of the user and can predict what the user will do next,” says Ahmed Hosny (BBA ’19), a software engineer at IBM.
Justin Kish (BBA ’19) also applies the UX design skills he learned at Temple in his work as an associate product manager at Bentley Systems. “The class taught me to challenge myself creatively in ways not typically found in a coding class. By utilizing the skills I learned, I’ve been able to analyze and lead products leading to better, long-lasting UI/UX solutions,” he says.
Aaltonen studies where big data meets the real world
Assistant Professor Aleksi Aaltonen is interested in how people work with data in real-world business settings. “Not just data analytics–there are a lot of people studying that. I’m interested in data as a new kind of resource for economic activity.” It’s an interest that goes back to Aaltonen’s Ph.D. thesis.
“You need to think about finding, cleaning, integrating, and interpreting the data before you can actually analyze it. We often ignore or gloss over this work,” he says. But, he stresses, if the business world wants to harness the increasingly massive data at its fingertips, someone must pay attention to these practical matters.
One of Aaltonen’s recent projects, forthcoming in the Journal of Management Information Systems, looks at a company with a new business model. “They wanted to turn a mobile network into an advertising space,” he says. People in the network would get advertisements via text message. But counting how many people receive such an ad can be a surprisingly complex thing, according to Aaltonen. After all, no one is going to buy an advertising space unless you can prove someone will pay attention to it.
“If we send a message to a person does that count as a person seeing it? Or do they need to take some other action for it to count?” he asks.
“Solving these problems is surprisingly laborious,” says Aaltonen. The flashier subjects of data analytics and artificial intelligence get more research attention, according to Aaltonen. “But answering these mundane questions is just as important when it comes to actually make use of data in a business setting.”
Aaltonen is also exploring new ways of organizing information. “I’ve studied Wikipedia a lot, and what is most fascinating is the question of how is the system managed. How did Wikipedia learn to govern the 1 billion contributions into a high-quality encyclopedia with no managers?” He thinks part of the answer lies in transparency. On Wikipedia, for example, “you can see who added, removed or changed every a comma,” notes Aaltonen.
There’s a tendency in big business to exert managerial control over everything, according to Aaltonen. “But the ultimate aim of a firm is not to control things, it’s to make a profit. And if you can make better products that people want to use, then you have to look at that,” he says. Wikipedia is probably the most used reference product in the world. “It’s a new way of creating valuable products and businesses have to stay on top of that.”
