Topics covered include the behavior of work groups and supervisors, intergroup relations, employees' goals and attitudes, problems in communication, the circumstances of change in an organization, and the goals and the design of an organization. Introduction to making organizations and individuals more adaptive and productive by helping them cope with change. Team building, process consultation, feedback, and conflict resolution. Students for whom English is a second language should consider taking COMM 393X instead. The writing of technical papers and reports.
Instruction focuses on building skills in critical thinking, research, and document design.
An overview of information systems, their role in organizations, and the relation of information systems to the objectives and structure of an organization. Human aspects, models of systems, and general theory of systems are discussed. Applications are considered, including production, budgeting, planning, decision-support systems, and microcomputer applications in organizations. An introduction to information systems as used to provide information for decision making in a democratic society. The philosophy, techniques, and ethical considerations involved in evaluating information systems are evaluated.