When this information is merged and mined properly, this data could reveal not only your credit information but also your driving habits, your tastes, your associations, and your political interests. Companies with products to sell purchase relevant information from these sources to help them more finely target their marketing campaigns. For example, if you buy upscale merchandise from one catalog, the catalog company might sell your name to another catalog mail-order company. Advances in Networking Lastly, advances in networking, including the Internet, promise to reduce greatly the costs of moving and accessing large quantities of data, and open the possibility of mining large pools of data remotely using small desktop machines, permitting an invasion of privacy on a scale and precision previously unimaginable. No longer is the computer behind a locked door where only a select few have access to the computer room.
Many employees now have access to the organization s databases.
We will use a combination of textbook, current periodicals, and internet-based materials to examine information systems issues. It will be necessary to read the chapters prior to class since the focus of our discussion will be the content of those chapters. You will need an understanding of the chapter material to participate in group activities and discussion. Please note the due date for the group projects. Projects received after this date will result in a grade that is one full letter grade lower than the grade you earn on the project.