Michigan Tech College of Business Newsblog

Tag: Management Information Systems

MIS student achieves Capital One Academic All-District First-Team honors

Published
By

BG_KwangMichigan Tech women’s tennis player Kwang Suthijindawong (Bangkok, Thailand) has earned Capital One Academic All-District First-Team honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Suthijindawong was selected as one of 13 female Division II student-athletes from the Midwest Region in the at-large category, which includes the sports of bowling, fencing, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, tennis, hockey, rifle, skiing, swimming and tennis.

Tech’s No. 1 singles player, Suthijindawong was named the Huskies’ first GLIAC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year last fall after a 12-0 league singles record. The junior completed her third perfect season in GLIAC singles (36-0). She posted a 17-1 overall record in singles, falling in the championship match of the ITA Midwest Regional singles draw. Suthijindawong and partner Sandra Cvetanovic posted 15 wins in doubles on their way to becoming the ITA Midwest Regional Doubles Champions—the first in school history.

In the classroom, Suthijindawong owns a 3.57 cumulative grade point average in management information systems.

Suthijindawong is eligible for Academic All-America recognition, which will be announced June. 10.

 

This article was written by Wes Frahm, director of media relations, athletics. It was originally posted in Tech Today on May 15, 2015.

Continue Reading →

Buche wins Props for Profs

Published
By
Mari Buche was selected as this week's winner of Props for Profs.

The Props for Profs program through the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning asks students to nominate an instructor who has gone over and above the typical in their teaching or mentoring duties for students. This is the third teaching recognition that Buche has received (this semester alone) after being nominated for the 2014 Greek Life Outstanding Faculty Award and winning the Teacher of the Year Award in the School of Business and Economics earlier this semester.

Props for Profs winner Mari Buche is an Associate Professor of Management Information Systems in the School of Business and Economics. Buche was nominated by two students, both of whom commented on her willingness to listen and her concern for her students. The nominators called her a “kind soul” who is both “passionate and knowledgeable about everything she teaches.” Her willingness to listen to students and consider their perspectives, the fact that she occasionally “brings cookies and other treats” and her ability to make learning fun were also emphasized.

Both Buche and her nominators will receive a $5 gift certificate to purchase a snack or drink at the Library Café or several other locations on campus.

If you know a prof who has gone over and above, send some props today and maybe you’ll be next week’s winner.

Continue Reading →

Mari Buche voted 2014 Teacher of the Year

Published
By
SBE Undergrads voted Mari Buche 2014 Teacher of the Year.

Each year the student body within the School of Business and Economics elects one faculty member as Teacher of the Year. Mari Buche has been selected as the 2013 recipient of the coveted award.  When asked what this award means, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems said, “I am deeply humbled by this award. It is terrific to know that the students appreciate my dedication and commitment to teaching and learning. This recognition is validation that the time I invest in my courses is well spent!”

During her time at Michigan Tech, Buche has proven to be a great asset to the School of Business and Economics.  This is the third teaching award that she has received since joining the faculty at Michigan Tech in Fall 2003. “It never gets old” Buche said playfully before adding “each award is sincerely appreciated.” It is obvious that Buche enjoys sharing her passion for continuous learning, especially in the areas of technology and innovation.

Spearheaded by Buche, the Management Information Systems faculty have purposefully integrated experiential learning projects into the curriculum to ensure that graduates have a taste of the entire “soup to nuts” process of IT project development. Recruiters are routinely impressed by graduates of Michigan Tech, citing their ability to add value to projects from Day One! It’s all about the skills and talent our students bring to the workplace from their time working on real world systems projects as undergraduates.

The School of Business and Economics continues to innovate- through our curriculum and industry partnerships, we align our degree programs with the ever-changing business environment. “In particular, I try to be a role model for women considering STEM fields. MIS combines the fascination of computing and information systems with business acumen and interpersonal communication,” Buche said. The powerful combination of technical and soft skills cannot be overstated.

Michigan Tech has recently announced the roll out of new graduate programs including a Masters in Accountancy and a Master of Data Sciences. These degree programs will create additional opportunities for our students while making them highly marketable and cutting edge. Successful graduates will realize lucrative careers, and many will achieve their dream jobs.  The School of Business and Economics perpetually strives for excellence and superior quality, ensuring both rigor and relevance as we incorporate new technologies enriching academia.

Thanks Mari for all you do for our School of Business and Economics and your students!

Continue Reading →

Business Intelligence Students Partner with Revenue Management Solutions

Published
By

Students in Michigan Tech’s Business Intelligence class (MIS3400) spent less time hitting the books this semester and more time focused on an innovative, real-world project that was the result of an industry partnership with Revenue Management Solutions (RMS) headquartered in Tampa, Florida. In this upper-level class, the skills learned in previous courses were put to the test as five teams of students were provided access to a warehouse of test data from a simulated Michigan client. The assignment was to create meaningful business information from the mountain of data, and to formulate strategic recommendations for the coming fiscal year. And, creativity was a required element.

Before the project began, students chose critical roles within their teams – e.g. Consultant, Analyst, and/or Developer. During the final class session of the semester, the teams presented their prototypes and recommendations in person to the client liaison/RMS representative. Following the team presentations Ashley Johnson encouraged the students to seek out internships if they enjoyed the work performed in the class. She also commended the groups for communicating openly with her as a client throughout this scenario.

“You have done great work here,” said Ashley. “As you move forward in your careers, remember to add this to your resume, that you have created a data warehouse and are comfortable analyzing big data sets. This is exactly the type of work I would expect to see in my office,” said Ashley Johnson, Data Analytics Manager with RMS.

The student teams were told to approach the project as if the transactional data were collected from an actual client’s business enterprise. The two years’ worth of data were used to analyze performance in relation to the competition, item profitability, top product-drivers, etc. The expectation was that students learn database software skills including data extract/transform/load (ETL) using the SQL Server suite of applications, as well as Microsoft Visual Studio, Excel,  Access, and other Windows 7 software for completing the final proposal. This activity provided experiential learning that mirrors the work performed by IS/IT professionals in industry today. Lessons learned will be incorporated in the next course offering as we strive for continuous improvement of our innovative MIS curriculum.

Continue Reading →

Anne Herron Visits MIS Students

Published
By
Associate Professor Mari Buche and Anne Herron collaborate to benefit MIS students.

The School of Business and Economics got a visit from Anne Herron this week, who came to campus to speak with Associate Professor Mari Buche’s Business Intelligence class.  Having graduated from Michigan State with a B.S. in Chemistry, Anne started her professional career working for DOW Chemical as an analytical chemist in polymer sciences.  After leaving DOW, Anne has remained at Allis Information Management, Inc. (AIM) for fifteen years and has climbed the ladder to the role of Vice President and co-owner of the company.  Her responsibilities include work in client/project development, and managing a team of information researchers and analysts.    

Anne said that her background in chemistry developed her analytical thinking skills, which translated well into the business world.  She was able to offer the perspective of someone working in the industry, coveted by students interested in ways to apply what they learn in their classes.  Under the umbrella of business intelligence, Anne discussed competitive intelligence and how crucial it is to offering companies competitive advantages.  She discussed her company’s focus on guidance for good business practices to optimize opportunity and minimize threats; noting that external and internal information is assessed through research, analysis, and dissemination of information affects everything in the marketplace.  This emphasis on competitive intelligence for companies is something that is leading to an increase in career opportunities for students with degrees in the area of management information systems and related fields.

Management Information Systems students are employed in some of the following professions upon graduation: business data analyst ($55,626), business intelligence specialist ($108,937), and application systems architect ($97,000).  The salaries for the aforementioned jobs are the median national salaries for each position according to salary.com.

After Anne’s lecture, Mari Buche said, “Having a representative from a successful intelligence company come in and talk to our students about career opportunities and industry expectations is a great supplement to coursework for our students.”    AIM boasts a 98% client re-engagement rate which is evidence of their superior performance and customer satisfaction.  Guest lecturers such as Anne Herron offer Tech students a great opportunity to pick the brains of successful people working in their desired field. 

The School of Business and Economics got a visit from Anne Herron this week, who came to campus to speak with Associate Professor Mari Buche’s Business Intelligence class.  Having graduated from Michigan State with a B.S. in Chemistry, Anne started her professional career working for DOW Chemical as an analytical chemist in polymer sciences.  After leaving DOW, Anne has remained at Allis Information Management, Inc. (AIM) for fifteen years and has climbed the ladder to the role of Vice President and co-owner of the company.  Her responsibilities include work in client/project development, and managing a team of information researchers and analysts.    

Anne said that her background in chemistry developed her analytical thinking skills, which translated well into the business world.  She was able to offer the perspective of someone working in the industry, coveted by students interested in ways to apply what they learn in their classes.  Under the umbrella of business intelligence, Anne discussed competitive intelligence and how crucial it is to offering companies competitive advantages.  She discussed her company’s focus on guidance for good business practices to optimize opportunity and minimize threats; noting that external and internal information is assessed through research, analysis, and dissemination of information affects everything in the marketplace.  This emphasis on competitive intelligence for companies is something that is leading to an increase in career opportunities for students with degrees in the area of management information systems and related fields.

Management Information Systems students are employed in some of the following professions upon graduation: business data analyst ($55,626), business intelligence specialist ($108,937), and application systems architect ($97,000).  The salaries for the aforementioned jobs are the median national salaries for each position according to salary.com.

After Anne’s lecture, Mari Buche said, “Having a representative from a successful intelligence company come in and talk to our students about career opportunities and industry expectations is a great supplement to coursework for our students.”    AIM boasts a 98% client re-engagement rate which is evidence of their superior performance and customer satisfaction.  Guest lecturers such as Anne Herron offer Tech students a great opportunity to pick the brains of successful people working in their desired field.

Continue Reading →