The case provides a realistic scenario that can be used in a systems analysis and design, accounting information systems or graduate level management information systems course. The case details the steps in the revenue and expense cycle processes of a health supply wholesale company providing students with the opportunity to map the business…

"Rent or buy?" is a question people ask about everything from housing to textbooks. It is also a question universities must consider when it comes to high-performance computing (HPC). With the advent of Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Microsoft Windows HPC Server, Rackspace's OpenStack, and other cloud-based services, researchers now have…

A rapidly changing global economy, shifting demographics, and concerns about our ability to maintain a competitive workforce have focused national attention on the educational systems of America's states, highlighting their critical role in ensuring a productive and creative future for our country. As a result, Americas colleges and universities…

The benefits of prototyping as a basis for system design include better specifications, earlier discovery of omissions and extensions, and the likelihood of salvaging much of the effort expended on the prototype. Risks and methods of prototyping during rapid systems development are also noted. (Author/MLW)

Pepperdine University's decision support system provides: (1) user access to data through terminals; (2) the availability of retrieval modules and languages that allow the managers to structure ad hoc reports; (3) access to models through a national network; and (4) training, encouragement and consultation through coordinators. (Author/MLW)

The purpose of the Common Communication Format (CCF) is to provide a detailed and structured method for recording a number of mandatory and optional data elements in a computer-readable bibliographic record for exchange purposes between two or more computer-based systems. However, it can also be useful within non-computerized bibliographic…

Recently, the momentum of competency based education (CBE) has increased sharply in Oregon, due in part to the public outcry against perceived failures in the K-12 public school program. CBE is a program for certifying student performance that requires demonstration of an acceptable level of skill in those areas deemed vital to success in…

This paper reviews the successful development of an educational testing system using sophisticated data processing in a developing Caribbean nation. Begun in 1975, the 4-year program was devised to assist in the creation of a multi-national testing agency which would replace the existing British Overseas Examinations with an indigenous assessment…

The creation of the Claremont Computing Center as a separate organization to serve only administrative information systems represented a significant change from past combined academic and administrative computing operations. File integration and custom reports are handled by individual users; database design and file maintenance are controlled by…

The development of a new automated alumni and donor support system at UCLA is discussed. Elements of project dynamics that are critical to a large systems development project are described. (Author/MLW)

The entity-relationship (ER) approach to database design is defined, and a specific example of an ER model (personnel-payroll) is examined. The requirements for converting ER models into specific database management systems are discussed. (Author/MSE)

This paper describes one academic's experiences in utilizing a database management system, dBase II, with an Apple IIe microcomputer for record keeping and reporting. Initial problems created by processing data by hand or by a central computer system are described, and the selection process for a microcomputer purchase and software package (dBase…

The development of information systems using an engineering approach that uses both traditional programing techniques and fourth generation software tools is described. Fourth generation applications tools are used to quickly develop a prototype system that is revised as the user clarifies requirements. (MLW)

At Clemson University, requests from individual departments for specialized data processing services are increasing. Avenues taken by the division of administrative programing services to respond to department requests include: expanding availability of existing data retrieval and restricting new development to areas of general use by all…

Describes the development by Gould, Inc., S.E.L. Computer Systems Division, of an Information Management Package (IMP-32) for use in administration of the company's technical information center. Designing the system, the programs which are components of the system, and system functions are discussed. Included are eight figures illustrating system…