10 Tuesday, June 16, 2009 COMPUNET
COOL TOOLS
Modern education strategies
to develop business leaders
MOLOUK Y. BA-ISA | ARAB NEWS
DHAHRAN: This year, Fundamentals of
E-Commerce (MIS 300) and E-Commerce
Project (MIS 402) students from King Fahd
University of Petroleum & Minerals (www.
kfupm.edu.sa) are playing an active role in
the second Google Online Marketing
Challenge (GOMC). Developed by educators
in collaboration with the search engine giant
Google, the Challenge (www.google.com/
onlinechallenge) is an opportunity for stu-
dents to gain practical, real world online
marketing experience.
VIRTUAL REALITY: D-BOX Motion Code technology is “My e-Commerce students are the only
students participating in the GOMC from
installed inside seats at a movie theater in Mall of America. Saudi Arabia,” said Mustafa Faisal Ahmed,
lecturer, Department of Accounting and
Shake, rattle and roll Management Information Systems (MIS),
n Movie theaters are installing new technology which moves the College of Industrial Management, King Fahd
audience’s seats in perfect sync with the onscreen action. D-BOX University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM).
Motion Code uses programmed motion effects embedded and spe- “This semester students have been working
with clients ranging from Saudi government
cially programmed for each film, which are sent to a motion generat-
organizations to multinational hotel chains.”
ing system integrated in a platform or a seat. While audience mem- Companies joining with the students in the
bers experience motion during action sequences, the seats remain
Challenge include the Saudi Arabian General
still during quieter scenes. The seats come equipped with adjustable
Investment Authority (SAGIA), the Supreme
settings so individuals can customize the experience. The goal is to Commission for Tourism (SCT), Holiday Inn
make the moviegoer feel as if he is a part of the film. Al-Khobar, Gillani Inc., PreciseTrace, Goody
and RedCap Auto. Over the course of the
Free calls worldwide semester, the KFUPM students have been
working with their respective clients to devel-
n Today, Witel Corp (witel.com) launches a new mobile phone op and implement an e-marketing campaign.
service that will enable virtually anyone in the world to make and
Students have also done an analysis of the
receive free calls. Witel’s global mobile phone service and its Jetter campaign, with two reports submitted to the
Wi-Fi phone allows free mobile phone calls without the need for a
client company — one prior to the cam-
computer or a dedicated Internet connection. All that's required is a paign and then a post campaign analysis.
Witel Jetter phone priced at $59.99.
“The GOMC is a good opportunity for stu-
The Jetter Wi-Fi phone looks and feels like a normal mobile dents to learn hands on about e-marketing.
phone except that unlike traditional phones the Jetter routes calls
The campaign just ended on June 12 and we
over Wi-Fi networks as opposed to conventional mobile phone should know the results in about two weeks,”
networks. This means that Witel users can be anywhere in the
Ahmed said. “Through GOMC students get
world and place free calls. the excitement of competing on a global
level. Of course there’s a great incentive. The
Bluetooth improves health overall winners and their instructor receive a
trip to the Googleplex in Mountain View,
n More personal health and fitness devices including heart rate California.”
monitors and watches will soon offer wireless connectivity through Online business is one of the newer focus
Bluetooth technology. areas in the Department of Accounting and
Continua Health Management Information Systems (MIS) at
Alliance, an industry KFUPM’s College of Industrial Management.
coalition of health care Courses in e-Commerce have been offered by
and technology com- the department since September 2000 with a
panies charged with focus on the business side of e-Commerce
establishing a system rather than the technical side. Students are
of interoperable per- well-equipped however to handle many of
sonal telehealth solu- the technical complexities of e-Commerce,
tions, named Bluetooth as the department has set up a dedicated
technology as its choice e-Commerce lab.
for wireless technology “Our e-Commerce courses combine the
within health and fit- essential information about international
ness devices. e-Commerce with information about e-Com-
Chosen over several merce in a Saudi setting,” explained Ahmed.
other wireless technol- “We do use up-to-date textbooks, but they
ogies after a rigorous are primarily US oriented so in certain areas
10-month review pro- we supplement the textbooks with local
cess, Bluetooth tech- information and local expertise. For exam-
nology was selected to ple, some of the e-payment information in
enable low power NONIN’S PULSE OXIMETER: This the textbooks is not really applicable to the
mobile devices such as Bluetooth enabled device allows Saudi market, but it’s essential that students
activity monitors and wireless noninvasive monitoring of understand the financial mechanisms for
oxygenation sensors to the oxygenation of a patient’s blood. e-Commerce in the Kingdom. Additionally,
be used to keep tabs we teach our students about all the organiza-
tions that would be involved in e-Commerce
on a user’s health and fitness levels. This selection means that con-
in the Saudi setting, such as the
sumers should see a wider array of Bluetooth personal telehealth
devices hit the market by next year. Communications and Information Technology
Commission (CITC) and local hosting com-
Solar makes this phone green
Mummies unwrap Egyptian history
n No need for a charger with Samsung’s new solar-powered hand-
set. Called the “Crest Solar,” the Samsung E1107 has a solar cell on
the back of the handset. For every hour that the phone soaks up sun,
the solar cell generates enough power in its 800mAh battery for ten
minutes of talk time.
The phone also charges with electricity because it would take 40 MOLOUK Y. BA-ISA | ARAB NEWS
I
hours to charge the phone fully for 12-hour long talk time.
Nevertheless it’s great in an emergency or if you’re frequently away f you ask children from outside the
from a charging source. region about what fascinates them most
The Solar Crest is eco-friendly in that it's made from recycled in the Middle East, mummies are usu-
ally high on their list of curiosities. Mummies
materials and is free from noxious substances such as beryllium and
have been in the news lately thanks to new
phthalates. The phone is
discoveries by world-renowned archaeolo-
dual band 900/1800
gist, Dr. Zahi Hawass (http://dr.hawass.
Mhz. It also has an FM com/) and US President Barack Obama's
radio, a 1.52-inch CSTN sightseeing while on a diplomatic visit to
display, MP3 ring tones, Egypt.
and embedded games. A new exhibition, “Fascinating Egyptian
The phone can be used Mummies” will run
as a flashlight, but that’s
probably not ideal if you
through the next year WYSIWYG
at Quebec City’s Musee
are recharging with de la Civilization.
solar power. Although tombs and mummies have long
There’s also a fake been subject to pillaging and curiosity, their
call feature which can situation today has changed. Mummies have
give the user an exit become valuable vehicles for discovery and
when needed. Even if scientific analysis thanks to new noninvasive
you usually use a fancier technologies such as tomography (CAT). The
phone this is a great exhibition contains updated information on
phone for a day at the SOLAR CREST: With a photovoltaic ancient Egypt, linking past and present. The
beach or a vacation. panel at the back, the Samsung mummies’ secrets provide insight into Egypt’s
The Samsung E1107 is E1107 can be charged either past, and shed light on a civilization that
priced at just $59. through electricity or solar power. continues to captivate people worldwide.
21ST CENTURY EDUCATON: From left, Dr. Mohammed H. Al-Hazmi, Dr. Eid S.
Al-Shammari and Mustafa Faisal Ahmed. According to Dr. Al-Shammari, at
KFUPM the goal is to graduate students who have the ability to think
creatively, bolstered by the knowledge and guided experiences they have
gained at the university.
panies. We are always trying to find ways to
help our students apply their knowledge.
Over the last six years KFUPM has partici-
pated in four global student competitions
and KFUPM’s MIS students have always
placed in either the finals or semi-finals.”
Management Information Systems (MIS)
refer to a group of the overall internal con-
trols of a business covering the application of
people, documents, technologies and proce-
dures by management accountants to solving
business problems such as costing a prod-
uct, service or a business-wide strategy.
Management information systems are dis-
tinct from regular information systems in that
they are used to analyze other information
systems applied in operational activities in
the organization. Academically, MIS is used
to refer to the group of information manage-
ment methods tied to the automation or
support of human decision-making.
“Any information system that allows some-
one to manage effectively is a management
information system,” said Dr. Eid S.
Al-Shammari, dean, College of Industrial
Management, KFUPM. “It so happens that for
information systems to be effective, you need
to have fast, accurate, on-time delivery of
NEW OPPORTUNITIES: KFUPM has
the only students from Saudi Arabia
participating in the second Google
Online Marketing Challenge.
Everyone is invited to visit the Museum’s
website for access to a wonderful microsite
dedicated to the exhibition: www.mcq.org/
momies. The microsite offers an overview
and three games that provide a glimpse into
ancient Egypt. Complete the three games to
leave your mark in the sarcophagi chamber
and earn a fantastic personalized wallpaper!
Another amusing mummy resource is at
http://kids.discovery.com/fansites/tuten-
stein/tutenstein.html. Tutenstein is an Emmy
Award winning animated television series
that features young mummy
Tutankhensetamun -
based on real-life
Tutankhamun and
usually called
“Tutenstein” as in the title. Supposedly, he
was awakened about 3,000 years after his
accidental death and now has to face the
fact that his kingdom is gone. The Discovery
fan site offers a variety of games and activi-
ties including name writing in hieroglyphs
and mummy making.
Guardian’s Egypt (www.guardians.net/)
has a kids section filled with information and
activities about Egypt and mummies. Children
can take a mummy quiz, make a mummy
information. What is better than computers
for such functionality? There were manage-
ment information systems before computers.
Paper and pencil can be used as part of a
management information system, but now
computers are generally at the foundation of
MIS. Management Information Systems are
developed, implemented and utilized through
a combination of the talents of computer
engineers, software engineers and MIS spe-
cialists. Each plays a role.”
Al-Shammari is pleased with the participa-
tion of the MIS students in the Google Online
Marketing Challenge because he believes that
this shows how KFUPM is once again playing
a leading role in preparing young minds to
“think outside the box” and compete both in
the local and global economy.
“In many areas, KFUPM is more up to date
than people imagine. In terms of information
technology, KFUPM, even when it was the
University of Petroleum and Minerals (UPM),
was along with Saudi Aramco, the first infor-
mation technology center in the country.
KFUPM’s Information Technology Center
(ITC) is still a leader in the Middle East,” he
advised. “The university had computers
before any other institute of higher learning
in the Kingdom and we were the first to have
‘smart’ classrooms.”
The university’s methods for developing its
programs actually forces KFUPM to be cur-
rent in its offerings. Any department that
develops a program must benchmark it and
map it against the top ten programs in the
United States. If there is a deviation in any
aspect of the curriculum, be it infrastructure
or content, then that must be justified. All
programs at the university are reviewed every
five years and the most modern textbooks
are used in instruction.
“Another point is that we are AACSB
accredited,” Al-Shammari said. “The
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of
Business (AACSB) has standards that are in
line with what should be an acceptable repu-
table program and KFUPM adheres to these
standards. In addition, we’re fully cognizant
mask and there’s a “Mummy Lesson Plan”
with do-it-yourself mummy projects. Finally,
don’t miss National Geographic’s “Xpedition”
called “Unwrapping Mummies” at www.
nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/activi-
ties/17/mummies.html. The Xpedition tack-
les mummies from the perspective of a
famous archaeologist. Kids are asked to study
about the role of our programs and of our
college to the region. We try to make our
student projects as useful as possible to the
business community.”
In addition to student participation in
projects and competitions while at the uni-
versity, Dr. Mohammed H. Al-Hazmi, chair-
man of the Department of Accounting & MIS
at KFUPM’s College of Industrial Management,
discussed the importance of the university’s
Co-Op Program. The university has required
the Co-Op experience since its programs
began in 1963.
“As part of the requirements for gradua-
tion, all juniors in our college spend 28
weeks working with local business and
industry,” he explained. “Our cooperative
programs are highly structured. We endeavor
to match the skills of each student to a suit-
able Co-Op placement. A detailed program is
created for each student and he is tracked
throughout the semester during his Co-Op
experience. Three progress reports are sub-
mitted during the 28 weeks and a represen-
tative from the university visits the student to
determine that everything is going according
to plan.”
When students return to the university
after their experience, they write a report
on what they observed and learned. Many
students when they graduate get a chance
to work with the company where they per-
formed their Co-Op. KFUPM data shows
that about 80 percent of students receive
an offer of employment from the organiza-
tion that sponsored them for their co-
operative training.
“Other Saudi universities have now intro-
duced the Co-Op in their programs. It is also
true that the number of students has increased
and therefore the opportunities and the pres-
sure to have places in the companies is
there,” remarked Al-Shammari. “Over the
years we have had successful relationships
with a great many companies. Our reputation
as far as our graduates are concerned is an
excellent selling point for the Co-Op.”
KFUPM graduates are well placed at the
top of the Saudi business hierarchy. This is
an achievement that KFUPM is striving to
maintain by educating students who are criti-
cal thinkers. Updating its programs and
introducing innovative learning experiences
into the curriculum are part of the universi-
ty’s strategy to give its graduates a competi-
tive edge in the business world.
“Our e-Commerce courses are just one
means of helping students see the need to
strike a balance between knowledge and
creative thinking. Education is not about
memorization. It is about learning to process
knowledge into information and then have
no inhibitions to develop new ideas,” said
Al-Shammari.
Ahmed added, “Personally, I believe the
future for my students will be very bright. The
nature of the e-Commerce courses at KFUPM
is very entrepreneurial. In my advanced
e-commerce class, we covered topics such
as creating Facebook applications as a busi-
ness model. Not many other universities
globally are doing this. In the Middle East,
e-Commerce is still underdeveloped and
there are many opportunities waiting to be
explored. For my students this means one
great idea successfully commercialized could
lead to success. That is very exciting.”
two very different mummies: one from an
Egyptian tomb and another from the Andes
Mountains in Peru. Children use the clues
provided by each mummy to decipher who
they were, how they died and what their cul-
tures were like. The Xpedition is supple-
mented with multimedia resources, educa-
tional games and stories.