Syllabus

One of your best friends is an Informatics student. You two go to coffee and discuss the management of information. You're impressed by your friend's information strategy and take copious notes on a paper napkin.

You have decided to begin your career in the horticulture business. Good for you! It's a great business to be in. You work with beautiful plants and cultivate fragrant flowers. But like any business there are a lot of details to handle and some information challenges. For example, you'll have to keep track of your employees, your stock, sales, suppliers and customers. The first task, however, is setting yourself up in business.

It's not long until you have your first sales! Of course, this means more information management as you now have to start reporting to the Washington State Department of Revenue. You also buy more plant stock and add to your inventory. It turns out that both of your employees have surprising talents.

More sales! More inventory! And more government interference! Suddenly you feel sympathy for Calvin Coolidge (President of the United States, 1923-1929) who said "The business of American is business" and "Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery" and "Advertising is the life of trade" and "If you don't say anything, you won't be called on to repeat it."