Course Brief

In order to fully exploit the advantages that Information Systems available to organisations, students need to understand their strategic importance and their effective management. The aim of the course is to provide students with sufficient knowledge to contribute to the development of Information Systems planning, implementation and management that will function as an integral part of the organisation's approach to its strategic development.
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On completing this course successfully you will be able to:

  • Appreciate the nature and context of technological systems implementation and its strategic value and ramifications to the different facets of the enterprise;
  • Evaluate the context in which I.S. planning and management will take place, with particular reference to the use of relevant analytical frameworks;
  • Synthesise and critically reflect on a model of strategic appraisal for IS Systems, including the use of approaches and methods by which I.S. strategies are to be implemented in real enterprise environments;
  • Critically discuss and evaluate the tools and techniques used to construct an I.S. strategy, with particular reference to e-Business frameworks.

During lectures students will be introduced to concepts and trends in IS (using presentations, discussions and video) and will be given the opportunity to interact in the class in individual or group activity on the basis of selected topics in IS Implementation and Planning or case study materials. 
During tutorials, students are asked to react to recent developments in areas such as IS Strategy, E-Commerce, Supply Chain Management etc., across numerous industries. Tutorial sessions are based on trade journal or other industry-published materials of any form (articles, blogs, videos).

Coursework with Presentation – 100%
4000 words.
Individual project. Analyse, evaluate and propose IS implementation in an organisation that students have worked in the past and propose a viable IS strategy. 
Pass mark – 50%

The nature of Information Systems (IS); technological implementation analysis; the organisational context and objectives for IS; IT alignment with business strategy; defining and selecting Systems Architectures; selecting and managing IS resources; managing information and formulating strategic approaches; E-Business strategy models and market trends; knowledge management; IS applications management; processes for IS strategy development; implementing new systems and managing the change; models of change; human issues of resistance and acceptance; improving the value of the IS contribution to the organisation; managing human and computer resources; information quality; ethical and legal issues.