Spring

The assessment strategy is designed to ensure that all students meet all learning outcomes and can share the evidence and their experience. Thus, multiple small pieces of work are used, which can be shared with all students

The assessment methods for each outcome are as follows:

• Better understand and reflect upon the development and provision of IS within firms. Students are required to find and write up an exciting provision of IS, with links to material, and share with other students cia posting on U-Learn
• Appraise and critique the contribution of IS to strategic plans and intentions. In groups, students will use secondary and primary research to assess the contribution of IS to a chosen firm. Due to its broad nature, this piece of assessment is also integrative.
• Indentify and assess opportunities to use IS to further strategic objectives. Students are asked to provide a brief idea for an on-line service, and to justify the IS needed to support it. This can again be shared with other students
• Better liases and communicate with IS and IS professionals. This is considered an implicit outcome that will be exhibited by the shared and group work above

Core MBA modules

The aim of this module is to give practicing and future managers a full understanding of the development, position and role of IS within firms and strategy. The module takes a broad but critical approach, integrating views of technology with cases and participants’ experience.

Learning outcomes are categorised as:

• knowledge and understanding (K/U)
• intellectual/cognitive skills (I/C)
• practical/professional skills (P/P)
• transferable skills (T)

The workshops are as follows: 

Enterprise architecture:

1. Data and process modelling. The methods whereby we model and document data, data flows and work processes within firms
2. The role of Enterprise Requirements Planning (ERP) systems. The rise and rise of SAP
3. Interorganisational systems. The case of Vodafone.

The technology view:

1. Key technologies and the role of technology providers. The impact of Microsoft and others on firm level IT and IS provision
2. Technology acceptance and diffusion. Understanding the costs of digital technology.

The strategic view:

1. IT, IS and information management planning. Aligning IT strategy with firm strategy
2. Pursuing opportunities. The growth of on-line everything
3. Electronic markets. Growing entire businesses and markets bas ed upon IS
4. Managing the IT function. Outsourcing.

Other smaller topics will be cover ed, as necessary, via the assignment of tasks and discussion groups in ULearn.

The teaching and learning strategy is design ed to ensure that the above criteria are met within a context that is reflective and situat ed in practice. 

The teaching and learning methods include:

• Nine half day (4 hour) workshops that combine lecture material, case discussion and external speakers. This allows for intensive consideration of specific topics in depth
• The use of ULearn to present and share examples of IS and their strategic value
• Personal study

Students are directed to relevant reading in the set texts and in journal articles

Core texts

Corporate Information Strategy and Management: Text and Cases (Paperback) by Lynda M. Applegate, Paperback: 736 pages,Publisher: McGraw Hill Higher Education

11.04.2008