The aim of this unit is to enhance students’ understanding of contemporary business information technology (IT) systems and how organisations develop and continuously review their IT strategy in order to gain and maintain competitive advantage. Students will explore the areas of business that benefit from the support of IT systems and how organisations are using IT as a driver for business improvement.
By the end of this unit students will be able to critically analyse the application of current and future technologies and suggest best solutions for an organisation.
By the end of this unit a student will be able to:
1 Demonstrate understanding of the role of different IT systems in support of
organisational objectives.
2 Analyse flexible and reliable IT systems that respond to organisational
requirements.
3 Evaluate IT systems that support value-added change within organisations.
4 Recommend practical IT systems solutions to given organisational scenarios.
The role of IT in knowledge management, data management and customer service management.
The impact of IT systems and their contribution to solving business problems.
The impact of IT systems on the functions and structure of organisations to support meeting organisational objectives.
Use of different types of IT systems (e.g. transaction processing, customer relationship, business intelligence, knowledge management) and their roles in relation to meeting business objectives and improving operational efficiency.
Types of information and data:Layers of information systems: services, integration, security and analytics.
Corporate database management systems, data management and characteristics of data within organisations.
Types and flow of information within an organisation.
Data protection and confidentiality.
Reliability of IT systems and data quality:The importance of ensuring accurate and appropriate data collection.
Quality assurance and control measures used to ensure data quality on entry and after data collection.
LO3 Evaluate IT systems that support value-added change within organisationsProject management methodology for achieving specific goals.
Value creation strategy, competitive advantage, make or buy decisions.
Cost and benefit analysis.
IT support for value-added change:New and existing approaches to improving IT position and impact on other business areas providing value-added services.
System development tools and techniques.
LO4 Recommend practical IT systems solutions to given organisational scenariosProblem-solving using decision-making models (e.g. decision support, group decision, artificial intelligence) and IT systems application.
The use of IT systems to support the storing and managing of data, information sharing, communication, security and gaining a competitive edge.
Monitoring and evaluating IT systems:Effective monitoring and evaluation of IT systems and their impact on organisations.
| LO1 Demonstrate understanding of the role of different IT systems in support of organisational objectives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pass | Merit | Distinction |
| P1 Analyse the use of IT
systems within different
functions of an
organisation. P2 Explain how IT systems contribute to the achievement of objectives in a specific organisational context. |
M1 Evaluate how IT systems are applied in the different functions of an organisation and how they work together to achieve high performance. | D1 Critically evaluate the role and purpose of IT systems in different functions of an organisation, evaluating their contribution to achieving organisational objectives. |
| LO2 Analyse flexible and reliable IT systems that respond to organisational requirements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pass | Merit | Distinction |
| P3 Analyse the different ways IT systems store and process data for knowledge management, customer relationship management, data management and communication management. | M2 Critically analyse the different ways IT systems store and process data, providing specific organisational examples. | D2 Demonstrate an understanding of the different ways IT systems store and process data and critically evaluate the choices that have been made in a specific organisational example. |
| LO3 Evaluate IT systems that support value-added change within organisations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pass | Merit | Distinction |
| P4 Evaluate how IT systems can be used to support value-added change for improving business operations, performance and sustainability. | M3 Critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of specific IT systems which support value-added change in an organisational context. | D3 Provide justified recommendations for improving IT systems in the support of valueadded change in an organisational context. |
| LO4 Recommend practical IT systems solutions to given organisational scenarios | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pass | Merit | Distinction |
| P5 Recommend practical IT solutions for organisational scenarios that cover a range of common business problems experienced in the workplace. | M4 Evaluate how IT systems support practical solutions to add future value to specific business problems. | D4 Critique recommended practical solutions for the effective monitoring and evaluation of IT systems, with potential consequences of their implementation. |
BENYON-DAVIES, P. (2013) Business Information Systems. 2nd Ed. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
BOCIJ, P. (2008) Business Information Systems: Technology, Development and Management for the E-Business. 4th Ed. London: Prentice Hall.
LAUDON, K. C. and LAUDON J. P. (2011) Management Information Systems. 12th Ed. Harlow: Pearson.
TURBAN, E. et al (2015) Information Technology for Management: Advancing Sustainable, Profitable Growth. 10th Ed. Oxford: Wiley.
This unit links to the following related units:
Unit 4: Management and Operations
Unit 25: Principles of Operations Management
Unit 26: Supply Chain Management
Unit 32: Business Strategy
Unit 34: Business Systems