ITEC635 - Information Systems Strategy and Management

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

ITEC616 Systems Analysis and Design

Incompatible

ISYS635 Information Systems Strategy and Management

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

This unit explores the issues and approaches in managing the information systems function in organisations and how the IS function integrates / supports / enables various types of organisational capabilities and competitive advantage. The unit addresses issues relating to defining the high-level IS infrastructure and the systems that support the operational, administrative and strategic needs of the organization and the impact of such systems on organizations and the society. In particular, the ethical impacts of information systems, information resources, and information related strategic decisions are explored which includes their impact on human dignity, subsidiarity and workers' rights. It takes a senior management perspective in making strategic information systems decisions including exploring the acquisition, development and implementation of plans and policies to achieve efficient and effective information systems. More than considering the perspective and role of senior managers (e.g. CIOs), the units focus on other information systems professionals and the role they play in making strategic decisions about organizational information systems.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Apply the various functions of the information systems in a real-world organisation and predict their role in creating competitive advantage (GA4, GA5)  

LO2 - Analyse the impact of existing and emerging information systems on organisations and society (GA3, GA4, GA10)  

LO3 - Analyse and improve the procedure of making strategic decisions about information systems resources including the role of CIO and other IS professionals (GA4, GA8)  

LO4 - Evaluate the operational and ethical issues, and challenges associated with successfully and unsuccessfully incorporating IS into an organisation. (GA3, GA4, GA5) 

Graduate attributes

GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

Content

Topics covered: 

• Strategic management 
• Introduction to the Information Systems (IS) strategy and management  
• The IS strategy triangle, information economics, competitive advantage, and the strategic use of information resources  
• Managing the information systems function  
• Financing and evaluating the performance of information technology investments and operations and strategies for acquiring information resources  
• Governance of IS and related frameworks  
• Advanced topics and contemporary trends in IS strategy and management  
• Organisational and ethical impacts of IS (including human dignity, workers’ right, and solidarity)  

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Mode: Attendance mode 

Duration: 12-week semester or equivalent. Students should anticipate undertaking 150 hours of study for this unit, including class attendance, readings, exams, and assessment preparation. 

Students will have access to all primary learning materials online through LEO, along with formative and summative assessments, all of which will be available online, to provide a learning experience beyond the classroom. While there are no formal classroom lectures for this unit, students will be required to attend weekly three-hour workshops, which will include lecture and specific tasks related to achievement of the unit learning outcomes. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment strategy for this unit is based on the need to determine authentic student achievement of the learning outcomes. The following assessment overview is indicative and may vary over time according to industry requirements, University policy and regulatory requirements.  

Assessment 1 is a critical report enabling the student to demonstrate their advanced capabilities to analyse and explain the high-level and strategic concepts, including ethical impacts of information systems.  

The purpose of Assessment 2 is to give students an opportunity to experience and demonstrate the capabilities they have gained to work as an information systems professional in the advanced and strategic levels.  

The purpose of the ePortfolio is to provide students with the motivation and opportunity to consider and reflect upon their personal professional capabilities, aspirations and career plans. 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Reynolds, G. (2016). Information Technology for Managers, Edition 2. Cengage Learning US. ISBN: 9781305389830  

ACS Core Body of Knowledge For ICT Professionals (CBOK) 

Benson JH 2008, information systems: a business approach, 3rd edn, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. 

Englander I 2014, The architecture of computer hardware, systems software, & networking: an information technology approach, 5th edn, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. 

Grant K, Hackney R & Edgar D 2010 strategic information systems management, Cengage Learning, EMEA, London. 

Pearlson K & Saunders CS 2015, Managing and using information systems: a strategic approach, 6th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton.