Management Issues in Communication and Information Technologies (U04190)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : SBE-3-MICIT

This course explores recent advances in communications and information technology (CIT) to develop a managerial perspective on how these technologies may open up opportunities for improving both the performance and competitiveness of business processes. Two areas explored in some detail is the relationship between the design of a business process and the benefits of introducing advances in CIT, and how evolving CIT tools offer managers accessible methods for distributing expertise and improving decision-making. The critical management perspective in both cases is the contribution that
CIT makes to the competitiveness of the organisation.
The course comprises 10 two-hour classes that will involve lectures, speakers from industry, class discussion, and class presentations of group-work as part of the (formative) assessment process. These begin with a review of recent CIT trends and then a series of lectures deal with specific management issues. The lectures are intended to develop both critical and transferable skills, and this is reflected in the assessed exercises set. These include one group-based project in which presentations are expected, and an individual project that critically reviews the investment in and implementation of an
information or communication technology in an organisational setting.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Computing in Management and Economics (U02105) or equivalent.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Business Studies, (School of Business and Economics, Schedule H)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Monday	09:00	10:50	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding:
(i) describe the basic capabilities and limitations of specific communications and information technologies (CITs).
(ii) explain the relationship between improved technological capability, business process performance,
and competitive advantage.
(iii) describe qualitative differences between data, information and knowledge and the demands they place on CITs
(iv) understand the current performance limits of CIT and appreciate the economic limits to its application
Cognitive Skills:
(v) separate the contributions to competitiveness that arise from process design and technology capability
(vi) contrast various approaches to the technology investment decision
(vii) formalise descriptions of the process of decision-making and identify the required sources of data/ information
Key Skills:
(viii) recognise both the benefits and limitations of resolving organisational problems through the use of
information technologies;
(ix) utilise and analyse information from a variety of sources.

Subject Specific Skills:
Note. These learning objectives align closely with the 2007 QAA Subject Benchmark statement for undergraduate Business and Management degrees in the areas of “communication and information technology - the comprehension and use of relevant communication and information technologies for application in business and management”. In addition the course is relevant to learning about ‘pervasive issues’ identified within the same benchmark in areas such as globalisation, enterprise development, business innovation and knowledge management.

Assessment Information

The option will be assessed in two ways:
1. A group project to develop a Decision-Support System (DSS). This may focus on a decision taken in a corporate or a social group setting, and should demonstrate how expertise is captured in the choice of data sources or the method (algorithm) by which the decision is supported. This
project will count for 30% of the final mark and will be presented and discussed in class (10% of the overall course assessment). Each group will be expected to document their DSS and submit both the working DSS application and the report to the lecturer prior to the first group presentation.
2. An essay (maximum 3000 words) that may draw on a topic from the material covered during
the course or the student’s own experience of implementing information and communications technology in an organisational setting. The essay will count for 60% of the final mark.