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Management of Information Systems

Management of Information Systems

Number of ECTS credits: 3

Staff member responsible for the module:


Prof. Thomas Hess
Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich
Institute for Information Systems and New Media
Ludwigstrasse 28, 80539 Munich, Germany
thess@bwl.uni-muenchen.de

Other staff contributing to the module:


Prof John S. Edwards, Operations and Information Management Group,
Aston Business School, Aston Triangle, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK
Office: Main Building, Room 228, Telephone extension 3087
E-mail: j.s.edwards@aston.ac.uk

Christophe Chaumont
EM Lyon
UPR Institutions, Droit & Systèmes
chaumont@em-lyon.com
(33) 4 78 33 78 51

Pre-requisites for the Module:


Students should be able to use a PC and the Internet related to simple business issues.

Module Objectives and Learning Outcomes:


The overall aim is for students to develop an understanding of the role of information
technology in business. Besides supplying fundamental knowledge on the basics of
information technology (IT) and theories about technology use, two specific perspectives are
addressed in detail: IT as an enabler (changing the business) and IT as a resource (managing
IT).

Learning Outcomes:

After completing the course, students should be able to


1. Understand the main technological components and trends in IT
2. Be aware of the main theories about the use of IT applications in business
3. Explain how IT can change a company’s operations, products, management practice and
organisation
Management of Information Systems

4. Develop integrated management ideas for aligning business and IT strategy, IT project
selection and sourcing, and project management.

Module Content:
IT as an enabler IT as a resource

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

• Changing
• Changing Management
Operations Practice (Data

morning
• IT and business • Sourcing
(Electronic Mining)
alignment • Project
Business) • Changing
• IT Value management
• Changing Products Organisation
Fundamentals (Music) (Virtual
Organisations)
Break / case Break / extra paper Break / case Break / extra paper

afternoon
preparation time preparation time preparation time preparation time

Case discussion Paper discussion Case discussion Paper discussion

Reader: Basic text 2 background papers per day

Day 1 Computers – hardware, software, networks, and data management.


Computer applications – frameworks for understanding integrated systems in
manufacturing and services industries.

Day 2 IT as an enabler: changing primary value creating functions (example e-


business) and resulting new products (example music business).

Day 3 IT as an enabler: changing secondary value creating functions (example data


mining for management support) and resulting new organisation forms
(example virtual organisations).

Day 4 IT as a resource: managing IT from a CEO perspective (aligning business


strategy and IT strategy / determining the value of IT investments).

Day 5 IT as a resource: managing IT from a CIO perspective (sourcing / project


management).

Except for day 1, where learning will be by lecture and video only, students will have to apply
their knowledge and experience in case studies and extra papers supplied on the day of the
lecture. After a short preparation time (e.g. 2 hours), students will be asked to discuss their
perspectives on the extra material in the light of the models supplied in the morning session.

Treatment of the learning outcomes is integrated, but broadly speaking they are addressed
specifically as follows:

Outcome 1 Day 1
Outcome 2 Day 1
Outcome 3 Days 2 & 3
Outcome 4 Days 4 & 5
Management of Information Systems

International Dimensions:
The international perspective on these topics is fostered by the short notice case and paper
preparation and discussion in international groups. Several international issues run through
the material, including the effect of “borderless” technologies such as the World Wide Web
and the Internet, and the growth of offshoring and outsourcing.

Corporate Connections:
Apart from day 1, where structuration is emphasised, all sessions include real-life examples.
The compulsory preparation of case studies adds to the practical usability of the materials
taught.

Contribution of Research:
The nature of the course requires a considerable amount of reading research papers. The
resource pack (see below) will include both seminal articles and latest research results.

Method of Teaching:
Lectures, Case studies, video (if suitable one(s) can be identified).

Method of Assessment:
20% coursework: the discussion and presentation of case studies and extra papers.
80% examination (2 hour open book).
The case studies and extra papers test outcomes 3 & 4, and to a lesser extent outcome 2.
The examination tests all outcomes.

Learning Hours:
Contact hours 24
Group work, including preparation for 8
presentation
Directed reading 12
Preparation for examination 14
Examination 2
Total 60
Management of Information Systems

Indicative reading list :


Day 1: fundamentals
Excerpts from
Wigand, R.T. et al. (2003) Introduction to Business Information Systems, New York:
Springer.

Day 2: IT as an enabler I
Changing primary functions:
Porter, M.E. and Millar, V. E. (1985) How information gives you competitive advantage, in:
Harvard Business Review, 63, 4, p. 149-160.

New products:
Katz, M.L. and Shapiro, C. (1994) Systems competition and network effects, in: Journal of
Economic Perspectives, 8, 2, p. 93-115.

Indicative case:
Mukund, A. and Sarvani, V (2005) Adobe: the world’s no. 1 e-document company, ECCH
case study 904-017-1.

Day 3: IT as an enabler II
Changing secondary functions:
Brynjolfsson, E. and Hitt, L.M. (1998) Beyond the productivity paradox, in: Communications
of the ACM, 41, 8, p. 49-55.

New organisations:
Miles, R.E. and Snow, C.C. (1986) Organizations: new concepts for new forms, in: California
Management Review, 28, 3, p. 62-73.

Indicative extra paper:


Webster, J. (1995) Networks of collaboration or conflict? Electronic data interchange and
power in the supply chain, in: Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 4, 1, p. 31-42.

Day 4: IT as a resource I
Alignment:
Venkatraman, N. (1991) IT-induced business reconfiguration, in: Morton, M.S.M. (Ed.) The
corporation of the 1990s, Oxford: OUP, p. 122-158.

IT value:
Ross, J.W. and Beath, C.M. (2002) New approaches to IT Investment, in: MIT Sloan
Management Review, 43, 2, p. 51-59.

Indicative case:
Dutta, S. (1994) Aligning IT with the Business: Banco Comercial Portugues and Continental
Bank, ECCH case study 695-001-1.
Management of Information Systems

Day 5: IT as a resource II
Sourcing:
Hirschheim, R. and Dibbern, J. (2001) Information systems outsourcing in the new economy -
an introduction, in: Hirschheim, R. et al. (Eds.) Information systems outsourcing: enduring
themes, emergent patterns, and future directions, Berlin: Springer, p. 3-23.

Project management:
Keil, M. (1995) Pulling the plug: software project management and the problem of project
escalation, in: MIS Quarterly, 19, 4, p. 421-447.

Indicative extra paper:


Willcocks, L.P. and Feeny, D.F. (2006): IT outsourcing and core IS capabilities: challenges
and lessons at DUPONT, in: Information Systems Management, 23, 1, p. 49-56.

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