Information Systems Strategy & Planning ms403
Information Systems Strategy & Planning
ms403 (2011/12)
- Course Outline -
Objective
Lecturer
Times
The objective of this course is to develop an understanding of the roles
of information systems strategy and planning in the overall strategy of
businesses. Topics may include: aligning information systems with
business and organisational strategy; information systems strategy;
strategic information systems planning and management; information
systems value creation and appropriation, information systems and the
design of work; strategic IT architectures and infrastructures; ethics in
IS strategy and planning; emerging topics in information systems
strategy and planning.
Name
Office
Ext
E-mail
Dr. Tom Acton
Lectures:
Room 366
Cairnes
building
3806
thomas.acton@nuigalway.ie
Day
Time
Venue
Thurs
3-5
Room 243 Cairnes building
Overall
Learning
Outcomes
Upon completion of this course you will be able to:
• Discuss the roles of information systems strategy in
organisational and business strategy
• Explain the value of strategic IS planning to organisations
• Critically assess IS strategy models and frameworks
• Critique managerial approaches to IS strategy and planning
Format
The course comprises one weekly 2-hour lecture across 12 weeks.
Programme(s)
Course Material
Core Text
4BF1 (4th year BSc Business Information Systems)
3BC, 4BC (final year B Comm)
Content is available at https://nuigalway.blackboard.com
Pearlson, K., and Saunders, C. 2009. Strategic Management of
Information Systems. Wiley. 4th Edition. ISBN: 978-0-470-40024-1
Note: Students need their own copy
Tom Acton | Information Systems Strategy & Planning | ms403
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Information Systems Strategy & Planning ms403
Piccoli, G. 2008. Information Systems for Managers: Text & Cases,
Wiley. ISBN: 978-0470-08703-9
Supplementary
Texts
Ward, J., and Peppard. J. 2002. Strategic Planning for Information
Sytems, Wiley. 3rd Edition. ISBN: 978-0470-84147-1
Note 1: Supplementary texts do not need to be purchased
Note 2: A new edition of the Piccoli book will be available late 2011
1.
2.
Assessment
End of year Examination
Continuous Assessment
78%
22%*
* Continuous assessment comprises contribution to classroom
discussion, and per lecture carries 2% of available marks across 11
weeks. The examination carries 78% of the available marks.
Note: A minimum of 35% is required in the final written examination
before marks for continuous assessment can be included in the
determination of the overall mark for the subject.
Workload
hours
Credit weighting:
Lecture hours:
Tutorial hours:
Seminar hours:
Independent study:
Associated time:
Examination:
Total Student Effort:
5 ECTS
22
0
2
74
25
2
125 hours
Agenda
Topic
Readings
Week 1: Introduction to Information Systems
Strategy & Planning
Pearlson Introductory Chapter
•
•
•
Management and IS decisions
IS, business goals and organisational systems
Management models and the roles of IS
Tom Acton | Information Systems Strategy & Planning | ms403
Ward & Peppard Chapter 1
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Information Systems Strategy & Planning ms403
Week 1 Outcomes: You will be able to …
•
•
•
•
•
Define IS Strategy and IS Planning
Explain the importance of managerial involvement in decisions regarding IS
Outline how IS should relate to business goals
List some of the managerial assumptions about IS
Explain why IS should align with organisational systems
Week 2: IS Strategy Alignment
•
•
•
•
•
The IS Strategy Triangle
IS and Business Strategy Frameworks
o Generic Strategies
o Hypercompetition
Strategic Advantage Models and IS Planning
Organisational Strategies
IS Strategies
Pearlson Chapter 1
Ward & Peppard
Chapters 2, 6, 8
Week 2 Outcomes: You will be able to …
•
•
•
•
Describe business and organisational strategies
Describe IS strategies and strategy frameworks
Discuss the function IS plays in the business strategy of an organisation
Outline the importance of planning for IS strategies
Week 3: Strategic IS Planning
•
•
•
Managerial Involvement in IS Strategy and Planning
o 6 key decisions
Purposes of Strategic IS Planning
The Strategic IS Planning process
Piccoli Chapter 6
Ward & Peppard
Chapters 3, 6
Week 3 Outcomes: You will be able to …
•
•
•
•
Explain why managers must be involved in information systems planning decisions
Discuss the purposes of strategic information systems planning in organisations
Identify the key components of strategic information systems planning processes
Discuss how to evaluate organisational positioning to achieve information systems
strategic plans
Week 4: Strategic Use of Information Resources
•
•
Information Resources as Strategic Tools
o Information Resources and Strategic
Competitiveness
o Information Resources and the value chain
Strategic Alliances
Tom Acton | Information Systems Strategy & Planning | ms403
Pearlson Chapter 2
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Information Systems Strategy & Planning ms403
Week 4 Outcomes: You will be able to …
•
•
•
•
Describe the role of information resources as strategic tools for organisations
Describe how information resources can be used strategically
Explain how information resources can influence competitive forces and the value
chain
Explain the roles of information systems in strategic alliances
Week 5: Organisational Impacts of IS
•
•
•
•
•
Organisations in the information age
IS in organisational design
Management Control Systems
Virtual organisations and virtual teams
Funding Information Systems
Pearlson Chapters 3, 4
Piccoli Chapter 10
Week 5 Outcomes: You will be able to …
•
•
•
•
•
•
Discuss the impact of the information age on organisations
Explain the roles of information systems in organisational design and structures
Explain how information systems influence managerial tasks
Discuss the role of technology in virtual organisations and teams
Describe the relationship between strategic IS planning and IS funding processes,
particularly yearly budgeting and prioritisation processes
Evaluate the three main IS funding methods used by modern organisations:
chargeback, allocation, and overhead
Week 6: IT Architectures and Infrastructures
•
•
•
•
IT Architectures and Strategy
IT Infrastructures and Strategy
Transforming business strategy to architecture and
infrastructure
IS in business continuity planning
Pearlson Chapter 6
Week 6 Outcomes: You will be able to …
•
•
•
•
Explain the connection between business strategy and IT architecture
Explain how IT architecture interfaces with IT infrastructure
Outline a framework for transforming business strategy to IT architecture and IT
infrastructures
Discuss the roles and impact of IS in business continuity planning
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Information Systems Strategy & Planning ms403
Week 7: Strategic IS and Value Creation (Part 1)
•
•
An Analysis of Added Value
Information Systems in adding value
o Strategic vs Tactical Information Systems
o IT-dependent strategic initiatives
Piccoli Chapter 7
Ward & Peppard Chapter
9
Week 7 Outcomes: You will be able to …
•
•
•
•
Define the concepts of total value created, customer willingness to pay, supplier
opportunity cost, added value, and IT-dependent strategic initiatives
Compute total value created and added value
Estimate the portion of the total value created that will be appropriated by each of
the entities who contributed to its creation
Differentiate between strategic information systems and tactical information systems
Week 8: Strategic IS and Value Creation (Part 2)
•
•
Models of Value Creation with IS
o Industry Analysis
o Value Chain Analysis
o Customer Service Life Cycle
Frameworks for Value Creation
o Virtual Value Chain
o Customer Data Strategies
Piccoli Chapter 8
Ward & Peppard Chapter
5
Week 8 Outcomes: You will be able to …
•
•
•
Identify traditional models of value creation with information systems and information
technology
Discuss new and emerging frameworks for value creation
Devise and select initiatives that create value using business data
Week 9: Appropriating IT-enabled value
•
•
•
A Sustainability Framework
The Dynamics of Sustainability
Barriers and Complements
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Piccoli Chapter 9
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Week 9 Outcomes: You will be able to …
•
•
•
•
•
•
Analyse the potential of IT-dependent strategic initiatives for value appropriation
Identify barriers to erosion that protect IT-dependent competitive advantage
Identify and give examples of response lag drivers associated with barriers to
erosion
Recognise how barriers can be strengthened over time in order to protract the useful
life of an IT-dependent strategic initiative
Employ the concepts and frameworks described in this section in the context of
future IT-dependent strategic initiatives
Articulate possible courses of action based on analysis to be able to offer
recommendations
Week 10: IS and the Design of Work
•
•
•
•
•
IT and the nature of work
o Changing communication patterns
o Changing decision making
o Changing information processing
o Changing collaboration
New challenges in people management
Managing IT- and IS-enabled mobile work
IS and group work
Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)
Pearlson Chapter 4
Week 10 Outcomes: You will be able to …
•
•
•
•
•
•
Discuss how IS and IT impact work practices
Detail aspects of work affected by IS and IT
Describe how IS enables mobile work and telecommuting
Outline how IS facilitates group work
Explain the technology acceptance model
Apply TAM to technology-based systems
Weeks 11, 12: Ethics & Security in IS Strategy and
Planning
•
•
•
Controlling Information
o Privacy, Accuracy, Accessibility, Security
Business Ethics
o Ethics and IS
IT Security
Tom Acton | Information Systems Strategy & Planning | ms403
Pearlson Chapter 9
Piccoli Chapter 13
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Weeks 11, 12 Outcomes: You will be able to …
•
•
•
•
Discuss various factors associated with information control in organisations
Describe normative theories of business ethics
Explain how business ethics relate to IS strategy and planning
Discuss the principal security threats to modern organisations, and the principal
safeguards available to mitigate these risks
Schedule
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Semester 2
Continuous
Lecture
Assessment
y
y
n*
n
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
Other Information
Readings are significant, are indicated above and are to be completed in advance of
lectures. Additional and/or replacement readings may be given during the semester.
Failure to be present at each lecture and actively contribute to classroom discussions will
result in a forfeit of marks for that week’s continuous assessment component. Marks for
continuous assessment (including zero marks for non-presentation) will be carried forward
to Autumn. There is no facility for further presentation of continuous assessment before
the next offering of the course.
General
This course outline is available on blackboard in pdf format. Should you have a visual
disability and require the document in another format, please contact me and I will oblige.
* In week 2 of semester 1, the School of Business & Economics devotes Thursday to the
First Year Induction programme, and therefore lectures do not run.
Tom Acton | Information Systems Strategy & Planning | ms403
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