Course Resources Archive

This key module will enable students to understand how ICT is managed within a business environment and, in particular how a business plans for the future taking into account sustainable development.  This module explores business concepts and models for brick and mortar organizations as well as e-Business focused organizations.  The aim is to convey an understanding of the diversity of the internal and external environments of organizations today and approaches to exploiting them from an ICT perspective.  Students understanding of business operations and information systems infrastructure will be expanded as will their knowledge and understanding of sustainability from an organizational perspective.

This module aims to provide students with an understanding of the important features relating to managing IT within organisations.  A key focus will be the process of Business Planning to support the internal and external organisational environment.  A business view of these environments, along with that of e-business and information systems requirements will be investigated.  Most IT systems development is driven as a project in which the central issues are duration, cost and staffing. Project planning techniques assisted by appropriate software packages have to be managed in order to deliver a product that is on time, to budget and meeting the client requirements. The importance of IT developments within this process will be reiterated and recent trends and issues will influence lecture topics.  The concept of sustainable development will also be explored from an organisational and societal perspective, along with the role of organisations in promoting and supporting this concept.

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

1. appreciate how interdependent IT strategy is with the planning of the business for the future
2. explain why capital expenditure (e.g. business improvements, IT etc.) must be totally justified in terms of real risks in not making business changes although costs are involved
3. evaluate the implications of advancing technology on both business and IT
4. explain the role of organisations in promoting and supporting sustainable development
5. articulate the advantages and disadvantages of ICTs to the development of sustainable societies
6. evaluate potential developments in the future relating to ICT for sustainable development

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.