Introduction
Information is the
most valuable resource that an organisation possesses. The effective gathering,
protection, analysis, processing and dissemination of information is vital to
the success of any organisation. As globalisation and the 24-hour economy develop
and increase, organisations must ensure that their information systems are reliable,
efficient and able to cope with rapid change. This unit introduces students to
the importance of information to organisations.
It will examine how systems can be used to
support core business functions and enable organisations to be more productive
and competitive within the global marketplace. Students will be required to
analyse the information needs of an organisation at different levels and within
different functional areas. It is important that computing professionals are
able to understand how an organisation works and how it uses information in
order to be able to design, implement, maintain and manage secure information
systems to support its operations. Among the topics included in this unit are
understanding organisations in terms of their information needs and the
variances within different functional areas. Examination of different
information systems at the operational, tactical and strategic levels will be
required, in addition to evaluating their effectiveness and role in terms of decision
making and gaining competitive advantage.
On successful completion of this unit students
will have an insight into the types of systems and technologies available for
effective information processing. Critical analysis will also be used to
examine the integrated role that each of these play in contributing to the
efficiency and competitiveness of organisations. As a result students will
develop skills such as communication literacy, critical thinking, analysis,
reasoning and interpretation, which are crucial for gaining employment and developing
academic competence.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit students will be able to:
LO1 Analyse the information requirements of organisations.
LO2 Discuss the types of information systems that are used within all levels of an organisation.
LO3 Demonstrate the use of an information system to produce management information.
LO4 Evaluate the effectiveness of strategic information systems.
