Business Information Systems Management

This module is at the heart of software engineering quality management and aims to impart the knowledge and skills for the engineering, monitoring, and improving information systems. Engineering good quality software products benefits from a controlled and managed development process. Managing the complexity of organisations and the complexity and proliferation of information systems and their many failures demand specialised knowledge and skills.

In particular, quality assurance engineers, project and systems managers and auditors need the knowledge and skills to monitor and assess both the software process and software artefacts in order to provide guidance and leadership for their improvement. The quality manager also needs to have the knowledge and skills for evaluation and selection of appropriate process models, methods, tools and human resources.

The business strategy of an organisation should be supported by Information Systems (IS) and Information Technology (IT) strategy. In order to achieve this, developing IS should be part of an organisation's strategic planning. This module will explore major concepts, methods and technologies needed to develop business strategies for an organisation focusing on the Internet as the medium.

Data management systems are now the central software of enterprise systems and the driving force behind e-commerce. This module will cover the fundamentals of managing industrial data. The aim of the module is to integrate theory and practice in a holistic manner. This module also aims to give students the knowledge of how to use and manage information systems to bring value to the organisation.

This module focuses on the regulation of electronic commerce activities and associated technologies. It gives students an understanding of regulatory frameworks for electronic technologies and the underlying legal principles which govern electronic commerce. The module critically examines the role of regulation in the commercial context of electronic transactions and how such regulation applies to these transactions.

Legal and regulatory issues related to intellectual property, conducting business online, privacy, jurisdiction are among topics covered. In addition to the above, the module covers regulation in the broader context of professional and ethical issues relevant to the use of information technology.

To give students an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to undertake work that is independent - shaped largely by one s own decisions and preferences; complete - accomplished from conception to delivery, via all stages in between; technically competent - employing techniques and exploiting knowledge gained during earlier parts of the programme; professionally and ethically compliant; supervised - working under the guidance but not instruction of a member of academic staff; academically sound - taking critical account of current knowledge and methods in the chosen specialist area.