MODULE DESCRIPTOR

 

MODULE TITLE	Digital Enterprise
Module Code	12-5820-00
Level	5
Credit Points	20
Indicative Assessment Components & Percentage Weightings	100% Coursework
Pre-Requisite Modules (if applicable)

 

1          MODULE AIMS

 

Over the past decade we have seen exceptional growth in global business opportunities and remarkable development in the development of communication technology.  It is therefore not surprising that organisations are eager to take advantage of technology to develop their business and to take advantage of prolific global opportunities.  These factors in turn have led to new organisational forms compounded by new organisational objectives and new challenges in managing them.  In essence the traditional business processes are transformed to digital processes and hence these new organisations are referred to as a digital enterprise.

 

This module introduces you to the nature of the digital enterprise and the critical role that technology plays in its operation and management.  To appreciate this, you need to understand

• The role that information systems play in competitive business environments
• Traditional hierarchical organisational structures and the potential impact of technological development of telecommunication networks up on these structures
• Organisational business processes and how these may be re-engineered through the use of technology

 

You should also expect to appraise the global changes that have altered the business environment and their legal and ethical impact on the global community.  In addition this module aims to familiarise you with the technological infrastructure, solutions and system architectures that enable organisational change and improved operations and business processes.

 

2          MODULE LEARNING OUTCOMES

BY THE END OF THE MODULE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO

 

By the end of the module you should be able to:

 

1.      Explain what an information system is, what role it plays in today's competitive business environment and how it enables the transformation of a traditional organisational hierarchy to one of the digital enterprise.

2.      Appreciate steady state business processes within organisations, discuss the different business systems that support these processes and evaluate the advantages in managing the enterprise digitally.

3.      Examine the way in which technology is changing society, the organisation, the global economy and discuss its legal and ethical impact on the global community.

4.      Explore the ways business processes are designed and how organisations in which Internet and information technology are central to the operations are managed.

5.      Establish a basic understanding of organisational communication networks, non-proprietary Internet network and the Internet applications that enable electronic transactions both within the enterprise and with external business partners.

 

3          INDICATIVE LEARNING, TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

 

This module may be delivered through a series of lectures, student-centred learning activities and seminars.   Your attendance is compulsory and you are required to prepare for the sessions before hand through self study.

 

Assessment of the module will be continuous throughout the year.  Coursework is likely to comprise of a number of online phase tests to assess all learning outcomes.  You may be required to undertake research projects and presentation of the outcomes to your peers.  These could be on individual basis or in groups.

 

To pass the module you are required to gain a weighted average of 40% between the coursework elements.  Details will be published in module handbook.

 

4          INDICATIVE MODULE CONTENTS / TOPICS

 

Organisational theory and role of information systems in competitive business environments

• Information processing activities
• Different types of information systems
• Steady state business processes
• Knowledge management
• Customer relationship management
• Enterprise resource planning
• Supply chain management
• Management processes and activities

Global changes that have altered the business environment:

• Globalisation
• Role of IMF and World-Bank
• Legal-ethical-social issues and imperialism
• Information economy
• Transformation of enterprise
• Emergence of digital firm
• Impact on organisational structure
• Knowledge management in digital firm
• Decentralisation of decision making

Communication infrastructure, public and proprietary telecommunication standards and networks

• Local and Wide Area Networks
• Electronic Data Interchange
• Internet and WWW
• History
• Standards
• Distributed architectures
• Distributed databases
• Web-based integration of systems
• Legacy databases
• Role of XML

Exploration of issues surrounding the implementation of an information system

• Business process re-engineering
• Understanding change management
• Implementation management

 

 

FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS MODULE

 

FURTHER / ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT THIS MODULE, INCLUDING ASSESSMENT CRITERIA DETAILING HOW YOUR PERFORMANCE IN THE MODULE WILL BE MEASURED, HOW YOU WILL RECEIVE FEEDBACK, DETAILS OF LEARNING RESOURCES AND KEY READINGS

 

THIS INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN:

 

• Learning material will be published using an online learning resource such as Blackboard or a Website.
• You will be provided with a schedule for the delivery of the module and its assessment strategy.
• NOTE THAT THIS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE FROM YEAR TO YEAR