FIT3066 Information technology strategy and management - Semester 1, 2009

Caulfield

• Martin Atchison

Malaysia

• Saadat M. Alhashmi

Caulfield

• Martin Atchison
• Other tutors to be advised

Malaysia

• Saadat M. Alhashmi

Prerequisites

Before attempting this unit you must have satisfactorily completed

FIT1003 or CSE1205 or IMS1002 or IMS2805 or FIT2027 or equivalent

Relationships

FIT3066 is a core unit in the Information Systems major of the BITS.

Before attempting this unit you must have satisfactorily completed

FIT1003 or CSE1205 or IMS1002 or IMS2805 or FIT2027 or equivalent

You may not study this unit and

IMS3002, GCO3816 (Translation for IMS3002)

Unit leader

Lecturer(s) :

Tutor(s) :

Lectures will be used to introduce key themes and highlight the main points of interest within each theme.  Tutorials will be used to discuss the application of theory in practical situations.  Case studies of IT management practice will be used as the basis for discussion of issues.  Students will be expected to carry out their own case study analyses of organizations and present the findings as the basis for discussions in class.  Students will be required to make use of reference material to provide examples of management issues and current practices.

Tutorial allocation

On-campus students should register for tutorials using Allocate+

Communication, participation and feedback

Monash aims to provide a learning environment in which students receive a range of ongoing feedback throughout their studies. You will receive feedback on your work and progress in this unit. This may take the form of group feedback, individual feedback, peer feedback, self-comparison, verbal and written feedback, discussions (on line and in class) as well as more formal feedback related to assignment marks and grades. You are encouraged to draw on a variety of feedback to enhance your learning.

It is essential that you take action immediately if you realise that you have a problem that is affecting your study. Semesters are short, so we can help you best if you let us know as soon as problems arise. Regardless of whether the problem is related directly to your progress in the unit, if it is likely to interfere with your progress you should discuss it with your lecturer or a Community Service counsellor as soon as possible.

Unit Schedule

Week	Topic	Key dates
1	Introduction to unit. Definition of basic concepts
2	Case study of strategy and management in action. Introduction to key themes
3	Introduction to Theme 1: Business and organizational role of IT/IS; Organizational rationales for IT/IS usage: efficiency, effectiveness, competitiveness, business process improvement, inter-organizational linkages, new business models. Fads and fashions in the evolving role of IT/IS usage
4	Theories of management and strategy for IT/IS: Innovation and maturity models Stages of growth and strategic grid models; Critical Success Factors; Business alignment; Nick Carr and IT as infrastructure
5	Choosing the IT/IS management strategy, risk, competitiveness, etc. Introduction to Theme 2: Hardware management and strategy; Technology trends and impacts on organizational technology decisions
6	Specialisation and standardisation; hardware integration
Mid semester break
7	Hardware architectures from strategy to architecture to infrastructure elements
8	Introduction to Theme 3: Systems and data management and strategy. Integration of systems; ERP, CRM
9	Web Services and service-oriented architectures. Integration and sharing of data; data warehousing
10	Knowledge management. Introduction to Theme 4: IT governance. Aims and objectives of governance; recent history
11	Measuring/justifying/auditing IT expenditure. Insourcing, outsourcing and levels of service
12	Risk management. Evolution of standards and best practice for IT governance
13	Review

Prescribed text(s) and readings

No required textbook

Recommended text(s) and readings

Boddy D, Boonstra A & Kennedy G (2005) Managing Information Systems, Prentice Hall

Pearlson K & Saunders C (2004) Managing and Using Information Systems: A Strategic Approach, Wiley  

Turban E, Leidner D, McLean E & Wetherbe, J. (2005) Information Technology for Management: Transforming Organizations in the Digital Economy (5th Edition) Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 0-471-705225

Martin E, Brown C, DeHayes, D, Hoffer, J & Perkins W. (2005) Managing Information Technology (5th Edition). Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0-13-129731-0

Gray P. (2006) Manager's Guide to Making Decisions about Information Systems. Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 0-471-26359-1

Laudon, K.C. & Laudon, J.P. (2006) Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm (9th Edition). Pearson/Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0-13-153841-1

Equipment and consumables required or provided

Students will need access to:

• a personal computer with Windows XP
• the internet via dial-up connection or preferably by broadband
• a printer for assignments

Study resources

Study resources we will provide for your study are:

Weekly detailed lecture notes outlining the learning objectives, discussion of the content, required readings and  exercises;

Weekly tutorial or laboratory tasks and exercises with some sample solutions;

Assignment specifications and some sample solutions;

Sample examination questions and solutions; 

Access to past examination papers;

This Unit Guide outlining the administrative information for the unit;

The unit web site on MUSO, where resources outlined above will be made available.

Library access

The Monash University Library site contains details about borrowing rights and catalogue searching.  To learn more about the library and the various resources available, please go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au.

The Educational Library and Media Resources (LMR) is also a very resourceful place to visit at http://www.education.monash.edu.au/library/

Monash University Studies Online (MUSO)

All unit and lecture materials are available through MUSO (Monash University Studies Online). Blackboard is the primary application used to deliver your unit resources. Some units will be piloted in Moodle. If your unit is piloted in Moodle, you will see a link from your Blackboard unit to Moodle (http://moodle.monash.edu.au) and can bookmark this link to access directly. In Moodle, from the Faculty of Information Technology category, click on the link for your unit.

You can access MUSO and Blackboard via the portal: http://my.monash.edu.au

Click on the Study and enrolment tab, then Blackboard under the MUSO learning systems.

In order for your Blackboard unit(s) to function correctly, your computer needs to be correctly configured.

For example:

• Blackboard supported browser
• Supported Java runtime environment

For more information, please visit: http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/downloadables-student.html

You can contact the MUSO Support by phone : (+61 3) 9903 1268

For further contact information including operational hours, please visit: http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/contact.html

Further information can be obtained from the MUSO support site: http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/index.html

Unit assessment policy

To pass this unit, a student must obtain :

• 40% or more in the unit's examination and
• 40% or more in the unit's non-examination assessment
   and
• an overall unit mark of 50% or more

If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination assessment then a mark of no greater than 44-N will be recorded for the unit.

Assignment tasks

• Assignment Task

  Title : Assignment 1

  Description :

  Specific tasks will be allocated to students when the assignment is handed out in week 2 of semester

  Weighting : 15%

  Criteria for assessment :

  Criteria for assessment will be supplied when the assignment is handed out in week 2 of semester

  Due date : Week 5 during tutorial

• Assignment Task

  Title : Assignment 2

  Description :

  Details of the assignment tasks will be included in the assignment specification which will be handed out in week 2 of semester

  Weighting : 15%

  Criteria for assessment :

  Criteria for assessment will be supplied when the assignment is handed out during semester

  Due date : Date for submission will vary from student to student; details for each student will be arranged in tutorial classes

• Assignment Task

  Title : Assignment 3

  Description :

  Details of the assignment tasks will be included in the assignment specification which will be handed out in week 5 of semester

  Weighting : 20%

  Criteria for assessment :

  Criteria for assessment will be supplied when the assignment is handed out during semester

  Due date : Week 12 during tutorial

Examinations

• Examination 1

  Weighting : 50%

  Length : 3 hours

  Type ( open/closed book ) : Closed book

  Remarks ( optional - leave blank for none ) :

  Final examination held during formal Semester 1 examination period
  
  

Assignment submission

Assignments will be submitted to your tutor.

Assignment coversheets

All submitted assignments must have an appropriate assignment cover sheet downloaded from the faculty web site via the "Student assignment coversheets" ( http://infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/assignments/ )

Due dates and extensions

The due dates for the submission of assignments are given in the previous section. Please make every effort to submit work by the due dates. It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are seldom regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

Requests for extensions must be made to the unit lecturer at your campus at least two days before the due date. You will be asked to forward original medical certificates in cases of illness, and may be asked to provide other forms of documentation where necessary. A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.

Late assignment

Assignments received after the due date will be subject to a penalty of 5% per day, including weekends. Assignments received later than one week (seven days) after the due date will not normally be accepted. In some cases, this period may be shorter if there is a need to release sample solutions.

This policy is strict because comments or guidance will be given on assignments as they are returned, and sample solutions may also be published and distributed, after assignment marking or with the returned assignment.

Return dates

Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later.

Assessment for the unit as a whole is in accordance with the provisions of the Monash University Education Policy at http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/assessment/

We will aim to have assignment results made available to you within two weeks after assignment receipt.

Plagiarism, cheating and collusion

Plagiarism and cheating are regarded as very serious offences. In cases where cheating  has been confirmed, students have been severely penalised, from losing all marks for an assignment, to facing disciplinary action at the Faculty level. While we would wish that all our students adhere to sound ethical conduct and honesty, I will ask you to acquaint yourself with Student Rights and Responsibilities (http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/about/committees-groups/facboard/policies/studrights.html) and the Faculty regulations that apply to students detected cheating as these will be applied in all detected cases.

In this University, cheating means seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in any examination or any other written or practical work to be submitted or completed by a student for assessment. It includes the use, or attempted use, of any means to gain an unfair advantage for any assessable work in the unit, where the means is contrary to the instructions for such work. 

When you submit an individual assessment item, such as a program, a report, an essay, assignment or other piece of work, under your name you are understood to be stating that this is your own work. If a submission is identical with, or similar to, someone else's work, an assumption of cheating may arise. If you are planning on working with another student, it is acceptable to undertake research together, and discuss problems, but it is not acceptable to jointly develop or share solutions unless this is specified by your lecturer. 

Intentionally providing students with your solutions to assignments is classified as "assisting to cheat" and students who do this may be subject to disciplinary action. You should take reasonable care that your solution is not accidentally or deliberately obtained by other students. For example, do not leave copies of your work in progress on the hard drives of shared computers, and do not show your work to other students. If you believe this may have happened, please be sure to contact your lecturer as soon as possible.

Cheating also includes taking into an examination any material contrary to the regulations, including any bilingual dictionary, whether or not with the intention of using it to obtain an advantage.

Plagiarism involves the false representation of another person's ideas, or findings, as your own by either copying material or paraphrasing without citing sources. It is both professional and ethical to reference clearly the ideas and information that you have used from another writer. If the source is not identified, then you have plagiarised work of the other author. Plagiarism is a form of dishonesty that is insulting to the reader and grossly unfair to your student colleagues.

Register of counselling about plagiarism

The university requires faculties to keep a simple and confidential register to record counselling to students about plagiarism (e.g. warnings). The register is accessible to Associate Deans Teaching (or nominees) and, where requested, students concerned have access to their own details in the register. The register is to serve as a record of counselling about the nature of plagiarism, not as a record of allegations; and no provision of appeals in relation to the register is necessary or applicable.

Non-discriminatory language

The Faculty of Information Technology is committed to the use of non-discriminatory language in all forms of communication. Discriminatory language is that which refers in abusive terms to gender, race, age, sexual orientation, citizenship or nationality, ethnic or language background, physical or mental ability, or political or religious views, or which stereotypes groups in an adverse manner. This is not meant to preclude or inhibit legitimate academic debate on any issue; however, the language used in such debate should be non-discriminatory and sensitive to these matters. It is important to avoid the use of discriminatory language in your communications and written work. The most common form of discriminatory language in academic work tends to be in the area of gender inclusiveness. You are, therefore, requested to check for this and to ensure your work and communications are non-discriminatory in all respects.

Students with disabilities

Students with disabilities that may disadvantage them in assessment should seek advice from one of the following before completing assessment tasks and examinations:

• Faculty of Information Technology Student Service staff, and / or
• your Unit Coordinator, or
• Disabilities Liaison Unit

Deferred assessment and special consideration

Deferred assessment (not to be confused with an extension for submission of an assignment) may be granted in cases of extenuating personal circumstances such as serious personal illness or bereavement. Information and forms for Special Consideration and deferred assessment applications are available at http://www.monash.edu.au/exams/special-consideration.html. Contact the Faculty's Student Services staff at your campus for further information and advice.