Business Information Systems Management MSc

The main aim of this module is to provide you with the knowledge and skills to better understand the quality management of information systems within organisations.

Once successfully completing the module, you should have an excellent grounding to support further development within industry in information systems quality management, or in job roles such as business systems analyst.

The module covers the different approaches to the software development lifecycle and also overviews the project management lifecycle.

It considers operational business processes within organisations and the impact of change, discussing organisational structures. It includes teaching business process modelling.

The development and key theories of quality management within organisations is presented showing how quality management has evolved since the 1980s.

Various different quality management methods are introduced and their cost-effectiveness is assessed. The quality evaluation and certification of products and processes are also covered.

This module focuses on the regulation of electronic commerce activities and associated technologies.

It gives you an understanding of regulatory frameworks for electronic technologies and the underlying legal principles that 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, taxation, cyber crime, dispute resolution are among many 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.

The business strategy of an organisation should be supported by a well-defined system architecture where Information Systems (IS) strategy is aligned to business strategy. In order to achieve this, developing IS infrastructure 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. Most organisations today are involved with internet-based communications to achieve competitive advantages. This module will also cover the fundamentals of managing an enterprise, which heavily depends on the internet and technologies to make their organisations more efficient to gain competitive advantages. Finally, this module will give students knowledge on how to use and manage information systems to bring value to an organisation. Special focus is given to new technologies and strategies used in new business models.

This module will give you an opportunity to:

• Identify an appropriate topic area, taking account of the nature of the course of study (BISM or ESDF) and the student’s own particular interests and within the area, select a suitable research problem for investigation and solution
• Critically place the problem and its solution within the context of the body of knowledge within the topic area
• Plan and execute a professional project so as to accomplish its set goals within the allotted time and with given ethical guidelines
• Apply previously-learned knowledge and techniques to the solution of the problem and to the management of the project
• Critically evaluate the results and/or conclusions of the work completed.

On completion of this module, the you will be able to:

• Present a satisfactory written account of how the project was completed and what was found or produced
• Use information tools and resources effectively
• Work independently and take responsibility for your work.

It is widely recognised that knowledge has become one of the most important resources in modern economy. However, understanding of how to measure and manage this resource is not straightforward.

Knowledge management is a quickly evolving multidisciplinary field of research combining elements of organisational science, information technology and even artificial intelligence aimed at developing new strategies for management and fostering knowledge in organisations.

To maintain competitive advantage in the knowledge economy, organisations have to invest into these knowledge management strategies.

The aim of this module is to enable you to draw upon the latest theory and practice in knowledge management to be able to assist organisations in developing knowledge management systems that nurture and exploit business, social and technological aspects of the organisation.

This module covers the concepts and theories of managing large data, i.e. Data warehouse, Data mining. It also explores technologies and algorithms for handling a large amount of data, i.e., data modelling, data projection and data transformation to discover knowledge from large data sets. The module is designed to apply the theories of decision-making and data analytics using some of the most widely used contemporary methods enabling modern decision support systems.  In particular, the module applies theories and practices of enterprise decision making, for example, statistical modelling, forecasting and trend analysis to tackle the challenges of uncertainty.

Whether you are studying full or part-time – your course timetable will balance your study commitments on campus with time for work, life commitments and independent study.

We aim to make timetables available to students at least 2 weeks before the start of term. Some weeks are different due to how we schedule classes and arrange on campus sessions.

Typical weekly breakdown

Each of the four taught modules is allocated 3 hours of teaching per week and 9.5 hours for independent study.

Teaching vs independent study

In a typical year, you’ll spend about 1200 hours on your course.

Outside of teaching hours, you’ll learn independently through reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, and preparing for assessments including coursework and presentations.

Learning terms

On-campus: This includes tutor-led sessions such as seminars, lab sessions and demonstrations as well as student-led sessions for work in small groups.

Independent study: This is the work you do in your own time including reading and research.

Part-time study

You can also study this course part-time over two years. You will complete two taught modules per academic year.

You will be based at our north London campus.

You will be assessed 100% through coursework and your research project. Assessments may include research papers and extended abstracts, essays, reports, critical analyses of research issues, database exercises, posters, presentations and case study assignments. Some assessed work will be done in groups and you’ll receive regular feedback on all work.

For your independent computing project you will plan, conduct and produce an original piece of research relevant to the industry. You will be assessed on your written report and possibly via an oral examination.

You'll evaluate your work, skills and knowledge and identify areas for improvement. Sometimes you'll work in groups and assess each other's progress. Each term, you'll get regular feedback on your learning.