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This course focuses on the interactions among organizational strategy, information systems (IS) and information technology (IT). This course will explain how IS and IT support, affect, and drive organizational strategy as well as how strategic tools help in designing, implementing and evaluating an organization's IS/IT function. The former emphasizes the role of IS/IT in improving process efficiency, changing managerial decision-making and transforming business models whereas the latter centers on effectively developing and governing IS/IT within an organization.
After completing this course, the students will be able to:
- Analyze the interactions among organizational strategy and information systems/information technology;
- Understand the potential and value-adding nature of IT and IS to organizational strategy;
- Identify the demands from organizational strategy to the IS/IT function;
- Develop a functional strategy for IS/IT aligned with the organizational strategy;
- Organize IS/IT and design the IS function.
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The course will demonstrate why and how strategic planning of information systems are essential to organizational success. The discussion emphasizes in particular the 'demand' side of information management. The demand for information and information systems of any organization is based on the organizational strategy (corporate, business, functional levels), its organizational design, and business processes. It also addresses the strategic opportunities offered by IS/IT to alter a firm's strategy, business model and operations. This course deals with Information Systems Strategy as a staged decision making process (orientation, evaluation, and choice), through which current and future IS needs are being explored, existing IS are being evaluated and finally an IS plan is developed.
The course content consists of four parts. The first part introduces the concepts of IS/IT. The second part deals with the contributions of IS/IT to strategy by investigating how IS/IT allows firms to compete on new dimension or in new ways. The third part is concerned with the functional IS/IT strategy, specifically the prioritization, development and implementation of IS/IT projects. The last part of this course focuses on the issues at the intersection of IS/IT and stratgy, like embedding the IS/IT function within the organization, dealing with IS/IT during M&A, and corporate governance. Each class aims to provide an overview of one topic by combining relevant theories and models with practical examples.
Students are expected to regularly attend the classes. During the course students will write a group paper that counts for 40% of the final grade. The requirements and details of this group paper are included in the syllabus available on Blackboard. At the end of the course there will be a closed book exam that counts for 60% of the final grade.
Type of instructions
Lectures and tutorials
Type of exams
Written exam (50%), group paper (30%), case presentations (20%)
Compulsory Reading
1. Peppard & Ward, The Strategic Management of Information Systems: Building a Digital Strategy, 2016. 4th Edition
2. List of selected readings included in the syllabus available on Blackboard
Important note:
This course is part of different programs using different systems. We will use the Blackboard system which is available to everyone (not Moodle). We will use Blackboard for forming teams, collaborating, communicating, submitting assignments, etc. So make sure you use this system ( https://edubb.uvt.nl/ ). |
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