Monash University Handbook 2011 Undergraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Synopsis

The unit will provide students with an introduction and broad overview of the application of IT to the management of information in organisations, and the role of the IT professional in developing and implementing IT-based solutions to information problems. The discussion of the organisational framework for IT and IT professional practice will be set within its broader social context. The opportunities, problems and risks associated with IT will be examined, together with their implications for the rights and responsibilities of IT professionals.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit students will have -
A theoretical and conceptual understanding of:

• basic concepts of information, including organisational and social issues relating to the ownership and control of information;
• basic concepts of information systems, including their role and importance in organisations and society;
• basic concepts of organisations, including organisational structures, the roles of individuals and groups in organisations, the role of communication in achieving organisational objectives, and the nature of communication in organisations;
• basic concepts of IT as it is used in organisations and society, including the evolution of the role of IT in organisations and society;
• information technologies and information technology infrastructures employed by organisations;
• the business and information management processes and functions for which IT is used in organisations, and in which IT professionals are involved;
• opportunities, risks and liabilities arising from the usage and application of IT in organisations;
• processes of acquiring, developing and managing IT in organisations;
• techniques and tools for describing and analysing information management processes in organisations;
• the roles of IT workers in organisations and the range of ethical and professional rights and responsibilities associated with them; and
• organisational and social issues arising from the use of IT in organisations, including privacy and civil liberties issues.

• recognise the importance of information to organisational processes and functions;
• recognise the opportunities and limitations of the role which IT can play in managing information in organisations; and
• appreciate the importance of the IT practitioners role in organisations and society, and the responsibilities it entails.

• document organisational information-related functions and processes;
• assess the potential scope for using IT as part of the solution to an organisational information problem;
• identify and discuss issues, problems and opportunities in using IT in organisations;
• identify and discuss the organisational and social impacts of IT, and the ethical dimensions of IT-related decisions;
• recognise the team skills necessary for successful development and implementation of IT solutions to information problems in organisations; and
• appreciate the importance of the inter-relationships between IT professionals and the stakeholders in IT-based systems in organisations.

Assessment

Examination (3 hours): 60%; In-semester assessment: 40%

Chief examiner(s)

Mr Abraham van der Vyver

Contact hours

2 hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs tutorials/wk

Prohibitions

CSE1204, ELC1000, IMS1704, BUS1021, CPE1006

Additional information on this unit is available from the faculty at:

http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/units/fit1003/