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

This unit examines the way in which information technology influences the structures and operations of organisations and organisational approaches to the management and use of information. The capabilities and limitations of technologies and the way they have been commoditised and standardised in the marketplace are fundamental determinants of what IT-based applications are capable of achieving. As technologies have evolved and been commoditised, they have shaped and in turn been shaped by what individuals and organisations want and expect from them. This unit applies this perspective as a basis for analysing the main technologies employed by organisations for the use and management of information.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit, students will:

• know and understand the impacts of advances in information technologies on organisations, their structures and the way they use and manage information to support their operations;
• know and understand how the needs of organisations and the marketplace influence the path of technology evolution;
• know and understand some of the key factors which contribute to the success or failure of technology-based innovations in organisations;
• recognise the strengths and weaknesses of information technology for performing a variety of common information tasks;
• be able to evaluate the merits and disadvantages of a technology-based solution to an organisational information need or problem;
• be able to carry out a critical analysis of an area of technology and make an assessment of its likely future impacts on an organisation.

Assessment

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

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Joanne Evans

Contact hours

2 hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs tutorial/wk

Prerequisites

FIT1036 or FIT1003

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

http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/units/fit2074.html