Information Systems for Organizations (SIO)

This is an introductory subject to the wide field of the information systems that are used in public and private organisations. This course illustrates the historical and functional evolution of information systems starting from the first systems for MRP-I and MRP-II, moving on to ERP and CRM, and ending at BI and BSC systems. This subject also aims for students specialised in information systems to not just be able to specify and create programmes, but also to be aware of the overall strategy of their organisation; they must know the informational needs of each of the functional areas and have abstraction and oral and written communications skills.

Knowledges

1. Concept of a system, applied to companies and their Information Systems (IS).
2. Concept of company IS, and its components.
3. Concept of a transactional IS, and its components.
4. Concept of decision-making IS, and its components.
5. Concept of an IS as a strategic tool and of information as a key corporate resource.

Abilities

1. Ability to identify the information needs for managing the main functional areas in companies.
2. Ability to separate and abstract the concepts underlying acronyms, identify the most common acronyms and the needs they actually represent (and vice versa).
3. Ability to communicate effectively (i.e. to both speak and listen).
4. Ability to publicly present IS concepts and/or projects, and to write specialist article on IS.
5. Ability to critically read specialised articles on IS and assess the writer objectivity.

Competences

1. Abstraction.
2. Critical spirit.
3. Oral and written communication.
4. Teamwork.

The course comprises theory classes, classes of problems, and lectures.







Theory:







The theory classes comprise the teacher"s explanations and constitute the main part of the course. In addition to presenting the theory, the teacher will also suggest articles and practical cases for in-depth study and which will be related to the course themes.







Exercises:







These are based on students presenting articles or cases to the class and that are linked to the theme under discussion. These expositions may be given on an individual or on a group basis. A group of between 2 and 4 students will present a previously-prepared theme at each session. The presentations will then be debated by students in order to delve more deeply into the theme. The teacher will guide and moderate the debate. Students are expected to participate actively in the debate and adopt a critical and constructive role during the discussion.



Another way of obtaining points is to carry out individual or group work on the articles. The work covers those articles/readings/cases which are not dealt with in class.







Presentations:







Presentation sessions will be held at the end of the course. In these, groups of students will choose and set forth a theme relating to the course material but which was not dealt with in class. The presentations will be given in lecture format. The presentation sessions effectively constitute a kind of congress at which students are both speakers and audience. The presentations must be accompanied by a written article of the kind one would expect to see in a specialised journal.

Note 10
1) Articles & Case Studies (3 points)
2 points for the content of the presentations and papers
1 point corresponding to G4 competition

2) Final Paper (3 points)
2 points for the content of the presentations and paper
1 point corresponding to G4 skill

3) Participation in class (1 point)

4) Final Exam (3 points)

• Varis Articles SIO Bloc 1, CPET, .
• Varis Articles SIO Bloc 2, CPET, .
• Varis Casos SIO, CPET, .
• Jorge Fernández Transparències Teoria SIO, Es donaràn a classe, .

• Peter Checkland and Sue Holwell. Information, systems and information systems : making sense of the field, John Wiley & Sons, 1998.
• Rafael Andreu, Joan E. Ricart, Josep Valor Estrategia y sistemas de información, McGraw-Hill, 1996.
• Varis Articles de revistes complementaris, DATA TI, NOVATICA, etc..., Any actual.

- knowledge of organisations in general and companies in particular, from organisational, legal, and financial standpoints.

In view of the skills required, we recommend students have previously taken the following courses:

- Organisational Structures.