Business Integration of Information Systems

You are here

Home » Studies » Masters » Master in Informatics Engineering » Curriculum » Syllabus » Business Integration of Information Systems
Credits
3
Types
Elective
Requirements
This subject has not requirements, but it has got previous capacities
Department
ESSI
The contents of the course "Enterprise Integration with Information Systems" (IESI) revolve around the various meanings of the word "integration" in relation to organizations of all kinds, and information systems used by them. So, we will fist consider the the kind of problems that typically appear in organizations not structurally integrated, and proposals that contribute to a better integration of business, mainly the definition and implementation of business processes, transversal to the classical cross functional areas.

We will then see how organizations have been developing and implementing new information systems as a fundamental tool for their structural and informational integration, and as a means for their progress in terms of their functional management and its strategic direction, in other words their progress in quality and competitiveness.

Along this line, we will then get in-depth in the various integrating roles that companies seek through the main types of enterprise information systems that have been implemented in recent years, from ERP systems to BI systems, through CRM and SCM, as well as EAI projects. As a continuation of that seen in the previous course "Fundamentals of Information Systems" (FSI), we will study more in-depth the purposes, similarities and differences between these systems, and among their implementation projects.

Weekly hours

Theory
1
Problems
1
Laboratory
2
Guided learning
0
Autonomous learning
6

Competences

Technical Competences of each Specialization

Direcció i gestió

  • CDG1 - Capability to integrate technologies, applications, services and systems of Informatics Engineering, in general and in broader and multicisciplinary contexts.

Especifics

  • CTE1 - Capability to model, design, define the architecture, implement, manage, operate, administrate and maintain applications, networks, systems, services and computer contents.
  • CTE5 - Capability to analyze the information needs that arise in an environment and carry out all the stages in the process of building an information system.

Transversal Competences

Entrepreneurship and innovation

  • CTR1 - Capacity for knowing and understanding a business organization and the science that rules its activity, capability to understand the labour rules and the relationships between planning, industrial and commercial strategies, quality and profit. Capacity for developping creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation trend.

Teamwork

  • CTR3 - Capacity of being able to work as a team member, either as a regular member or performing directive activities, in order to help the development of projects in a pragmatic manner and with sense of responsibility; capability to take into account the available resources.

Objectives

  1. IESI-M1-ObjGral. Understand the aspects of enterprise integration through organizational instruments involved and the types of systems and approaches used to aspire to higher levels of integration.
    Related competences: CTE5, CTR1,
    Subcompetences:
    • • IESI-M1-Obj1. Know the reasons, areas, types and general needs of enterprise integration.
    • • IESI-M1-Obj2. Understand the approaches pursued by companies as to their integration.
    • • IESI-M1-Obj4. Understand the organizational structural instruments of the well-integrated enterprises.
    • • IESI-M1-Obj3. Understand the benefits, risks and factors that foster the integration of Business.
  2. IESI-M2-ObjGral. Understand the ERP and EAI options for Enterprise Horizontal Integration, the roles of business processes in these options and the criteria and methods regarding the provision and implementation of ERP systems and how to approach EAI projects, in addition to the concept communicational integration through Intranets.
    Related competences: CTR3, CDG1, CTE1,
    Subcompetences:
    • • IESI-M2-Obj1. Understand and differentiate between ERP and EAI options for horizontal integration.
    • • IESI-M2-Obj2. Differentiate the roles of business processes in EAI and ERP options.
    • • IESI-M2-Obj4. Understand and analyze a case of implementing an ERP system.
    • • IESI-M2-Obj5. Understand and summarize a method for EAI projects.
    • • IESI-M2-Obj3. Understand and methodically apply in a case the criteria for provisioning an ERP system.
    • • IESI-M2-Obj6. Understand and evaluate an example of an intranet for communicational integration.
  3. IESI-M3-ObjGral. Understand the CRM and SCM options for inter-organizational integration, the role of value systems in these options, and the criteria, methods and comparisons concerning the provision and implementation of CRM and SCM systems, in addition to the concept of external communicational integration through social networks.
    Related competences: CTR3, CTE1, CTR1,
    Subcompetences:
    • • IESI-M3-Obj5. Compare the approaches to implementation of CRM and SCM systems.
    • • IESI-M3-Obj2. Differentiating the roles of value systems in the CRM and SCM options.
    • • IESI-M3-Obj4. Understand and analyze a case of implementing an SCM system.
    • • IESI-M3-Obj3. Understand the criteria and synthesize a method for the provision of CRM systems.
    • • IESI-M3-Obj1. Understand and differentiate the CRM and SCM options for inter-organizational integration.
    • • IESI-M3-Obj6. Understand and evaluate an example of communicational integration through social networks.
  4. IESI-M4-ObjGral. Synthesize a conceptual map for Enterprise Integration, after understanding the business aspects of vertical integration, both intra-and inter-organizational, depending on business decisions levels, by analyzing some example of a BI system based on a BSC, as well as criteria and methods regarding the provision and implementation of BI systems.
    Related competences: CTR3, CDG1, CTE1, CTE5,
    Subcompetences:
    • • IESI-M4-Obj1. Understanding the types of vertical integration, internal and inter-organizational.
    • • IESI-M4-Obj2. Relate the levels of enterprise decision making, and their informational needs.
    • • IESI-M4-Obj4. Understand the criteria and approaches for the provision and implementation of BI systems.
    • • IESI-M4-Obj5. Synthesize a conceptual map of Enterprise Integration, IS types and projects.
    • • IESI-M4-Obj3. Analyze a case of a BI system based on BSC, for vertical integration.

Contents

  1. Module 1. Motivation and Basics of Enterprise Integration.
    1.1. People, Enterprises, Organisations and Information Systems.
    1.2. The functional specialization in Organizations (Functional Silos).
    1.3. Information Systems "scarcely integrated" (Automation Islands).
    1.4. Concept, definition and motivations of Enterprise Integration.
    1.5. Integration domains: transactional, decision-making and communication.
    1.6. Basic approaches to enterprise integration with information systems.
    1.6.1. Horizontal integration of internal or intra-organizational
    1.6.2. Horizontal integration to the outside or inter-organizational (Forward and Backward).
    1.6.3. Vertical integration (Upward Integration).
    1.7. Benefits, risks and enablers of enterprise integration.
    1.8. Towards a transversal backbone: business processes, value systems and decision levels.
  2. Module 2. Internal Horizontal Integration.
    2.1. Concept and definition of internal horizontal or intra-organizational integration
    2.2. Alternatives and markets for horizontal internal integration: ERP Systems vs. EAI projects.
    2.3. Horizontal internal integration with ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning systems).
    2.3.1. The ERP system as the integration kernel of the enterprise.
    2.3.2. Central role of business processes in ERP systems.
    2.3.3. Strategic provision and implementation of the ERP system: criticality, criteria and methods.
    2.4. Horizontal internal integration through projects for EAI (Enterprise Application Integration).
    2.4.1. EAI projects as a tool for integration and interoperability of various applications.
    2.4.2. The History of EAI: architectures, tools, projects, EAI for "ad hoc" integrations.
    2.4.3. Methods for EAI centered around business processes.
    2.5. Comparison and prospective for the ERP and EAI of strategies.
    2.6. Integration domains and the ERP and EAI strategies: transactions and decisions.
    2.7. Tools and projects for internal communicational integration: Intranets.
  3. Module 3. Horizontal Outwards integration.
    3.1. Definition and concept of horizontal outwards, or inter-organizational, integration.
    3.2. Enterprise integration towards customers (Forward Integration).
    3.2.1. CRM systems (Customer Relationship Management).
    3.2.2. Business processes, value systems and CRM systems.
    3.2.3. Market, and strategic provision and implementation of a CRM system.
    3.3 Enterprise integration towards purveyors (Backwards Integration).
    3.3.1. SCM systems (Supply Chain Management systems).
    3.3.2. Business processes, value systems and SCM systems
    3.3.3. Market, and strategic provision and implementation of a SCM system.
    3.4. Comparison between CRM and SCM implementations: Prospects, methods and criteria.
    3.5. Integration domains and CRM and SCM strategies: Transactions, decisions and communication.
    3.6. Other examples of outwards integration: eCommerce, eProcurement, etc..
    3.7. Tools and projects for outwards communicational integration: Social Networks and Extranets.
  4. Module 4. Vertical integration and advanced topics.
    4.1. Concept and definition of vertical integration (Upward Integration).
    4.2. Different needs of vertical enterprise integration, internal and outwards.
    4.3. Decision levels, at corporate and enterprise levels, and informational features.
    4.4. Vertical integration systems using BI (Business Intelligence).
    4.4.1. Concept and scope of current BI: data warehouse, data-mining, analytical process, etc..
    4.4.2. BI antecedents: Decision Support Systems (DSS) and Executive Information Systems (EIS).
    4.4.3. Market, and strategic provision and implementation of a BI system.
    4.5. BSC (Balanced Score Card) as a conceptual tool for vertical integration.
    4.6. Integration domains and the BI strategy: Decisions and communication.
    4.7. Comprehensive comparison of all types of Enterprise Integration, including involved IS types and projects.
    4.8. Roles of IS integration within mergers, acquisitions and outsourcing.

Activities

Activity Evaluation act


Activities of Module 1. Motivation and Basics of Enterprise Integration.

Students should read this guide, which will specify the materials associated with the module. Themes from the module will be distributed and assigned to the established student teams. Students can discuss in team exercises the AC module, but must resolve individually. The exercises will be the topics discussed collectivelly all, and the topics assigned to each team.
Objectives: 1
Contents:
Theory
1h
Problems
1h
Laboratory
2h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
6h

Activities Module 2 (1st part). Internal Horizontal Integration.

Students should read this guide, which will specify the materials associated with the module. Themes from the module will be distributed and assigned to the established student teams.
Objectives: 2
Contents:
Theory
1h
Problems
1h
Laboratory
2h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
6h

Activities Module 2 (2nd part). Internal Horizontal Integration.

Students can discuss in team exercises the AC module, but must resolve individually. The exercises will be the topics discussed collectivelly all, and the topics assigned to each team.
Objectives: 2
Contents:
Theory
1h
Problems
1h
Laboratory
2h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
6h

Activities Module 3 (1st part). Horizontal outwards integration.

Students should read this guide, which will specify the materials associated with the module. Themes from the module will be distributed and assigned to the established student teams.
Objectives: 3
Contents:
Theory
1h
Problems
1h
Laboratory
2h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
6h

Activities Module 3 (2nd part). Horizontal outwards integration.

Students can discuss in team exercises the AC module, but must resolve individually. The exercises will be the topics discussed collectivelly all, and the topics assigned to each team.
Objectives: 3
Contents:
Theory
1h
Problems
1h
Laboratory
2h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
6h

Activities Module 4 (1st part). Vertical integration and advanced topics.

Students should read this guide, which will specify the materials associated with the module. Themes from the module will be distributed and assigned to the established student teams.
Objectives: 4
Contents:
Theory
1h
Problems
1h
Laboratory
2h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
6h

Activities Module 4 (2nd part). Vertical integration and advanced topics.

Students can discuss in team exercises the AC module, but must resolve individually. The exercises will be the topics discussed collectivelly all, and the topics assigned to each team.
Objectives: 4
Contents:
Theory
1h
Problems
1h
Laboratory
2h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
6h

Teaching methodology

IESI's learning methodology will consist in the active assistance of students to all or most of the classes, which are of three types of sessions (theory, problems and laboratory). To make maximum use of these sessions, and closely synchronized with these, students will be working on various teaching materials for the course (chapters of the base reference book, articles, reports, blogs and other materials selected, etc..).

The teacher will propose and introduce, along the various course modules, the selective reading of the materials (distributed by themes, assigned to student teams), through the publication of a Didactic Guide at the beginning of each module. In order to ensure maximum utilization and completion of the course, students should follow the study guidelines and recommendations concerning the contents of the subject published in the didactic guide for each module as a guiding principle of work. Both the didactic guides and most materials are available to students through Atenea, in the space designated for IESI.

Active monitoring of IESI Atenea space is of paramount interest of the students, since, besides the reminders made at the classroom, this will be the virtual home that the teacher uses to guide students, and to outline the various activities of research and evaluation. Additionally, this area of ​​Atenea will become the access point and common reference which, in addition to the face-to-face sessions, will be used for written doubts and questions, and where answers and proposals will be discussed, at least the most common ones.

This course has a clear conceptual theoretical nature, but the teacher will put a special emphasis on linking and promoting a vision of professional practice-oriented topics, through materials and activities proposed for the subject, that will be selected and presented for students to think and analyze professional experiences (their own and that of others, through cases) in the topics within the scope of the course.

Given the nature of the subject - and the fact that this is a first pilot and experimental edition- we have considered as appropriate to establish a model of continuous assessment (CA) as the only way to overcome the course. The syllabus is structured in four modules of two weeks duration - except the first module which lasts one week.

The complete schedule of the subject will be found fully detailed at the FIB Racó and at Atenea, in the space set for IESI. The dynamic functioning of the modules will be uniform throughout the course.

Evaluation methodology

The final grade (NFA) of IESI will be obtained by weighting the mark AC (NAC), the grade of Discussions and Presentations (NDP) and grade for the Practical Case (NCP) by the following formula:

NFA = 0.3 NAC + 0.3 NDP + 0.3 NCP + 0.1 NCT

The calculation of the final grade is achieved by combining the individual assessment of the activities of AC (30%), the grade from involvement in discussions and presentations (30%), the grade from the resolution of the transversal practical case (30%), and the grade for transversal competences (10%).

This means that IESI can only be passed through the ongoing participation, proactive and visible throughout the course. Students must meet the mandatory group and individual activities proposed by the teacher to pass the course.

This AC is composed of four evaluative activities of AC, each of which is directly linked to a thematic modules of the course. The correlation between the modules and assessment activities of AC and proposed publication dates of delivery will be detailed at the FIB Racó and the Atenea space for IESI. The weight of each of the four assessment activities of AC for the calculation of the continuous assessment mark (AC) will be 25%.

Particularly valued will be the participation in debates in the classroom, either orally at the face-to-face sessions or by writing in the space of Atenea, as the visible participation in work related to the transversal case.

The assessment of transversal competencies, or generic skills, and their integration into the NFA, established in accordance with criteria established by the FIB to this issue in relation to the MEI, and the final allocation of competencies to IESI, which currently are "Enterpreneurship and Innovation" and "Team Work".

To qualify for honors, students must have demonstrated a high level of excellence in their work throughout the learning process, including discussions, presentations and transversal resolution of the case study. This means you must have the highest mark in all grades awarded. Once this premise is satisfied, or in very close situations, the decision and responsibility to grant or not the statement of MH (honors) will be the sole responsibility of the teacher, according to all the merits demonstrated by the student throughout the study period of IESI.

Bibliography

Basic:

  • Enterprise Integration - Sandoe, Kent; Corbitt, Gail and Boykin, Raymond, John Willey & Sons, 2001.

Complementary:

  • Enterprise Information Systems for Business Integration in SMEs - Cruz-Cunha, Maria M., Business Science Reference, IGI-Global , 2010.
  • Information Systems Reengineering and Integration - Fong, Joseph , Springer , 2006.
  • Los Sistemas de Información en la Empresa Actual - Sieber, Sandra; Valor, Josep; Porta, Valentín , McGraw-Hill Interamericana , 2006.
  • Sistemas de Información - Herramientas prácticas para la gestión - Gómez, Álvaro; Suárez, Carlos , Editorial RA-MA , 2009.
  • Estrategia y sistemas de información - Andreu, Rafael i Ricart, Joan E. , McGraw-Hill Interamericana , 1996.

Previous capacities

The IESI course within the MEI

"Integration of Enterprise Information Systems" (IESI) is a newly created elective course, of type CMT (Complement de Matèries Tècniques) within the MEI of the FIB. It complements the compulsory courses named "Strategic Plan and IT Governance" and "Information Systems Development and Management", and may serve as training for other types of possible CMT electives that may be offered in the future for the MEI, within the scope of planning and strategic management of information systems.

Professional fields in which IESI projects

Consultants, computing and services business and departments, to develop strategic projects for the provision and implementation of enterprise information systems, as well as projects for designing and/or re-engineering business processes, for public or private businesses . Research, development and innovation in the fields of Engineering and Management of Services and Information Systems.