Time: Weekends: March 31, April 1, 21/22, May 5/6, 19/20 9.00 to 16.00

Lecturer: Dr.Richard J.Housden.

Brief description of course: (3 semester hours)

This course will examine the issue of linking information systems technology with business objectives. Alternative structures for matching the system organization with the overall organization will be discussed and evaluated. Planning mechanisms and strategies will be examined. Behavior and legal issues that relate to information systems management will be addressed. Case studies will be used to expose students to information systems policy issues.

The course is designed as a capstone course that will tie together concepts covered in other courses. The information needs of various organizations are integrated with the existing and future information systems and technology through the information systems master development plan. How to develop this master plan and its associated policies is the overall theme of the course.

Learning goals : At the conclusion of this course, the student should :

Prerequisite: INSS 540 or permission of instructor.

Assignments and examinations will be assessed and grades awarded in accordance with the following scales :

For group work, the same grade will be awarded to each member of the group.

Credit will be given for both content and clarity of written and oral presentation.

Students are advised that the grade for work submitted after the due date without an accepted excuse may be reduced.

The final grade for the course will be determined from the weighted sum of the percentage grades assigned for each of the examinations and other evaluated activities.

Instructor: Dr. Richard J. Housden

Professor Housden is an Emeritus Professor of the Open University (UK). He received his MA(Hons) in Mathematics and qualified teacher status in Mathematics from Cambridge University, and the Academic Postgraduate Diploma in Numerical Analysis and PhD (Computer Science) from the University of London He is a Fellow of the British Computer Society, a Chartered Information Systems Engineer and Chartered Mathematician. He has more than forty-five years experience of teaching, curriculum development and course accreditation. Until his retirement in 1997, he was Professor of Computing at the Open University (UK), where, as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Resources) until July 1995, he had overall responsibility for all University resources: financial, human and physical including responsibility for IS Strategy and IT Strategy. He has been a term appointed lecturer for the University of Maryland and for Boston University from time to time since 1985. He is a member of the Academic Advisory Council of Buckingham University

Office hours: Professor Housden will be available for consultation before and, as required, after each class meeting. He may also be contacted by telephone at home most evenings on Milton Keynes (01908) 583488 or by electronic mail. His address is:

Three individual assignments will be set for completion between the weekends of class. Together these will contribute 24% towards the overall grade for the course.

Each of the assignments will involve assessment and brief discussion of a case based on some business or IS/IT management issue.

Students will be formed into small groups (3-4 persons) for the purpose of preparing an information systems planning document for a particular organization. Organizational types from which to choose include but are not limited to: large business, small business, international business, information systems business, non-profit and public agency. Each group will pursue a different choice. Material from the texts may be used as a start. Other sources outside class can be found through library and/or on-line research. Further general instructions are as follows:

• This is a group project, and all members of the group will receive the same grade.

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