Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE CIS1025

 
TITLE Information Systems

 
UM LEVEL 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 5

 
DEPARTMENT Computer Information Systems

 
DESCRIPTION - The unit provides a detailed introduction to systems theory concepts, information technology, and application software. It focuses on the way information is utilised as a critical resource in organisations.
- Decision support systems, expert systems, office automation systems are explained. Transaction processing systems. Distributed Information Systems. Office Automation systems including groupware, Management information systems. Groupware.
- Functional Information Systems. ERP systems. Other organisational models for IS.
- Information Administration Issues, Role and Nature of IS managers and management.
- Functional Information Systems including financial, marketing, manufacturing and human resources systems. Introduction to CRM and SCM systems.
- The structure and components of decision support and executive information systems. Their role within organizational decision making.
- Definition of system and framework. The Work System Framework. Architectural characteristics of a business process. An introduction to value chains.

Study-unit Aims:

- Introduce ideas about general systems theory and systems concepts in detail;
- Analyze and discuss the importance, significance and diversity of information systems, their uses and their needs;
- Evaluate and apprehend the systems used by organizations for support work such as management information systems, expert systems, decision support systems, executive information systems, groupware. The use of these in a systematic and structured approach is considered from an organizational perspective in detail;
- Apply Work Systems Framework and quality issues to organisational problems.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Comprehend and distinguish the different types of information systems available;
- Consider the importance of structure and organized work to deal with the construction of information systems;
- Systematically distinguish different modes of processing and their use in various systems;
- Evaluate different important models and frameworks in information systems.

2. Skills:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Apply theoretical knowledge to a particular information system, its organization and structure;
- Distinguish different types of information systems and suggest their proper use for a particular problem; - Suggest structured models for dealing with organizational information system strategies;
- Make decisions of appropriate information systems to tackle various organizational problems and demands; - Identify different needs of various organizational levels for using and acquiring information;
- Be able to formulate and describe analytically and in detail the different main types of IS and their implications.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Texts:

• Laudon & Laudon, Management Information Systems, Prentice-Hall. ISBN -13: 978-0136093688, 2009.
• O'Brien J.A., Introduction to Information Systems McGraw-Hill/Irwin. ISBN 0-07-282311-9, 2010.

Supplementary Texts:

• Effy OZ, Management Information Systems Course Technology. ISBN 0-619-06250-9, 2006.
• Zwass, Information Systems, William C. Brown. ISBN 0-697-13562-4, 1997.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Independent Study

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Examination (2 Hours) SEM1 Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Michel Camilleri

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit