STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY

BSc (Hons) Business Information Technology

Strategic Information Systems for Business
Module Code : COIS51090
Module Leader : R. Wong
Email : hkeducator@gmail.com/ WWWong@cityu.edu.hk

Course Objectives
Strategic Information Systems are at the heart of all modern organisations. You will
study how IS support the organisations strategically. Today, the IS operation is critical
to the successful operation of organisations and the sudden loss/failure of them
would put many companies in jeopardy. You will study how management plans to
protect the IS resource and maintain its operation. Many companies gain competitive
advantage through IS so managers have to be continually aware of new
developments. You will study contemporary applications of IS and how to fit them
into business strategy. The module will consider IS assets and resources from CIO,
strategic perspective.

Learning Outcomes
 To demonstrate a critical understanding of the nature of information, information
systems and how they underpin organizational functions and structures. (ILO 1)
 To evaluate a given scenario through the use of analytical models, tools, and
frameworks in order to plan the acquisition or development of the IS resource as
part of an overall business strategy. (ILO2)
 To propose measures that are appropriate to secure, protect and maintain
information systems resources. (ILO3)

Assessment method
 An individual essay (50%, 2,000 words) evaluating a given case study scenario
with recommendations for an IS strategy to underpin the business strategy
assessing learning outcome 2 
 A 8-minute presentation (50%) summarising the findings of the report assessing
learning outcomes 1 and 3

Lectures and tutorials schedule

Lectures/ tutorials Descriptions Reading

Lecture 1 Course Introduction, the relationship between business Chapter

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 strategy and information systems strategy 1
- Study objectives and course requirement
- Overview of business strategy frameworks
- Overview of Information Systems Strategy
Lecture 2 Strategic use of information Resources & Strategic tools for Chapter
analysis 2
1. Evolution of Information Resources
2. Information Resources as Strategic Tools
3. Strategic analytical tools
- SWOT analysis
- Five forces model
- Generic business strategies
- Critical success factors
- Balance scorecard
- Strategy on IS/IT by the application of value chain
- Generic IS strategies
4. Practical session: Article discussion - Michael Porter &
Victor Millar, “How information gives you competitive
advantages”, Harvard Business Review, Jul – Aug 1985, pp.
149 -160
Tutorial 1 - Integrated case study – Blockchain, face detection, ai applications and
O2O business operation in China for business advantages
- What is Amazon Go, and what it means for Amazon and its
competitors. Fung Global Retail and Technology Dec 20146
- Continuous assessment: Assignment market/industry
environment/core business process and its competitive advantages. –
5% of the overall grade
Lecture 3 IT Strategy Development Assigned
- Earl’s Strategic Grid reading
- Earl’s Three-pronged approach
Strategic information systems for competitive advantage
Lecture 4 The Web-enabled Enterprise Chapter
- How information technology supports communication 3-4
and collaboration
- How information technology changes the nature of
work
- IT-enabled change management
Tutorial 2 Case Study – Integrated case study on global retail supply chain by using
RFID / IoT technology.

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 Continuous assessment: The application of value chain; as is and to be
business process for IT applications. – 5% of the overall grade
Lecture 5 Knowledge Management, business intelligence and analytics Chapter
- Knowledge management process 11
- Data, information, and knowledge
- Components of business intelligence
- Big data and social analytics
Customer Relationship Management System
- Concepts and applications
Lecture 6 Sourcing and outsourcing Chapter
- Sourcing decision cycle framework 9
- Outsourcing principles and strategic networks
Tutorial 3 - Case Study – Micro innovation strategy: the case of WeChat;
Multiplatform strategy of Tencent vs Huawai Innovation
- Continuous assessment: How IT can achieve competitive advantages
and change management. – 5% of the overall grade
Lecture 7 Implementing, managing and controlling IT systems Chapter
- From strategy to architecture to infrastructure 5&6
- Cloud computing
- Enterprise systems
- Business process management
Lecture 8 Legal issues, risk management, ethical issues Chapter
- IT governance and security 8 & 12
- Responsible computing
- Security and control
Course wrap up and summary
Tutorial 4 Presentation NIL

Recommended textbook
Pearson K and Saunders C, 2009, Strategic Management of Information Systems (4th
Ed), Wiley, ISBN: 978-0470400241, or the latest edition

Other Resources/ information

1. Turban, Leidner, McLean, Wetherbe: “Information Technology for Management:
Transforming Organizations in the Digital Economy”, the 7th edition, Wiley Higher
Education or the latest edition.
2. Loudon and Loudon, “Management Information Systems”, the latest edition,
Prentice Hall
3. Huber, Piercy, McKeown: “Information Systems: Creating Business Value”, Wiley

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 Higher Education, the latest edition
4. Marco Lansiti, “Strategy as Ecology”, Harvard Business Review, Mar 2004
5. Michael Porter & Victor Millar, “How information gives you competitive
advantages”, Harvard Business Review, Jul – Aug 1985, pp. 149- 160
6. Kavin W. Moody, “New meaning to IT alignment”, Information System
Management Fall 2003
7. Michael Porter, “Strategy and the Internet”, Harvard Business Review, Mar 2001,
Vol. 79 Issue 3, p62
8. C.K. Prahalad & M.S. Krishnan, “The dynamic synchronization of strategy and
information technology”, MIT Sloan Management Review, Summer 2002
9. David Feeny, Mary Lacity, and Leslie P. Willcocks, “Taking the Measure of
Outsourcing Providers”, MIT Sloan Management Review, Spring 2005
10. Quinn, J.B. “Strategic Outsourcing: leveraging knowledge capabilities”, MIT Sloan
Management Review, Summer 1999
11. Peter Weill and Jeanne Ross, “A matrixed approached to designing IT
governance”, Vol. 46 No.2, Winter 2005
12. http://www.mindjet.com/
13. www.cio.com
14. ISWorld Net Journals - http://catt.bus.okstate.edu/isworld/bottom.htm
15. MIS Quarterly Executive
16. Davenport, T.H. “Putting the enterprise into the enterprise system”, Harvard
Business Review, Jul – Aug 1998

Other resources including journals, articles, cases, and the web will be arranged
during the course.

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