FIT5102 IT strategy and governance - Semester 2, 2013

This unit develops understanding of information technology and information and knowledge management governance frameworks and strategy perspectives, with particular emphasis on the regulatory environment, legislative and organisational controls, audits, standards, professional certifications, and issues associated with measuring performance, demonstrating value and minimising risk. The unit builds on intellectual capital theory, augmented by insights from social capital and emotional capital. It draws on case studies to differentiate strategies focused primarily on people, business processes, and content, and considers the supporting technologies that can facilitate each approach.

Mode of Delivery

• Caulfield (Day)
• Caulfield (Off-campus)
• Sunway (Evening)

Contact Hours

2 hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs tutorial/wk

Workload requirements

For on-campus students, weekly workload commitments are:

• a two-hour lecture
• a two-hour tutorial (requiring preparation in advance)
• eight hours of personal study (reading, assignment preparation, etc.)

Off-campus students generally do not attend lecture and tutorial sessions, however, you should plan to spend equivalent time working through the relevant resources and participating in discussion groups each week.

Unit Relationships

Prerequisites

FIT9006 or completion of 24 points of graduate units from FIT

Chief Examiner

Campus Lecturer

Tutors

Academic Overview

Learning Outcomes

• the characteristics and limitations of different IT and IKM governance frameworks and strategy perspectives, and how competing perspectives can be reconciled in practice;
• the concepts underpinning the dominant intellectual capital perspective on IT and IKM strategy, the strengths and limitations of this approach, and how social capital and emotional capital insights can augment this view of strategy;
• the distinct features, the functional/disciplinary origins, and the key drivers of IT and IKM strategies focused primarily on
  1. people,
  2. business processes, and
  3. content and technology, and the supporting technologies that can facilitate each approach;
• links between strategy, performance and measurement, and the issues associated with demonstrating the value and benefits of IT and IKM;
• the nature of the IT and IKM regulatory environment and approaches to controlling risk;
• the importance of marketing, leading and championing IT and IKM within the organisation, and of reflective practice.

Unit Schedule

*Unit Schedule details will be maintained and communicated to you via your learning system.

Assessment Summary

Examination (3 hours): 50%; In-semester assessment: 50%

Teaching Approach

Assessment Requirements

Assessment Policy

Faculty Policy - Unit Assessment Hurdles (http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/staff/edgov/policies/assessment-examinations/unit-assessment-hurdles.html)

Academic Integrity - Please see the Demystifying Citing and Referencing tutorial at http://lib.monash.edu/tutorials/citing/

Assessment Tasks

Participation

• Assessment task 1

  Title:

  Assignment 1: Case studies and weekly reflections

  Description:

  Assignment 1 requires you to complete a series of weekly exercises in the form of case studies or reflections related to the week's tutorial topic.
  
  Assignment 1 is worth 20% of your overall mark in the unit. It is to be submitted in two parts (each worth 10%). 

  • Part I covers Weeks 1-5, and
  • Part 2, Weeks 6-10. 

  Weighting:

  20% (each worth 10%).

  Criteria for assessment:

  Level of analysis and further research will be assessed.
  Details of this assignment and its assessment criteria are provided in a separate handout.

  Due date:

  Part 1: due in week 6 tutorial, and Part 2: due in week 11 tutorial

• Assessment task 2

  Title:

  Assignment 2: Research paper

  Description:

  In this assignment you are required to study in-depth one topic of interest within the field of IT/IKM strategy and governance, and to present your findings as a research paper/ research essay.

  Weighting:

  30%

  Criteria for assessment:

  Level of analysis and further research will be assessed.
  Details of this assignment and its assessment criteria are provided in a separate handout. 

  Due date:

  During tutorials of Week 10

Examinations

• Examination 1

  Weighting:

  50%

  Length:

  3 hours

  Type (open/closed book):

  Closed book

  Electronic devices allowed in the exam:

  None

Learning resources

Reading list

Reference will be made to a variety of sources, including the following:

• Broadbent, Marianne & Kitzis, Ellen S. (2005). The new CIO leader: Setting the agenda and delivering results. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
• Galliers, Robert D. & Leidner, Dorothy E. (2009). Strategic information management: Challenges and strategies in managing information systems. (4th ed.). New York: Routledge. [Previous 2003 edition is OK]
• Gottschalk, Petter. (2006). E-business strategy, sourcing and governance. Hershey, PA: Idea Group. [Also available as an electronic resource via Monash Library].
• Gottschalk, Petter. (2007). CIO and corporate strategic management: Changing role of CIO to CEO.  Hershey, PA: Idea Group. [Available as an electronic resource via Monash Library]
• IT Governance Institute website (and linked resources):  http://www.itgi.org/
• Ross, Jeanne W., Weill, Peter, & Robertson, David C. (2006). Enterprise architecture as strategy: Creating a foundation for business execution. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
• Van Grembergen, Wim. (2004). Strategies for information technology governance. Hershey, PA: Idea Group. [Also available as an electronic resource via Monash Library].
• Van Grembergen, Wim. (2001). Information technology evaluation methods and management. Hershey, PA: Idea Group. [Also available as an electronic resource via Monash Library].
• Van Grembergen, Wim & De Haes, Steven. (2008). Implementing information technology governance: Models, practices and cases. Hershey, PA: IGI Pub. [Also available as an electronic resource via Monash Library].
• Van Grembergen, Wim & De Haes, Steven. (2009). Enterprise governance of information technology: Achieving strategic alignment and value. New York; London: Springer. [Available as an electronic resource via Monash Library].
• Weill, Peter, & Broadbent, Marianne. (1998). Leveraging the new infrastructure: How market leaders capitalize on information technology. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. [Also available as an electronic resource via Monash Library].

Feedback to you

• Informal feedback on progress in labs/tutes
• Graded assignments with comments
• Graded assignments without comments

Extensions and penalties

Returning assignments

Assignment submission

Online submission

If Electronic Submission has been approved for your unit, please submit your work via the learning system for this unit, which you can access via links in the my.monash portal.

Required Resources

Text books are available from the Monash University Book Shops. Availability from other suppliers cannot be assured. The Bookshop orders texts in specifically for this unit. You are advised to purchase your text book early.

Prescribed text(s)

Weill, Peter, & Ross, Jeanne W. (2004). IT governance: How top performers manage IT decision rights for superior results. () Boston: Harvard Business School Press (ISBN: 978-1-59139-253-8).

Other Information

Policies

Graduate Attributes Policy

Student services

Monash University Library

Disability Liaison Unit

Your feedback to Us

Previous Student Evaluations of this Unit

Previous feedback has highlighted the usefulness of analysing case studies to apply theory to practice. Where possible case studies and reference to practical applications of theory will continue to be highlighted to students. A process of peer learning will be established during the semester for the opportunity of students to share their practical experience in organisations for the purposes of learning about the theory in practice.