3 good reasons to study Information Systems Management at Salford:

  • Developing critical thinking and employability skills in high demand from a range of employers
  • Put Information Systems theory into real practise with an exciting Business Innovation Project
  • Benefit from a course backed by cutting-edge research in Information Systems at Salford Business School

This course gives you an opportunity to develop a detailed understanding of the role of information systems and technology (IS/T) in businesses around the world, along with a critical awareness of current and emerging issues in this continually developing sector.You will learn from our expert team and external guest speakers, renowned for their specialist knowledge. You will also enjoy the programme’s emphasis on debate, critique and interaction with other students and staff. On completion of your course, you will have the necessary skills to become an effective IS/T manager with strategically valuable capabilities in IS/T.


Duration

MSc (Minimum 12 months, maximum three years)


Course Details

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Strategic International Business Management

You will gain a thorough grounding in the major issues and perspectives of management, with a particular focus on strategic, global and organizational issues in an international context. You will also get an overview of key issues and decisions relating to the social responsibilities of corporate management. You will be encouraged to think critically about theory and practice in an ethical and professional manner, in light of key issues and decisions related to the strategic organisation in both national and international contexts. You will be introduced to major debates about leadership theory and practice, and understand the links between leadership and motivation practices with a view to attaining positive organisational outcome.


Indicative Syllabus Outline

  • Types of national and international business
  • The concept of strategy: strategic context; theories of strategy and making strategy
  • Environmental scanning: Politico- Legal, Economic and Socio-Cultural Environment; government policy and industry regulation
  • Demographic and social trends: population, employment, family structure
  • The external environment: context, positioning, facilitating competitive advantage and capturing economic value
  • The internal environment: resources, competences and capability as the source of competitive advantage and economic value- effective communication, delegation and prioritisation
  • Strategic options
  • Implementing Strategy and Managing Change – leadership in a global context, motivation, job satisfaction and performance management; rewards and incentive schemes –National and organizational cultures;
  • Managing ethnicity, diversity and difference; new forms of organizing globally, cross-cultural management and strategies
  • Managing in the virtual environment
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Contemporary research

Digital Innovation

The Digital Innovation module has been designed specifically to equip you with the practical and theoretical skills needed for contemporary business settings; you will gain an understanding of the role of strategic business models that can exploit innovative and disruptive technologies such as Google Glass, 3D printing, and wearable technologies. The module will encourage you to critically assess how social, disruptive and innovative technologies can become key business enablers and facilitate strategic competitive advantages; this critical awareness will be underpinned by cutting-edge academic and practitioner research.


Indicative Syllabus Outline

  • Digital business transformation – concepts, trends, models and issues  
  • Innovation - new models, new products, invention vs imitation
  • Creative entrepreneurs, characteristics,  attitudes, approach to exploiting new ideas
  • Disruptive and innovative technologies: business and societal perspectives
  • Managing strategic digital environments, digital business systems in the value chain
  • Managing strategic digital environments, digital business systems in the supply chain
  • Business models embedding digital technologies
  • Visualisation and analytics from closed and open datasets and big data

Information Systems

You will develop a theoretical and practical understanding of the needs of organisations when strategically planning, re-engineering, and integrating business information systems. You will also achieve a holistic knowledge of the critical role of IS/T, both at corporate and business levels, enabling you to be ready to support and deliver professional, ethical and legal services in IS/T implementation.


Indicative Syllabus Outline

  • Introduction to Information Systems
  • Constructing a Digital Portfolio
  • IS in Organisations and Management
  • Alignment of IT and Business strategic Needs
  • Systems Thinking
  • Ethics and IT
  • Legal Aspects of IT
  • The IT Professional
  • Cloud Computing and Enterprise Systems 
  • Information Security Management

Project Management, Leadership and Skills

This module gives you an effective introduction to the different business skills, approaches and methods needed for leading and managing projects.


Indicative Syllabus Outline

  • Project management and the operating environment 
  • Project life cycle
  • Management structures by which projects operate
  • Project management planning 
  • Scope management
  • Scheduling and resource management
  • Estimation, forecasting and resourcing.
  • Risk management and issue management
  • Project quality management
  • Communication
  • Leadership and teamwork
  • Managing in a multiple project environment
  

Business Innovation Project

Dissertation: a conventional dissertation of 12,000 to 15,000 words, consisting of research question, aims and objectives, rationale for undertaking the study, literature review, research methodology, analysis of findings, conclusions and recommendations