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School of Management & Dept. of Computer Science

MSc in Business Information Systems

Postgraduate Student Handbook – Section 1

2015-2016

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CONTENTS

Page

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................................. 2

PROGRAMME ADMINISTRATION TEAM .......................................................................................................................................... 3

PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION ...................................................................................................................................... 4

COMPUTER SCIENCE PATHWAY ................................................................................................................................... 6

COURSE CODES AND TITLES .......................................................................................................................................... 7

Core Courses ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Elective Courses ................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Electives in Management: ................................................................................................................................................ 7 Electives in Computer Science: ......................................................................................................................................... 7 Optional Course (Induction Week): .................................................................................................................................. 7

ASSESSMENT STRUCTURE OF INDIVIDUAL COURSES ........................................................................................... 7

CONTENT OF INDIVIDUAL COURSES ........................................................................................................................... 9

BI5555 FOUNDATIONS OF MODERN MANAGEMENT (OPTIONAL COURSE TAUGHT DURING INDUCTION WEEK) ........................................... 9

BI5421 INDIVIDUAL COMPUTING ELECTIVE.................................................................................................................................... 9

BI5499 SERVICE-ORIENTED COMPUTING, TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT ...................................................................................... 9

BI5611 PEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGY .............................................................................................................................................. 9

BI5621 INFORMATION SYSTEM DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT ...................................................................................... 9

BI5631 DATABASE SYSTEMS ..................................................................................................................................................... 10

BI5632 INTERNET AND WEB TECHNOLOGIES ............................................................................................................................... 10

BI5642 DISSERTATION ............................................................................................................................................................ 10

BI5651 TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................................................................ 10

BI5665 INFORMATION SYSTEMS THEORY AND PRACTICE ................................................................................................................ 10

BI5681 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT ......................................................................................................................................... 10

BI5691 E-BUSINESS ................................................................................................................................................................ 11

BI5501 ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS ................................................................................................................................................... 11

BI5502 BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE ................................................................................................................................................ 11

CS5504 BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS, INFRASTRUCTURES AND TECHNOLOGIES ............................................................................ 11

CS5234 LARGE-SCALE DATA STORAGE AND PROCESSING ................................................................................................................ 12

IY5605 CYBER CRIME .............................................................................................................................................................. 12

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD) ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................ 12

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Introduction The MSc/PG Diploma in Business Information Systems is a unique programme that combines the strengths of School of Management and Department of Computer Science at Royal Holloway. The multidisciplinary curriculum spans a variety of topics such as Technology Management, System Design, Organisational Behaviour, Business Strategy, and Marketing. You will learn about the central issues in designing and managing business information systems and in assessing the role of IT in the globalisation of business activities. Hence, the programme provides an excellent preparation for both business IT practitioners and those who intend to embark on a research degree. The current job market has a great demand for individuals with specialist scientific and technological expertise as well as research skills, and graduates in search of a new position often feel the need to seek further skills training and relevant experience. The technical problems that organisations face when trying to employ effective computing and information technologies are becoming more complex, requiring managers to enhance their skills to be able to communicate with other professionals with different competencies. Moreover, there is a need both for multidisciplinary researchers and for “hybrid” managers who can bridge the knowledge gap between technical issues and management problems. The MSc/PG Diploma in Business Information Systems is a means by which these can satisfy various scientific and organisational needs. At the same time, the programme also enhances and widens the career prospects of appropriately qualified graduates. The programme will help you profitably to use your existing skills in the burgeoning field of information and communication technologies, as well as increase your degree of confidence in communicating with other people. It will also equip you with a solid understanding of the fundamentals of those technologies together with a good grasp of relevant business functions. The programme also provides you with rigorous training in the analysis of business problems, including quantitative and computer-based techniques as well as the more discursive techniques used in the Social Sciences. The training will thus enable you to make well-informed decisions when dealing with either tactical (oriented towards productivity and cost reduction) or strategic (oriented towards inducing business change) issues of ICT. Furthermore, the programme will offer you an opportunity to apply your computing and business knowledge in the improvement of the quality and effectiveness of IT systems planning and management, and you will acquire the ability and knowledge necessary to make an informed contribution to introducing, evaluating and testing IT infrastructure in real-life case studies through continuous interaction with managers from industry and other organisations.

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Programme Administration Team

Dr Philip Wu Senior Lecturer in Information Management School of Management Philip.Wu@royalholloway.ac.uk

Dr Yuri Kalnishkan Senior Lecturer in Computer Science Department of Computer Science Yuri.Kalnishkan@royalholloway.ac.uk

Dr Niran Subramaniam Director of Graduate Studies School of Management Niran.Subramaniam@royalholloway.ac.uk

Mr Tony Sullivan Programme Administrator Tony.Sullivan@royalholloway.ac.uk

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Programme Specification The MSc Business Information Systems Programme Specification can be found in the Programme Specification Repository at the following link: http://www.rhul.ac.uk/studyhere/progspecs/home.aspx

This document describes the Master of Science Degree programme and Postgraduate Diploma in Business Information Systems. The 2015 Programme Specification is valid for new entrants from September 2015. Attendance in lectures or seminars is compulsory. Details regarding attendance in lectures can be found on page 18 of the Main PGT Student Handbook (Section 2)

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MSc Business Information Systems

Core Courses 140 Credits

BI5611 People and

Technology – 20 Credits

BI5621 Information

System Design, Development and

Management – 20 Credits

BI5665 Information

Systems Theory and Practice – 20 Credits

BI5631 Database Systems – 10 Credits

BI5632 Internet and

Web Technologies – 10 Credits

BI5642 Dissertation –

40 Credits

MN5445 Dissertation

Preparation and Research Methods -

20 Credits

Elective Courses Management

20 Credits

BI5651 Technology

Management – 20 Credits

BI5691 E-Business –

20 Credits

BI5501 Enterprise Systems – 20 Credits

BI5681 Knowledge

Management – 20 Credits

Elective Courses Computer Science

20 Credits * See details on the next page.

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Computer Science Pathway The diagram below shows the recommended Computer Science routes.

BI5621 Information Systems Design and Development

(20 credits)

BI5631 Database Systems (10

credits)

BI5632 Internet and Web

Technologies (10 credits)

BI5499 Service-Oriented Computing, Technology and Management (10 Credits)

BI5502 Business

Intelligence (10 Credits)

IY5605 Cyber Crime

(20 Credits)

CS5504 Business Intelligence

Systems, Infrastructures and Technologies (20

Credits)

CS5234 Large-Scale Data Storage and

Processing (20 Credits)

Some computer science background recommended

Programming experience required

Some programming experience needed

BI5421 Individual Computing Elective

(20 Credits)

Autumn Term

Spring Term

No programming experience required

No computer science background required

Proficiency in Java required (*)

Proficiency in programming and interest in research (*)

(*) options require approval from the computer science programme director; you may be asked to take tests or do an interview

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Course Codes and Titles

Core Courses Students on this programme take the following six CORE courses and a compulsory dissertation.

BI5611 People and Technology (20 credits)

BI5621 Information System Design, Development and Management (20 credits)

BI5631 Database Systems (10 credits)

BI5632 Internet and Web Technologies (10 credits)

BI5642 Dissertation (40 credits)

BI5665 Information Systems Theory and Practice (20 credits)

MN5445 Dissertation Preparation and Research Methods (20 credits)

Elective Courses Electives in Management:

BI5501 Enterprise Systems (20 credits)

BI5651 Technology Management (20 credits)

BI5681 Knowledge Management (20 credits)

BI5691 E-Business (20 credits)

Electives in Computer Science:

BI5421 Individual Computing Elective (20 credits)

BI5499 Service-Oriented Computing, Technology and Management (10 credits)

BI5502 Business Intelligence (10 credits)

CS5234 Large-Scale Data Storage and Processing (20 credits)

CS5504 Business Intelligence Systems, Infrastructures and Technologies (20 credits)

IY5605 Cyber Crime (20 credits)

Note: Please refer to the Pathway diagram for the background requirements for computer science electives.

Optional Course (Induction Week):

BI5555 Foundations of Modern Management (Not assessed)

Assessment Structure of Individual Courses

BI5555 Foundations of Modern Management Optional Course - Not assessed BI5421 Individual Computing Elective 100% coursework (80% Individual assignment and 20% presentation) BI5499 Service-Oriented Computing, Technologies and Management One assignment (20%) and one examination (80%) BI5501 Enterprise Systems Two individual assignments (50% each). BI5502 Business Intelligence One assignment (40%) and one examination (60%).

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BI5611 People and Technology One group assignment (30%) and one individual assignment (70%) BI5621 Information System Design, Development and Management One examination (50%) and one assignment (50%). BI5631 Database Systems One examination (50%) and two assignments (25% each) BI5632 Internet and Web Technologies One examination (80%) and one assignment (20%) BI5642 Dissertation 12,000-15,000 words. In the preparation of the dissertation, there should be at least two (term-time) meetings between the supervisor and the supervisee, both of them instigated by the student. The organisation of these meetings is the student’s responsibility, and so is arranging any email contact before, between and after those meetings. Students are advised to make contact with their supervisors in good time, as no contact can be guaranteed outside term time owing to staff research and annual leave. Failure to meet your supervisor at all (or only once) will result in the student being reported to the programme administrators. BI5651 Technology Management One examination (70%) and one assignment (30%). BI5665 Information Systems Theory and Practice One group project report (40%), one group presentation (30%) and one individual report (30%). BI5681 Knowledge Management One group presentation (30%) and one examination (70%). BI5691 E-Business One individual assignment (50%) and one examination (50%). CS5234 Large-scale Data Storage and Processing One examination (70%) and coursework (several assignments) (30%). CS5504 Business Intelligence Systems, Infrastructures and Technologies One assignment (40%) and one examination (60%). IY5605 Cyber Crime One examination (100%). MN5445 Dissertation Preparation and Research Methods One in-class test of one hour (30%) and one 3,000 word research proposal (70%)

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Content of Individual Courses Please note that for any of the elective courses to run, a minimum number of students must have enrolled in the course (usually 10 students). BI5555 Foundations of Modern Management (optional course taught during Induction Week) Students are introduced to salient aspects of management in an integrative manner by identifying five elements important to the commercial success of an organization, namely customers, shareholders, employees, numbers and technology. The course accentuates historical roots to help students gain a better appreciation of current practice with regard to the first three elements and how the remaining two can influence management decision-making. The course will also consider issues of business ethics and trust in managing relations with each of the stakeholder groups. BI5421 Individual Computing Elective The purpose of the individual computing elective (ICE) on the MSc BIS is to introduce a larger element of CS research into the BIS curriculum. Students with a Computer Science background who may wish to follow a career in industrial research or to those who wish to develop the skill of self-directed learning. Potentially ICE work can be continued and expanded in the individual project giving students a better start on a PhD programme than was previously possible. The aims of this elective to make students with a computer science and/or mathematics degree specialise in a specific computer science area by developing a substantial technical project. BI5499 Service-Oriented Computing, Technology and Management This course aims to provide recent thinking in Service Oriented Computing Technology and Management with the aim to understand an increasingly important part of Business Information Systems often referred to as “Service Science”. The course provides an overview of this field and expertise on some of the key computing skills, technologies and techniques and their application in modern organisations. The course will be presented as a series of timetabled lectures slots covering the following syllabus, which falls into four main sections:

Service-oriented architectures: rethinking systems architectures from a services perspective, semantics, reuse issues, and information sharing.

Service-oriented computing: Semantic web services, description of services and service discovery. Service composition and Orchestration, Workflows, Service Bus, Monitoring Services. Implementation Standards (SOAP, WSDL, UDDI, BPEL).

Advanced aspects of Service Orientation: autonomic computing services, agent oriented support, distributed information management services, service negotiation and artificial intelligence techniques for service provision.

On demand Business transformation: economics implications of service-oriented technology, Business value of service oriented technologies, Risk Management and IT services, IT Service Governance.

BI5611 People and Technology The central theme of this module is the interaction and mutual shaping between technology and society, focusing on the current era of network society. The main aims of this module are to develop students’ critical understanding and analytical skills in relation to the diffusion and adoption of information and communication technologies in the digital economy. Students will develop a critical understanding on the development, management and social consequences of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in organisations and society against the global context. With an emphasis on critical thinking skills, the course will be research-led, based on up-to-date academic literature and real life examples BI5621 Information System Design, Development and Management This course will be on Design, Development and Management of Large IOT projects. It provides expertise on some of the skills and techniques used in modern computer science and in the workplace.

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BI5631 Database Systems This course provides the students with an introduction to the core concepts in data and information management. It is centred around the core skills of identifying organizational information requirements, modelling them using conceptual data modelling techniques, converting the conceptual data models into relational data models and verifying its structural characteristics with normalization techniques, and implementing and utilizing a relational database using an industrial-strength database management system.

BI5632 Internet and Web Technologies

The course covers how the Internet works and its key protocols. With that context, it then addresses the technologies used for web development, including scripting languages and their potential. Web Services and related technologies are also covered as well as aspects of network security. BI5642 Dissertation The aim of the dissertation project is to provide an opportunity for putting knowledge and research skills in

practice. A supervisor will be assigned from the academic members of staff. Some original research is expected

and findings can be related to practical implications for information systems in different areas. By the end of

the dissertation, students should be able to plan and manage a project; define the aims of this project; identify

the data sources and methods appropriate to conduct the project; identify the potential pitfalls to conducting

such projects; execute the dissertation plan; and construct an effective argument with the dissertation.

For full details on the dissertation please see the Dissertation Handbook, a copy can be located via the

Postgraduate Information Vault:

https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/management/informationforcurrentstudents/postgraduate/home.aspx

BI5651 Technology Management Technology is becoming more important to the competitive success of a wide range of firms, operating in a number of very different industries. This is not just the case in firms where technology has traditionally played a central role, such as in the high-tech sector of microelectronics, but also in sectors where technology has traditionally played a marginal or supporting role, such as in services. Increasingly, it is important for managers to develop an awareness of technology and its contribution to competitive success, whether it be through product or process change. At the same time, the globalisation of competition has placed additional emphasis on effective technology management as a core competence for firms wishing to remain internationally competitive. Technology management requires a multidisciplinary approach, and this course will draw on insights from three main subject areas: economics, production operations and strategic management. As a starting point the course will consider the environmental context of technological change, before considering the development, introduction and exploitation of new products and processes at the firm level. Additionally, the course will also consider mechanisms for the management of change. BI5665 Information Systems Theory and Practice The aim of this course is to introduce graduates to a range of themes delivered by invited speakers from industry. The course will focus on the concept of ‘hybrid management’ and its application in organisations where new and existing working practices are becoming increasingly dependent upon the effective integration of information technologies (ITs) and business. The course objectives are to provide students with specialist insights, delivered by experienced industry professionals, into the constraints and opportunities facing those who work in IT and business related fields.

BI5681 Knowledge Management This course will develop students’ knowledge and understanding of contemporary theories and practices of knowledge management (KM) by examining the theoretical understanding of knowledge management to real life situations and by integrating different dimensions of knowledge management arising from human resource management, information systems and strategic management. The course explains the concept of `intellectual capital’ and how it is managed and exploited in organisations. Students will be able to apply a range of

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transferable skills including literature search, analytical skills, application of theory to real life situations, teamwork, motivation and interpersonal skills. BI5691 E-Business This main aim of this course is to provide management students with a comprehensive view of business strategies, business models, and business activities that are being shaped or enabled by digital technologies. Indicative topics covered in this module include: digital business technologies, e-business operations and strategies, digital marketing, digital business environment, innovation, and future prospects. On completion of this course students should be able to:

Apply e-business concepts and theories to real-life business scenarios;

Demonstrate an advanced understanding of strategic importance of digital technologies;

Analyse how digital technologies (particularly the Internet) transform traditional businesses and enable new business models;

Critically examine social, cultural, and technological issues in future e-business development;

Evaluate key resources and requirements in starting up an e-business company. BI5501 Enterprise Systems Enterprise systems are the backbone of modern-day corporations, and integrate various functional areas in the business such as accounting, marketing, and operations. This course aims to provide students with knowledge of, and skills to design, implement and evaluate enterprise systems. On completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate:

Knowledge and understanding of concepts, theories and principles of enterprise systems;

Sound evaluation of opportunities and challenges related to enterprise systems and an ability to make recommendations to resolve these challenges;

Proficient knowledge and use of at least one leading enterprise system;

Awareness of project management methods to develop, implement and manage enterprise systems. BI5502 Business Intelligence Business intelligence refers to the skills, processes, technologies, applications, and practices used to leverage an institution’s internal and external information assets to support and improve decision-making. This course aims to provide students with knowledge of, and skills to design, implement and evaluate business intelligence systems. On completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate:

Understand data integration technology and processes that are needed to prepare the data for use

Appreciate the differences between structured and unstructured data and different data formats

Understand about different architectures for storing data in an organization's data warehouse data marts

Appreciate different data mining tasks and techniques such as association rules, clustering, and classification

Understand the application of tools for data analysis

Evaluate different tools and applications for the variety of users CS5504 Business Intelligence Systems, Infrastructures and Technologies Business Intelligence (BI) refers to the skills, processes, methodologies, technologies, applications, and practices used in order to leverage (gathering, storing, analyzing) an organization's internal and external information assets to support and improve decision-making. With the advent of Big-Data there is considerably increased demand for skills and knowledge, both conceptual and technological, that can be effectivelly applied to support this new era of Big-Data based decision-making. Course Content includes the following topics:

Introduction to Information Systems & Business Intelligence: Overview of Information Systems and BI Systems, Information Systems and BI Technical Architectures (Logical & Physical aspects), Acquisition models and Business cases.

Data Warehousing and Dimensional Modelling (Definitions, Concepts, Architectures, Design Processes, Implementation Aspects)

BI Applications: OLAP, Reports, Dashboards, Data Mining, Visualization and UI design

Practical Sessions (Surgeries, Labs) on Dimensional Modelling, Reports and Dashboards using BI tools.

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CS5234 Large-scale data Storage and Processing Study underlying principles of storage and processing massive collections of data, typical of today's Big Data systems. Gain hands-on experience in using large and unstructured data sets for analysis and prediction. The topics covered will inlcude techiques and paradigms for querying and processing massive data sets (MapReduce, Hadoop, data warehousing, SQL for data analytics, stream processing), fundamentals of scalable data storage (NoSQL data bases such as MongoDB, Cassandra, HBase), working with dynamic web data (data acquisition, data formats), elements of cloud computing, and applications to real world data analytics and data mining problems (sentiment analysis, social network mining). IY5605 Cyber Crime This course will introduce types of computer crime, present its history and discuss surveys, statistics, and global connections. It will then identify legal measures such as Computer Misuse, Data Protection, Criminal Damage, Software Piracy, Forgery, and Investigative Powers. It will also present case studies with emphasis on investigations into hacking, PC misuse and forensics. Malware such as Computer viruses, denial of service attacks and trojan horses, will also be discussed. A review of network crimes focusing on hacking methodologies and its history will also be delivered. The course will also present issues that may arise in the future for example, the expansion of the Internet, pornography, unsuitable material, and social engineering. The course is only recommended to students with a computer science background (e.g., a computer science degree).

Professional Development (PD) activities Professional development (PD) should be conceived as an integral part of your study here. We continuously encourage you to think how each of the PD activities can contribute to broadening your idea of a future career in the UK and elsewhere. Embedded within the annual schedule of the BIS programme we organise a series of activities to improve your learning and to enhance your possibilities related to your future. These activities include field trips, talks by industry speakers and entrepreneurs, the CeDAS workshops, and the careers services of Royal Holloway. We encourage you to take an active role and attend these activities as well as propose others that you might find relevant for your own professional development.

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School of Management Royal Holloway, University of London

Egham Hill, Egham Surrey, TW20 0EX

Telephone +44 (01784) 276213

Email: management-school@royalholloway.ac.uk www.royalholloway.ac.uk/management/home.aspx