INIR068NAMB – Information Technology for Business

Fall Semester, Academic Year 2023/2024

Course leader: Tibor Kovacs, PhD

Department: Institute of Data Analytics and Information Systems

Office hours:

Availability:
Email address: [email protected]

Course type: Introductory elective, MSc

Prerequisites:
Credits: 3
Number of hours 26 hours per semester
per semester
Time of lecture:
seminar:

Aims and objectives and description of the course:

Businesses use information systems extensively to support their operations and improve their competitiveness. Nowadays
it is hard to imagine any business, even the smallest one, to operate without information systems, software solutions.
Future business executives therefore need to be familiar with the types of software solutions that are available to support
various elements of their operations throughout value chain.
This seminar will focus on the fundamental issues of information technology in support of business operations, exploring
the key business processes of the value chain in the context of their data objects, optimisation objectives, management
estimates, key performance indicators and reporting. The seminar will be conducted in an interactive, dynamic and
collaborative workshop format. Case studies and practical hypotheticals will play a central role. Active student participation
will be expected. In real life project work is often the result of teamwork and therefore students will be asked to cooperate
with each other in many aspects of the course.

Course description

Upon completion of this course students should be familiar with the role of data, data management and data analysis
throughout the value chain processes. The Foundation part of the course will refresh the students’ knowledge on the the
value chain processes and familiarize them with business process management and performance indicators. The Detailed
analysis of value chain process part will help students to:
- Identify, analyse, and describe data objects that play an important role in the various steps of the value chain
for the success of commercial enterprises.
- Distinguish between input and output related measures of various business processes of the value chain,
their role in monitoring, managing, and optimising it for business success.
- Describe the key business processes of the value chain from an information systems point of view: the aim
of the business process, the input and output related data objects, measures and metrics of the process, the
optimisation possibilities, objectives and constraints and the key software solutions of nowadays.
- Define key metrics, management estimates and performance indicators for key business processes of the
value chain and understand how to use information systems to obtain and monitor them.
- Distinguish between leading and lagging indicators and their role in data driven decision making and business
process management.
- Recognise the key software vendors of information systems for various business processes of the value
chain, their approach, offerings and particular strengths.
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Methodology to be used:
Besides the theoretical lectures, case studies, classroom discussions, group assignments will be provided.

Detailed class schedule, 1st – 15th week:

Date of class Topics to be discussed, readings required Preparation before the class
for the class
week 1 Setting the scene: understanding the value Porter and Millar: How information gives you
chain in the context of data and information. competitive advantage (Harvard Business Review,
1985)
week 2 Key performance indicators (KPI) that Goknur Arzu Akyuz & Turan Erman Erkan (2010)
measure business success. What data is Supply chain performance measurement: a
required, and how to calculate them. literature review, International Journal of Production
Research, 48:17, 5137-5155.
Neely, A., Gregory, M. and Platts, K. (1995),
"Performance measurement system design: A
literature review and research agenda", International
Journal of Operations & Production Management,
Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 80-116.
week 3 Business process management, software Vom Brocke, Jan, and Michael Rosemann, eds.
support, role of software: work simplification, Handbook on business process management 1:
business process reengineering (BPR), Introduction, methods, and information systems.
process automation (RPA) Springer, 2014.
https://doi.org/ 10.1007/978-3-642-45100-3

Chapter: The Scope and Evolution of Business

Process Management by Paul Harmon
week 4 Detailed analysis of business processes:
Procurement
week 5 Detailed analysis of business processes:
Transport logistics
week 6 Detailed analysis of business processes:
Warehousing
week 7 Detailed analysis of business processes:
Manufacturing
week 8 FALL BREAK
week 9 Detailed analysis of business processes:
Manufacturing
. Detailed analysis of business processes:
week 10 Sales
week 11 Detailed analysis of business processes:
Sales
week 12 Detailed analysis of business processes:
Facilities and IT infrastructure management
week 13 Integration, planning: How the value chain
processes are integrated
week 14 Reflection, summary
Final exam

Assignment: Students will be asked to choose a business sub-process and describe it from an information
management point of view. Define the objective of the business process and draw its BPMN (Business Process Model &
Notation) diagram. Describe the input and output data objects. Define KPIs and describe how it is calculated.

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Final exam: The final exam consist a quiz and a short essay about a business sub-process that is provided in written
format. The student should describe the objective of the process, the related data objects, KPIs and what role data plays
in the optimization of the process.

Assessment, grading:
Student achievement will be assessed as a part of the required mid-term paper, the final exam and other student
requirements in the course.
25% Active class participation
40% Written paper
35% Written final exam

Class participation: Not to be confused with attendance, class participation is the practice of engaging with your
professor and fellow students during presentations and discussions with thoughtful and timely contributions. If you miss
classes, it will have an impact on your participation points!

Plagiarism
Any and all statements contained in any assignment or paper that are based upon ideas or words of another must be
properly credited to the original author or source. Paraphrasing the ideas or words of another is acceptable so long as the
original author or source is cited. DO NOT quote words or expressions from existing works verbatim without designating
the passage as a quote and crediting the source. Any student who plagiarizes the work of any other person (author,
professor, student, parent, friend, etc.) is committing academic dishonesty and misconduct.
Any student caught committing plagiarism will automatically fail the course.

Compulsory readings:
Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm” By: Kenneth C. Laudon; Jane P. Laudon, Publisher:
Pearson, Print ISBN: 9780135191798, 0135191793, eText ISBN: 9780135192115, 0135192110, Edition: 16th, Copyright
year: 2020
Case studies and materials distributed by the instructor

Grade Conversion Table for Programs and Courses taught in English

Percentage Hungarian Grade ECTS International Explanation

achieved Grade Grade

97-100 5 A A+ Excellent
94-96 5 A A Excellent
90-93 5 A A- Excellent
87-89 5 B B+ Excellent/Very good
84-86 4 C B Good
80-83 4 C B- Good
77-79 4 C C+ Good
74-76 3 D C Satisfactory
70-73 3 D C- Satisfactory
67-69 3 D D+ Satisfactory
64-66 2 D D Low pass/Sufficient
51-63 2 E D- Low pass/Sufficient
0-50 1 FX/F F Fail, 0 credit
N N No grade received, 0
credit