Information Management and Decision Support Systems

Changes in the global business environment combined with rapid advances in ICT have transformed information into a valuable asset and a source of competitive advantage. Different tools and techniques are required to manage and make the most effective use of information. You will examine these tools and techniques to explore the role of information within organisations and look at how different systems analysis and modelling techniques (e.g. soft systems approaches) can be used to structure complex decision problems. You will also study the softer issues associated with the management of information and the legal and ethical implications of misuse of information, compare problem structuring and modelling approaches, and explore the organisational, social and systems views that contextualise these approaches. The module is both practical and theoretical, making much use of case studies.