Faculty
Gregory Gimpel, PhD student and Helle Zinner Henriksen, Associate professor

Course Coordinator
Gregory Gimpel

The course provides a deep understanding of managerial and strategic issues related to IT implementation in the organizational context. Therefore, the basics of organizational theory and business strategy (BSc 1st and 2nd year) are necessary prerequisites. Students should have a basic understanding of information technology; however, the course focuses on managerial issues related to technology, not on the technology itself. While the course is suitable for all those with a strong interest in information technology, the class focuses on the workplace issueS that will be faced by those who intend to become future IT managers and CTO/CIOs.

The course focuses on the challenges managers face when implementing IT in organizations. The course discusses how the continuous changes of technology and applications introduced in organizations impact the organization. The first part of the course introduces critical issues in IT management. The second examines corporate strategy by focusing on how to turn IT risk into competitive advantage and how to use IT governance as a strategic tool.

The first part of the course literature is based on cases presented by senior IT managers which have faced challenges with IT implementation in real-life situations. Examples of topics discussed in the course include:

- social impacts of technology

- managing external relationships using IT

- knowledge management

- customer relations management (CRM)

- IT architecture for enterprise flexibility

- measuring of benefits of IT

- best practice in IT

- management of the virtual workforce

The second part of the course literature focuses on IT strategy with a focus on risk management and IT governance. Example topics include:

- IT risk & consequences

- Risk management frameworks

- Core disciplines of risk management

- Making IT strategy

- Implementing IT governance

- Linking IT governance to corporate strategy

Teaching is textbook and case-based. The teaching is built around lectures presenting the theoretical concepts and implications combined with presentations/discussion of the relevant cases studies.

After the course students should be able to

· Discuss common IT management issues with business practitioners

· Apply IT management techniques to real-life business cases

· Identify strategies for aligning IT risk with business strategy

· Evaluate means of IT governance for achieving corporate strategy goals

· Develop case-based strategic proposals using risk management and IT governance to create competitive advantage

20 minute oral exam based on a 5-page, individually-written synopsis

Making IT Happen: Critical Issues in IT Management: 327 pages

IT Governance: How Top Performers Manage IT Decisions Rights for Superior Results: selected chapters, approx. 185 pages

IT Risk: Turning Business Threats into Competitive Advantage: selected chapters, approx. 150 pages

Cases will be distributed during class number of pages approximately 20