Management of Information Systems and Digital Innovation (with optional Placement/Project year) MSc

The delivery of the content will take into account contemporary developments in private, public and not-for-profit sectors and so will be adjusted to reflect these as they arise. However, there is material that may be considered indicative of the core of the content. This includes:

• Innovation as a strategic imperative;
• The organisational culture of innovation;
• Idea generation and refinement techniques;
• Creativity, Innovation, Diffusion and Portfolio Management; 
• Process analysis and development techniques;
• The innovative team; 
• Managing innovation knowledge;
• Managing Change for Innovation;
• Managing Innovation Projects.

The aims of this module is to help students critically analyse, evaluate and apply concepts and practices of innovation and to be able to develop ideas and plans that are viable in an organisational setting

To achieve this students will critically analyse the notion of innovation, and the different stages of the iterative innovation process as applied to the development of ideas for application within and by existing organisations. 

1. Information Security Management
   1. This will include core security standards (e.g., ISO27001, ISO27032), policies and governance
      etc.
2. Information Risk Management and Business continuity Management
3. Audit, Assurance and Review
4. Understanding the threats and risks businesses face today. Illustrative part of how this (or what) might be covered include:
   1. Through problem based learning and possible industry collaboration
   2. Exploring Social Engineering, the Least Resistance Path, Incident Response, Defence Indepth
      etc.
5. Government strategy on Cybersecurity

This module will develop the student's understanding of the implications of cybersecurity to today's businesses, how businesses can gain market advantage by leveraging simple and yet robust cybersecurity principles, and government's cybersecurity strategy for businesses in the UK. Being a conversion masters, this will prepare students with useful cyber skills to lead or easily be part of cybersecurity efforts in their organisations. The aims are further broken down as follows:

1. To develop the capability for determining, establishing and maintaining appropriate governance of processes and responsibilities, delivery of controls, and cost-effective solutions for information security within a given organisation.
2. To understand and be able to manage the risks relating to information, information systems and assets.
3. To understand the need for, and be able to design and implement processes for, establishing business continuity.
4. To develop the capability for defining and implementing the processes and techniques used in verifying compliance against security policies, standards, legal and regulatory requirements.
5. To use real life business scenarios to expose students to cybersecurity needs of today’s businesses.
6. To understand government's strategies for tackling cybersecurity issues in business.

This L7 module is specially designed for the MSc in Management of Information Systems and Digital Innovation programme. This postgraduate module aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of blockchain technologies and their applications in enterprise settings. Students will explore the fundamental principles of blockchain, including distributed ledger technology, smart contracts, and consensus mechanisms. Emphasis will be placed on examining the potential benefits, challenges, and implementation strategies of blockchain in various industry sectors.

This module will cover the following:

• Introduction to Blockchain Technology
• Distributed Ledger Technology
• Smart Contracts and Decentralised Applications
• Platforms and Frameworks
• Applications in Supply Chain Management
• Blockchain in Finance and Banking
• Blockchain for Digital Identity and Authentication
• Governance and Legal Considerations
• Integration and Implementation Strategies
• Emerging Trends and Future Directions in Blockchain

• To introduce students to the foundational concepts of blockchain technology.
• To explore the applications of blockchain in enterprise environments.
• To analyse the potential benefits and challenges of implementing blockchain solutions.
• To examine the regulatory and legal considerations related to blockchain adoption.
• To develop skills for evaluating and implementing blockchain solutions in enterprise settings.
• To investigate emerging trends and future directions in blockchain technology.

Projects which will involve the application of methods and equipment introduced in taught modules, will be based on subjects agreed, in principle with the module leader and potential supervisors.

To afford students the opportunity to experience the complete life-cycle of a successful and significant research-based project.

To provide real-world experience of meeting the requirements of academic and professional standards, including high-level writing and referencing skills.

To demonstrate to peers and to current and potential employers the student’s ability to carry out original research work in a particular area of research relevant to their programme of study.

To include:

• Time management, library skills and literature search
• Evaluation of information sources
• Critical analysis of information
• Ethical issues when undertaking research (including intellectual property and plagiarism)
• Writing for research: styles and rules for presentation (including referencing standards)
• Choosing a research area and evaluating source material
• Hypothesis formation
• Research approaches and methodologies
• Design and application of questionnaires & interviews
• Quantitative and statistical tools for researchers
• Qualitative research 

• To clarify the distinctions between undergraduate and postgraduate level work and expectations
• To increase students' experience in order to conduct a professional study and to use sampling procedures and analysing techniques
• To improve students' appreciation of time management and how to conduct a literature search
• To reinforce students' research skills
• To consolidate students' appreciation of professional issues such as copyright and ethics

This L7 module is designed for the MSc in Project Management programme. Due consideration has been given to those students that may not have a sufficient Artificial Intelligence (AI) background from their undergraduate study. The course is structured in such a way that all the essential pre-requisites will be covered on an ‘learn-when-you-need’ basis.

The overall module will be roughly divided into the following sub-modules:

Data Analytics for Business

- Data in the Real-World

- Data exploration and data dimensionality reduction

- Analytical Tools

- Ethical and Social Issues: Data Governance, Data Privacy, and Data Quality

Predictive Modelling and Analytics

- Data Analysis and Visualizations

- Linear and Logistic Regression

- Advanced Predictive Models

Business Analytics for Decision Making

- Risk and Uncertainty Analysis

- Optimisation

- Decision Analytics

Real-World Use-Case Capstone Project

- Example: Financial dataset (Open-Source)

- Tasks: TBD

The introduction of this module stems from the realisation that while AI skills are in demand in almost all employment sectors, many businesses and/or project management graduates do not have sufficient skills to leverage AI in real-life applications. This module therefore assumes no prior knowledge of artificial intelligence.

 The module will cover:

- Data Analytics

- Complex Event Processing

- Performance Estimation

- Predictive Analytics

- Prescriptive Analytics

- Business Decision Making

To include:-

• Project and Programme Initiation
• The Project Manager
• The Business Case, Budgets, People, Responsibilities.
• Project and Programme Organisation
• Project and Programme Planning
• Scheduling PERT/CPM
• Network Diagrams and Gantt Chart
• Project Management Methodologies 
• Budgeting and Cost Estimation
• Project and Programme Execution
• Closing a Project/Programme
• Project Management Software

This module aims to develop a critical understanding of programme and project management to enable students to recognise the importance of the discipline in a variety of organisational and functional contexts. Students should develop a critical understanding of the concepts employed in programme and project management at strategic, systems and operational levels, and an appreciation of the knowledge and skills required for successful programme and project management. Theory is constantly grounded in examples and case study exercises. By utilising examples and case studies, both from their own backgrounds and from the literature, the student is guided to an understanding of the benefits, and power, of well-run projects and programmes.