Outline

Overview

The increasingly strategic role of IT in organisations is widely recognised. This unit of study is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to strategic aspects of IT as they impact on business value. Such a perspective is critical for IT professionals in both IT producer and user organisations from the level of Chief Information Officer to managers as well as technical specialists. Deep understanding of IT strategy formulation and implementation and ensuring its alignment with the organisation's strategic directions is important for successfully managing the major changes that the IT function has undergone in recent years. Topics covered will include assessment of IT impacts, achieving sustainable competitive advantage through IT, relationship between IT strategy and value, IT strategy formulation and implementation, evaluation of strategic investments in IT, IT portfolio management, IT sourcing and open innovation, and dynamics of IT strategy and game theory. It will explore IT-related strategic decision making at the different organisational levels and the concept of strategic congruence. This unit will also provide students with models, tools, and techniques to evaluate an organisation's IT strategic position, and hence to help make appropriate strategic choices.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Computer Science
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	COMP5206 OR ISYS2160
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Simon Poon, simon.poon@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Christoph Markert, christoph.markert@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Shubham Prakash Srivastava, shubham.srivastava@sydney.edu.au
	Shruti Panday, shruti.panday@sydney.edu.au
	Jon Warner Campo, jcam2491@uni.sydney.edu.au
	Smrithika Bura, smrithika.bura@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Monitored exam ?	Final Exam Written exam	50%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Individual Assignment Written assignment	20%	Week 05 Due date: 21 Mar 2023 at 23:59	Refer to assessment summary
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Group Assignment Group Report	30%	Week 12 Due date: 22 May 2023 at 23:59	Refer to assessment summary
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Tutorial attendance and participation: Students are expected to attend lectures and tutorials regularly and participate in the discussion. However, there will not be marks on lecture and/or tutorial participation.
Individual Assignment: Individual assignment addressing a stated issue/task/statement.
Group assignment: The group assignment will be completed by groups of approximately 4-5 students. The assignment will be based on a detailed case analysis and will include the application of many of the concepts covered in lectures. It will require extensive collaboration between group members. The assessment submission will be in the form of a Point Of View document and a Powerpoint presentation. In week 12, all students will be required to submit their documents (Point Of View and presentation). These will be used to moderate marks within the group. The final presentation will be in week 12 and week 13.
Final exam: This is an online examination of 2h. The examination will draw from all aspects of the unit of study. It will test the candidates’ ability to discuss issues critically and to apply the knowledge learnt during the course them to specific situations. Further details regarding the examination will be provided in lectures.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

According to the university assessment procedures

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introductions to strategy	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Business strategies	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Vision statement evaluation, mission statement preparation and governance	Workshop (1 hr)
Week 03	Corporate strategies	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	5-Forces analysis, VRIO analysis	Workshop (1 hr)
Week 04	IT strategy and alignment	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	SWOT Analysis, Delta Model	Workshop (1 hr)
Week 05	Strategic forecasting	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Scenario planning	Workshop (1 hr)
Week 06	Technology forecasting	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Technology forecasting case study	Workshop (1 hr)
Week 07	Resource-based strategic analysis	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	BCG Growth Matrix and Diversification strategy	Workshop (1 hr)
Week 08	Data strategy	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Data strategy analysis and operational data distribution	Workshop (1 hr)
Week 09	Network business and platform strategy	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 09	Platform strategy use case	Workshop (1 hr)
Week 10	Strategic outsourcing and value	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Discussing and analysing outsourcing strategies	Workshop (1 hr)
Week 11	IT Strategy implementation	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Case study based on Kotter’s Change model, analysing different organisational structures	Workshop (1 hr)
Week 12	IT strategy evaluation	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Case Discussion and Presentation	Workshop (1 hr)
Week 13	Corporate sustainability and responsibility	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	Case Discussion and Presentation	Workshop (1 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Johnson, Whittington, and Scholes, Fundamentals of Strategy (latest edition)

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. perform an internal and an external strategic analysis
LO2. evaluate an organisation, its strategy, and its environment, and its information systems in terms of congruence or strategic fit
LO3. determine and evaluate appropriate strategic choices from the analysis, with particular emphasis on choices relating to Information Technology
LO4. apply the key strategic management tools and models
LO5. understand the nature and scope of the strategic management process and of the different strategic approaches available to an organisation
LO6. clearly address a complex strategic case study.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes were made to this unit.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

INFO6012: Information Technology Strategy and Value

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal evening] - Remote

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect