This course will build on the literature on ERP systems and Business Intelligence systems, in order to introduce students to two recently developed concepts in the IT practice: digitized platforms and big data.

Could the enterprise become a full-time laboratory? What if you could analyse every transaction, capture insights from every customer interaction, and didn’t have to wait for months to get data from the field? Data are flooding in at rates never seen before as a result of greater access to customer data from public, proprietary, and purchased sources, as well as new information gathered from Web communities and newly deployed smart assets. These trends are broadly known as “big data.”

Web-based companies, such as Amazon.com, eBay, and Google, have been early leaders, testing factors that drive performance—from where to place buttons on a Web page to the sequence of content displayed—to determine what will increase sales and user engagement. Companies selling physical products are also exploiting big data for rigorous experimentation using Business Intelligence technology. Ford Motor, PepsiCo, and Southwest Airlines, for instance, analyse consumer postings about them on social-media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to gauge the immediate impact of their marketing campaigns and to understand how consumer sentiment about their brands is changing.

Most companies are far from accessing all the available data. Many haven’t even mastered the digital platform needed to capture and analyse the valuable information they can access. More commonly, they don’t have the right talent and processes to design experiments and extract business value from big data, which require changes in the way many executives now make decisions: trusting instincts and experience over experimentation and rigorous analysis.

Graduates have academic, evidence-based knowledge and understanding of theories, methods and tools in business/economics.
Graduates can apply their knowledge and understanding to identify and solve real life business/economic problems. This includes demonstrating analytical skills and a problem-solving attitude.
Graduates can effectively function in a multicultural environment and work in multicultural teams. This includes demonstrating interpersonal skills and a high proficiency of English.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT METHOD(S) USED IN THIS COURSE IS WITH RESERVATION. THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HERE IS BASED ON THE COURSE SETUP PRIOR TO THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS. AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE CRISIS, COURSE COORDINATORS MAY BE FORCED TO CHANGE THE TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT METHODS USED. THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEACHING/ASSESSMENT METHOD(S) WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE COURSE SYLLABUS. The focus of this course will be on how firms (re)organise their information structures by using information technologies such as ERP-systems (e.g. SAP and Oracle), data warehouses and Business Intelligence systems. Over the last 2 decades, the availability of these systems have profoundly changed the way in which management information is produced and used within organisations. As a result, new and dynamic ways of meeting the information needs of management are emerging. But also, these developments result in new problems within firms which, again, result in new approaches in trying to face these problems.

It is important to understand that this course will take a management approach to Information and Communication Technology (ICT). There will be no technical analysis of the information systems that will be discussed during this course. Also, as far as ERP systems are concerned there is no focus on a logistics point of view. However, the emphasis of this course will be on the impact these systems have on organisations and people within these organisations. More specifically, we will address the issue on how these ICT developments change the role of information within organisations, focussing on a managerial level of decision making.

Textbook and reader.

This course requires a basic knowledge on the role of information systems in organisations. Students should be aware of the various types of information systems that are used within large organisations (e.g. operational information systems versus decision support systems). Therefore an introductory course on management information systems is recommended as a prerequisite. No technical IT knowledge is required.

An advanced level of English