MSc Management of Information Systems & Digital Innovation

Exposure to the global economy brings new ideas, technologies, and management practices to a business. Whether looking to build a new plant, sell to a new market or find global business partners, exploiting opportunities in new markets or regions poses fresh challenges.

Many of those challenges arise from the different business environment that's present in countries around the world. What does an understanding of economics tell us about which countries and regions will see markets develop quickly in the medium term? Which governments act in ways that pose macroeconomic risks and which do not? How can resources and intellectual property be managed effectively? Which economic theories offer strategies to foster talent and help staff respond to new opportunities?

The patterns of world trade and the responses of governments have always been in constant flux. Businesses can't rely on traditional markets in the medium- to long-term. The pandemic has disturbed even the recently-established patterns of global economic growth. Strategic business decisions require an appreciation of the economic thinking that underpins these new patterns of growth and the changes in international finance that support them.

This module will provide real world examples and case studies to illustrate how economic thinking helps businesses make the most of new opportunities, while managing the risks associated with expansion into new markets and regions.

The module has been developed for business and management students across the WBS MSc portfolio and draws on ideas and research from macroeconomics, microeconomics, international finance, business strategy and development economics. No previous experience of economic analysis is required.

This module aims to provide an overview about how today’s firms use digital marketing technologies to achieve their business objectives.

You will acquire theoretical and practical subject knowledge and understanding, cognitive and methodological skills (e. g., written assignment, critical reflections, discussions in seminars, hands-on exercises) and social/soft skills (e.g., leadership and team work).

The aims of this module are:

1) Introduced you to the principles, theories and research underlying the academic disciplines concerning the behaviour, leadership and management of people and organisations (Organisational Behaviour, OB, and Human Resource Management, HRM) at four levels of analysis: individual, group, organisational and societal. 

2) Develop a critical appreciation of the behavioural and social sciences as they relate to the study of behaviour in organisations.

3) Introduce you to a critical understanding of the practice of management, leadership and people management in particular.

4) Provide you with structured opportunities to practice applying OB and HRM principles, theories and research to analyse and solve organisational problems.

In the new era of the "data economy", the value of high-quality, granular, and rich data assets is a critical success factor for transformative decision making in many industries and the leveraging of artificial intelligence (AI). 

This module will equip you with fundamental knowledge regarding the effective use of enterprise, web, and IoT data to meet the needs of modern organisations in the digital age and introduce technologies such as AI. The strategic value of data resources, as a means of enabling firms to achieve a competitive advantage, is considered in order to understand the rationale behind the adoption of data management and business analytics practices. The challenges and opportunities of adopting various business analytics techniques, including using artificial intelligence for many analytical tasks, are investigated in order to obtain a critical understanding of the building of organisational capability in these areas.

You will gain a sound appreciation of salient factors affecting the successful deployment of data-driven decision making in organisations using visual analytics (information visualisation) software such as Qlik and will get a hands-on experience of how to deal with and handle datasets and inform decisions through designing dashboards.

The principle aims of the module are to:

• Gain practical and theoretical understanding of how the financial services industry has been transformed through the adoption and use of digital innovation and information technologies
• Familiarise yourself with the key technical, procedural, and business aspects of relevant financial technologies and FinTech innovations
• Get with the right mix of technical and business skills to manage IT change in a highly complex and distributed but also competitive setting in finance
• Learn how recent developments in fintech, paytech, regtech, and insuretech (e.g. open banking, blockchain and shared ledger technologies, cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence, security, etc.) will affect the future of finance.

Explore the importance of management of innovation in products, processes, technology and communications. Critically evaluate key indicators of innovation activity, examine internal and external factors that lead to new product failures and determine key innovation strategy issues for different situations and sectors.

Evolve your understanding of conceptual, analytical and practical insights into the entrepreneurial process with reference to profit and non-profit enterprise contexts. Develop skills to help effective engagement in a world in which innovation and entrepreneurship are key drivers of change. 

In this module you will study the contexts, components, and processes of entrepreneurial behaviour in different types of organisations and focus on key issues in developing business proposals and plans. 

The MSc Management of Information Systems & Digital Innovation course is intended to link theory with practice. This module builds on all the modules that have been delivered during Term 1 and 2, and focuses on how some of the theoretical concepts can be applied in the consultancy setting. Even though consulting projects can vary drastically in their orientation, scope, scale and business objectives, there are some generic underlying processes, including sales, research, delivery and exit.

This module is developed based on these processes, and will give you a theoretical and practical understanding of the many issues that arise when engaging in information systems consultancy projects.

The module aims to develop a critical awareness of the issues, problems, concepts, and skills associated with the development of international business strategy and operations. Topics will include the drivers and processes of internationalisation, cross-cultural management challenges, the assessment of overseas investment opportunities and the specific challenges of emerging markets.

Open to students who have opted for the Business in Practice route, this module aims to develop a greater understanding of how to foster an innovative work environment. It also aims to understand how to develop leaders for innovation.

Get acquainted with the principles, theories and research surrounding the behaviour, leadershuip and management of people and organisations. You'll develop a critical appreciation of the behavioural and social sciences as they relate to the study of behaviour in organisations. This module will provide you with the opportunities to practice applying OB and HRM principles, theories and research to analyse and solve organisational problems.

The objective of the module is to teach you to develop a broad set of skills and knowledge around conducting data analytics using Python programming language. You will learn how to develop Python script to collect, pre-process, analyse the data and present the results.

• Develop script to scrape data publicly available online
• Demonstrate understanding of principles and processes to clean the data collected online
• Demonstrate familiarity and understanding of the common models used in data analytics and their implementations using Python
• Develop script to visualise analysis results
• Demonstrate familiarity and understanding of major Python libraries used in data science.

If you select the Research Paper route, Research Methods becomes a compulsory module for you and it gives you the academic skills to confidently approach your dissertation topic. 

The focus is on epistemological foundations, the design of a research project, the preparation for and execution of valid and reliable business research (whether qualitative or quantitative), and on the writing up and presentation of research results.

Strategic human resource management is concerned with the creation of value through the management of human and social capital in organisations. The value of HRM is realised when the capacities and motives of individuals, groups are directed towards the strategic objectives of the organisation. The aim of the module is to provide you with a deep understanding of this strategic role of human capital management and the tools with which to analyse and manage it.

We will consider what it means to align the HR function with strategic objectives. We will ask whether all human capital is equally valuable. We will debate the extent to which human capital and its associated outcomes are quantifiable in a meaningful way. We will examine whether HRM can support both efficiency and flexibility at the same time. Ultimately, the class will provide a range of models and tools for managing human capital in a strategic way.

Incorporating an innovative and exciting team business simulation, you’ll gain an understanding of each business function through a series of real-world play activities, and learn to evaluate business performance through various functional dimensions.

You’ll replicate how a team would work together in a real business, giving you a chance to put all of the learning from your MSc year into practice. Following the simulation you will complete an Individual Reflection and a Business Analysis.

This course offers the opportunity to self-source a summer internship, where you’ll be able to increase your employability by applying your theoretical learnings to a real-world industry setting. The WBS CareersPlus team will support you through each step of the recruitment process, including making effective applications, interview practice, organising events for you to meet employers, and more.

In total you will study six core modules, four optional modules and your Internship.

If you are considering further academic study (PhD), you can choose to complete a 6,000 word Research Paper on your learnings and knowledge of information systems management or digital innovation. Please note you must select the Research Methods module in order to qualify for this module.

In total you will study six core modules, three optional modules, and complete a Research Paper and a Research Methods module.