Master’s programme in Information Systems

This course examines how information and communication technology (ICT) can be used as a tool that enables evaluation and innovation in how organisations communicate and optimize environmental performance. The course further discusses sustainability from a green IT perspective. The aim of the course is an increased understanding of how sustainability ICT and innovation can – and should – interact. By achieving the course objectives, the student will gain the ability to understand how companies can increase IT effectiveness and efficiency and thereby lower their carbon footprint. The successful student will also be able to discuss IT’s role in any formal sustainability programme.

Course code: INFN25 | Download syllabus

To thrive in a highly competitive marketplace where information systems constitute the backbone of any organisation, companies must develop strategic plans for their information systems that align them with their business strategies and ultimately differentiate them from their competitors. Without integrated and innovative IS strategies, corporate leaders will struggle to create value and generate sustainable competitive advantage. This course will strengthen future IT-managers knowledge on how IS can help, hinder and create opportunities for their organisations. 

Course code: INFN40 | Download syllabus

This course provides you with knowledge of how to plan, carry out and report design and social science investigations and studies. You will learn how to deal with both qualitative and quantitative as well as design science research methods for social science research studies and for professional investigations.

We start with an overview of different assumptions concerning the nature of the world and our knowledge about it, as well as the purpose of research. This is then discussed in relation to various research methods and techniques within the area of Information Systems (IS). The course also brings to the fore the issue of how to plan and carry out research within the IS area, as well as how to write up research, i.e. the written presentation of research results.

The course is designed to enhance the knowledge of research methods on both a practical and a theoretical level, including lectures and seminars in which you get to practice the roles of a seminar leader and a presenter, and workshops in which you practice analysing empirical data.

The course is examined through group reports as well as through an individual report in the form of a research plan.

Course code: INFN01 | Download syllabus

Business intelligence (BI) is positioned in IT leaders’ agenda as the most important of application and technology developments for several years. BI is a broad category of applications, technologies, and processes for gathering, storing, analysing and visualizing data to help business users make better decisions. Through hands-on experience, group work and lectures the students will acquire knowledge on how to design BI solutions for different targets and users. BI data management, governance and benefits are addressed throughout the whole course.

Course code: INFN45 | Download syllabus

“Focus on the user” is a well-known wisdom in industry, intended to create value for customers. This course sets out to challenge that type of conventional wisdom. By using short hi-intensity projects typically associated with art and design schools, the course offers a unique approach in creating valuable digital experiences for consumers without sacrificing business considerations. Completion of the course will enhance your creative problem-solving skills and your identity as a design professional.

Course code: INFN35 | Download syllabus

All organisations are affected by and dependent on processes, decisions and their digitalisation. Most of today’s managerial work requires knowledge and toolsets to manage business to be supported by and automated through Artificial Intelligence (AI). Moreover, to get real business value from AI, businesses must focus their efforts in AI on improving processes and decisions.

This course aims to provide an insight into designing business and Artificial Intelligence supporting business.

On completion of the course, students shall have a thorough understanding of how processes, decisions and AI shape today’s businesses and their design. Students shall be able to identify problems that can be solved by, or decisions that can be made or supported by AI in a business and be able to implement solutions to aid the aforementioned.

The course focuses on the challenges that business digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence poses in the modern organisation. To properly manage business, both managerial and technological aspects must be considered in conjunction. By studying business and Artificial Intelligence and through hands on workshops, the course focuses on how AI and business digitalisation alters internal and external parts of business within and across organisations.

Course code: INFN65 | Download syllabus

Course description

There are few organisations today, private and public, that are not somehow affected by digitalisation. Most of today’s managerial work requires knowledge and toolsets to manage the different aspects of the omnipresent reshaping of the organisational landscape that is digitalisation.

Digitalisation, however, has different meanings for different stakeholders in any given organisation and it may span from automation to transformation of core processes. Digitalisation have the power to disrupt established business models and to create new, never before seen, business models.

This course aims to provide an insight into the technological and managerial landscape that information technologies are building today.

On completion of the course, students shall have achieved a thorough understanding of how digitalisation affects organisations.

Content

The course focuses on the challenges that digitalisation poses in the modern organisation. To manage digitalisation, both managerial and technological aspects must be considered in conjunction. By studying theories on digitalisation and analysing cases, the course focuses on how information technology alters internal and external processes within and across organisations and society.

Course code: INFN60 | Download syllabus

The buzz right now is AI with artificial neural networks (ANN), machine learning (ML) and Big Data (to train the networks). The problem with this is: How do you explain the opaque decisions taken by an ANN? Who’s in charge? Who is accountable? The risk is “Computer says no” as in the sketch comedy Little Britain…

Business Decision Management (BDM) instead deals with transparent and human readable rules based decision logic as decision tables and expressions, used to manage and automate operational and repeating mass decisions in business processes. Different from today’s AI can this decision logic be understood and explained by business experts and maybe even clients and citizens.

BDM is about one of businesses most important assets – the operational business decisions. Many every day, routine and repeating decisions are made e.g. for:

• Loan application assessments
• Risk assessments for insurance policy applications
• Customer ratings on a web shop
• Taxation in an on-line eService for income tax return 
• Claim benefits
• Acceptance of orders and payment
• A diagnosis, such as vaccination status

Some of these decisions are made manually, but many more are automated in information and IT systems. We meet these decisions every day when we buy things on the web, book flights, make hotel reservations, hire a car and so on.

BDM is tightly connected to Business Processes Management. Business Process Management is about changing or designing business processes. Business Decision Management takes responsibility for the operational business decisions that a business process requires to function and deliver according to business goals. In the course, we work with two OMG standards:

1. Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) for process modelling;
2. Decision Model and Notation (DMN) for decision modelling

Automation of operational business decisions – decisioning – in BDM applies either Business Rules Management (BRM) and BRM systems (BRMS) for finding, authoring, managing and executing business rules (BR), or running the decision tables and FEEL (Friendly Enough Expression Language) expressions of DMN on a platform. We will touch on BR but will mainly work with decision logic as in DMN.

Many branches of society, especially banking, insurance and the public sector are rule heavy and already use rule-based decisioning. In Sweden, we can for instance fill in our tax return using digital services, which are based on rule-based decisioning. In the USA, an example of a major user of decisioning and support technology is IRS.

During this course, you will work both theoretically and practically with the concept of BDM. You will design decision requirement models and decision logic to automate decisions in processes using professional technologies: Signavio Process Manager. The course is at the edge of development and technology, and represents unique knowledge that only a very few institutions around the world can and do teach.

BDM is an approach drawing heavy industry interest. Through this course, you will have the possibility to acquire highly specialized and unique skills with high market value.

Course code: INFN50 | Download syllabus

The last study period will focus entirely on the Master’s degree project, also called thesis. We expect our students to formulate a clear and researchable research question after which a relevant supervisor will be assigned to each thesis. You will be working in pairs and conduct original research within a relevant IS/ISD area that is related to the overall perspective of the programme. At the end of the final period, each thesis will be presented, discussed and defended in a final seminar. 

Course code: INFM10 | Download syllabus