Business Intelligence BSc (Hons)

Modules

Methods of assessment for course overall: 76% coursework

• Business & Professional Issues
  As a new entrant to the university, this module prepares you for developing an understanding of - and skills for - academic study and the world of work, and the professional and personal skills you will need. You will be introduced to all aspects of university study and being an IT professional, allowing your ideas to be explored and developed throughout your time at LSBU and beyond. The topics studied will be used to develop the skills that both a graduate and an IT professional will require and will give you ample opportunities to develop your intellectual skills as well as your practical ones. In addition to these topics on professionalism, the module will introduce you to a range of topics relating to computer-based information systems, e-business and how business organisations work. The module is largely based on some existing model syllabi (as devised by professional bodies such as the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and The Chartered Institute for IT (BCS) but this has been adapted for the particular needs of LSBU's new entrants.
• Mathematical Analysis for Informatics
  Programmes within the informatics domain will have an emphasis on the business and managerial functions of organisations. This module will introduce you to the logical and discrete mathematical structures and models, which are commonly used in the broad field of Informatics and which underpin any study of a branch of this discipline. The module will emphasise the formulation of problems into mathematical forms, the interpretation of solutions and the identification of problem characteristics to help suggest modelling approaches. Provisions will be made (typically one hour per week) to allow us to bring you, if necessary, to a level of confidence and expertise in those areas of essential basic mathematics that should have been covered at earlier levels.
• Media, Computers and Networks
  This module introduces the overall structure and operation of the computer systems and networks found in all areas of business and daily life. Emphasis is given to the different types of information that must be stored and processed, and how this information is distributed over different types of network. You will gain an appreciation of the difference between high-level and low-level programming languages and how program instructions are executed at the machine level. The role of operating systems, peripherals, and networking hardware and software will be introduced.
• Socio-Technical Analysis of Requirements
  The module will provide you with a first course in systems theory and the analysis of requirements from a socio-technical perspective. The module explores the modelling of both hard and soft requirements from human, data and process centred perspectives. You will study requirements analysis as the expression of the business rules of an organisation. Elements of organisational theory, organisational behaviour with particular reference to technology and culture are introduced alongside systems architectures, the systems development life cycle and aspects of change management. UML is used throughout.
• Software Development for Business 1
  This module will introduce you to developing small business systems using PC based applications. In this module you will learn how to build integrated systems that meet business users' requirements. The bottom up approach adopted by the module will enable you to explore and learn how to use the various tools that these applications provide for building and integrating systems. You will consider the need for and use of programming languages and the requirement to adhere to a professional approach when developing software systems.

• Software Development for Business 2
  This module helps you to understand, to develop a vocabulary and acquire some simple programming skills using a programming language. It does this by having you develop your own system over the weeks, supported by the exercises and examples provided in parallel. This experience will include a familiarity with Objects and Classes, some experience in simple GUIs, a look at good development principles and the kind of support an IDE will provide; all important aspects of the application development process in whatever environment or programming language you may use in the future.
• Accounting for Managers
  In addition to introducing students to accounting theory and concepts, practical accounting techniques, the production of financial statements and the interpretation and use of financial information, the module aims to address the anxiety about using numerical information. The module aims to boost students' confidence in engaging with Accounting and Finance by showing its relevance to their chosen field of study, and illustrating the importance of financial literacy to making successful business and ethical decisions as a management professional.

• Business Database Systems
  The database is now the underlying framework of the information system and has fundamentally changed the way companies, organisations and individuals alike work. This module covers the fundamentals of the database field. The subject of the database field is concerned with how to use computers to store and manage data, usually large quantities of data. This is, first and foremost, an introductory module to database management systems.
• Introduction to Business Intelligence
  This module is the first specialty module for the Business Intelligence pathway. The module provides a comprehensive overview of business intelligence and introduces the concepts, framework, architecture, main components, tools and platforms of business intelligence. The focus of the practical aspect of this module is business intelligence reporting. You will gain hands-on experience of implementing a desktop-based dashboard system for business intelligence reporting using Tableau® Desktop and SAS® Enterprise Guide.
• Research and Professional Practice
  This module will provide you with the necessary methodological, analytical and development skills needed to design, implement, and analyse a piece of independent research or development piece of work in the form of a consultancy tender, reflection, etc. at an undergraduate level in the field of Informatics. The module will focus on general issues you are likely to adopt for your research project such as: the Research and Development life cycle; collecting and analysing primary and secondary sources of knowledge; elementary consultancy skills, ethics and managing your time effectively and presenting your findings in a coherent manner. The module will focus on specific issues related to your chosen pathway by providing specific pathway tutorial groups where you will explore, in greater depth, those issues most likely to be relevant for your chosen pathway.
• Managing Technological Innovation
  The history of technological innovation has been nothing short of remarkable, affecting our lives, the effectiveness of organisations, the profitability of industries, the well-being of societies and the prosperity of nations. Understanding the processes that underpin technological innovation is therefore crucial, whether you are a user or producer of technological innovation. And if you are involved in managing innovation processes, an understanding of the overall process of innovation and its variations is a core professional competence. This course examines innovation from a management perspective, enabling you to improve how you contribute to the process and management of technological innovation.
• User-Centred Design
  User-centred design and usability are recognised as major contributing factors in the success of business and mass market information systems. The rise over the last 2 decades of the internet/web along with graphical user interfaces (GUIs), multimedia and ubiquitous mobile devices has led to an almost universal uptake of highly sophisticated interactive systems. This module provides the practical tools and techniques required to design, develop and evaluate effective interactive systems in an ever-changing digital age.

• System Design Techniques
  This module explores the techniques for systems analysis and design, divided mainly into four areas: Traditional methodologies, Agile methodologies, Systems Thinking methodologies and professionally recognised project management techniques.
• Enterprise Architectures
  This module will introduce you to the concept of the Enterprise Architecture – the high-level internally compatible representations of an organisations business models, data, applications, and information technology infrastructure. Being able to understand and develop the enterprise architecture is a key skill set for ensuring that the IT capabilities are fully aligned with the general organisational goals. This introduction focuses on the component architectures of the IT Infrastructure, including networking technology, data centres, and so on and will introduce you to the IT management and control frameworks ITIL and COBIT.

Optional sandwich year. A sandwich placement in the IT sector.

• Principles of Data Mining
  This module provides a broad introduction to the basic theory, concepts, and techniques of data mining, and its role in business intelligence. It will cover the main topics in the area. The focus of the practical aspect of this module is business analytics. SAS® Enterprise Miner and SAS® Enterprise Guide will be taught and used throughout in order for you to develop practical skills in solving real-world data mining problems.
• Designing BI Systems
  This module covers the knowledge, tools and techniques necessary for the design of Business Intelligence (BI) Systems. Also the techniques and practices for building typical environments for use in a range of BI–based analytics purposes.
• Honours Informatics Project
  The project contributes significantly towards the final degree. In the final year you spend about 2 days a week on your project. Future employers will probably ask you about your project, and use performance in the project as one of the most reliable guides to your potential. As a final year 40 module for the Honours degree, the project allows you to demonstrate, through a practical application, the extent of theoretical knowledge gained in the first two years of study, practical skills acquired in the subsequent year of industrial or commercial training and further theoretical and practical skills acquired during the final year of study.
• IS Project Management
  As you come towards the end of your honours degree in a Computing/IT subject area, this module takes a broad and reflective view of the profession in a holistic and critical manner. It considers matters of professional and ethical relevance, and particularly considers issues that are of contemporary significance to the subject area.
• Strategic IT Management
  The module will introduce you to the concepts involved in strategic management of information technology. It is designed to address the considerable managerial problems that exist for managers seeking to ensure the effective and efficient utilisation of information technology to aid business performance in contemporary organisations. The module will develop your ability to evaluate the impact of IT/IS on a wider global economy and the influence of IT/IS in modern corporate enterprises. You will be expected to identify the role and expectations of various stakeholders in any contemporary organisation businesses as part of the strategic IT/IS planning process.