BACHELOR`S DEGREE IN

BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS

B: BIS

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THE BACHELOR`S DEGREE

IN BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS

B: BIS

1. Philosophy

Namibia suffers a shortage of well-trained computer specialists and as the IT industry continues with its rapid growth so does that shortage become greater. This degree is designed to make a positive and practical contribution to hardware and software designed to improve the management of performance and problem solving. It is concerned with the education and training of young information systems managers who can help to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of management in the private and public sectors..

2. Programme Outcomes

By the time the graduates have successfully completed this degree programme, their acquired knowledge of computer systems and management, will enable them to analyse, design and implement information systems solutions in a wide range of real world managerial problems. They will be able to recognize the multidisciplinary nature of information systems, be familiar with information system architecture and be able to evaluate information system effectiveness in a business enterprise.

3. Course Outcomes

3.1By the end of the course, the graduate will be well equipped to deal with the challenges of developing, implementing, maintaining and managing information systems.

3.2 He/she will be able to recognise and understand, from a local, regional and global standpoint the problems associated with business information systems management. 3.3 He/she will be able to identify problems and develop a range of short term. mid-term

and long term solutions. 3.4 He/she will be able to effect change, sensitive to the local situation.

4. Enrolment Standards (Admission Requirements)

To be registered for any of the courses, candidates must : -

Hold HIGCSE senior certificate in four subjects with 1- 4 symbols

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OR Hold a Grade 12 senior certificate (IGCSE) with a minimum of C symbol in English Language, a pass in Mathematics and a C symbol in three other subjects totaling twenty five points or more OR Enter through flexible learning path – mature age/prior learning with five years relevant experience in various fields of world of work. Apart from a valid IGCSE certificate, applicants must also have attained a minimum of 25 points on the IUM evaluation scale. Please note that achievement of these requirements will not automatically guarantee a place on the degree course, it will be subject to a successful interview/aptitude test (as required) and availability of places.

OR

The equivalent of any of the above as determined by Senate.

5. Teaching Methods

The students will be expected to be responsible for their own learning, nobody can learn for somebody else. Emphasis will be placed upon the need for a student to read extensively in each of the subjects. The role of the lecturer is to stimulate learning and to support and guide that process. Programmed reading and reading guides will support these endeavours. A wide range of teaching methods will be employed by lecturers from traditional lectures through to small decision-making groups, as well as the use of training films and videos and advanced business simulations. In the last three years Field Projects will be important.

6. Learning Standards

Class contributions by the students will be encouraged and the extent to which these contributions conform to the teachings of the first year will be an important facet in the success of the student.

Individual assignments will be set by the lecturer every two weeks and should usually

exceed the standard of examinations. Like the group assignments these will normally take the form of a duplicated handout that should be returned with the finished assignment. The student will be expected to carry these out without help.

It is in the student’s interest to carry out these tests with integrity. They will be marked anonymously by their fellow students against a given marking plan. In this way assessment will become part of the student’s learning and different perceptions of the assignment topics by students will be shared. Students may appeal against peer assessments and have their cases judged by the lecturer.

The tutors will use these results to monitor student progress and to make decisions as

to whether the student is ready to sit exams when the time comes. (Students may not sit exams unless the lecturer feels he or she has a good chance of succeeding).

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7. Credits System

As per an internationally acceptable formula one (1) credit equates ten (10) notional hours (learning). A first year degree IUM student will attract one hundred (100) credits. Successful completion of this level will qualify the student to register for the second year. Students cannot enter the second year if they do not pass the first year.

The second, and third will attract 120 credits each. At the end of the third year the

student must decide in which subject he/she will major. Successful completion of this year will allow a student to register for the final year. He/she has the freedom to choose in what area his/her major should lie. The fourth year attracts 140 credits, 70 of which will be in the specialized area of study and 70 credits will be associated with the field project.

8. Field Projects

There will be field projects in each of the second, third and fourth years. The second year project will be carried out in groups of four students. The third year project will be carried out in pairs and the final year field project will be an individual assignment. All assignments will be assessed.

9. Course Outline

9.1 Degree Year I (100 Credits)

Accounting I Business Communication I Business Studies I Computer Studies I Mathematics Introduction to Regional Economics World of Computers

9.2 Degree Year II (120 Credits)

HR Management I Business Communication II Computer Studies II Management Accountancy I Systems Analysis Principles of Programming Networks and Distributed Systems Quantitative Methods II

9.3 Degree Year III (120 Credits)

Entrepreneurial Studies and Leadership

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Computer Studies II Managing Change Relational Databases Internet Development Corporate Finance OR Strategic HR Management

9.4 Degree Year IV (140 Credits)

Management Information Systems Computer Organisation and Architecture Expert Systems Field Project: Business Information System Evaluation

10. Assessment & Evaluation

The assessment system comprises two components: Continuous Assessment (CA) attracts 40% of the final grade Formal Exams (FE) attracts 60% of the final grade.

The evaluation system comprises two components:

Students will be asked to complete evaluation sheets for each subject studied An external evaluator will evaluate the course in terms of course content, teaching

methods, course resources and assessments 11. Articulation

IUM subjects articulate from degree to degree as per the statement in course contents Faculty will decide if and how course work from qualifications from other institutions will articulate with IUM courses. Appeals may be submitted to Senate

12. Credit Transfer

Internal students that apply for advanced standing or credit accumulation or credit transfer will have their cases considered by the relevant faculty. Students from outside IUM will have their cases considered by the relevant faculty. Credit from outside institutions may be awarded up to fifty percent of total credits for any qualification conducted by IUM. Appeals may be submitted to Senate

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FIN - 1129 Business Communication I NQF Level 7 Credits 14 Module Outcomes:

Analyze the ways speaking, listening and audio visual aids are used in business.

Course Content

Analysing the importance of good speech and associated characteristics in

business. Appreciating the values of listening and acquiring useful techniques to make a

better listener. Learning how professional speeches and presentations are planned and delivered. Understanding how to use the telephone effectively and efficiently. Learning about the reasons for meetings and interviews taking place in business organisations. Appreciating the steps that need to take place for planning successful meetings and interviews. Studying different documents required for formal meetings. Analysing the types of interviews that take place and the types of questions asked. Learning how to prepare advertisements, job descriptions and press releases. Creating advertisements, job descriptions and press releases. Appreciating the different types of visual aid equipment that can be used in

business communication. Studying the use of visuals in business communication. Considering how written communication can be enhanced through the use of

colour and lettering styles. Linguistics: Applied Linguistics Pronunciation Enunciation Grammar

Tutorials Selection and formulation of tapes Effective deliberation tapes SWOT Analysis

Perception and Understanding How to understand communication Barriers to effective communication How to achieve success in communicated speech

Seminars Purpose of seminars Acceptable conduct in a seminar Seminar presentation

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Nature and Purpose of Reports Necessity of reports Formats for writing reports Use of clear and concise language

Informative Reports Purpose Situations where used Case studies

Analytical reports Purpose Situations where used Case studies

Practical Report Writing Formulation of Assignment Report presentation Assessment

Correspondence Letters Memos Faxes Orderly in expression of requested opinion

Field Activity Practical like report writing Assessment and evaluation

MTH - 1327 Mathematics NQF Level 7 Credits 14 Module Outcomes:

Apply arithmetic processes. Delineate and calculate different forms of graphical information. Calculate and interpret measures of central tendency, dispersion and probability.

Course Content Applying the four rules of whole numbers, fractions and decimals Multiplying and dividing negative numbers Comparing numbers using ratios, proportions and percentages. Obtaining values for simple financial transactions involving purchases, wages,

taxation, discounts. Converting foreign currencies Making calculations involving roots and powers Evaluating terms involving a sequence of operations and use of brackets. Approximating data using rounding and significant figures.

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Solving linear and simple simultaneous equations Determine the equations of a straight line through two points. Determining the gradient and intercept of a straight line Drawing charts and diagrams from tabular data Applying general rule and principles of graphical constructions including axes,

choice of scale and zero. Identifying points of importance e.g. maximum, minimum and break-even. Calculating and interpreting summary statistics, namely measures of location

(mean, mode, median) and measures of dispersion (range, interquartile range and standard deviation)

Applying the laws of probability to mutually exclusive, independent and dependent events.

BIS - 1318 Computer Studies I NQF Level 7 Credits 14

Module Outcomes: Appraise microcomputers. Demonstrate computer literacy skills. Illustrate Information Technology appreciation in problem solving. Contrast and describe different processing methods and their relationship to the

various categories of software, e.g. system and development software as well as applications software.

Comprehend different ranges of typical business applications in accounting and finance, retailing, banking and tourism.

Analyse a professional looking business document using different heading styles, type faces, fonts, columns, paragraph styles, tabulations and paper sizes.

Course Content

Microcomputers Overview of the development of computers Multi-user computers – mainframes and minicomputers, personal computers and

their configuration. Essential PC Hardware, peripherals and software. Introduction to the main types of Software. Binary codes and the microprocessor Types of PCs – their uses and strength Introduction to Operating Systems (DOS & Windows) Information processing – online, offline processing, real-time, batch processing,

single tasking and multitasking Current IT issues – open & proprietary systems and compatibility, information

systems security. Data communications - Introduction to Networks, central and distributed

computing, wide area and global networks. Operating System eg Microsoft Windows Navigating the desktop, customising the desktop, file and folder management,

installing and de-installing a program

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Logging onto an internet Service Provider or Online service provider, managing the mailbox, email security, using a browser and search engine effectively and downloading pages, refining searches

Microsoft Word Open a blank document and type text, recognise the toolbars, Ruler Bar, Scroll

Bar, Status Bar Spell checking, search and replace, thesaurus Page set-up, styles and general Formatting Creating a tab set, Columns, Tables and Borders/Shading/Page Use word Processor Wizard to create a document such as a fax, an invitation or a

CV Print preview and printing

Microsoft Excel Start a blank spreadsheet and navigate between workbooks and sheets Enter data, change column widths and row heights, Formatting values, Calculating,

creating and understanding formulae, using Math and statistical functions Creating and editing charts Auto Form

Introduction to Presentations Create and present a simple show.

Keyboarding Introduction to the keyboard and basic typing skills Introduction to touch typing to be able to acquire at least 35wpm.

Business Applications Overview Accounting packages such as PASTEL Point of Sales systems Retail systems such as EPOS and EFTPOS Banking systems such as ATMs

Word Processing with MS Word Creating, opening, saving, printing and closing documents. Using the menus, toolbars and shortcuts to copy, move, delete and restore text. Using templates. Document views. Search and replace, spelling and grammar checks. Formatting text and paragraphs including font types and sizes, tabs, spaces and

justification. Document styles including headers, footers, margins, page orientation and page

breaks Tables including borders, shading, adding and deleting rows and columns.

Spreadsheets with MS Excel Creating, opening, saving, printing and closing spreadsheets. Using the menus, toolbars and shortcuts to copy, move, delete, restore and search

for data.

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Spreadsheet basics such as data types, cell addresses, changing row heights and columns widths. Creating and copying formulae using relative and absolute addresses. Using common functions such as DATE, TIME, AVG, MIN, MAX, ROUND and

IF. Formatting, sorting and charting.

Flat-file Databases with MS Access Creating, opening, saving, printing and closing database tables. Using the menus, toolbars and shortcuts to copy, move, delete, restore and search

for data. Database basics such as records, fields, data types, filters and sorts. Using the table, query, reporting and form wizards.

FIN - 1117 Introduction to Regional Economics (SADC) NQF Level 7 Credits 14 Module Outcomes:

Analyse the structural elements of regional economies and development plans. Compare Namibia’s competitive advantage with SADC countries. Appraise Namibia’s stake in regional and international organizations.

Course Content Analysing the Namibian economic structure (namely, Mining, Agriculture,

Fishing, Tourism) infrastructure (Transport and Telecommunication), Banking, Insurance.

Analysing the Namibian government structure namely Legislation, Judiciary and Executive.

Government development plans of government (NDP 1 & NDP 2) Economies of Southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia,

Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo)

Examining Namibia’s competitiveness in the region and beyond A case study of Namibia’s industrial policy and the export processing zone

initiative in particular. Namibia’s stake in SACU, SADC, COMESA, WTO, and AGOA.

BAN - 1116 Business Studies I NQF Level 7 Credits 14 Module Outcomes:

Distinguish between different types of businesses in the public and private sectors.

Compare the processes and strategies used by businesses. Analyze business financials.

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Course Content Business Types Investigate the purpose and nature of business, looking at the different types of organisations within the public and private sector. Analyse business structures in terms of structure and function Analyse businesses in terms of activity (production/service), size, benefits and problems of a business. Understand the hierarchy within a business (Function Structure Model) Identify external influences on both private and public sector companies Factors Affecting Businesses Understand political, economic, social, and technological components of the macro-environment (PEST) analysis. Research the range of services available to organisations including access to financial services, consultancy services and local government funding. Understanding of production processes, quality, stock control and the factors internal and external that affect production within an organisation. Human resource management within a business, to include recruiting, payroll, training and development of employees and health and safety issues. Understanding business finance including an introduction to balance sheets and profit and loss accounts within a public and private sector organisation. Marketing a Business Demonstrate an understanding of how to market a business taking into account the location, product/service marketing mix, product/service lifecycle, customer needs and overall business objectives.

FIN - 1129 Accounting I NQF Level 7 Credits 15 Module Outcomes:

Compose business financials. Set up and maintain various business registers.

Course Content Produce a balance sheet, profit and loss account including a cash flow report and

adjustments to the trial balance where necessary. To show an understanding of the basic principles of costing techniques, including

capital investment appraisal, discounted cash flow methods and using the pay back accounting rate of return. To be able to demonstrate and understand how to calculate a range of basic

financial ratios. Principles of cost behaviour including direct, indirect, fixed and variable costs. As

well as understanding break even analysis. To prepare and maintain various accounts books for different account transactions.

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BIS - 1317 The World of Computers NQF Level 7 Credits 15 Module Outcomes: Differentiate between different kinds of computer networks. Appraise different hardware, software and peripheral aspects of computers. Course Content Overview of the World of IT Computers (PCs, Macs, Mainframes) and their application in the workplace. Local Area Networks (LANS) detailing basic topologies and their application in

the workplace. Wide Area Network (WANS) and their application in the workplace. Security and data protection.

Hardware, Software and Common Peripherals Hardware – Overview of CPUs, memory and storage media. Software – Overview of common OS, application software and current computer

languages. Peripherals – Overview of common i/o devices and typical ports.

The Windows Operating System Installing and removing programs Overview of the Windows desktop including icons, dialog boxes, menus,

backgrounds, screensavers, shortcuts, window manipulation. Overview of Windows Explorer including moving, copying, renaming, deleting,

restoring and searching for files and folders

Email and the Internet Accessing the Internet using an ISP or access provider. Browsers and search engines. Emailing including sending, receiving and saving of emails, downloading and

uploading attachments and creating an address book.

Upon successful completion of this year, student is allowed to proceed to the next level

i.e. degree year II.

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B BIS Year II BAN - 2116 Business Communications II NQF Level 7 Credits 13 Module Outcomes: Analyze all aspects of communication theory and practice. Appraise electronic forms of business communication. Course Content The Business Communication Process Background and theory to the communication process. The business communication process for internal and external audiences.

Business Communication Skills Written communications such as email, memos, letters, and reports. Oral communications such as telephone skills, meetings, interviews and

presentations. Visual communications including the presentation of data, graphics and

multimedia. Business Communication in the Information Technology Age Information technology as an aid to business communication such as the WWW,

intranets, bulletin boards. The use of input and output devices to aid communication. Desktop publishing and presentations. Advanced word processing skills.

BIS - 2316 Computer Studies II NQF Level 7 Credits 13

Module Outcomes: Analyze computer hardware and software. Appraise different implementation strategies. Course Content An Introduction to the PC Hardware, software and peripherals. Small through large-scale business solutions such as stand alone PCs to networks.

Behind the Scenes Denary, binary and hexadecimal number systems. Arithmetic and logical operators. 8 bit microprocessor architecture such as registers, memory addressing and the

fetch / execute cycle.

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Processors, memory blocks, motherboards, expansions units, sound cards and graphics cards.

Information Capture and Storage Data capture devices such as bar code readers, magnetic card readers, MICRm

OMR, OCR and scanners. Storage devices such as disk and tape. Output devices such as monitors and printers File storage and organisation on DOS and the Windows platform. File backup and recovery.

IT Today The marketplace today using Microsoft and AOL as case studies. Open, proprietary and multi-user systems. 3GL and 4GL development languages. Rapid application development (RAD). Risk assessment and contingency planning.

Information Communication Introduction to networks and some basic topologies such as the Star and Bus

topologies. Central and distributed systems. Wide are networks (WANs). Global networks such as the World Wide Web.

Applications Software Case studies of applications software in business such as stock control, payroll,

banking and retail systems. The business communication process for internal and external audiences.

Adopting Computer Application The strategic benefits of adopting a computer application such as efficiency,

effectiveness, accuracy, performance, staff morale, company profile and customer satisfaction.

The financial implications such as development, implementation, maintenance and staffing costs and the reduction in operating costs.

Generic issues such as the legal, ethical, moral, social, health and safety, economic and political influences in the local community.

Total cost of ownership. Technical Aspects of Applications Software Batch, interactive, transaction and real-time processing. Data capture and the need for validation and verification. Business case studies.

Implementation Issues System and application software, detailing the advantages of bespoke and shrink-

wrapped applications software. The system life cycle. Security, risk assessment and disaster recovery. Software quality assurance.

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Spreadsheet Principles An overview of Excel incorporating formula, functions, formatting, sorting,

charts, pivot tables, printing and OLE. Introduction to macros using the record facility. Creating and amending macros to create simple solutions.

HRM - 1116 HR Management I NQF Level 7 Credits 13

Module Outcomes: Distinguish the various HR Practices used in businesses. Course Content The fundamental characteristics of people for the purposes of human resource

management. Identify the mechanisms and methodologies for individual and organisational

learning from the viewpoint of augmenting organisational effectiveness. Psychological contracts in terms in new employer expectations. Ethical management of managers, employees and the business as a whole. Flexible working to accommodate changing business needs. Employee commitment and the differences between management and leadership. Employee performance with reference to performance management, motivation

and job design. People management skills. Effective communication as a source of good business practice.

FIN - 2128 Managerial Accountancy I NQF Level 7 Credits 18

Module Outcomes: Evaluate the different systems and calculations used in business accounting.

Course Content Control systems for materials, labour and overheads with reference to fixed,

variable, semi fixed and semi variable costs, the pricing of materials, the allocation of overheads and overhead recovery rates.

Analysis of costs and volumes with reference to cost volume profit analysis and the economist’s and accountants cost volume chart.

Process costing, normal and abnormal waste and the apportionment of joint costs. The costs involved in short-term decision-making such as marginal costing

opportunity costs, sunk costs and differential costs. Marginal and absorption costing. Budgetary control systems for planning and control purposes. Standard costing and operating statements. Working capital management. The uses and benefits of using IT in the presentation of management information.

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Financial maths including pay-back, the time value of money, average rate of return, compound interest, annuities and mortgages, discounted cash flow, net present value and internal rate of return.

BIS - 2317 Systems Analysis and Design NQF Level 7 Credits 14

Module Outcomes: Distinguish and compare computer systems. Course Content The background and theory of systems analysis including the development of

systems analysis and definition of attributes for systems analysis. The systems analysis and design framework using the Systems Development Life

Cycle (SDLC). Structured systems analysis and design (SSA). The process model using Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs). The entity model using Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs) and Entity Life

Histories (ELHs). Computer Aided Systems Engineering (CASE) and the use of prototyping. Cross life-cycle tasks.

BIS - 2318 Principles of Programming NQF Level 7 Credits 18

Module Outcomes: Appraise different aspects of Visual Basic. Course Content Introduction to Visual Basic Creating new programs, opening existing programs, saving and backing up

programs. Writing and editing code. Compilers, interpreters and executing programs. Debugging and handling syntax and logical errors.

Data Types and Variables Introduce all common data types such as integers, longs, strings, booleans and

dates. Discuss the choice of the most appropriate data types to represent a variety of data

items. Define and discuss the declaration of variables.

Arithmetic and Logical Operators Arithmetic operators such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Precedence and the use of parentheses. Logical operators such as AND, OR, NOT and XOR. Boolean expressions.

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Loops and Control Constructs For…Next statements Do…Loops While…Wend If …then…Else Select case

User defined Arrays Declaring and filling one-dimensional arrays. The uses of one-dimensional arrays.

Statements, Procedures and Functions Statements and expressions. Define procedures, parameters and types. Calling procedures Built-in functions such as string, arithmetic, conversion and date/time functions. Introduce user-defined functions using parameters and return values to exhibit

their flexibility and reusability. Calling user-defined functions. BIS - 2319 Networks and Distributed Systems NQF Level 7 Credits 18

Module Outcomes: Distinguish and appraise and evaluate networks and distribution systems.

Course Content Standard Processes The components, forces and interactions within the data communications

industry. Local PPTs and ISPs. De Jure, De Facto and proprietary standard bodies and regulators. Layered models such as Goldman’s Top-Down model. Open system standards using the ISO OSI 7-layer functional model.

Concepts in Data Communications Simplex, duplex, synchronous, asynchronous, digital, analogue, serial and parallel

transmissions. Modulation and demodulation principles using amplitude and frequency. Modems, bandwidth, data compression and character encoding.

Local Area Networks (LANs) Characteristics and common topologies of LANs. Transmission media and access techniques and their associated standards in wired

and wireless LANs. LAN maps and the ISO reference model. High speed LANs and MANs. LAN operating systems.

Wide Area Networks (WANs)

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Characteristics and common topologies of WANs. Circuit and packet switching. Network routing WAN maps and the ISO reference model, including TCP/IP. Connection-less and connection orientated operations focusing on the comparison

of datagrams and virtual circuit operations. Interconnection Methods OSI level 1 devices such as repeaters. OSI level 2 devices such as bridges. OSI level 3 devices such as routers. Modems Security with reference to firewalls and encryption.

Network Protocols ISO and non ISO application protocols such as X.500, X.500, FTP and SMTP TCP/IP network protocols such as intranets and extranets. Client-server models.

MTH – 2327 Quantitative Methods II NQF Level 7 Credits 13

Module Outcomes: Differentiate different forms of data collection, distributions and statistical

analysis. Course Content Data Collection and Presentation Data sources Sampling methodologies Survey and questionnaire design Data types and their relevant forms of tabular and graphical presentation. Descriptive statistics including measures of central tendency, measures of

dispersion and measures of skew. Probability and Probability Distributions The rules of probability theory. Decision trees. The normal, binomial and poisson distributions. The Central Limit Theorem Hypothesis testing using parametric and non-parametric methods – t-tests, chi-

squared statistic. Statistics Correlation analysis using Pearson’s and Spearman’s Rank coefficients. Regression analysis using least squares estimation. Time series analysis using additive and multiplicative models as decomposition

methodologies. Analysis of trend, cycle and seasonality.

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Economic and Business Applications Demand and supply functions. Cost, revenue and profit functions using break-even analyst

Upon successful completion of this year, student is allowed to proceed to the next level i.e. degree year III.

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B BIS Year III HRM - 3147 Entrepreneurial Studies and Leadership NQF Level 8 Credits 20 Module Outcomes: Appraise the nature and person-related factors in entrepreneurship. Analyze the factors affecting small business management. Distinguish between different forms of leadership and their relationships to

entrepreneurial enterprises. Course Content The nature of entrepreneurship

o Defining entrepreneurship o Promoting Innovation: Assessing Entrepreneurial Opportunities o Economic and Social Contributions of Entrepreneurial Factors influencing entrepreneurship

o Person Characteristics o Life Path Circumstances o Favourable Environmental Conditions o Perceptions of Desirability and Feasibility Deciding on a development approach

o Starting a new firm o Buying an existing business o Purchasing a franchise

Preparing to operate a small business o Developing a Business Plan o Obtaining resources o Selecting an appropriate site

Managing a small business o Stages of small business growth o Entrepreneurship versus intrapreneurship o Major issues and problems

How leaders influence others o Sources of leader power o Effective use of leader power

Identifying leadership behaviours o Leadership traits o Managing diversity: Female vs. male leader behaviours

Promoting innovation o Transformational leadership o Leadership and the organisational life cycle.

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BIS – 3317 Computer Studies II: Application Development NQF Level 8 Credits 20 Module Outcomes: Compare different concepts of application development. Course Content Object-Oriented Concepts

Object, state and properties, behaviour and methods, encapsulation, information hiding, class, inheritance, polymorphism. Object relationships, class relationships.

The Unified Modelling Language The diagrammatic notations for objects, classes, inheritance diagrams, state charts, use cases, sequence diagrams.

Object-Oriented Design A simple object-oriented design method, based on identifying classes,

responsibilities and collaborations (CRC). Rapid Prototyping The iterative prototyping lifecycle: specification of first iteration prototype,

identifying evaluation criteria, building the prototype, evaluation, specification of next iteration prototype.

Visual Development Environments Event-driven environments, visual layout facilities, controls (visual and non-visual),

properties, methods, events. Database access, building front ends for simple database applications.

User Interface Design Guidelines Consistency, shortcuts, informative feedback, closure, error handling, undo facilities,

internal locus of control, reducing short-term memory load.

BIS - 3318 Managing Change NQF Level 8 Credits 20

Modules Outcomes: Differentiate and assess different system design methods. Evaluate different systems implementation issues. Course Content System Design Methods

Variants in system design methods; Traditional Systems Life Cycle; Structured Design methods; Participative Design approaches; Local Technician Developed Systems; End User Development Systems. User impact of different design approaches. General structure and policies for information technology management in organisations. Centralisation versus decentralisation of system development. End user support.

Designing the Design and Implementation Process The structure of the design team: The customer-contractor relationship. Design by experts versus end user development. Policies for individual project management. Effective teamwork. The context of leadership. Agenda for implementing change.

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Corporate culture and managing corporate politics. Blocks to problem solving and change.

Assessing Systems Impact Impact Analysis: Assessing the consequences of socio-technical options. Stakeholder mapping Principles for developing user requirements. Use of prototyping. User evaluation of systems. The conduct of evaluation studies. Managerial skills for effective organisational change: Diagnosing change, managing transitions; the coping cycle. Balanced scorecard approach.

Design for User Tasks and Organisational Requirements Criteria for human acceptability and organisational requirements for systems. Managing major change: Business Process Re-engineering and impact on job design. Forms of work organisation: Job rotation; job enlargement; job enrichment; autonomous work groups and empowerment. Incremental change: Role of competitive benchmarking. Total quality management programmes. System Implementation and Security Human and organisational aspects of implementation: Organisational structures for

implementation. Implementation strategies and the impact on user adaptation and learning. Training and user support. Risk analysis and security.

BIS - 3319 Relational Databases NQF Level 8 Credits 20

Module Outcomes: Analyze and compare databases. Evaluate different implementation and administration strategies. The Database Environment. Course Content

o Basic concepts and definitions. o Traditional file processing systems and their problems. o The database approach with its advantages. o Database components. o Evolution of databases. o Range of database applications. o Overview of the development process. Database Analysis

o The Entity-Relationship Model. o The Enhanced E-R Model and Business Rules. o Object-Oriented Modelling. Database Design

o The relational data model - the structural part, manipulation part and integrity constraints.

o Logical Design - moving from EAR model to relations. o Normalisation. o Physical Design - data volume and usage analysis, designing data fields, physical

records and o files, use of indexes. Implementation

o SQL - background to the SQL standard; data definition statements - CRKATE,

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ALTER and DROP o TABLE, CREATE and DROP VIEW, defining integrity constraints; data

manipulation statements o INSERT, DELETE and UPDATE/querying. o Database access from client applications - form and report development, use of

visual basic, o using COM and OLE for database access. o Client/Server Architectures. o Distributed Databases. Data Administration

o Administrative roles of Database Administrator, Data Administrator and the DBMS.

o Managing data security. o Managing data quality. o Backup and Recovery. o Controlling Concurrent Access. o Tuning Databases for Performance. Current Trends Object

o Oriented Databases. o Object Relational Databases. o Data Warehousing.

BIS – 3316 Internet Development Systems NQF Level 8 Credits 20 Module Outcomes: Compare different internet development systems for use in businesses. Course Content HTML Part 1

Basic HTML, publishing to a website. Web protocols, servers and infrastructure

HTTP, the architecture of the web, web server design and management. Design issues

Aesthetics vs efficiency, separation of content and representation, design for multiple browsers, hypertext design issues, designing for the visually impaired, international concerns, cross-media design.

HTML Part 2 Further HTML: tables, forms, frames, style sheets, imagemaps.

Java and ActiveX Incorporating applets and other objects into HTML pages, writing simple Java applets, overview of ActiveX, security and performance concerns, Java sandboxing, digital signatures and notions of trust. Use of Plug ins.

Client-side scripts Basic JavaScript, including form validation, image pre-loading, window manipulation.

Server-side scripts Introduction to Active Server Pages and database integration.

CGI Introduction to Perl, implementing CGI programs on the web server.

Security

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Technologies of security such as S-HTTP, SSL and PPTP, secure transaction protocols, server security mechanisms, site certificates.

E-commerce issues Implementing shopping carts, credit card authentication schemes, micropayments and ecash, the exploitation of search engines/portals.

Intranet design Business benefits, connecting to legacy applications, design issues (e.g. user involvement, publishing methods), email/news/groupware integration.

Current issues Investigation of current issues. From June 99 these might include one or more technologies such as XML, SMIL, IPv6, VRML etc. without this practical experience.

FIN - 3127 Corporate Finance NQF Level 8 Credit 20

Module Outcomes: Assess factors influencing corporate business decisions Evaluate risk management strategies Differentiate between financing options for corporates

Course Content The broad environment of financial decision making involving corporate

objectives and functioning of the capital markets: Evolution of financial management in response to economic and other external factors e.g. technical developments and inflation resulting in the globalisation of financial decision making. The agency problem, finance theory in practice incorporating market and other imperfections. Financial markets, market efficiency and short-termism.

The capital investment decision in practice, including unequal project lives, effects of inflation and risk: Identifying the relevant information in investment analysis. Evaluating replacement and other investment decisions. The problems of inflation and taxation. Replacement decisions. The control process as part of the investment decision. Post audit reviews.

The impact of risk and uncertainty on the financial decision-making process and the contribution of modern portfolio theory: The need to understand how uncertainty affects investment decisions. Managers’ attitudes to risk. Mechanics of portfolio construction. Determination of appropriate risk premiums to incorporate into discount rates. The capital asset pricing model and its limitations.

The financing decision of firms, including leverage, debt/equity ratios and Ieasing decisions: Treasury management and working capital policy. Short term asset management. Gearing and the advantages of debt capital. Factors to be taken into account when designing a capital structure policy. The Modigliani and Miller contribution. Buy or lease decisions, effects on overall financing strategy.

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The role of financial markets in the provision of finance and the efficiency of the markets in the pricing of securities: The key characteristics of the main sources of finance. The efficient market hypothesis and its practical implications The derivatives market including the role of options, futures and swaps.

The dividend policy debate, including the implications of particular dividend distribution policies on the future of the firm: Competing views about the role of dividend policy. The implications of a change in dividend payouts. The ‘information content’ of dividends. The theory of dividend policy. Market imperfections and the clientele effect.

Evaluation of acquisitions and mergers and the problems associated with the valuation decision: The reasons behind the choice of merger or acquisition as a strategic option. Financing of acquisitions. The valuation problem particularly related to unquoted companies. Evaluation of the success of a merger or take-over.

The impact of international trade on financial decisions, including the impact of exchange rates and the problems both financial and non-financial of international investment: Economic theory underlying the operation of international markets. Understand the three forms of risk involved in international trade: currency risk, translation risk and economic risk. Internal and external hedging of these risks.

HRM - 3148 - Strategic HR Management: NQF Level 8 Credits 20 Module Outcomes:

Analyze the elements and tasks of strategic HR Management Evaluate the relationships and strategies among HR functions

Course Content Analyze the elements of a human resource strategy and the necessity for

integration between the HR strategy and the strategies adopted by the organisation in general and by all other business functions.

Differentiate the tasks and processes involved in the creation of a human resource strategy, including capability evaluations, development of an HR vision, assessment of the strategic gap, and construction of plans designed to enable the gap to be reduced or eliminated.

Evaluate the relationships between human resource strategies and associated performance measures like profitability, competitive innovation, service quality, customer satisfaction, employee retention, and so forth.

Distinguish meaningful strategies and implementation programmes within each human resource management function, i.e. employee resourcing, employee reward, employee relations, and employee development.

Upon successful completion of this year, student is allowed to proceed to the next level i.e. degree year IV.

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B BIS Year IV BIS - 4317 Computer Organization & Architecture NQF Level 8 Credits 30 Module Outcomes: Distinguish and evaluate between different elements of computer architecture.

Course Content Instruction set architectures: instruction types, data types, addressing modes,

instruction formats, and other issues in instruction set architecture design such as completeness and orthogonality, and examples of instruction set architectures by using Intel 8085 microprocessor and a relatively simple CPU.

Computer organization: functional units of a computer, system buses, instruction cycles, CPU organization, memory subsystem organization and interfacing, types of memories, internal organization of memory chips configuration, I/O subsystem organization and interfacing, and design of a relatively simple computer.

CPU design: micro-operations and register transfer language (RTL), use of RTL to specify digital systems, operation cycles of CPUs, and design of a very simple CPU with four instructions and a relatively simple CPU with 16 instructions by using hardwired control method; the design includes instruction set architectures, data paths, ALUs, and control units.

Computer arithmetic: notations used in computer arithmetic, adder and subtractor circuits for numbers in unsigned notations, shift-add multiplication algorithm.

Memory organization: memory hierarchy, cache memory, associative memory, associative mapping, direct mapping, set-associative mapping, writing and data replacement policies in cache, cache performance, virtual memory, and paging.

I/O organization: interrupts, direct memory access (DMA), bus architecture, and SCSI, USB, and FireWire buses.

RISC processors: RISC rational, RISC instruction sets, instruction pipelines, data conflicts, branch conflicts, and comparison of RISC and CISC processors.

BIS - 4318 Management Information Systems NQF Level 8 Credits 20 Module Outcomes:

Evaluate different management information systems (MIS). Appraise the role of MIS in business decision making.

Course Content Management Information Systems and the Manager. Purpose of Information Systems. Data Communications and Internet Technology, Systems Development. E-Commerce and Supply Chain Systems, Information Systems Within

Organisations Strategic use of information resources

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Managing IS projects Case study approaches, in depth firm profiles, and in depth IS topics Decision making: managerial problem solving and decision-making models,

frameworks. Decision making and IS: role of information systems in managerial decision

making. Transaction processing systems: concept, definition, architecture and components

and MIS development. MIS acquisitions: proves and case study. MIS implementation: critical success

factora, strategies, impacts and case study.

Decision making: managerial problem solving and decision-making models, frameworks. Decision making and IS: role of information systems in managerial decision making. Introduction to MIS: definition, concepts components and sub-systems. Bases for structure of an MIS: decision making, management activity, organisational function and synthesis of MIS structure. Transaction processing systems: definition, architecture and components and MIS development. Decision support systems: concept, definition, architecture and components and MIS development. MIS acquisitions: proves and case study. MIS implementation: critical success factors, strategies, impacts and case study.

BIS - 4316 Expert Systems NQF Level 8 Credits 20 Module Outcomes:

Analyze and evaluate artificial intelligence and expert systems. Course Content Artificial Intelligence: expert systems and artificial intelligence, heuristic search,

production systems, structured objects. Logic: prepositional, predicate, others. Early expert systems: MYCIN, R1, INTERNIST, PROSPECTOR etc. State of the Art expert systems. Aspects of expert systems: tools for building expert systems, knowledge acquisition, explanation, alternatives to expert systems, future developments.

BIS - 4399 BIS Project NQF Level 8 Credits 70 Field Project: Business Information System Evaluation Module Outcomes: Student develop real world systems

Upon successful completion of degree final year, student is awarded a Bachelor’s

Degree in Business Information Systems.