• Course Introduction

    • Time: 35 hours
    • Free Certificate
    This course will focus on the allocation and use of technology resources across an entire firm as part of the larger organizational strategy. Because firms do not have an unlimited supply of capital, they must decide when and where to deploy new information technology. Firms must not only focus on when to deploy IT but also if they should deploy IT at all! This brings up the bigger question about technology: Can the use of IT bring a sustainable competitive advantage to an organization? Some say "no", and others say "of course!" You will explore these differing opinions in Unit 1.

    In Unit 2, you will delve into how IT might manage business processes and look at Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, Business Process Management (BPM) systems, and business process reengineering. You will then move on to how technology can inform decision-making in Unit 3 by studying business intelligence, data warehousing, and data mining. Unit 4 introduces you to e-commerce and examines such essential topics as intellectual property and online marketing. In Unit 5, you will explore trends in technology today. Units 1 through 5 lay the groundwork for understanding how IT can be used in business strategy, which you will put to practical use in Unit 6.