THE INSTITUTE OF CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS IN IRELAND EDUCATORS BRIEFING 2012/2013 FORMATION 2 INFORMATION SYSTEMS

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Topic Comments on Performance in 2012 Examinations:

Guidelines The pass rate in the April exam was lower than previous years, but the August results were back up again to previous levels. With respect to the case study question students are advised to read the text carefully, gather observations as they would in a real-life business/organisational context, and use these observations as a basis for their responses to the questions. Students are also expected to write legibly. The aim of this subject is for students to develop an understanding of the role and application of information systems and information technology in the management and control of organisations. Students will develop their understanding of selecting and advising on the implementation of appropriate systems, processes, controls and solutions in organisations today. The Learning Outcomes are published in the syllabus.

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Learning Objectives:

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Syllabus Changes:

The syllabus has been updated to ensure that the emphasis is on the application of information systems and information technology. This enables educators and students to concentrate on how systems and technologies support organisational performance and growth. The recommended core text is Management Information Systems: Global Edition, Laudon and Laudon, 12th Edition, 2011 (ISBN9780273754596).

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Format of the Examination Papers for 2013:

The format of the examination will be the same as in recent years. The examination will be unseen, closed book and three hours in duration. It will be divided into two sections: Sections A will consist of two compulsory questions. The first (Question 1) will be based on an unseen case study set in a real life business context, and will be worth 25 marks. This will assess students ability to apply their knowledge of a number of the focus areas listed below. It will also examine their overall knowledge of the strategic value of information systems. The second compulsory question in Section A (Question 2) will be a 15 mark question. Here, students will be expected to write brief notes on 5 out of 8 topics selected from the full syllabus. Each part will be worth 3 marks. Section B will have four 20 mark questions. Students will be required to answer 3 of these. Each of the questions in Section B will have, as its major element, one of the main focus areas listed below. The examination format and an indication of the marks allocation are also stated in the syllabus. The format will be the same as outlined in the Assessment Strategy section of the syllabus.

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Education Focus for 2012/13:

Educators are expected to cover all aspects of the syllabus so that students get a full understanding of selecting and advising on the implementation of appropriate systems, processes, controls and solutions in a business environment. However the following 12 focus areas cover the core aspects of the course. These will form the basis for 2013 examinations. 1. The role of information systems in business today, and in particular the links between information systems and business performance. This includes the strategic business objectives of information systems, and the organisational, management and technological dimensions of systems deployed in todays business environment. 2. E-business and collaboration, including global e-business and a knowledge of the tools/technologies used. This covers the business objectives, applications, business models and technologies of e-commerce. 3. How information systems and the Internet impact organisations and business firms, both economically and organisationally.

4. Using information systems to achieve competitive advantage, including the use of Porters Five Forces and Value Chain models. 5. Ethical and social issues in information systems, including the Data Protection Act. 6. Enterprise applications and systems, and in particular information systems used for enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain management (SCM) and client/customer relationship management (CRM). 7. The use of information systems in decision making and decision support, as well as business intelligence and analytics. In this context it is important to understand data and information storage, with emphasis on current trends, warehousing and mining, and the management of data and information resources. 8. Understanding contemporary information technology trends and their implications for (business) organisations. These trends include the use of mobile platforms and applications in business, cloud computing, open source, and social media. 9. Securing information systems, and in particular frameworks for security and control. The latter covers all aspects of the systems and technology infrastructure (hardware, software, data, people and processes), as well as all application stages (input, storage, processing and output). 10. Managing knowledge. Here the emphasis is on knowledge management and the different types of knowledge management systems rather than intelligent techniques or the specifics of different knowledge work systems. 11. Building and deploying information systems. This covers the planning of organisational change, stages in system development, and approaches to system building or acquisition.

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12. Establishing the value of information systems in business, and knowing how to manage information systems projects. Educators are encouraged to actively engage students through the use of discussion questions, case studies and short group activities in order to address the learning outcomes of critical analysis of case studies.

Clarifications:
Q. Point 3 - Could we get specific feedback re which chapter in the book is referred to here? A. Point 3 is: How information systems and the Internet impact organizations and business firms, both economically and organizationally. This is covered primarily in chapter 3 of the recommended core text, Laudon & Laudon. Content in other chapters is also relevant to the impact of IS and the Internet on organisations & firms. Q. Point 7 - the use of IS in decision making, can you clarify if GIS is still examinable (not mentioned in the syllabus, but was previously examined). A. As with all aspects of information systems used in the management and control of organisations, candidates are expected to know what a GIS is. However it is not a core aspect of the course. Q. Although not specifically mentioned I am assuming that TPS, DSS, MIS,EIS,GDSS are examinable? A. Yes Q. Point 10 - Managing knowledge - can we assume that the solution given to the August 2012 Question 6 (d) is sufficient level of detail to cover Enterprise Wide knowledge management systems and Knowledge work systems. A. The answer to Autumn Q6 (d) is sufficient to explain what they are. However the question does not expect and consequently the answer doesnt provide an explanation of the context in which they might be used, and how. Q. The following are not mentioned, can we assume they will not be examinable: - Telecommunictaions and wireless technology - ie WANs, LANs, Cabling, WiFi, Topologies etc A. Again, these are not core aspects. However they are part of the syllabus and as such students are expected to know something about them. For example they might be asked for a brief explanation of some aspect of network technology that is important from a business/organizational point of view. Q. Functional information systems A. As I understand it a functional information system is one that facilitates the work of a single department or function. Candidates will not be asked for detailed explanations of how sales, human resources, inventory control or other such functional information systems work, but they will be expected to know how such systems could a) be selected, built, managed, and integrated into an overall IS/IM strategy, as well as b) their value to an organization.

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