Review of BID4

To reach the status we are at now was a long and hard journey albeit and educational and interesting one, in particular the final year. This section will review the final year, the modules taken, with emphasis on the Information Systems Strategy (ISS) module and Financial Information Systems (FIS) module.

The group universally felt that ISS was a dynamic course that "opened our eyes" to the various manners in which Information can be used in industry. During the initial commencement of the course, there were difficulties in understanding the knowledge and grasping the potential it offered. From the course, it was realised that information, if used effectively in industry, can greatly increase the overall efficiency of the company. Although the group was aware that information, if used correctly, could facilitate an increase in efficiency, the course detailed examples that proved this fact to us. From the coursework completed, we felt that we could now suitably identify how information can be used, and the various strategies that are open to corporations.

The knowledge attained during ISS was subsequently applied for FIS. FIS built upon the knowledge of information use and applied it to a specific area of information technology: E-commerce. This module provided the group with a detailed insight into the world of e-commerce and more significantly, the role information plays in its financial aspects. An analysis of the processes that occurred within e-commerce and its associated issues provided the group with an opportunity to apply previously attained skills and to present the findings in the form of a report.

This module (FIS) too began with a little difficulty, mainly because the group expected the module to be about something different. Again we wondered upon the necessity and relevance of the module, in context to our degree course and future aspirations. It was problematical relating the lectures to the coursework requirements, but diligence and continuous research provided us with the route, presented in the form of our final piece of coursework.