The course focuses on the strategic role of information systems in organizations. It has a managerial, rather than technical perspective, emphasizing the application of information systems in a wide variety of business settings. It focuses on the role of managers in ensuring that these systems support and integrate the various business processes within the company in order to achieve competitive advantage. Topics are divided into three parts: Part I covers the types of information systems and system applications in different decision making contexts. Part II links systems to organizational strategies and introduces the methods used for building information systems. Part III stresses the issues involved in implementing and managing information systems: the determinants of system success and failure, system vulnerability and abuse, and the ethical and social impacts of information systems.