Information Systems in Organisations

Code:

CINF042

Acronym:

SIO

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Information Science

Instance: 2025/2026 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Informatics Engineering
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor of Arts in Information Science

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
CINF	39	Study plan	2	-	3	19,5	81

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

Learning outcomes and competences

Being approved at the UC, the students will be able to:

1. explain how information is used for decision-making in organisations and what is the instrumental role of the several types of IS.
2. describe the offer of organisational IT systems, characterising it in the most appropriate way for IS analysis
3. explain the business process analysis perspective and its relationship with the IS development
4. read and interpret conceptual representations of business processes
5. explain the influence of the IS in the organisational development, in terms of operations and strategy;
6. identify, describe and analyse de possible impact of an IS in the organization through models of success and technology acceptance.

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. Information, management and decision-making

Managers and decisions. Generic decision-making model. Information to support decisions. Management functions and IS.

2. Structures, processes and IS types

Structure and processes in the organizations and IS. Facets of IS classification in the organizations. Paradigm examples of IS in organizations.

3. IS and organizational change.

Interdependence between organization, environment and IS. Types of analysis in IS: functions and processes. Business process analysis. Impact and technology acceptance models.

4. IS and organizational strategy.

IS planning. Strategic IS.

Mandatory literature

Alistair Mutch; Managing Information and Knowledge in Organizations: a Literacy Approach, Routledge, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-414-41725-9
Adrienne Curry, Peter Flett, Ivan Hollingsworth; Managing Information Systems: The Business Perspective, Routledge, 2006. ISBN: 9-78-0-415-35586-5

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical classes focus on the exposure of the programmatic contents of the UC by the teacher and the discussion of the themes by the students, motivated and promoted by the teacher. For this, students take previous readings, included in the UC plan.

The expository classes are interspersed with classes where students will carry out practical exercises in group and their discussion. The discussion of the themes is motivated by case studies, illustrative examples, examples of technologies, etc.

During the semester students will carry out a group project that will be followed up in specific classes and delivered at the end of the semester.

The UC is managed through moodle.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	50,00
Participação presencial	10,00
Trabalho escrito	40,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Elaboração de projeto	26,00
Estudo autónomo	31,00
Frequência das aulas	24,00
Total:	81,00

Eligibility for exams

Mandatory attendance at 75% of classes.

Mandatory completion of all assignments (submissions and presentations) scheduled on the moodle platform and within the deadlines set by the teacher.

The teacher reserves the right to differentiate the classification of students in the same group, depending on the factual perception of the effort made by each element and participation and discussion in oral presentations and classes.

A minimum mark of 40% is required in any of the assessment components.

The grade for the group work assessment component cannot be improved in the appeal period, and can only be improved in the next occurrence of the course unit.

It is possible to improve the exam grade in the appeal period.

Calculation formula of final grade

Distributed assessment with final exam. 

Assessment components:

• Exam: 50%
• Work assessment (group): 40%
• Participation / Homework: 10%

Final UC grade =0,4*Group Work grade + 0,1*Participation grade + 0,5*Exam grade

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

According to the course rules.

Classification improvement

The grade for the group work assessment component cannot be improved in the appeal period, and can only be improved in the next occurrence of the course unit.

It is possible to improve the exam grade in the appeal period.

Observations

Use of AI in the academic work of the curricular unit

Ethical and Scientific Principles
The use of AI is allowed under strict adherence to ethical and scientific standards. Students must ensure the proper use of sources and maintain transparency about the use of AI in their work.

Allowed use of AI.
All types of generative templates for image, text or sound creation are allowed, but transparency in their use is required through documentation in the appendix of the work.

Creation of Text Material
Direct copying and glueing of texts generated by AI is not allowed. AI should be used as an "informed conversation partner", requiring a critical appreciation of the texts generated by AI.

Image Creation
The use of generative templates for image creation is allowed. Images created using AI must be properly credited and documented.

Documentation in the Appendix
The use of AI in academic writing should be documented in a table in the appendix, specifying the AI tools used, their application, the critical review process and the location in the manuscript to which it applies.

Prohibited Use of AI
The direct use of AI texts or other people as part of academic work is prohibited. This applies to all forms of writing, and any violation will be considered plagiarism.