Business and Financial Computing

Module code: CO2002

Business organisations are experiencing a number of events that have a significant impact on the way they used to think on and operate their IT systems. These events can be categorised into two interrelated dimensions: business and technology.

On the business side, customers more and more require differentiated products and services according to their needs and lifestyle, they are better informed and with different life patterns, regulation has intensified, mergers and acquisitions continue, the cost factor becomes even more critical, and economy and business are more global and more dynamic.

On the technology side, the advent of even more advanced communications technologies with new exciting capabilities, the increasing use of mobility solutions, the popularity of social networks, Open-Source solutions and the ‘Big Data’ movement among others. All the above are raising new challenges for IT professionals in such organisations.

To be able to effectively compete in such an environment, sole technical knowledge and skills no longer suffice. A sound understanding of the fundamental principles according to which business and financial organisations operate, a good grasp of some key business processes and of the relationship between business and IT has become a critical success factor.

In this module you will study the fundamentals of financial and business computing, giving you a clear idea of the financial principles, the business organisation and key software applications to support these domains. We will explore some basic information systems concepts and also consider the role of IT departments in such large organisations.