Governing Digital Technologies
Overview
This unit examines the challenges of digital technology governance in a modern organisational context. Students will develop an understanding of the importance of the alignment of an organisation's digital technology assets to the operations and strategy of its business functions. Students will explore techniques and tools for analysing and improving the degree of alignment between an organisation’s business functions and its digital technology assets. The role of architecture as an analysis and design framework for improving and maintaining the alignment between an organisation’s business functions and operations and its digital technology will be explored. Students will examine approaches, techniques and tools to analyse the structures, processes and instruments (e.g. review boards, design councils, etc.) used to govern and control digital technology investment and implementation and apply this knowledge to develop practical solutions for real world industry-based case studies. Students will also examine emerging technologies such as blockchain and their impact on alignment processes.
Requisites
Rule
187.5 credit points
AND
INF20011 Mobile Business and Social Media
OR
INF20030 Cloud Approaches for Enterprise Systems
OR
INF10024 Business Digitalisation
02-November-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Apply appropriate analytical tools to align business operations and strategy and digital technology planning and investment
- Critically analyse and evaluate the extent to which the organisational structure of an IT function and its processes and practices influence the effective governance and control of digital technology in an organisational context.
- Analyse and evaluate real-world digital technology governance cases and make recommendations based on information systems theory, frameworks and practice.
- Evaluate cross-cultural and interpersonal communication issues associated with the governance of digital technologies in a global context.
- Communicate effectively as a professional and function as an effective leader or member of a team
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus Class | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| Online Lecture | 1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning | 9.50 | 12 weeks | 114 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
OUA
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning | 12.50 | 12 weeks | 150 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 | Individual | 30 - 40% | 1,3 |
| Assignment 2 | Group | 30 - 40% | 2,3,4,5 |
| Assignment 3 | Individual | 20 - 40% | 1,2,3 |
Content
- Examine the challenges associated with the increasing digitalisation of organisations through authentic/ real world applications
- The importance of the alignment between an organisation’s business strategy and operations and the structure, operations, processes of its IT function
- Methods for identifying problems with IT and business alignment and tools for intervening in those problems
- IT functions, their organisational structure, governance mechanisms and control processes
- Evaluating digital technology investment, planning and decision makingÂ
- Managing the realisation of benefits from digital technology investment
- Cross cultural communication & management issues
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.