NBS8263 : Realising value from digital business
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Rebecca Casey
- Owning School: Newcastle University Business School
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
Information Technology (IT) remains a critical enabler of competitive advantage in organisations. However, the full strategic potential of IT often goes unrealised due to a persistent "IT attention deficit" and gaps in leadership understanding of how to manage IT-enabled change effectively. As tech-savvy generations enter the workplace and the pace of digital transformation accelerates, leaders require not just technical expertise but also a strong grasp of benefits realisation and value management frameworks to drive meaningful outcomes.
The module aims to provide insights into the complexities and opportunities of delivering value from IT while equipping individuals with practical tools and frameworks that enable them to drive change, optimise value creation, and make a measurable impact within their organisations.
Aims:
- Introduce and apply benefits realisation management frameworks to bridge the gap between IT investment and tangible strategic outcomes, ensuring organisations maximise the value of their digital initiatives.
- Develop the skills and capabilities graduates need to take an active and effective role in leading IT-enabled change and transformation, fostering alignment between technology initiatives and organisational goals.
- Enhance understanding of the cross-functional responsibilities required to realise value from IT, preparing students to contribute to their teams and organisations as strategic enablers of digital success.
By focusing on these aims, the module ensures you are prepared to navigate the evolving digital business landscape and drive sustained competitive advantage through effective IT value realisation.
Outline Of Syllabus
1. The challenges and opportunities associated with delivering value from IT.
2. A benefits framework for planning change initiatives.
3. Delivering the benefits from projects – an agile, benefits driven approach.
4. Harvesting the benefits from investments in IT-enabled change.
5. Digging deeper into key issues of benefits realisation.
6. Managing the IT investment portfolio.
7. Designing an approach to change.
8. Building dynamic capabilities.
9. Review and revision.
The module focuses on principles and practices that can be applied in a wide range of organisations and business / IT scenarios. Specific topics such as customer relationship management, digital healthcare, knowledge management and others are covered by using a range of practical cases and examples.
The module draws on research into socio-technical and benefits driven approaches to IT. It also relates to current practice and specifically the move towards agile, design based approaches to IT that contribute to business innovation.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 9 | 2:00 | 18:00 | Lectures |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 30 | 1:00 | 30:00 | Time for students to complete formative and summative coursework & assessments |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 33 | 1:00 | 33:00 | Estimated based on 3 hours per teaching week (not necessarily to do in that week) |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 19 | 1:00 | 19:00 | Balance to equal 100 overall |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures supplement student reading to provide both theoretical and practical knowledge. In class discussions and activities enable students to develop their understanding through mutual learning.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prof skill assessmnt | 2 | M | 100 | Benefits-Led Business Case: Professional Skills Presentation |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Lectures, readings and class discussions / activities are designed to help students develop the understanding and analytical skills needed to complete the assessment. Formative assessment aims to scaffold student learning towards the final summative assessment, which tests the students individually to assess how well they have developed both their factual understanding of the topic and their skills in applying their knowledge. Resit is by resubmission of a revised essay.
RESIT INFORMATION: If students are eligible to a second attempt resit will be an assignment and the resit calculation will be based 100% on the submission.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- NBS8263's Timetable