Syllabus
Structure of the Software Industry
Software suppliers, software developers, systems houses and user organisations. Typical organisational and financial structures. Evaluating the soundness of a potential supplier; key parameters. Typical weaknesses.

Acquisition Procedures
Building a tender list. Selecting a short list. Choosing the winner. Public procurement and the legislative framework. Standard acquisition procedures. Bespoke procurement v. package procurement.

Contracts
Different types of contract: fixed price, time and materials, consultancy. Limits on freedom of contract: liability, unfair terms.

Intellectual Property Rights
Different types of intellectual property. Protection of IPRs in software and in material distributed over the Internet. European and US practice.

Regulatory Requirements
General statutes and regulations relating to liability for defective software. The regulatory regimes governing software in specific industries. The pharmaceutical industry as a case study.

Professionalism and Ethics
What is a profession? The structure of professions. Professional codes of conduct and codes of practice. Ethics in general and different approaches. Professional codes of conduct in the light of these.

Aims
The aim of this module is to give students an understanding of how the software industry works.

General description
To contribute to the IT policy of an organisation or to participate in the management of an IT supplier, the computer professional must understand how the software industry works - the role of the different types of company, procurement practices, contractual practice, handling of intellectual property rights, and so on. These are the ideas presented in this module.

Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students should:

• understand the structure of the software industry, including the nature and functions of major groups of players;

• understand the software acquisition process, seen both from the supplier and the customer side, and including both packaged and bespoke software;

• be able to participate in a major software acquisition in an informed way;

• understand the nature of the commercial decisions that are faced by both suppliers and customers;

• appreciate relevant legal issues.