Introduction to IS & Fundamental Concepts

1. Introduction to IS & Fundamental Concepts Infsy 540Dr. R. Ocker

3. What are some characteristics of today’s business environment?

4. Characteristics of today’s business environment: • globalization • global marketplace • global competition • global work groups • global information systems

5. Characteristics of today’s business environment: • transformation of industrial economies • knowledge and information-based economies • productivity • innovation • time-based competition • shorter product life • turbulent environment

6. Characteristics of today’s business environment: • transformation of the organization • flatter • decentralized • flexible • collaborative work and teamwork • empowered workforce • lower operating costs

7. Transformation of the Business Enterprise • traditional business firm - • hierarchical • centralized • standard operating procedures for mass production • new style of business firm - • flatter • decentralized • flexible arrangement of generalists and specialists

8. Transformation of the Business Enterprise • similar to a symphony • consist of knowledge workers • college educated • members of profession (e.g., engineers, doctors, lawyers, scientists, etc.) • jobs consist primarily of creating new information and knowledge • IT has evolved to enable and support new form of organization

9. What is an information system (IS)? • interrelated components working together to • collect, process, store, disseminate information • to support • decision making, coordination, control, analysis, and visualization in an organization

10. Components of an IS • Hardware • software • databases • telecommunications (networks) • human resources (system professionals and end users) • procedures (specifications for the use, operation, & maintenance of IS)

11. 3 activities in an IS produce information • 1. input - capture of raw data • 2. processing - conversion, manipulation, and analysis of raw input • 3. output - distribution of processed information • CBIS - computer-based information system - our focus in this course

12. Information vs. Data • information technology = IS + telecommunications • information - data that have been shaped into a form that is meaningful and useful to humans • data - raw facts before they have been organized and arranged into a form useful to people

13. Information is a corporate resource...

14. Attributes of Quality Information • Timely • complete • concise • relevant • accurate • precise • appropriate form

15. Business perspective on IS • an IS is an organizational and management solution, based on IT, to solve a business problem • to use IS effectively, must understand • organization - e.g. culture • knowledge workers - users of technology • management - diff. levels require diff. types of systems • role of IT within the organization

16. Sociotechnical Perspective • We will take a sociotechnical perspective on IT - the technology and the organization must mutually adjust to one another to achieve satisfactory fit task technology people structure

17. Different kinds of systems • Organizations and info. systems can be divided into four levels: • operational-level • knowledge-level • management-level • strategic-level

18. Organizational information systems provide: • knowledge-work support • support knowledge and data workers in an organization; help workers design products, distribute information, and cope with paperwork; fastest growing applications • operational support • monitor low-level activities and transactions of the organization

19. Organizational information systems provide: • management-level support • support management activities of monitoring, controlling, decision-making, and administrative activities of middle managers • executive-level support • support long-range planning activities of senior management

21. Six Major types of Systems • TPS transaction processing systems • MRS management reporting systems DSS decision support systems • EIS executive information systems • PSS professional support systems • OIS office information systems

22. 1. TPS transaction processing systems • operational level • perform and record daily routine transactions necessary to conduct the business

23. 2. MRSmanagement reporting systems • Used by managers responsible for specific functions or processes in a firm • provide routine summary and exception reports • managers use these reports to help control their area of responsibility

24. 3. DSSdecision support systems • Designed to support individual and collective decision making • often use information from external sources • more analytical power than other types of systems

25. 4. EISexecutive information systems • strategic level of the organization • support long-term, strategic view • used by senior executives • easy access to summarized company data • incorporate external information on industry and economy

26. 5. PSSprofessional support systems • Support performance of tasks specific to a given profession • For example • lawyers doing legal research • architects designing buildings • designers modeling a new automobile

27. 6. OASoffice information systems • support and help coordinate knowledge work in an office environment • emphasis on increased productivity • systems include e-mail, scheduling systems, word processing

28. 7. Expert Systems (ES) • Branch of Artificial Intelligence • suggest a decision • based on a knowledge base (rather than a data base) • incorporate heuristics • informal “rules of thumb” • ES can be incorporated into all types of IS or can be used as stand-alone system

29. Information Architecture • particular form that IT takes in an organization to achieve goals • computer systems base - • HW, SW, data, telecommunications • operated by technical people

30. Information Architecture • Managers design an organization’s information architecture • decide how to arrange and coordinate the various computer technologies and business system applications to meet the information needs of each level of the organization • operational, knowledge, management, strategic • more details next lecture

31. 10 Principal capabilities of IS • 1. Fast and accurate data processing with large-capacity storage and rapid communication between sites • 2. Instantaneous access to information • 3. Means of coordination • 4. Boundary spanning • 5. Support for decision making

32. 10 Principal capabilities of IS • 6. Supporting organizational memory and learning • 7. Routinizing organizational practice • 8. Differentiation of products and services • 9. Modeling • 10. automation