Chapter 1 Information Systems Revolution

1
Chapter 1Information Systems Revolution

• A new world
• The Internet and international trade
• Major mail-order computer vendors such as
• Dell, Gateway
• Dells biggest moneymaker is not in selling
  computers, it makes most of its money selling its
  stock.

2
Data vs. Information

• Data is the basic raw element of facts.
• March 31, 1999
• Wednesday
• CSLA
• CIS 301
• Information is the processed data that is useful
  and meaningful to people.
• Today is Wednesday, March 31, 1999. This is my
  first day of attending a CIS 301 course at CSLA.
• What is the relationship of data and information
  in terms of feedback?

3
Usable Information in IS

• Activities
• Input captures raw data
• Processing converts the input into more
  meaningful form
• Output transfers the processed information to
  people or activities where it will be used.
• Output to feedback to data evaluation to
  effective feedback.

4
Information Systems Literacy vs. Computer Literacy

• Information systems literacy
• An understanding of the organization and
  management dimensions as well as technological
  dimensions
• Computer literacy
• An understanding of computers.

5
Organizational Dimension

• Information systems
• Part of organizations and in some cases they are
  the organization (credit card companies,
  financial information services)
• SOPs and the culture are deeply embedded within
  them

6
Management Dimension

• Management
• Information systems supply tools and information
  needed by managers to
• allocate, coordinate, and monitor their work
• make decisions
• create new product and services
• make long-range strategic decisions

7
Technology Dimension

• Technology
• Information Systems Technology used by management
  to carry out their functions.
• Hardware
• software
• storage
• telecommunications
• The glue that holds the organization together
• So, as the clock ticks toward Y2K...

8
Behavioral vs. Technical Approach to IS

• Behavioral Approach
• Focuses on questions such as behavioral problems
  of
• systems utilization, implementation, and systems
  design
• social and organizational impacts of info systems
• political impacts of info systems
• individual responses to info systems
• cognitive models of human reasoning
• Solutions involve
• Changes in attitudes, management, organization
  policy, and behavior

9
Technical Approach

• Emphasizes mathematically based, normative models
  to study
• information systems and the physical technology
  and formal capabilities of info systems
• Solutions
• Deals with improvement in computer hardware,
  methods of computation, methods of efficient data
  storage and access, software quality assurance,
  application of normative models of management,
  and operations research models.

10
Are we in this relationship together?

• A change in strategy, rules, or procedures
  requires changes in software, hardware,
  databases, and communication technology and vice
  versa.
• An organizations present and future
  accomplishments depend in many respects on what
  its systems will permit it to do.

11
The Internet and WWW the Org. playing
rules/roles have changed

• A separation of work from location through the
  virtual organization
• Who makes the decisions now? Worker Empowerment
• Flattening of organizations
• Increased organizational flexibility
• Electronic commerce
• Reorganized work flows

12
Flexibility of Organizations

• Mass customization (Dell)
• Direct link from supplier to customer
• One-to-one custom selling and servicing (iflyswa)

13
Key Management Challenges

• Strategic Business Challenge
• How can we use information technology to design
  organizations that are competitive and effective?

14
Challenges cont.

• Globalization Challenge
• How can firms understand the systems requirements
  of a global economic environment?
• Information Architecture Challenge
• How can organizations develop an information
  architecture that supports their business goals?

15
Challenges cont.

• The information systems investment challenge
• How can organizations determine the business
  value of information systems?

16
Now, Its your turn

• Describe a system in terms of inputs, processes,
  and outputs in terms of its management,
  organization, and technology features.
• Example
• System (payroll system)
• Inputs (empno, empid, empsal, pay_type)
• Processes calculate gross pay, deduc., emp info
• Output updated emp rec, checks, paystubs.

17
Organizational features to exercise

• Technology
• size/kind computer storage medium, payroll
  software, database technology
• Organization
• size/type of staff to run system
• place/function area of payroll system
• Management
• payroll management problems system
  solved/designed to solve, reason for
  installation. Expedite, eliminate, solve various
  problems?

18
An understanding of Information Systems

• Technical Disciplines
• Computer Science
• Management Science
• Operations Research
• MIS (technical side)

• Behavioral Disciplines
• Sociology
• Political Science
• Psychology
• MIS (behavioral)