Introduction to Business Information Systems

Lecture 1

Introduction to the Module and Diagnosis of Practical Skill Level

Text & References

• Focus will be on topics rather than chapters of any text• Many books are available in market

– Bocij, P. Greasley, A. & Hickie, S., 2008, Business Information Systems, 4th Edition. FT Prentice Hall (ISBN: 9780273716624)

– International Telecommunication Union, The World in 2010: ICT Facts and Figures. http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/material/FactsFigures2010.pdf

– International Telecommunication Union, Measuring the Information Society 2010. http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications/idi/2010/Material/MIS_2010_without_annex_4-e.pdf

– Not necessarily every thing is taught from the Text, Students need to broaden their view and consult as many additional references as possible (preferably available in the library and from the Internet)

Text & References

• Further reading – Chaffey, D. (2007) E-Business and E-Commerce

Management, 3rd ED, FT Prentice-Hall.– Turban, E., et al. (2008), Information Technology for

Management, 6th ED, Wiley.

Specific Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge and understanding:– How advances in technology have allowed the once seperate

industries of computing and communication to converge allowing widespread adoption of digital technologies by both business and consumers

– The impact of regional, economic and political factors on the update of digital technologies by business and consumer within a given region

– The different structures of the Internet and WWW– The adoption of IT technology for use as a business resource– The difference between data, information and knowledge– The interaction of businesses with their environment and the

need for constant monitoring for problems and opportunities

Specific Learning Outcomes– The importance of high quality information for managerial decision

making– The role of IS in supporting decision-making through out the

organisation– The role of BIS within the organisation– Generic system model and its value in problem solving– The role of BIS in achieving competitive advantage– Computer networks and their role within the business organisation

and the impact on working practices– E-commerce and its impact on businesses, consumers, and their

relationship– The various business, marketplace and revenue models for business

adopting e-commerce.

Specific Learning Outcomes

• Intellectual/Cognitive Skills:– Appreciate the global and local impact of information &

communication technology (ICT).– Understand and evaluate the various factors that relate to the

business adoption of business information systems.– Evaluate the scope of e-commerce as a straight business resource.

• Practical Skills:– Ability to analyse, understand and propose solutions to

information systems problems using appropriate principles and techniques.

– Ability to use software application packages to create artefacts relevant to business communications

Specific Learning Outcomes

• Transferable Skills:– Embedding the importance of self-study and reliance. This

involves cultivating and developing a responsibility within each student to take cognisance for their own learning, initiative, effective time-management and self-discipline within the academic and professional environments

– Ability to communicate, both orally and in writing– Ability to contribute in a team environment

What is Information Systems?

• Information systems is an interface between people, organisation and technology, which brings all these together.

Business Information Systems (BIS) “A business information system is a group

of interrelated components that work collectively to carry out input, processing, output, storage and control actions in order to convert data into information products that can be used to support forecasting, planning, control, coordination, decision making and operational activities in an organisation.”

BIS

“ As modern society becomes increasingly information driven, the capability and maturity of an organisation to manage the quality of its information can mean the difference between success and failure” (Al Hakim, 2007).

Resources that Supports BIS• People: People resources include the users of an information

system and those who develop, maintain and operate the system• Hardware: The term hardware resources refers to all types of

machines, not just computer hardware • Software: The term software resources does not only refer to

computer programs and the media on which they are stored, but the term can also be used to describe the procedures used by people.

• Data: Data resources describe all of the data that an organisation has access to, regardless of its form.

IT & IS

• Scope of the terms are different• IT- Emphasis is on the technology• IS – It not only refers to the technology, but

also incorporates how it is applied and managed to contibute to the business

Advantages of Computerised BIS• Speed: Computers can process millions of instructions each

second, allowing them to complete a given task in a very short time

• Accuracy: The result of calculation carried out by a computer is likely to be completely accurate. In addition, errors that a human might make, such as typing error, can be reduced or eliminated entirely.

• Reliability: In many organisations, computer-based IS operate for twenty-four hours a day

• Programmability: The ability to modify the software that controls them provides a high degree of flexibility

• Repetitive tasks: Computer-based IS are suited to highly repititive tasks that might result in boredom or fatigue in people.

Disadvantages of Computerised BIS• Lack of -

– Judgement: despite advances in AI techniques and expert systems, computer-based IS are considered incapable of solving problems using their own judgement

– Flexibility: computer-based IS are unable to react to unexpected situations and events.

– Reliability: lacks the creativity of human being. They are unable to think in the abstract and are therefore restricted in their ability to discover new ways of improving processes.

– Intuition: One might use inituition to gauge the emotional state of a person before deciding whether or not to give them a bad news.

– Qualitative information: Managers often make unstructured decisions based on the recommendation of others. Their confidence in the person they are dealing with often has a major influence on the decision itself.

Levels of Managerial Decision Making

Operational

Tactical

Strategic

Levels of Managerial Decision Making

• Strategic: Managers are largerly concerned with long-term organisational planning. Decisions are unstructured

• Tactical: Managers are largerly concerned with medium-term planning. They monitor the performance of the organisation, control budgets

• Operational: Managers deal with short-term planning and the day-to-day control of the organisations activities.

Examples of Decision Types• Operational (Structured)

– How should we process a sales order?– How much discount?

• Tactical (Semi-structured)– How do we target our most profitable customer?– What is the best pricing structure?

• Strategic (Unstructured)– Which business area should the organisation be in?– How should the organisation be structured?– What should our distribution channles be?

Microsoft Office• An office suite of interrelated desktop applications, servers and

services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems.

• Purpose: worker productivity and collaboration.

• Office suite: a collection of programs intended to be used by knowledge workers:

• the components are generally distributed together;

• have a consistent user interface;

• can interact with each other, sometimes in ways that the operating system would not normally allow.

Microsoft Office• Typical Office Suite Components

• Word processor: a computer application used for the production (composition, editing, formatting, and printing) of printable material.

• Spreadsheet: a computer application that simulates a paper, accounting worksheet.

• Presentation program: a computer software package used to display information, normally in the form of a slide show.

• Database: an integrated collection of logically-related records or files consolidated into a common pool that provides data for one or more multiple uses.

Microsoft Office• Graphics suite: a software suite for graphics work that are

distributed together.

• Email client: a computer program used to manage email - message management, composition, and reception

• Personal information manager: a type of application software that functions as a personal organizer.

• Notetaking program: a basic text editor that can be used to create simple documents

Practical: Exploring the Internet

• Use the internet to identify the historical development of ICT (Information & Communication Technology) and produce a poster for peer review and discussion.