Course Introduction

Course Introduction INFSY540.1 Information Resources in Management Chapter 1 & 2 An Introduction to Information Systems and Personal Productivity Lesson #1

Today’s Agenda • Introductions • Course Overview • Course Administration: • “Intro to Information Systems” • Personal Productivity • Next Time • Questions

Course Description Focuses on what the manager personally does with Information Technology. Exposes students to the range of management issues that challenge the organizational world in the wake of the digital revolution. Explores the way information technology is used to support business operations and decision-making processes of managers at all levels of organizations.

Course Objectives • To increase student knowledge of the capabilities and benefits as well as the limitations and burdens of information technology and information systems. • To equip students with the basic skills and concepts they must apply to leverage the benefits and minimize the burdens of using information technology.

Student Goals • What are your goals for this course?

Potential Goals of This Class • Understand the technology. • Analyze business problems. • An introduction to systems analysis. • Identify types of problems that MIS can help solve through cases. • Ability to classify problems. • Know when to call for help.

Some Suggested Student Goals For students to be able to personally use the computer more efficiently in order to become a more effective manager. For students to understand the development, use and maintenance of information systems in past, current and future organizations. To get at least a B in the course.

Texts Required: • Management Information Systems: Solving Business Problems with IT by Gerald Post and David Anderson, 2000, ISBN 0-07-229756-5 • Harvard Business Cases Recommended: • Management Information Systems: Managing IT in the E-Business Enterprise by James A. O’Brien, 2002, ISBN 0-07-244078-3

Course Administration

Any questions about the course?

Some Basic Questions • What is a system? • What is information? • What is an information system? • Why should managers know about information systems?

What is a system? • A set of elements or components that interact to accomplish goals. • Examples: Solar System, Penn State University • Systems: • Typically have inputs, outputs and processes for changing inputs to outputs. • have life cycles. • have boundaries and typically have sub-systems and super-systems. • interconnections cause feedback (2nd/3rd order) effects.

Permanent Temporary System Classifications and Primary Characteristics Simple Complex Open Closed Stable Dynamic Adaptive Nonadaptive

System Performance Standards • Efficiency • A measure of what is produced divided by what is consumed. • Effectiveness • A measure of the extent to which a system achieves its goals. • Performance Standard • A specific objective of the system.

Modeling a System • Model • An abstraction or an approximation that is used to represent reality • Model Types • Narratives - words • Physical - tangible • Schematic - graphical • Mathematical - arithmetic

Information “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride

What do we sometimes use as synonyms for information? • Data: raw facts. (page 4) • Information: collection of facts organized in such a way that they have value beyond the facts themselves. (page 4) • Knowledge: an awareness and understanding of a set of information and ways that information can be made useful to support a specific task or reach a decision. (page 6)

Knowledge Information Data Information Concepts An awareness and understanding of a set of information and ways that information can be made useful to support a specific task or reach a decision A collection of facts organized in such a way that they have additional value beyond the value of the facts themselves. Rawfacts

+ Vision + Experience + Context An Hierarchical Model of Intelligence Wisdom Knowledge Information Data See page 7

Types of Data Data Represented by Alphanumeric Data Numbers, letters, and other characters Image Data Graphic images or pictures Audio Data Sound, noise or tones Video Data Moving images or pictures

Characteristics of Valuable Information • Accurate • Complete • Economical • Flexible • Reliable • Relevant • Simple • Timely • Verifiable • Accessible • Secure

Information System (IS) • Information System • A set of interrelated elements or components that collect (input) data , manipulate (process) it to become information , and disseminate (output) information and knowledge to meet objectives. • Examples: ATMs; airline reservation systems; course reservation systems

What is a computer-based information system A collection of hardware, software, people, procedures and data. (Page 6) A combination of computers and people that is used to provide information to aid in making decisions and managing a firm. What is a management information system

What is an information system? An information system is an arrangement of hardware, software, people, procedures and data that interact for the purposes of: • supporting and improving day-to-day business operations or • supporting the problem solving and decision making needs of management.

Why is MIS Important? • MIS affects all areas of business • Manufacturing • Accounting & Finance • Human resources • Marketing • Top management • Performance evaluations—expectations

Business Trends • Changing business environment • Specialization • Management by Methodology and Franchises • Object Orientation • Decentralization and Small Business • Temporary Workers • Internationalization • Service-Oriented Business • Re-engineering • Need for faster responses and flexibility

What do Managers do? • It has been said that managers do things right but leaders do the right things. • It has also been said that managers focus on things but leaders focus on people. • So what do managers do, that an MIS might help? • Make decisions • about operations • about organization • Communicate

Making Decisions • Methodology vs Ad Hoc Decisions • Decision Process • Collect Data • Identify Problems & Opportunities • Make Choices 2 3 1

Levels of Decision Making EIS Strategic Mgt. ES DSS Tactical Management Transaction Process Control Business Operations

Examples of Information Systems

E-Commerce • Business-to-business • Business-to-consumer • Business-to-government • Government-to-consumer

Transaction Processing Systems • Process business exchanges • Maintain records about the exchanges • Handle routine, yet critical, tasks • Perform simple calculations

Workflow Systems • Provide routing, tracking & imaging capabilities to improve business processes • Improve productivity

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) • Integrated programs that can manage a company’s entire set of business operations • Often coordinate planning, inventory control, production and ordering

Management Information Systems (MIS) • Routine information for routine decisions • Operational efficiency • Use transaction data as main input • Databases integrate MIS in different functional areas

MIS Outputs • Scheduled reports • Demand reports • Exception reports

Decision Support Systems (DSS) • Interactive support for non-routine decisions or problems • End-users are more involved in creating a DSS than an MIS

Special Purpose Information Systems • Artificial intelligence (AI) systems • Virtual reality systems • Geographic Information Systems (GIS) • Groupware

Information Systems Development • Investigation • Analysis • Design • Implementation • Maintenance Also known as a Systems Analysis and Design process

Some Basic Questions • What is a system? • What is information? • What is an information system? • Why is knowledge of information systems important for managers? • What should managers know about information systems? • Over the break, talk about these last two questions in groups of 3 or 4. Be prepared to discuss it when we come back.

Take a 10 minute break. • Be back by …...

What is IS?What is IT?

What is IS? An information system is an arrangement of hardware, software, people, procedures and data that interact for the purposes of: • supporting and improving day-to-day business operations or • supporting the problem solving and decision making needs of management.

Course Introduction