IS 312 Chapter Book Key Terms

Big Data

A term used to describe data collections that are so enormous (think petabytes or larger) and complex (from sensor data to social media data) that traditional data management software, hardware, and analysis processes are incapable of dealing with them.

Business Analytics

The extensive use of data and quantitative analysis to support fact-based decision making within organizations.

Business Intelligence (BI)

A wide range of applications, practices, and technologies for the extraction, transformation, integration, visualization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data to support improved decision making.

Computer Based Information Systems (CBIS)

A single set of hardware, software, databases, networks, people, and procedures that are configured to collect, manipulate, store, and process data into information.

Consumerization of IT

The trend of consumer technology practices influencing the way business software is designed and delivered.

Cybercriminal

A computer hacker who is motivated by the potential for monetary gain; cybercriminals hack into computer systems to steal, often by transferring money from one account to another or by stealing and reselling credit card numbers, personal identities, and financial account information.

Cyber Terrorism

The intimidation of a government or a civilian population by using information technology to disable critical national infrastructure (e.g., energy, transportation, financial, law enforcement, emergency response) to achieve political, religious, or ideological goals.

Data

Raw facts such as an employee number or total hours worked in a week.

Data Scientist

A person who understands the business and the business analytics technology, while also recognizing the limitations of their data, tools, and techniques; a data scientist puts all of this together to deliver real improvements in decision making within an organization.

Data Warehouse

A database that stores large amounts of historical data in a form that readily supports analysis and management decision making.

Database

A well-designed, organized, and carefully managed collection of data.

Digital Divide

The gulf between those who do and those who don’t have access to modern information and communications technology such as smartphones, personal computers, and the Internet.

E-commerce

Involves the exchange of money for goods and services over electronic networks and encompasses many of an organization’s outward facing processes—such as sales, marketing, order taking, delivery, procurement of goods and services, and customer service—that touch customers, suppliers, and other business partners.

Electronic Business (E-business)

The use of information systems and networks to perform business-related tasks and functions beyond those performed for e-commerce.

Enterprise IS

An information system that an organization uses to define structured interactions among its own employees and/or with external customers, suppliers, government agencies, and other business partners.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System

A system that supports an organization’s routine business processes, maintains records about those processes, and provides extensive reporting and data analysis capabilities.

Ethics

A set of beliefs about right and wrong behavior. Ethical behavior conforms to generally accepted social norms—many of which are almost universally accepted.

Extract Transform Load (ETL)

The process by which raw data is extracted from various sources, transformed into a format to support the analysis to be performed, and loaded into the data warehouse.

Extranet

A network based on Web technologies that allows selected outsiders, such as business partners and customers, to access authorized resources of a company’s intranet.

Group IS

An information system that improves communications and support collaboration among members of a workgroup.

Hardware

Computer equipment used to perform input, processing, storage, and output activities.

Information

A collection of data organized and processed so that it has additional value beyond the value of the individual facts.

Information Silo

An isolated information system not easily capable of exchanging information with other information systems.

Information System (IS)

A set of interrelated components that collect, process, store, and disseminate data and information; an information system provides a feedback mechanism to monitor and control its operation to make sure it continues to meet its goals and objectives.

Internet

The world’s largest computer network, consisting of thousands of interconnected networks, all freely exchanging information.

Internet Censorship

The control or suppression of the publishing or accessing of information on the Internet.

Internet of Everything (IoE)

A network that encompasses not only machine-to-machine but also people-to-people and people-to-machine connections.

Internet of Things (IoT)

A network of physical objects or “things” embedded with sensors, processors, software, and network connectivity capability to enable them to exchange data with the manufacturer of the device, device operators, and other connected devices.

Intranet

A network that enables communication, collaboration, search functions, and information sharing between the members of an organization’s team using a Web browser.

Knowledge

The awareness and understanding of a set of information and the ways that information can be made useful to support a specific task or reach a decision.

Knowledge Management System (KMS)

An organized collection of people, procedures, software, databases, and devices that stores and retrieves knowledge, improves collaboration, locates knowledge sources, captures and uses knowledge, or in some other way enhances the knowledge management process.

Management Information System (MIS)

An organized collection of people, procedures, software, databases, and devices that provides routine information to managers and decision makers.

Mobile Commerce (M-commerce)

The buying and selling of goods and/or services using a mobile device, such as a tablet, smartphone, or other portable device.

Net Neutrality

The principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) should be required to treat all Internet traffic running over their wired and wireless broadband networks the same—without favoring content from some sources and/or blocking or slowing (also known as throttling) content from others.

Networks

A group or system of connected computers and equipment—in a room, building, campus, city, across the country, or around the world—that enables electronic communication.

Open Source Software

Software that is distributed for free, with access permitted to the source code so that it can be studied, changed, and improved by software professionals at the various user organizations—with no maintenance charges.

Organizational Complements

A key component that must be in place to ensure successful implementation and use of an information system.

Personal IS

An information system that improves the productivity of individual users in performing stand-alone tasks.

Procedure

A set of steps that need to be followed to achieve a specific end result, such as enter a customer order, pay a supplier invoice, or request a current inventory report.

Process

A set of logically related tasks performed to achieve a defined outcome.

Project

A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.

Public Cloud Computing

A means of providing computing services wherein a service provider organization owns and manages the hardware, software, networking, and storage devices, with cloud user organizations (called tenants) accessing slices of shared resources via the Internet.

Software

The computer programs that govern the operation of a particular computing device, be it desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, or some other device.

System Acquisition

The process used to obtain the information system resources needed to provide the services necessary to meet a specific set of needs.

System Development

The activity of building information systems to meet users’ needs.

Technology Infrastructure

All the hardware, software, databases, networks, people, and procedures that are configured to collect, manipulate, store, and process data into information.

Transaction

Any business-related exchange such as a payment to an employee, a sale to a customer, or a payment to a supplier.

Transaction Processing System (TPS)

An organized collection of people, procedures, software, databases, and devices used to process and record business transactions.

World Wide Web (WWW)

A network of links on the Internet to files containing text, graphics, video, and sound.

Business process reengineering (BPR)

The radical redesign of business processes, organizational structures, information systems, and values of the organization to achieve a breakthrough in business results.

Certification

A process for testing skills and knowledge; successful completion of a certification exam results in a statement by the certifying authority that confirms an individual is capable of performing particular tasks.

Change management model

A description of the phases an individual or organization goes through in making a change and principles for successful implementation of change.

Continuous improvement

Constantly seeking ways to improve business processes and add value to products and services.

Culture

A set of major understandings and assumptions shared by a group, such as within an ethnic group or a country.

Diffusion of innovation theory

A theory developed by E.M. Rogers to explain how a new idea or product gains acceptance and diffuses (or spreads) through a specific population or subset of an organization.

Downsizing

Reducing the number of employees to cut costs.

Driving forces

The beliefs, expectations, and cultural norms that tend to encourage a change and give it momentum.

Force field analysis

An approach to identifying both the driving (positive) and restraining (negative) forces that influence whether change can occur.

Innovation

The application of new ideas to the products, processes, and activities of a firm, leading to increased value.

Leavitt’s diamond

An organizational change model that proposes that every organizational system is made up of four main components—people, tasks, structure, and technology—that all interact; any change in one of these elements will necessitate a change in the other three elements.

Offshore outsourcing

An outsourcing arrangement where the organization providing the service is located in a country different from the firm obtaining the services.

Organization

A group of people that is structured and managed to meet its mission or set of group goals.

Organizational change

How for profit and nonprofit organizations plan for, implement, and handle change.

Organizational Culture

The major understandings and assumptions for a business, corporation, or other organization.

Organizational Learning

The adaptations and adjustments made within an organization based on experience and ideas over time.

Outsourcing

A long-term business arrangement in which a company contracts for services with an outside organization that has expertise in providing a specific function.

Process Design

The radical redesign of business processes, organizational structures, information systems, and values of the organization to achieve a breakthrough in business results.

Reengineering

The radical redesign of business processes, organizational structures, information systems, and values of the organization to achieve a breakthrough in business results.

Restraining Forces

Forces that make it difficult to accept a change or to work to implement a change.

Shadow IT

The information systems and solutions built and deployed by departments other than the information systems department. In many cases, the information systems department may not even be aware of these efforts.

Soft Side of Implementing Change

The work designed to help employees embrace a new information system and way of working.

Supply Chain

A key value chain whose primary activities include inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, and service.

Supply Chain Management (SCM)

A system that includes planning, executing, and controlling all activities involved in raw material sourcing and procurement, the conversion of raw materials to finished products, and the warehousing and delivery of finished products to customers

Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

A model that specifies the factors that can lead to better attitudes about an information system, along with higher acceptance and usage of it.

Value Chain

A series (chain) of activities that an organization performs to transform inputs into outputs in such a way that the value of the input is increased.

Virtual Team

A group of individuals whose members are distributed geographically, but who collaborate and complete work through the use of information systems.

Clickstream Data

Data that visitors generate when they visit a website and click on hyperlinks: User behavior and browsing patterns.

Customer Personal Data Sources

Ex: sign up information, personal thoughts, opinions, and experiences

Internal Data Sources

ex: corporate databases and company documents

External Data Sources

Ex: Commercial databases, government reports, and corporate websites

Data Degradation

Gradual corruption of data due to an accumulation of non-critical failures over time.

Data Rot

Physical problems with storage media that make it difficult to access data

Database Management Systems (DBMS)

A software system that is used to create, maintain, and provide controlled access to user databases

Data

Stored representations of meaningful objects and events in the organizational setting

Field

A column of data containing a logical grouping of characters, ex: name, SSN, address, etc

Record

A logical grouping of related fields in a row

Data Files (Tables)

A logical grouping of related records

Database

A logical grouping of related data files

Entity

A person, place, thing, or event (ex: customer, an employee)

Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)

A diagram that represents entities in a database and their relationships

Primary Key

• A field in one table that uniquely identify each record

• Used to retrieve, update, and sort data in a database

Foreign Key

• A field (or a group of fields) in one table that uniquely identifies a row of another table

• Used to establish a relationship between two tables

Data Warehouse

A repository of historical data that are organized by subjects to support decision making

Data Mart

A low-cost, scaled-down version of a database that is designed for needs for strategic business units or departments

Modeling

A model abstracts the real world, focusing on a set of objects, events, or entities that are related in some way

Data Modeling

Creating a data model for a determined problem domain in database design and implementation

Data Model

Simple representation of the complex real world data structures

Entity

Person, place, thing, or event about which data will be collected and stored

Attribute

Characteristics of an entity

Relationship

Association between entities