Information Systems for Business and Beyond (2019) - Notes
Information Systems for Business and Beyond (2019) explores information systems, their business use, and their global impact.
The book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The 2019 edition updates a textbook initially developed in 2014 by Dr. David Bourgeois.
Contributors to the 2019 edition include James L. Smith, Shouhong Wong, and Joseph Mortati.
Changes from the previous edition include:
Updated images and references.
Added labs for every chapter.
Added an index.
Editing for consistency.
Specific chapter updates:
Chapter 1: Added video: Blum’s fibre optic TED Talk.
Chapter 2: Clarification of bit vs. byte, binary vs. digital; added Huang’s Law on graphics processor units; modified text regarding Moore’s Law to state that his law is no longer able to be maintained
Chapter 3: Added information about Ubuntu Linux, Eclipse IDE, and Tableau; emphasized Information Systems use in Supply Chain Management by Walmart.
Chapter 4: Redesigned database schemas; added data types, SQL examples with output, NoSQL description, re-ordered Data Dictionary, new section on “Why database technology?”, differentiation of data, information, and knowledge, section on Data models, changed illustrative example of database tables and relationships, updated section on Business Intelligence to focus on the rise of analytics and data science including a new “What is Data Science?” sidebar.
Chapter 5: History of ARPANET initial four nodes, etc.; Metcalfe’s Law.
Chapter 6: Added information on blockchain and Bitcoin.
Chapter 8: Introduce tools (DFD, BPMN, UML) of business process modeling and introduce examples of DFD.
Chapter 10: Java sample code; Mismanaging Change side bar; added section on mobile development; added sidebar on risks of end-user computing.
Chapter 11: World 3.0 written by economist Pankaj Ghemawat; also his TED talk video.
Chapter 12: Facebook and Cambridge Analytics data privacy; General Data Protection Regulation section.
Chapter 13: Waze mapping app; Drone video; Drone blood delivery in Kenya video; added sidebar on Mary Meeker and her Internet Trends report.
You can help improve the textbook by providing feedback through surveys and forms, and by supporting the project financially.
Introduction
The book introduces information systems, their use in business, and gaining competitive advantage.
It's an introductory text for those with little or no experience with computers or information systems.
The text is organized into thirteen chapters divided into three major parts:
Part 1: What Is an Information System?
Chapter 1: Introduces information systems and their history.
Chapter 2: Covers information systems hardware and how it works.
Chapter 3: Discusses software and its role in organizations.
Chapter 4: Explores how organizations use information systems to turn data into information and knowledge.
Chapter 5: Reviews the history of networking, how the Internet works, and network use in organizations.
Chapter 6: Discusses information security, including confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Part 2: Information Systems for Strategic Advantage
Chapter 7: Examines the impact of information systems on organizations.
Chapter 8: Discusses business processes, business process management, business process reengineering, and ERP systems.
Chapter 9: Provides an overview of the different types of people involved in information systems.
Chapter 10: Reviews programming concepts, software development methods, website and mobile application development, end-user computing, and the “build vs. buy” decision.
Part 3: Information Systems Beyond the Organization
Chapter 11: Looks at the Internet's impact on globalization and the digital divide.
Chapter 12: Discusses the ethical and legal implications of information systems.
Chapter 13: Presents an overview of future trends in information systems.
Each chapter includes learning objectives, a chapter summary, and study questions.
Chapter 1: What Is an Information System?
An information system (IS) is a set of interrelated components that collect, process, store, and distribute information to support decision making and control in an organization.
Information systems are combinations of hardware, software, and telecommunications networks that people build and use to collect, create, and distribute useful data, typically in organizational settings.
Information systems are interrelated components working together to collect, process, store, and disseminate information to support decision making, coordination, control, analysis, and visualization in an organization.
An information system has five major components: hardware, software, data, people, and processes.
Technology
Technology is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.
The technology components of information systems are hardware, software, and data.
Hardware
Hardware is the tangible, physical portion of an information system – the part you can touch. (e.g. computers, keyboards, disk drives, and flash drives)
Software
Software comprises the set of instructions that tell the hardware what to do. Software is not tangible – it cannot be touched. (e.g. Operating Systems software like Microsoft Windows and Ubuntu Linux and Application software).
Data
Data is a collection of facts (e.g., your address, your phone number, and your social networking account).
An information system can exist without the ability to communicate, but in today’s hyper-connected world, it is an extremely rare computer that does not connect to another device or to a network.
People
The people involved with information systems are an essential element from users to CIOs.
Process
A process is a series of steps undertaken to achieve a desired outcome or goal.
The integration of information systems into organizations has progressed over the decades.
The Mainframe Era
From the late 1950s through the 1960s, computers were seen as a way to more efficiently do calculations. These first business computers were room-sized monsters, with several machines linked together. Time-sharing allowed dozens or even hundreds of users to simultaneously access mainframe computers.
The PC Revolution
In 1975, the first microcomputer was announced: the Altair 8800. Small businesses finally had affordable computing that could provide them with needed information systems. Popularity of the IBM PC gave legitimacy to the microcomputer.
Client-Server
In the mid-1980s, businesses began to see the need to connect their computers as a way to collaborate and share resources with users accessing the Local Area Network (LAN) from their PC (the “client”) by connecting to a central computer called a “server.”
The Internet, World Wide Web and E-Commerce
The first long distance transmission between two computers occurred on October 29, 1969, when developers sent the word “login” from UCLA to Stanford. In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee developed the World Wide Web and in 1991 the National Science Foundation lifted restrictions on its commercial use resulting in corporations soon realized the huge potential of a digital marketplace on the Internet. A mad rush of investment in Internet-based businesses led to the dot-com boom through the late 1990s, and then the dot-com bust in 2000.
Web 2.0
Websites became interactive, giving rise to the Web 2.0 world, and Disintermediation, is the process of technology replacing a middleman in a transaction.
The Post-PC World, Sort of
Computing was moving into a phase called the post-PC world but, now, PC will continue to play a key role in business, but its role will be somewhat diminished as people emphasize mobility as a central feature of technology. Cloud computing provides users with mobile access to data and applications.
Can Information Systems Bring Competitive Advantage?
In 2003, Nicholas Carr questioned the assumption that information systems bring a competitive advantage to business in his article “I.T. Doesn’t Matter” arguing that I.T. had become just a commodity.
Walmart uses information systems such as Retail Link Walmart’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) system to gain a competitive advantage.