What is the role of information systems in today’s competitive business environment?
What exactly is an information system? What do managers need to know about information systems?
How are information systems transforming organizations and management?
How has the Internet and Internet technology transformed business?
What are the major management challenges to building and using information systems?
1. Design competitive and effective systems
2. Understand system requirements of global business environment 
3. Create information architecture that supports organization’s goal
4. Determine business value of information systems
5. Design systems people can control, understand and use in a socially, ethically responsible manner
Four powerful worldwide changes that
have altered the business environment:
Emergence of the Global Economy
Transformation of Industrial Economies
Transformation of the Business Enterprise
The Emerging Digital Firm
Emergence of the Global Economy
Management and control in a global marketplace
Competition in world markets
Global work groups
Global delivery systems
Transformation of Industrial Economies
Knowledge- and information-based economies
Productivity
New products and services
Knowledge: a central productive and strategic asset
Transformation of Industrial Economies
Time-based competition
Shorter product life
Turbulent environment
Limited employee knowledge base
Transformation of the Business Enterprise
Flattening
Decentralization
Flexibility
Location independence
Low transaction and coordination costs
Empowerment
Collaborative work and teamwork
Emergence of the Digital Firm
Digitally-enabled relationships with customers, suppliers, and employees
Core business processes accomplished via digital networks
Digital management of key corporate assets
Rapid sensing and responding to environmental changes
4 Major Systems Defining the Digital Firm
Supply chain management systems
Customer relationship management systems
Enterprise systems
Knowledge management systems

A set of interrelated components that collect
(or retrieve), process, store, and distribute
information to support decision making and
control in an organization

Data: Streams of raw facts representing events such as business transactions
Information: Clusters of facts that are meaningful and useful to human beings in the processes such as making decisions
Rely on computer hardware and software 
Processing and disseminating information
Fixed definitions of data, procedures
Collecting, storing, processing, disseminating, using data
An organizational and management solution based on information technology to a challenge posed by the environment
An important instrument for creating value for the organization
Stages in the business information value chain add value to information
Information systems literacy: Broad-based understanding of information systems that includes behavioral knowledge about organizations and individuals using information systems and technical knowledge about computers.
Computer literacy: Knowledge about information technology, focusing on understanding how computer-based technologies work
Sales and marketing
Manufacturing
Finance
Accounting
Human resources
Key Elements:
People: Managers, knowledge workers, data workers, production or service workers
Structure: Organization chart , groups of specialists, products, geography
Operating procedures: Standard operating procedures (SOP, rules for action)
Politics: Power to persuade, get things done
Culture: Customs of behavior

Levels:
Senior managers: make long-range strategic decisions about products and services 
Middle managers: Carry out the programs and plans of senior management

Operational managers: monitor the firm’s daily activities
Tools managers use to cope with change

Hardware: Physical equipment

Software: Detailed preprogrammed instructions
Storage: Physical media for
storing data and the software
Communications Technology: transfers data from one physical location to another

Networks: link computers to share data or resources


Optimize systems performance:
Technology and organization 
Organizations mutually adjust to one another until fit is satisfactory
1950s: Technical changes
1960s-70s: Managerial controls
1980s-90s: Institutional core activities

Today: Digital information webs extending beyond the enterprise



International network of networks
Universal technology platform: Any computer can communicate with any other computer

World Wide Web and Web sites

Communicate and collaborate
Access information
Participate in discussions
Supply information
Find entertainment
Exchange business transactions
Flattening organizations
Separating work from location 
Reorganizing work-flows
Increasing flexibility
Redefining organizational boundaries

Electronic commerce
Electronic business
Digital market: Information systems links, buyers and sellers to exchange information, products, services, payments
Internet links buyers, sellers
Lower transaction costs
Goods and services advertised, bought, exchanged worldwide
Business-to-business transactions increasing
Electronic Business: Executing all the firm’s business processes with Internet technology

Intranet: Business builds private, secure network based on Internet technology
Extranet: Extension of intranet to authorized external users
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