COMM 226 INFORMATION SYSTEMS
CHAPTER 1 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
AND STUDY GUIDE NOTES CONCORDIA
UNIVERSITY
,Introduction
Information technology (IT): any computer-based tool that people use to work with information
and to support the information and information processing needs of an organization
Information system (IS): collects, processes, stores, analyzes and disseminates information for a
specific purpose
- Its purpose is to get the right information to the right people at the right time in the right
amount and in the right format to support business processes and decision-making
1.1 Why Should I Study Information Systems?
-Our generation is the most connected in history
-We are referred to as the Homo Conexus because of how information technologies are deeply
embedded in our life
-Our network enables us to pull information about virtually anything from anywhere, at any time,
and to push your own ideas back to the Web
Informed user: a person knowledgeable about information systems and information technology.
Why you should be an informed user:
1) You will benefit more from your organization's IT applications because you will understand
what is "behind" those applications
2) You will be able to enhance the quality of your organization's IT applications
3) You will be able to recommend & help select the IT applications that your organization uses
4) To be kept abreast of both new information technologies& rapid developments in existing
technologies
5) You will understand how using IT can improve your organization's performance & teamwork
as well as your own productivity
6) You can use IT to help you become an entrepreneur
IT Offers Career Opportunities
IS field includes:
-The people who design and build information systems
-The people who use those systems
-The people responsible for managing those systems
Ex. CIO, CEO, CFO
, Position Job Description
Chief Information Officer: Highest-ranking IS manager; is responsible for
all strategic IS planning
IS Director Manages all systems throughout the
organization and the day-to-day
operations of the entire IS organization
Information Centre Manager Manages IS services such as helpdesks,
hotlines, training, and consulting
Applications Development Manager Coordinates and manages new systems
development projects
Project Manager Manages a particular new systems
development project
Managing Information Resources
3 factors that contribute to the difficulty in managing information systems
1) Because IS have enormous strategic value to organization, firms rely on them so heavily
when these systems are not working the firm cannot function
2) IS are very expensive to acquire, operate and maintain
3) Evolution of the MIS function within the organization
The responsibility for managing information resources now is divided between MIS department
(responsible for corporate level & shared resources) and the users (responsible for departmental
resources)
Division is between MIS department and Users is dependent on
-The size and nature of the organization
-The amount and type of IT resources
-The organization’s attitudes toward computing
-The attitudes of top management toward computing, the maturity level of the technology
-The amount and nature of outsourced IT work
-The countries in which the company operates.
Traditional Functions of the MIS Department:
-Managing systems development and systems project management
-Managing computer operations, including the computer center
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