Business Economics- Bachelor 1: BIS summary
Business information systems- lesson 1
to provide the students some important concepts and tools of business information
technology for good communication between management and computer scientists
1. introduction
information technology -> very important, many projects fail because of shortages/absence
of agreements, wrong explanation or misrepresentation.
Knowledge of IT is important for a company for good communication, efficiency ex. Amazon,
Bol.com order in the morning. IT =major force in economy. 52 % of investments related to IT.
High investments in IT don’t mean higher productivity.
Business (= costs, benefits, timing, strategy, functional requirements) <-> IT alignement
( Technology, design, programming, technical constraints).
Alignment= Applying IT in an appropriate and timely way and in harmony with business
strategies, goals and needs
Smooth progress depends on the appropriate functioning of IT, If IT is down -> there will be a
disaster -> problems with web-shops, management of orders, payments, costumer service.
2. Introductory concepts
Hardware -> increasingly present in our modern society. Input -> Computer -> Output.
Physical parts of computer.
Input: all ways of storing things ex. USB stick. Output: printer, speaker, scanner.
Software -> sequence of orders formulated by programs. Conversion into machine language
(= the set of symbolic instruction codes
usually in binary form that is used to represent operations and data in a machine). Modules:
reuse, less complex, splitting into sub-problems, error module easier to find, collaboration
with several people. Software can also be Data!!
Database -> organized collection of data stored in a computer, relational database
Network -> multiple computers to communicate/exchange data -> types: PAN, LAN, MAN,
WAN. Protocols: TCP (= transmission control protocol), IP: internet protocol.
Servers -> computer only for calculation/storage bv. Mail server, e-mail server.
Internet -> biggest internetnetwork
Computer architecture -> Fundamental organization of the computer system Phase 1:
mainframe, Phase 2: PC & client server, Phase 3: browser / cloud
Processors -> A business process is a sequence of steps / actions with the aim of generating a
product or a service. Start in '90: need for operation between the various actors /
departments within an organization
Information systems -> the combination of IT hardware, software, processes and people who
use it.
3. Algorithm: steps in programming
1. Problem definition -> fully/accurately defined: from start situation, which results
must be obtained and the link between both.
2. Solution strategy -> choice of solution method and of the data representation: divide
problem in smaller sub-problems, agreeing what will happen in each sub-problem.
, 3. Representation -> Flow-chart (= scheme, basic figures, instructions in figures,
connected by lines/arrows), Nasi-schneidermann-diagram, pseudo code.
4. Programming -> encoding -> algorithm translated into selected programming
language ex. Java, Pyhton, C ++
5. Compiling -> detect syntax errors, translation into machine language, compiler <->
interpreter.
6. Testing -> results -> logically correct, compare with results obtained in differ way,
test all different cases.
7. Documenting -> information that will help third parties to understand, modify,
improve or complete the program.
8. Maintenance -> program has to be updated, report changes in documentation.
4. What is an Algorithm
Al-chwarizmi -> mathematician, geographer, astrologer from Khwarezm, Bagdad.
The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing-> compilation of rules to
solve quadratic equation, foundation algebra.
Method to solve a problem -> a sequence of actions/commands/rules, starting from an initial
situation, leading to a certain goal, within a finite time. Commands understand in
unambiguous way.
Used in many applications -> functioning of computers, cryptography (techniques
communication), image/text processing, bio-computing, planning, information routing
( process selection path traffic in networks)
Flow charts (= diagram of sequence of movements or actions of things) -> for charity -> at
each operation figure one line arrives and one line leaves. One 1 beginning, more ends!
Business information system- lesson 2
Ram is not external (when you switch of power, it is still present). Difference between
internal/external -> internal is on the inside of something, external is on the outside of
something.
Advantages of modules -> less complex, divide in sub-problems, easier to detect error.
Algorithm means that the left side gets the value of the right side.
Output is always present ( flow chart)
1. Overview algorithm representations ( FS – NS- PC)
Sequence -> series of actions that are completed In a specific order.
, Selection ( conditional assignment) -> instead of following a specific order of events, they ask
a question in order to figure out which path to take next. Answering a questions based on
what it finds. Selection allows us to portray real life scenarios, where we have to make
choices.
- If then
- If then else
- Case
Iteration (or repeat assignment or loop) -> like selections, loops also ask questions, the
difference is that they ask the question over and over again until a certain task is complete
- While
, - Repeat
- For
Business Information Sytems - Lesson 3
1. Programming Python in a nutshell: Few facts
Programming language
Python is a free software
Designed in the early 90’s by Guido van Rossum
Affiliated with the center for Mathematics in Amsterdam
Basic based language based on ABC
Supported by volunteers on the internet
The python development is led by the Python Software Foundation
(Python of Monty Python’s flying Circus)
2. Programming Python in a nutshell: characteristics
Readable code ( repeat and repeat)
Structure through indentation.
Statements are ended by the end of line ( You cannot have 2 statements on the same
line)
Variables do not receive a type declaration
Duck-typing:
- Type of a variable and the type of an argument (ex. Function) does not have to be
defined.
- In de case of compilation, there is no type control