bourgeois chapter 1

Question 1

technology

Answer 1

the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.

Question 2

hardware

Answer 2

the tangible, physical portion of an information system. eg., keyboards, computers, and flash drives.

Question 3

software

Answer 3

comprises the set of instructions that tells the hardware what to do. it is intangible. when programming, you are typing out lists of instructions for the hardware.

Question 4

operating-system software

Answer 4

makes hardware usable, eg. microsoft windows or google’s android.

Question 5

application software

Answer 5

does something useful, eg. microsoft excel or instagram.

Question 6

data

Answer 6

a collection of facts and is intangible. individually, data pieces are not useful, but when aggregated, indexed, and organised in a databse, they become a powerful tool.

Question 7

communication

Answer 7

connecting to other devices through networking. it can be considered a component of technology, but is technically made up of software and hardware.

Question 8

process

Answer 8

a series of steps undertaken to achieve a desired outcome or goal. the goal is to use technology to manage and improve processes, both within a company and with external stakeholders.

Question 9

information systems (IS)

Answer 9

1. the study of complementary networks of hardware and software that people and organisations use to collect, filter, process, create, and distribute data
2. combinations of hardware, software, and telecommunications networks that people build and use to collect, create, and distribute useful data, typically in organisational settings
3. interrelated components working together to collect, process, store, and disseminate information to support decision-making, coordination, control, analysis, and visualisation in an organisation

Question 10

time-sharing

Answer 10

allowed dozens or hundreds of users to simultaneously access mainframe computers during the mainframe era.

Question 11

Manufacturing Resources Planning (MRP) systems

Answer 11

in the late 60s, it gave companies the ability to manage the manufacturing process, eg. tracking inventory, creating bills of materials, etc. it gave businesses a reason to integrate computing in their process.

Question 12

microcomputer

Answer 12

first one in 1975. it was a niche product for hobbyists, but with improvements in usability and availability of software sales grew. in 1980’s less expensive versions were offered. they were used for word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and not yet connected to a network.

Question 13

client-server

Answer 13

networking architecture that allowed users to log in to the Local Area Network (LAN) from their PC (client) by connecting to a central computer called “server”.

Question 14

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems

Answer 14

an application with a centralised database that can be used to run a company’s entire business, which can be divided into different modules, eg. accounting, finance, inventory. it was first developed and run on the client-server architecture.

Question 15

internet

Answer 15

invented in 1969, but unsuitable to use in businesses, except e-mail

Question 16

World Wide Web

Answer 16

invented in 1989, becoming the catalyst for the growth of the internet

Question 17

dot-com boom & bust

Answer 17

mad rush of investments in internet-based businesses following the lift of restrictions on the commercial use of the internet in 1991.

Question 18

Web 2.0

Answer 18

a new type of interactive website where you did not have to know how to create a web page or do any programming in order to put information online. it was invented after the recovery from the dot-com bust. it caused disintermediation.

Question 19

disintermediation

Answer 19

technology replacing a middleman in a transaction, eg. web 2.0 lead to new possibilities for consumers and some companies went out of businesses.

Question 20

Post-PC World

Answer 20

people assumed implementing more information systems would lead to competitive advantages. some believe it should be managed to reduce costs, ensure that it is always running, and be as risk-free as possible.