Information Systems Flashcards
Companies may choose to use information systems strategically, or they may be
content to use IT to support efficient everyday operation
Information technology
plays a major role in reengineering most business processes.
Information Technology
7 The order management process
Proposal, commitment, configuration, credit checking, checking, billing collection
Give 5 Reengineering Order Management
- Consumer relationship management system using corporate intranet and the internet
- Supplier managed inventory system using the intranet and extranets
- Cross functional ERP software for integrating manufacturing, distribution, finance and human resources processes
- Customer accessible e commerce web site for order entry, status checking, payment and service
- Customer product and order status databases accessed via intranet and extranets by employees and suppliers
Type of agility
Customer, partnering, operational
Ability to co-opt customer in the expliotation of innovation opportunities
Customer
Ability to leverage asset knowledge and competencies of supplier, distribution, contract manufacturer
Partnering
Ability to accomplish speed and accuracy and cost economy in the expliotation of innovation opportuniti e
Operational
is an
organization that uses information technology to link people, organizations, assets,
and ideas.
Virtual company
Give 6 of Virtual company strategies
1.Share infrastructure and risk with alliance partners.
2.Link complementary core competencies.
3. Reduce concept-to-cash time through sharing.
4. Increase facilities and market coverage.
5. Gain access to new markets and share market or customer loyalty.
6. Migrate from selling products to selling solutions.
In an economy where the only certainty is uncertainty, the one sure source of
lasting competitive advantage is knowledge.
Knowledge Creating Company
These activities define the “knowledge-creating” company, whose sole business is
continuous innovation.
Knowledge Creating Company
which is the data, documents, and things written
down or stored on computers.
Explicit Knowledge
Can often represent some of the most important information within
an organization.
Tacit knowledge
Long-time employees of a company often “know” many things about
how to manufacture a product, deliver the service, deal with a
particular vendor, or operate an essential piece of equipment.
Tacit knowledge
is not recorded or codified anywhere because it has evolved in the
employee’s mind through years of experience.
Tacit knowledge
Knowledge Management Systems
Enterprise intelligence, information creation sharing and management, document management
Can be viewed as three level of techniques and the system that promote collection, organization access and sharing and used of workplace and enterprise knowledge
Knowledge Management Systems
Leveraging organizational “know-how
Performance support
Interacting with operational databases
Building expert networks
Enterprise Intelligence
Capturing & distributing expert stories
Real-time information management
Communication and collaboration
New content creation
information creation sharing and management,
Accessing and retrieving
documents stored online
Document Management
Categories of Computer
Systems
- Microcomputer System
- Midrange System
- Mainframe System
Personal computers, network
computers, technical workstations,
personal digital assistants,
information appliances, etc
Microcomputer Systems
Network servers, minicomputers,
Web servers, multiuser systems, etc.
Midrange Systems
Enterprise systems, superservers,
transaction processors,
supercomputers, etc
Mainframe Systems
Usually called a personal computer or PC
Computing power now exceeds that of the
mainframes of previous generations
Relatively inexpensive
Are the networked professional workstations
used by business processions
Versions include hand-held, notebook, laptop,
tablet, desktop, and floor-standing.
Microcomputer Systems
PC Features
Processor, memory, storage monitor, video card, network interface
Supports have mathematical computer and
graphics display demands
CAD, investment and portfolio analysis
Workstations
More powerful than workstations
Coordinates telecommunications and resource
sharing
Supports small networks and Internet or
intranet websites
Network Servers
Corporate PC Criteria
- Solid performance at a reasonable price
Operating system ready
Connectivity
Hand-held microcomputer devices
Known as Smart Phones / Tablets
Mobile Devices such cellphones having the
capabilities of a computer.
Mobile users use this to access different apps to
help in terms of work.
Tons of productivity Apps like email, document
editing tools, image capture and editing, video
recording, Web browsing.
All-in-One Device.
Information Appliances
High-end network servers that handle
large-scale processing of business
applications
Not as powerful as mainframes
Less expensive to buy, operate, and
maintain
Often used to manage
Large Internet websites
Corporate intranets and extranets
Integrated, enterprise-wide applications
Used as front-end servers to assist
mainframes with telecommunications and
networks
Midrange System
Large, fast, powerful computer systems
Large primary storage capacity
High transaction processing
Handles complex computations
Widely used as superservers for…
Large client/server networks
High-volume Internet websites
Becoming a popular computing platform for…
Data mining and warehousing
Electronic commerce applications
Mainframe Computer Systems
Extremely powerful systems designed for…
Scientific, engineering, and business applications
Massive numeric computations
Markets include…
Government research agencies
Large universities
Major corporations
Uses parallel processing
Billions to trillions of operations per second
(gigaflops and teraflops)
Costs $5 to $50 million
Supercomputer Systems
A system of hardware devices organized by
function
Computer System Concept
Computer System Concept
Input, processing, output, storage, control
Keyboards, touch screens, pens,
electronic mice, optical scanners
Converts data into electronic form for entry
into computer system
Input
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
CPU subunits: arithmetic-logic and control
unit
Processing
Video display units, printers, audio response
units,
and so on
Converts electronic information into human-
intelligible form
Output
Primary storage (memory)
Secondary storage (disk drives)
Storage
CPU controls other components of the system
Control
Computer Processing Speeds
Early computers
Milliseconds (thousandths of a second)
Microseconds (millionths of a second)
Current computers
Nanoseconds (billionth of a second)
Picoseconds (trillionth of a second)
Program instruction processing speeds
Megahertz (millions of cycles per second)
Gigahertz (billions of cycles per second)
Commonly called the “clock speed”
The ability to perform useful computation or
data processing assignments during a given
period
Throughput
A doubling in the number of transistors per
integrated circuit every 18 to 24 months
Originally observed in 1965, it holds true today
Moores law
is a generic name for all input, output,
and secondary storage devices
Parts of the computer system, but not the CPU
Are all online devices
Peripheral
Separate from the CPU, but electronically
connected to and controlled by it
Online devices
Separate from and not under the control of the
CPU
Offline devices
Peripheral checklist
Monitor, printer, scanner, hard disk drives, cd and dvd drives, backup system
Bigger is better for computer screens. Consider a high-definition 19-inch or
21-inch flat screen CRT monitor, or LCD flat panel display. That gives you much more
room to display spreacsheets, Web pages, lines of text, open windows, etc. An increasingly
popular setup uses two monitors that allow multiple applications to be used simultancously.
Monitors
Your choice is between laser printers or color inkjet printers. Lasers are bet-
ter suited for high-volume business use. Moderately priced color inkjets provide high-
quality images and are well suited for reproducing photographs. Per-page costs are
higher than for laser printers.
Printers
You’ll have to decide between a compact, sheet-fed scanner and a flatbed
model. Sheet-fed scanners will save desktop space, while bulkier flatbed models provide
higher speed and resolution
Scanners
Bigger is better; as with closet space, you can always use the extra
capacity. So go for 40 gigabytes at the minimum to 80 gigabytes and more
Hard disk drives
are a necessity for sofware installation
and multimedia applications. Common today is a built-in CD-RW/DVD drive that
both reads and writes CIDs and plays DVDs
Cd and dvd drives
Essential. Don’t compute without them. Removable mag disk drives
and even CD-RW and DVD-RW drives are convenient and versatile for backing up
your hard drive’s contents
Backup system
typewriter style device which uses
buttons and keys.
Keyboard
Input technologies
Keyboard, Graphic user interface, mouse, touchscreen
Icons, menus,
windows, buttons, bars; Selected with pointing
devices
Graphical User Interface
Most popular pointing device; Pressing
mouse buttons initiates activity represented by the
icon selected.
Mouse
Use computer by touching screen.
Screen emits a grid of infrared beams, sound waves,
or electric current.
Touchscreen
Speech can be the future of data entry
Easiest, most natural means of human communication
Recognizing speech patterns
Uses algorithms through acoustic and language modeling.
Speech Recognition Systems
Speech Recognition Systems can be used
In-Car Systems
Telephony
Language learning
Home Automation
represents the relationship between linguistics units of speech
and audio signals.
Acoustic modeling
matches sounds with word sequences to help distinguish
between words that sound similar.
Language modeling
Microprocessor chip and memory on credit card
Smart cards
Allows you to shoot, store, and download photos
or full-motion video with audio into the PC
Images and audio can then be edited or
enhanced
Digital cameras
Scans a machine readable code represented by an
image consisting of black and white lines. Line refers to
numbers from 0 to 9.
Barcode Readers
Scans a computer generated pattern capable of holding
a modest amount of data.
QR Code Readers
Output technologies
Visual displays, printed output, 3D printing
Liquid crystal displays (LCDs)
Active matrix and dual scan
Organic Light-emitting Diode (OLED)
Video Displays
Inkjet printers spray ink on a page
Laser printers use an electrostatic process
similar to a photocopying machine
Printed Output (2D printing)
A device that is capable of printing 3-
dimensional models from CAD software through
an additive process.
3D printing
Storage tradeoffs
Semiconductor memory, magnetic disks, optical disk, magnetic tape
Short for binary digit
Smallest element of data
Either zero or one
Bit
Group of eight bits, which operate as a single
unit
Represents one character or number
Byte
Storage Capacity Measurement
Kilobyte (KB): one thousand bytes
Megabyte (MB): one million bytes
Gigabyte (GB): one billions bytes
Terabyte (TB): one trillion bytes
Petabyte (PB): one quadrillion bytes
Directly store and retrieve data
Each storage position has a unique address and can be
accessed in the same length of time
Semiconductor memory chips, magnetic disks (Hard Drive)
Direct or Random Access
Data is stored and retrieved sequentially
Must be accessed in sequence by searching through prior
data
Sequential Access
Semiconductor Memory
Microelectronic semiconductor memory chips
are used for primary storage
Advantage
small size, fast, shock and
temperature resistance
Disadvantage
volatility; must have
uninterrupted electric power or loses memory
Types of Semiconductor Memory
Ram, Rom, magnetic disks
Most widely used primary storage medium
Volatile memory
Read/write memory
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Permanent storage
Can be read, but not overwritten
Frequently used programs burnt into chips
during manufacturing process
Called firmware
Read-Only Memory (ROM)
Used for secondary storage
Fast access and high capacity
Reasonable cost
Magnetic Disks
Type of magnetic disks
Hard disks drives, flash drives, solid state drives, raid storage, Rfid
Sometimes referred to as a thumb drive
Uses a small chips containing
thousands of transistors
Can store data for virtually
unlimited periods without power
Easily transported and highly
durable
Storage capacity of up to 2TB
(Kingston Data Traveler Ultimate GT)
Plugs into any USB port
(Newer models uses USB 3.0)
Flash drives
Magnetic disk, access arms, and read/write heads in
sealed module for stable environment
Fixed or removable
Capacity from several hundred MBs to
hundreds of GBs
Hard disks drives
Uses integrated circuit assemblies to store data
persistently. Uses flash memory.
Can store data for virtually
unlimited periods without power
Easily transported and highly
durable
Solid state drives
Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks
Disk arrays of hard disk drives.
Combines from 6 to more than 100 small hard
disk drives into a single unit.
Data are accessed in parallel over multiple
paths from many disks.
Redundant storage of data on several disks
provides fault-tolerant capacity.
RAID storage
One of the newest and fastest growing storage
technologies
System for tagging and identifying mobile
objects
Used with store merchandise, postal packages,
casino chips, pets
Special reader allows objects to be tracked as
they move from place to place
Chips half the size of a grain of sand
RFID
Invisible nature of the system
Capacity to transmit fairly sophisticated
messages
Privacy concerns
Type of barcode that contain a matrix of dots.
It can be scanned using a QR scanner or
smartphone with camera.
Allows more information to be stored.
Uses – mainly Advertising
URLs
Website login
Video games
Loyalty programs / promos
Qr codes
Computer networks are systems of information processing
components that use a variety of hardware, software, data management, and
telecommunications network technologies
Technology
E-business and e-commerce applications involve interconnected
business information systems.
Application
Developing ways to use information technology in business
includes designing the basic components of information systems.
Development
Managing information technology emphasizes the quality, strategic
business value, and security of an organization’s information systems.
Management
is defined as a set of interrelated components, with a clearly defined boundary,
working together to achieve a common set of objectives by accepting inputs and producing
outputs in an organized transformation process.
System
involves capturing and assembling elements that enter the system to be
processed. For example, raw materials, energy, data, and human effort must be
secured and organized for processing.
Input
involves transformation processes that convert input into output.
Examples are manufacturing processes, the human breathing process, or
mathematical calculations.
Processing
involves transferring elements that have been produced by a
transformation process to their ultimate destination. For example, finished
products, human services, and management information must be transmitted to
their human users.
Output
The system concept becomes even more useful by including two additional elements:
feedback and control. A system with feedback and control functions is sometimes called
a cybernetic system, that is, a self-monitoring, self-regulating system.
Feedback and control
s data about the performance of a system. For example, data about
sales performance are feedback to a sales manager. Data about the speed,
altitude, attitude, and direction of an aircraft are feedback to the aircraft’s pilot or
autopilot.
Feedback
nvolves monitoring and evaluating feedback to determine whether a
system is moving toward the achievement of its goal.
Control
People are the essential ingredient for the successful operation of all information
systems.
- These people resources include end users and IS specialists.
People resources
They can be customers, salespersons, engineers, clerks, accountants, or
managers and are found at all levels of an organization.
End users
are people who develop and operate information systems.
- They include systems analysts, software developers, system operators,
and other managerial, technical, and clerical IS personnel
IS specialist
People who use an information system or the information it produces.
End users
includes all physical devices and materials
used in information processing.
Hardware resources
which consist of central processing units containing microprocessors and
a variety of interconnected peripheral devices such as printers, scanners,
monitors, and so on.
Computer system
which are devices such as a keyboard, electronic mouse, trackball, or
stylus for the input of data and commands, a video screen or printer
Computer peripheral
which are programs that direct processing for a particular
use of computers by end users. Examples are sales analysis, payroll, and word
processing programs.
Application software
such as an operating system program, which controls and
supports the operations of a computer system. Microsoft Windows and Unix are
two examples of popular computer operating systems.
System software
which are operating instructions for the people who will use an
information system.
Procedures
composed of numbers, letters, and other characters
that describe business transactions and other events and entities.
Alphanumeric data
consisting of sentences and paragraphs used in written
communications.
Text data
such as graphic shapes and figures or photographic and video
images.
Image data
: including the human voice and other sounds.
Audio data
Telecommunications technologies and networks like the Internet, intranets, and
extranets are essential to the successful e-business and e-commerce operations
of all types of organizations and their computer-based information systems.
Network Resources
Information System Resources
People resources, hardware resources, software resources, data resources, network resources
Information System Activities
- Input of Data Resources
- Processing of Data into Information
- Output of Information Products
- Storage of Data Resources
- Control of System Performance
Data about business transactions and other events must be captured and prepared
for processing by the input activity.
- Input typically takes the form of data entry activities such as recording and editing.
- End users usually enter data directly into a computer system or record data about
transactions on some type of physical medium such as a paper form.
- This entry includes a variety of editing activities to ensure that they have recorded
the data correctly.
Input of Data Resources
Data are typically subjected to processing activities, such as calculating,
comparing, sorting, classifying, and summarizing.
. Processing of Data into Information
Information in various forms is transmitted to end users and made available to
them in the output activity.
Output of Information Products
Storage is the information system activity in which data are retained in an
organized manner for later use.
Storage of Data Resources
information system should produce feedback about its input, processing,
output, and storage activities.
- This feedback must be monitored and evaluated to determine whether the system
is meeting established performance standards.
Control of System Performance
Information system activities
Input, output, processing, storage, control
Optical scanning of bar-coded tags on merchandise.
Input
Calculating employee pay, taxes, and other payroll deduction
Processing
Producing reports and displays about sales performance
Output
Maintaining records on customers, employees, and products
Storage
can be any organized combination of people, hardware,
software, communications networks, data resources, and policies and procedures that
stores, retrieves, transforms, and disseminates information in an organization
Information system
Information system
Information technologies, foundation concept, development proccess, business application, management challenge
Fundamental behavioral, technical, business, and managerial
concepts about the components and roles of information systems.
Foundation concept
Major concepts, developments, and management issues in
information technology - that is, hardware, software, networks, data management, and
many Internet-based technologies.
Information technologies
The major uses of information systems for the operations,
management, and competitive advantage of a business.
Business application
How business professionals and information specialists plan,
develop, and implement information systems to meet business opportunities.
Development proccesses
challenges of effectively and ethically managing
information technology at the end-user, enterprise, and global levels of a business.
Management challenge
The fundamental Roles of IS in Business
a. Support of business processes and operations.
b. Support of decision making by employees and managers.
c. Support of strategies for competitive advantage.
consumer, you regularly
encounter information systems that support the business processes and operations at the
many retail stores where you shop.
Support of Business Processes and Operations:
Information systems also help store managers
and other business professionals make better decisions
Support of Business Decision Making:
Gaining a strategic advantage over
competitors requires the innovative application of information technologies.
Support of Strategies for Competitive Advantage:
Process data resulting from business
transactions, update operational databases, and produce business
documents.
Transaction processing systems:
Support team, workgroup, and
enterprise communications and collaborations.
Enterprise collaboration systems:
When information system applications focus on providing information and support
for effective decision making by managers,
Management support systems:
Provide information in the form of
prespecified reports and displays to support business decision making.
Decision support systems:
Provide critical information from MIS,
DSS, and other sources tailored to the information needs of executives.
Executive information systems:
Other classifications of IS
Expert systems:,● Knowledge management systems:, Functional business systems:Strategic information systems:
Knowledge-based systems that provide expert advice and act
as expert consultants to users.
Expert systems
Knowledge-based systems that support the
creation, organization, and dissemination of business knowledge within the
enterprise.
Knowledge Management Systems
: Support a variety of operational and managerial
applications of the basic business functions of a company. Examples: information
systems that support applications in accounting, finance,
Fictional business systems
: Support operations or management processes
that provide a firm with strategic products, services, and capabilities for competitive
advantage.
Strategic information systems
Development information system solution
Investigate, analyze, design, implement, maintain
this development process, end users and information specialists design
information system applications on the basis
Investigate
of the business
requirements of an organization.
Analyze
the economic or technical
feasibility of a proposed application,
Investigating
e new system, and making improvements
Implement
business value of a system.
Maintain
Competition is a positive characteristic in business, and competitors share a natural, and
often healthy, rivalry.
Rivalry of Competitors
Becoming a low-cost producer of products and services in the industry or finding ways to
help suppliers or customers reduce their costs or increase the costs of competitors.
Cost Leadership Strategy
Developing ways to differentiate a firm’s products and services from those of its
competitors or reduce the differentiation advantages of competitors.
Differentiation Strategy
This strategy may involve developing unique
products and services or entering unique markets or market niches
Innovation Strategy
Significantly expanding a company’s capacity to produce goods and services, expanding
into global markets, diversifying into new products and services, or integrating into related
products and services.
Growth Strategies
Establishing new business linkages and alliances with customers, suppliers, competitors,
consultants, and other companies.
Alliance Strategies
Strategic Uses of Information Technology
locking in customers or suppliers,
b. building switching costs,
c. raising barriers to entry, and
d. leveraging investment in information technology
Investments in information technology can allow a business to lock in customers
and suppliers (and lock out competitors) by building valuable new relationships
with them.
Lock in customers or suppliers
A major emphasis in strategic information systems has been to find ways to create
switching costs in the relationships between a firm and its customers or suppliers.
Building switching costs
By making investments in information technology to improve its operations or
promote innovation, a firm could also raise barriers to entry that would discourage
or delay other companies from entering a market.
Raising barriers to entry
Investing in information technology enables a firm to build strategic IT capabilities
so that they can take advantage of opportunities when they arise.
Leveraging investment in information technology
- Use IT to substantially reduce the cost of business processes.
*
Use IT to lower the costs of customers or suppliers
Lower cost
- Use IT features to reduce the differentiation advantages of competitors.
- Use IT features to focus products and services at selected market niches
Differentiate
Create new products and services that include IT components.
Develop unique new markets or market niches with the help of IT.
Make radical changes to business processes with IT that dramatically cut costs;
improve quality, effciency, or customer service; or shorten time to market
Innovate
Use IT to diversify and integrate into other products and services* Use IT to manage regional and global .
Promote growth
- Use IT to create virtual organizations of business partners.
- Develop interenterprise information systems linked by the Internet and extranets
that support strategic business relationships with customers, suppliers, subcontractors,
and others
Develop alliances
Other Strategic Uses of Information Technology
*Develop interenterprise information systens whose convenience and efficiency create switching costs that lock in
customers or suppliers.
*Make major investments in advanced IT applications that build barriers to entry against industry competitors or
outsiders.
* Include IT components in products and services to make substitution of competing products or service 6/9
* Leverage investment in IS people, hardware, software, databases, and networks from operational uses in,
annlicrions
