1、 Organizations, Management, and the Networked EnterpriseI. Information Systems in Global Business Today1. How are information systems transforming business and what is their relationship to globalization?E-mail, online conferencing, and cell phones have become essential tools for conducting business
2、. Information systems are the foundation of fast-paced supply chains. The Internet allows many businesses to buy, sell, advertise, and solicit customer feedback online. Organizations are trying to become more competitive and efficient by digitally enabling their core business processes and evolving
3、into digital firms. The Internet has stimulated globalization by dramatically reducing the costs of producing, buying, and selling goods on a global scale. New information system trends include the emerging mobile digital platform, online software as a service, and cloud computing.2. Why are informa
4、tion systems so essential for running and managing a business today?Information systems are a foundation for conducting business today. In many industries, survival and the ability to achieve strategic business goals are difficult without extensive use of information technology. Businesses today use
5、 information systems to achieve six major objectives: operational excellence; new products, services, and business models; customer/supplier intimacy; improved decision making; competitive advantage; and day-to-day survival.3. What exactly is an information system? How does it work? What are its man
6、agement, organization, and technology components?From a technical perspective, an information system collects, stores, and disseminates information from an organizations environment and internal operations to support organizational functions and decision making, communication, coordination, control,
7、 analysis, and visualization. Information systems transform raw data into useful information through three basic activities: input, processing, and output.From a business perspective, an information system provides a solution to a problem or challenge facing a firm and represents a combination of ma
8、nagement, organization, and technology elements. The management dimension of information systems involves issues such as leadership, strategy, and management behavior. The technology dimension consists of computer hardware, software, data management technology, and networking/telecommunications tech
9、nology (including the Internet). The organization dimension of information systems involves issues such as the organizations hierarchy, functional specialties, business processes, culture, and political interest groups.4. What are complementary assets? Why are complementary assets essential for ensu
10、ring that information systems provide genuine value for an organization?In order to obtain meaningful value from information systems, organizations must support their technology investments with appropriate complementary investments in organizations and management. These complementary assets include
11、 new business models and business processes, supportive organizational culture and management behavior, appropriate technology standards, regulations, and laws. New information technology investments are unlikely to produce high returns unless businesses make the appropriate managerial and organizat
12、ional changes to support the technology.5. What academic disciplines are used to study information systems? How does each contribute to an understanding of information systems? What is a sociotechnical systems perspective?The study of information systems deals with issues and insights contributed fr
13、om technical and behavioral disciplines. The disciplines that contribute to the technical approach focusing on formal models and capabilities of systems are computer science, management science, and operations research. The disciplines contributing to the behavioral approach focusing on the design,
14、implementation, management, and business impact of systems are psychology, sociology, and economics.A sociotechnical view of systems considers both technical and social features of systems and solutions that represent the best fit between them.II. Global E-business and Collaboration1. What are busin
15、ess processes? How are they related to information systems?A business process is a logically related set of activities that defines how specific business tasks are performed, and it represents a unique way in which an organization coordinates work, information, and knowledge. Managers need to pay at
16、tention to business processes because they determine how well the organization can execute its business, and they may be a source of strategic advantage. There are business processes specific to each of the major business functions, but many business processes are cross-functional. Information syste
17、ms automate parts of business processes, and they can help organizations redesign and streamline these processes.2. How do systems serve the different management groups in a business?Systems serving operational management are transaction processing systems (TPS), such as payroll or order processing,
18、 that track the flow of the daily routine transactions necessary to conduct business. Management information systems (MIS) produce reports serving middle management by condensing information from TPS, and these are not highly analytical. Decision-support systems (DSS) support management decisions th
19、at are unique and rapidly changing using advanced analytical models. All of these types of systems provide business intelligence that helps managers and enterprise employees make more informed decisions. These systems for business intelligence serve multiple levels of management, and include executi
20、ve support systems (ESS) for senior management that provide data in the form of graphs, charts, and dashboards delivered via portals using many sources of internal and external information.3. How do systems that link the enterprise improve organizational performance?Enterprise applications are desig
21、ned to coordinate multiple functions and business processes.Enterprise systems integrate the key internal business processes of a firm into a single software system to improve coordination and decision making. Supply chain management systems help the firm manage its relationship with suppliers to op
22、timize the planning, sourcing, manufacturing, and delivery of products and services. Customer relationship management (CRM) systems coordinate the business processes surrounding the firms customers. Knowledge management systems enable firms to optimize the creation, sharing, and distribution of know
23、ledge. Intranets and extranets are private corporate networks based on Internet technology that assemble information from disparate systems. Extranets make portions of private corporate intranets available to outsiders.4. Why are systems for collaboration and teamwork so important and what technolog
24、ies do they use?Collaboration is working with others to achieve shared and explicit goals. Collaboration and teamwork have become increasingly important in business because of globalization, the decentralization of decision making, and growth in jobs where interaction is the primary value-adding act
25、ivity. Collaboration is believed to enhance innovation, productivity, quality, and customer service. Effective collaboration today requires a supportive organizational culture as well as information systems and tools for collaborative work. Collaboration tools include e-mail and instant messaging, w
26、ikis, videoconferencing systems, virtual worlds, social networking systems, cell phones, and Internet collaboration platforms such as Google Apps/Sites, Microsoft SharePoint, and Lotus Notes.5. What is the role of the information systems function in a business?The information systems department is t
27、he formal organizational unit responsible for information technology services. It is responsible for maintaining the hardware, software, data storage, and networks that comprise the firms IT infrastructure. The department consists of specialists, such as programmers, systems analysts, project leader
28、s, and information systems managers, and is often headed by a CIO.III. Information Systems, Organizations, and Strategy1. Which features of organizations do managers need to know about to build and use information systems successfully? What is the impact of information systems on organizations?All m
29、odern organizations are hierarchical, specialized, and impartial, using explicit routines to maximize efficiency. All organizations have their own cultures and politics arising from differences in interest groups, and they are affected by their surrounding environment. Organizations differ in goals,
30、 groups served, social roles, leadership styles, incentives, types of tasks performed, and type of structure. These features help explain differences in organizations use of information systems.Information systems and the organizations in which they are used interact with and influence each other. T
31、he introduction of a new information system will affect organizational structure, goals, work design, values, competition between interest groups, decision making, and day-to-day behavior. At the same time, information systems must be designed to serve the needs of important organizational groups an
32、d will be shaped by the organizations structure, business processes, goals, culture, politics, and management. Information technology can reduce transaction and agency costs, and such changes have been accentuated in organizations using the Internet. New systems disrupt established patterns of work and power relationships, so there is often considerable resistance to them when they are introduced.2. How does Porters competitive forces model help companies develop competitive strategies using information systems?In Porters competitive forces model, th
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