School of Computer & Information Sciences
ITS-631 Operational Excellence
Chapter 1 – Information Systems for Business
and Beyond (2019)
Learning Objectives
• define what an information system is by
identifying its major components;
• describe the basic history of information
systems; and
• describe the basic argument behind the article
“Does IT Matter?” by Nicholas Carr.
Information Systems Constantly Changing
• IS Systems change daily
• Electronic components also change constantly
– Smartphones
– Laptops
– Personal computers
• Defining Information Systems
– A set of related components that collect, process, store, and distribute
information to support decision making and control in an organization.
– Combine hardware, software, and networks to collect, create, and
distribute data (used typically in an organization).
Components of Information Systems
• Technology
– Hardware
– Software
– Data
• Networking Communication
• People
• Process
The Role of Information Systems
• Based on Era
• The Main Frame Era
• The PC Revolution
• Client Server
• The Internet, World Wide
Web and E-Commerce
• Web 2.0
• The Post-PC World
Information Systems and Competitive
Advantage
• Implementation of IS can bring a competitive advantage
– Efficiencies
– Effectiveness
• Nicholas Carr “I.T. Doesn’t Matter”
– IT is as common as electricity
– Something to be managed to reduce costs
• Read Sidebar: Walmart Uses Information Systems to
Becomethe World’s Leading Retailer
References
• Bourgeous, D., Smith, J., Wang. S., Mortati, J.
(2019). Information Systems for Business and
Beyond. Retrieved from
https://opentextbook.site/informationsystem
s2019/.
Cover
School of Computer & Information Sciences
ITS-631 Operational Excellence
Chapter 2 – Information Systems for Business
and Beyond (2019)
Learning Objectives
• describe information systems hardware;
• identify the primary components of a
computer and the functions they perform; and
• explain the effect of the commoditization of
the personal computer.
Hardware
• desktop computers
• laptop computers
• mobile phones
• tablet computers
• e-readers
• storage devices, such as flash drives
• input devices, such as keyboards, mice, and scanners
• output devices such as printers and speakers.
Digital Devices
• Processes electronic signals into discrete values
• Binary values (1=on, 0= off)
• Each value (1 or 0) is a bit
– Eight bits = 1 byte
• PCs
– 1st PCs could only process 8 bits of data at once
– Today PCs can process 64-bits of data at once
• Read Sidebar: Understanding Binary
Tour of a PC
• Processing data: The CPU
• CPU = Central Processing Unit
• The brains of the device
• Read: Sidebar: Moore’s Law and Huang’s Law
– The number of integrated circuits on a chip
doubles every two years
– VS
– Speeds of GPUs are increasing faster.
Hardware Components
• Motherboard
– the main circuit board on the computer
– Other components (CPU, memory, and storage) connect into the motherboard, contain
integrated components like network cards, video, etc.., contains the bus of the PC (which
determines the computer’s speed)
• RAM
– Working Memory (Random Access Memory)
• Hard Disk
– Used for longer term storage
• Solid State Drives
• Removable Media
Connections, Input and Output
• Network Connections- digital network
• Input and Output
– Bluetooth – a method to connect via wireless technology
• Input Devices
– Scanners
– Microphones
– Keyboard/Mouse
– Webcams
• Output Devices
– Display/ Monitor
– Speakers
– Printer
Sidebar: Which Hardware Components
Contribute….
• Many elements contribute to the speed of your computer
– Hardware = increase by giving electrons less distance to travel in completing a circuit
– Multi-core processors (CPUs)
Other Computing Devices
• Portable Computers
• Smartphones
• Tablet Computers
• Integrated Computing and Internet of Things
(IoT)
References
• Bourgeous, D., Smith, J., Wang. S., Mortati, J.
(2019). Information Systems for Business and
Beyond. Retrieved from
https://opentextbook.site/informationsystem
s2019/.
Cover
School of Computer & Information Sciences
ITS-631- Operational Excellence
Chapter 2 – Information Technology and
Organizational Learning
Introduction
• The IT Dilemma
• What are the perceptions and realities regarding the importance
of technology from organization leaders, business managers, and
core operations personnel?
• The assimilation of technical people into an organization presents
a special challenge in the development of true organizational
learning practices.
• IT and non-IT personnel must be integrated to enhance
organizational learning.
Recent Background and IT in the Organizational
Context
• Recent Background
– IT seen as a kind of variable that allows the business to reinvent
itself.
• IT in the Organizational Context
– The impact it bears on the organizational structure
– The role it can assume in business strategy
– The ways in which it can be evaluated
– The extent to which CEOs feel the need to manage operational
knowledge to manage IT effectively
IT and Org Structure
• IT can lead to centralization of organizational control
• IT can lead to decentralization of organizational control
• IT can bear no impact on organizational control
• Organizations and IT can interact in an unpredictable
manner
• IT can enable new organizational arrangements such as
networked or virtual organizations
The Role of IT in Business Strategy
• Grid to assess the impact of IT operations and strategy based on specific questions:
Ways of Evaluating IT and Executive Knowledge
of IT
• Ways of Evaluating IT
– ROI
– Cost allocations
– Statistical probabilities of returns
• Executive Knowledge and Management of IT
– Vision
– Insights
– Skills
– Core competencies
– Review: IT A View from the Top (table 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3)
Defining the IT Dilemma
• Wide range of inconsistent practices
– Should executives use IT as part of their business strategy and
operations?
– Cultural assimilations lag behind the actual involvement of IT in
the strategic direction of the organization.
• Recent Developments in Operational Excellence
– Decline in financial markets and mergers = opportunity for IT that
reinforces the need for integration via organizational learning.
References
• Langer, A. M. (2018). Information Technology
and Organizational Learning. 3rd edition.
Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. ISBN: 978-1-138-
23858-9
School of Computer & Information Sciences
ITS-631- Operational Excellence
Chapter 1 – Information Technology and
Organizational Learning
Introduction
• The book reviews from a personal perspective
the explanation of IT, organizational learning,
and the practical relationship between IT and
organizational learning.
• Utilizes the Ravell Corporation examples
throughout the book
A New Approach
• Fix the Problem
• Gather Information
• Single loop and double-loop learning
• The Blueprint for Integration – day-to-day operations
• Enlisting Support
• Assessing Progress
Resistance in the Ranks and Line Management
• Resistance in the Ranks
– Political behavior can be detrimental to organizational learning effort
• Line Management to the Rescue
• Critical for success in transformational situations
• IT Begins to reflect
• Defining an Identity for IT
– Who we are and what is our purpose
• Implementing the Integration: A Move toward Trust and Reflection
– Through credibility
Key Lessons
• Defining Reflection and Learning for an Organization
• Working toward a Clear Goal
• Commitment to Quality
• Teaching Staff “Not to Know”
• Transformation of Culture
• Alignment with Administrative Departments
– Vitally important to integrate IT with various departments to increase
adoption of organizational learning
References
• Langer, A. M. (2018). Information Technology
and Organizational Learning. 3rd edition.
Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. ISBN: 978-1-138-
23858-9