Introduction

INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION SYSTEMS

This lesson provides the basics of information systems, a requirement

for everyone working in various types of organizations today.
Information technology is an extremely important and increasingly
complex component of business and professional organizations.
Decisions related to information technology and the related
information systems can be a major factor influencing an
organization's survival.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

1. Define and understand the terms data, information,

and knowledge, and give examples of each;
2. Define and understand the terms information
technology, information system, computer-based
information system, and application;
3. Identify three ways in which you depend on information
technology in your daily life;
4. Enumerate the components of Information Technology;
5. Identify the reasons and importance of studying IS;
6. Discuss three ways in which information technology can
impact managers and three ways in which it can impact non-
managerial functions.

WHAT IS AN INFORMATION SYSTEM?

An Information System (IS) is a system composed of people and
computers that processes or interprets information. The term is also
sometimes used in more restricted senses to refer to only the software
used to run a computerized database or to refer to only a
computer system.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_system

Whereas an Information Technology (IT) is any computer-based tool

used to support needs of an organization.

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The five key components are :

1. Hardware
2. Software
3. Data
4. Processes
5. People

An information system is really about people and information not computers

A computer, a telephone, a fax machine, a television - think of any

machine and you will realize that it is pretty useless without people
around to use it. That is why we are all referred to in the information
systems world as "users".

1.1 Reasons for studying Information System

Why you should learn about information systems and information

technologies? The answer lies in your becoming an informed user; that
is , a person knowledgeable about an information systems and
information technology.

1.1.1 Information Technology is part of everything we do!

Computer technology is part of just about everything that touches our

lives from the cars we drive, to the movies we watch, to the ways
businesses and governments deal with us. Understanding different
dimensions of computing is part of the necessary skill set for an
educated person in the 21st century. Whether you want to be a
scientist, develop the latest killer application, or just know what it
really means when someone says “the computer made a mistake”,
studying computing will provide you with valuable knowledge.

1.1.2. Expertise in information Technology enables you to

solve complex, challenging problems.

Computing is a discipline that offers rewarding and challenging

possibilities for a wide range of people regardless of their range of
interests. Computing requires and develops capabilities in solving
deep, multidimensional problems requiring imagination and sensitivity
to a variety of concerns.

1.1.3. Information Technology enables you to make a positive

difference in the world.

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Computing drives innovation in the sciences (human genome project,

AIDS vaccine research, environmental monitoring and protection just
to mention a few), and also in engineering, business, entertainment and
education. If you want to make a positive difference in the world,
study computing.

1.1.4. Information Technology offers many types of lucrative

careers.

Computing jobs are among the highest paid and have the highest job
satisfaction. Computing is very often associated with innovation, and
developments in computing tend to drive it. This, in turn, is the key to
national competitiveness. The possibilities for future developments are
expected to be even greater than they have been in the past.

1.1.5. IT jobs are here to stay, regardless of where you are

located.

There actually are more computing jobs than qualified people to fill
them in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects
growth rates between 12% and 37% in computing and information
technology occupations from 2012 through 2022. If you consider the
expected growth in computing, it’s easy to see that companies simply
need more talent. Don’t miss out on pursuing the large number of open
positions available right now.

1.1.6. Expertise in IT helps you even if your primary career

choice is something else.

Having a computing major will provide you with a foundation of

knowledge, problem solving and logical thinking that will serve as a
competitive advantage to you in your career, in whatever field you
choose.

1.1.7. Information Technology offers great opportunities for

true creativity and innovativeness.

Creating high-quality computing solutions is a highly creative activity,

and computing supports creative work in many other fields. The best
solutions in computing exhibit high levels of elegance and beauty.

1.1.8. Information Technology has space for both collaborative

work and individual effort.

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Computing is often about being part of a team that requires people

with many different kinds of skills. Yet there is also plenty of space for
individual flair and imagination.

1.1.9. Information Technology is an essential part of well-

rounded academic preparation.

An increasing number of universities and employers see successful

completion of a computer science course as a sign of academic well-
roundedness.

1.10. Future opportunities in IT are without boundaries.

Computing is one of those fields where it is almost impossible to

predict what will happen next. This is why we cannot even begin to
imagine all the ways that you can make a contribution to it and it can
make your life’s work exciting and real.

http://computingcareers.acm.org/?page_id=4

1.2 Overview of Computer –Based Information Systems

Organizations refer to their management information systems

functional area by several names, including the MIS Department, the
Information Systems(IS) Department, the Information Technology
Department , and Information Services Department. These functional
areas deals with the planning for, the development, management and
the use of- information technology tools to help people perform all the
tasks related to information processing and management.

An information system collects, processes, stores, analyzes, and

disseminates information for a specific purpose. Typically to provide a
feedback mechanism to meet an objective. . Because information
systems are intended to supply useful information, we need to
differentiate between information and two closely related terms: Data
and Knowledge.

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Data that is processed and used for decisions becomes Information.

Data = Raw Facts

(i.e. age, gender, hours worked on a particular date)

Information = Facts organized in such a way they have value beyond

the facts themselves (to help make decisions)
(i.e. % of workers under 21, total labor hours worked on a date)

Knowledge = Facts/Information that have been organized to convey

understanding and experience
(i.e. steps taken in preparation of hurricanes based on prior facts )

http://csbapp.uncw.edu/mis213/01/1-2.html

Computer Based Information Systems

A CBIS is an information system that uses computer technology to

perform some or all of its intended tasks.

A set of hardware, software, databases, networks

(telecommunications), people and procedures that are combined to
collect, manipulate, store, and process data into information

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http://csbapp.uncw.edu/mis213/01/1-2-2.html

1.3 IT’s Impact on Organizations/Society

• IT reduces the number of middle managers

• Changes the manager's job.
• IT impacts employees at work.
o Impacts health & safety
o Provides opportunities for those with disabilities:
visually-impaired users, hearing-impaired users, motor-
impaired users

Will IT eliminate jobs? Create jobs?

Many companies have responded to difficult economic times,

increased global competition, demands for customization, and
increased consumer sophistication by increasing their investments in
IT. In fact, as computers continue , IT creates entirely new categories
of jobs, such as electronic medical record keeping and
nanotechnology.

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1.4 Importance of Information to Society

• Affects our quality of life

• Improvements in Healthcare

http://csbapp.uncw.edu/mis213/01/1-3.html

Helmut (1998), cited by Akpore (1999), states that of the technological

changes that have influenced our lives in recent years, information
technology (IT) has had the greatest impact. This will continue at least
until the end of the first half of the century, when other major
technological breakthroughs in the area of new materials,
biotechnology, or energy, may provide entirely new ways of living. An
information society is one that makes the best possible use of ICTs.
Martin (1995) supports this view by describing it as a society in which
the quality of life, as well as prospects for social change and economic
development, depends increasingly upon information and its
exploitation. In such a society, living standards, patterns of work and
leisure, the education system, and marketplace are all influenced by
advances in information and knowledge. This is evidenced by an
increasing array of information intensive products and services
(Martin, 1988). Annan (2002) notes that the information society is a
way for human capacity to be expanded, built up, nourished, and
liberated by giving people access to tools and technologies, with the
education and training to use them effectively. There is a unique
opportunity to connect and assist those living in the poorest and most
isolated regions of the world.

In healthcare, IT has brought major improvements in healthcare

delivery. Medical personnel use IT to make better and faster diagnoses
and to monitor critically ill patients more accurately. IT also has
streamlined the process of researching and developing new drugs.
Expert systems now help doctors diagnose diseases, and machine
vision is enhancing the work of radiologists.

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Assignment

Visit some web sites in your region that offer employment opportunities in IT. Salaries offered to
accountants, marketing personnel, financial personnel, operations personnel, and human
resources personnel.

Glossary
Computer Based Information System is an information system that
uses computer technology to perform some or all of its intended tasks.

Data are raw facts

Knowledge are facts/Information that as been organized to convey

understanding and experience

Information are facts organized in such a way they have value

beyond.

Information System (IS) is a system composed of people and

computers that processes or interprets information. The term is also
sometimes used in more restricted senses to refer to only the software
used to run a computerized database or to refer to only a
computer system.

Information Technology (IT) is any computer-based tool used to

support needs of an organization.

References
Rainer, Prince (2015), Introduction to Information Systems, fifth
Edition

Joseph Valacich and Christoph Schneider. Information Systems

Today, 5th edition. Prentice Hall, 2010.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_system

http://computingcareers.acm.org/?page_id=4

http://csbapp.uncw.edu/mis213/01/1-2.html

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