BU415 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Information System, Future Systems, Organizational Structure
Document Summary
Information systems: formal, sociotechnical organizational systems designed to collect, process, store and distribute information. Information technology: the technology that is used within an information system. Can enable or constrain action through rules of operation (excel cannot create meaningful associations between separate data elements. Software has the ability to enforce rules (requiring customer information before proceeding: people (social subsystem) Individuals or groups directly involved in the is. A solid understanding of the skills, interest and motivation of the people involved is critical for making changes to an is or troubleshooting problems: processes (technical subsystem) Series of steps necessary to complete a business activity. Can become very complex, spreading across multiple individuals or organizational entities. Gaps exist between formal written processes and the informal way they are performed cause of is failure: structure (social subsystem) Organizational design (hierarchy, decentralized); reporting (functional, divisional, matrix); and relationships (communication and reward mechanisms)
