Business and Information Systems

by Nickerson, Robert C.

• ISBN13: 9780130894960
• ISBN10: 0130894966
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-01-01
• Publisher: Prentice Hall

Summary

= This book takes the unique approach of combining both thefundamentals of information systems and technologywith theessentials of business operation and management.Early chapters offering business background provide readers with a solid foundation to then understand the need for and structure of information systems. A broad view of information systems takes a look at individual, interorganizational, and international perspectives.For effective business professionals looking to enhance their understanding of information systems, and the relationship this technology has to the operations and management of businesses today.

Table of Contents

Preface	xix
PART I INTRODUCTION	1	(89)
Information Systems in Business	2	(29)
Business Fundamentals	31	(31)
Information System Fundamentals	62	(28)
PART II INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY	90	(146)
Information System Hardware	91	(43)
Information System Software	134	(33)
Information System Networks and the Internet	167	(33)
Information System Data Management	200	(36)
PART III BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS	236	(170)
Personal Productivity and Problem Solving	237	(38)
Group Collaboration	275	(29)
Business Operations	304	(32)
Management Decision Making	336	(35)
Electronic Commerce and the Strategic Impact of Information Systems	371	(35)
PART IV DEVELOPING AND MANAGING INFORMATION SYSTEMS	406	(61)
Information System Development	407	(32)
Managing Information Systems and Technology	439	(28)
Glossary	467	(13)
Photo Credits	480	(1)
Acknowledgments	481	(3)
Index	484

Excerpts

PREFACEInformation systems are essential to the operations and management of businesses today. To become effective business professionals, students must be educated in information systems and technology, and in the integration of information systems into business activities. A student's understanding of business is limited without an understanding of information systems. But how can a student understand information systems withoutfirstunderstanding business?This question prompted the writing of the first edition of this book. The question is even more important today, as businesses increasingly rely on information systems. The second edition ofBusiness and Information Systemscontinues to take the unique approach of covering both business fundamentals and information systems. The book views information systems and businesses as intricately intertwined. It presents not only the traditional information systems and technology topics, but also the fundamental business background that students need in order to understand the relevance of these topics. The book describes how businesses operate and are managed, and shows how information systems support business operations and management. It discusses the importance of competitive advantage to businesses and explains how information systems can help provide that advantage. The book covers the technical foundations of information systems and shows how the technology is critical to the success of businesses.Students taking an information systems course often find the approach followed by other books unsatisfactory. Although most books explain information systems and technology adequately, they do not provide a sufficient foundation in business functions for students to fully understand the importance of the technical topics. As a result, students often complete the information systems course without knowing how the course material relates to other areas of business, such as accounting, finance, marketing, production, and human resource management. When they take other business courses, they are not able to use information systems concepts in those courses.This book overcomes these difficulties by integrating business topics with information systems concepts. For example, the second chapter of the book explains business fundamentals. It describes the functions and organization of a business, explains the flow of information in a business, and examines the use of information in business management. This background serves as a basis for understanding the need for and structure of information systems. This approach is carried through in other chapters. For example, the chapter on information system fundamentals (Chapter 3) discusses the need that businesses have for information technology, and the chapters on specific technologies (Chapters 4 through 7) emphasize the role of each type of technology in businesses. Similarly, each chapter on business information systems (Chapters 8 through 12) discusses the advantages businesses gain from the systems described in the chapter. These chapters also cover such topics as management decision making and competitive advantage to provide a basis for understanding the role of management information and strategic information systems.Students taking an information systems course may also find that some books provide a narrow view, focusing primarily on personal computers and applications. This book presents a broad view of information systems, showing how systems function at many levels within an organization and between organizations. It describes how individuals, workgroups, and organizations as a whole use information systems. It examines systems that operate within a business and between businesses--including electronic commerce systems--and that function at local, national, and global levels. All these perspectives, from the individual to the interorganizational and global, a