Asper School of Business - MBA Program

6150 Management of Information Systems & Technology

April-June 2009
Instructor: Bob Travica

Class 1
Information, Information Technology,
Information Systems and Organizations

Updated April 2009

6150 Management of Information Systems and Technology

 Outline

Management of Information Technology & Systems

Data, Information, Knowledge
Data, Information, Knowledge and Occupations
Information Technology and Information System
Putting on Information System Lenses
Management Topics, Information Systems, and Cases
Organization-Systems Trajectory at Mead-Westvaco
Putting MIS6150 Themes Together

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Management of Information Technology & Systems

Management of information technology (IT) and information systems

(IS, systems) is similar to Management Information Systems (MIS):
Utilizing IT/IS and information these support to solve business
problems and support organizational performance.

MIS 6150 is not:

- A detailed technical look at various IT
- A laconic survey of capabilities of various IT ("you can do this and that")
- Hand-on course on IT use

More

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Management of Information Technology & Systems

MIS 6150 is about managing IT/IS to accomplish

- Strategic goals (organizational effectiveness), and

- Operational objectives (efficiency/productivity in

daily operations)

Two levels of analysis:

- IT/IS as asset, strategic weapon, nervous system (strategic level) vs.
tool, commodity (operational level)

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 Data, Information, Knowledge

Relationships simple just in textbooks

Data Domain of
(Letters, numbers, graphics Technology
Representing reality and knowledge)

Knowledge
Information (Complex cognitive entity;
(Data understood, cause-effect theories,
meaning) vocabularies/conceptual maps,
know-how, experience)

Domain of Human Brain

Knowledge is also embedded in computer software! (e.g., math

operations in Excel, procedures in Accounting IS, decision trees in
Expert Systems)

In plain English, we often do not differentiate between data,

information and knowledge, simply calling it all information. More

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Data, Information, Knowledge and Occupations

Where the primary focus of job is.

Clerks

Professionals

Managers

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_Concept of Information Technology (IT)

What do we mean by "IT"?

Any tool for manipulating data, information
- electronic: computer software and hardware - our focus

- paper: documents, filing techniques - still there,

gradually transformed into electronic

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Concept of Information System (IS, system)

Information Technology (IT)

(Computers, Other) Information
Data (organized,
System (IS)
Use
meaningful) Procedures
Representations of Supports
Knowledge

Use
Information,
Users Knowledge
(Organizational members: -----------------
Managers, Professionals, Clerks) Task, Business
Perform on Process

In plain English, we often do not differentiate between data, information

and knowledge, simply calling it all information.
We often use term technology to refer to either IT or IS.
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Brainstorm E Putting on Information System Lenses

What is the frequent (or important) task

These questions
or process you work on?
help to focus on
What information is part of your work? MIS6150
perspective,
How is this information supported by technology? study and do
assignments.
Is something missing in your information/technology?
.

First part of
Analytical
Process
addressed

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 Management Topics , Information Systems, and Cases
Mapping into
Our Teaching
Cases: Electronic Commerce (Buying & selling via Internet), Demand pull;
Sales & manufacturing systems innovation and integration,
Supply chain systems innovation

Knowledge management, communication, hierarchy demise;

Communication and Document management systems innovation

Efficiency & effectiveness driven organizational change, Teamwork,

internal/external process improvement, any time/space-operations;
groupware, distributed systems, computer networks,
enterprise systems, transaction processing/reporting systems

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Organization-Systems Trajectory of MeadWestvaco

- Centralized mainframe data processing centre (1960s)

- Decentralization organizational and technological
(mini computers 1970s, PCs 1980s, networks, Client-Server)
- Recentralization and Enterprise Resource Planning system
- IS evolution: Transactions tracking to office work support to
decision making support to professional work support
- Role of IS Department: Support to operations to Strategic
business partner; interfacing with business and computer
vendors; shared IT governance.

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 Putting MIS6150 Themes Together

Professionals,
Clerks, Managers
Adopt, Use

Provide System
IT (Computer Software
Requirements Task, Productivity?
& Hardware)
Process
System
Data ---
Design & Development
(organized, meaningful) Infor- Strategy
Design & mation Accomplishment?
Build
Procedures of
Vendors Handling IT and Data
IS Dept.

Define strategic and operational targets, and role of technology

Manage people, work, time and money in system use,
development, and adoption
Managers:
Evaluate relationships b/w Users--System and
System--Organizational Performance
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