Perspectives of Information System
Chapter 1 Managing the Digital Firm
1.2 Perspectives on Information Systems
What Is an Information System?
Too often you hear someone say, "Oh yeah, I know how to use a computer. I can surf the Web with the best of them and I can play Solitaire for hours. I'm really good at computers." Okay. So that person can pound a keyboard, use a mouse at lightning speed, and has a list of favorite Web sites a mile long. But the real question is: "Is that person information literate?" Just because you can pound the keyboard doesn't necessarily mean you can leverage the technology to your advantage or to the advantage of your organization. An organization can gather and keep all the data on its customers that a hard drive can hold. You can get all the output reports that one desk can physically hold. You can have the fastest Internet connection created to date. But if the organization doesn't take advantage of customer data to create new opportunities, then all it has is useless information. If the output report doesn't tell management that it has a serious problem on the factory floor, then all that's been accomplished is to kill a few more trees. If you don't know how to analyze the information from a Web site to take advantage of new sales leads, then what have you really done for yourself today?
Most of us think only of hardware and software when we think of an information system. There is another component of the triangle that should be considered, and that's the people side or "persware". Think of it this way:
[pic]
In this section of the text, Laudon & Laudon discuss the components of an information system. They talk about the input, processing, output, and feedback processes. Most important is the feedback process; unfortunately, it's the one most often overlooked. The hardware (input and output) and the software (processing) receive the most attention. With those two alone, you have computer literacy. But if you don't use the "persware" side of the triangle
1.2 Perspectives on Information Systems
What Is an Information System?
Too often you hear someone say, "Oh yeah, I know how to use a computer. I can surf the Web with the best of them and I can play Solitaire for hours. I'm really good at computers." Okay. So that person can pound a keyboard, use a mouse at lightning speed, and has a list of favorite Web sites a mile long. But the real question is: "Is that person information literate?" Just because you can pound the keyboard doesn't necessarily mean you can leverage the technology to your advantage or to the advantage of your organization. An organization can gather and keep all the data on its customers that a hard drive can hold. You can get all the output reports that one desk can physically hold. You can have the fastest Internet connection created to date. But if the organization doesn't take advantage of customer data to create new opportunities, then all it has is useless information. If the output report doesn't tell management that it has a serious problem on the factory floor, then all that's been accomplished is to kill a few more trees. If you don't know how to analyze the information from a Web site to take advantage of new sales leads, then what have you really done for yourself today?
Most of us think only of hardware and software when we think of an information system. There is another component of the triangle that should be considered, and that's the people side or "persware". Think of it this way:
[pic]
In this section of the text, Laudon & Laudon discuss the components of an information system. They talk about the input, processing, output, and feedback processes. Most important is the feedback process; unfortunately, it's the one most often overlooked. The hardware (input and output) and the software (processing) receive the most attention. With those two alone, you have computer literacy. But if you don't use the "persware" side of the triangle