Introduction to Information Systems
The "Harry Potter" example that leads off this reading provides an excellent example of pre-planning, organized business processes, and the need for flexibility in information systems. Each Potter volume increased the pre-orders exponentially, and Amazon used its prior experiences to create policies and practices designed to improve customer experience. As you will see, business processes are a blueprint for success, supported by technology, information systems, and a range of other required services.
Overview
Synopsis
This chapter introduces Information Systems (IS) and describes its importance. Be sure to become comfortable with fundamental concepts in this chapter. Key among these are the components of information systems, business processes, and information qualities.
This chapter connects discussion of Information Systems to three themes having a major impact on modern business. These themes are enterprise systems - such as those sold by SAP, J. D. Edwards, Oracle, and PeopleSoft; e-business - including retail e-business such as Amazon.com and Business-to-Business (B2B) marketplaces such as Covisint.com (operated by auto manufacturers); and information technology - state-of-the-art hardware and software applications that keep an organization heading toward achievement of its objectives.
We define these three themes in this chapter.