1. You cannot escape technology information systems in today's world of business. In Unit 1 you learned the fundamentals of business information systems. Information systems include a combination of hardware, software, databases, networking, and security.
If these tasks did not come easily for you, consider re-reading the sections labeled "Defining Information Systems" and "The Components of Information Systems" in What Is an Information System?.
2. Understanding how hardware and software play a role in management information systems is essential. Every component in an information system is important; however, hardware, software, and data provide the technical backbone of these systems.
3. Network communication is sometimes considered the fourth piece of technology in an information system. Without communication, the other three components are useless pieces in an information system.
Read "The Role of Information Systems" and "Networking Communication: A Fourth Technology Piece" from What is an Information System? to prepare for the final exam.
Information systems play a vital role in today's organizations. The components of an information system collect, organize, and distribute data across an entire organization. In the mainframe era of the 1960s, computers were owned by large businesses, universities, and governments to perform calculations. Early computers were used to calculate data that a mainframe served to dozens of users.
During the PC revolution of the 1970s, the first microcomputer, the Altair 8800, was released. Entrepreneurs jumped at making personal computers, which were first thought of as a hobby. In the 1980s, more businesses began to see a practical use for computers and networking. The World Wide Web and e-commerce shed new light on how businesses could operate and serve customers in a new non-traditional sense of business.
What is an Information System? gives a great overview of the history of information systems. You may choose to re-read sections on "The Mainframe Era", "The PC Revolution", "Client-Server", "The World Wide Web and E-Commerce", "Web 2.0", and/or "The Post-PC World", depending on the concepts for which you feel you have a stronger or weaker grasp.
Businesses have been able to develop innovative processes and procedures through advances in information technology. These innovations have sparked new ideas in globalization and e-commerce.
For a deeper look at how technology has changed every aspect of business, watch Turning Technology into Business Transformation Re-visit Exercise: Walmart Case Study to understand how the world's leading retailer became successful through the use of technology.
This vocabulary list includes terms that might help you answer some of the review items above and some terms you should be familiar with to be successful in completing the final exam for the course.