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
(Letters, numbers, graphics…
Representing reality and knowledge)
Information
(Data understood,
meaning)
Domain of
Technology
Knowledge
(Complex cognitive entity;
cause-effect theories,
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”.
6150 Management of Information Systems and Technology
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)
• Data (organized,
meaningful)
• Representations of
Knowledge
Use
Procedures
Information
System (IS)
Supports
Use
Users
(Organizational members:
Managers, Professionals, Clerks)
Perform on
Information,
Knowledge
----------------Task, Business
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
or process you work on?
• What information is part of your work?
• How is this information supported by technology?
These questions
help to focus on
MIS6150
perspective,
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
Requirements
System
Design & Development
Design &
Build
Vendors
IS Dept.
IT (Computer Software
& Hardware)
Data
(organized, meaningful)
Task,
Process
--Information
Productivity?
Strategy
Accomplishment?
Procedures of
Handling IT and Data
• 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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