Knowledge
Management
Greatest impact on society
Computers
Internet
World Wide Web
Wireless communications
Knowledge Workers
• People who work with information
• Clerks, supervisors, managers at all levels
• Handle data and information
• Data – original facts and figures that
businesses generate
• Information – data that have been processed
in some meaningful way that is useful to
decision makers
Managing Technology
• CIO – Chief Information Officer – top computer
executive in a business
• Reports to CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
• Possesses knowledge about electronic
equipment
• Has expert management skills
Distributing Information
• Employees use computers to record, process, send, store, retrieve
information
• Telecommunications-movement of information from one location to
another electronically
• Telephone lines, cable, satellite
• LAN (local area network)-network of linked computers that serves users
in a single building or building complex
• Server-computer that stores data and application software for all PC
workstations in the LAN
• WAN (wide area network)-network of linked computers that covers a
wide geographic area
Intranet and Extranet
• Intranet – a private company network that allows
employees to share resources no matter where they
are located
• Works like the Internet
• Usually connected to the Internet but sealed off
from general public to protect company
information
• Extranet – a private network that companies use to
share certain information with selected people
outside the organization
• Suppliers and major customers
Information Security
• CIO must do whatever is necessary to keep
company information safe from hackers
• Lawsuits by employees, customers, public
• Loss of critical company records
• May violate business ethics when companies
gather, sell, distribute information about people
who use the Internet to browse or buy
• Firewall – special software that screens people
who enter and/or exit a network by requesting
specific information such as passwords
Information Systems
• Database – a collection of related data organized in a
way that makes the data easy to find, update, and
manage
• Examples?? Facebook, electronic filing systems,
medical records, Kroger customer records
• Information system – a computer system that
processes data into meaningful information
• Management information systems
• Decision support systems
• Executive information systems
• Management Information System – integrates data
from various departments to make it available to
help managers with day-to-day business operations
• Decision Support System – helps managers consider
alternatives in making specific decisions
• Ability to analyze “What if” scenarios
• Executive Information System – combines and
summarizes ongoing transactions within the
company to provide top-level executives with
information needed to make decisions affecting the
present and future goals and direction of an
organization
• Gathered from the other information systems