Introduction to Management Information Systems
Chapter 1 MIS and You
HTM 304
Spring 06
Definition of MIS
The Development and Use of Information Systems that Achieve
Business Goals and Objectives
Three Key Elements:
Components of an Info Sys
Development and use of the IS
Achieving business goals and objectives
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I. Information Systems
Definitions:
System: A group of components that interact to achieve
some purpose
Information System ( give the definition by yourself)
Example:
non computer-based IS: a schedule sheet posted outside the
classroom telling us the classroom reservation information
computer-based IS: WebCT, Online course registration
system, online banking system, etc.
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What is Information?
Four different definitions
Knowledge derived from data
Data presented in a meaningful
context
Data processed by summing,
ordering, averaging, grouping,
comparing, or other similar
operations
A difference that makes a difference
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Examples of Information Systems
Raw Data
Information
1. Jeff Parks earns $10.00 per
hour.
1. Jeff Parks earns less than
the average hourly wage of
his department
2. George Hanes get 83 in his
mid-exam of BUS304
2. The average score of
BUS304 is 77
3. Gary spent $200 in Bestbuy
on Dec 15, 2006
3. The total sale of Bestbuy is
$708,000 on Dec 15, 2006
4. Dallas Mavericks has won 36 4. Dallas Mavericks is now
ranked #1 team in NBA
games and lost 9 games in
western conference
the new season
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Information is Subjective
Information in one person’s context is just a data
point in another person’s context
Context changes occur in information systems
when the output of one system feeds a second
system
Information conveys meaning, which contains the
information providers’ point of view. (Information
manipulation)
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Characteristics of Good Information
Read p.11-13, describe the five characteristics of
good information
Accurate
Good information shall be accurate. However, there are
a lot information that’s inaccurate. Be careful!
Example: managers & financial analysts may
manipulate earnings to mislead investors
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Characteristics of Good Information
Read p.11-13, describe the five characteristics of
good information
Accurate
Timely
Good information shall be delivered to the right person at
the right time in order to make the right decision.
Example: many companies keep outdated customer
contact information, which is a waste of time and money.
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Characteristics of Good Information
Read p.11-13, describe the five characteristics of
good information
Accurate
Timely
Relevant
Information is subjective. Good information shall be
relevant to the reader which helps make good decision.
Example: a list of customer activities is relevant to the
marketing department but not that relevant to the CEO.
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Characteristics of Good Information
Read p.11-13, describe the five characteristics of
good information
Accurate
Timely
Relevant
Just Sufficient
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Users shall have all the available information in order to
make the right decision. However, too much
information will reduce efficiency.
Example: use the credit score instead of the whole
transaction history to evaluate a person’s probability to
default.
Characteristics of Good Information
Read p.11-13, describe the five characteristics of
good information
Accurate
Timely
Relevant
Just Sufficient
Worth Its Cost
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In a business world, think cost-effectively:
What is the value of information? How
much does it cost to produce that
information?
Example: why not keep track of all the
consumers’ activity?
Characteristics of Good Information
Read p.11-13, describe the five characteristics of good
information
Just Sufficient
Worth its Money
Accurate
Relevant
Timely
-- Good information shall be SMART!
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Understanding the Five-Components
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The most important component
Your mind and thinking are the most important component
If you don’t know what to do with your information system’s
information, you are wasting time and money.
You may not always like the aid of information systems.
(Case Study 1-1 Page 20, answer question 2.)
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II. Development and Use of Info. Sys
You need to take an active role in every stage of the
information system’s development
It doesn’t matter if you are a programmer, database designer,
or only a user, you must be active in:
Specifying the systems requirements
Helping to manage the development project
Using the information system
System
Analysis
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System
Design
System
Implementation
System Development Cycle
System
Maintenance
III. Achieving Business Goals and Objectives
Businesses themselves do not “do” anything
Information Systems exist to help people in business to
achieve goals and objectives of business.
Case 1: Land’s End (Success)
-- Describe the critical role IT plays in supporting Land’s End
business operation
Case 2: IRS (Failure)
-- Identify the main reasons the BSM project failed
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Case of Land’s End
Questions:
1.
List some of the high tech you’ve seen from the video
2.
List some of the critical operations that are supported by IT/IS
3.
Explain the system philosophy “keep day-to-day operation
running smoothly.”
4.
Give an example how IT/IS help Land’s End collect critical
customer information.
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Extra Knowledge – TAM model
Technology Acceptance Model (TAM):
Fred Davis, 1989, MIS Quarterly
Perceived Usefulness
User Acceptance
Perceived Ease of Use
Why is the word “perceived” critical in the two factors?
It’s all about the user’s feelings…
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Understanding New Information Systems
Use the five-component framework to learn
about new systems.
Focus questions on:
Organization impact (people)
System administration &
Procedures to create or
modify
Databases and other data to
create
Programs to license
Hardware needs
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Exercise
Describe the five components of a casher’s
check-out system
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Career Path of MIS Major
CIO / IS Director
Information Center Manager
App. Dev. Manager
Project Manager
Operations Manager
System Manager
Programming Manager
Business Analyst
Systems Analyst
Systems Programmer
Emerging Technologies Manager
Network Manager
Database Admin.
Auditing or Computer Security
Manager
Webmaster
Web Designer
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HTM 304 supports the MIS curriculum
HTM 304 Intro to MIS
HTM 411 Database Design
HTM 425 Sys. Analysis
& Design
HTM 484G Web Programming
HTM 429 Java Programming
HTM 427 Multimedia
HTM 426 Tele Comm
HTM 430 Wireless
E-Commerce
Seminar in IS
Internship + Practice
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In every part of MIS courses, you should think about how it contributes
to help the organization’s information flow
-- How to provide the right information to the right person
at the right time?
Full Time Employment Statistics by Major:
(2006 undergraduate National wide)
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Major
Avg
Standard Dev
% of Reports
Accounting
$40,670
$7,655
2%
ERB
$48,870
$6,640
3%
Finance
$48,530
$7,756
50%
Honors + BBA
$50,050
$7,365
15%
International
Business
$45,920
$9,584
3%
Management
$42,460
$11,662
4%
Marketing
$39,510
$8,772
13%
MIS
$52,010
$5,815
11%
What is in this semester
Management Information System:
The management of a group of components the produces
information and to achieve the business objective and goals
Discussing the components: (technical)
Chapter 3: hardware and software
Chapter 4: Database  HTM 425
Chapter 5: Networking  HTM 426, 430
How to put the computer-related components together to
automate the business processes (technical + managerial)
Chapter 6: System Development  HTM 425
How to use the IS to achieve strategic goals? (managerial)
Chapter 2: IS for competitive advantage
Chapter 7, 8, & 9: Intra- and inter- organizational IS
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Chapter 10 & 11: IS & Security Management, IS as a career
Summary
Definition of MIS:
Management information systems is the development and
use of information systems that help business achieve their
goals and objectives.
What is an information system:
a group of components that interact to produce information.
The five components of an information system
hardware,
software,
data,
procedures, and
people.
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Summary (Cont)
Explain why you are the most important
component
Use the five-component framework to analyze an
Information System
Four definitions of Information
Why Information is subjective?
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Suggested Topic of this Week Blog
Read the chapter (including the security guide, the
ethics guide, the opposite forces guide, and the
problem solving guide) and talk about “MIS and
You”
Your understanding of MIS, examples of MIS
Your use of MIS (career, school, daily life, etc)
How do you think you are connected to MIS?
How do you think the course MIS can benefit you?
Watch the video by Steve Cooper, CIO of the red-cross
and discuss how to value information?
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