Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod Jr. and George P. Schell © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 1 Chapter 4 System Users and Developers © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 2 Learning Objectives ► Know that the organizational content for systems development and use is changing from a physical to a virtual structure. ► Know who the information specialists are and how they can be integrated into an information services organization. ► Be alert to new directions that the information services organization may take. © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 3 Learning Objectives (Cont’d) ► Understand what is meant by “end-user computing” and why it came about. ► Appreciate that users, especially those with an end-user computing capability, are a valuable information resource. ► Know the benefits and risks of end-user computing. © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 4 Learning Objectives (Cont’d) ► Be aware of the types of knowledge and skill that are important to systems development. ► Appreciate the value of managing the knowledge held by information specialists and users. ► Recognize the benefits and risks of the virtual office and the virtual organization. © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 5 Figure 4.1 Information Systems Are Developed to Support Organizational Levels and Areas © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 6 Information Services (IS) Organization ► Information resources ► Information specialists System analysts Database administrators Webmasters Network specialists Programmers Operators © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 7 The Informational Services Organizational Structure ► Trend from centralized to decentralized structure. Divisional information officer (DIO) ► Innovative Partner model Platform model Scalable model © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 8 Figure 4.3 A Network Model of Information Services Organization © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 9 Network Model (Cont’d) ► Visioning network enables the CIO to work with top management in strategic planning for information resources. ► Innovation network is used by the CIO to interface with business areas so that innovations can be developed. ► Sourcing network is utilized to interface with vendor for acquiring information resources. © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 10 End-user Computing ► End-user computing (EUC) is the development by users of all or parts of their information systems. ► EUC has 4 main influences: The impact of computer education. The information services backlog. Low-cost hardware. Prewritten software. © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 11 Benefits of EUC ► Match capabilities and challenges. ► Reduce the communication gap. © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 12 Risks of EUC ► Poorly targeted systems. ► Poorly designed and documented systems. ► Inefficient use of information resources. ► Loss of data integrity. ► Loss of security. ► Loss of control. © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 13 Education Criteria, Knowledge, and Skills Needed for Careers in Information Systems ► Systems development knowledge Computer literacy Information literacy Business fundamentals Systems theory Systems development process Systems life cycle (SLC) and Systems development life cycle (SDLC) Systems modeling © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 14 Table 4.1 Knowledge Requirements © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 15 Education Criteria, …(Cont’d) ► Systems development skills Communications skills Analytical ability Creativity Leadership © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 16 Table 4.2 Skill Requirements © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 17 Managing the Knowledge Represented by the Firm’s Information Resources ► Office automation includes all of the formal and informal electronic systems primarily concerned with the communication of information to and from persons both inside and outside the firm. ► Shift from clerical to managerial problem solving. © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 18 The Virtual Office ► Telecommuting describes how employees could electronically “commute” to work. ► Hoteling is when the firm provides a central facility that can be shared by employees as the need for office space and support arises. © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 19 The Virtual Office (Cont’d) ► Advantages Reduced facility cost. Reduced equipment cost. Reduced work stoppages. Social contribution. ► Disadvantages Low morale. Fear of security risks. © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 20 The Virtual Organization ► Three I Economy is those industries that are most attracted to the concept of the virtual office and the virtual organization and those that add value in the form of information, ideas, and intelligence. © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 21 The Human Element ► Most important ingredient in the development and use of information systems. ► Main players Users Information specialists © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Raymond McLeod and George Schell 22