Chapter 1 The Importance of MIS

Study Questions Q1: Why Is Introduction to MIS the Most Important Class in the Business School? Q2: What Is an Information System? Q3: What Is MIS? Q4: Why Is the Difference Between Information Technology and Information Systems Important to you? Q5: What Is your Role in IS Security?

This Could Happen to You: "But Today, They're Not Enough." Jennifer lacks skills AllRoad Parts needs: Abstract reasoning skills Systems thinking skills Collaboration skills Experimentation skills Ask the class to compare the reasons she was fired to Reich’s four key skills. What should Jennifer have done differently? Ask the students to what extent those four skills have been required in their education so far. How do they feel about working with ambiguity?

Q1: Why Is Introduction to MIS the Most Important Class in the Business School? Moore’s Law “The number of transistors per square inch on an integrated chip doubles every 18 months.” Discuss what happens when those costs are essentially zero.

Computer Price/Performance Ratio Historical Trend

None prominent in 2010, most didn’t exist in 2010 Some Consequences • Google+ • Pandora • Pintrest • Twitter • Vine • LinkedIn • Tableau • Hulu None prominent in 2010, most didn’t exist in 2010

What Are the Cost Effective Business Applications of Facebook, Twitter, or Whatever Will Soon Appear? Are Facebook’s “Like” and Twitter’s “Follow” applications cost-effective? Do they generate revenue worth and expense of running them? What about cloud apps? Marketing people, not in a technical specialist, must answer those questions

How Can I Attain Job Security? Only job security is a marketable skill and courage to use it Any routine skill can and will be outsourced to lowest bidder Message: Develop strong non-routine cognitive skills Because of Moore’s Law.

What Is a Marketable Skill? Rapid technological change and increased international competition place spotlight on skills and preparation of the workforce, particularly ability to adapt to changing technology and shifting demand. Shifts in nature of organizations favor people with strong nonroutine cognitive skills.

How Can Intro to MIS Help You Learn Non-Routine Skills? (cont’d) Systems Thinking Ability to model system components, connect inputs and outputs among components to reflect structure and dynamics of observed system Ability to discuss, illustrate, critique systems; compare alternative systems; apply different systems to different situations All of those tasks will prepare you for systems thinking as a professional.

How Can Intro to MIS Help You Learn Non-Routine Skills? (cont’d) Collaboration Activity of two or more people working together to achieve a common goal, result, or work product Chapter 2 discusses collaboration skills and illustrates several examples of collaboration information systems Every chapter of this book includes collaboration exercises that you may be assigned in class or as homework.

How Can Intro to MIS Help You Learn Non-Routine Skills? (cont’d) Ability to Experiment Make reasoned analysis of an opportunity; developing and evaluating possible solutions. “I’ve never done this before.” “I don’t know how to do it.” “But will it work?” “Is it too weird for the market?” Fear of failure paralyzes Using features and functions of Microsoft Excel, Access not used before. Collaborating using Microsoft SharePoint, Google Docs and Spreadsheets, or other collaboration tools. Think about GearUp's margin problem. Is there a way it could use social networking within the company to reduce expenses? Could buyers use Facebook or Twitter to share ideas on negotiating the best price? Or, would Google+ be a better choice? Is there anyone in the world who can tell you what to do? How to proceed?

Job Growth over the Past Twenty Years One in two recent college graduates either unemployed or underemployed, but, not in all job categories. If you have a degree in creative writing or European history, jobs may be hard to find. Situation is dramatically different for computer related information systems jobs.

Bottom Line of MIS Course Background to assess, evaluate, and apply emerging information systems technology to business Ultimate in job security—marketable skills—by helping you learn abstraction, systems thinking, collaboration, and experimentation Many MIS-related jobs available with strong market growth Guides help clarify your values and make you ready to respond authentically to future ethical challenges Ethics Guides in every chapter help students to think about ethical dilemmas and clarify their values so they will be ready to respond authentically to future ethical challenges.

Q2: What Is an Information System? Components that interact to produce information Ask students to identify components of an online dating system. Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.

So What? What’s Your Number? Assume you learned: Need to assess, evaluate, and apply emerging information systems technology to business Marketable skills: abstraction, systems thinking, collaboration, and experimentation Information systems five components: hardware, software, data, procedures, people Might ask what potential benefits (e.g., graduating, getting a job, salary, career advancement, managing a business) they might get from learning these three things.

So What? What’s Your Number? (cont'd ) Sum Costs : Tuition and textbooks Housing cost (dorm or rent) Food and entertainment. Transportation and other fees Computing equipment, supplies, etc. Divide by total number of credit hours you're taking Multiply cost per hour by length of class (1 hr., 1.5 hrs., 3 hrs.) = Cost per class meeting

Q3: What Is MIS? Key elements Management and use Information systems Strategies Goal of MIS Managing IS to achieve business strategies

What Is MIS (cont’d) Management Means develop, maintain, and adapt To create an information system that meets your needs, take an active role in system’s development. Why? Business professionals understand business needs and requirements

Achieving Strategies Information systems exist to help people in a business achieve the business' strategies. “What is the purpose of our Facebook page?” “What is it going to do for us?” “What is our policy for employees’ contributions?” “What should we do about critical customer reviews?” “Are the costs of maintaining the page sufficiently offset by the benefits?” Chapter 3 addresses the relationship between information systems and strategy in more depth. Chapter 8 addresses social media and strategy specifically.

Q4: Why Is the Difference Between IT and IS Important to You? Information technology drives development of new information systems Information technology (IT) Products Methods Inventions Standards IT components = Hardware + Software + Data IS = IT + Procedures + People

Q4: Why Is the Difference Between IT and IS Important to You? (cont'd) Avoid a common mistake: Cannot buy an IS Can buy, rent, lease hardware, software and databases, and predesigned procedures People execute procedures to employ new IT Use of new system requires training, overcoming employees’ resistance, and managing employees as they use new system Use example of an organization developing a Facebook page. Facebook provides hardware, software, database structures, and standard procedures. You provide content, custom procedures, training and managing your employees.

Q5: What Is your Role in IS Security? Use Strong Passwords 10+ characters Does not contain your user name, real name, or company name Does not contain a complete dictionary word in any language Different from previous passwords used Contains both upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters Ex: ˜ ! @; # $ % ^; &; * ( ) _ +; – =; { } | [ ] \ : “ ; ’ <; >;? , . /) One technique for creating memorable, strong passwords is to base them on the first letter of the words in a phrase.

Professional Password Etiquette Create passwords Never write down your password Never ask someone for their password Never give your password to someone “do-si-do” move—moving away so person can enter password privately— common professional practice

How Does the Knowledge in This Chapter Help You? Learn and practice Reich’s four key skills Realize future belongs to those who can creatively envision new applications of information systems and technology Learn components of an IS Know the difference between IT and IS Understand information systems are created for your needs and require your involvement Every business professional needs to take an active role in new information systems development

Ethics Guide: Ethics and Professional Responsibility Introduce Kant’s categorical imperative, the first of two ethical models to be used in this course. Explore ethical issues concerning data displays that deceive. Practice applying the difference between data and information. Zero Y-axis Intersection Scale: Which graph do you present?

Immanuel Kant Categorical imperative One should behave only in a way that one would want the behavior to be a universal law Are you willing to publish your behavior to the world?

Duty Necessity to act in accordance with categorical imperative Perfect duty - behavior must always be met. (Not lying) Imperfect duty - action is praiseworthy, but not required according to categorical imperative. (Giving to charity; developing your business skills and abilities)

Imperfect Duty of Business Professionals Cultivating own talent is an imperfect duty-- professional responsibility Obtaining skills necessary to accomplish your job Continue developing business skills and abilities throughout your careers

Guide: Five-Component Careers GOALS Motivate students for study in this course and in others by reminding them of the need to prepare for jobs now. Employment will not necessarily be easy. Broaden students’ perspectives about MIS careers. Many exciting jobs other than programmer or hardware specialist exist. Make students aware that a lot of interesting jobs that require MIS skills are not necessarily “computer” jobs. Professional sales is one, for example. Reinforce the five-component model and show students another way they can use it to guide their thinking.

Use of Technology Internet, mobile technology compatibility Developed a proprietary technology platform to handle enormous spikes in web processing demand Extensive data collection and analytics capabilities