Information Systems - Table of Contents

Information Systems: A Management Perspective

table of contents

The explanation of how this text is unique includes a table showing how the organization of the book's chapters is directly related to the elements of the WCA framework. The following table of contents shows a more detailed view of how the book is organized.

Chapter 1: The Challenge of Applying IT Successfully

OPENING CASE: Amazon.com: An Online Bookstore
Phases in Building and Maintaining Systems
IT-Based Innovations in Every Business Function: Product Design Systems * Procurement Systems* Manufacturing Systems* Sales and Marketing Systems* Delivery Systems* Customer Service Systems * Finance Systems
Dramatic Progress in Processing Data: Greater Miniaturization, Speed, and Portability* Greater Connectivity and Continuing Convergence of Computing and Communications * Greater Use of Digitized Information and Multimedia * Better Software Techniques and Interfaces with People
Obstacles When Applying IT in the Real World: Unrealistic Expectations and Techno-hype * Difficulty Building and Maintaining IT-Based Systems * Difficulty Integrating IT-Based Systems * Organizational Inertia and Problems of Change * Genuine Difficulty Anticipating What Will Happen
CHAPTER CONCLUSION
REAL WORLD CASES: Dell Computer: Profiting from Mass Customization; Pixar: Creating Computerized Animations

Chapter 2: Basic Concepts for Understanding Systems

OPENING CASE: Resumix: Processing Résumés Without Paper
The Need for Frameworks and Models
Viewing Businesses as Systems: Businesses as Systems Consisting of Business Processes * The Value Chain * Business Processes and Functional Areas of Business
Information Systems and Work Systems: Which "System" Are We Talking About? * Increasing Overlap between Information Systems and Work Systems
Framework for Thinking About Any System in Business: Customers * Product * Business Process * Participants * Information * Technology
Five Perspectives for Viewing a Work System: Architecture: System Components and How They Operate Together * Performance: How Well the System Operates * Infrastructure: Essential Resources Shared with Other Systems * Context: Organizational, Competitive, and Regulatory Environment Surrounding the System * Risks: Foreseeable Things That Can Go Wrong
Analyzing an IT-Enabled System from a Business Professional's Viewpoint: The General Idea of Systems Analysis * Work-Centered Analysis Method * Limitations and Pitfalls
CHAPTER CONCLUSION
REAL WORLD CASES: Wake Forest University: Integrating Computers into a College Curriculum; Armstrong World Industries: Adopting Sales Force Automation

Chapter 3: Business Processes

OPENING CASE: Ford: Reengineering a Payment Process
Process Modeling: Documenting Business Process Architecture: Data Flow Processing * Flowcharts and Structured English
Architectural Characteristics of a Business Process: Degree of Structure* Range of Involvement * Level of Integration * Complexity * Degree of Reliance on Machines * Attention to Planning, Execution, and Control * Treatment of Exceptions, Errors, and Malfunctions
Evaluating Business Process Performance: Rate of Output * Consistency * Productivity * Cycle Time * Flexibility * Security
Is Management a Business Process?: What Do Managers Do? * What Types of Information Do Managers Need? * Is Management Really a Process?
CHAPTER CONCLUSION
REAL WORLD CASES: AUCNET: Auctioning Used Cars Electronically in Japan; Chrysler and Daimler Benz: Integrating Systems in an International Merger

Chapter 4: Information and Databases

OPENING CASE: Boeing: A Database for Paperless Design
Data Modeling: Documenting Information Architecture: Entity-Relationship Diagrams * Identifying the Data in Information Systems
User's View of A Computerized Database: Types of Data * What Is a Database? * Logical Versus Physical Views of Data * Files * Relational Databases * Multidimensional Databases * Geographical Information Systems * The Process of Accessing Data
Database Management Systems: Defining the Database and Access to Data * Methods for Accessing Data in a Computer System * Processing Transactions * Controlling Distributed Databases * Backup and Recovery * Supporting Database Administration
Text Databases and Hypertext: Hypertext * Browsers * Indexes and Search Engines
Evaluating Information Used in Business Processes: Information Quality * Information Accessibility * Information Presentation * Information Security
Models as Components of Information Systems: Mental Models and Mathematical Models * What-If Questions * Virtual Reality: The Ultimate Interactive Model?
CHAPTER CONCLUSION
REAL WORLD CASES: Whirlpool and Thomas & Betts: Managing Price and Product Information Effectively; Centerville Home Care Registry: Finding Home Care Workers

Chapter 5: Communication, Decision Making, and Different Types of Information Systems

Basic Communication Concepts: Social Context * Personal, Impersonal, and Anonymous Communication * Time, Place, and Direction of Communication * Approaches for Improving Communication
Basic Decision Making Concepts: Steps in a Decision Process * Rationality and Satisficing * Common Flaws in Decision Making * Approaches for Improving Decision Making
Roles of Different Types of Information Systems in Communication and Decision Making: Office Automation Systems * Communication Systems * Transaction Processing Systems * Management and Executive Information Systems * Decision Support Systems * Execution Systems
Going Beyond the Information System Categories
CHAPTER CONCLUSION
REAL WORLD CASES: U.S. House of Representatives: Patients' Bill of Rights Act of 1998; Glaxo Wellcome: Accessing Unstructured Data Across a Multinational Enterprise

Chapter 6: Product, Customer, and Competitive Advantage

OPENING CASE: Otis Elevator: Centralizing Repair Dispatching
The Customer's View of the Product: Combining Information, Physical, and Service Content * Controllability and Adaptability
The Customer's Cycle of Involvement With a Product
The Customer's Criteria for Evaluating the Product
Using Information Systems for Competitive Advantage: Strategic Information Systems * Competing by Increasing Value and Decreasing Cost
Electronic Commerce: Electronic Retailing * Electronic Stock Trading * Electronic Banking * Electronic Publishing * The Technical Side of Electronic Commerce
Opportunities Across the Customer Involvement Cycle: Determining Requirements * Acquiring the Product * Using the Product * Maintaining and Retiring the Product
Being Realistic About What Information Systems Can Do
CHAPTER CONCLUSION
REAL WORLD CASES: Ernst & Young: Providing Counseling Through the Web; Rosenbluth International: Using IT for Worldwide Travel Services

Chapter 7: Human and Ethical Issues

OPENING CASE: U.S. Congress: Creating National Directory of New Hires
Technology and People: Human-Centered Design Versus Machine-Centered Design * User Friendliness * Technology as a Metaphor and Influence
Positive and Negative Impacts on People at Work: Health and Safety * Autonomy and Power * Use of Valued Skills * Meaningfulness of Work * Social Relationships
Dependence on People for Information System Success: Skills and Knowledge * Involvement and Commitment * Resistance to Change * Unanticipated Innovations
Systems and Ethics: Ethical Versus Legal Issues * Ethical Theories * Privacy * Accuracy * Property * Access
Balancing Positive and Negative Impacts
CHAPTER CONCLUSION
REAL WORLD CASES: Visionics: Applying Facial Recognition Software in Driver Registration; The White House: Electronic Privacy Issue

Chapter 8: Computer Hardware

OPENING CASE: Massachusetts General Hospital: Pilot Project on Voice Recognition for Radiology Reports
Performance of Information Technology: Performance Variables for IT * Bits and Bytes: Technical Terms for Describing and Measuring Technology Operation * Technology Performance from a Business Viewpoint
Overview of Computer Systems: Basic Model of a Computer System * Types of Computers * Computer System Architectures * Client-Server and Beyond
Looking Inside the Black Box: Coding Data for Processing by a Computer * Machine Language * Approaches for Increasing Computer Performance
Data Input: Capturing Data: Keyboards and Pointing Devices * Optical Character Recognition * Capturing Pictures, Sounds, and Video
Storing and Retrieving Data: Paper and Micrographics * Magnetic Tapes and Disks * Optical Disks * Flash Memory
Data Output: Displaying Data: Screen Outputs * Paper Outputs * Audio Outputs
CHAPTER CONCLUSION
REAL WORLD CASES: Chicago Board of Trade: Giving Up on Stomp-Proof Handheld Terminals; Media Lab: Trying to Produce a Book-Like Computer Display

Chapter 9: Software, Programming, and Artificial Intelligence

OPENING CASE: IBM: Creating a Chess Program That Defeated a World Champion
Types of Software: Programming Viewed as a Business Process * Programming as a Translation Process * Organizing Ideas * Testing Programs * The Changing Nature of Programming * The Trend Toward Object-Oriented Programming
Four Generations of Programming Languages: Machine Languages * Assembly Languages * Higher-Level Languages * Fourth Generation Languages
Other Major Developments in Programming: Special-Purpose Languages * Spreadsheets * Computer Aided Software Engineering Systems
Operating Systems: Operating Systems for Personal Computers * Operating Systems for Multi-User Computer Systems * Why Operating Systems are Important
Steps Toward Programming Intelligence into Machines: Natural Language Processing * Expert Systems * Neural Networks * Fuzzy Logic * Case-Based Reasoning * Intelligent Agents
CHAPTER CONCLUSION
REAL WORLD CASES: U.S. Navy: A Y2K-like Problem with Global Positioning Satellites; Cycorp: Building a Knowledge Base to Support Commonsense Reasoning

Chapter 10: Networks and Telecommunications

OPENING CASE: FedEx: Maximizing the Value of Information
Applying Telecommunications in Business: Vital Role of Telecommunications * Convergence of Computing and Communications * Making Sense of the Terminology and Details
Functions and Components of Telecommunications Networks: Basic Telecommunications Model * Generating and Receiving Data * Encoding and Decoding Data * Directing Data from Source to Destination * Moving the Data Through Transmission Media
Types of Networks: A User's Viewpoint: Telephone Networks * Broadcast Networks * Local Area Networks (LANs) * Wide Area Networks (WANs) * Value Added Networks (VANs)
Telecommunications Standards
Telecommunications Policy
CHAPTER CONCLUSION
REAL WORLD CASES: Network Solutions, Inc.: Maintaining Internet Domain Names; France Telecom: Moving from Minitel to the Internet

Chapter 11: Information Systems Planning

OPENING CASE: Owens Corning: Integrating Across Business Units
The Process of Information System Planning: What Is an Information System Plan? * Challenges in IS Planning * Principles for IS Planning * Planning Role of the IS and User Departments * Allocating Resources between New and Old Information Systems * Project Roles of IS Professionals
Strategic Alignment of Business and IT: Consistency with Business Priorities * Reengineering and Downsizing * Enterprise-wide and Interorganizational Systems * Information System Architecture * Centralization Versus Decentralization * Describing a Business-Driven IT Infrastructure * Outsourcing * International Issues
Selecting Systems to Invest In Cost/Benefit Analysis * Risks * Financial Comparisons
Project Management Issues: Division of Labor between the IS Department and Users * Keeping the Project on Schedule
Systems Analysis Revisited: Information Sources for Analyzing Systems * Performing Interviews
CHAPTER CONCLUSION
REAL WORLD CASES: Cemex: Incorporating IT into a Cement Company's Strategy; Unisource Worldwide: Scuttling an ERP Project

Chapter 12: Building and Maintaining Information Systems

OPENING CASE: Microsoft Corporation: Building Software Products
Phases of Any Information System: Initiation * Development * Implementation * Operation and Maintenance
Overview of Alternative Approaches for Building Information Systems
Traditional System Life Cycle: Initiation * Development * Implementation * Operation and Maintenance
Prototypes: Phases * Advantages and Disadvantages
Application Packages: Phases * Advantages and Disadvantages
End-User Development: Phases * Supporting the Users * Advantages and Disadvantages
Deciding Which Combination of Methods to Use: Comparing Advantages and Disadvantages * Combining System Development Approaches
CHAPTER CONCLUSION
REAL WORLD CASES: B-Tree Systems, Inc.: Verifying Embedded Systems; FAA: Trying to Overhaul the Air Traffic Control System

Chapter 13: Information System Security and Control

OPENING CASE: London Ambulance Service: A Major System Failure
Threat of Project Failure
Threat of Accidents and Malfunctions
Threat of Computer Crime: Theft * Sabotage and Vandalism
Factors that Increase the Risks: The Nature of Complex Systems * Human Limitations * Pressures in the Business Environment
Methods for Minimizing Risks: Controlling System Development and Modifications * Providing Security Training * Maintaining Physical Security * Controlling Access to Data, Computers, and Networks * Controlling Transaction Processing * Motivating Efficient and Effective Operation * Auditing the Information System * Preparing for Disasters
CHAPTER CONCLUSION
REAL WORLD CASES: PanAmSat: Recovering from Satellite Failure; King Soopers: Using Computer Access to Steal from an Employer

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