Info Resource MGMT Essay, Research Paper

1) A system is a combination of technologies, people, processes and

organizational mechanisms. An example of a system is the production of a car.

The system would combine the technologies used to create the machines that put

the car together, with the people that run the machines, the assembly line

process for building the car, and the salesman that sells the car, which creates

the original mechanism for the cars to be built.

2) Hierarchies require a vertical chain of command where lines of

responsibility do not cross and approval to proceed on major initiatives is

granted from above. This communication up and down the chain of command takes to

much time for today?s environment. Ex. The U.S. Judicial System.

3) A system is a group of parts, working together in a relationship, to

accomplish something. Anything that can be described by the above can be a

system. For example, a chair is a system of metal, screws and plastic working

together to provide a place to sit. .

4) The four categories are:

? Business computing: Almost exclusively data processing; used mostly by

controller for accounting purposes. EX. Records processing, management reporting

? Telecommunications: Outsourced to full-service vendors, which relieved

user organizations of most administrative burdens. EX. PABX, Telex, Telephones

? Specialized office products For mailrooms, reproduction centers, the

individual offices using them generally purchased records management centers,

and typing pools, although the administrative vice president usually had at

least nominal oversight responsibilities. EX. Mailing equipments, duplicators,

microfilm, and centralized word processing.

? General office products Controlled by the administrative vice president.

Consisting of small ticket items such as typewriters, answering machines,

facsimile terminals, and convenience copiers, general office products were

usually controlled broadly, via the annual budgeting mechanism. EX. Typewriters,

copiers, convenience word processors

5) Attributes:

? Procedure-based: Large-volume transactions were each transaction has a

relatively low cost or value. Activities are well defined, so the principal

performance measure is efficiency information worker is told what to accomplish

and the steps to follow. Mainly handles data

? Goal-based activities: Handle fewer transactions and each one has a higher

value. Activities accomplished in various ways, therefore measured by results or

attainment of the objectives or goals. Information worker must understand the

goals because part of the job is figuring out how to attain them. Entail

handling concepts, not data.

6) Six responsibility areas:

? Understand the business: The CIO should understand what business his

company is in. This also means that he should understand the markets that his

company sells goods and products to.

? Establish credibility of the IS department: The CIO should establish

credibility with top management by successfully maintaining current systems and

develop future systems. This increases top managements confidence in IS and

their ideas.

? Increase the technology maturity of the firm: The CIO should strive to

make upper management comfortable with managing the use of IT. He should also

make sure that the employees are comfortable using the technology. CIO can

educate the users and upper management in a way that makes both comfortable in

using the technology.

? Create a vision of the future and sell it: CIO?s need to become involved

with selling IS to upper management. This includes becoming proactive in

developing the organization vision of the future and by setting a goal for the

use of IT in the organization.

? Implement an information system: CIO?s need to implement an information

system architecture that will support the vision of the organization and help to

ensure its health by simplifying the organization operating activities.

? Develop and nurture relationships: CIO?s need to nurture relationships

with 3 different sets of partners; senior management-CEO, COO, and CFO,

customers both internal and external, and suppliers and other external partners.

7) The five waves are:

? Reducing cost. Reducing costs began in the 1960s when IT focused on

increasing productivity in the clerical and administrative functions.

? Leveraging investments. Leveraging investments began in the 1970s. It

focus was to make a more effective use of corporate assists that increase

profitability. Systems were justified on return of investment and increasing

cash flow.

? Enhancing products and services. This began in the 1980s. It was the first

time IT was used to produce revenue by gaining strategic advantages or creating

new businesses.

? Enhancing executive decision-making. This started in the late 1980s. Its

focus was to change the fundamental structure of the organization and create

real-time business management systems.

? Reaching the consumer. Using IT to interact with consumers, take the lead

in new marketing, distribution, and services started in the 1990s. This changed

the rules of competition and created new businesses on the Internet.

8) The four areas are:

? Run operations: One of the IS functions is to run the computers and

networks,

? Develop systems: IS has the responsibility to develop new systems and

maintain and update current systems.

? Develop architecture: IS also charged with the setting of a strategy and

maintaining architecture for IT and information. IS will also provide a

framework or standards for systems operations.

? Identify business requirements: IS will help in understanding what the

business needs from an IT standpoint.

9) Broker contractual relationships with external suppliers and vendors.

Develop and manage information technology to support the business systems

infrastructure.

10) The three strategic roles are:

? Looking Inward: Improving company processes and structure.

? Looking Outward: Incorporated into products and Services.

? Looking Across: Linking to other organizations by collaborating with them

and sharing ideas.

11) The five waves are grouped into:

? Looking Inward: Encompasses wave 1 and wave 2. Because, reducing costs,

increasing productivity and leveraging Investments are all geared towards making

corporate assets more effective and increasing productivity.

? Looking Outward: Encompasses wave 3 and wave 5. Because enhancing products

and services, and reaching the consumer help the firm become more competitive by

providing more revenue.

? Looking Across: Encompasses wave 4. By linking with other organizations

firms can help to improve executive decision making processes businesses will

know what is going on in the industry.

12) The Revolutionary approach requires radical cross-functional redesigns of

business processes. It is usually brought on by a crisis. The evolutionary

approach is a continuous improvement on current business processes. It is less

expensive and less disruptive.

13) The restructuring options are:

? Focused Restructuring: If the change needs to be done quickly and is

narrow in scope, then it is suited for focused restructuring.

? Outsourcing: If the change must be made quickly and is broad in scope,

then it is recommended that it be outsourced.

? Process Improvement: If the restructuring can be done over time and is

narrow in scope, then use the process improvement option.

? Reengineering: If the restructure is broad based in scope and is to be

done slowly, then use the reengineering option.

14) The three levels of linking are:

? Loose linking involves companies only wanting to increase efficiencies of

their processes. There is no need to change the processes and there are no

direct links between the companies. The exchange of information can be done at

the EDI level.

? Close linking aims at improving process effectiveness. This is done by

exchanging information so that the companies can commonage inventory (for

example) and services. It requires creating interfaces between affected

applications.

? Tight linking refers to database sharing. This focuses on creating new

processes and the sharing of data. This link requires a high level of trust

between companies and to jointly create the databases to be shared.

15) Strategic Systems planning is difficult because:

? When aligning business goals and system plans the CIO is often left out of

the inner circle. Making it hard to make business plans and IT plans to mesh.

? The rapidly changing technology today makes continuous planning a

necessary. Be prepared to changes plans as visions of the future change.

? A shift in emphasis from project selection to portfolio development is

taking place. Make sure you look to see how all the projects balance in the

portfolio.

? Getting funds for infrastructure development are often hard. The best

approach is to disguise it is the form of a major application development

project.

? A project will be more effective if you can get full senior management

cooperation or Joint Responsibility.

? Other Planning Issues to consider are ensuring that you strike a balance

between radical change and continuous improvement.

16) The Seven tools or approaches are:

? Stages of Growth: Four stages, which organizations go through during the

introduction and assimilation of new technology

? Critical Success Factors: Method, which can be used to identify key areas

(critical success factors) for executives, where things must be done right in

order for the organization to flourish.

? Investment Strategy Analysis: Similar to traditional techniques of

portfolio planning, this approach helps a company plan their investment strategy

for Information systems. This allows managers to stand back, see where

investments are currently being made, and then decide where they should be made,

in order to align the IT investments with the business strategy.

? The Scenario Approach to Planning: This planning tool provides a way to

manage the planning assumptions by creating scenarios that combine trends,

events, environmental factors, and the relationships among them. Scenario

planning recognizes possibilities and can provide flexibility by means of escape

if necessary.

? Linkage Analysis Planning: Examines the links that organizations have with

one another with the goal of creating a strategy for utilizing electronic

channels. First the organization must identify linkages, and then determine who

manages them. The mapping of these linkages help management visualize the key

issues they face and allows them to focus on the factors that are critical to

their future success.

? Creative Problem-Solving Approaches (CPS): Involves procedures and

techniques designed to solve complete problems in creative ways. Through its use

of divergence and convergence activities, this approach allows for creative

alternatives within each phase. CPS is also useful when used to enhance other IS

planning approaches.

? Enterprise Modeling: The diagramming of an organization using specific

methodologies.

17) The enterprise model development methodology is the best because it uses

general planning techniques, which allows it to be applied by any organization.

However, the use of more than one planning approach should be considered.

18) The main contributions are:

? Identification and initial investment: The initial learning of and

purchasing of new technology.

? Experimentation and learning: Trial and error, where the new uses of

technology may be found.

? Management control: Management begins to place controls on the use of

technology because the costs of use are getting to high.

? Widespread technology transfer: Stage at where the use of the technology

is commonplace.

19) Architecture is a blueprint, which shows how the overall system will look

and how its parts interrelate. Infrastructure is the implementation of

architecture.

20) The four attributes are:

? Distributed processing : The ability for more than one interconnected

processor to be operating at the same time. This allows for the moving of

processing as close to the user as possible.

? Connectivity among processors Each processor can send data and messages to

any other processor through electronic communication linkages.

? Distributed databases: Where the information is shared, either duplicate

or not, throughout the system to any node. This may be subject to authorized

access.

? System wide rules : The rules and standards used to govern communications

between nodes, security, data accessibility, program and file transfers, and

common operating procedures.

21) The Questions to ask are:

? Are the operations interdependent? An operation is interdependent when one

operation needs to know what the other is doing. Like the airline and

manufacturing industries.

? Are the businesses really homogenous? Operations are similar but do not

need to know what the other is doing. Like the fast-food industry.

? Does the corporate culture support decentralization? Corporations might

like their business units separate and want similar processes centralized. Like

accounting and human resources.

22) The components are:

? Processors: There are 3 levels; Single User systems, Multiple User

systems, and Remote Utility systems

? Networks: There are 2 Levels. LN?s and RN?s

? Services: There are three main types of services: Access, File transfer

capabilities, and Electronic Mail Systems

? Standards: Three areas need corporate standards: operating systems,

communication protocols, and database management systems

23) The main benefits are: Better Access to Information, Empowered Employees,

and Increased Organizational Flexibility

24) The root cause for many IS problems can be found in systems architecture:

IS has not yet figured out architecture. This has led to today?s Legacy

Applications and IS?s response time to be hopelessly inadequate. Perception is

that because IS is inadequate today it will be tomorrow.

25) The four kinds of Investments are:

? Strategic Investments: Aim to change the way the firm competes, the

products or services it offers, or how it intends to increase revenues.

? Informational Investments: Provide the firm with the information needed to

control and manage the employees.

? Transactional Investments: Support operational Management

? Infrastructure Investments: Provide the base foundation of IT capability

in a firm. This layer supports the applications that are run by others.

26) The three views are:

? Utility: Seeing your infrastructure as a necessary and unavoidable service

that must be supplied to the firm. Often outsourced because it is not seen as

strategic.

? Dependent: When the infrastructure investments are tied to business plans.

Thought of as being a minimum requirement for successfully implementing BPR.

? Enabling: The primary benefit is long-term flexibility. Infrastructure

costs are seen as business investments.

27) It can leverage and increases return on IT Investment of business units,

it can provide Incremental benefits at the business unit level; it can provide

effectiveness benefits at the business unit level.

28) Bandwidth is the range of signal frequencies that a medium can be sent

over a medium at the same time. Throughput is measure of how long it takes to

complete a task

29) The five roles are:

? Create architecture: A set of policies, principles, and guidelines that

will lead to widespread connectivity

? Achieve connectivity: Finding a means to interface many dissimilar

networks

? Reach vs. range:

? Information distribution: The IS role in information distribution is to

determine how and to whom the information is to go.

? Telecom BPR: Business Process Re-engineering

30) Ingram Micro recently renewed a contract with Microsoft to continue

providing logistics solutions for another 2 years. Ingram Micro will act as an

EDI vendor between Microsoft and Microsoft?s retailers providing seamless

product tracking and cutting edge logistics.