CS507 Assignment # 1- Solution

Question 1: What are the organization, management and technology dimensions of information systems? [3 marks]

Answer: 

An information system represents a combination of management, organization, and technology elements. The management dimension of information system involves leadership, strategy, and management behavior. The technology dimension consists of computer hardware, software, data management technology, and networking/telecommunication technology (including the internet). The Organization dimension of information system involves the organization’s hierarchy, functional specialties, business processes, culture, political interest groups.

Question 2: Describe some of the major changes that information systems are bringing to organizations. [3 marks]

Answer:

The flattening of organizations is probably one that students will cite, particularly with the concern over downsizing. The parallel increase in information and in the decision power of line workers (empowerment), and their corresponding increase in work satisfaction, is often missed in media reports of downsizing. The flexibility of organizations in operations, for example, custom manufacturing and in linking customers and suppliers (thus reducing order time) are some of the major changes

Question 3: Describe the two factors that explain why organizations adopt information systems. [4 marks]

Answer:

• Customers now prefer to execute transaction in an electronic environment through online-trading. Also the establishment of customer services centers has also removed the inconvenience to access vendor’s physical locations.

• Due to absence of physical contact, companies are curious to keep a soft touch in an efficient manner. This requires keeping a customer-wise online track of past correspondence and transactions.

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Question 1: What are the organization, management and technology dimensions of information systems? [3 marks]
Answer:
The organization management is equated with information management. Even though information management is perceived as more comprehensive by nearly all authors, data management is one essential component of technology-oriented information management. IT management comprises of the planning, organization, and control of those tasks that are necessary for the provision and use of the information infrastructure as well as the (computer-based) information systems that are the basis for the information exchange in an organization. If possible the competitiveness of a company should be improved or at least its deterioration be prevented. The general purpose of information management is to make available the right information at the right time and at the right place. For technology-oriented information management, computer-based information systems are the primary means to this end. Information management from this angle stresses the importance of information technologies. This is justified by the high degree of IT integration, the complexity of its application, and its strong consequences for an organization

Question 2: Describe some of the major changes that information systems are bringing to organizations. [3 marks]
Answer: The adoption of information technology (IT) in organizations has been growing at a rapid pace. The use of the technology has evolved from the automation of structured processes to systems that are truly revolutionary in that they introduce change into fundamental business procedures. Indeed, it is believed that “More than being helped by computers, companies will live by them, shaping strategy and structure to fit new information technology.” While the importance of the relationship between information technology and organizational change is evidenced by the considerable literature on the subject,1 there is a lack of comprehensive analysis of these issues from the economic perspective. The aim of this article is to develop an economic understanding of how information systems affect some key measures of organization structure.

Question 3: Describe the two factors that explain why organizations adopt information systems. [4 marks] Answer: Information systems contain information about significant people, places and things within the organization or the environment surrounding it. By information we mean data that have been shaped into a form that is meaningful and useful to human beings. Three activities constitute an information system to meet organizational needs for making decisions, controlling operations, analyzing problems, and creating new product and services. These activities are input, processing and output.
- Input captures or collects raw data from within the organization or from its external environment.
- Processing converts this raw input into a more meaningful form.
- Output transfers the processed information to the people... 
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Question 3:
Describe the two factors that explain why organizations adopt information systems?
Information systems are an important factor in a growing business today. With increased competition and environmental changes affecting the consumer world, An organization must use information systems to efficiently transform environmental resources into valuable outputs. Traditional capital and labor can be substituted by information systems technology as a factor of production in order to lower relative costs.

The increased use of these IT factors along with the decreasing costs of implementing technology systems lowers the need for expensive capital such as buildings and machinery. Labor can also be reduced as the need for middle managers and clerical workers can be replaced by information systems. 
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