INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Information Systems

Information Systems

Introduction

An information system is an organized set of elements, which can be people, data, materials, activities or resources in general. These elements interact to process and distribute information appropriately in accordance with the objectives of an organization. The study of systems of information emerged as a subdiscipline of the science of computing, with the objective of streamlining the management of technology within organizations. The field of study progressed to become part of higher education within the administration.

Discussion & Analyses

From a business perspective, information systems can be classified in various ways (Li, Peters, Richardson & Weidenmier Watson, 2012). There are, for example, transaction processing systems (that manage the information regarding the transactions involved in a company), management information systems (to solve business problems in general), decision support systems (analyzing the different variables of business for decision-making), executive information systems (for managers), office automation systems (applications that help in administrative work) and expert systems (which emulate the behavior of a specialist in a specific domain).

It should be noted that the concept of information system is often used synonymously with computer information system, although not the same (Weiyin, Thong, Chasalow & Dhillon, 2011). The latter belongs to the field of study of information technology and can be part of an information system as a resource material. Anyway, is said to treat information systems development and management of the technological infrastructure of an organization.

In recent years there have been many studies to analyze the information as key to decision making in the enterprise, key management, and conceptual axis on which gravitate enterprise information systems (Bélanger & Crossler, 2011). It is considered that the information is a resource that is at the same level as the financial, material and human, which had hitherto constituted the foundations on which he had turned the business management. If the traditional economic theory remained the capital, land and labor as primary elements of study, information has become, now, in the fourth resource to manage.

From the standpoint of business management knowledge of the environment in an increasingly complex and changing, creates an increasingly urgent need of information for decision-making, both to attack new markets, to protect the company outsiders that may violate stability. The domain of external information, should not obscure the control of internal flows of information that the company generates derivative operation.

Finally, one should not forget the very information the company sends to the outside, in some cases governed by legal factors, such as those that require companies to deposit their annual accounts in commercial registers (Nicolaou & McKnight, 2011). Data, in turn, they become external information to other companies absorb that information. Understand the concept Directors and / or management, for from this global vision, planning to insert in that context, and therefore capture external information for decision-making. It fits well, the information (goodwill) as a key factor for decision-making in the field of Management Science, and therefore the information management and information system design in the ...