Question

Information systems have changed the way organizations processed their transactions and met their clients’ needs. At the same time they presented challenges to the management and stake holders. Q1: Discuss how an information system, of your choice, works (take a case) and how such a system can enhance a company’s performance. Q2: Identify the challenges that informatics can present to organizations and societies; technical, cultural, and ethical.

Answer 1

1) Advances in computer-based information technology in recent years have led to a wide variety of systems that managers are now using to make and implement decisions. By and large, these systems have been developed from scratch for specific purposes and differ significantly from standard electronic data processing systems. Too often, unfortunately, managers have little say in the development of these decision support sysems; at the same time, non-managers who do develop them have a limited view of how they can be used. In spite of these drawbacks, the author found that a number of the 56 systems he studied are successful. And the difference between success and failure is the extent to which managers can use the system to increase their effectiveness within their organizations. Thus, the author suggests that this is the criterion designers and managers should jointly ascribe to in exploiting the capabilities of today’s technologies.