Question

importance of where the information systems function is placed and the various types of users of information systems. need 500 words

Answer 1

Information systems (IS) is the study of complementary networks of hardware and software that people and organizations use to collect, filter, process, create, and distribute data.

Components of Information System : Hardware , Software , Telecommunications , Data  , Human Resources and Procedures

Hardware : It is the tangible, physical portion of an information system – the part you can touch.

Software : It comprises the set of instructions that tell the hardware what to do.

Data : The third technology component is data. You can think of data as a collection of facts.

Networking Communication : It is set of computers which are interconnected to communicate and share data.

Human Resources and Procedures : Human resources are peoples who use components of information system to achieve a specific purpose and procedures are functions or modules which are used for operating and maintaining information system as a part of its documentations .

Functions of information systems

There are various functions of information systems like the collection of input data, storage, processing, and producing the output information. The functions also control the information flow as well as the feedback loop.

Input

The input in an information system has two types:

• Output is created with detailed data which is stored and processed
• The specification of what type of analysis is done must be specified by the user

Storage

It is used for storing data at geographically different locations and taking regular backups in order to avoid any loss of data .

Processing

A process is a function which transforms data into information. A simple process would be adding up a number of items that is sold by a business by a variable such as the location of a store or the product or the time and date .

Feedback / control loops

A feedback / control loop is what happens to output when it is processed and produced. The system continuously repeats the same processes depending on the output of the last loop which can then impact on the input of the next data in to the loop.

Output

There are two types of output in this context, graphical and textual:

• Graphical output is usually used to look at information on a larger scale which is then presented as charts, graphs, diagrams and pictures.
• Textual output is information on a smaller scale which is presented as charters, text or numbers.

Place of Information Systems Function

The information-systems function was centralized within organizations in order to maximize control over computing resources. Some departments created an internal information-systems group, complete with systems analysts, programmers, and even database administrators. These departmental-IS groups were dedicated to the information needs of their own departments, providing quicker turnaround and higher levels of service than a centralized IT department. The advantages of dedicated IS personnel for each department are weighed against the need for more control over the strategic information resources of the company.

Information-Systems Users – Types of Users

The people who work to create, administer, and manage information systems, there is one more extremely important group of people: the users of information systems. This group represents a very large percentage of the people involved. If the user is not able to successfully learn and use an information system, the system is doomed to failure.

Five specific types of information system users:

Innovators: Innovators are the first individuals to adopt a new technology. Innovators are willing to take risks, are the youngest in age, have the highest social class, have great financial liquidity, are very social, and have the closest contact with scientific sources and interaction with other innovators. Risk tolerance has them adopting technologies that may ultimately fail. Financial resources help absorb these failures .

Early adopters: The early adopters are those who adopt innovation after a technology has been introduced and proven. These individuals have the highest degree of opinion leadership among the other adopter categories, which means that they can influence the opinions of the largest majority. They are typically younger in age, have higher social status, more financial liquidity, more advanced education, and are more socially aware than later adopters. These people are more discrete in adoption choices than innovators, and realize judicious choice of adoption will help them maintain a central communication position .

Early majority: Individuals in this category adopt an innovation after a varying degree of time. This time of adoption is significantly longer than the innovators and early adopters. This group tends to be slower in the adoption process, has above average social status, has contact with early adopters, and seldom holds positions of opinion leadership in a system .

Late majority: The late majority will adopt an innovation after the average member of the society. These individuals approach an innovation with a high degree of skepticism, have below average social status, very little financial liquidity, are in contact with others in the late majority and the early majority, and show very little opinion leadership.

Laggards: Individuals in this category are the last to adopt an innovation. Unlike those in the previous categories, individuals in this category show no opinion leadership. These individuals typically have an aversion to change-agents and tend to be advanced in age. Laggards typically tend to be focused on “traditions,” are likely to have the lowest social status and the lowest financial liquidity, be oldest of all other adopters, and be in contact with only family and close friends.

These five types of users can be translated into information-technology adopters as well, and provide additional insight into how to implement new information systems within an organization. For example, when rolling out a new system, IT may want to identify the innovators and early adopters within the organization and work with them first, then leverage their adoption to drive the rest of the implementation.