CIS Unit 1 Study Guide

Operational business processes

are static, routine, daily business processes

Alphanumeric characters

consisting of both letters and numbers and often other symbols

Data

raw facts that describe the characteristics of an event or object

Input-Process-Output

(1)the information entered (2)the process of transforming input into information and into output (3)the visual, auditory, or tactile perceptions provided by the computer after processing the provided information

Management Information Systems

a business function, like accounting and human resources, which moves information about people, products, and processes across the company to facilitate decision-making and problem-solving

Variable

a data characteristic that stands for a value that changes or varies over time

Competitive advantage

a feature of a product or service on which customers place a greater value than they do on similar offerings from competitors

BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation)

a graphical notation that depicts the steps in a business process

Business strategy

a leadership plan that achieves a specific set of goals or objectives such as increasing sales, decreasing costs, entering new markets, or developing new products or services

Binary numbers

a positional numeral system with two as the base; consists of two different numerals, namely 0 and 1

Benchmarking

a process of continuously measuring system results, comparing those results to optimal system performance (benchmark values), and identifying steps and procedures to improve system performance

Subsystems

a self-contained system within a larger system

Positional notation

a type of numeration in which the position of a digit affects its value; also called base 10 (placement)

Internet of Things

a world where interconnected Internet-enabled devices or "things" have the ability to collect and share data without human intervention

URL shortners

an online application that converts a regular URL into its condensed format

Five Forces Model

analyzes the competitive forces within the environment in which a company operates to assess the potential for profitability in an industry

Information

data converted into a meaningful and useful context

Strategic business improvement

dynamic, nonroutine, long-term, business processes such as financial planning, expansion strategies, and stakeholder interactions

Structured data

has a defined length, type, and format and includes numbers, dates, or strings

Tool

help process go forward

Barrier

hold process back

Streamlining

improves business process efficiencies by simplifying or eliminating unnecessary steps

Knowledge

includes the skills, experience, and expertise, coupled with information and intelligence, that creates a person's intellectual resources

Business Intelligence

information collected from multiple sources such as suppliers, customers, competitors, partners, and industries that analyzes patterns, trends, and relationships for strategic decision making

System management

involves regulating the input and process for the desired output

Effectiveness metrics

measure the impact MIS has on business processes and activities, including customer satisfaction and customer conversion rates

Efficiency metrics

measure the performance of MIS itself, such as throughput, transaction speed, and system availability

Metrics

measurements that evaluate results to determine whether a project is meeting its goals

Feed-forward loop

monitor input variations, then adjust the process to compensate

Unstructured data

not defined and does not follow a specified format and is typically free-form text

First mover advantage

occurs when a company can significantly increase its market share by being first with a new competitive advantage

As-is process model

represent the current state of the operation that has been mapped, without any specific improvements or changes to existing processes

Managerial business processes

semi dynamic, semi routine, monthly business processes such as resource allocation, sales strategy, or manufacturing process improvements

To-Be process model

show the results of applying change improvement opportunities to be current (As-Is) process model

Buyer power

the ability of buyers to affect the price they must pay for an item

Business process modeling

the activity of creating a detailed flowchart or process map of a work process that shows its inputs, tasks, and activities in a structures sequences

Reengineering

the analysis and redesign of workflow between enterprises

Fact

the confirmation or validation of an event or object

Critical Success Factors (CSFs)

the crucial steps companies make to perform to achieve their goals and objectives and implement their strategies

Best practices

the most successful solutions or problem-solving methods that have been developed by a specific organization or industry

Automation

the process of computerizing manual tasks, making them more efficient and effective and dramatically lowering operational costs

Competitive intelligence

the process of gathering information about the competitive environment

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

the quantifiable metrics a company uses to evaluate progress toward critical success factors

Analytics

the science of fact-based decision making

Business Analytics

the scientific process of transforming data into insight for making better decisions

Supplier power

the suppliers' ability to influence the prices they charge for supplies

Open systems

when inputs are converted to outputs

Feed-back loop

when you regulate the system by controlling every step and at each step, observe the output and adjust the process as required