MIS 303: Chapter 1
Examples of the power of business and technology
-Amazon - Not a technology company; primary business focus is selling books -Netflix - Not a technology company; primary business focus is renting videos -Zappos - Not a technology company; primary business focus is selling shoes
The core drivers of the information age
-Data -Information -Business intelligence -Knowledge
Management Information Systems (MIS)
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
Big data
A collection of large, complex data sets, including structured and unstructured data, which cannot be analyzed using traditional database methods and tools Snapshot: a view of data at a particular point in time
Report
A document containing data organized in a table, matrix, or graphical format allowing users to easily comprehend and understand information Static report: creating once based on data that does not change Dynamic report: changes automatically during creation
Byte
A group of eight bits representing one natural language character
Virtualization
A protected memory space created by the CPU allowing the computer to create virtual machines
Magnetic medium
A secondary storage medium that uses magnetic techniques to store and retrieve data on disks or tapes coated with magnetically sensitive materials
Hard drive
A secondary storage medium that uses several rigid disks coated with a magnetically sensitive material and housed together with the recording heads in a hermetically sealed mechanism
Cathode-ray tube (CRT)
A vacuum tube that uses an electron gun (cathode) to emit a beam of electrons that illuminates phosphors on a screen as the beam sweeps across the display repeatedly
Snapshot
A view of data at a particular point in time
Systems thinking
A way of monitoring the entire system by viewing multiple inputs being processed or transformed to produce outputs while continuously gathering feedback on each part
Internet of Things (IoT)
A world where interconnected Internet-enabled devices or "things" have the ability to collect and share data without human intervention
Touch screen
Allows the use of a finger to point at and touch a monitor to execute commands
Computer
An electronic device operating under the control of instructions stored in its own memory that can accept, manipulate, and store data.
Magnetic tape
An older secondary storage medium that uses a strip of thin plastic coated with a magnetically sensitive recording medium
Utility Software
Antivirus; screen savers; data recovery
Information Technology (IT)
Any computer-based tool that people use to work with information and support the information and information-processing needs of an organization.
Central processing unit
CPU, the computer's "brain", the actual hardware that interprets and executed the program (software) instructions
Liquid crystal display (LCD)
Low-powered displays used in laptop computers where rod-shaped crystal molecules change their orientation when an electrical current flows through them
Human resources
Maintains policies, plans, and procedures for the effective management of employees -Employee data -Promotion data -Vacation data
Operations management
Manages the process of converting or transforming resources into goods or services -Manufacturing data -Distribution data -Production data
Goods
Material items or products that customers will buy to satisfy a want or need -Cars -Groceries -Clothing
Spreadsheet Software
Microsoft Excel
Word Processing Software
Microsoft Word
Unstructured data
Not defined and does not follow a specified format
Mouse
One or more control buttons housed in a palm-sized case and designed so that one can move it about on the table next to the keyboard
Chief information officer (CIO)
Oversees all uses of IT and ensures the strategic alignment of IT with business goals and objectives
Arithmetic-logic unit (ALU)
Performs all arithmetic operations (for example, addition and subtraction) and all logic operations (such as sorting and comparing numbers)
Application Software
Performs specific information processing needs
Sales
Performs the function of selling goods or services -Potential customer data -Sales report data -Commission data -Customer support data
3-D printer
Printer that can produce solid, three-dimensional objects
Multifunction printer
Printer that can scan, copy, fax, and print all in one device
Laser printer
Printer that forms images using an electrostatic process, the same way a photocopier works
Ink-jet printer
Printer that makes images by forcing ink droplets through nozzles
Plotter
Printer that uses computer-directed pens for creating high-quality images, blueprints, schematics, etc
Keyboard
Provides a set of alphabetic, numeric, punctuation, symbol, and control keys
Services
Tasks people perform that customers will buy to satisfy a want or need -Teaching -Waiting tables -Cutting hair
Primary Storage
The computer's main memory, which consists of the random access memory (RAM), the cache memory, and the read-only memory (ROM) that is directly accessible to the central processing unit (CPU)
Fact
The confirmation or validation of an event or object
Gigahertz (GHz)
The number of billions of CPU cycles per second
Megahertz (MHz)
The number of millions of CPU cycles per second
Hardware
The physical devices associated with a computer system.
Read-only memory (ROM)
The portion of a computer's primary storage that does not lose its contents when one switches off the power
Information age
The present time, during which infinite quantities of facts are widely available to anyone who can use a computer
Output
The resulting information from the computer program
Analytics
The science of fact-based decision making -Descriptive analytics -Predictive analytics -Prescriptive analytics
Software
The set of instructions that the hardware executes to carry out specific tasks.
Software
The set of instructions the hardware executes to carry out specific tasks.
Binary digit (bit)
The smallest unit of information that a computer can process
Light-emitting diode (LED)
Tiny bulb used for backlight to improve the image on the screen
Finance
Tracks strategic financial issues including money, banking, credit, investments, and assets -Investment data -Monetary data -Reporting data
Complex instruction set computer (CISC) chip
Type of CPU that can recognize as many as 100 or more instructions, enough to carry out most computations directly
Operating System Software
Windows; Mac OS; Linux
Information
Data converted into a meaningful and useful context
Human-generated data
Data that humans, in interaction with computers, generate
Input
Data that is entered in a computer
Optical mark reader
Detects the presence or absence of a mark in a predetermined place (popular for multiple-choice exams)
Game controller
Devices used for games to obtain better control screen action
Pointing device
Devices used to navigate and select objects on a display screen
Digital still camera
Digitally captures still images in varying resolutions
Digital video camera
Digitally captures video
Webcam
Digitally captures video and uploads it directly to the Internet
Organic light-emitting diode (OLED)
Displays use many layers of organic material emitting a visible light and therefore eliminating the need for backlighting.
Secondary Storage
Equipment designed to store large volumes of data for long-term storage (diskette, CD, DVD, memory stick
Input device
Equipment used to capture information and commands. Keyboard; mouse; scanner
Output device
Equipment used to see, hear, or otherwise accept the results of information processing requests. Monitor; printer; headphones
Communication Device
Equipment used to send information and receive it from one location to another (modem, wireless card)
Touch pad
Form of a stationary mouse on which the movement of a finger causes the pointer on the screen to move; typically found below the space bar on laptops
Knowledge worker
Individual valued for their ability to interpret and analyze information
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
Input, Process, Output Example
Input: Lettuce, tomatoes, patty, bun, ketchup Process: Cook the patty, put the ingredients together Output: Hamburger
Control Unit
Interprets software instructions and literally tells the other hardware devices what to do, based on the software instructions
Reduced instruction set computer (RISC) chip
Limit the number of instructions the CPU can execute to increase processing speed
Marketing
Supports sales by planning, pricing, and promoting goods or services -Promotion data -Sales data -Advertising data
Connecting device
Cables; USB port
Biometric scanner
Captures human physical attributes such as a fingerprint or iris for security purposes
Image scanner
Captures images, photos, graphics, and text that already exist on paper
Point-of-sale (POS)
Captures information at the point of a transaction, typically in a retail environment
Bar code scanner
Captures information that exists in the form of vertical bars whose width and distance apart determine a number
Microphone
Captures sounds such as a voice for voice-recognition software
Hardware components
Central processing unit (CPU) Primary storage Secondary storage Input device Output device Communication device
Process
Computer program that processes the data
Secondary storage
Consists of equipment designed to store large volumes of data for long-term storage
Hardware
Consists of the physical devices associated with a computer system.
System software
Controls how the various tools work together with application software
Feedback
Controls to ensure correct processing
Optical character reader
Converts text into digital format for computer input
Machine-generated data
Created by a machine without human intervention
Storage device
DVD; memory stick; hard drive
RAM
Random Access Memory, integrates circuits; works with the CPU; The computer's primary working memory, in which program instructions and data are stored so that they can be accessed directly by the CPU via the processor's high-speed external data bus. Includes the volatility and cache memory.
Data
Raw facts that describe the characteristics of an event or object
Accounting
Records, measures, and reports monetary transactions -Transactional data -Purchasing data -Payroll data -Tax data
Machine-to-Machine (M2M)
Refers to devices that connect directly to other devices
Chief knowledge officer (CKO)
Responsible for collecting, maintaining, and distributing the organization's knowledge
Gigabyte (GB)
Roughly 1 billion bytes
Megabyte (MB or M or Meg)
Roughly 1 million bytes
Terabyte (TB)
Roughly 1 trillion bytes
Knowledge
Skills, experience, and expertise coupled with information and intelligence that creates a person's intellectual resources
Structured data
Stored in a traditional system such as a relational database or spreadsheet -Machine-generated data: -Created by a machine without human intervention -Human-generated data: Data that humans, in interaction with computers, generate