{"id":127,"date":"2017-01-11T21:20:17","date_gmt":"2017-01-11T21:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bocchinfuso.net\/?p=127"},"modified":"2017-04-06T21:21:35","modified_gmt":"2017-04-06T21:21:35","slug":"fit-mgt5014-wk1-discussion-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bocchinfuso.net\/index.php\/2017\/01\/11\/fit-mgt5014-wk1-discussion-post\/","title":{"rendered":"FIT MGT5014 – Wk1 Discussion Post"},"content":{"rendered":"
Without reading any of this week\u2019s assigned readings, briefly describe your understanding of \u201cinformation systems.\u201d Now read the Nolan and Wetherbe (1980) article. Describe your new understanding of information systems. How is it similar or different to your prior understanding of information systems?<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Before reading the Nolan and Wetherbe (1980) article, I would describe “information systems” as a system which takes data and produces information.\u00a0 When I think about “information systems” in the context of computers and\/or technology I consider “information systems” to be a collection of hardware, software, people and process which collects, aggregates and processes raw data using automation to produce actionable information (or business intelligence).<\/div>\n
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After reading the Nolan and Wetherbe (1980) article, I think I can formulate and articulate a better definition of “information systems”, but I do not believe the basis of my definition differs much if at all.\u00a0 The article points out some key aspects of an information systems framework that I think I should have or could have outlined in my definition as dependencies.\u00a0 Adding the idea that a system requires one or more inputs, a transformation process, and some output helps to further define the requirements of “information systems”.\u00a0 I described the subsystems well, but I collapsed databases as part of the software subsystem, after reading the article I agree that it makes sense to separate the software and database (data repository) subsystems.\u00a0 The Dickson and Simmons framework provided context for subsystems I was already familiar with such as OLTP, BI, DSS and Programmatic Automation (rules engine).\u00a0 The Model of the MIS Transformation Process on page 7 of the article helped to clarify the the the the subsystems which make up an “information system”.\u00a0 The Organizational System on page 9 of the article introduced subsystems of the “information systems” which were not familiar to me.\u00a0 Overall I think that the context for my understanding of “information systems” is heavily focused on the technology.\u00a0 Coincidentally I am taking a Coursera course called “Agile Meets Design Thinking”<\/a> and I can see some parallels between this article and some of the aspects discussed in this course regarding user personas, problem statements, user stories and how important these inputs are to producing relevant and meaningful output.<\/div>\n
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FIT MGT 5014 Week 1 – \u00a0Case Study: Positive Impact of IS (TradeNet) on TBD<\/b><\/div>\n
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In the case study you read about the positive impact of IS (TradeNet) on TBD\u2019s organizational structure, business process, business network, business scope, and performance. Do you think TradeNet could have had any negative impacts as well on employees, organizational culture, etc.? If it did have any negative impact on TBD, what are they and how could they be managed?<\/div>\n
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The case study clearly outlines the benefits of TradeNet and EDI (Electronic Data Interchange).\u00a0 What is interesting is that that the case study also describes that the Trade Development Board (TDB) which was set up in 1983 to establish Singapore as a premier international trading hub was relatively successful six years after its inception.\u00a0 By 1989 Singapore was the seventeenth largest trader in the world managing international trades values and four times its GDP.\u00a0 By all accounts the TDB was successful, but the processes which were employed were labor-intensive, slow and likely error prone.\u00a0 The government of Singapore decided to invest in a mega project to move from a paper-based system to a system which leveraged Information Technology (IT) to facilitate Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) between trade stakeholders.\u00a0 This system known as TradeNet revolutionized the trade administration process by connecting stakeholders and automating workflows.\u00a0 Table 1 on page 8, table 3 on page 14 and table 6 on page 16 of the case study clearly show the efficiency and productivity gains provided by the TradeNet information system.\u00a0 Table 2 on page 12 of the case study shows significant organizational change, while TradeNet was likely required for Singapore to sustain and grow their vision of being a premier international trading hub there were some negatives effects.\u00a0 The data indicates that there was a shift in organization structure from one large unit to four smaller units.\u00a0 The data also implies a skill shift as the TradeNet system moved the process from a labor-intensive model to technology-intensive model.\u00a0 Efficiencies resulting from TradeNet show massive gains in productivity leading to a reduction of the labor force.\u00a0 People typically resist change because they fear the unknown, they fear their role within the organization is diminished and this has an impact on security and organization culture.\u00a0 There were many positive things which TradeNet delivered but for a workforce who was operating in a labor-intensive model which relied on labor vs. the automation that information technology and information systems deliver there needs to be an approach to educating the workforce.\u00a0 TBD should anticipate both these organizational changes and how they would impact employees and how this might affect the organizational culture.\u00a0 TBD needs to be communicative with employees about the necessity of the TradeNet initiative, what it means for the organization and them.\u00a0 TBD should try to frame the communication to answer the question of WIIFM (what is in it for me).<\/div>\n
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References<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Teo, H., Tan, B. C., & Kwok-Kee, W. (1997). Organizational transformation using electronic data interchange: The case of TradeNet in Singapore . Journal of Management Information Systems, 13(4), 139-165. Retrieved January 11, 2017, from http:\/\/search.proquest.com\/docview\/218921817?accountid=27313<\/div>\n
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FIT MGT 5014 Week 1 – Contrasting the Different Levels of a Business or Organization<\/b><\/div>\n
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Using a business or organization you are familiar with, contrast the operational, managerial, and executive levels by comparing each level\u2019s typical activities, use of IS, types of decisions made with the IS, and information needs.<\/div>\n
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I used my organization which is a technology company as the basis for contrasting the different levels of a business organization.<\/div>\n
My organization is comprised of three core business units; these include Sales and Marketing, Engineering and Back Office.<\/div>\n
Each of these organizations is broken into smaller business units and may or may not be aligned by market segmentation.<\/div>\n
Sales and Marketing is segmented using a market segmentation approach:\u00a0 Commercial, Enterprise and HyperScale<\/div>\n
Engineering is broken into three core business units with business units within which align with market segmentation:\u00a0 Professional Services, Advanced Services and Specialized Services.<\/div>\n
Back Office consists of finance and accounting, information technology, human resources, legal and administrative departments.<\/div>\n
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Executive Level (C-Suite)<\/b><\/div>\n
Our executive level or E-Team consists of a Chairman, CEO & President, CFO, SVP of Sales & Marketing, SVP of Engineering, VP of Human Resources, VP and General Counsel<\/div>\n
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Executive Level staff will typically leverage specialized dashboards which aggregate data from numerous locations to anticipate future impact. \u00a0Executives use macro level data to pivot the organization managing for both market growth and market contraction.<\/div>\n
An example of this is a view our SVP of Sales and Marketing uses to manage corporate sales performance. I have placed a sample of this dashboard here: \u00a0https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/photos\/share\/JyXfZX6tRDbmyIsh8a1J4Z3C9wgAU0SR0pfSSMU3rib<\/a><\/div>\n
The trends which can be quickly identified in a dashboard such as this controls how executive level management\u00a0marshals\u00a0the organization.<\/div>\n
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Many C-suite level reports these are often spreadsheets produced by analysts which massage and distil the information down to exactly what these C-suite executives are looking for.<\/div>\n
This is sometimes very high-level, but it can also be very detailed drilling in on one particular business unit in a specific geography or even a particular individual or transaction.<\/div>\n
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Managerial (middle-management)<\/b><\/div>\n
As an engineering business unit manager, I manage many different aspects of the business ranging from P&L to CSAT.\u00a0 I manage and pipeline and forecast using systems like SalesForce and Smartsheet.\u00a0 I leverage ServiceNow to manage service delivery and metrics.\u00a0 I use systems like iCIMS and ADP to manage personnel and many DSS systems such as knowledge bases, wikis, data aggregation as well analysis tools like Tableau and R, etc….<\/div>\n
On a daily basis, I use systems such as Infor, SalesForce, ServiceNow and may other custom developed operational systems.\u00a0 It’s is my job to manage a revenue and gross profit which requires accurately budgeting labor costs vs. revenue.<\/div>\n
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An example Management Information System that is critical to my business is our operational alerting system.\u00a0 \u00a0This system ingests 1000s of alerts per day, and programmatically tags, routes and escalates these events.<\/div>\n
I have place a sample of this system here: \u00a0https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/photos\/share\/4VVywDYyz6NTQRAeaX7q7IkuwnUdJxpRH8w3D6A0iVj<\/a><\/div>\n
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This system allows us to track key metrics which are critical to our internal and external customers., metrics like MTTA (mean-time-to-acknowledge)\u00a0and MTTR (mean-time-to-resolution).<\/div>\n
Here is an an example MTTA\/MTTR metric graph: \u00a0https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/photos\/share\/okjq964CLsA9OyzFB7eXDMqDeUL5jl7HJd1NKmSBzhO<\/a><\/div>\n
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My role has both strategic and tactical aspects and the information systems which I use provide me insight to manage appropriately.<\/div>\n
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Operational<\/b><\/div>\n
There are many operational systems managing everything from the workflow of contract approvals, to order fulfillment to office supply management used across the organization.\u00a0 We manage a large integration center and one system which is used by our integration center operations team to manage the RTV (return to vendor) process.\u00a0 This system track defects, returns, the number of days outstanding, associated costs, etc…\u00a0 Here is an example of the RTV dashboard with data obfuscated to protect the innocent: \u00a0https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/photos\/share\/ckG20pcdtrNA2mRIL8O5V1YzwkfKpQclqV3dUQxtGWf<\/a><\/div>\n
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Without reading any of this week\u2019s assigned readings, briefly describe your understanding of \u201cinformation systems.\u201d Now read the Nolan and Wetherbe (1980) article. Describe your new understanding of information systems. How is it similar or different to your prior understanding of information systems? Before reading the Nolan and Wetherbe (1980) article, I would describe “information […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5,2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bocchinfuso.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bocchinfuso.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bocchinfuso.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bocchinfuso.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bocchinfuso.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bocchinfuso.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128,"href":"https:\/\/bocchinfuso.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127\/revisions\/128"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bocchinfuso.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bocchinfuso.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bocchinfuso.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bocchinfuso.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}