BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS
INTRODUCTION
THARINDU ILLANGASINGHE
MBS(UoC), BSc.(Honors) ICT(UoC), ADME(NIBM), PMP®, SCJP®
OBJECTIVES
• Understanding the basic concepts such as
• Data
• Information
• System
• Understanding the idea of Business Information Systems(BIS)
• Understanding the use of BIS in organizations
CONTENT
• Employment pattern
• Data vs. Information
• Data Processing
• Decision Hierarchy
• Functions of a System
• Elements of a System
• Business Information Systems
• BIS in Org. Levels
PATTERNS OF EMPLOYMENT IN THE UK
REFERENCE DISCIPLINES
DATA VS. INFORMATION
• Data : is the record of an event or a fact
• Information : is data processed for a purpose. Decisions will be based on
Information
DATA VS. INFORMATION CONT.
• Examples of data: • Examples of Information:
• Today’s date • Holiday calendar
• Age of a pupil • A blood report
• Weight of a milk packet • A sales forecast
• Measurements taken on a production line • A telephone directory
• Records of a business transaction, such as a • Graphs of trends in visitor numbers to a web
single visit to a web site site.
‘DIKW’ MODEL
CLASS ACTIVITY 1
• From the point of view of a student at university, which of the following might
be examples of information ? Which might be examples of data ?
a) Tomorrow’s date
b) Bank deposit slip
c) The number 1355.76
d) A student registration number
e) Week’s weather forecast
f) A Balance Sheet
DATA PROCESSING
• Data will undergo processing in order to generate information
• Classification of data
• Rearranging/sorting data
• Summarizing/aggregating data
• Performing calculations on data
• Selection of data
• Give me some examples….
DECISION LEVELS OF AN ORGANIZATION
Strategic planning : This is carried out by the most senior
management
Tactical planning and control : This is a managerial activity
normally associated with the middle echelons of
management.
Operational planning and control : This is concerned with the
decisions made in the normal day-to-day operations within a
business
EXAMPLE DECISIONS
CLASS ACTIVITY 2
Classify the following decisions based on the organizational level (strategic, tactical, operational)
they are taken at.
THE FUNCTION OF A SYSTEM
Basic model of a system
Adaptive system
ELEMENTS OF A SYSTEM
CLASS ACTIVITY 3
WHAT IS A BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEM ?
“A business information system is a group of interrelated components
that work collectively to carry out input, processing, output, storage and
control actions in order to convert data into information products that can
be used to support forecasting, planning, control, coordination, decision
making and operational activities in an organization.”
QUESTION ?
• Are Information Systems always using Information Technology ?
• What are some advantages of using technology in IS ?
• Speed
• Accuracy
• Reliability (24/7/365 availability ?)
• Programmability
• Repetitive tasks
CASE STUDY : MAGICAL TOYS
Magical Toys is a South African toy store chain. The toys are purchased from toy
manufacturers and sold at their five stores. Each store has its own website, and toys are
sold through these websites. Each Tuesday, management needs sales reports of last
week’s activities, from each store.
Work at the stores is hectic, so usually at least one store fails to deliver the report,
making it impossible to sum up the previous week’s sales. The reports, sent by email as
spreadsheets, sometimes have inconclusive or erroneous data, and following up means
that employees are unable to give their full focus to the customers.
Some errors in the spreadsheets may also cause the purchasing manager to place
unnecessary purchase orders to buy toys from the toy manufacturers.
1. What are the main issues that Magical Toys faces in the absence of an information system?
2. How could an information system be of help, and what issues can an information system
not solve?
THANK YOU
