CCT 355: E-Business Technologies Class 2: Introduction to Information Systems

Administratrivia Article analysis scheduling – later today CI brainstorming – later today

Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom Data - raw bits (e.g., 0’s and 1’s, many computer controls) Information - data organized into chunks that have semantic value Knowledge - Application of information to tasks and goals of value and importance Wisdom - Ethical and political judgements regarding tasks of importance

What is IT, then? IT transmits data - but data alone is rather difficult for use to process Information is generally central role (why IT has an I in it, I guess.) While knowledge is mostly human domain, IT increasingly supports knowledge communities, making knowledge creation easier Relation to wisdom?

Input Process Output (IPO) Data is provided, computer transforms, data is generated Output data usually then become inputs for other processes (including processes that make us understand data as information) Garbage in, garbage out (GIGO) - badly formatted inputs break processes, wrong inputs generate incorrect results What’s garbage? Depends on the problem.

Types of Information Systems Transaction processing (TPS) Management and Decision Support (MIS/DSS) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Knowledge Management (KM) Communication and social networking systems

Transaction Processing Systems Facilitate processing of transfer of goods and services Non-internet – electronic data interchange (EDI) systems Internet – e-commerce sites Key concerns?

Management and Decision Support Culling and representing key data to support human decisions “expert” systems – e.g., diagnosis software “dashboards” – key information about a given information system presented for quick analysis Key concerns?

Enterprise Resource Planning Systems to manage key inputs of organization Can be human, physical or more abstract resources HR systems Inventory control and updating Key concerns?

Customer Relationship Management Representing key information of customer base and history of interaction Sales support systems Data mining for key customer habits Affiliate and loyalty systems Key concerns?

Knowledge Management and Communication Systems Representation and sharing of information within organization Supports knowledge building – but isn’t knowledge! Groupware systems Learning Management Systems Key concerns?

Application: CNC Machining Data - raw information fed to machine - makes sense to machine, but incomprehensible to most Information - dimensions, material, tool selection Knowledge - design of part, choice of tools and materials Wisdom - relation to whole system, weighing of alternatives

Application: Data - streaming of digital information and message metadata, perhaps encrypted Information - what you see - grammar, spelling, semantic value Knowledge - ability to discern logic of sender, message, response, etc. Wisdom – what to say when, gauging importance of , choice of medium, etc.

Application: KM system Data - choice of formats and transmission of data Information - semantically valid data Knowledge - what people do with information, application to tasks at hand Wisdom – what elements should be known, what can be safely ignored when

Tacit Knowledge and Explicit Information IT - superior at representation and transfer of explicit information Explicit information requires tacit knowledge to process correctly though - and IT has issues with tacit knowledge Example: understanding visual data – human recognition vs. image search engines Example: false assumption of some KM systems re: organizational knowledge

Example: Car Team Solid base of explicit information represented in reports Much tacit knowledge beyond that required to understand reports Many tacit and explicit learning mechanisms Many learning styles among members – some are more comfortable with some mechanisms Learning ecology vs. learning management?

Competitive Advantage of IT? IT can increase speed and lower cost of distribution and production of information IT and the productivity paradox - for years, the above was true, but return on investment (ROI) was stagnant or even negative - why? Paradox solved - IT now trends positive ROI - why?

A Balance… IT alone doesn’t do much - it must be used intelligently by intelligent people People, business process, technology, end objectives, market dynamics, partners and competitors, ethical concerns, legal concerns - all interact to determine success or failure of implementation IS types/functions blend – create information ecology usually as robust as weakest link Right balance? Well, that’s where knowledge and wisdom come in.

CI Where to get companies of interest? Who to talk to? How to approach? What questions to ask? Proposal in two weeks – one/two pages of approach and possibilities

Article Analysis Scheduling Sources Presentation Tips and Mechanics

Next Week Ch.3 First presentations

Welcome! A bit about me A bit about you: a) What is meant by e-business technologies? b) What is not meant by the term? c) In five years, what do you see yourself doing? d) How will you get there?

A few notes to start… E-business technologies are NOT simple e- commerce solutions E-business technologies are NOT the design of online advertising or marketing strategies Simple “shopping cart” solutions are old hat and easily set up in ten minutes – not very interesting Online marketing/advertising is related, but strategy/design questions are different than core questions about information systems

E-Business Technologies Information systems that support business processes Information systems that support the people engaged in business processes Examples?

People, process and technology People, process and technology intersect People isuses? Process issues? Technology issues? Appropriate solutions balance needs and constraints of all three – ineffective solutions usually underestimate the importance of one or all

Course Outline New students/Adobe availability Contact/availability Office Hours Prerequisite requirements Text Online readings/guest lectures

Assignments Competitive Intelligence Change Management Simulation Wiki co-creation assignment Business Analysis Consulting Project Final Exam

Competitive Intelligence Many active e-business companies and consultants in the GTA area Getting to know them is imperative in finding employment – in job hunting, it’s often who you know, not what you know CI assignment – a critical in-depth case study of one company/individual doing work in e- business technologies

CI Guidelines No set questions – more discovery than fill-in-the- blank - but - there are common questions of interest – ideas? You must have contact with them – it’s not a textual analysis of someone’s web page – why? Friends/family probably not best for this – no sense networking with people you already know Must be e-business related – simple online sellers and web page designers aren’t the target here Good to start brainstorming about options now – places to start?

Change Management Simulation An example of networking in action! ExperiencePoint simulation guides you through the complexity of managing change in a fictitious technology company. Individual and group components: Individual and collective reflection on simulation activity

Guidelines Oct. 19 class reserved for simulation – do try to be here Ideally, groups should be similar for final project – treat the simulation exercise as a means of getting to know your group members Expect to make mistakes – first pass through simulation is usually a disaster, but you learn a lot from trying to crack the game’s secrets.

Wiki Co-creation assignment Wiki vs. WebCT: why? Course wiki: Sign up/sign in now Features of Wikispaces – quick walk through Two parts of assignment: article analysis and community building and maintenance

Article Analysis Guidelines Pick an article relevant to e-business technologies Post brief synopsis on wiki Present to class using “ignite presentation” (not on days not already booked – e.g., simulation day, test) What is an ignite presentation? Quick, to the point presentations take time to prepare! Further discussion: post questions for discussion on wiki, and participate in discussions!

Community Building Guidelines Early and often beats late and sporadic: so start early and edit regularly Quality vs. quantity Possible quality edits: glossary of terms, sharing study notes, posting and discussing other articles on emerging trends, site maintenance and organization Less quality edits: 20-second banners, random/off-topic pages No need for personal pages - edit history is now clear

Business Analysis Consulting What does a BA do? (What doesn’t a BA do?) Group final project (3-4 people) delivering document about pages Pick an organization that requires/could use some attention to its e-business technology strategy Analyze its current condition and propose feasible solutions that might be helpful Present project in ignite presentation

Consulting Guidelines Like CI assignment, ability to talk to decision makers is key – unlike CI, you can pick closer contacts Reminder: shopping carts, web page redesign, marketing campaigns are not really the point – will lead to very limited solution Final solution should balance people, process and technology questions, and take into consideration financial and human resource limitations Some reflection on change management process (how depends on the context of your case)

Final Exam Exam in formal exam period (December, date/time TBA) Will mostly evaluate conceptual application vs. simple regurgitation of definitions Lecture notes as study guide, change management as component

Policy Notes Academic dishonesty is a serious matter Assignments structured to make cheating rather hard (and thus rather obvious when it happens…) So, don’t cheat – here, you’ll just fail the assignment and perhaps course – do as much in the business world, you can be fired or worse.

Citation Standards Citation standards are arbitrary – use whatever you are comfortable with (e.g., APA, MLA, etc.) – just be consistent All citation standards a) cite information from outside sources, b) do so in context and c) make it possible for the reader to find the original source. Interviews must also be cited – personal quotations encouraged Poor citation = poor grades – or worse (technically, sloppy citation = plagiarism)

Due Dates Post-facto undocumented excuses really aren’t all that effective If you know a date is going to slip, chances are you know that well ahead of time. The more I know ahead of time, the more I can be sympathetic. Final exam – formal exam period makeup in winter reading week

Setup and Next Class Sign on to wiki Schedule article analysis presentations Next week: Ch. 1 (and scan 2 if it’s new to you – it shouldn’t be…)