1. Organisations, Goals and Information Systems

2. ORGANISATION
A group of people, supported by a collection of physical resources and procedures, who work together toward a common goal; for example. A sporting club, business, government department, professional body.
The function of the organisation relates to its core business. i.e. to sell goods or to provide a particular service to a group of people.

3. PROFIT-BASED ORGANISATIONS
These are commonly referred to as businesses. Although they have a range of goals, their prime purpose is to make a profit. A business that cannot achieve this goal will eventually cease operating. $

4. NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS
The prime purpose for a not-for –profit organisation is non-financial. They often deal with consumer products, usually in the form of services rather than goods. Examples of this type of organisation include government departments, schools, hospitals, charities, political parties, churches, unions and sporting clubs.

5. Mission Statement
The mission statement defines the organisation’s purpose or what it is trying to achieve.
TASK
Check out St Columba’s Mission Staewment on the website.

6. ORGANISATIONAL GOAL
Organizations exist to achieve a goal or a set of goals.
Most organizations share common goals which include:
The desire to maximize profits
And emphasis on effectiveness and efficiency of a product
The attainment of growth
The provision of service cont…

7. ORGANISATIONAL GOAL cont…
Examples of goals an organisation may identify include:
Increase market share
Improved customer service
Reduced amount of time it takes to complete a task
Reduce wastage of resources, both material and human.
Increase profits
Provide the most extensive range of products within the industry.

8. Objectives
These goals are achieved by breaking them down into more achievable smaller tasks. These are known as objectives. For example…
To increase growth of book sales by targeting the appropriate market segment in the local suburb.

9. Organisational Structure
Types of decisions
Strategic decisions involve:
studying market trend
Choosing new products to manufacture or market
Analysing social, legal and environmental concerns
Determining site locations
adjusting management structure
Levels of management
Senior management
CEO or president
Strategic decisions
Middle management
Director or manager
Tactical decisions involve:
decisions in running of their own departments e.g. human resources, sales…
Ensuring strategic decisions made by senior management are successfully carried out
Tactical decisions
Operational decisions involve:
Directing customer complaints
Replacing a worker who calls in sick
Ordering more stock
Changing the placement of cetain products to eye level for quicker sales
Operational management
Supervisor, team leader, area coordinator
Operational decisions
Day-to day decisions involve decisions that help efficiently run a business. They usually involve direct contact with the customer. For example
Who is next in queue?
Should a complaint go to mangement?
Where can I direct this customer query?
What software will I use for this task?
Day-to-day decisions
Operational workers
Computer operators, receptionists, technical support, clerks

10. INFORMATION SYSTEM
Information systems are implemented in order to help organisations achieve their organisational goals.
An IS is the combination of people, procedures, equipment (hardware and software), and data that process data and information.

11. Different types of information systems
Transaction processing systems
Office automation systems
Management information systems
Decision support systems
Expert systems
TASK
Read page and identify the main features of each type of system.

12. SYSTEM GOALS
Systems goals explain the specific role of the information system in achieving the organisational goal.
(Role-the task that an IS or componenets of the IS set out to do)
Lets assume that the information system did store the necessary raw data. A goal of the information system (system goal) would to be to produce the required information in a timely, accurate, relevant and appropriate format.

13. Characteristics of data and information
Data-raw, unorganised facts fed to a computer during the input process.
Information – is obtained when data is manipulated (or processed) by the computer into a meaningful and useful form
Question- Give some examples of data and information.
TASK
Define characteristics of data and information. See pages 7-11 of text.

14. Information Flow Types of decisions Structure of information
Detail reports
Summary reports
Aggregate reports
Sample reports
Excpetion reports
Strategic decisions
Tactical decisions
Operational decisions
Day-to-day decisions

15. From data to information
Information system goals relate therefore to the phases of information processing
·        Data collection or acquisition
·        Data validation
·        Data input
·        Data storage
·        Data retrieval
·        Data processing or manipulatiion
·        Information output
·        Information communication
TASK
Ensure each of these stages have been clearly defined in your glossary. See page 11 of text.

16. Improving Efficiency Expressed in terms of cost, time and effort.
Information systems can improve efficiency by:
saving time in communicating output
Reducing the effort in completing tedious tasks
Decreasing the cost in producing the output

17. Improving effectiveness
Is defined as the quality of the output: accuracy, completeness, reliabilty, clarity and relevance.
Information systems can improve effectiveness by:
Making the output look more professional
Making the solution more accurate(e.g. data validation, vlookup, formulae….

18. Bibliography
Textbook: Potts et. al. (2006). IT Applications VCE Information Technology Units 3 and 4, Thomson Nelson. Chapters 1and 3