Introduction to Information Systems Lecture 2

Lecture Two: Introduction to Information Systems

• Information is a non-material thing, transferable between entities. It has content and physical effects on the receiver.

Concept of Information

• Definitions of information are not settled, despite being used for centuries.
• Oxford dictionary defines information as:
  • The act of informing (a process).
  • The act of telling, or being told (process).
  • The fact of being told something (process).
  • The knowledge, intelligence or news conveyed (message).

Why It Is Difficult to Define Information

• Five problematic issues:
  • Utility: Does information need to have a useful effect on humans?
  • Physicality: Must information always take a physical form (e.g., book, sound)?

Continuation

• Structure/Process: Must information be structured with elements and relationships?
• Intentionality: Is it necessary that someone intends to communicate information to another entity? Can information simply exist in the environment.
• Truth: Must information be true? If not, how do we distinguish misinformation?

Data and Information

• Data: Raw facts, events, numbers, and transactions collected, recorded, and stored but not processed.
• Information: Processed data. Data transformed into meaningful, coherent form through processing operations.
  • Information is the desired form data takes after processing.

Differences Between Data and Information

Characteristics of Valuable Information

• Relevant
• Reliable
• Accessible
• Secure
• Accurate
• Simple
• Complete
• Timely
• Economical
• Verifiable
• Flexible

Types of Information

• Qualitative: Related to quality attributes, useful for comparisons; not precise.
• Quantitative: Deals with magnitudes, variability or absolute values (e.g., sales figures, wages, prices).

External and Internal Information

• Internal Information: Generated by the organization's activities at various management levels; about operational units.
• External Information: Gathered from outside the organization; impacts performance; used in long-term policy planning.

Knowledge and Information

• Knowledge is connected with information; information modifies the recipient's knowledge state.
• Bell (1957): Information is a difference in the recipient's knowledge before and after receiving the information.
• Information: Organized, processed facts that add value beyond the individual facts.
• Knowledge: Awareness and understanding of information; how it supports specific tasks/decisions.

Concept of a System

• System derived from the Greek word "systema" – organized relationship among functioning units.
• A set of interrelated components with a defined boundary, working towards common objectives, accepting inputs, and producing outputs in an organized way.
• Systems thinking: A discipline to see wholes; interrelationships instead of individual components.

Elements of a System

• Boundary: System's limits; influence and control sphere.
• Environment: Everything outside the system.
• Input: Resources from environment consumed/manipulated within the system.
• Output: System's flow to the environment; usually useful information.
• Components: Activities/processes that transform inputs into intermediates or create outputs.
• Interface: Where components/systems meet; communicate.
• Storage: Storing data/information within the system.

Types of Systems

• Open Systems: Interact freely with their environment; accept inputs, return outputs, adapt to environmental changes.
• Closed Systems: Do not interact with their environment; not influenced by changes in the environment.

Explore the complexities of defining information in the context of information systems. This quiz covers concepts such as utility, physicality, structure, and intentionality, highlighting the multifaceted nature of information. Test your understanding of these definitions and their implications in the field.