Hris Lecture Two - Introduction to Information Systems PDF

LECTURE TWO INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION SYSTEMS  CONCEPT OF INFORMATION One may think that since the term information has been used for hundreds of years, its conceptualization and definitions are settled but that is not the case. According to the Oxford dictionary, info...

LECTURE TWO INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION SYSTEMS  CONCEPT OF INFORMATION One may think that since the term information has been used for hundreds of years, its conceptualization and definitions are settled but that is not the case. According to the Oxford dictionary, information is the act of informing, the act of telling or the fact of being told of something. that of which one is apprised or told; intelligence, news. This nominal definition reveals at least one important distinction: that the term may be used to indicate either a process (informing) or a kind of message (news). Nevertheless, a definite definition of information is provided which is, Information is a non-material thing that is transferable from one physical entity to another, consists of content, and can have physical effects on the receiver. WHY IT IS DIFFICULT TO DEFINE INFORMATION Five issues often turn out to be problematic when trying to define information which are, Utility Does information, have to have some kind of effect, some sort of usefulness for humans? If not, what would be the point of talking about it? Physicality Must information always take on some physical form, such as a book, the sound waves of human speech, or a natural object that embodies some kind of data?  CONTINUATION…….. Structure/Process Must information be structured in some way? That is, must it be composed of elements in fixed relations to one another. Intentionality When studying information, is it necessary to assume that someone (or something) intends to communicate it to another entity? Or is some information simply out there in the environment Truth Must information, in order to be information, be true? Is it improper to call something information if it is demonstrably false? If so, then we need another term for that which is untrue, such as misinformation.  DATA AND INFORMATION o Data are raw facts, events, numbers and transactions, which have been collected, recorded, stored but are not yet processed. o Information is processed data. It is obtained after subjecting data to a series of processing operations which convert related groups of data into a meaningful and coherent form. o In other words, information could be defined as the desired form to which data is finally transformed after undergoing a series of processing.  DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DATA AND INFORMATION S/N DATA INFORMATION 1 Data is raw, an unchanged fact Information is an organized and sorted fact 2 It serves as input into the computer system It serves as output from the computer system 3 Data is the lowest level of knowledge Information is the second level of knowledge 4 Data by itself is not significant Information is significant 5 Observation or recording is done to get data Analysis of data is done to get information  THE CHARACTERISTICS OF VALUABLE INFORMATION The following are the eleven main Relevant characteristics of a valuable information Reliable Accessibility Secure Accurate Simple Complete Timely Economical verifiable Flexible  TYPES OF INFORMATION The information needs of the firm can either be quantitative or qualitative. 1. QUALITATIVE INFORMATION Qualitative information is related to the attributes of an entity in respect of quality factors. This type of information is not precise in nature but it is very useful for comparative measurement. 2. QUANTITATIVE INFORMATION Quantitative information deals with the magnitudes of variables, their variability or absolute values. Some examples are Annual sales of a production company, Variation in the wages of low-level staff in an organization, Prices of goods; and Number of hours worked on a production line.  EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL INFORMATION Information can also be classified into Internal and external. 1. INTERNAL INFORMATION Internal Information is defined as information generated by the organization’s operations at various management levels in various functional areas. Internal information is always about the organization's various operational units. 2. EXTERNAL INFORMATION External information is typically gathered from the business organization’s surroundings. External information is defined as information that comes from outside the organization and has an impact on its performance. External information is typically required by top management cadres and is useful in developing long-term policy plans for organizations.  KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION A concept usually connected with the notion of information is the concept of knowledge. It is assumed that information provides knowledge, that is to say it modifies the state of knowledge of those who receive it. this is the case of Bell (1957, p. 7) who provided that information “is measured as a difference between the state of knowledge of the recipient before and after the communication of the information”. Information is a collection of facts organized and processed to produce additional value beyond that of the individual facts. Knowledge on the other hand, is the awareness and understanding of a set of information and the ways that information can be made useful to support a specific task or reach a decision.  CONCEPT OF A SYSTEM The word system is derived from the Greek word “systema” which means the organized relationship among the functioning units. A system however, may be defined as a set of interrelated components, with a clearly defined boundary, working together to achieve a common set of objectives, by accepting inputs and producing outputs in an organized transformation process”. The systems thinking therefore, is a discipline for seeing wholes, and a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than seeing things individually.  ELEMENTS OF A SYSTEM All the characteristics of a system are determined by system elements, their properties and relationships. The system elements are: Boundary Every system has its limits that determine the sphere of its influence andcontrol. This is called a Boundary of the system. Environment Everything outside the system forms the system’s environment. Inputs Flow from environment to the system is its input. Inputs are the resources from the environment that are consumed and manipulated within the system.  ELEMEMT………. Output Flow from the system to the environment is the system’s output. In information systems, output involves producing useful information, usually in the form of documents and reports. Components Activities or processes within the system that transform inputs into intermediate forms or that generate system outputs. Interface An interface is place where two components or systems and their environment meet or interact. It can also be described as the place where two independent systems meet and communicate. Storage  TYPES OF SYSTEMS 1. OPEN SYSTEM An open system is a system that interacts freely with its environment by taking input and returning output to the environment. Information systems are open systems because they accept inputs from the environment and send output to the environment. When a change occurs in the system’s environment, an open system adapts itself to match the changes. 2. CLOSED SYSTEMS A closed system is one that does not interact with its environment at all, nor changes with any change in that system’s environment. Such systems are insulated from the environment and are not affected by changes in the environment. THANK YOU