Information Systems in Global Business Today Essay

1. Why is it important to understand the difference between computer literacy and information literacy? Answer: Computer literacy – When you are computer literate, you have a general working knowledge of computers. You understand what they can be used for. Most people know that they can type a paper, create a power point and if you have internet access, you may e-mail and search the World Wide Web for information. Information literacy- When you are information literate, you understand and are able to gather, analyze and use information gathered from the various types of technological medians – especially the internet. This person may access the internet, for instance on their cell phone, iPod, lab tops, and a multitude of medians, some which may have not yet been realized. -It is important to understand the difference of this two literacy because A literate person cannot be expected to know how to operate a computer. In essence, a person can be literate but not computer literate. But the opposite seems difficult to be true. A computer literate is often always a literate. 2. Discu ss the three elements of an information system (hardware, software and persware) that managers must consider. Which of the three do you consider the most important? Answer: Hardware- Hardware, in the computer world, refers to the physical components that make up a computer system. Software- is any set of machine-readable instructions (most often in the form of a computer program) that directs a computer’s processor to perform specific operations. Persware- that is short for ‘personware’ or ‘peopleware’, a terribly inpersonal way of referring to people as a resource, like hardware or software. – I consider being the most important element if information system is the Persware because without this persware the hardware and the software will be useless. 3. What are some of the new roles information systems are playing in organizations? * The Widening Scope of Information Systems * The Network Revolution and the Internet * New Options for Organizational Design: The Networked Enterprise * Flattening Organizations * Separating work from location * Reorganizing work flows * Increasing flexibility of organizations * The changing management process * Redefining organizational boundaries * Electronic Commerce and Electronic Business 4. Discuss the changes in the business environment brought about by technology in the last three years. Use your own personal experiences to formulate your answer. Answer: There are many changes in the business environment brought by the technology in the last three years. I believe that one of the most important changes (affecting accounting practice) that has taken place in my experience is the changed relationship between the company and its investors. There is an explosion of required disclosures, and a huge increase in the interest the investment community has in those disclosures. And the internet is the largest changes because every year there is changes on it. Many programs are approaching that every people in the society can learn many things about those programs brought by the technology.. 5. Draw your conclusions about the article â€Å"IT Doesn’t Matter† by Nicholas Carr by accessing the given url: [http://www.nicholasgcarr.com/articles/matter.html#readings]. Answer: The article explained the dilemmas that the IT industry and the end users are currently experiencing. IT used to be a way for companies to gain a competitive advantage, but nowadays IT has fused into another tool to conduct business. IT products are becoming cheaper and cheaper while yielding more power. This trend in the long run will destroy the economic incentive for IT manufacturers to continue doing business. On the other hand cheaper is better for companies implementing this technology. The author made it clear that avoiding brand new IT products and opting for slightly older IT products would save money. In addition, slightly older products have all the â€Å"kinks ironed out† yielding a more reliable system. Buying slightly older IT products is not a fail safe way of obtaining efficiency and initial cost savings.