Return on Investment and the Value of Information Systems (continued)
•Market share and speed to market:
–The percentage of sales that a product or service has in relation to the total market
•Customer awareness and satisfaction:
–Performance measurement is based on feedback from internal and external users
•Total cost of ownership:
–The sum of all costs over the life of the information system
Careers in Information Systems
•Degree programs:
–Information systems
–Computer information systems
–Management information systems
•U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov):
–Predicts that many technology jobs will increase through 2012 or beyond
Roles, Functions, and Careers in IS
•Primary responsibilities in information systems:
–Operations:
•System operators primarily run and maintain IS equipment
–Systems development:
•Focuses on specific development projects and ongoing maintenance and review
Roles, Functions, and Careers in IS
•Primary responsibilities in information systems (continued):
–Support:
•Provides user assistance in hardware and software acquisition and use, data administration, user training and assistance, and Web administration
–Information service units:
•A miniature IS department attached and directly reporting to a functional area in a large organization
Typical IS Titles and Functions
•Chief information officer (CIO):
–Employs the IS department’s equipment and personnel to help the organization attain its goals
•LAN administrators:
–Set up and manage the network hardware, software, and security processes
Typical IS Titles and Functions (continued)
•Internet careers:
–Internet strategists and administrators
–Internet systems developers
–Internet programmers
–Internet or Web site operators
•Certification:
–Process for testing skills and knowledge resulting in an endorsement by the certifying authority
Other IS Careers
•New and exciting careers have developed in security and fraud detection and prevention
•Other IS career opportunities include being employed by technology companies, such as:
–Microsoft (www.microsoft.com), Google (www.google.com), Dell (www.dell.com), and many others
Working in Teams
•It is always good for IS professionals to:
–Have good communications skills and the ability to work with other people
•Getting the best team of IS personnel to work on important projects is:
–Critical in successfully developing new information systems or modifying existing ones
Finding a Job in IS
•Developing an online résumé can be critical to finding a good job
•Job search approaches:
–On campus visits
–Referrals from professors, friends, and family members
–The Internet:
•Online job sites
•Company Web sites
•Social networking sites
•Blogs
Global Challenges in Information Systems
•Cultural challenges
•Language challenges
•Time and distance challenges
•Infrastructure challenges
•Currency challenges
Global Challenges in Information Systems (continued)
•Product and service challenges
•Technology transfer issues
•State, regional, and national laws
•Trade agreements
Summary
•Data:
–Raw facts
•To be valuable, information must be:
–Accurate, complete, economical to produce, flexible, reliable, relevant, simple to understand, timely, verifiable, accessible, and secure
•Types of systems used within organizations:
–E-commerce and m-commerce, TPS and ERP, MIS and DSS, and specialized business information systems
•Systems development:
–The activity of creating or modifying existing business systems
•Organization:
–Formal collection of people and various other resources established to accomplish a set of goals
•Information systems personnel typically work in an IS department that employs:
–A chief information officer, systems analysts, computer programmers, and computer operators