•Organization: In order to understand how a specific business firm uses information systems, you need to know something about the structure, history, and culture of the company. Typical organizational problems include:
•Poor/outdated business processes (usually inherited from the past)
•Unsupportive culture and attitudes
•Political in-fighting
•Turbulent business environment/changes in the organization’s surrounding environment
•Complexity of task
•Inadequate resources
•People: Information systems require skilled people to build and maintain them, and needs people who can understand how to use the information in a system to achieve business objectives. Typical people problems include:
•Lack of employee training
•Difficulties of evaluating performance
•Legal and regulatory compliance
•Work environment
•Lack of employee support and participation
•Ergonomics
•Poor or indecisive management
•Technology: Information technology is one of many tools managers use to cope with change. Elements of technology include: computer hardware, computer software, data management technology, networking and telecommunications technology. Other technology elements include the Internet, intranets, extranets, the World Wide Web. Typical technology problems include:
•Insufficient or aging hardware
•Outdated software
•Inadequate database capacity
•Insufficient telecommunications capacity
•Incompatibility of old systems with new technology
•Rapid technological change