Information systems perform these various tasks via a wide spectrum of applications. An
application (or app) is a computer program designed to support a specific task or business
process. (A synonymous term is application program.) Each functional area or department
within a business organization uses dozens of application programs. For instance, the human
resources department sometimes uses one application for screening job applicants and another
for monitoring employee turnover. The collection of application programs in a single department
is usually referred to as a departmental information system (also known as a functional
area information system). For example, the collection of application programs in the human
resources area is called the human resources information system (HRIS). There are collections
of application programs—that is, departmental information systems—in the other functional
areas as well, such as accounting, fi nance, marketing, and production/operations.