December 8, 2021

The Management of Information Systems




Computers and communication networks enable companies to compete in two primary ways (Porter, 2001):
• Low Cost—competing with other businesses by being a low-cost producer of a good or a service
• Differentiation—competing with other businesses by offering products or services that customers
prefer due to a superiority in characteristics such as product innovativeness or image, product quality, or
customer service

Usage of computers can lower the costs of products or services by automating business transactions, shortening order cycle times, and providing data for better operational decision
making. Since the 1980s, a flood of innovations in hardware as well as software have led to efficiency gains in manufacturing firms —such as shortening the time to develop new products with computer aided design tools; optimizing a plant floor process with software that implements a human expert’s decision rules; and speedily changing a production line with computerized planning systems based on sales information.


Managing IT Resources

Companies  in different industries  requires IT leaders who know how to effectively plan for and manage the organization’s IT resources, as well as IT-savvy business leaders who can
envision strategic IT utilization . Three types of IT resources are to be managed. 

TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE 

Managing technology resources requires effective planning, building, and operating of a computer and communications infrastructure—an information “utility”—so that managers and other employees have the right information available as needed, anytime, anywhere. Computer users expect computers to be up and running, and networks to be available and fast, so that they can access software applications and data quickly and easily. Organizations now have high operational dependence on IT systems. If an information system fails for a minute or more, or online response time exceeds a few seconds, employees can’t get their work done and business revenues suffer.

The primary IT management role today is to manage the costs and vulnerabilities of the computing “utility”—the data centers and networks that provide access to business data and applications . However, while this is a critical IT management role, sometimes outsourced to IT vendors. 

Managing IT also requires identifying what new technologies to invest in and how to specifically tailor
these new IT solutions to improve the way a specific company does business. Effective management of the technology asset therefore requires not only skilled IT managers and IT professionals—the human resources asset—but also active participation by business managers as captured by the third IT asset: the business/IT relationship asset.

HUMAN RESOURCES 

Managing the people resources for any business function requires attention to recruiting, developing, and retaining the best talent available. Today there is a high demand not just for IT personnel with specialized technology skills but also for personnel who have both technology skills coupled with business knowledge and interpersonal skills. Business analyst and systems analyst roles require personnel who can understand the IT needs of workers in marketing, accounting, manufacturing, and other business functions, as well as knowledge of an industry (e.g., financial services or healthcare). IT professionals who have a business education, as well as technical skills, are therefore especially in demand for these types of roles. Business-facing positions such as these are also most effectively sourced by internal employees—not by employees of an outsourcing firm or by temporary external personnel.


BUSINESS/IT RELATIONSHIPS 

 How well an organization uses joint IT-business decision making for making investments in a firm’s technology assets is so critical today that there needs to be a “blending” or “fusion” of IT and the business. Achieving business value from IT investments requires aligned goals for strong working partnerships between business managers and IT managers  to develop the business case for
investing in new IT solutions and skill sets, for specifying the business requirements that will be used to design new IT applications, and for effectively implementing these new IT solutions so that the potential benefits become realized benefits.




Managing Information Technology, 7/E

Carol V. Brown, Daniel W. DeHayes, SLATER, North Shore Community College
Wainright E. Martin, William C. Perkins
ISBN-10: 0132146320 • ISBN-13: 9780132146326
©2012 • Prentice Hall • Cloth, 744 pp
Published 03/08/2011 •
Suggested retail price: $269.40

Table of Contents

PART I: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Chapter 1. Managing IT in a Digital World
Chapter 2. Computer Systems
Chapter 3. Telecommunications and Networking
Chapter 4. The Data Resource
PART II: APPLYING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Chapter 5. Enterprise Systems
Chapter 6. Managerial Support Systems
Chapter 7. E-Business Systems
PART III: ACQUIRING INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Chapter 8. Basic Systems Concepts and Tools
Chapter 9. Methodologies for Custom Software Development
Chapter 10. Methodologies for Purchased Software Packages
Chapter 11. IT Project Management
PART IV: THE INFORMATION MANGEMENT SYSTEM
Chapter 12. Planning Information Systems Resources
Chapter 13. Leading the Information Systems Function
Chapter 14. Information Security
Chapter 15. Legal, Ethical, and Social Issues


Critical Success Factors of Business-managed IT: It Takes Two to Tango
Stefan Klotz,Markus Westner &Susanne Strahringer
Information Systems Management, 2021 
This paper identifies critical success factors of Business-managed IT based on case study results. Four groups of critical success factors emerge: 
(1) general approach to Business-managed IT/Business-managed IT strategy, 
(2) Business-managed IT project prerequisites/Business-managed IT team, 
(3) Business-managed IT project execution and outcome, and 
(4) information technology management for Business-managed IT. 
The results suggest that bilateral responsibility between the business unit and the IT organization is the most favorable governance option for Business-managed IT.
https://cogentoa.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10580530.2021.1938300

The Right Mind-set for Managing Information Technology
by M. Bensaou and Michael J. Earl
From the Magazine (September–October 1998)
https://hbr.org/1998/09/the-right-mind-set-for-managing-information-technology

IT Systems Management, 2/E

Rich Schiesser, La Habra, California
ISBN-10: 0137025068 • ISBN-13: 9780137025060
©2010 • Prentice Hall • Cloth, 600 pp
Published 01/28/2010 • Instock
Suggested retail price: $64.99

Table of Contents

Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxix
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxxviii
About the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xli
Chapter 1 Acquiring Executive Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
            Systems Management: A Proposed Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
            Why Executive Support Is Especially Critical Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
            Building a Business Case for Systems Management . . . . . . . . . . . 4
            Educating Executives on the Value of Systems Management . . . . . 7
                        Three Universal Principles Involving Executive Support . . . . . . . .9
                        Developing a Powerful Weapon for Executive
                        Support–Business Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
                        Ensuring Ongoing Executive Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Chapter 2 Organizing for Systems Management . . . . . . . . . . 15
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
            Factors to Consider in Designing IT Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
            Factors to Consider in Designing IT Infrastructures . . . . . . . . . . . 19
                        Locating Departments in the Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
                        Recommended Attributes of Process Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Chapter 3 Staffing for Systems Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
            Determining Required Skill Sets and Skill Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
            Assessing the Skill Levels of Current Onboard Staff. . . . . . . . . . . 35
                        Alternative Sources of Staffing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
                        Recruiting Infrastructure Staff from the Outside . . . . . . . . . . . .40
            Selecting the Most Qualified Candidate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
            Retaining Key Personnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
            Using Consultants and Contractors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
                        Benefits of Using Consultants and Contractors . . . . . . . . . . . .47
                        Drawbacks of Using Consultants and Contractors . . . . . . . . . .48
                        Steps for Developing Career Paths for Staff Members . . . . . . .50
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Chapter 4 Customer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
            How IT Evolved into a Service Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
            The Four Key Elements of Good Customer Service. . . . . . . . . . . . 57
                        Identifying Your Key Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
                        Identifying Key Services of Key Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
                        Identifying Key Processes that Support Key Services . . . . . . . .64
                        Identifying Key Suppliers that Support Key Processes . . . . . . .64
            Integrating the Four Key Elements of Good Customer Service . . . . 64
            The Four Cardinal Sins that Undermine Good Customer Service . . 68
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Chapter 5 Ethics, Legislation, and Outsourcing. . . . . . . . . . . 73
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
            Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
                        The RadioShack Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
                        The Tyco Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
                        The WorldCom Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
                        The Enron Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Legislation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
                        Sarbanes-Oxley Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
                        Graham-Leach-Bliley Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
                        California Senate Bill 1386 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
            Outsourcing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Chapter 6 Comparison to ITIL Processes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
            Developments Leading Up To ITIL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
            IT Service Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
            The Origins of ITIL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
                        Quality Approach and Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
            Criteria to Differentiate Infrastructure Processes. . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
            Comparison of Infrastructure Processes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
            Ten Common Myths Concerning the Implementation of ITIL . . . . 102
                        Myth #1: You Must Implement All ITIL or No ITIL at All . . . . . .102
                        Myth #2: ITIL is Based on Infrastructure Management Principles . . . . .  . .103
                        Myth #3: ITIL Applies Mostly to Data Center Operations . . . . .103
                        Myth #4: Everyone Needs to be Trained on ITIL Fundamentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
                        Myth #5: Full Understanding of ITIL Requires Purchase of Library . . .  . . .104
                        Myth #6: ITIL Processes Should be Implemented Only One at a Time . . . . . . . .105
                        Myth #7: ITIL Provides Detailed Templates for Implementation . . .. . . . . . . . . .105
                        Myth #8: ITIL Framework Applies Only to Large Shops . . . . . .106
                        Myth #9: ITIL Recommends Tools to Use for Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . .106
                        Myth #10: There Is Little Need to Understand ITIL Origins . . .106
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Chapter 7 Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
            Definition of Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
            Differentiating Availability from Uptime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
            Differentiating Slow Response from Downtime . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
            Differentiating Availability from High Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
            Desired Traits of an Availability Process Owner . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
            Methods for Measuring Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
            The Seven Rs of High Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
                        Redundancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
                        Reputation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
                        Reliability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
                        Repairability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
                        Recoverability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
                        Responsiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
                        Robustness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
            Assessing an Infrastructure’s Availability Process . . . . . . . . . . . 127
            Measuring and Streamlining the Availability Process . . . . . . . . . 131
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Chapter 8 Performance and Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
            Differences between the Performance and Tuning Process and Other Infrastructure Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
            Definition of Performance and Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
            Preferred Characteristics of a Performance and Tuning Process Owner . . . . . .  . . . . . 139
            Performance and Tuning Applied to the Five Major Resource Environments. .  . . . . . . 141
                        Server Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
                        Disk Storage Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
                        Database Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
                        Network Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
                        Desktop Computer Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
                        Assessing an Infrastructure’s Performance and Tuning Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
            Measuring and Streamlining the Performance and Tuning
            Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Chapter 9 Production Acceptance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
            Definition of Production Acceptance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
            The Benefits of a Production Acceptance Process . . . . . . . . . . . 162
            Implementing a Production Acceptance Process . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
                        Step 1: Identify an Executive Sponsor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164
                        Step 2: Select a Process Owner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
                        Step 3: Solicit Executive Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166
                        Step 4: Assemble a Production Acceptance Team . . . . . . . . .166
                        Step 5: Identify and Prioritize Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . .167
                        Step 6: Develop Policy Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
                        Step 7: Nominate a Pilot System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
                        Step 8: Design Appropriate Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
                        Step 9: Document the Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170
                        Step 10: Execute the Pilot System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170
                        Step 11: Conduct a Lessons-Learned Session . . . . . . . . . . .174
                        Step 12: Revise Policies, Procedures, and Forms . . . . . . . . .174
                        Step 13: Formulate Marketing Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
                        Step 14: Follow-up for Ongoing Enforcement and Improvements . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . .174
            Full Deployment of a New Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
            Distinguishing New Applications from New Versions of Existing Applications . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
            Distinguishing Production Acceptance from Change Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
            Case Study: Assessing the Production Acceptance Process at Seven Diverse Companies. . . .  177
                        The Seven Companies Selected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
                        Selected Companies Comparison in Summary . . . . . . . . . . .198
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Chapter 10 Change Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
            Definition of Change Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
            Drawbacks of Most Change Management Processes . . . . . . . . . 207
            Key Steps Required in Developing a Change Management Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
                        Step 1: Identify an Executive Sponsor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209
                        Step 2: Assign a Process Owner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210
                        Step 3: Select a Cross-Functional Process Design Team . . . .211
                        Step 4: Arrange for Meetings of the Cross-Functional Process Design Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
                        Step 5: Establish Roles and Responsibilities for Members Supporting the Process Design Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
                        Step 6: Identify the Benefits of a Change Management Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212
                        Step 7: If Change Metrics Exist, Collect and Analyze them; If Not, Set Up a Process to Do So . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213
                        Step 8: Identify and Prioritize Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . .213
                        Step 9: Develop Definitions of Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
                        Step 10: Design the Initial Change Management Process . . .216
                        Step 11: Develop Policy Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221
                        Step 12: Develop a Charter for a Change Advisory Board (CAB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
                        Step 13: Use the CAB to Continually Refine and Improve the Change Management Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223
            Emergency Changes Metric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
            Assessing an Infrastructure’s Change Management Process . . . 224
            Measuring and Streamlining the Change Management Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Chapter 11 Problem Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
            Definition of Problem Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
            Scope of Problem Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
            Distinguishing Between Problem, Change, and Request Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
            Distinguishing Between Problem Management and Incident Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
            The Role of the Service Desk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
            Segregating and Integrating Service Desks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
            Key Steps to Developing a Problem Management Process . . . . . 239
                        Step 1: Select an Executive Sponsor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
                        Step 2: Assign a Process Owner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
                        Step 3: Assemble a Cross-Functional Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
                        Step 4: Identify and Prioritize Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
                        Step 5: Establish a Priority and Escalation Scheme . . . . . . . .243
                        Step 6: Identify Alternative Call-Tracking Tools . . . . . . . . . . . .243
                        Step 7: Negotiate Service Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243
                        Step 8: Develop Service and Process Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . .245
                        Step 9: Design the Call-Handling Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245
                        Step 10: Evaluate, Select, and Implement the Call-Tracking Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245
                        Step 11: Review Metrics to Continually Improve the Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246
            Opening and Closing Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
            Client Issues with Problem Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247



Strategic Management of Information Systems


Front Cover
Keri Pearlson, Carol S. Saunders
Wiley, 2009 - 374 p

Information Systems Management In Practice

Author: McNurlin, C.B; Sprague, R.H.; Bui, T. (Eds)
Publisher: Pearson International Edition
Edition: 8

Year: 1998 (rev. 2009)
Pages: 597 pages
ISBN: 978-0-13-157951-4
Price: £52.99

BOOK REVIEW
The booksuccessfully guides the student reader through a basic introduction to aspects of information technology.  Using case-driven analyses in order to explore examples, the authors have striven to make sure that this edition is as comprehensive as possible. A chapter on the digital economy, for example, now reflects the changing face of distributed systems and distributed computing.

Whilst many varieties of networks – both
historical and modern - are discussed in terms of their utility and architecture, little is said about the
potential problems with the drafting and construction of such systems. This is possibly an area of
expansion for a future edition, and would be appreciated by both information management
professionals and others from the specialised areas of librarianship and archives, finance, and medical
sciences.

This text, then, should be recommended as a basic text for those unfamiliar with the work of the IS technician, the systems analyst or IT worker within business. As a reflection of the wider awareness of the importance of information and knowledge management in business, two chapters in particular stand out as key reading for the target student audience. Supporting IT-enabled collaboration, and knowledge management are wide topics with a firm basis in professional progression of IS. There are overlaps of subjects with many other disciplines, and within both science and business cases, these show the wideness and diversity of the relevance of these topics.

The construction of the chapters is a positive learning mechanism for students at any level. Case
studies show the direct life-relevance to the discussed IS mechanisms, and allow for a longer discussion
of relevant issues. Exercises and review – discussion questions at the end of each chapter look to
enhance reader awareness of the text, whilst encouraging individual development by readers seeking
out their own examples through business and other potential, real-life cases.

The overall presentation of the text is clear..   This is the book’s major approach: units as
chapters are a common concept, and whilst this book does not move away from that in any great
measure, it provides more case-study based content integrated within each unit than commonly found.
Overall, this is a thorough and standard text for basic awareness of IS management and issues
surrounding current IS practice. Its main highlights are the currency of the topics chosen, its proactive
approach to drawing the attention of the reader out towards real-life IS practices, and its firm basis of
observations rooted in practice.




Information Systems Management, 8/E
Barbara McNurlin
Ralph Sprague
Tung Bui
ISBN-10: 0132437155 • ISBN-13: 9780132437158
©2009 • Prentice Hall • Paper, 640 pp
Published 09/05/2008 • Instock
Suggested retail price: $259.20

Table of Contents

Preface
CHAPTER 1    Information Systems Management in the global economy

PART I    LEADERSHIP ISSUES IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY
CHAPTER 2    The Top is Job
CHAPTER 3    Strategic uses of Information Technology
CHAPTER 4    Strategic Information Systems Planning

PART II    MANAGING THE ESSENTIAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY
CHAPTER 5    Designing Corporate IT Architecture
CHAPTER 6    Managing Telecommunications
CHAPTER 7    Managing Corporate Information Resources
CHAPTER 8    Managing Partnership-Based IT Operations

PART III    MANAGING SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 9    Technology for Developing effective Systems
CHAPTER 10        Management Issues in System Development
CHAPTER 11        Managing Information Security

PART IV    SYSTEMS FOR SUPPORTING KNOWLEDGE-BASED WORK
CHAPTER 12        Supporting Information-centric Decision Making
CHAPTER 13        Supporting IT-enabled Collaboration
CHAPTER 14        Supporting Knowledge Work
CHAPTER 15        The Opportunities and Challenges Ahead

Glossary
Index

Ud 9.12.2021
Pub: 18.3.2016

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