This textbook is divided into five parts. Part I, Business Processes and IS Foundations, introduces IS, basic systems concepts, and documentation tools. Part II, Technology for Business Processes and IS, introduces the design and use of database management systems and reviews current advances in e-business and decision-making support technologies. Part III, Development of IS, presents the tools and techniques used to develop and implement information systems. Part IV, Internal Control for Business Processes and IS, introduces control concepts, pervasive controls, IT control processes, and technology-related application controls. Part V, Core Business Processes, presents views of IS application to support key business activities.
Part I Chapter 1 introduces information systems and relates them to key business process concepts with emphasis on the importance of these subjects to today’s business professional. Information systems are described as key enablers of an organization’s successful operation of its important business processes. Chapter 2 shows how to read and prepare documentation to portray aspects of a business process, including operational and information systems processes. The chapter consists of modular discussions that compartmentalize the coverage of reading versus preparing each type of documentation.
Part II Chapter 3 focuses on the issues surrounding the management of data storage, retrieval, and security in contemporary organizations. While the chapter includes an overview of traditional data file structures and data storage management, the primary emphasis of the chapter material is on relational database management systems. Chapter 4 describes the emergence of electronic business (e-business) and the radical change in organizational thinking that has resulted. The evolution of information processing to its contemporary emphasis on instantaneous recording, reporting, and accessibility of business information is described. Enabling technologies such as XML and advanced data communications networks are also explored. Chapter 5 examines the evolution of business intelligence and knowledge management and their role in supporting information systems initiatives. The nature of each of these strategic initiatives is explored as well as the development and use of each to support decision making.
Part III Chapter 6 introduces the systems development process as an activity that must be undertaken successfully for an organization to effectively reengineer its business processes and make effective use of information technology. The initial phases in systems development—the feasibility study and systems analysis—are described. Chapter 7 explores several alternative sources for the development and acquisition of hardware and software. In addition, the final phases in systems development process—design and implementation—are described.
Part IV Chapter 8 explores the importance of effective management and control of IT in contemporary corporate governance. Control frameworks such as COSO and COBIT are introduced. These can provide management, business process owners, and other interested parties assurance that an organization’s essential business processes and information technology resources are directed at achieving organizational objectives. Chapter 9 presents a detailed framework for the analysis of internal control. Physical implementations are used as contexts for discussing controls that are typically applied in business processes.
Part V Chapters 10 through 14 describe the typical business processes found in a variety of organizations. For each process, there is a description of the organizational context (e.g., departments, managers), the business operations being performed (e.g., order fulfillment, revenue collection), information for decision making, and IT typically applied in support of these elements. In addition, these chapters also describe the management processes that will ensure achievement of the organization’s objectives for each process, including the nature, functions, purpose, control goals, and control plans for both the operations process and its information process.
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