Information System

Before participating in the Week 1 Discussion, Everyone should watch the short video What is an Information System?  This will help develop a common understanding of information systems.

As mentioned in this week’s reading, Introduction to Information Systems (Week 1 Content), understanding how businesses use information technology effectively is a critical skill in today’s business world.  Often a position is established for the role of a business analyst, which may reside either within a functional department or the Information Technology (IT) department.  Throughout this course, you will be approaching a Case Study and series of staged assignments from the role of a Business Analyst in the IT Department.  Think of the business analyst role as the liaison between a functional department and IT who helps analyze business processes, gather requirements from key stakeholders, and identify technology solutions to benefit the business.  Aligning technology solutions or information systems to help the organization achieve its business strategy is an important part of maximizing the investment in IT.

 To help you understand this role and the importance of information systems, this week’s discussion focuses on analyzing how a business uses an information system for STRATEGIC purposes.  Each member of Group 1 should do some research, or draw from his or her own experience, and tell us about a company that used an information system for STRATEGIC purposes.  Please be sure to tell us what the strategy was that they were working toward.  There are many examples in the Course Content reading,  but our discussion will be much richer if you select something that is not covered there. Be sure you’re not just discussing their business strategy but also including the use of information systems to enable that strategy.  Searching on a company’s mission and strategic goals can help you align the pieces.

For this week, each member of Group 1 should create a main posting by Wednesday midnight, and each member of Groups 2, 3 and 4 should respond to a minimum of three class members by Sunday midnight.  Responses to initial postings should be specific and assess whether the posting accurately and sufficiently addresses the questions asked in the discussion topic.  Incorporating additional research will strengthen your participation. Explain your assessment as to why the information is or is not correct and/or complete, providing correct information to enhance the discussion. Members of Group 1 should read the responses and reply to a minimum of two responses, reacting to the response and furthering the discussion.