Free Essay: Comparing My Understanding of Information Systems and the Article

My understanding of information systems was comparatively the same before and after going through the readings assigned during this week. I understood information systems as a combination of various technological elements needed for a given business to not only process but also make effective use of data. These combined elements included both the hardware and the software components of a typical system. However, I realized that my definition of the concept of information systems was correct but overlooked a plethora of critical aspects after going through the article (Karim, 2011). It is crucial to understand that technology does not necessarily make the fundamental component of information technology despite being one of the most critical factors. People should consider human behavior as a crucial component of information systems in addition to the idea of technology and how such elements interact and work with each other to provide the necessary support for the organization.

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My understanding of information systems, however, expanded rapidly with the help of its definition, as indicated in the article. Nolan and Wetherbe (1980) defined the management information system (MIS) is an integrated system consisting of people and machines to ensure adequate provision of information needed to support the management, operation, and decision-making role of a given organization. As a result, MIS used computer hardware as well as software alongside other elements, such as management and decision frameworks, manual procedures, and databases to achieve this crucial organizational function (Hasan, 2018). Lastly, it became evident that information systems are highly sophisticated and complex, which is highly influenced by a broader range of subsystems within the organization after reading the article as opposed to my shallow original definition and understanding.

Adverse Effects of TradeNet on TBD and its Crucial Components

Extensive reading and analysis of the case study showed that TradeNet could also have a wide range of adverse effects on TDB's critical components, such as organizational culture, business network, processes, scope, and performance. Analytically, TBD's implementation of TradeNet led to significant changes in the way their business operated through the process of automation and restructuring. This transformation also changed the roles of employees, which, in turn, contributed to the drastic change in the culture of the organization (Tummers et al., 2015). These significant changes could, however, culminate in great confusion about employees' new roles because TDB did not require a plethora of people to be doing the same job of going through its documents. Therefore, all employees that needed to stay at TDB would have to look for and find new roles within the company to achieve their retention goals. Also, managers needed to play a vital role in alleviating the confusion created by this inherent change by ensuring that every employee goes through a comprehensive training and development process for their new responsibilities if they chose to stay at TDB. Another adverse effect of the company's decision would entail change resistance, especially by employees who were already comfortable with the company's initial operations (Molineux 2018). As a result, TDB's managers needed to overcome this resistance by ensuring that they effectively communicate with the employees on why the company decided to pursue this crucial change and how it could ultimately help it to become more competitive.

Comparing the Activities of Different Levels of an Organization

According to Tummers et al. (2015), a typical organization, including a cancer hospital responsible for research, has a wide range of management levels that conduct various activities towards the achievement of the company's strategic goals. The three basic levels of management include operational, managerial, and executive. The daily operational processes alongside continuous interactions with customers occur at the operational level of the cancer hospital. Such firms often design their information systems at this critical level to automate a wide range of repetitive activities. Therefore, use information systems to make vital decisions that will help in the effective daily operations of the organization (Karim, 2011). The information needs at this level are also unique but entail seeking to have a detailed understanding of the customer to provide high-quality services.

The managerial level of a cancer hospital, on the other hand, entails focusing on the processes of monitoring and controlling the activities conducted at the operational level while providing information to higher levels of the firm (Molineux 2018). Such managers focus on ensuring effective use of organizational resources such as information systems to achieve the firm's strategic goals by making semi-structured decisions that still require judgment. Therefore, information needs at the managerial level entail helping in the development of specific procedures to achieve predetermined business goals. Lastly, the executive level entails focusing on the long-term strategic needs of the organization by identifying the appropriate health services to provide, the markets to target, and the strategy to follow. Hence, such managers require information systems to help them in making unstructured decisions characterized by minimal or no procedures to follow in a given situation (Karim, 2011). The information needs of the organization, therefore, entail gaining adequate resources to help it achieve its desired growth.

References

Hasan, F. F. (2018). A review study of information systems. International Journal of Computer Applications, 179(18), 15-19. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323223186_A_Review_Study_of_Information_Systems.

Karim, A. J. (2011). The significance of management information systems for enhancing strategic and tactical planning. Journal Of Information Systems And Technology Management (JISTEM), 8(2), 11-20. https://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1807-17752011000200011.

Molineux, J. (2018). Using action research for change in organizations: processes, reflections, and outcomes. Journal of Work Applied Management, 10 (1), 19-34. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JWAM-03-2017-0007/full/html.

Tummers, L., Kruyen, P. M., Vijverberg, D. M., & Voesenek, T. J. (2015). Connecting HRM and change management: The importance of pro-activity and vitality. Journal of Organisational Change Management, 28 (4), 627 - 640. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265414861_Connecting_HRM_and_Change_Management_The_Importance_of_Proactivity_and_Vitality.