Lecture 1: Kick-off
Management Information Systems (MIS) = the study of people, organizations and technology and the
relationship among them
• Management Information Systems professionals help firms realize maximum benefit from
investment in personnel, equipment and business and is a people-oriented field with an
emphasis on service through technology
Information Technology Infrastructure (chapter 5 – 8)
Technical foundation for understanding information systems by examining hardware, software,
database and network technologies along with tools and techniques for security and control
Key System Applications for the Digital Age (chapter 9 – 11)
Examines the core information system applications businesses are using today to improve operational
excellence and decision making. These applications include enterprise systems; systems for supply
management, customer relationship management and knowledge management, e-commerce
applications and business intelligence systems
Lecture 2: Foundation of Business Technology and Communication Platforms
o What technologies do businesses today need?
o What do I need to know about these to enhance performance?
o How will these technologies likely change in the future?
o What technologies and procedures are required to ensure systems are reliable and secure?
Digital disruptions (chapter 5)
• World’s largest taxi company owns no cards
• Largest accommodation provider owns no real estate
• Largest telecommunication companies own no telecommunication infrastructure
• World’s most valuable retailer has no inventory
• Most popular media owner creates no content
• Fastest growing banks have no actual money
• World’s largest movie house owns no cinemas
• Largest software vendors do not make software and apps (Google Play, App Store)
Singularity = a prediction of what will happen in a year from now concerning technology
Faster, cheaper computing power → networks and sensors, synthetic biology, robotics, 3D printing, VR
and AR, artificial intelligence and blockchain → new business models and ecosystems
Stages in IT Infrastructure Evolution
The typical computing configurations characterise each of the five eras of IT infrastructure evolution
,Corporate Network Infrastructure
Today’s hospitality network infrastructure is a collection of many different networks from the public
switched telephone network, to the Internet, to corporate local area networks linking workgroups,
departments or office floors
Standards in Computing
Why are standards important?
o Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP)
o Ethernet
Trends in Computer Hardware
• Grid computing
• Autonomic computing
• Virtualization
• Multicore processors
• Cloud computing
• Quantum computing
Transaction to New Systems
Legacy systems designed for mainframe computers are generally expensive to redesign, but it is not
always needed when designing and making a new system and this system is hard to replace
Data Base Management Systems (DBMS) (chapter 6)
The Database Approach to Data Management:
• Database serves many applications by centralizing data and controlling redundant data
• Database Management System (DBMS): interfaces between applications and physical data
files; separates logical and physical views of data; solves problems of traditional file
environment, such as controls redundancy, eliminates inconsistency, uncouples programs and
data and enables organizations to centrally manage data and data security
Human Resource Database with Multiple Views
A single Human Resource Database provides many different view of data, depending on the
information requirements of the user. Illustrated here are two possible views, one of interest to a
benefits specialist and one of interest to a member of the company’s payroll department
Using Databases to Improve Business Performance and Decision Making
Big data = massive sets of unstructured or semi-structured data from web traffic, social media, sensors
o Petabytes, exabytes of data, volumes are too great for typical DBMS
o Big data can reveal more patterns and anomalies
How does the internet work? (chapter 7)
The internet is a wire, not a cloud
, Chapter 5: IT Infrastructure and Emerging Technologies
Chapter 6: Foundations of Business Intelligence
Chapter 7: Telecommunication, the Internet and Wireless Technology
Case study 1: Glory Finds Solutions in the Cloud
o What is IT infrastructure and what are the stages and drivers of IT infrastructure evolution?
o What are the components of IT infrastructure?
o What are the current trends in computer hardware platforms?
o What are the current computer software platforms and trends?
o What are the challenges of managing IT infrastructure and management solutions?
Dimensions of Management Information Systems
• Managerial dimension: involves issues such as leadership, strategy and management behaviour
• Technological dimension: consists of computer hardware, software, data management
technology and networking/telecommunications technology (including the Internet)
• Organizational dimension: involves issues such as organization’s hierarchy, functional
specialties, business processes, culture and political interest groups
Vision, Mission and Strategy
From a business perspective, information systems are part of a series of value-adding activities for
acquiring, transforming and distributing information that managers can use to improve decision-making,
enhance organizational performance and ultimately increase the firm’s profitability
Legacy Systems = older TPS created for mainframes that would be too costly to replace or redesign
What is Cloud Computing?
In cloud computing, hardware and software capabilities are a pool of virtualized resources provided
over a network, often the Internet. Businesses and employees have access to applications and IT
infrastructure anywhere, at any time and on any device
Consulting and System Integration Services
Implementing new infrastructure requires significant changes in business processes and procedures,
training and education and software integration. This is a task that firms struggle to achieve on their
own, which drives the need for these services
Software integration = ensuring new infrastructure works with legacy systems
