Business and Information Technology Terms: A Comprehensive Glossary, Quizzes of Management Information Systems

Download Business and Information Technology Terms: A Comprehensive Glossary and more Quizzes Management Information Systems in PDF only on Docsity! TERM 1 Business Functions DEFINITION 1 Specialized tasks performed by business organizations; major business functions consist of sales and marketing, manufacturing and production, finance and accounting, and human resources. TERM 2 Business Model DEFINITION 2 Describes how a company produces, delivers, and sells a product or service to create wealth. TERM 3 Business Processes DEFINITION 3 The set of logically related tasks and behaviors that organizations develop over time to produce specific business results and the unique manner in which these activities are organized and coordinated. TERM 4 Complementary Assets DEFINITION 4 Those assets required to derive value from a primary investment; for instance, to realize value from automobiles requires substantial complementary investments in highways, roads, gas stations... TERM 5 Computer Hardware DEFINITION 5 The physical equipment used for input, processing, and output activities in an information system. TERM 6 Computer Software DEFINITION 6 Consists of the detailed, preprogrammed instructions that control and coordinate the computer hardware components in an information system. TERM 7 Computer Literacy DEFINITION 7 Focuses primarily on knowledge of information technology. TERM 8 Culture DEFINITION 8 Fundamental set of assumptions, values, and ways of doing things, that has been accepted by most of an organization's members. TERM 9 Data DEFINITION 9 Streams of raw facts representing events occurring in organizations or the physical environment before they have been organized and arranged into a form that people can understand and use. TERM 10 Data Management Technology DEFINITION 10 Consists of the software governing the organization of data on physical storage media. TERM 21 Internet DEFINITION 21 The world's largest and most widely used network; a global "network of networks" that uses universal standards to connect millions of different networks with nearly 2.3 billion users in over 230 countries around the world. TERM 22 Intranets DEFINITION 22 Internal corporate networks based on internet technology. TERM 23 Knowledge Workers DEFINITION 23 Design products or services and create new knowledge for the firm (engineers, scientists, or architects). TERM 24 Management Information Systems DEFINITION 24 Specific category of information system providing reports on organizational performance to help middle management monitor and control the business. TERM 25 Middle Management DEFINITION 25 People in the middle of the organizational hierarchy who are responsible for carrying out the plans and goals of senior management. TERM 26 Network DEFINITION 26 The linking of two or more computers to share data or resources, such as a printer. TERM 27 Networking and Telecommunications Technology DEFINITION 27 Physical devices and software that link various computer hardware components and transfer data from one physical location to another. TERM 28 Operational Management DEFINITION 28 People who monitor the day-to-day activities of the organization. TERM 29 Organizational and Management Capital DEFINITION 29 Investments in organization and management such as new business processes, management behavior, organizational culture, or training. TERM 30 Output DEFINITION 30 The distribution of processed information to the people who will use it or to the activities for which it will be used. TERM 31 Processing DEFINITION 31 The conversion, manipulation, and analysis of raw input into a form that is more meaningful to humans. TERM 32 Production or Service Workers DEFINITION 32 People who actually produce the products or services of the organization. TERM 33 Senior Management DEFINITION 33 People occupying the topmost hierarchy in an organization who are responsible for making long-range decisions. TERM 34 Sociotechnical View DEFINITION 34 Seeing systems as composed of both technical and social elements. TERM 35 World Wide Web DEFINITION 35 A system with universally accepted standards for storing, retrieving, formatting, and displaying information in a networked environment. TERM 46 Electronic Business (e-business) DEFINITION 46 The use of the internet and digital technology to execute all the business processes in the enterprise. Includes e- commerce as well as processes for the internal management of the firm and for coordination with suppliers and other business partners. TERM 47 Electronic Commerce DEFINITION 47 The process of buying and selling goods and services electronically involving transactions using the internet, networks, and other digital technologies. TERM 48 E-government DEFINITION 48 Use of the internet and related technologies to digitally enable government and public sector agencies' relationships with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. TERM 49 End Users DEFINITION 49 Representatives of departments outside the information systems group for whom applications are developed. TERM 50 Enterprise Applications DEFINITION 50 Systems that can coordinate activities, decisions, and knowledge across many different functions, levels, and business units in a firm. Include enterprise systems, supply chain management systems, and knowledge management systems. TERM 51 Enterprise Systems DEFINITION 51 Integrated enterprise-wide information systems that coordinate key internal processes of the firm. TERM 52 Executive Support Systems (ESS) DEFINITION 52 Information systems at the organization's strategic level designed to address unstructured decision making through advanced graphics and communications. TERM 53 Information Systems Department DEFINITION 53 The formal organizational unit that is responsible for the information systems function in the organization. TERM 54 Information Systems Managers DEFINITION 54 Leaders of the various specialists in the information systems department. TERM 55 Interorganizational Systems DEFINITION 55 Information systems that automate the flow of information across organizational boundaries and link a company to its customers, distributors, or suppliers. TERM 56 IT governance DEFINITION 56 Strategy and policies for using information technology within an organization, specifying the decision rights and accountabilities to ensure that information technology supports the organization's strategies and objectives, TERM 57 Knowledge Management Systems DEFINITION 57 Systems that support the creation, capture, storage, and dissemination of firm expertise and knowledge. TERM 58 Management Information Systems (MIS) DEFINITION 58 Specific category of information system providing reports on organizational performance to help middle management monitor and control the business. TERM 59 Portal DEFINITION 59 Web interface for presenting integrated personalized content from a variety of sources. Also refers to a web site service that provides an initial point of entry to the web. TERM 60 Programmers DEFINITION 60 Highly trained technical specialists who write computer software instructions. TERM 71 Ergonomics DEFINITION 71 The interaction of people and machines in the work environment, including the design of jobs, health issues, and the end-user interface of information systems. TERM 72 External Integration Tools DEFINITION 72 Project management technique that links the work of the implementation team to that of users at all organizational levels. TERM 73 Formal Control Tools DEFINITION 73 Project management technique that helps monitor the progress toward completion of a task and fulfillment of goals. TERM 74 Formal Planning Tools DEFINITION 74 Project management technique that structures and sequences tasks, budgeting time, money, and technical resources required to complete the tasks. TERM 75 Gantt Chart DEFINITION 75 Visually represents the timing, duration, and resource requirements of project tasks. TERM 76 Implementation DEFINITION 76 All the organizational activities surrounding the adoption, management, and routinization of an innovation, such as a new information system. TERM 77 Information Systems Plan DEFINITION 77 A road map indicating the direction of systems development: the rationale, the current situation, the management strategy, the implementation plan, and the budget. TERM 78 Intangible Benefits DEFINITION 78 Benefits that are not easily quantified; they include more efficient customer service or enhanced decision making. TERM 79 Internal Integration Tools DEFINITION 79 Project management technique that ensures that the implementation team operates as a cohesive unit. TERM 80 Organizational Impact Analysis DEFINITION 80 Study of the way a proposed system will affect organizational structure, attitudes, decision making, and operations. TERM 81 PERT Chart DEFINITION 81 Network diagram depicting project tasks and their interrelationships. TERM 82 Portfolio Analysis DEFINITION 82 An analysis of the portfolio of potential applications within a firm to determine the risks and benefits, and to select among alternatives for information systems. TERM 83 Project DEFINITION 83 Planned series of related activities for achieving a specific business objective. TERM 84 Project Management DEFINITION 84 Application of knowledge, tools, and techniques to achieve specific targets within a specified budget and time period. TERM 85 Project Portfolio Management DEFINITION 85 Helps organizations evaluate and manage portfolios of projects and dependencies among them.