Technological solutions part 1: Information Management Systems

In this section I will look at the use of (computer) systems for Information Management as a technological solution to the problems of management in the business environment we described earlier. I shall adopt a definition of Information Management Systems consistent with cell 1 in the model in the previous topic. Throughout this section, I will refer to Information Management Systems as being formal systems based on fixed and accepted (consensual) definitions of data. You should note that this may more restricted definition of Information Systems or Information Management than can be found elsewhere.

In particular I will look at the historical development of databases from simple file handling systems to On-line Analytical Processing (OLAP) and data warehouses. I will also examine the effects of improvements in processing power and storage on the feasibility of technological solutions to the problems of managing in The Real World.

Reading

Books

• See any of the books from the MIS books section

Articles

• Brooks, P (1997), March of the Data Marts, Database Management Systems, March 97
• Radding, A. (1995) Support Decision-makers with a data warehouse, Datamation, Vol 41, No 5.
• J. C. Mingers. (1995) Information and meaning: foundations for an intersubjective account. Journal of Information Systems Vol 5, pp 285 - 306.
• Ein-Dor, P. and Segev, E. (1993) A Classification of Information Systems: Analysis and Interpretation, Information Systems Research, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 166-204.
• Culnan, M. (1987) Mapping the Intellectual Structure of MIS, 1980-85: A Co-Citation Analysis, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 340-353.
• M.L. Markus and Robey. D, (1983) The Organizational Validity of Management Information Systems, Human Relations, Vol 36, No 3, pp 203-226

Links

• If you wish to search for additional sources of information, use the MIS links page

• UKAIS Definition of Information Systems
  A definition of the scope of the term Information Systems from the United Kingdom Academy of Information Systems
• Information Systems Work: Contradictions in Practice and Theory
  What are the activities and norms which characterize an Information Systems practitioner? What are the theoretical foundations (if any) of the discipline? ...

• Beyond Computation: Information Technology, Organizational Transformation and Business Performance
  A classic paper that looks at how computers contribute to business performance and economic growth
• Is Re-engineering Possible in the Public Sector? A Brazilian Case Study
  This paper describes an attempt to implement BPR in a large public organization in Brazil. As a result of the re-engineering attempt, the organization had its IT infrastructure significantly improved but no radical changes in the organization's business processes occurred, despite the US$ 8 million that had been invested.

• Data Warehouse Case Studies
  White Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads from ZDNet
• The big dig - data-warehousing case study of EuroTunnel
  How EuroTunnel blazed a shortcut to data warehousing.