Business Computing Skills

(BA120IU)

Lecture 1: Introduction to Information System

Lecturer: Dr. Huynh Vo Trung Dung
School of Electrical Engineering
International University

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 BCS Class Introduction
• Instructor: Dr. Huynh Vo Trung Dung (Lecturer of EE school)
• Course description (see syllabus)
• Course Grading:
– Assignment\Homework\Quiz\Attendance : 30%
Note: All homework problems need to be submitted by the due date.
Otherwise, a penalty of 20% can be considered.
– Midterm exam: 30%
– Final exam: 40%
• Textbook:
– [1] James A. O’Brien, George Marakas (2017), Introduction to
– Information Systems, 12th edition, Mc-Graw Hill.
– [2] Ron McFadyen (2021), Relational Databases and Microsoft
– Access 365.
– [3] Joan Lambert, Microsoft Word 2019
– [4] Michael Alexander, Dick Kusleika (2019), Excel 2019 Bible,
Wiley.
– [5] Hector Guerrero (2016), Excel Data Analysis Modeling and
– Simulation, Springer.
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 BCS Class Introduction

• Office hours: depending on Syllabus

• Email: hvtdung@hcmiu.edu.vn
• Website: https://sites.google.com/hcmiu.edu.vn/hvtdung
• Course materials: blackboard

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 Course Contents
Information
Systems in
Business
Operations ?
Mid-Term Exam

MS MS
Access Word

MS
Final Exam Excel 4
 Course Goals

● explore basic relationships of computer products and concepts

● create MS Access objects, enter criteria into data, form expressions

and create functions, and customize the appearance of forms and
reports

● create document templates in MS Word that will help businesses

streamline their correspondence, use mail merge, print mailing labels,
templates, newsletters, and flyers

● analyze data with practical analysis of real business problems and

streamline office tasks to present it in a way the managers can use

● acquire strong ability in using MS Excel software as tools in

decision-making. This course will provide a complete learning in MS
Excel.

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Chapter 1:
Foundation of Information Systems in Business

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 Learning Objectives
v understand the concept of a system and how it relates to information systems.
v explain why knowledge of information systems is important for business
professionals and identify five areas of information systems knowledge that they n
eed.
v give examples to illustrate how the business applications of information systems
can support a firm’s business processes, managerial decision making, and strategie
s for competitive advantage.
v identify several challenges that a business manager might face in managing the
successful and ethical development and use of information technology in a business
v provide examples of the components of the real world information systems. illustrat
e that in an information system, people use hardware, software, data, and networks
as resources to perform input, processing, output, storage, and control activities
that transform data resources into information products.
v demonstrate familiarity with the myriad of career opportunities in information
systems.

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Section 1

Foundation Concepts:
Information Systems in Business
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I. The Real World of Information Systems

v A system is a set of interrelated components, with a clearly defined

boundary, working together to achieve a common set of objectives
v Information Systems are an essential field in the study of business
administration and management.
v IS and IT and Internet technologies play vital roles in business and
improve the effectiveness and efficiency of business processes,
managerial decision making, and workgroup collaboration.
v What is an Information System? An IS may be computerized or not
ü Smoke signals for communication
ü Card catalogs in a library
ü Your book bag, day planner, notebooks, and file folders
ü The cash register at your favorite fast-food restaurant
ü A paper-based accounting ledger

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I. The Real World of Information Systems

In the past….

Drum
Torch Smoke

Pigeon
Hand-written
Tower using mirrors letter

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I. The Real World of Information Systems

In the present….

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 I. The Real World of Information Systems

v Framework of 5 major areas:

v Foundation Concepts – fundamental behavioral,
technical, business, and managerial concepts
about information systems
v Information Technologies – major concepts,
developments, and management issues in IT
v Business Applications – major uses of IS for
operations, management, and competitive
advantage
v Development Process – how an IS is planned,
developed, and implemented to meet business
opportunities
v Management Challenges – effectively and ethicall
y managing IT at the end-user, enterprise, and
global levels of a business

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II. The Fundamental Roles of IS in Business
Why Information Systems are Important?
Information systems play a vital role in the e-business and e-commerce
operations, enterprise collaboration and management, and strategic success
of businesses that must operate in an internet-worked global environment.
Thus, the field of information systems has become a major functional area of
business administration.

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II. The Fundamental Roles of IS in Business

Tree vital roles:

v Support of Strategies for Competitive Advantage
v Support of Business Decision Making
v Support of Business Processes and Operations

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III. The Role of e-Business in Business

v E-Business – use of Internet technologies to e

mpower business processes, e-commerce, and
enterprise collaboration within a firm and its cu
stomers, suppliers, and stakeholders

v Enterprise Collaboration Systems – support co

mmunication, coordination, and collaboration a
mong networked teams/workgroups

v E-Commerce – buying, selling, marketing, and s

ervicing products, services, and information ov
er computer networks

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III. The Role of e-Business in Business

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 IV. Types of Information Systems

vOperation Support Systems – help run the daily business, but

do not provide much information for managerial decision-making
ü Transaction Processing Systems – record & process daily
transactions
ü Process Control Systems - monitor and control physical
processes
ü Enterprise Collaboration Systems (Office Automation Systems) –
enhance team and workgroup communications and
productivity

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 IV. Types of Information Systems

vManagement Support Systems

ü Management Information Systems – reports and displays for
managers to help them make better business decisions
ü Decision Support Systems – direct computer support for
decision-making
ü Executive Information Systems – critical information specifical
ly for executives to make better decisions; not just a better
MIS

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IV. Types of Information Systems

vOther Categories of Information Systems

vExpert Systems – expert advice for operational decisions
vKnowledge Management Systems – support creation,
organization, and dissemination of business knowledge
vStrategic Information Systems – apply IT to products,
services, and processes for strategic advantage
vFunctional Business Systems – support basic business
functions
vCross-Functional Systems – integrate various roles and
outputs into a variety of functions

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Case study:
Expert Systems

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IV. Types of Information Systems

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 V. Managerial Challenges of Information Technology

v Challenges and Ethics of IT – what is improper, irresponsi

ble, or harmful?

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 V. Managerial Challenges of Information Technology

v Developing IS Solutions – an Information

Systems is a Solution to a Business
Problem
v Investigate (Plan) – recognize the problem exists
v Analyze – investigate the current system
v Design – designing the new system
v Implement – put the new system into effect
v Maintain (Use) – use, monitor, and maintain the
new system

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Section 2

Foundation Concepts:
The Components of Information Systems
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I. System Concepts: The Foundation for Business Processes

v What Is a System?
A set of interrelated components, with a clearly defined boundary, working
together to achieve a common set of objectives by accepting inputs and
producing outputs in an organized transformation process
ü Input – capture the data to be processed
ü Processing – change the data into information
ü Output – disseminate the information product to its destination
v Feedback and Control Elements
ü Feedback – data about the performance of the system
ü Control – monitoring the feedback to determine if the system is meet
ing its objectives

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I. System Concepts: The Foundation for Business Processes

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II. Components of Information Systems

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 III. Information System Resources

v People Resources
Ø IS Specialists: people develop and operate IS
(systems analysts, software developers, system op
erators, and other managerial, technical, and
clerical IS personel)
Ø End Users (users or clients): people use an IS or
the information it produces
v Hardware Resources
Ø Machines – the computing devices themselves and
other equipment
Ø Media – where data is stored

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 III. Information System Resources

v Software Resources
Ø System Software – runs the computer
such as operating system (Windows,
MacOs,..)
Ø Application Software – programs that
direct processing for a particular use
of computers by end users

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 III. Information System Resources

vData Resources
ü Data: unorganized facts a
nd figures
ü Information: data organized
so that it has value to the or
ganization

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 III. Information System Resources

vNetwork Resources
ü Communications Media: the physical
pathways over which signals travel
ü Network Infrastructure: hardware,
software, and data technologies
needed to support communications
network

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Chapter 2:
Competing with Information Technology

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 Learning Objectives

v Identify several basic competitive strategies and explain how they use
information technologies to confront the competitive forces faced by
business.
v Identify several strategic uses of Internet technologies and give examples of
how they can help a business gain competitive advantages.
v Give examples of how business process reengineering frequently involves
the use of Internet technologies.
v Identify the business value of using Internet technologies to become an
agile competitor or form a virtual company.
v Explain how knowledge management systems can help a business gain
strategic advantages.

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Section 1

Fundamentals of
Strategic Advantage

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I. Competitive Strategy Concepts
v Strategic Information Architecture – the collection of strategic information syst
ems that shape/support the competitive position/strategies of a firm
v Competitive Forces (Porter)
ü Rivalry of Competitors within its industry
ü Threat of New Entrants
ü Threat of Substitute products
ü Bargaining Power of Customers
ü Bargaining Power of Suppliers
v Competitive Strategies
ü Cost Leadership Strategy
ü Differentiation Strategy
ü Innovation Strategy
ü Growth Strategy
ü Alliance Strategy

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 I. Competitive Strategy Concepts

v Cost Leadership Strategy. Becoming a low-cost producer of products

and services in the industry or finding ways to help suppliers or custom
ers reduce their costs or increase the costs of the competitors
v Differentiation Strategy. Developing ways to differentiate a firm’s
products and services from those of its competitors or reduce the
differentiation advantages of competitors. This strategy may allow a
firm to focus its products or services to give it an advantage in
particular segments or niches of a market.
v Innovation Strategy. Finding new ways of doing business. This
strategy may involve developing unique products and services or
entering unique markets or market niches. It may also involve making
radical changes to the business processes for producing or distributing
products and services that are so different from the way a business has
been conducted that they alter the fundamental structure of an
industry.

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 I. Competitive Strategy Concepts

Growth Strategies. Significantly expanding a company’s capacity to produce go

ods and services, expanding into global markets, diversifying into new products
and services, or integrating into related products and services.
Alliance Strategies. Establishing new business linkages and alliances with cust
omers, suppliers, competitors, consultants, and other companies. These linkages
may include mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, formation of virtual companies,
or other marketing, manufacturing, or distribution agreements between a
business and its trading partners.

An organization may make use of one, some, or all

of the strategies in varying degrees to manage the
forces of competition.

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 II. Strategic Uses of Information Technology

Other Strategic Initiatives

vLocking by Building Relationships
ü Lock In Customers
ü Lock In Suppliers
ü Lock Out Competitors
vSwitching Costs – make customers/supplier dependent on
mutually beneficial inter-enterprise information systems
vRaise Barriers to Entry – discourage or delay other firms from
entering a market
vLeverage Investment in IT – develop new products and services
that are not possible without strong IT capabilities

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Section 2
Using Information
Technology for Strategic
Advantage

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 I. Building A Customer-Focused Business – Strategic
Focus on Customer Value

vRecognizing that Quality, not Price, has

become the primary factor in a customer’s
perception of value
vInternet technologies can make customers
the focal point of e-business applications:
customers use the Internet to ask questions,
lodge complaints, evaluate products, request
support, and make and track their purchases.

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 II. Becoming An Agile Company

v Business today is changing from mass

market products/services that were
standardized, long-lived, information-
poor, exchanged in one-time
transactions to global competition
with niche markets that are
individualized, short-lived, information
-rich, exchanged on an ongoing basis
with customers

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II. Becoming An Agile Company
v 4 Basic Strategies:
ü Customer Perception of Goods and Services
ü Partnering with Customers, Suppliers, and Even Competitors
ü Organize to Thrive on Change and Uncertainty
ü Leverage Impact of Personnel and Their Knowledge

v Types of Agility
ü Customer
ü Partnering
ü Operational

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 III. Creating A Virtual Company

v Virtual Company – Uses the Internet, intranets and extranet

s to create virtual workgroups and support alliances with
business partners

v Virtual Company Strategies

ü Share infrastructure and risk with alliance partners
ü Link complimentary core competencies
ü Reduce concept-to-cash time through sharing
ü Increase facilities and market coverage
ü Gain access to new markets and share market or
customer loyalty
ü Migrate from selling products to selling solutions

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 IV. Building a Knowledge-Creating Company

v One sure Source of Competitive Advantage is

Knowledge
v The Business of a “Knowledge-Creating” company is
Continuous Innovation
v Explicit Knowledge – written down or stored on
computers
v Tacit Knowledge – “how-to” knowledge residing in
the workers; very important but little incentive to
share this information so it is never written down

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 Summary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL6myRFdC_g&t=936s 45