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Read Section 3.1 leisurely. It is on the organizations and the information systems. You are probably familiar with the organization theory .Pay attention to the technical and behavioral definitions of organizations as well as bureaucracy, structural characteristics of organizations, standard operating procedures and organizational culture. Section 3.2 is on the changing role of information systems in the organization and is interesting to read how information systems leads to automation, decreases transaction costs and lays foundations for virtual organizations. Note the definitions of end users and CIO. Section 3.3 is on decision-making, perhaps another familiar topic for you. Pay attention to strategic decision making, structured and unstructured decisions, rational model of decision making .It would be interesting to read individual models of decision-making and organizational models of decision-making.
organizations
Environment Culture Structure Standard procedures Business process Politics Management Decisions Chance
Information Technology
FORMAL ORGANIZATION Structure Hierarchy division of labor Rules,procedures Business processes Process Rights/obligations Privileges/responsibilities Values Norms People
Environmental resources
Environmental outputs
Organization (technical definition) A Stable, formal, social structure that takes resources from the environment and processes them to produce outputs.
Organization (behavioral definition) A collection of rights, privileges, obligations, and responsibilities that are delicately balanced over a period of time through conflict and conflict resolution.
Bureaucracy Formal Organization with a clear-cut division of labor, abstract rules and procedures, and impartial decision making that uses technical qualifications and professionalism as a basis for Promoting employees.
Clear division of labor Hierarchy Explicit rules and procedures Impartial judgments Technical qualifications for positions Maximum organizational efficiency
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES
Organization- Description Example al Type Entrepreneurial Young, small firm in a fast-changing Small start structure environment. It has a simple structure and is business managed by an entrepreneur serving as its single chief executive officer. Machine bureaucracy
Large bureaucracy existing in a slowly changing Midsize environment, producing standard products. It is manufactur dominated by a centralized management team firm and centralized decision making.
Divisionalized bureaucracy
Combination of multiple machine bureaucracies, Fortune 50 each producing a different product or service, all firms such toped by one central headquarters. general mo
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES
Organization- Description al Type Professional Knowledge-based organization where bureaucracy goods and services depend on the expertise and knowledge of professionals. Dominated by department heads with weak centralized authority. Adhocracy Task force organization that must re to rapidly changing environments. Consists of large groups of specialists organized into short-lived multidisciplinary teams and has weak central management. Example
Unique features
Organizational type Environments Goals Power Constituencies Function Leadership Tasks Technology Business processes
Information Systems department The Formal organizational unit that is responsible for the information systems function in the organization. Programmers Highly trained technical specialists who write computer software instructions. Systems analysts Specialists who translate business problems and requirements into information requirements and systems,acting as liaison between the information systems department and the rest of the organization. Information systems managers Leaders of the various specialists in the information systems department. Chief information officer(CIO) Senior manager in charge of the information systems function in the firm. End users Representatives of departments outside the information systems group for whom applications are developed.
THE ORGANIZATION Senior management Major end users(divisions) Information Systems department IT Infrastructure Hardware Software Data storage Networks Information Systems Specialists CIO Managers Systems analysts Systems designers Programmers Network specialists Database administrator Clerical
Agency theory
Economic theory that views the firm as a nexus of contracts among self-interested individuals who must be supervised and managed.
Virtual organization
Organization using networks to link people,assets and ideas to create and distribute products and services without being limited to traditional organizational boundaries or physical location.
TECHNOLOGY
PEOPLE
STRUCTURE
Traditional description of management that focused on its formal functions of planning, organizing, coordinating, deciding and controlling.
Behavioral models Descriptions of management based on behavioral scientists observations of what managers actually do in their jobs.
Types of Decisions
Unstructured decisions Non-routine decisions in which the decision maker must provide judgement, evaluation, and insights into the problem definition; there is no agreed-upon procedure for making such decisions. Structured decisions Decisions that are repetitive, routine, and have a definite procedure for handling them.
Organizational level
Operational knowledge management Strategic
Type of decision
Structured
Semistructured
DSS
KWS
U nstructured
ESS
Political models of decision making Models of decision making where decisions result from competition and bargaining among the organizations interest groups and key leaders. Garbage can model Model of decision making that states that organizations are not rational and that decisions are solutions that become attached to problems for accidental reasons.
Strategy is deciding what the organization is going to do and how it will use use its resources
Examples of Strategies
Strategy 1: manufacture equipment with the money and use the building and the people to manufacture widgets. Strategy 2: Outsource the production of widgets and use the people and building to be widget distributor - or perhaps a widget store. Strategy 3: Sell the patent to a larger firm, sell the building, fire the employees and retire!
Strategic Decisions
Strategic decisions address questions such as:
What products or services will be provide? Will we focus on providing low cost goods/services? Will we focus on providing unique goods/services? Where will we sell our goods/services? To whom?
IT can assist the strategic decision maker (e.g. ESS). More importantly, IT is likely to be critical to the implementation of the strategy.
Vision
Mission
Strategic
The Role of IT
Create systems that provide strategic advantage Supports strategic changes, such as business reengineering Provides business intelligence
Competitive intelligence Sustainable competitive advantage
Competitive Advantage
What makes strategy difficult is that most business environments are competitive. Need to try to "second guess" the competition.
Competitive advantage: what sets the firm apart from the rest of its competitors. Basis for competition: cost, speed, quality, variety, level of service,...
Information considered as a resource, much like capital and labor IT-critical competitive strategies: Customer lockin, customer lock-out, new business entry
INDUSTRY cooperation vs. competition Competitive forces electronic transactions licensing Network economics communications networks Inter-organizational systems standards information partnership FIRM Synergy knowledge systems Core competency Core competencies organizational systems BUSINESS Low Cost producer Differentiation of products/services Scope of competition (global vs. niche)
Value chain analysis data mining IT-based products / services Inter-organizational systems supply chain management efficient customer response
integrates supplier, distributors, and customer logistics requirements into one cohesive process to reduce inventory cost or underutilized staff e.g. Wall-Marts continuous replenishment system lock in customer and raise switching costs expense a customer incurs in lost time and expenditure of resources when changing from one supplier to a competing supplier e.g. Baxter Healthcares stockless inventory
Vendors
Customers
Firm-Level Strategies
A firm is a collection of business units Synergy
outputs of some business units used as inputs to other units IS to tie operations of business units
Core competencies
activities at which a firm is a world-class leader IS to encourage sharing of knowledge
Industry-Level Strategies
Competition with other firms
THE FIRM
TRADITIONAL COMPETITION
Challenges
Integrations Sustainability of competitive advantage