Management Information Systems

1

You could ask students to recall some concepts from the previous chapters that

might help managers build and use information systems successfully. Answers

could include what business processes the company performs, the size of the

company, or the organization of the information systems function.

2

Recall the business objectives that allow firms to achieve competitive

advantage discussed in Chapter 1: operational excellence, new products,

services and business models, customer and supplier intimacy, and improved

decision making.

3

This case illustrates how firms in the very same industry (telecommunications)

can pursue very different objectives and technologies. One company has a

superior network, while the other company has superior devices.

Ask students what their experience has been, using smart phones, smart phone

services, and whether they have used AT&T or Verizon. Which of the two

strategies examined do students think is most likely to succeed? Ask them

what services from a mobile provider they consider most important. What

services would make them switch to a different provider?

4

This concept was briefly discussed in Chapter 1. Figure 1-2 and 1-3 as well as

the figure on the next slide, 3-1, display this interdependent relationship

graphically.

5

Ask students to explain how each factor might affect the relationship between

organizations and information technology. Emphasize to students that the

relationship between these two and its effects on the future of a business are

difficult to predict. For example, very few people could have predicted the

prominence of e-mail and instant messaging in business communication 15

years ago.

6

Which of the two definitions do students find more accurate and why? It is

important to consider both definitions rather than exclusively use one at the

expense of the other. The two definitions are complementary.

7

Ask students what are the inputs from the...