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FB5003 - Seminar 1

Information Systems in Organizations

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Mini-Bio of Myself

• In HK since 1991; Travels in 82 countries.• Teaching non-technical IS courses to MSc

and MBA students• Research involves China-focused:

– Knowledge sharing in SMEs– Virtual work– IT-enabled organisational change

• I’m interested in learning from you about your organisations’ IS experiences

• Web http://www.is.cityu.edu.hk/staff/isrobert

• Email isrobert@cityu.edu.hk

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Information• Information is critical to us as

individuals, as well as to organisations

• Without information, business would be impossible

• Anything Internet-related depends on information

• So, systems that help us manage information are also rather important

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And Systems…?• All organisations operate through

systems.• There are systems for:

– Ordering supplies, tracking inventory, manufacturing, locating customers, selling goods, hiring and paying employees, handling auctions, coordinating supply chains, spying, etc.

– These systems are premised on information flows about designs, products, orders, shipments, finances, stories, people…

– These systems can integrate and align different parts of an organisation, locally and globally.

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• An integrated set of computer-based components that can be used to …– analyse data, and– deliver information

• to support people in their …– operations, – management, and– decision-making functions

• …in a personal or organisational context.

So, an Information System is…

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Information System Components

• Hardware• Software

• Databases• Decision models

• Procedures• Management

• Communications• Information

• People

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The Impact of IS on Organisations

• Transaction processing systems.– Information processing efficiency

• Databases– Any-time access; organizational memory.

• Network & Internet– Anyplace access to multiple resources.

• Decision/executive support technologies– Organizational intelligence.

• Organisation changing applications (e.g. KM, SCM, CRM)– Re-engineering of processes; Competitive Advantage

• Sensors (e.g. RFID)– Information gathering without presence.

• Communication and Social Systems – Social Media, ubiquitous systems

Does Anyone Talk about Systems?

• The more common terms seem to be:– Apps (now ubiquitous on mobile

devices)– Solutions/Services (consultants’

preference)• Are systems too scary, oblique and

remote?– Does it matter what terms we use so

long as we understand what we are talking about?

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Sample Global IS Players• Banks: HSBC, Citibank, BoC• Airlines: CX, QF, SQ• Shipping/Logistics: OOCL, Fedex, SF

Express, Kerry• Consumer: P&G, Philips, Samsung,

Sony • Oil: Shell, Exxon, BP, CNOC• Governments & Agencies: NSA, GCHQ• Intermediaries: Alibaba, eBay, Amazon• Others: Monsanto, Unilever, Li & Fung

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But What are Global IS?• Systems used by single

organisations across two or more nations?

• Systems used individually by many different organisations – in many nations around the world?

• Systems that track the online activities globally for a single customer?

• And what issues do these GIS encounter?

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IS and the Future• Transaction costs drop to ~0; ‘free’

goods.• Instant delivery of digital goods.• Distance, location and time can be

bridged easily, but misunderstandings still occur.

• Customers, suppliers and criminals can be anywhere.

• Information about anything is available in almost unlimited quantities.

• Interpersonal interactivity becomes the norm.

• Work is virtualized and globalized.

Global Spam

• We all get spam emails – 70+% of email is spam

• Spam is a global phenomenon– Nigerian 419, V!@gra scams, etc.

• Spam is a global business (opportunity)– If you can get a 0.2% response rate…

• Combatting spam needs global solutions 12

The Route Behind the Spam• “In 2011, researchers analysing

the money trail behind one email, advertising Viagra-style drugs, found that the web domain involved was registered in Russia, hosted in Brazil and managed in China, taking payments through a Turkish server to an Azerbaijani bank, with the product eventually dispatched from Chennai in India”.

• How much more global could that be?!

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/aug/09/why-spammers-are-winning-junk-mail

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Cloud-Based Information Systems• Cloud computing customers generally do not

own the physical infrastructure• They reduce capital costs by renting

resources (hardware, software, network bandwidth) from a third-party provider and pay only for what they use.– Customers can be billed on a subscription basis

(like electricity, water)– Major Cloud Providers

• Microsoft, IBM, HP, Amazon, Google,…

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Cloud Components• SaaS – Software as a Service

– Office, analytical or enterprise software

– Purchasing, sales, project management,…

• PaaS – Platform as a Service– Application design or development– E-business hosting, Team

collaboration• IaaS – Infrastructure as a Service

– Hardware, netware, storage, …

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Why Use Clouds?• A key motivation to rely on cloud-

based resources is cost– It can save a lot of money– Rent software, networks as you need

them– Store data without the trouble of

maintaining the hardware– Outsource non-core activities

• Let other people do it better and cheaper• P&G saved US$800M over 7 years by

outsourcing basic IT services to the cloud

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Cloud Problems• Some data is just too sensitive

– Key client data– Would HSBC want to store details of

its VIP customers in the same cloud as BEA or Bank of America?

• How quickly can you access data if it is ‘in the cloud’?– You need to have a good Service

Level Agreement (SLA)

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Cloud Consequences• As more firms relocate IT services to

cloud providers, the traditional technology ecosystem faces disruption and challenges.

• There are opportunities for the cloud masters to become bigger and stronger

• Niche-players will have to rethink what they do, how and who for.

• Non-US-based firms may enjoy an advantage– Why?

• Disruption is good for some, bad for others.

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Cloud Players 1• Masters:

– Amazon, Google, Microsoft• Huge data centres and services for

mostly smaller businesses• Enterprise Software Specialists

– Oracle, SAP• Traditional providers to large firms• Trying to bridge to the SME market, with

SaaS and PaaS services. MySAP.

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Cloud Players 2

• Independent Software Vendors– Adobe

• Going beyond simple software sales to software hosting for clients

• Integrated Giants– IBM, HP

• Cost-effective, large scale, scalable, private, secure solutions across IaaS, PaaS and SaaS domains.

Cloud Consumer Examples

• Dropbox is simple and popular (though not very secure)

• SugarSync• Box• Google Drive / MS Sky Drive• Spider Oak (very secure)

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Culture

• Patterned ways of thinking, feeling and reacting– Behaviour styles– Negotiating techniques– Protocol– Business practices

• Cultural misunderstandings can threaten or even destroy your efforts in a foreign country– Where and who is foreign these days?– Are some of us more foreign than others?!

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Understanding Culture• … is not just about observing.• “the same behaviour can have different

meanings and different behaviours can have the same meaning” [Schneider & Barsoux, 1997]

• Why do people behave in this way?• What are their underlying values and

beliefs?• Do we really live in a global village?

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What is Culture?HUMAN NATURE

universalto laugh to cry

CULTURE group level construct

When is it appropriate to laugh? to cry? Where is it appropriate to laugh? to cry?

way of life passed down from one generation to the next through education and experience – Concise Columbia Encyclopedia

collective programming of the mind – Geert Hofstede

PERSONALITYindividual

each of us laughs / cries at different times / places

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Iceberg Model of Culture

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Culture Above the Surface• Greetings

– How should you greet someone?kiss, hug, bow or shake hands

– Does it depend on who they are, who you are?

• Dress– What is appropriate attire at work? at a funeral?

• Punctuality– What does it mean to be “on time”?– How quickly should you reply to an e-mail?

• Gift giving– Should you give gifts to business associates? – What should you give?

• Corporate Logos– What projects the “right” or “wrong” image?

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Culture Below the Surface

• Attitudes– “I can’t live without a iPhone/Blackberry”

• Assumptions– “Only unsold products are advertised””

• Values– “Being online is critical to my life and work”

• Beliefs– “My purpose in life is …”

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Colours in Different Cultures

ColourCulture

Red Blue Green Yellow White

Anglo Danger Strong;reliable

SuccessGreen

Coward Purity

French Aristocrat Freedom; peace

Crime Lucky; temporary

Neutral

Chinese Happy;Success

Heaven Hats = Cuckoldry

Wealthy; powerful

Death; purity

Japanese Anger; danger

Villain Young; energetic

Grace; nobility

Death

Arab Death Virtue Fertile Wealthy Joy

Indian Life --- Islam Success Death

Adapted from Russo & Boor (1993) http://webdesign.about.com/od/color/a/bl_colorculture.htm

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Corporate eLogos

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Culture and Workplace Issues• Global transfer of IS applications (across

cultures) is problematic at best.• Few researchers have investigated

these issues - probing the iceberg.• Most textbooks assume a monocultural,

ethnocentric and universalist perspective– “If it works for us, it’ll work for them”– “They are ‘human’ aren’t they?!”

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Culture and Workplace Issues

• Limited understanding of why failures occur beyond a generic “culture” explanation.

• Descriptions of successful global IS stories – but little in the way of detailed understanding.

• Few empirically-tested prescriptions or experiences.

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Local and Global Flavours of FB5003• Studying IS in different contexts• Analyzing the opportunities for IS with

some cultural and contextual sensitivity• Identifying lessons learned in one

context that may (not) be transferable to other contexts– This does not mean American lessons for

everyone else. Quite the opposite.• Sharing your global experiences

– Do you have any?

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FB5003 - Activities

• Seminars not Lectures• Background material to read in

advance, to be referred to as we go along

• Discussion, argument, interaction• Case studies to analyse• Experiences to recount, share and learn

from• Facilitated knowledge seeking

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My Suggested Learning Styles• Learning together, not just me talking

– So you have a role to play, a responsibility to engage with your own learning

– The more you participate, listen, criticise, challenge… so the more you will learn.

• Each class will have– Opportunities for interaction, discussion,

debate, as well as your own work-life examples

• Since this is an IS class, you can expect to engage in some hands-on stuff as well.– But don’t worry, no programming!

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Assessment• 30% - coursework

– A small group case write up based on your own Global IS experiences• 4000-word essay

• 30% Continuous assessment– of contributions in class

• 40% - exam– Application & integration of skills from

seminar materials, our discussions and your own practical experiences

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Grading Definitions• A: Excellent

– Strong evidence of original thinking, analysis & synthesis; extensive knowledge base

• B: Good– Good awareness of the importance of the

subject; some analytic ability; reasonable understanding of issues & literature

• C: Adequate– Understanding is reasonable, but much room for

improvement• D: Marginal, basic familiarity with the subject• F: Very weak, few critical/analytical skills;

plagiarism

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Sources and Consequences...• There are no specific textbooks that I

feel comfortable to recommend• However, if you insist to have the

comfort of a book, this one is OK:– Valacich and Schneider, Information

Systems Today: Managing the Digital World, 6th Edition, Pearson Education, Inc. 2014

• I’ll draw material from a variety of sources

• Note: Passing is optional! Failing is possible!

• You must pass both exam and coursework to pass the course as a whole.

Outline of Classes

• 1 (18/8) – Introduction• 2 (21/8) – Web-Based IS & Digital Media• 3 (25/8) – Social Media in the Workplace• 4 (28/8) – IT Outsourcing and Risk

Management• 5 (1/9) – Knowledge Management &

Sharing• 6 (5/9) – Enterprise Resource Planning• 7 (8/9) – IS Strategy & Planning• 8 (12/9) – CSR & Green IT + Revision• Exam (15/9) • Coursework Due (18/9)

Seminar Materials

• Seminar Notes are available on the web at: – http://www.is.cityu.edu.hk/staff/isrobert/

fb5003.htm

• These notes are not comprehensive, i.e. if you come to class, you will hear, see and do many things that are not visible in the notes.

• So please do come to class. On time if possible, but late is better than never.

Coursework

• Since time is short, you will need to start work on coursework planning immediately

• The coursework details are in a file on the course website

• The final deadline for coursework is Sept 18th.

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