Information Technology - Essay Example

?Running head: Information Technology Information Technology Case Study Business Information Technology Table of Contents Case Study Business Information Technology 1 1.Introduction 3 Introduction 1 Section 1: Principle of ERP 3 Section 2: Principle of Scientific Management & Information Systems……………...6 Conclusions 8 References………………………………………………………………………………...9 1. Introduction Information Technology [IT] has changed the face of businesses all over the globe. No longer are businesses and their management pondering over heaps of paper to get a piece of information. IT has brought about changes galore where the principal areas are access to structured information in the form of data which has facilitated business managers to take stock of the actual situation and take important business decisions. The hierarchy based information flow does not allow confidential information to pass down the ladder but at the same time gives transparency to key business segments. The essay will be discussing these key areas that Information Technology has opened and then critically analyze the finer points which make IT and the IT based organization to be more organized, structured and motivated for the common good of the business, work culture and the industry in particular. Keeping in mind these key areas, the essay will be taking into account two important principles based on which an IT based infrastructure of an organization and its effect on power and knowledge base will be discussed. These principles are Scientific Management and Information Systems and Enterprise Resource Planning. Based on these two principles, a business can structure their IT requirements, do the budgeting, equip their IT staff and analyze the benefits the company will have through IT development and deployment. 2. Section 1: Power/Knowledge interplay that Information Technology opens up and then critically analyze how this is manifested in IT-led organizational initiatives – Principle of ERP Information Technology opens up a vast sea of structured and organized knowledge and information for an organization where the key people in a business are well equipped to take business decisions based on it. This leads to a powerful interplay of power and knowledge which transforms into a business opportunity where the people in power have the strength of knowledge from within the organization. Based on the knowledge with regular data being streamed in for every stage of business operations, the key business managers are well informed and updated to take key business decisions. “In the development of ERP, knowledge is a critical part of the management of organizational asset. Knowledge has often been seen as a necessary resource of which provides the organization with its competitive advantage.” (Pathak, 2005). The principle of Enterprise Resource Planning is one of the important components based on which an organization structures its various departments into modules and correlates their respective functions through IT. ERP of an organization is a huge leap forward towards automization within all departments of the enterprise. It facilitates all the key areas of the enterprise and works in a structured manner where the various ERP modules can talk to each other, share vital information in the form of data, work real time and the effect can be seen instantly in the other department control panel screen. All these functionalities reduce considerable time which in turn scales up the productivity of the existing manpower. The result is the acquiring of structured data within all scales of the organization which gives valuable insight and much required knowledge for the higher management to streamline their business activities and take key business decisions. “These organization’s aim is to integrate its global operations through the use of the ERP software. However these implementations objectives are often found to be difficult and complicated.” (Pathak,2005). Pathak has correctly pointed out that the implementation of ERP software is in itself a huge process and can be very complicated if not planned and executed properly. Knowledge is the key to success and this knowledge can be gathered in a large organization only through proper planning, structuring manpower and opening up Information Technology gates so that the business process can be streamlined and all levels of the organization can do their part by entering relevant information in their respective IT panels which facilitates the entire process of business management. If IT was not there everything were scattered with key business people fighting to get relevant data, figures and information about company position, key business areas and daily activities which would have enabled them to take key business decisions in quick time. IT through key areas of expertise like the ERP have changed the face of business organizations where they are able to take control of the situation through data and knowledge information which gives key business managers more power and ammunition to manage their business and take it to the next level. The efficiency level of the entire enterprise multiplies manifold where they have more time, energy and the drive to concentrate on important business matters rather than collecting data, putting it into files and sending them across hierarchical lines. “This paper confirms the evidence of diversity in information systems (IS) research and identifies the ways in which diversity both threatens and advances the field of IS. While advocating diversity within the field of IS, the paper also discusses the responsibilities that must be assumed by IS researchers.” (Robey, 2011). It is important to mention the above mentioned aspect of IT-led organizational initiatives where the author Daniel Robey has suggested the basic but extremely vital point where the IT implementing team need to be very cautious and plan their execution in such a manner that responsibilities are assigned to all members of the team. Assigning roles and responsibilities is a must in structuring the IT drive where planning, budgeting, requirement specifications, pilot project, prototyping, database design, coding, implementation and training are all vital components in the lead to Information System design and deployment. If these responsibilities are not assigned there is a huge threat as the entire business process will depend on the IT initiative. There are no specific reason to success in IT systems; rather it is a group effort which is dependent on many factors. “To organize this diverse research, as well as to present a more integrated view of the concept of I/S success, a comprehensive taxonomy is introduced. This taxonomy posits six major dimensions or categories of I/S success—SYSTEM QUALITY, INFORMATION QUALITY, USE, USER SATISFACTION, INDIVIDUAL IMPACT, and ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT.” (DeLone, McLean, 2011). To achieve the larger goal of implementing an IT solution, the organization needs to focus on multiple factors for the success of IT. McLean has pointed out the six categories out of which System Quality and Information Quality is of paramount importance where the IT system needs to deliver world standard quality which in turn would transform into Information quality. If the data acquired means quality information to the key business managers which can only be possible through a quality system, it means that the IT drive is a successful one. User Acceptability is another important segment where the users across the organization need to be comfortable. The IT system needs to be user friendly. Similarly the individual impact and the organizational impact is also related as it changes the way an individual goes about their daily business process and in this process the entire organizational impact is there. ERP has changed the way businesses were done before. Though it is an extremely lengthy process with years of IT planning, manpower allocation, system study, prototyping and programming going into the IT drive, the dividend is far greater than the pains taken for it. The entire team of knowledge workers from the planning level to the execution level has a good mixture of power and knowledge interplay. To design and develop an ERP, a lot of interaction is required amongst the various hierarchies of power and knowledge sharing. It is also a big boost for the IT led organization to take into confidence, the staff from all disciplines to provide their input to give them a sense of nurturing their own baby. This leads to self motivation on the part of the employees which adds a lot to their commitment towards the company. 3. Section 2: Power/Knowledge interplay that Information Technology opens up and then critically analyze how this is manifested in IT-led organizational initiatives – Principle of Scientific management & Information Systems “Scientific knowledge is, therefore, but one element of the forms of knowledge which are assembled within the technology process. At least as important is knowledge of the social process in which the technology is used.” (Scarbrough, Corbett, 1992). Scientific logic and management is inbuilt in the process of Information technology process where the business process needs to be scientifically managed to produce information systems which are unique to every business. All businesses have their own nuances and good information systems knowledge goes leaps and bounds in the streamlining and strengthening of the business process. A disoriented and haphazard business is never desired and that is the reason why businesses employ business managers to strengthen their business management activity to streamline their work flow for an organized and a better tomorrow. The crux of all business is data, which if left unstructured means nothing to the key business people but if structured and streamlined properly can unearth knowledge which is the most powerful commodity in the business world. The principle of scientific management & information systems lays emphasis on this very base of business management whose doors are opened by Information Technology. Scientific management & information systems are the key areas driving information technology which forms the nucleus of the planning and implementation of IT in an organization. The planning process needs to be scientifically managed with various teams formed and the flow of information determined. Software requirement specification assumes much importance for which information systems is a necessity. The software team compiles the entire requirement by getting the basic information system and the day to day working of the departments, getting to know the obstacles they face while working which requires automation instead of manual error prone work. Information systems from within the organization is a must and scientifically managed principle sees to it that everything is meticulously planned so that there is an optimum utilization of manpower resource, time and cost. “If management were a science, managers could make decisions using systematic, predetermined programs and procedures. But this is not the case. Managers need to make hundred of judgment calls per day.”(Schultheis, 1999). Critics do believe that every aspect of business driven through information technology would still not be enough as they require the judgmental decisions of the managers as well which cannot be feeded in the system. It is a very important point as this stresses the need of the IT support in the organization. If the organization has the IT support, then the managers are better equipped to take judgment calls whose precision will always be higher than before. This is simply due to the fact that there is more knowledge available. There is a direct proportionate relationship between power and knowledge as more the information and knowledge is provided to the business managers, they get all the more equipped and powerful to understand the business situations, make realistic projections based on the data in hand and can think ahead of time. In any business, if the managers are well served with data through information systems, they can use the ammunition to do justice to their intelligence and dynamic business skills by having an edge over the rest of their business competitors and get a huge success in business. So it boils down to how scientifically managed is the information technology drive within an organization. Setting of realistic goals, proper planning, budgeting, database administration, structured coding, user acceptance testing at all levels and most importantly the training of manpower for deployment of the information technology are extremely important steps for implementing IT in an organization. It is not a limited time period work but take years to carry out an organization’s IT drive and requires a scientifically managed mode of managing the entire show. Conclusion It can be concluded from this essay that power and knowledge interplay are opened up by Information technology. This leads to a vast accumulation of structured data which flows as information across organizational structures and hierarchies. The discussion had ranged from the planning to the implementation and training stage of IT where two principles were stressed upon. The principle of ERP and the principle of Scientific Management & Information Systems were discussed. In a critical analysis angle the various factors leading to a successful ERP were discussed where the various departments in the organization needed to interact in a common platform so that they can share knowledge and information amongst themselves and to automate their daily business affairs. The business managers needs to analyze what outputs they require and based on that the system needs to be structured. The principle of scientific management & Information systems was based on the logic it provides for the implementation of the IT drive in an organization. The organization needs to take all the factors into account, determine their usability and plan their entire IT operations in the most scientific manner. Scientific management & IS provided the pillar on which the planning and the IT logic can be set up for future implementation of IT in the organization. The key business managers need to assess and analyze the vast amount of structured data flow in the form of information which is essential for the entire business. It was also discussed that based on this vast pool of information, the business managers have more power and ammunition where they can take key business decisions and strategies and fulfill their vision of reaching their organization to the zenith. References Schultheis,R & Sumner,M.1999, Management Information Systems – The Manager’s View, Fourth Edition, Tata Mcgraw Hill Scarbrough,H & Corbett,M,J.1992, Technology & Organization – Power, meaning and design,Routledge Delone,H,W & McLean,R,E, Informs Online, 2011, Information System Success: The Quest for the Dependent Variable available from http://infosys.highwire.org/content/3/1/60.short Robey,D, Informs Online, 2011, Research Commentary: Diversity in Information Systems Research: Threat, Promise and Responsibility available from http://isr.journal.informs.org/content/7/4/400.short Pathak,J.2005, Information Technology Auditing: an evolving agenda, Springer Read More