Paper for class MIS 2100 - Essay Example

MIS 2100 Affiliation The MIS has introduced me to the IT side of business by showing how information technology can be used in business. Specifically, I have three major takeaways from this class. First, I have learnt that information systems are not all about technology, there are other components that must be brought together to make a complete and functional information system. These include data, hardware people, software and procedures. In particular, this class has highlighted the crucial role played by human resources in the proper functioning of information systems.

Having qualified personnel who can utilize information systems is critical to the success and growth of an organization. As a student, I have realized how important it is for me to learn about these systems in order to guarantee success in the future business career. Secondly, prior to taking this class, I simply viewed business systems as tools used in businesses for daily operations. However, after taking this class, I have learnt that information systems are a major source of competitive advantage, especially in the current business environment.

I have learnt that information systems help businesses reduce the cost of doing business, and this ensures that products and services are offered at a lower cost. Through information systems, businesses can be innovative and come up with new products and services that satisfy the needs of the market better and efficiently. Overall, by taking this class, I have learnt not only how to use information systems to carry out daily business activities but also use them to set the business ahead of the rest in the market.

Finally, the MIS 2100 class has enabled me understand the ethical and social issues raised by information systems. By using technology to carry out business activities, organizations expose themselves to a great risk which may affect their operations and their relationship with the society. For instance, information systems pose major challenges on people’s privacy since personal information is exchanged through different computer systems before arriving at the final destination. Through this process, private information may be leaked to unauthorized parties, and this may lead to serious ethical problems.

Through this class, I have learnt how to use such systems responsibly in order to avoid some of these ethical and social challenges. By taking this class, I have leant that although technology is beneficial to the business, it can cause serious problems if not well used. This might comprise the operations of the business. The use of spreadsheet software for data analysis and decision making is one of the key concepts learnt in this class that will be applied in the rest of my career. As a business student, my career will involve using data for a variety of purposes, including understanding the performance of a business, evaluating competition and employee performance among other functions.

Regardless of the type of business, data analysis is an important component of the modern business environment, and therefore I am likely to use this concept for the rest of my career. Many businesses operate with data from a variety of sources, and this make it necessary for such data to be analyzed and interested. For example, the IF function in Excel can be used to create formulas that can be used for a variety of purposes. Such formulas can be used to give specific values that help in understanding the performance of a business and thereby enabling for effective decision making.