How Information Systems Has Changed the Way We Collaborate and Work - Coursework Example

HOW INFORMATION SYSTEMS HAS CHANGED THE WAY WE COLLABORATE AND WORK College Introduction This question intends to identify the various ways in which information systems has influenced people in the workplace. It especially needs a critical examination of business transactions years before the introduction of information systems and after their introduction into the business cycle. This topic is very significant in identifying the various roles that information systems have played in ensuring that the daily business is a success. This therefore gives the reader an opportunity to appreciate the roles that information systems play in the workplace. This essay will look at some of the positive influence of information systems into the workplace and how significant they have been. In addition, various challenges of information system is also tackled and a clear solution on how to deals with these challenges are given. Some of the key points that would be presented include; how IT has influenced productivity, error management, how the information system have changed the speed in which business transactions are done, and how information systems have aided knowledge management. Body Decision making is a very crucial part of any company. Before the introduction of information systems, decision making was done by individuals who were dependent on their personal education and experience to make some important decisions. However, with the introduction of information systems, the system can learn trends and aid in decision making. This it does by looking at the trend and history of a particular event before coming up with the most effective decision to be used by the company. This has therefore reduced the workload especially for the top management. It has also minimised the chances of making wrong decisions since the systems are able to make choices that are well calculated. Businesses have improved in speed ever since the invention of information system into the workplace. The adoption of personal computers as well as the internet has really accelerated the way things are done in the business world. Memos and telephone calls have been replaced by emails which are much faster than the letters that used to be sent and could take months to arrive. With smart phones coming up all the way, it is possible to connect an entire business network by the use of just a single Smartphone. This allows business people to respond quickly to any reaction that may be felt in the business. Various business applications have also been invented and as a result, monitoring the business has been made to be faster and more efficient compared to the days when larger had to be balanced manually without the use of any computation aid (Anandaraj, 2002). Error minimisation has also been achieved. With computers, it is very easy to minimise errors that we make in the office with the only error available being the human errors. With minimized errors, it is possible for a company to be able to work efficiently and reduce the time spent in error correction. For example, years ago banks records were kept in large books. A person depositing money to a bank would have to give the money to the cashier who had to calculate the total money collected by the end of the day. Instances of error were high especially during the summation of all the daily sales. However, after the introduction of information systems, error minimization has been developed and cases losses due to error are reduced (Ecom, 2005). Information systems have changed the way goods are produced. In past years, most goods were hand produced. For example, automobiles were made by the human hand and then recombined together. However, with the introduction of these services, the world has changed a lot. Today, most industrial production of goods is done by machines which are controlled by the use of information systems. These machines are computerized and therefore provide perfect goods that are useful to human beings. The computation of most things has also helped in the production of top quality goods. It is obvious that machines produce perfect goods as compared to human beings. For example, a handwritten document cannot be compared with a computer generated document however neat one maybe (Salzman, 2004). This clearly shows that humans have produced machines that are far much better than them in most ways. Information systems have therefore played a major role in the quality of goods and services that are delivered to the public (Hilty, 2005). Information systems have improved the manner in which employees are dedicated to their work. With current information system, it is possible to monitor employee’s progress and to know which employees have the lowest performance criteria. The employer can do this at the comfort of his office or at home. This makes it easier for the employer to single out non performing employees and to warn them. At the same time, since the employees know that they are being monitored, they will put in more efforts so as to get more favors from the employer. With the introduction of information into our world, the market has been flattened. The use of IT has enable jobs to be done everywhere without barriers of distance or time. For example, it is possible for a Chinese employee to work for an American employer living in the US while the employee lives in Asia. This they do with the use of a computer and the internet (Emos, 2005). The internet has therefore minimised removed the distance barrier in the workplace and as a result, expertise advice can be received over the internet at absolutely no cost. With the invention of various search engines such as Google and yahoo, searching for information has been improved a lot and one can easily look for an online solution to any problem that they may face at any time. For example, a manager at work can easily search for an online accounting software and use it to work on his financial statement. In the period before the invention of information system, knowledge of accounting would have been required to perform such an important task. Information system has therefore brought easier solutions close to the user. Cloud computing is one part of the information systems that has changed our world and made the workplace a global place where one can meet and interact with other virtual people and get important ideas from them. This has enabled people to form far collaborations over the virtual world. With the invention of the internet, people from different places and with different educational backgrounds can come and share knowledge with each other without causing any problem. This has greatly influenced many businesses to prosper as people come in with various ideas on how to prosper and make the business better. Cloud computing has also reduced the supervision time of any business. A manager sited in an office in his home or using his Smartphone anywhere in the world can be able to monitor the sales of his business without any problem. This is because the sales are sent to the system immediately they are made. This is far much ahead of situations in the past before information system was invented. People had to do calculations manually to determine the sales that had been made and in most cases, it was much easier for errors to be made or employees to play with the sales and hence pocket some cash. This has therefore forced the virtue of honesty into people as no one can dare steal from the systems which record every cent made (Hoffman, 2011). Managing employee record has also been influenced by the use of information systems. For example, each employee has a record of their financial statements, as well as their contacts. With the introduction of database systems, it is possible to store all the information regarding the employee in a database set and use it when appropriate. For example a manager who wants to send payments to the employees can do that by the click of the finger. He can send all the payments at once without any trouble. This is unlike in the past where a list had to be made, taken manually to the bank and the bank had to release the money after going through all the financial statements of the company manually. Data security has been maximised by the use of computer systems. With logging in details, it is very difficult for an unauthorised person to access valuable information that they are not supposed to have. This ensures that both company and employee information remains secure and only available to authorised personnel (Laudon, 2002). For example, personal information of an employee such as the financial records is always confidential. Anyone having this kind of information has to be one of the managers who are responsible for this kind of information. If any other party gets this information, it would not be a good idea. Before introducing information systems into the work environment, the information were not so secure. It was easier for one person to get into the book and get the information and walk away unlike with the use of information systems where you have to have a username and a password. The data can also avoid destructions such as fire and water destruction. This is because of the availability of backup services that enables the data to be stores in various places thus preventing the loss of data. Information systems have also brought with them negative effects in the work place. The introduction of information systems into the workplace has a cost. The number of jobs that people have lost is countless. Even though this system has helped reduce the production cost for the company especially due to the less number of employees needed, to the government, this is a disaster as several people would be left without jobs. Therefore, a strict plan needs to be brought in so as to enable the smooth incorporation of these essential tools in the workplace without causing a problem to the economy of the country. Instances of employees poking into personal information’s that they should not access is on the rise. This has greatly affected the work environment (D’Arcy, 2007). Computer hackers have also been able to steal money and other valuable information from various companies through cyber hacking. Employees are therefore advised to always look at the use of information systems positively and avoid the negative use of information systems. The other major disadvantages that these systems have brought in the organization are the constant need to monitor the systems and look for the most up to date systems. This has caused most companies a lot of money as they have to hire experts in the IT field to do this for them. This is unlike in the past when no personnel was hire to monitor the system and the manual system did not need to be updated since it was not there in the first place. However, these systems have brought with them higher advantages than disadvantages and have greatly influenced the workplace (Salzmann, 2004). Conclusion In conclusion, the introduction of information system to the work environment has greatly influenced the way that workers do things. Even though there are some few disadvantages such as job loss to workers and resistance from people who do not believe in change, the advantages are far much higher. With these systems in place, various businesses are booming and doing better than they were doing when everything was manual. However, as members of an organization, it is encouraged that people should maintain high levels of integrity which is vital to the changing technology. This is because as technology changes, there are some few individuals who aim at using it in the wrong way to exploit innocent people. Bibliography HOFFMAN, N. (2011). Schooling in the workplace: how six of the worlds best vocational education systems prepare young people for jobs and life. Cambridge, Mass, Harvard Education Press. STRINGER, L. (2009). The green workplace: sustainable strategies that benefit employees, the environment, and the bottom line. New York, Palgrave Macmillan. HILTY, L. M., SEIFERT, E. K., & TREIBERT, R. (2005). Information systems for sustainable development. Hershey, PA, Idea Group Pub. ANANDARAJAN, M., & SIMMERS, C. (2002). Managing web usage in the workplace a social, ethical, and legal perspective. Hershey, PA, Idea Group Pub.. EOM, S. B. (2005). Inter-organizational information systems in the internet age. Hershey PA, Idea Group Pub. SALZMAN, H., & ROSENTHAL, S. R. (2004). Software by design: shaping technology and the workplace. New York, Oxford University Press. DARCY, J. P. (2007). The misuse of information systems the impact of security countermeasures. New York, LFB Scholarly Pub. LAUDON, K. C., & LAUDON, J. P. (2002). Management information systems: managing the digital firm. Upper Saddle River, N.J., Prentice Hall. Read More