2. Comment on the Relationship of IS and the organization
First, we will define what is IS and the organization? According to Wikipedia, Information systems are implemented within an organization for the purpose of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of that organization. Capabilities of the information system and characteristics of the organization, its work systems, its people, and its development and implementation methodologies together determine the extent to which that purpose is achieved while the Organization is a stable, formal, social structure that takes resources from the environment and processes them to produce outputs. Capital and labor are primary production factors provided by the environment. The organization transforms these inputs into products and services return for supply inputs. An organization is more stable than an informal group in terms of longevity and routineness. Organizations are also social structures, because they are a collection of social elements, much as a machine has a structure—a particular arrangement of valves, cams, shafts, and other parts. From this two definition we can see clearly that the relationship of IS and the organization is to work together to achieve the same purpose of improving the system.
Information systems must be aligned with the organization to provide information that important groups within the organization need. On the other hand, the organization must be aware of and open itself to the influences of information systems in order to benefit from new technologies.
Information is the means of support of any organization. Any damaged or lost of data can cost disruptions in several business activities which can lead to financial losses, law suits and any other possible damage that no one can ever imagine. Information System which differs from any other system comprise hardware, software, data, applications, communication and people which is the head that could help the organization to better manage and secure its critical corporate, customer and employee data. It also improves integration and work process.
The way information is managed and being used is very much a product of the culture and the management style of the organization. Any changes in the organizational structures and methods of using human resources, together with the virtually universal implementation of information technology, could have a significant effect on the way information is perceived and used by organizations. Current management thinking puts information and cross-functional access to information at the core of business operations. An adaptive’ corporate culture encourages employees to work at their highest achievement level and is able to absorb change. This kind of culture, which is thought necessary for long-term growth, has characteristics in common with an information culture. Information systems are being implemented to gain competitive advantage: the management of these systems and their content are seen is seen as crucial to their effectiveness; corporate know-how, human resources, and information systems are being identified as hidden assets and are now emerging from hiding.
Therefore (IS) Information system needs the organization and the organization also needs the (IS) Information system to support, unite and achieve the common goal. Whatever decision they may possess may affect to their work.
3.Describe the impact of IS and give your own reflection (300 words)
The information system has been helpful because they can easily control the stocks they are distributing. There is a fair and equal or efficient distribution of the stocks. The production had learned to reuse the excess stocks before they could ask for another one. Before the plant supervisors never have to worry about how much stock they had, they have now because the system works that way. The system needs to know what they are using, how much they use, when they use it so they can tell the warehouse what to give them. Because production supervisors never been used to keeping their stocks and they are finding that sort of thing very difficult for them. With the new system, they can actually look at a transaction and, quite easily, see who’s actually entered it. They can easily trace who is to blame. And know if that person have the authority or not. The information system had help the warehouse to make it a lot easier for them to track down who’s been responsilble for doing something. The MIS have a plan in replacing it a new system because some of them could not actually work with the system. The MIS had the wrong move or process in changing the system because, first they should have looked at the warehouse, then they should have looked at the production and then they should have designed the system, not made changes and then look at production and then look at the warehouse which is what they did. They tackle on problems but there are some undermining of the new system.
I guess the one that fully understands about the system was the warehouse, it was an advantage for them in using the system. the advantage is in the production because the system can only produse what amount or number of stocks they need. They can no longer ask anytime and they are also disciplined to use the stocks more effiecient. they have to reuse and recycle stocks instead of throwing it in the trash.The production have a hard time in understanding and familiariazing about the system. the system had helped the production to be productive in an efficient way.
4. Elaborate all the negative impact of of the IS in the organizations and give your justified suggestions such that they can be reduced or avoid.
· machine response time
· stock accuracy
· inventory balance accuracy
· bad information
· people who are less keyboard able
· dependent on co-workers
· teamworks
· manager problems
The problems that the people working in the system is that the machine response time is very, very slow which makes the people wait for a long period of time which also results to insufficient stock accuracy and low on inventory balance accuracy. The system also doesn’t give the precise information so the people are having a hard time second guessing the right information
Another problem that the company is facing is that not all workers there are keyboard able, which is a very big disadvantage in the system, because it will take a lot of time in the keyboard if the people that are working are slow in using their keyboard which leads to depending on their co-workers, this will give a big problem because their co-workers has their own task but they would be distracted by the workers who are depending on them.
Teamwork is important in the system because they need all the help that they can get from the people that are working on the system, but what they have now are workers that are dependent. Some of the people are not performing well on their tasks because they cannot see any improvement on the system that they are working. The managers are also partly responsible for this situation. They should be responsible enough to manage the system, but what they are doing is discouraging the workers by not appreicating the importance of transaction accuracy and timely transactions.
What the Information System should do is to improve it’s system for it to be more accurate, train the people who are not worthy enough to work with the system, construct a group of people to work together for them to be able to form a teamwork and focus on the priority, which is producion.
5.
Give your reflection on the ethical issues relating to the given IS planning and implementation. (at least 300 words)
The given IS planning and implementation has caused some ethical issues in the workplace. The employee in the supervisor and managerial level seems to be not productive. The company has enough training and workshops that might help the employees in achieving the goal of the company but the problem are the employees who didn’t turn up during such important activity.
In an Inventory System, employees must be precise in their work in order to achieve the aim of the company. The ethical issues in the Inventory Management occurs when the employees don’t understand on what they were doing, as a result, transactions went wrong. They also don’t know whether it is an error or a glitch. After two days, they start pinpointing at themselves why there isn’t an existing transaction happens.
To deal with the ethical issues, the company must required a series of trainings about the work, equipments to be used and how to operate them, ethical behaviors at workplace, at people, and at the company.
The best way to implement and enforce ethical and social responsibilities in the IT environment is to educate IT professionals and also non IT Professionals. When you are a non IT Professional, you must have a minor knowledge about Information Technology in order not to have a gap between you and your co-worker or the company. When you feel that your work seems to be difficult in terms of the topic, you must consult your manager or somebody you knew that has a greater knowledge in your topic. Don’t just stare at your report hoping that someone render their knowledge about your topic, you must be in the first move in order to diminish pinpointing at others, transaction errors and unethical behaviors at the workplace.
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