Information Systems
Information Systems (IS) is concerned with the information that computer systems can
provide to aid a company, non-profit or governmental organization in defining and achieving its
goals. It is also concerned with the processes that an enterprise can implement and improve using
information technology. IS professionals must understand both technical and organizational factors ,
5 and must be able to help an organization determine how information and technology-enabled
business processes can provide a foundation for superior organizational performance. They serve as
a bridge between the technical and management communities within an organization.
What information does the enterprise need? How is that information generated? Is it
delivered to the people who need it? Is it presented to them in ways that permit them to use it readily?
10 Is the organization structured to be able to use technology effectively? Are the business processes of
the organization well designed? Do they use the opportunities created by information technology
fully? Does the organization use the communication and collaboration capabilities of information
technologies appropriately? Is the organization capable of adapting quickly enough to changing
external circumstances? These are the important issues that businesses rely on IS people to
15 address.
A majority of IS programs are located in business schools; however, they may have
different names such as management information systems, computer information systems, or
business information systems. All IS degrees combine business and computing topics, but the
emphasis between technical and organizational issues varies among programs. For example,
20 programs differ substantially in the amount of programming required.
Traditionally, many graduates of IS programs have functioned in roles that are similar to
the roles for which IT programs explicitly prepare their students. Information systems graduates
continue to fill these roles, but the new programs in information technology offer an alternative path
to these positions.
INFORMATION Systems. Disponível em: . Acesso em: 03 jan. 2011.
In the sentence “IS professionals must understand both technical and organizational factors" (linha 4), one can say that the modal verb