What is an Information System?
The following is an excerpt from the Wikipedia-entry for "information systems", accessed 2007.07.01.
An information system, by definition, is the system that governs the information technology development, use, application and influence on a business or corporation . An information system, following a definition of Langefors (1973), is a technologically implemented medium for recording, storing, and disseminating linguistic expressions, as well as for drawing conclusions from such expressions. Information systems are also social systems whose behaviour is heavily influenced by the goals, values and beliefs of individuals and groups, as well as the performance of the technology (Angell and Smithson 1991). Ciborra (2002) defines the study of information systems as the study that “deals with the deployment of information technology in organizations, institutions, and society at large.” (Ciborra 2002)
- In information systems, an information system consists of three components: human, technology, organisation. In this view, information is defined in terms of the three levels of semiotics. Data which can be automatically processed by the application system corresponds to the syntax-level. In the context of an individual who interprets the data they become information, which correspond to the semantic-level. Information becomes knowledge when an individual knows (understands) and evaluates the information (e.g., for a specific task). This corresponds to the pragmatic-level.
- In general systems theory, an information system is a system, automated or manual, that comprises people, machines, and/or methods organized to collect, process, transmit, and disseminate data that represent user information.
References
- Langefors B. (1973). Theoretical Analysis of Information Systems
- Angell, I.O. and Smithson S. (1991). Information Systems Management: Opportunities and Risks
- Ciborra, C. (2002). Labyrinths of Information, Oxford, Oxford University Press
- Rockart et. Al (1996). Eight imperatives for the new IT organization Sloan Management review.