信管专业英语第一章精品PPT课件

Unit 1 Management Information SystemTextIntroduction to Management Information SystemWhat Is MIS?The first step in learning how to apply information technology to solve problems is to get a broader picture of what is meant by the term management information system. You probably have some experience with using computers and various software packages. Yet, computers are only one component of a management information system. A management information system (MIS), or computer information system (CIS), consists of five related components: hardware, software, people, procedures, and collections of data. The term information technology (IT) represents the various types of hardware and software used in an information system, including computers and networking equipment. The goal of MIS is to enable managers to make heifer decisions by providing quality information.The physical equipment used in computing is called hardware. The set of instructions that controls the hardware is known as software. In the early days of computers, the people directly involved in MIS tended to be programmers, design analysts, and a few external users. Today, almost everyone in the firm is involved with the information system. Procedures are instructions that help people use the systems. They include items such as user manuals, documentation, and procedures to ensure that backups are made regularly. Data-bases are collections of related data that can be retrieved easily and processed by the computers. As you will see in the cases throughout the book, all of these components are vital to creating an effective information system.So what is information? One way to answer that question is to examine the use of information technology on three levels: (1) data management, (2) information systems, and (3) knowledge bases. Data consists of factual elements (or opinions or comments) that describe some object or event. Data can be thought of as raw numbers or text. Data management systems focus on data collection and providing basic reports. Information represents data that has been processed, organized, and integrated to provide more insight. Information systems are designed to help managers analyze data and make decisions. From a decision maker’s standpoint, the challenge is that you might not know ahead of time which information you need, so it is hard to determine what data you need to collect. Knowledge represents a higher level of understanding, including rules, patterns, and decisions. Knowledge-based systems are built to automatically analyze data, identify patterns, and recommend decisions. Humans are also capable of wisdom, where they put knowledge, experience, and analytical skills to work to create new knowledge and adapt to changing situations. T o date no computer system has attained the properties of wisdom.To create an effective information system, you need to do more than simply purchase the various components. Quality is an important issue in business today, particularly as itrelates to information systems. The quality of an information system is measured by its ability to provide exactly the information needed by managers in a timely manner. The information must be accurate and up-to-date. Users should be able to receive the information in a variety of formats: tables of data, graphs, summary statistics, or even pictures or sound. Users have different perspectives and different requirements, and a good information system must have the flexibility to present information in diverse forms for each user.Why Is Information Technology Important?Personal ProductivityAn enormous amount of data is available to managers—generated internally and externally. It is impossible to deal with this volume of data without information technology. The era of “pure” managers who simply direct other people is gone. Managers today must be capable of performing the tasks within their area of expertise. For example, accounting managers still practice accounting, lawyers handle cases, and financial managers still track investments. In other words, managers do two jobs: perform basic day-to-day functions, as well as plan, organize, and communicate.Firms are increasingly required to improve productivity, which means that each year managers must increase production without increasing the number of workers. Information technology is critical to this improvement process, enabling employees to perform more tasks, getting work done faster at lower cost.Teamwork and CommunicationIt is tempting to believe that once you learn how to use a word processor, a spreadsheet program, and a Web browser, you have all the computer knowledge needed to solve business problems. In fact, these are powerful tools that will help you solve business problems that arise at a personal level. But businesses have many more levels of problems, such as data collection, departmental teamwork, information shared throughout the corporation, and uses of if that help the business gain a competitive advantage.You also need to understand database, groupware, and enterprise tools that give you access to data across the company and help you share it with team members around the world. Most companies are in a continual race to get products and services to customers faster than the competition. Moving communication away from paper to electronic messages and online meetings can significantly reduce the time required to coordinate a group and make decisions—speeding up the overall process.Business Operations and StrategyInformation technology is increasingly critical to the daily operations of a business. Obviously, online businesses cannot live without technology, but neither can the local grocery stores, bank, or many other businesses. Computers process sales, handle payments, and place new orders. They also analyze the sales data and help set prices and predict trends. Information technology is also used to create new products and services or to provide unique features to existing products. These new features can give your company. a strategic advantage and help the company grow.What do managers do?Traditional Management and ObservationsTo create useful information systems, it is helpful to examine the various roles of management. Traditional concepts of management focus on organizing, planning, and control. However, when observed at their jobs, managers appear to spend most of their time in meetings, talking on the phone, reading or preparing reports, discussing projects with their colleagues, explaining procedures, and participating in other activities that are difficult to fit into the traditional framework.Henry Mintzberg, a psychologist who studies management, classifies managerial tasks into three categories: (1) interpersonal, (2) informational, and (3) decisional. Interpersonal roles refer to teaching and leading employees. Informational tasks are based on the transfer of information throughout the organization, such as relaying information to subordinates or summarizing information for executives. Decisions involve evaluating alternatives and choosing directions that benefit the firm.Other researchers have studied managers and developed alternative classifications. Fred Luthans uses three classifications of management activities. He indicates that approximately 50 percent of a manager’s time is spent on traditional management activities (planning, organizing, etc.), 30 percent in formal communications, and 20 percent in informal networking. Formal communications include attending meetings and creating reports and memos. Informal networking consists of contacts with colleagues and workers that tend to be social in nature but often involve discussions regarding business and jobs.Making DecisionsIn many ways managers expend a lot of their effort in making decisions or contributing in- formation so others can make decisions. When you look at courses offered for future man agers you will find a focus on administration, human behavior, quantitative modeling and problem solving, decision theory, and elements of business ethics and globalization. Typically, these courses are designed to help managers solve problems and make decisions. However, if you ask managers how much time they spend making decisions, they are likely to say that they seldom make decisions. That seems like a contradiction. If managers and executives do not make decisions, who does?In many organizations, day-to-day decisions are embodied in the methodology, rules, or philosophy of the company. Managers are encouraged to collect data and follow the decisions that have resulted from experience. In this situation and in many others, the managers are directly involved in the decision process, even though they may not think they are making the final choice.The broader decision process involves collecting data, identifying problems, and making choices. One more step is often involved: persuading others to accept a decision and implement a solution. With this broader definition, many of the tasks performed by managers are actually steps in the decision process. Meetings, phone calls, and discussions with colleagues are used to collect data, identify problems, and persuade others to choose a course of action. Each of these steps may be so gradual that the participants do not think they are actually making decisions.Because of the subtlety of the process and the complexity of the decisions, it is often difficult to determine what information will be needed. Decisions often require creativity.Because data generally need to be collected before problems arise, it is challenging to design information systems to support managers and benefit the organization. One important job of management is to examine the need for information and how it can be used to solve future problems.。

Unit 1 Changes in the Way We LiveText A Mr. Doherty Builds His Dream LifeWords & Expressionsget by:be good enough but not very good; manage to live or do things in a satisfactory way- It is a little bit difficult for the old couple to get by on such a small pension.- 我父母靠很少的钱将就着把日子过了下去。

(=My parents managed to get by on a small amount of money.)- She never works but somehow she gets by.haul: vt.1. transport, as with a truck, cart, etc.- The farmers haul vegetables to the market on a truck every morning.- 救援队把药品和食物运到被淹的村庄。

(=The rescue team hauled medical supplies and food to the flooded villages.)2. pull or drag sth. with effort or force- A crane had to be used to haul the car out of the stream.- Rescue workers hauled passengers out of the crashed train.CF: haul, drag & pull这几个词都是动词，都有“拖”、“拉”、“拽”之意。

Data(数据), Information(信息), Knowledge, and Wisdom(智慧) There is probably(可能) no segment(项) of activity in the world attracting(吸引) as much attention(注意) at present as that of knowledge management(管理). Yet as I entered this arena(领域) of activity I quickly found there didn't seem to be a wealth(丰富) of sources that seemed to make sense in terms of defining(定义) what knowledge actually was, and how was it differentiated(区别) from data, information, and wisdom. What follows is the current level(水平) of understanding I have been able to piece together(拼凑) regarding data, information, knowledge, and wisdom. I figured(认为) to understand one of them I had to understand all of them.According to Russell Ackoff, a systems theorist(理论家) and professor of organizational(组织的) change, the content(内容) of the human mind(意识) can be classified(分类) into five categories(范畴):Data: symbols(符号)Information: data that are processed(处理) to be useful; provides answers to "who", "what", "where", and "when" questionsKnowledge: application(应用) of data and information; answers "how" questionsUnderstanding(理解): appreciation(评价) of "why"Wisdom: evaluated(有价值的) understanding.Ackoff indicates(指出) that the first four categories relate(联系) to the past; they deal(处理) with what has been or what is known. Only the fifth category, wisdom, deals with the future because it incorporates(结合) vision(想象力) and design(设计). With wisdom, people can create the future rather than just grasp(掌握) the present and past. But achieving(达到) wisdom isn't easy; people must move successively through the other categories.A further elaboration(阐述) of Ackoff's definitions(定义) follows:Data... data is raw(未加工的). It simply exists(存在) and has no significance(重要性) beyond its existence (in and of itself). It can exist in any form(形态), usable or not. It does not have meaning(含义) of itself. In computer parlance(用法), a spreadsheet(电子数据表) generally(一般地) starts out by holding(含有) data. Information... information is data that has been given meaning by way of relational(相关的) connection(连接). This "meaning" can be useful, but does not have to be. In computer parlance, a relational database(数据库) makes informationfrom the data stored within it.Knowledge... knowledge is the appropriate(适当的) collection(组) of information, such that it's intent(目的) is to be useful. Knowledge is a deterministic(确定性的) process(过程). When someone "memorizes"(记忆) information (as less-aspiring(消极的) test-bound(被考试束缚的) students often do), then they have amassed(积聚) knowledge. This knowledge has useful meaning to them, but it does not provide for, in and of itself, an integration(整合) such as would infer(推导) further(更多的) knowledge. For example, elementary school(小学) children memorize, or amass knowledge of, the "times table"(乘法表). They can tell you that "2 x 2 = 4" because they have amassed that knowledge (it being included(包含) in the times table). But when asked what is "1267 x 300", they can not respond(回答) correctly because that entry(内容) is not in their times table. To correctly answer such a question requires(需要) a true cognitive(认知的) and analytical(分析的) ability that is only encompassed(包含) in the next level... understanding. In computer parlance, most of the applications(应用) we use (modeling(建模), simulation(模拟), etc.) exercise(使用) some type of stored knowledge.Understanding... understanding is an interpolative(添加的) and probabilistic(或然的) process. It is cognitive and analytical. It is the process by which I can take knowledge and synthesize(合成) new knowledge from the previously(以前) held(持有的) knowledge. The difference between understanding and knowledge is the difference between "learning" and "memorizing". People who have understanding can undertake(担任) useful actions(行动) because they can synthesize new knowledge, or in some cases(情形), at least new information, from what is previously known (and understood). That is, understanding can build upon currently(当前) held information, knowledge and understanding itself. In computer parlance, AI(人工智能) systems possess(拥有) understanding in the sense(意义) that they are able to synthesize new knowledge from previously stored information and knowledge. Wisdom... wisdom is an extrapolative() and non-deterministic(非确定的), non-probabilistic(非或然的) process. It calls(调用) upon all the previous levels of consciousness(意识), and specifically(特别地) upon special types of human programming() (moral(道德的), ethical(伦理的) codes(代码), etc.). It beckons to(示意) give us understanding about which there has previously(以前) been no understanding, and in doing so, goes far beyond understanding itself. It is the essence(本质) of philosophical(哲学的) probing(探索). Unlike the previous four levels, it asks questions to which there is no (easily-achievable) answer, and in some cases, to which there can be no humanly-known answer period(时期). Wisdom is therefore(因此), the process by which we also discern(辨别), or judge(判断), between right and wrong, good and bad. I personally believe that computers do not have, and will never have the ability to posses(拥有) wisdom. Wisdom is a uniquely(独特地) human state, or as I see it, wisdom requires one to have a soul(心灵), for it resides(存在) as much in the heart as in the mind. And a soul is somethingmachines will never possess (or perhaps I should reword(改写) that to say, a soul is something that, in general, will never possess a machine).Personally I contend(主张) that the sequence(序列) is a bit less involved(涉及) than described(描述) by Ackoff. The following diagram(图表) represents(表现) the transitions(变化) from data, to information, to knowledge, and finally to wisdom, and it is understanding that support the transition from each stage(等级) to the next. Understanding is not a separate(独立的) level of its own.Data represents a fact or statement(陈述) of event(事件) without relation to other things.Ex: It is raining.Information embodies(包含) the understanding of a relationship of some sort, possibly cause(原因) and effect(结果).Ex: The temperature(温度) dropped(下降) 15 degrees(度) and then it started raining.Knowledge represents a pattern(模式) that connects and generally(一般地) provides a high level of predictability(预言) as to what is described or what will happen(发生) next.Ex: If the humidity(湿度) is very high and the temperature drops substantially(充分地) the atmospheres(大气) is often unlikely to be able to hold the moisture(湿气) so it rains.Wisdom embodies more of an understanding of fundamental(基本) principles(原理) embodied within the knowledge that are essentially(本质上) the basis for the knowledge being what it is. Wisdom is essentially systemic(系统化的).Ex: It rains because it rains. And this encompasses(包含) an understanding of all the interactions(相互作用) that happen between raining, evaporation(蒸发), air currents(流通), temperature gradients(梯度), changes, and raining.Yet, there is still a question regarding(关于) when is a pattern knowledge and when is it noise(垃圾数据). Consider the following:Abugt dbesbt regtc uatn s uitrzt.ubtxte pstye ysote anet sser extessibxtedstes bet3 ibtes otesb tapbesct ehractsIt is quite likely this sequence represents 100% novelty(新奇), which means it's equivalent(等于) to noise. There is no foundation(基础) for you to connect with the pattern(模式), yet to me the statements are quite meaningful as I understand the translation with reveals(显露) they are in fact Newton's 3 laws of motion. Is something knowledge if you can't understand it?Now consider the following:I have a box.The box is 3' wide, 3' deep, and 6' high.The box is very heavy.The box has a door on the front of it.When I open the box it has food in it.It is colder inside the box than it is outside.You usually find the box in the kitchen(厨房).There is a smaller compartment(分隔) inside the box with ice in it.When you open the door the light comes on.When you move this box you usually find lots of dirt(灰尘) underneath(在...下面) it. Junk(垃圾) has a real habit of collecting on top of this box.What is it?A refrigerator(冰箱). You knew that, right? At some point in the sequence you connected with the pattern and understood it was a description of a refrigerator. From that point on each statement only added confirmation(确认) to your understanding.If you lived in a society that had never seen a refrigerator you might still be scratching(搔) your head as to what the sequence of statements referred(针对) to. Also, realize(认识到) that I could have provided you with the above statements in any order and still at some point the pattern would have connected. When the pattern connected the sequence of statements represented knowledge to you. To me all the statements convey(传达) nothing as they are simply 100% confirmation ofwhat I already knew as I knew what I was describing(描述) even before I started.译文：数据，信息，知识，和智慧目前，世界上可能有不断的活动吸引尽可能多的注意力去关注知识管理。