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    Read more about Information Systems for Business and Beyond

    Information Systems for Business and Beyond

    (19 reviews)

    David T. Bourgeois, Biola University

    James L. Smith

    Shouhong Wang

    Joseph Mortati

    Copyright Year:

    Last Update: 2019

    Publisher: Saylor Foundation

    Language: English

    Formats Available

    Conditions of Use

    Attribution-NonCommercial Attribution-NonCommercial
    CC BY-NC

    Reviews

    Learn more about reviews.

    Reviewed by Gregg Tennefoss, Department Chair, IT, Tidewater Community College on 4/20/24

    Due to not being edited for 11 years the book is out of date. It would take a strong effort to bring it up to date and would need update minimally every 3 years. read more

    Reviewed by Xuan Wang, Assistant Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 11/30/22

    This book has mentioned many topics in the field of information systems, the topics have spread a wide range of helping beginners to understand information systems and the components of information systems. Additionally, there are many changes... read more

    Reviewed by Naga Vemprala, Assistant Professor, University of Portland on 8/15/22

    The book goes into great detail on a broad range of topics including software, hardware, databases, the cloud, the internet, networking, and the most recent developments in information systems. As a result, both undergraduate and graduate courses... read more

    Reviewed by Tracy Christofero, Professor, Marshall University on 11/30/21

    This entry-level information systems textbook touches on relevant topics for non-technical undergraduate business students. The chapter learning objectives, sidebars, summaries, study questions, and exercises are especially appreciated whether... read more

    Reviewed by Judith Shea, Adjunct Instructor, Massachusetts Bay Community College on 6/23/21

    This text contained a variety of topics that are very useful in a computer literacy course. More information on using the Internet and Web resources would cover the topics that are being used in my current courses. Additional information on... read more

    Reviewed by Barbara Smith, Associate Professor, Raritan Valley Community College on 4/13/20

    This text covers a broad introductory view of management information systems relevant to business majors. This text covers the basics found in other texts used but keeps to a high level view that works for an introductory audience that does not... read more

    Reviewed by Leonard Diliberto, Professor, Raritan Valley Community College on 4/1/20

    The textbook is written at an introductory level which covers many basic and standard topics associated in information systems in the business space. The chapters are short, well organized, and clearly targeted for a student seeking to gain a... read more

    Reviewed by Amita Chin, Associate Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University on 3/12/20

    Topics are not covered in great depth, however, this is acceptable since this textbook is geared to an introductory MIS course. The book lacks an index and a glossary. read more

    Reviewed by Michael Magro, Associate Professor, Shenandoah University on 7/11/19

    Cons: Coverage of E-Commerce is a bit light, consisting of a few mentions and a definition. Not much emphasis on categorizing/classifying information systems. DSS and ERP are mentioned, but not knowledge systems or expert systems or transaction... read more

    Reviewed by Ted Beers, Faculty Instructor at Western Oregon University, Open Oregon Educational Resources on 4/9/19

    Part 1 covers Information Systems (IS) broadly, touching on all the major aspects. Part 2 gets more into IS practices. Part 3 tackles the changing landscape of IS while re-emphasizing the timeless importance of certain principles such as ethics... read more

    Reviewed by Roger Finnegan, Community Faculty, Metropolitan State University on 11/28/18

    The textbook does cover the basic aspects of MIS that the commercial textbooks cover. Subjects such as hardware, software, databases, security, ethics and etc. One strength or weakness depending on your point of view is that the chapters are... read more

    Reviewed by Barbara Warner, Instructor and MS BAIS Admissions Director and Graduate Advisor, University of South Florida on 3/27/18

    The text covers many standard topics of information technology. The chapters were well organized with a clear table of contents but no index of terms, topics. read more

    Reviewed by Joseph Mortati, Executive-in-Residence, American University, Kogod School of Business on 2/1/18

    The book is a comprehensive primer on Information Systems. It covers a range of essential technical topics including software, hardware, databases, networking, and security as well as business topics including people, processes, competitive... read more

    Reviewed by Simon Jin, Assistant Professor, Metropolitan State University on 6/20/17

    Considering this is a textbook for introductory class for Information Systems, this book well addressed all the necessary basics required for new learners of IS/MIS/CIS. It starts with an effort of understanding the information systems by... read more

    Reviewed by Efrem Mallach, Adjunct Faculty, Rhode Island College on 4/11/17

    The book's comprehensiveness is variable, presumably reflecting the interests of its author. I find that a plus in many ways. I like a book that reflects its author's personality and preferences, rather than being designed by a committee of... read more

    Reviewed by Ross Lamberth, School of Business Administration Instructor, Portland State University on 2/15/17

    This text does an excellent job of covering the broad range of topics essential to a beginning class in Information Systems. Ranging from concrete topics like Hardware, Software, Data, and Networking to softer topics like Business Processes,... read more

    Reviewed by Patricia Elliott, Adjunct Faculty, Reynolds Community College, Richmond, VA. on 2/8/17

    This textbook covers all areas of basic information technology including a very comprehensive history of technology and its evolution. In some cases it goes beyond standard information such as an explanation of the different types of writing... read more

    Reviewed by Diane Miller, Instructor, Colorado State University on 12/5/16

    This book is great for a beginning class for Computer Information Systems. Each chapter hits the highlights of that area, explains it in very concrete understandable manner. It is organized in a way that allows me to set up my class in a similar... read more

    Reviewed by Henry Danielson, Lecturer, California Polytechnic State University on 7/15/14

    The textbook was executed with current knowledge and well versed. Since this is a introductory textbook the novice will gain many facets and learn about many topics. I was impressed with the learning objectives and the exercises. The in depth... read more

    Table of Contents

    Part 1: What Is an Information System?

    • Chapter 1: What Is an Information System?
    • Chapter 2: Hardware
    • Chapter 3: Software
    • Chapter 4: Data and Databases
    • Chapter 5: Networking and Communication
    • Chapter 6: Information Systems Security

    Part 2: Information Systems for Strategic Advantage

    • Chapter 7: Does IT Matter?
    • Chapter 8: Business Processes
    • Chapter 9: The People in Information Systems
    • Chapter 10: Information Systems Development
    • Chapter 11: Globalization and the Digital Divide
    • Chapter 12: The Ethical and Legal Implications of Information Systems
    • Chapter 13: Future Trends in Information Systems

    Ancillary Material

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    About the Book

    This book is written as an introductory text, meant for those with little or no experience with computers or information systems. While sometimes the descriptions can get a little bit technical, every effort has been made to convey the information essential to understanding a topic while not getting bogged down in detailed terminology or esoteric discussions.

    Information Systems for Business and Beyond was written by Dr. David Bourgeois and originally published in 2014 as part of the Open Textbook Challenge at the Saylor Foundation. Since then, it has been accessed thousands of time and used in many courses worldwide. This 2019 update to the textbook brings it up to date and adds many new topics. True to its open textbook roots, many of the updates have come from the community of instructors and practitioners who are passionate about information systems.

    Please note that the XML and MS Word links go to an earlier version.

    About the Contributors

    Authors

    David T. Bourgeois worked as an information technology professional for 15 years for companies such as Southern California Edison and Texas Instruments before coming to Biola in 2002 to lead the information systems program. He received his master's degree in management science from Cal State Fullerton in 1994 and his doctorate degree in information systems and technology from Claremont Graduate University in 2006. Bourgeois currently serves as the undergraduate department chair and as the director of innovation with a focus on ensuring that all undergraduates are fully skilled in the digital technologies they need in their business careers.

    James L. Smith

    Shouhong Wang

    Joseph Mortati

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