INNOVATORS-HOW A GROUP OF HACKERS, GENIUSES, AND GEEKS CREATED THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION—Reading Paper

THE
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INNOVATORS
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ALSO BY WALTER ISAACSON
Steve Jobs American Sketches
Einstein: His Life and Universe A Benjamin Franklin Reader
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life Kissinger: A Biography
The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made (with Evan Thomas) Pro and Con
4
6
First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2014 A CBS COMPANY
Copyright © 2014 by Walter Isaacson
This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. No reproduction without permission.
All rights reserved.
The right of Walter Isaacson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
Simon & Schuster UK Ltd 1st Floor
222 Gray’s Inn Road London WC1X 8HB
www.simonandschuster.co.uk
Simon & Schuster Australia, Sydney Simon & Schuster India, New Delhi
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Excerpts from “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace” from The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster by Richard Brautigan. Copyright © 1968 by Richard Brautigan. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Photo research and editing by Laura Wyss, Wyssphoto, Inc., with the assistance of Elizabeth Seramur, Amy Hikida, and Emily Vinson, and by Jonathan Cox.
Interior design by Ruth Lee-Mui
ISBN: 978-1-47113-879-9 Ebook: 978-1-47113-881-2
The author and publishers have made all reasonable efforts to contact copyright-holders for permission, and apologise for any omissions or errors in the form of credits given. Corrections may be made to future printings.
Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY
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CONTENTS
Illustrated Timeline Introduction
CHAPTER 1
Ada, Countess of Lovelace CHAPTER 2
The Computer CHAPTER 3
Programming CHAPTER 4
The Transistor CHAPTER 5
The Microchip CHAPTER 6
Video Games CHAPTER 7
The Internet CHAPTER 8
The Personal Computer CHAPTER 9
Software CHAPTER 10
Online CHAPTER 11
The Web CHAPTER 12
Ada Forever
Acknowledgments Notes
Photo Credits
8
Index
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THE
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INNOVATORS
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1800
1843
Ada, Countess of Lovelace, publishes “Notes” on Babbage’s Analytical Engine.
1847
George Boole creates a system using algebra for logical reasoning.
1890
The census is tabulated with Herman Hollerith’s punch-card machines.
12
1931
Vannevar Bush devises the Differential Analyzer, an analog electromechanical computer.
1935
Tommy Flowers pioneers use of vacuum tubes as on-off switches in circuits.
1937
13
Alan Turing publishes “On Computable Numbers,” describing a universal computer.
Claude Shannon describes how circuits of switches can perform tasks of Boolean algebra.
Bell Labs’ George Stibitz proposes a calculator using an electric circuit.
14
Howard Aiken proposes construction of large digital computer and discovers parts of Babbage’s Difference Engine at Harvard.
John Vincent Atanasoff puts together concepts for an electronic computer during a long December night’s drive.
1938
William Hewlett and David Packard form company in Palo Alto garage.
1939
Atanasoff finishes model of electronic computer with mechanical storage drums.
15
Turing arrives at Bletchley Park to work on breaking German codes.
1941
Konrad Zuse completes Z3, a fully functional electromechanical programmable digital computer.
16
John Mauchly visits Atanasoff in Iowa, sees computer demonstrated.
1952
1942
Atanasoff completes partly working computer with three hundred vacuum tubes, leaves for Navy.
1943
Colossus, a vacuum-tube computer to break German codes, is completed at Bletchley Park.
1944
17
Harvard Mark I goes into operation.
John von Neumann goes to Penn to work on ENIAC.
1945
Von Neumann writes “First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC” describing a stored-program computer.
18
Six women programmers of ENIAC are sent to Aberdeen for training.
Vannevar Bush publishes “As We May Think,” describing personal computer.
Bush publishes “Science, the Endless Frontier,” proposing government funding of academic and industrial research.
ENIAC is fully operational.
1947
Transistor invented at Bell Labs.
1950
Turing publishes article describing a test for artificial intelligence.
19
1952
Grace Hopper develops first computer compiler.
Von Neumann completes modern computer at the Institute for Advanced Study.
UNIVAC predicts Eisenhower election victory.
1954
1954
Turing commits suicide.
20
Texas Instruments introduces silicon transistor and helps launch Regency radio.
1956
Shockley Semiconductor founded.
First artificial intelligence conference.
1957
21
Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore, and others form Fairchild Semiconductor.
Russia launches Sputnik.
1958
Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) announced.
22
Jack Kilby demonstrates integrated circuit, or microchip.
1959
Noyce and Fairchild colleagues independently invent microchip.
1960
J. C. R. Licklider publishes “Man-Computer Symbiosis.”
23
Paul Baran at RAND devises packet switching.
1961
President Kennedy proposes sending man to the moon.
1962
MIT hackers create Spacewar game.
Licklider becomes founding director of ARPA’s Information Processing Techniques Office.
Doug Engelbart publishes “Augmenting Human Intellect.”
1963
24
Licklider proposes an “Intergalactic Computer Network.”
Engelbart and Bill English invent the mouse.
1972
1964
Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters take bus trip across America.
1965
Ted Nelson publishes first article about “hypertext.”
25
Moore’s Law predicts microchips will double in power each year or so.
1966
Stewart Brand hosts Trips Festival with Ken Kesey.
26
Bob Taylor convinces ARPA chief Charles Herzfeld to fund ARPANET.
Donald Davies coins the term packet switching.
1967
ARPANET design discussions in Ann Arbor and Gatlinburg.
1968
Larry Roberts sends out request for bids to build the ARPANET’s IMPs.
27
Noyce and Moore form Intel, hire Andy Grove.
Brand publishes first Whole Earth Catalog.
28
Engelbart stages the Mother of All Demos with Brand’s help.
1969
First nodes of ARPANET installed.
1971
Don Hoefler begins column for Electronic News called “Silicon Valley USA.”
Demise party for Whole Earth Catalog.
Intel 4004 microprocessor unveiled.
29
Ray Tomlinson invents email.
1972
Nolan Bushnell creates Pong at Atari with Al Alcorn.
1973
1973
30
Alan Kay helps to create the Alto at Xerox PARC.
Ethernet developed by Bob Metcalfe at Xerox PARC.
Community Memory shared terminal set up at Leopold’s Records, Berkeley.
31
Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn complete TCP/IP protocols for the Internet.
1974
Intel 8080 comes out.
1975
Altair personal computer from MITS appears.
32
Paul Allen and Bill Gates write BASIC for Altair, form Microsoft.
First meeting of Homebrew Computer Club.
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak launch the Apple I.
1977
The Apple II is released.
33
1978
First Internet Bulletin Board System.

privacy policy for social media site

Review the privacy policy for your favorite social media site (Facebook, twitter, etc).  Answer the following questions in a narrative format:
1. What information is being collected about you?
2. How is that data being used?
3. Who is the data being shared with?
4. Do you have the ability to manage that data being collected?
After answering these question please describe your reactions.  Were there any surprises that you didn’t expect?  Do you have any legal recourse to protect your privacy in the event of a breach?  Does your research make you want to reconsider using that social network?

“Git” source code control system

In this project, you will learn to use some of the “team” features of your preferred IDE (Eclipse or NetBeans). We will use the “Git” source code control system to allow all members of the class to work on the same project at the same time, and then to merge in your changes. This is a “real-world” way of working on code; few developers work on real projects by themselves. (And even then, version control is often useful and used.)
The project is a very simple one. The source file SayHello.java has a main method you need to edit. Add a statement to main to greet the class by displaying a unique string (so your contribution differs from other students’), which should include your name. (You are free to add additional output if you desire, such as a quote or joke.)
I have created a Git repository you can access from the GitHub.com.  This repository contains the initial version of SayHello.java, a README.mdfile, a .gitignore file, and a bunch of other files needed for a Maven project.  (There are also some Eclipse IDE project files in there, to make importing into Eclipse easier.)  The initial version has a greeting from the instructor you can use as a model for your own additions.  (While it is okay to be a little creative, say by adding a joke or quote, just don’t go overboard and add too much!)  The URL of the repo is shown below, in the step-by-step directions for each IDE.  You can also view the project’s website (generated by Maven from the initial version).
Following the directions below, you will create a GitHub account for yourself, and clone the current repo.  (IDEs generally require a local repo to work with as well.)
You use the Git repo just like any other Java project.  When you are done making a set of changes (for this project you only need to add a single line to main), you must commit your changes.  That updates the local repository from your IDE’s version.  Next, you Push your changes to the class’ GitHub repo.  During this step you may discover another student has committed some changes after you had checked out the project.  If so, you will need to mergeyour changes into the new version.  You can also update your local copy of the project, over-writing your files with the latest ones from the repository, and make your change again.
You can perform other Git related operations with Eclipse or NetBeans.  (Generally, I find the Git interface for NetBeans more intuitive than Eclipse.)  It is expected that students will explore some of these operations.  Eclipse assumes you may have multiple projects per repo, and thus creates a project top-level folder within the top (root) of the repo.  NetBeans doesn’t do that by default, but it is perfectly happy either way, so I set up the GitHub class repo using the Eclipse conventions.
Another issue is that Eclipse doesn’t easily import non-Eclipse projects with existing sources.  It can be done, but it was easier to create the default Eclipse project files and add them to the repo.  They should be ignored by NetBeans, and it shouldn’t be modifiable by Git; the repo was set to ignore changes to those files.
You can read about using these features with your IDE using the built in help system you have learned to use in a previous project.  For more information visit the Git Home, especially the Git book online, and the other resources found on our class web page.
Using either Eclipse or NetBeans (you don’t have to use both, although you can) complete the steps shown below for your IDE to setup a Git project.  Then edit the shared Java program, test it, commit your change(s), and finally, push your changes back to the central repository (merging if necessary).
The first step is to make sure your IDE includes the latest Git plug-ins.  These almost certainly have been installed already, or you may need to add one or more plug-ins for it.  See your IDE’s documentation to see how to add plug-ins.  (You can add some others if you wish, but until you are comfortable with your basic IDE features, I suggest you resist the temptation to install much extra.)  You should also check for IDE updates, and install any found.
There are Windows GUI and command line tools for working with Git and/or GitHub.  They are not IDEs however; you view your repos, create new ones, and with some tools, add files or commit new versions of files.  As the Git plug-ins for Eclipse and NetBeans includes a full version of Git, you don’t need any other tool.  (That is, this step is optional).  Still, it is handy to be able to run various Git commands outside of an IDE, especially when trying to learn.
 
SayHello.java
 
// Git   collaborative COP-2805C (Java II) project.
 
// $Id$
 
package mypkg;
 
/** Class   used for COP-2805C git and GitHub project.
 
*/
 
public class SayHello
 
{
 
/** Displays   greetings for all students.
 
* When done, displays a count of   students who edited this file.
 
* @param args – Unused
 
*/
 
public static void main ( String [] args )
 
{
 
int counter = 0;
 
System.out.println( “Howdy! My name is Wayne Pollock.” );
 
counter++;
 
//   (1) Add your own output below these comments that includes your name.
 
//   (2) Place “counter++;” command after your contribution, to keep   count.
 
//   (3) Keep the existing println statement at the very end.
 
 
System.out.println(“Kevin Mock here, my code is a massive upgrade to this   program! LOL.”);
 
counter++;
 
System.out.println( “Number of   students who edited this file: ”
 
+ counter );
 
}
 
}
README.md file
Notes:

  • All files are initially encoded as UTF-8. This isn’t      the default for some IDEs, so you should change that in the preferences.
  • Line endings of text files are Windows format (CR-LF).      That should be the default in any Windows IDE.

Gitignore file
 
.classpath
 
.project
 
bin
 
build
 
nbproject
 
build.xml
 
manifest.mf
 
target
 
*.class
 
*.jar
Settings
 
eclipse.preferences.version=1
 
encoding//src/main/java=UTF-8
 
encoding//src/test/java=UTF-8
 
encoding/<project>=UTF-8
 
eclipse.preferences.version=1
 
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.codegen.targetPlatform=1.5
 
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.compliance=1.5
 
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.problem.forbiddenReference=warning
 
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.source=1.5
 
activeProfiles=
 
eclipse.preferences.version=1
 
resolveWorkspaceProjects=true
 
version=1
SayHelloTest.java
 
package mypkg;
 
import   static org.junit.Assert.*;
 
import org.junit.Test;
 
/**
 
* Empty test Suite for SayHello program.
 

Issues In Communication

Effective communication throughout a workplace is an essential ingredient to align people’s efforts towards achieving goals. Yet it seems that ‘communication problems’ are continually mentioned as one of the main difficulties for most organisations.
Your boss, the CEO of ABC Company, has asked you to investigate the issues associated with each of the following four workplace communication strategies: 
1. Social media to improve internal and external communication

4D1-9 – Stakeholders And Creating Buy-In For Implementation

Discussion Instructions:
Read Chapter 9 in Program Evaluation and Performance Measurement. Using the example found in question 1 on page 366, address the following in your post:
 
1. Who are the stakeholders and how do you engage stakeholder buy-in? 
2. What are the key challenges, in your role as a consultant, to implementation of a successful performance measurement system?
* You must understand and analyze successful performance measurements.
* Articulate challenges with implementing performance measurement systems with stakeholders.
*Communicate through writing that is concise, balanced, and logically organized.

project plan

This assignment consists of two (2) sections: a business requirements document and a project plan. You must submit both sections as separate files for the completion of this assignment. Label each file name according to the section of the assignment it is written for. Additionally, you may create and / or assume all necessary assumptions needed for the completion of this assignment.
Procuring quality business requirements is an important step toward the design of quality information systems. Completion of a quality requirements document allows user needs and expectations to be captured, so that infrastructure and information systems can be designed properly. Your company, which is a data-collection and analysis company that has been operating less than two (2) years, is seeking to create a repository for collected data beyond standard relational databases. Your ten (10) terabyte data warehouse is expected to grow by 20% each year. You are mindful of data warehousing best practices which will aid you immensely in your requirements gathering effort. Using the requirements document provided in the course shell, you are to speculate on the needs of the company. You must consider current and future requirements; however, assumptions should be realistic and carefully considered.
Section 1: Business Requirements Document

  1. Write a four to six (4-6) page original business requirements document for the project plan using the template provided. Note: The template is provided under the Additional Resources in the Student Center tab of the online course shell.
    • Describe the project including the following:
      • Describe and define the scope of the project.
      • Speculate as to how to control the scope.
      • Identify possible risks, constraints, and assumptions.
      • Describe the relationship and integration between systems and infrastructure. Note: Database and Data Warehousing, Analytics, Interfaces and Cloud Technology, and Infrastructure and Security should be considered.
      • Speculate upon potential outsourcing or offshoring needs.
      • Identify and justify the necessary resources including staffing that are necessary.
      • Define relevant terms that will be used throughout project.
    • Use at least two (2) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

  • Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
  • Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

Section 2: Revised Project Plan
Use Microsoft Project to:

  1. Update the project plan from Project Deliverable 1: Project Plan Inception, with three to five (3-5) new project tasks each consisting of five to ten (5-10) sub-tasks.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

  • Evaluate an organization through the lens of non-IT senior management in deciding how information systems enable core and supportive business processes as well as those that interface with suppliers and customers.
  • Use technology and information resources to research issues in information systems.
  • Write clearly and concisely about strategic issues and practices in the information systems domain using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.

skills of providing Web page content and structure with HTML and Web page style and layout using CSS

Continue to build on the skills of providing Web page content and structure with HTML and Web page style and layout using CSS. Demonstrate the skill of creating a dynamic Web page that includes JavaScript client-side programming. Demonstrate the skill of creating a Web page that delivers audio and/or video content. Design and develop a Web site that includes at least two Web pages that meet the following requirements.
The design of all Web pages in the site must include:
a header at the top of the page,
a horizontal navigation bar below the header,
required content below the navigation bar.
One Web page must include dynamic content created by client-side programming using JavaScript.
JavaScript programming code can be either
embedded in the head element or
included in an external JavaScript file that is linked to the Web page.
You may
write your own JavaScript code or
obtain the JavaScript code from a provider of free code.
Ensure the JavaScript programming code is free of errors that cause it to fail to execute.
Ensure the JavaScript code is called to execute.
Ensure the JavaScript programming code is included in the Web site.
Validate the HTML in the Web page.
One Web page must deliver audio and/or video content.
Deliver the content to older browsers
using the embed element
that falls back to Flash.
Deliver the content to modern browsers
using the video and/or audio elements.
Ensure the content plays in all modern browsers.
Ensure the media files are included in the Web site.
Validate the HTML in the Web page.
Use at least one external CSS file to
provide style, presentation, and layout to the Web pages in the Web site.
Validate the CSS style rules.
Zip (compress) the Visual Studio Web site folder into a .zip file format to submit.

describe the design for a small Web sites

Develop a 5-6 page Word document that describes the design for a small Web site that meets the following specifications.
The Web site includes four or more Web pages designed according to current usability guidelines.
One page must be the Home page.
One page must be a subscription page that allows the user to become a member or subscribe to your organization and performs HTML data validation.
The Web site must incorporate the use of the following:
Images and Audio
At least one table (NOT for page layout)
At least one form
Navigation
Other valid HTML elements
Produce a cohesive site that is easy to navigate.
The Web site must include external CSS used to format and layout each Web page.
Validate the HTML in each Web page.
Validate the CSS style rules in each CSS.
The design document must include details about your design, technologies employed, potential challenges and explanations regarding your validation process. Include a title page.
Add the design document to the Visual Studio Web site folder.
Submit the Word Design document and the Web site into a .zip file.
Please add your file.
You will be graded on the design and functionality of the Web site. You will be graded on the usability of the Web site. You will be graded on the ability to include the required Web pages and the required HTML elements in the Web site. You will be graded on the use of CSS to format and layout Web pages. Points will be deducted for a missing or incomplete site plan. Points will be deducted for missing required Web pages. Points will be deducted for any missing required elements and/or attributes. Points will be deducted for any HTML or CSS validation errors including any missing accessibility requirements

information system fundamentals

chapter 5,6 (Subject name : information system fundamentals)

Information Systems for Business and Beyond
David T. Bourgeois, Ph.D.
Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/courses/bus206 Attributed to: David T. Bourgeois, Ph.D.
saylor.org
Information Systems for Business and Beyond © 2014 David T. Bourgeois, is licensed
under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license made possible by funding from
The Saylor Foundation’s Open Textbook Challenge in order to be incorporated into
Saylor.org’s collection of open courses available at http://www.saylor.org. Full license
terms may be viewed at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode
Contents
1Introduction
Part 1: What Is an Information System? Chapter 1: What Is an Information System?
5David T. Bourgeois
Chapter 2: Hardware 14David T. Bourgeois
Chapter 3: Software 26David T. Bourgeois
Chapter 4: Data and Databases 39David T. Bourgeois
Chapter 5: Networking and Communication 52David T. Bourgeois
Chapter 6: Information Systems Security 64David T. Bourgeois
Part 2: Information Systems for Strategic Advantage Chapter 7: Does IT Matter?
76David T. Bourgeois
Chapter 8: Business Processes 85David T. Bourgeois
Chapter 9: The People in Information Systems 94David T. Bourgeois
Chapter 10: Information Systems Development 104David T. Bourgeois
Part 3: Information Systems Beyond the Organization Chapter 11: Globalization and the Digital Divide
120David T. Bourgeois
Chapter 12: The Ethical and Legal Implications of Information Systems 129David T. Bourgeois
Chapter 13: Future Trends in Information Systems 144David T. Bourgeois
150Answers to Study Questions 162Bibliography
iv Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/courses/bus206 Attributed to: David T. Bourgeois, Ph.D.
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Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/courses/bus206 Attributed to: David T. Bourgeois, Ph.D.
Introduction
Welcome to Information Systems for Business and Beyond. In this book, you will be introduced to the concept of information systems, their use in business, and the larger impact they are having on our world.
Audience
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.
Chapter Outline
The text is organized around thirteen chapters divided into three major parts, as follows:
• Part 1: What Is an Information System? Chapter 1: What Is an Information System? – This chapter provides an overview of information systems, including the history of how we got where we are today. Chapter 2: Hardware – We discuss information systems hardware and how it works. You will look at different computer parts and learn how they interact. Chapter 3: Software – Without software, hardware is useless. In this chapter, we discuss software and the role it plays in an organization. Chapter 4: Data and Databases – This chapter explores how organizations use information systems to turn data into information that can then be used for competitive advantage. Special attention is paid to the role of databases. Chapter 5: Networking and Communication – Today’s computers are expected to also be communication devices. In this chapter we review the history of networking, how the Internet works, and the use of networks in organizations today. Chapter 6: Information Systems Security – We discuss the information security triad of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. We will review different security technologies, and the chapter concludes with a primer on personal information security.
• Part 2: Information Systems for Strategic Advantage Chapter 7: Does IT Matter? – This chapter examines the impact that information systems have on an organization. Can IT give a company a competitive advantage? We will
1Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/courses/bus206 Attributed to: David T. Bourgeois, Ph.D.
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Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/courses/bus206 Attributed to: David T. Bourgeois, Ph.D.
discuss seminal works by Brynjolfsson, Carr, and Porter as they relate to IT and competitive advantage. Chapter 8: Business Processes – Business processes are the essence of what a business does, and information systems play an important role in making them work. This chapter will discuss business process management, business process reengineering, and ERP systems. Chapter 9: The People in Information Systems – This chapter will provide an overview of the different types of people involved in information systems. This includes people who create information systems, those who operate and administer information systems, those who manage information systems, and those who use information systems. Chapter 10: Information Systems Development – How are information systems created? This chapter will review the concept of programming, look at different methods of software development, review website and mobile application development, discuss end- user computing, and look at the “build vs. buy” decision that many companies face.
• Part 3: Information Systems beyond the Organization Chapter 11: Globalization and the Digital Divide – The rapid rise of the Internet has made it easier than ever to do business worldwide. This chapter will look at the impact that the Internet is having on the globalization of business and the issues that firms must face because of it. It will also cover the concept of the digital divide and some of the steps being taken to alleviate it. Chapter 12: The Ethical and Legal Implications of Information Systems – The rapid changes in information and communication technology in the past few decades have brought a broad array of new capabilities and powers to governments, organizations, and individuals alike. This chapter will discuss the effects that these new capabilities have had and the legal and regulatory changes that have been put in place in response. Chapter 13: Future Trends in Information Systems – This final chapter will present an overview of some of the new technologies that are on the horizon. From wearable technology to 3-D printing, this chapter will provide a look forward to what the next few years will bring.
For the Student
Each chapter in this text begins with a list of the relevant learning objectives and ends with a chapter summary. Following the summary is a list of study questions that highlight key topics in the chapter. In order to get the best learning experience, you would be wise to begin by reading both the learning objectives and the summary and then reviewing the questions at the end of the chapter.
2 Information Systems for Business and Beyond
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Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/courses/bus206 Attributed to: David T. Bourgeois, Ph.D.
For the Instructor
Learning objectives can be found at the beginning of each chapter. Of course, all chapters are recommended for use in an introductory information systems course. However, for courses on a shorter calendar or courses using additional textbooks, a review of the learning objectives will help determine which chapters can be omitted.
At the end of each chapter, there is a set of study questions and exercises (except for chapter 1, which only offers study questions). The study questions can be assigned to help focus students’ reading on the learning objectives. The exercises are meant to be a more in-depth, experiential way for students to learn chapter topics. It is recommended that you review any exercise before assigning it, adding any detail needed (such as length, due date) to complete the assignment.
Introduction 3
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Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/courses/bus206 Attributed to: David T. Bourgeois, Ph.D.
Part 1: What Is an Information System?
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Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/courses/bus206 Attributed to: David T. Bourgeois, Ph.D.
Chapter 1: What Is an Information System?
David T. Bourgeois
Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this chapter, you will be able to:
• define what an information system is by identifying its major components; • describe the basic history of information systems; and • describe the basic argument behind the article “Does IT Matter?” by Nicholas Carr.