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Rationale

Overview

Learning Outcomes

Teaching and Learning Resources

Part I: Understanding Information Systems
Part II: Organising and Managing Information
Part III: Enterprise Risk Management
Part IV: Business Processes
Part V: Systems Development and Design

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Case Studies

Related Workshops

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Accounting Information Systems

Rationale

An Accounting Information System (AIS) is the system of records a business keeps to maintain its accounting system. This includes the purchase, sales, and other financial processes of the business. The purpose of an AIS is to accumulate data and provide decision makers (investors, creditors, and managers) with information to make decisions. While this was previously a paper-based process, most modern businesses now use accounting software.

In an Electronic Financial Accounting system, the steps in the accounting cycle are dependent upon the system itself. For example, some systems allow direct journal posting to the various ledgers and others do not.

External links

Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) — issues certifications for information systems auditors.

Overview

The primary objective of this course is to help you understand how technology can be used to collect strategically valuable information and process and communicate it to gain a strategic advantage. Though the focus is on accounting information, we will examine how financial and non-financial information systems interact. We will examine the structure of database accounting systems, the process for purchasing or designing accounting systems and a variety of topics dealing with the role of technology in building, implementing, controlling and auditing systems. A secondary goal of the course is to help you become more comfortable using computer based tools including e-mail, database software, spreadsheet software, accounting software and World Wide Web tools.

Attention is given to the integration of business functions (sales, purchasing, inventory, production, personnel, financial management) in the accounting process. Also includes advanced spreadsheet techniques for accounting analysis.

The accounting and auditing business environment is primarily composed of teams (audit teams, project teams, management teams, etc.). Accordingly, one of the major objectives of this course is to give you practice working in group settings. You will be required to affiliate with a group of students in the course by the second class meeting or online forum. Your team should be the primary unit for your learning. You should freely collaborate and work with your group for all class work except the examination, the quizzes, and the individual assignments.

It is expected that all students be proficient with the Windows operating systems and user interface. It is also expected that students be familiar at the introductory level with a commercial word-processing software package, a commercial spreadsheet package, a presentation package, and an Internet-capable E-mail software package. These tools will not be covered in class, but their use and familiarity will be expected in the performance of your coursework.

Learning Outcomes

In completing this course, the learners have

1. developed an awareness of recent developments in accounting information systems technology.

2. become familiar with, and gain hands-on experience in, the use of electronic spreadsheet software for advanced business analysis, and to gain hands-on experience with a commercial accounting software package.

3. become aware of the relationship between accounting information systems and the other subsystems that comprise management information systems, and to understand the role of accountants as designers, users, and evaluators of information systems.

4. gained experience working successfully in group settings.

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Teaching and Learning Resources

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Learning Contents

Understanding Information Systems

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An information system (IS) is any combination of information technology and people's activities using that technology to support operations, management, and decision-making.[1] In a very broad sense, the term information system is frequently used to refer to the interaction between people, algorithmic processes, data and technology. In this sense, the term is used to refer not only to the information and communication technology (ICT) an organization uses, but also to the way in which people interact with this technology in support of business processes.[2]

Some make a clear distinction between information systems,and computer systems ICT, and business processes. Information systems are distinct from information technology in that an information system is typically seen as having an ICT component. Information systems are also different from business processes. Information systems help to control the performance of business processes.[3]

Alter argues for an information system as a special type of work system. A work system is a system in which humans and/or machines perform work using resources (including ICT) to produce specific products and/or services for customers. An information system is a work system whose activities are devoted to processing (capturing, transmitting, storing, retrieving, manipulating and displaying) information.[4]

Part of the difficulty in defining the term information system is due to vagueness in the definition of related terms such as system and information. Beynon-Davies argues for a clearer terminology based in systemics and semiotics. He defines an information system as an example of a system concerned with the manipulation of signs. An information system is a type of socio-technical system. An information system is a mediating construct between actions and technology.[5]

As such, information systems inter-relate with data systems on the one hand and activity systems on the other. An information system is a form of communication system in which data represent and are processed as a form of social memory. An information system can also be considered a semi-formal language which supports human decision making and action.

Information systems are the primary focus of study for the information systems discipline and for organisational informatics.[6]

Management Information Systems is a general name for the academic discipline covering the application of people, technologies, and procedures—collectively, the information system—to business problems.

This field is directly linked to management by objectives (MBO) and to the monitoring of key performance indicators (KPI). It can also help in processing specific information for decision making (for example analyse customer behaviour).

See also

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Organising and Managing Information

Tutorials

Readings

In computing, a Database can be defined as a structured collection of records or data that is stored in a computer so that a program can consult it to answer queries. The records retrieved in answer to queries become information that can be used to make decisions. The computer program used to manage and query a database is known as a database management system (DBMS). The properties and design of database systems are included in the study of information science.

The term "database" originated within the computing discipline. Although its meaning has been broadened by popular use, even to include non-electronic databases, this article is about computer databases. Database-like records have been in existence since well before the Industrial Revolution in the form of ledgers, sales receipts and other business-related collections of data.

The central concept of a database is that of a collection of records, or pieces of information. Typically, for a given database, there is a structural description of the type of facts held in that database: this description is known as a schema. The schema describes the objects that are represented in the database, and the relationships among them. There are a number of different ways of organizing a schema, that is, of modelling the database structure: these are known as database models (or data models). The model in most common use today is the relational model, which in layman's terms represents all information in the form of multiple related tables each consisting of rows and columns (the true definition uses mathematical terminology). This model represents relationships by the use of values common to more than one table. Other models such as the hierarchical model and the network model use a more explicit representation of relationships.

The term database refers to the collection of related records, and the software should be referred to as the database management system or DBMS. When the context is unambiguous, however, many database administrators and programmers use the term database to cover both meanings.

Many professionals consider a collection of data to constitute a database only if it has certain properties: for example, if the data is managed to ensure its integrity and quality, if it allows shared access by a community of users, if it has a schema, or if it supports a query language. However, there is no definition of these properties that is universally agreed upon.

Database management systems are usually categorized according to the data model that they support: relational, object-relational, network, and so on. The data model will tend to determine the query languages that are available to access the database. A great deal of the internal engineering of a DBMS, however, is independent of the data model, and is concerned with managing factors such as performance, concurrency, integrity, and recovery from hardware failures. In these areas there are large differences between products.

See Also

Online database
Database theory
Government database
Topics in database management systems (DBMS)

Enterprise Risk Management

Tutorials

Readings

In business, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) refers to the methods and processes used by organizations to manage risks (or seize opportunities) related to the achievement of their objectives. ERM provides a framework for risk management, which typically involves identifying particular events or circumstances relevant to the organization's objectives (risks and opportunities), assessing them in terms of likelihood and magnitude of impact, determining a response strategy, and monitoring progress. By identifying and proactively addressing risks and opportunities, business enterprises protect and create value for their stakeholders, including owners, employees, customers, regulators, and society overall.

ERM can also be described as a risk-based approach to managing an enterprise, integrating concepts of strategic planning, operations management, and internal control. ERM is evolving to address the needs of various stakeholders, who want to understand the broad spectrum of risks facing complex organizations to ensure they are appropriately managed. Regulators and debt rating agencies have increased their scrutiny on the risk management processes of companies.

See also

Business Processes

Tutorials

Readings

A Business Process is a collection of interrelated tasks, which solve a particular issue.

There are three types of business processes:

1. Management processes - the processes that govern the operation of a system. Typical management processes include "Corporate Governance" and "Strategic Management".

2. Operational processes - these processes create the primary value stream, they are part of the core business. Typical operational processes are Purchasing, Manufacturing, Marketing, and Sales.

3. Supporting processes - these support the core processes. Examples include Accounting, Recruitment, IT-support.

A business process can be decomposed into several sub-processes, which have their own attributes, but also contribute to achieving the goal of the super-process. The analysis of business processes typically includes the mapping of processes and sub-processes down to activity level.

Activities are parts of the business process that do not include any decision making and thus are not worth decomposing (although decomposition would be possible), such as "Answer the phone", "produce an invoice".

Business Process Modelling Notation can be used for drawing business processes in a workflow.

See also

External links

What is a business process?

Systems Development and Design

Tutorials

Readings

A Software Development Process is a structure imposed on the development of a software product. Synonyms include software lifecycle and software process. There are several models for such processes, each describing approaches to a variety of tasks or activities that take place during the process.