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Chapter 1 Information Systems in Global Business Today 59

FIGURE 1.9 CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO INFORMATION SYSTEMS

The study of information systems deals with issues and insights contributed from technical and
behavioral disciplines.

in the technical approach. Other behavioral disciplines contribute important
concepts and methods.
For instance, sociologists study information systems with an eye toward
how groups and organizations shape the development of systems and also
how systems affect individuals, groups, and organizations. Psychologists study
information systems with an interest in how human decision makers perceive
and use formal information. Economists study information systems with an
interest in understanding the production of digital goods, the dynamics of
digital markets, and how new information systems change the control and cost
structures within the firm.
The behavioral approach does not ignore technology. Indeed, information
systems technology is often the stimulus for a behavioral problem or issue. But
the focus of this approach is generally not on technical solutions. Instead, it
concentrates on changes in attitudes, management and organizational policy,
and behavior.

APPROACH OF THIS TEXT: SOCIOTECHNICAL SYSTEMS

Throughout this book you will find a rich story with four main actors: suppliers of
hardware and software (the technologists); business firms making investments
and seeking to obtain value from the technology; managers and employees
seeking to achieve business value (and other goals); and the contemporary
legal, social, and cultural context (the firm’s environment). Together these
actors produce what we call management information systems.
The study of management information systems (MIS) arose to focus on
the use of computer-based information systems in business firms and gov-
ernment agencies. MIS combines the work of computer science, manage-
ment science, and operations research with a practical orientation toward

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