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We are proud to publish the sixth edition of Fundamentals of Information Systems. This new
edition builds on the success of the previous editions in meeting the need for a concise
introductory information systems text. We have listened to feedback from the previous edition’s
adopters and manuscript reviewers and incorporated many suggestions to refine this
new edition. We hope you are pleased with the results.
Like the previous editions, the overall goal of the sixth edition is to develop an outstanding
text that follows the pedagogy and approach of our flagship text, Principles of Information
Systems, with less detail and content. The approach in developing Fundamentals of Information
Systems is to take the best material from Principles of Information Systems and condense it into
a text containing nine chapters. So, our most recent edition of Principles of Information
Systems is the foundation from which we built this new edition of Fundamentals of Information
Systems.
We have always advocated that education in information systems is critical for employment
in almost any field. Today, information systems are used for business processes from
communications to order processing to number crunching and in business functions ranging
from marketing to human resources to accounting and finance. Regardless of your future
occupation, even if you are an entrepreneur, you need to understand what information systems
can and cannot do and be able to use them to help you accomplish your work. You will
be expected to suggest new uses of information systems and participate in the design of
solutions to business problems employing information systems. You will be challenged to
identify and evaluate IS options. To be successful, you must be able to view information
systems from the perspective of business and organizational needs. For your solutions to be
accepted, you must identify and address their impact on coworkers. For these reasons, a
course in information systems is essential for students in today’s high-tech world.
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition, continues the tradition and approach
of the previous editions of this text and Principles of Information Systems. Our primary objective
is to develop the best IS text and accompanying materials for the first information
systems course required of all business students. Using surveys, questionnaires, focus groups,
and feedback that we have received from adopters and others who teach in the field, we have
been able to develop the highest-quality teaching materials available.
Fundamentals of Information Systems stands proudly at the beginning of the IS curriculum,
offering the basic IS concepts that every business student must learn to be successful. This
text has been written specifically for the first course in the IS curriculum, and it discusses
computer and IS concepts in a business context with a strong managerial emphasis. |