Today, information has become pertinent to all organizations seeking to grow sales and revenues. The adoption and use of personal computers have risen steadily over the past four decades giving individuals more processing power regarding information. Existing and future managers strive hard to unfold new methods that employ information technology to solve business problems. Organizations have had to come up with advanced tools that enable them to solve complex business situations as a result of information technology. The world features and endless collection of sophisticated information technology tools and solutions designed for businesses. The value of information has changed the business decision-making domain largely attributed to the introduction of state of the art decision support systems.While the emphasis on information continues to rise, business intelligence has emerged as a critical component for optimizing the information resource. Companies can waste a lot of resources in the name of technology, yet the underlying problems continue to persist. This has raised questions whether companies can identify instances where they are wasting money on solutions that don't solve business problems. This has become a core area of concern for many managers since the information they generate and gather at a cost. Businesses are now identifying new and innovative ways to get the most out of the information they have.The impact of technology on the job market can be seen clearly from the transformation of business activities to the over indulgence in the use of information communication technology. Similarly, competition has been redefined as a result of information technology forcing most companies to identify possible areas where they can cut on costs. While business heads continue clapping for the positive impact of information technology, it should be understood too that this same technology has rendered other services obsolete and caused some careers to cease. For instance, a few decades ago, college and university graduates could get employed as junior managers to perform simple analytical tasks; however, this has changed since software programs can do those jobs nowadays, and often perform fast and generate detailed reports. Today, if you want a job as a manager, you must have the capabilities to use different information technologies to collaborate and coordinate efforts with other employees. Continued evolution of information technology has led both to benefits and challenges. One of the biggest challenges of information technology includes learning how to use the technology and finding new opportunities for innovations that offer better and improved solutions. Managers must, therefore, familiarize themselves with the different technology tools and as well find newer solutions to address business problems.This book features ten chapters that examine the concept of information and information systems, and how both are used to support business decision processes. The book focuses on how different information systems are used by companies and how these firms can optimize the technologies they have to perform better than their competitors. Also, the book explores how the information systems influence organizational structure, customer support services, communication within the organization and the decision-making process. The book dwells on the concept of managing modern businesses using information systems especially with the range of software tools readily available in the market with a vivid focus on the relationships established in businesses between the employees, the business, information and information systems.
About the Author: Isaack Onyango has PhD in Information Technology and Management from DE Montfort University, UK. His interests in research span business management and information management areas. He has written number of papers on Information management and also lectured and engaged in tutorials in the fields of business and ICT.