| Introduction to Information Systems is the book that we are using in my 300 level Business Class in college. I found this book to be well illustrated and informative. It has some information that I have covered in earlier computer classes, but with a litter more in depth knowledge. I have found that the Summary at the end of each Chapter covers the main points, but leaves out some important information. I have found the Review Quiz at the end of each Chapter to be most helpful study tool. The book is well illustrated and contains a lot of business examples. I think this is a good book for upper level information systems classes.
This book is just what it claims to be an introduction to information systems. There is not a tremendous amount of detail here, but I believe there is enough to give the reader a good idea of the concepts involved. At times, the author does seem to carry on more than is needed, and often you can understand the concept of a chapter very well just by reading the sentences containing the bold words. The best part of the book, in my opinion, is the use of real-world examples, to show how the concepts discussed are being put into use, and how they have benefited real-life companies.
Chances are, if you are buying this book, its for a college level course. I am a non-business major, and this book was part of a class I took as a general education credit. For this, I think the book is adequate, because it gives a decent introductions into IS without a lot of details. BIS majors, however, will not benefit a great deal from this book, as everything is so basic that it will be of little benefit to someone serious about working with information systems.
The Introduction to Information Systems textbook was used in my 300 level Business Information Systems class. The text, with its 13 chapters, has an abundance of information, some of which I have learned in basic computer courses at the freshman level and there are things mentioned that I never knew existed. The key terms are highlighted and easily understood in the context they were written. While studying for tests I found it useful taking the Review Quiz at the end of each chapter. i also like the Real World Case Studies throughout each chapter in the textbook. When you can associate related information to real companies and the similiar problems they face you gain more than reading a textbook solution. The items I found of little interest or use were the list of selected references at the end of each chapter and some of the figures used in the chapters. The figures used sometimes made understanding the material a little harder. The two suggestions I would like to mention for improving this textbook are the use of more real-life situations throughout each chapter when talking about the complicated terms. Secondly by adding a compact disc (CD) along with the book that would have interactive learning tools and sample test questions. Overall, this book has been a satisfactory learning tool although I would not retain the textbook. With the fast pace of computers and Information Technology (IT) changing so shall the terminology and concepts this textbook now offers. In comparsion to other business related courses and the textbooks they use, also published by McGraw-Hill, this one is easier to follow and understand.
The organization of this book is very good, and very understandable. The way the author organized the main concepts and backed them up with real-world examples is commendable. However, there is a problem with the book's content. The main concepts are presented in such a way as to assume the reader had previously been taught what they were. I am presently taking a class with this textbook, and it took three chapters before I finally grasped the idea of what an information system really was! The definitions are sparse, and the language too haughty and technical for students whose main focus is not business management or computers. |