Living in the XXI century means being a member of the information society. The latter, in its turn, entails the necessity to acquire skills for the efficient use of modern information systems. Seeing how the skills above are important even for an individual, in the context of entrepreneurial operations, information systems management becomes a vital element that must be incorporated into the general system of company management strategy. More to the point, the choice of a leadership style often hinges on the type of information systems available.
Making business without having the right information at one’s disposal is impossible. Several years before the appearance of the internet, information sharing as the key concept of running an efficient and successful business was hardly possible. At present, the existence of numerous information systems, including closed corporate ones, allows for transferring the required information to the end-user within moments.
More importantly, modern information systems allow for not only fast information acquisition, processing, and sharing, but also its safety. With the help of password protected databases, company data is fully secured. Hacking exists, and the possibility of someone breaking into the company’s database is relatively high; however, the pre-existing alternative did not guarantee better security and was clearly lacking efficiency in information management, particularly, distribution and sharing. Indeed, with the help of modern information management tools, data can be transferred to the back of beyond without any piece of information getting lost in the process.
To evaluate the huge effect that information systems have on the development of entrepreneurship, one must recall that “an organization or individual that identifies more than one way to solve a problem must make a decision” (Oz 8). Seeing how the solution of a particular problem often entails choosing one of several options, it is most reasonable to rely on a program that helps identify every single factor and, therefore, define the most appropriate solution to the problem in question.
As it has been stressed above, though, information systems management is crucial not only for the organization of business processes but also for keeping the track of the actions that everyday routine comprises. To be more exact, information systems management facilitates everyday communication processes, including not only those carried out in the course of business making and studying but also as a part of keeping in touch with friends and distant relatives. For instance, managing the profile in a particular blogosphere can be interpreted as managing the information available, i.e., receiving it, transforming and sending it to other users can count as a part of managing an information system. Seeing how an XXI-century Internet user has at least one account in several social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Google Plus, LinkedIn, etc. (Sigal 67)), it is reasonable to suggest that modern population is in desperate need for attaining the skills of information systems management.
It would be wrong to claim that the present-day technology is flawless; quite on the contrary, it poses a range of obstacles in front of live communication, replacing it with blogging and networking. Thus, people’s skills for live communication start slowly disintegrating once people become involved in online communication more than they get invested in real-life conversations. However, with all their negative effects on people’s social skills, new information management tools in general and information systems, in particular, are obviously of great help for both ordinary users and entrepreneurs. What should be kept in mind, though, is that frequent use of information systems can bring both positive and negative results.
Works Cited
Oz, Effy. Management Information Systems. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. 2008. Print.
Sigal, Ari. Advancing Library Education: Technological Innovation and Instructional Design. 6th Ed. New York, NY: IGI Global. 2009. Print.