The present work aims to show the advantages of using an information system for a business and especially the need for its propagation for Cuban companies. Starting from the differences and relationships between an information system and a computer system, the achievements that are obtained in improving business management are exposed, also insisting on the need to take more advantage of the technologies that are used at this time.
The aspects evaluated here served as the basis for the development of several research works for the Master's Degree in Business Informatics at the Central University of Las Villas (UCLV).
Introduction
In the post-industrial era, the information age, the focus of companies has changed from product orientation to knowledge orientation, in this sense the market today competes in terms of process and innovation, instead of the product. The emphasis has shifted from the quality and quantity of production to the production process itself, and the services that accompany this process.
The greatest asset of a company today is its information, represented in its personnel, experience, knowledge, innovations (patents, copyrights, trade secret). In order to compete, organizations must have a strong information infrastructure, at the heart of which is the information technology infrastructure. In such a way that the information system focuses on studying ways to improve the use of technology that supports the flow of information within the organization.
To study the influence of Information Systems (IS) and also ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) in organizations, there are surveys (Mabert, 2000) that indicate that these are essential in companies to be able to accompany structuring and standardization of its information system and determine the start-up of a new organization. The success of the implementation of these systems is impressive: 32% average annual growth between 1994 and 2000. However, this evolution is concentrated in large companies and to a lesser degree in Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is mainly due to the fact that the editors or integrators of the systems have not adapted or are beginning to adapt little by little the ERP to SMEs, whether in financial, technical or human aspects.
The implementation of the IS, although it is growing, is given in a very complex context for most of the industrial organizations, where the organizational changes linked to business strategies, technologies, and technology must be taken into account. culture, the administrative system, human resources and in general, the entire structure of the company.
Information systems. Basic concepts
Information Systems (IS) are recognized as a basic tool for using and accessing information as well as facilitating the decision-making process in organizations.
An Information System (IS) is a set of elements oriented to the treatment and administration of data and information, organized and ready for later use, generated to cover a need (objective). These elements will be part of one of these categories:
- People Data Work activities or techniques Material resources in general (typically computer and communication resources, although they do not necessarily have to be of this type).
Ponjuán states that for these systems “their goal should be to make sense of their collections, facilitate learning, stimulate curiosity, help eliminate memorization and increasingly fill the gap between formal concepts and intuition, theory and practice. ”. It also proposes that the basic components of an Information System are:
Documents: Any source of information, in material form, capable of being used for reference or study as an authority.
Registers: it is a set of elements that collectively provide information about the matter they register.
Files or Records files: it is a set of records, almost always with similar characteristics.
Equipment: the equipment is very varied and depends on the technological line used by the system.
Systems support elements: Among which can be cited procedure manuals and specific software.
Processes: Set of tasks that are logically related to obtain a specific result. Within the IS, multiple processes are developed, with their procedures, activities and tasks.
People: They are the ones who design the systems, operate the equipment, carry out the processes, and make a large part of the technical and professional decisions that allow the systems to operate effectively.
All these elements interact with each other to process the data (including manual and automatic processes) giving rise to more elaborate information and distributing it in the most appropriate way possible in a given organization based on its objectives, constituting a great help to managers and workers to perform analysis of existing issues, visualize complex issues and create new products.
It should be noted that the concept of information system is often used as a synonym for computer information system, although they are not the same. The latter belongs to the field of study of information technology and can be part of an information system as a material resource. In any case, it is said that information systems deal with the development and administration of an organization's technological infrastructure.
Work with information systems can focus on any of these three general areas:
- Information systems strategy.- It refers to the logic of its operations, that is, about how the data / information should be processed. This will be different according to the purpose of the IS. Information systems management.- It is about determining the way in which an IS should be used according to the type of user that handles it at all times (executives, managers, operators, etc.). Development of information systems.- Understands the design and implementation of said systems.
Each of these branches is further subdivided into new disciplines that intersect with other sciences and with other management disciplines such as computer science, engineering, social and behavioral sciences, and business administration. (Ciborra, 2002)
A Comprehensive Information System (SII) refers to a system that integrates or centralizes the mission information of an organization, facilitating its use throughout all areas of the Organization. SIIs cover the business processes of a specific type of organization. Systems like ERP or CRM can be considered as SII.
SIIs are born from the need to unify dispersed information in the organization. Years ago and even today, organizations had computer systems for each of their areas. These systems, also known as information islands, did not allow the efficient flow of missionary information within the areas of the organization, causing duplication and outdating of information.
There was a need to create comprehensive information systems that consistently maintain mission information at all levels of the organization. In commercial organizations, the first applications that appear are those for accounting purposes. Then this application is joined by applications from other areas such as inventories, purchases, human resources, etc. In this way, incipient integrated systems appear that would evolve into what is now known as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems.
The value of the information provided by the system must meet the following four basic assumptions:
- Quality: For managers it is essential that the facts communicated are a true reflection of the reality raised.Opportunity: To achieve effective control, corrective measures, if necessary, must be applied in time, before a large deviation occurs compared to pre-planned objectives Quantity: Managers are likely to rarely make wise and timely decisions without sufficient information, but they should not be overwhelmed by irrelevant and useless information, as this can lead to inaction or poor decisions Relevance: The information that is provided to a manager must be related to their tasks and responsibilities.
Information systems are a necessity today, since companies handle large amounts of data which can be analyzed, in such a way that relevant information can be found to take different courses of action.
Information Systems have a Pyramidal Structure that is based on the hierarchy of an organization.
Pyramidal Structure of Information Systems.
Information systems in Cuba
The Cuban Business System is immersed in the process of adapting the Economic Model of the Cuban Revolution. The operation and development of any Cuban company passes through the reality of our economy, a result of the economic and commercial blockade that for more than 50 years has been exerted on the country. The global economic crisis that has spread to all the countries of the planet since 2009 also weakens the health of Cuban companies in all branches of the economy.
The development of Information Systems in Cuban Companies is still academic in nature, that is, it is fundamentally found in universities and is not fully developed in most of the important companies of the Cuban economy, lacking presence in the projection of the vast majority of entrepreneurs.
In the search for Cuban computer solutions that support the development of this matter, a minimum of solutions were found due to the lack of comprehensive services for companies to access these technologies to strengthen their management and seek competitiveness with the foreign market.
Cuban companies must take into account that the new scenario is characterized by:
- Increased competitiveness Business processes subject to a new and changing market reality Business IT solutions tend to become the support on which new organizational cultures are redesigned Need to focus on the business Development and offer of IT solutions framed within the concept of better Practices Large number of isolated information systems Need for a single database Challenge for the company in choosing the right information technology for its demands
However, to redesign a new organizational culture, the world trend is leaning towards:
- Globalization Outsourcing Total quality Process reengineering and business reengineering Reduction of size (downsizing) Turnaround management (expenses> income) Right size of the company (rightsizing) Revaluation of Human Resources
All this opens a gap for the development of Information Systems in the Cuban business environment.
Conclusions
- The management of information and the technologies that support it, in the current organizational context, is extremely important in contributing to the development of a continuous improvement approach towards business competitiveness. The authors consulted agree that the implementation of Information Systems influences positive way in improving business management. A Comprehensive Computer System is a key tool for the implementation of an optimal Information System.
recommendations
Apply the concepts of information and computer systems to the Cuban business community to improve business management.
Bibliography
- Burch, JG (nd). Information systems design: theory and practice.Ciborra. (2002). Labyrinths of Information. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Haeberer, AM, & PAS Veloso, GB (1988). Formalization of the software development process, Ed. Preliminary edition (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Kapelusz. Laudon, J. and. (1998). Information Systems Administration. Ed. Prentice Hall. Laudon, J. and. (2006). Management information systems- Administration of the digital company. Pearson Education- Prentice Hall Mabert, S. a. (2000). "Enterprise Ressource Planning Survey of US Manufacturing Firms". Production and Inventory Management 41; # 2; USES.
