MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
These courses are part of the Cnam-Intec1 DGC Management Information Systems course
curriculum that I have studied in the past. The origin of these courses was in French or I
translated it to present it to you in this form. This program includes definitions, application
exercises and topics with their answers. In this document, we will present the information
point.
Information
More and more, the company must handle a colossal amount of information which does not
cease growing; whether they are sourced externally or produced internally, they are supported
by an exponential increase in the capacity of computer systems.
I. Information characteristics
About 80% of a manager’s working time is spent processing and providing information. More
than half of the working population is attached to a job whose main component is information
processing.
Two factors characterize the importance of information in the world:
• The volume of information issued;
• The speed of circulation of the information transmitted.
The amount of information produced is largely stimulated by the acceleration of the speed of
information flow:
• In the early 2000s, the new information stored was 5 exa bytes (Eo = 1018) each year,
which should be compared to the 800 megabytes (106) per human being over a
lifetime, is the equivalent of a stack of books 10 meters high.
• The amount of information accumulated throughout human history up to the middle of
the twentieth century is estimated at 12 exabytes; this quantity will be produced in 2
years at the current rate.
The speed of the flow of information has always been the corollary of the speed of the flow of
man until the use of computers. This technique makes it possible to circulate information
almost instantaneously and to store it in unlimited quantities on digital media.
II. Definition of Information
Information results from the formatting of data, carried out in order to meet the needs of a
user, in a context of its own. Under no circumstances should data be confused with
information and information with knowledge.
1
The National Institute of Economic and Accounting Techniques is an institute of the National Conservatory of
Arts and Crafts, a French public establishment under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education and
Research. Intec trains 20,000 students every year
, A given (a word, a sound, a number) constitutes the raw material of information. It is not
information, it becomes information through the meaning given to it by the person who uses
it.
Data + processing + context of use = information
The data can then take on meaning and the information is likely to provide intelligence,
knowledge.
Information + reasoning = knowledge
Knowledge therefore presupposes, in addition to information, reasoning that allows
individuals to make associations, groupings, and generalizations. Knowledge is a set of
notions and principles that a person acquires through study, observation or experience and
that he can integrate into his previous learning. It is an accumulation of analyzed and
interpreted information that constitutes real capital.
III. Nature of Information
Information is elementary knowledge which has meaning for those who memorize it, store it
and use it.
Information requires 3 elements to physically exist in the information system:
• Information has representation. It can be a number, a text, or any form understandable
by the receiver: image, video but also color or symbol which are examples of neither
numerical nor textual information.
• The information has a computer-like format that is linked to the technologies used.
• Information has a material support. It could be the main memory of the computer, a
magnetic or optical disk, an electrical flow in a network cable.
Information has characteristics of form, content, cost and value:
• The form can be written, oral, visual, tactile, olfactory or gustatory. It can be
structured or not, quantitative, qualitative, alphanumeric or alphabetical.
• The cost of information includes the cost of collection, processing, storage and
destruction; It must be less than the value of the information.
• The value of information is appreciated by its ability to reduce uncertainty, improve
productivity and improve decision-making.
Examples
The information can be basic. They can be numerical values such as a selling price, an hourly
wage, a quantity of parts produced but they can also be simple texts such as the name of a
customer, the description of an accounting transaction or the alphanumeric reference. of a
product.
Complex information can also be taken into account by the information system.
These courses are part of the Cnam-Intec1 DGC Management Information Systems course
curriculum that I have studied in the past. The origin of these courses was in French or I
translated it to present it to you in this form. This program includes definitions, application
exercises and topics with their answers. In this document, we will present the information
point.
Information
More and more, the company must handle a colossal amount of information which does not
cease growing; whether they are sourced externally or produced internally, they are supported
by an exponential increase in the capacity of computer systems.
I. Information characteristics
About 80% of a manager’s working time is spent processing and providing information. More
than half of the working population is attached to a job whose main component is information
processing.
Two factors characterize the importance of information in the world:
• The volume of information issued;
• The speed of circulation of the information transmitted.
The amount of information produced is largely stimulated by the acceleration of the speed of
information flow:
• In the early 2000s, the new information stored was 5 exa bytes (Eo = 1018) each year,
which should be compared to the 800 megabytes (106) per human being over a
lifetime, is the equivalent of a stack of books 10 meters high.
• The amount of information accumulated throughout human history up to the middle of
the twentieth century is estimated at 12 exabytes; this quantity will be produced in 2
years at the current rate.
The speed of the flow of information has always been the corollary of the speed of the flow of
man until the use of computers. This technique makes it possible to circulate information
almost instantaneously and to store it in unlimited quantities on digital media.
II. Definition of Information
Information results from the formatting of data, carried out in order to meet the needs of a
user, in a context of its own. Under no circumstances should data be confused with
information and information with knowledge.
1
The National Institute of Economic and Accounting Techniques is an institute of the National Conservatory of
Arts and Crafts, a French public establishment under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education and
Research. Intec trains 20,000 students every year
, A given (a word, a sound, a number) constitutes the raw material of information. It is not
information, it becomes information through the meaning given to it by the person who uses
it.
Data + processing + context of use = information
The data can then take on meaning and the information is likely to provide intelligence,
knowledge.
Information + reasoning = knowledge
Knowledge therefore presupposes, in addition to information, reasoning that allows
individuals to make associations, groupings, and generalizations. Knowledge is a set of
notions and principles that a person acquires through study, observation or experience and
that he can integrate into his previous learning. It is an accumulation of analyzed and
interpreted information that constitutes real capital.
III. Nature of Information
Information is elementary knowledge which has meaning for those who memorize it, store it
and use it.
Information requires 3 elements to physically exist in the information system:
• Information has representation. It can be a number, a text, or any form understandable
by the receiver: image, video but also color or symbol which are examples of neither
numerical nor textual information.
• The information has a computer-like format that is linked to the technologies used.
• Information has a material support. It could be the main memory of the computer, a
magnetic or optical disk, an electrical flow in a network cable.
Information has characteristics of form, content, cost and value:
• The form can be written, oral, visual, tactile, olfactory or gustatory. It can be
structured or not, quantitative, qualitative, alphanumeric or alphabetical.
• The cost of information includes the cost of collection, processing, storage and
destruction; It must be less than the value of the information.
• The value of information is appreciated by its ability to reduce uncertainty, improve
productivity and improve decision-making.
Examples
The information can be basic. They can be numerical values such as a selling price, an hourly
wage, a quantity of parts produced but they can also be simple texts such as the name of a
customer, the description of an accounting transaction or the alphanumeric reference. of a
product.
Complex information can also be taken into account by the information system.
