The Modern Organization Information Systems at Burlington Coat Factory

twenty-first century and the supporting role of IT in general, we turn attention to the foundations of information systems in organizations and how they help organizations solve problems and seize opportunities. The two major determinants of IT support are organizational structure and the functions that employees perform within organizations. As this chapter shows, information systems tend to follow the structure or the organization, and they are based on the needs of individuals and groups. Information systems are scattered throughout organizations, often in several locations and sometimes in two or more organizations. For example, suppliers and customers may allow each other access to their databases, so as to better coordinate inventory and logistics. Such diversity of information systems creates difficulty in managing them. This chapter looks at the types of support that information technologies give to various workers in organizations, at how IT systems are managed in organizations, and at the careers available in IT. CHAPTER PREVIEW