Principles of Information Systems: A Managerial Approach Ralph M. StairPublisher: Boyd and Fraser (division of Southwestern Publishing Co.),5101 Madison Road,Cincinnati,oH 45227;800-543-8444 (orders);508-777-9069 (editorial) Year of Publication: 1992 Price: $37.00 Length: 701 pages Intended Audience: First course on information systems for MBA students

Abstract

This book is advertised as the first management-oriented principles of is text designed for business curricula. It is a slickly produced text with all the bells and whistles, including numerous color photos, information boxes, an annotated instructor's edition, transparencies, problems with a solutions manual, student study guide, test item file, glossary, and accompanying presentation software. Chapters cover hardware, software, database management, telecommunications, MIS, decision support, expert systems, systems development, implementation and maintenance, end-user computing, information resource management as a developing field, and ethical issues of computing. Pitched at a low level, the text in- undates students with endless small sections on every conceivable topic. Sections in the chapter on telecommunications, for instance, include communications protocols, network operating systems, network topologies, classification of networks, coordinating data communications through token passing, contention, network considerations of security, and so on. While some sections will be of interest to social scientists (e.g., communications laws and regulations in this same chapter), coverage of any given topic is so brief and shallow (one paragraph in this instance) as to be almost meaningless. No serious attempt is made to introduce students to the literature of the discipline (e.g., the work of Ken Kraemer, perhaps the most noted and prolific researcher and author, isn't even mentioned, whereas the outdated work of Nolan is presented as accepted gospel). While it is true that almost all managerial issues do get some treatment, instructors who want to emphasize management issues in computing will find this text disappointing. It is meant for computer appreciation courses in which the focus is on getting business students to understand the vocabulary of computer scientists. Business students will emerge understanding a tiny amount about everything but having little understanding of any given issue.