1. Explain the difference and the relationship between information technology (IT) and information systems (IS).

Information Technology and Information Systems work hand in hand in many business scenarios, although they are not the same.
Information Technology (IT) refers to the technological side of an organization, but is not limited to communications. The IT department is the division of engineering that deals with the use of computers and telecommunications to get, transmit, and store information. The IT department of any given company could handle anything from hardware installation to software deployment. It is the use of networks, computers, software, programming languages, and computer hardware; these are all examples of the scope information technology.
Managed Information Systems (MIS) is the practice of how information is delivered, communicated, organized and used in order to achieve any number of goals. The MIS department is a division of the general in-house controls of a business that deals with the use of people, documents and procedures by management. The MIS department uses these controls to solve business problems, report data to management, finance and sales. The MIS department would provide and collect information for research and development to provide a service or a business-wide strategy. The MIS department would essentially be a part of everything from management, finance, sales, research and development to final production.
Although most information is delivered electronically the MIS department doesn’t deploy technology in a hands on sense. The MIS department would essentially handle “HOW” and “WHERE” that information is used, and to whom it is delivered. The MIS department would work with the IT department only in matters of delivery and new communications deployment. The MIS department would design the direction of the traffic, but IT would be responsible for building the road.

Bibliography
Department of Information Technology and Operations Management. (n.d.). Management Information Systems. Retrieved from http://www.business.fau.edu/: http://www.business.fau.edu/undergraduate/majors/management-information-systems/index.aspx#.U3qUgvldWt8
Sylvan, R. (n.d.). Tangible Benefits of Information Systems. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/tangible-benefits-information-systems-50155.html

2. Define Moore's Law and explain how the phenomenon it describes affects the technology business.

Moore’s Law refers to a quote by Gordon Moore from an article in Electronics Magazine published in April 19, 1965 which he made a prediction about the semiconductor industry. It states:

“The number of transistors that can be placed on an integrated circuit for the same price will increase exponentially by a factor of 2 every 18 to 24 months.”
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and electrical power in order to perform calculations for computers. The number of transistors directly translates to the number of calculations that the chip can perform. Moore was referring to not only an increase in technology, but more so a decrease in the physical size of the transistor.
In 1965 there were 60 transistors per chip and computers that that wouldn’t even come close to what a cell phone could do today would easily take up large rooms, take massive loads of power and produce tremendous heat. Since then manufacturers have been determined to increase processor speeds by packing on more and more transistors. Currently today there are billions of transistors on these chips with surfaces no bigger than the size of a fingernail.
This type of technology is what has allowed us to have computers in our work, home and even our pockets that are capable of accessing stored and retrieved data at astonishing speeds. If Moore’s law had not been true, then the chip needed to run a standard smart phone could easily take up a warehouse to fit in.
This phenomenon in technology allowed us to do not only accomplish unimaginable feats of humankind; such as launch satellites and going to the moon, but it also made it so cheap that we all have been able to enjoy the benefits.

Bibliography
Glass, M. K. (n.d.). Are computer chips on the verge of a quantum leap? Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/02/tech/innovation/are-computer-chips-verge-quantum/
Intel . (n.d.). Moore’s Law Inspires Intel Innovation. Retrieved from http://www.intel.com: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/silicon-innovations/moores-law-technology.html

3. What is a business process? Define activities.

A business process is the order in which an organization manages its workflow in order to conduct business. A business process would effectively include every step from obtaining a product (through manufacturing or purchasing) to selling and delivering the product to the end consumer. Every company would need a business process model in order to define the roles of employees and departments.

Each business could define its workflow differently but the bulk of the process would remain the same.

1. Buyers would obtain the products through either manufacturing or purchasing. * Typically a manufacturing business would disconnect itself from distribution and sales.

2. Sales would market those products through a number of different avenues. * Websites * Physical Sales Force * Mailing and Catalog Correspondence

3. Operations would handle the storage and delivery of products. * Ordering, Storage and Replenishing of Inventory. * Delivery and Distribution of Products.

4. Management would handle the overhead of billing and payroll. * Accounts Receivable * Accounts Payable * Human Resources

Bibliography www.webopedia.com. (n.d.). business process. Retrieved from www.webopedia.com: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/B/business_process.html

4. Describe accurate information. Why is an information system providing accurate information crucial to an organization?

Accurate data is essential for any organization in which decisions are being based off of consumer client and employee input. Information is valuable because it can affect behavior, a decision, or an outcome. For example, if a supervisor is told the business's net profit declined in the past month, they may use this data as a reason to cut financial spending. Results of data can be everything from production and manufacturing procedures, costs and times, all the way to client sales, costs and relations. The data used to make decisions must be not only available to whomever is using it, but it must also be accurate. Information that is not accurate will be worthless. Some key factors to accuracy are:

Timeliness: The data must be limited to the time it is needed to show results for. * Having the most current data is important but also keeping archives of previous data will help to display changes in current data more effectively.

Organized: The data must be kept in an organized format to be presented. * Having data centralized and in a standardized format will allow for multiple people to access data from different query and data mining software to get specific data needed to make decisions.

Relevant: The data must be relevant to what the person querying the data is asking. * Having data that is the kind of input needed is essential. An example of that would be, a sales performance report wouldn’t be effective if all you were getting is the sales of one product.

Sufficient: The data would have to show all pertinent information. * Clouding the user with too much information is almost as bad as giving too little information. The confusion caused by too much information could give the reader a false reading of what they’re searching for and result in a wrong decision.

Worth it: The cost of data of enormous. * Information is the most expensive asset a company can acquire and spending money on the wrong data could prove to be a costly mistake. Make sure the data your receiving exhibits all the qualities of the above conditions before using it to make your decisions.

Bibliography
Greenpeace. (2006, September 29). Accuracy of information. Retrieved from www.greenpeace.org: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/about/our-core-values/accuracy-of-information/