Page 526 - Using MIS

Guide

the Final, Final word

Congratulations! You’ve made it through the entire and that of Robert Reich on what professional workers in
book. With this knowledge, you are well prepared to be an the 21st century need to know. Those sources state that
effective user of information systems. And with work and such workers need to know how to innovate the use of tech-
imagination, you can be much more than that. Many inter- nology and how to “collaborate, reason abstractly, think in
esting opportunities are available to those who can apply terms of systems, and experiment.” Have you learned those
information in innovative ways. Your professor has done behaviors? Or, at least, are you better at them than you were
what she can do, and the rest, as they say, is up to you. when you started this course?
So what’s next? In Chapter 1, we claimed that As of July 2014, the official national unemployment rate
Introduction to MIS is the most important course in the was about 6.2 percent, with the real unemployment rate,
business curriculum today. That claim was based on the which includes those who have stopped looking for work,
organization’s innovative use of nearly free data commu- much higher. Under these circumstances, good jobs will be
nications and data storage. By now, you’ve learned many difficult to obtain. You need to apply every asset you have.
of the ways that businesses and organizations use these One of those assets is the knowledge you’ve gained in this
resources and information systems based upon those re- class. Take the time to do the exercises at the end of this
sources. You’ve also seen how businesses like AllRoad Parts guide, and then use the answers in your job interviews!
use information systems to solve problems and further their Look for the job you truly want to do, get that job, and
competitive strategies. With PRIDE, you’ve investigated the work hard. In the movie Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve
use of mobile and cloud technology for an inter-enterprise Parts, the composer Philip Glass claimed he knew the secret
system.
How can you use that knowl-
edge? Chapter 1 claimed that
future business professionals
must be able “to assess, evaluate,
and apply emerging information
technology to business.” Have
you learned how to do that? At
least, are you better able to do
that than you were before this
class? You probably know the
meaning of many more terms
than you did when you started,
and such knowledge is impor-
tant. But even more important is
the ability to use that knowledge
to apply MIS to your business
interests.
Chapter 1 also reviewed the
work of the RAND Corporation
Source: Hoda Bogdan/Fotolia

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