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HOSSEIN BIDGOLI, PH.D.

California State University - Bakersfield

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9 BRIEF CONTENTS

PART 1: FUNDAMENTALS OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS 2

1 Information Systems: An Overview 2
2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing 24
3 Database Systems, Data Warehouses, and Data Marts 46
4 Personal, Legal, Ethical, and Organizational Issues of
Information Systems 72
5 Protecting Information Resources 92

PART 2: DATA COMMUNICATION, THE INTERNET,

E-COMMERCE, AND GLOBAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS 118
6 Data Communication: Delivering Information Anywhere and
Anytime 118
7 The Internet, Intranets, and Extranets 144
8 E-Commerce 172
9 Global Information Systems 198

PART 3: IS DEVELOPMENT, ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS,

MSS, IIS, AND EMERGING TRENDS 218
10 Building Successful Information Systems 218
11 Enterprise Systems 242
12 Management Support Systems 262
13 Intelligent Information Systems 284
14 Emerging Trends, Technologies, and Applications 308

Endnotes 333
Index 347
Graphic Compressor/Shutterstock.com

iii
 CONTENTS
Information Technologies at Walmart 15
Part 1 1-6c Porter’s Five Forces Model: Understanding the Business
Environment 16
Fundamentals of Information Systems Information Technologies at Netflix 17
Digital Innovation in Retail Industry Using
Information Technologies 18
1-7 The IT Job Market 18
1-7a CTO/CIO 19
1-7b Manager of Information Systems Services 19
ESB Professional/Shutterstock.com

1-7c Systems Analyst 19

1-7d Network Administrator 19
1-7e Database Administrator 19
1-7f Computer Programmer 19
1-7g Webmaster 19
1-8 Outlook for the Future 20

1 Information Systems: Reviews and Discussions 21

Projects 22
An Overview 2 Are You Ready to Move On? 22
1-1 Computers and Information Systems Case Study 1-1: Using Information Technologies at
in Daily Life 3 Federal Express 23
Smartphones Everywhere and for Everything 4 Case Study 1-2: Mobile Technology: A Key Player for
A New Era of Marketing: YouTube 5 Future Shopping 23
Social Networking and the Vulnerability of Personal
Information 6 2 Computers: The Machines
1-2 Computer Literacy and Information Literacy 7 Behind Computing 24
1-3 The Beginning: Transaction-Processing Systems 7 2-1 Defining a Computer 25
Information Technologies at Domino’s Pizza 8 2-1a Components of a Computer System 26
1-4 Management Information Systems 8 2-2 The History of Computer Hardware and Software 27
1-5 Major Components of an Information System 9 IBM Watson: A Supercomputer with Artificial
1-5a Data 9 Intelligence Capabilities 29
1-5b Database 10 2-3 The Power of Computers 29
1-5c Process 10 2-3a Speed 29
1-5d Information 10 2-3b Accuracy 30
1-5e Examples of Information Systems 11 2-3c Storage and Retrieval 30
1-6 Using Information Systems and Information 2-4 Computer Operations 30
Technologies 11 A Supercomputer in Your Pocket 31
1-6a The Importance of Information Systems 11 2-5 Input, Output, and Memory Devices 31
Information Technologies at The Home Depot 12 2-5a Input Devices 31
Human Resource Information Systems in Action 12 Touchless Computing: The New Paradigm in User
Information Technologies at UPS 13 System Interface 32
1-6b Using Information Technologies for a Competitive 2-5b Output Devices 32
Advantage 14 2-5c Memory Devices 33
iv
 A Popular Application of Cloud Storage: Keeping 3-5c Storage 59
Photos Online 36 3-5d Output 59
2-6 Classes of Computers 36 3-6 Data Marts 61
Popular iPad Business Applications 37 Data Mining and the Airline Industry 62
2-6a Server Platforms: An Overview 37 3-7 Business Analytics 62
Ubiquitous Computing 38 Mobile Analytics in Action: Airbnb 63
2-7 What Is Software? 38 3-8 The Big Data Era 63
Office 365: Making Data and Applications Predictive Analytics in Action 64
Portable 39 3-8a Who Benefits from Big Data? 65
2-7a Operating System Software 39 3-8b Tools and Technologies of Big Data 65
IOS: The Brain Behind Apple Devices 39 3-8c Big Data Privacy Risks 65
2-7b Application Software 40 Big Data in Action 65
2-8 Computer Languages 42 3-9 Database Marketing 66
Reviews and Discussions 44 Database Marketing in Action: Caterpillar
Projects 44 Corporation 67
Are You Ready to Move On? 44 Reviews and Discussions 68
Case Study 2-1: Become Your Own Banker 45 Projects 69
Case Study 2-2: iPads: New Productivity Tools for Are You Ready to Move On? 69
Service Workers 45 Case Study 3-1: Data Mining Helps Students Enroll in
Courses with Higher Chances of Success 70

3 Database Systems, Data Case Study 3-2: Data Mining Tools at Pandora Radio 70

Warehouses, and Data

Marts 46 4 Personal, Legal, Ethical, and
3-1 Databases 47
Organizational Issues of
3-1a Types of Data in a Database 48 Information Systems 72
BI in Action: Law Enforcement 49 4-1 Privacy Issues 73
3-1b Methods for Accessing Files 49 Social Networking Sites and Privacy Issues 73
3-2 Logical Database Design 50 Employee Monitoring: Improving Productivity or
Invasion of Privacy 74
3-2a The Relational Model 51
4-1a E-mail 76
3-3 Components of a DBMS 53
4-1b Data Collection on the Web 76
3-3a Database Engine 53
E-Mail and Corporate Data Leakage 77
3-3b Data Definition 53
Facebook Experiments: Marketing
3-3c Data Manipulation 53 Tools or Unethical Behavior? 78
Graph Databases Move Relational Databases One 4-2 Ethical Issues of Information Technologies 78
Step Forward 54 Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics 79
3-3d Application Generation 55 4-2a Censorship 80
3-3e Data Administration 55 Internet Censorship: A Global Problem 81
3-4 Recent Trends in Database Design and Use 55 4-2b Intellectual Property 81
3-4a Data-Driven Web Sites 55 Software Piracy: A Global Problem 83
3-4b Distributed Databases 56 4-2c Social Divisions and the Digital Divide 83
3-4c Object-Oriented Databases 56 Verizon’s Cybersquatting Suit 83
3-5 Data Warehouses 57 4-3 The Impact of Information Technology in the
Data Warehouse Applications at Marriott Workplace 84
International 58 The Digital Divide in Action 84
3-5a Input 58 4-3a Information Technology and Health Issues 85
3-5b ETL 58 Health and Social Issues of Online Gaming 86
Contents v
 4-4 Green Computing 87 Are You Ready To Move On? 116
Reviews and Discussions 89 Case Study 5-1: Vulnerabilities of Medical Devices 116
Projects 89 Case Study 5-2: Security Breach at Yahoo! 117
Are You Ready to Move On? 90

Part 2
Case Study 4-1: Telecommuting with a New Twist 90
Case Study 4-2: Privacy and Other Legal Issues at Google 91
Data Communication, the Internet,
5 Protecting Information E-Commerce, and Global Information
Systems
Resources 92
5-1 Risks Associated with Information Technologies 93
5-1a The Costs of Cyber Crime to the U.S. Economy 93

Syda Productions/Shutterstock.com
5-1b Spyware and Adware 93
5-1c Phishing, Pharming, Baiting, Quid Pro Quo, SMiShing,
and Vishing 94
5-1d Keystroke Loggers 94
5-1e Sniffing and Spoofing 94
5-1f Computer Crime and Fraud 94
Challenges of Insiders’ Threats 95

6 Data Communication:
Identity Theft at Internal Revenue Service 96
Types of Hackers 97
5-2 Computer and Network Security: Basic Delivering Information
Safeguards 97
Anywhere and Anytime 118
Nearly All Organizations Get Hacked 98
6-1 Defining Data Communication 119
5-3 Security Threats: An Overview 99
6-1a Why Managers Need to Know About Data
5-3a Intentional Threats 99 Communication 119
Protecting Against Data Theft and Data Loss 101 GoToMeeting: Example of an E-collaboration
Social Engineering Costs Ubiquiti Networks More Tool 120
than $39 Million 102 6-2 Basic Components of a Data Communication
5-4 Security Measures and Enforcement: An System 120
Overview 103 6-2a Sender and Receiver Devices 121
5-4a Biometric Security Measures 103 6-2b Modems 121
Biometrics at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital 103 6-2c Communication Media 121
5-4b Nonbiometric Security Measures 104 6-3 Processing Configurations 122
5-4c Physical Security Measures 106 Google Invests in Communication Media 123
5-4d Access Controls 107 6-3a Centralized Processing 123
Lost and Stolen Laptops 108 6-3b Decentralized Processing 123
5-4e Virtual Private Networks 109 6-3c Distributed Processing 123
5-4f Data Encryption 109 6-3d Open Systems Interconnection Model 124
5-4g E-Commerce Transaction Security Measures 111 6-4 Types of Networks 125
5-4h Computer Emergency Response Team 111 6-4a Local Area Networks 125
5-5 Guidelines for a Comprehensive Security System 112 6-4b Wide Area Networks 125
Sarbanes-Oxley and Information Security 113 6-4c Metropolitan Area Networks 126
5-5a Business Continuity Planning 113 6-5 Network Topologies 127
Reviews and Discussions 115 6-5a Star Topology 127
Projects 115 6-5b Ring Topology 127
vi Contents
 6-5c Bus Topology 127 7-4f Financial Institutions 155
6-5d Hierarchical Topology 128 7-4g Software Distribution 155
6-5e Mesh Topology 128 7-4h Healthcare 155
6-6 Major Networking Concepts 129 Electronic Health Records Pay Off for Kaiser
6-6a Protocols 129 Permanente 156
6-6b Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol 129 7-4i Politics 156
6-6c Routing 129 The Internet in 2020 157
6-6d Routers 130 7-5 Intranets 157
6-6e Client/Server Model 131 7-5a The Internet versus Intranets 157
6-7 Wireless and Mobile Networks 133 7-5b Applications of an Intranet 158
7-6 Extranets 159
Mobile Computing and Mobile Apps 134
7-7 New Trends: The Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 Eras 160
6-7a Wireless Technologies 135
7-7a Blogs 161
6-7b Mobile Networks 135
7-7b Wikis 161
Mobile Computing in Action: The Apple iPhone 137
LinkedIn: A Professional Social Networking Site 162
6-8 Wireless Security 137
7-7c Social Networking Sites 162
Privacy and Ethical Issues of Wireless Devices 138
Social Media Applications at Walmart 163
6-9 Convergence of Voice, Video, and Data 138
7-7d Business Application of Social Networks 163
Telepresence: A New Use of Data Communication
7-7e RSS Feeds 163
and Convergence 139
7-7f Podcasting 164
Reviews and Discussions 140
Twitter: Real-time Networking with Your Followers 165
Projects 141
7-7g The Internet2 165
Are You Ready to Move On? 141
7-8 The Internet of Everything and Beyond 166
Case Study 6-1: Data Communication at Walmart 141
The Internet of Everything in Action 168
Case Study 6-2: Protecting the Security and Privacy of
Mobile Devices 142 Reviews and Discussions 169

7 The Internet, Intranets,

Projects 169
Are You Ready to Move On? 170
and Extranets 144 Case Study 7-1: Scotts Miracle-Gro’s Intranet: The
Garden 170
7-1 The Internet and the World Wide Web 145 Case Study 7-2: Social Networking in Support of Small
7-1a The Domain Name System 146 Businesses 171
Major Events in the Development of the Internet 147
7-1b Types of Internet Connections 148
What Is HTML? 149
8 E-Commerce 172
7-2 Navigational Tools, Search Engines, and 8-1 Defining E-Commerce 173
Directories 149 8-1a The Value Chain and E-Commerce 173
7-2a Navigational Tools 150 Twitter Helps Businesses Find Customers 175
7-2b Search Engines and Directories 150 Showrooming and Webrooming 175
7-3 Internet Services 151 8-1b E-Commerce vs. Traditional Commerce 176
7-3a E-Mail 151 8-1c Advantages and Disadvantages of E-Commerce 176
7-3b Newsgroups and Discussion Groups 152 The Home Depot Gets Into E-Commerce 177
7-3c Instant Messaging 152 8-1d E-Commerce Business Models 177
7-3d Internet Telephony 153 E-Commerce in 2020 178
7-4 Web Applications 153 8-2 Major Categories of E-Commerce 179
7-4a Tourism and Travel 153 8-2a Business-to-Consumer E-Commerce 179
7-4b Publishing 153 8-2b Business-to-Business E-Commerce 179
7-4c Higher Education 153 8-2c Consumer-to-Consumer E-Commerce 180
7-4d Real Estate 154 8-2d Consumer-to-Business E-Commerce 180
7-4e Employment 154 8-2e Government and Nonbusiness E-Commerce 180
Contents vii
 8-2f Organizational or Intrabusiness E-Commerce 180 Globalization in Action: Alibaba 206
E-Gov in Action: City of Denver, Colorado 181 9-2c Implementation of Global Information Systems 206
8-3 B2C E-Commerce Cycle 181 9-3 Organizational Structures and Global Information
8-4 B2B E-Commerce: A Second Look 182 Systems 207
8-4a Major Models of B2B E-Commerce 182 9-3a Multinational Structure 207
E-Procurement at Schlumberger 183 9-3b Global Structure 207
B2B E-Commerce Growth and Best Practices 184 9-3c International Structure 209
8-5 Mobile and Voice-Based E-Commerce 184 9-3d Transnational Structure 209
Mobile Commerce in Action: 9-3e Global Information Systems Supporting Offshore
The Fast Food Restaurants 185 Outsourcing 209
8-6 E-Commerce Supporting Technologies 186 Global Information System at FedEx 210
8-6a Electronic Payment Systems 186 9-4 Obstacles to Using Global Information Systems 211
Challenges in Using Mobile Payment Systems 187 9-4a Lack of Standardization 211
8-6b Web Marketing 187 9-4b Cultural Differences 211
Mobile Marketing at Starbucks 189 9-4c Diverse Regulatory Practices 212
8-6c Mobile Marketing 189 9-4d Poor Telecommunication Infrastructures 212
8-6d Search Engine Optimization 189 Privacy Law Differences between the United States
and the European Union 213
Challenges in Using Digital Ads 190
9-4e Lack of Skilled Analysts and Programmers 213
8-7 E-commerce and Beyond: Social Commerce 190
Reviews and Discussions 214
Social Commerce at Coca-Cola Company 191
Projects 215
8-8 Hyper-Social Organizations 192
Are You Ready to Move On? 215
Hyper-Social Organization in Action: Spotify 193
Case Study 9-1: Global Information Systems at Toyota
8-9 Social Media Information Systems 193 Motor Company 216
Reviews and Discussions 195 Case Study 9-2: Information Technologies Support
Projects 195 Global Supply Chain 216
Are You Ready to Move On? 196
Case Study 8-1: Widespread Applications
of Mobile Ads 196 Part 3
Case Study 8-2: Bridging the Gap Between E-Commerce IS Development, Enterprise Systems,
and Traditional Commerce 197 MSS, IIS, and Emerging Trends
9 Global Information
Systems 198
9-1 Why Go Global? 199
Global Information Systems at Rohm & Haas 200
Peshkova/Shutterstock.com

9-1a E-Business: A Driving Force 200

9-1b Growth of the Internet 200
Making a Company Web Site Global 201
9-1c The Rise of Non-English Speakers on the Internet 201
9-1d Mobile Computing and Globalization 202
9-2 Global Information Systems: An Overview 202
9-2a Components of a Global Information System 203
The Internet and Globalization in Action 204
10 Building Successful
9-2b Requirements of Global Information Systems 204
Information Systems 218
Video Conferencing Systems Support 10-1 Systems Development Life Cycle: An Overview 219
Globalization 205 10-2 Phase 1: Planning 219
viii Contents
 10-2a Formation of the Task Force 221 Projects 260
10-2b Feasibility Study 221 Are You Ready to Move On? 260
A Feasible Project Becomes Unfeasible 222 Case Study 11-1: ERP at Johns Hopkins Institutions 261
10-3 Phase 2: Requirements Gathering and Case Study 11-2: CRM at Starbucks 261
Analysis 224
10-4 Phase 3: Design 227
10-4a Computer-Aided Systems Engineering 227
10-4b Prototyping 228
12 Management Support
Systems 262
10-5 Phase 4: Implementation 229
12-1 Types of Decisions in an Organization 263
10-5a It Project Management 230
12-1a Phases of the Decision-Making Process 263
10-5b Request for Proposal 231
12-2 Decision Support Systems 266
Failed Order Management System at Avon 232
12-2a Components of a Decision Support System 266
10-5c Implementation Alternatives 233
12-2b DSS Capabilities 267
10-6 Phase 5: Maintenance 235
12-2c Roles in the DSS Environment 267
10-7 New Trends in Systems Analysis and Design 235
12-2d Costs and Benefits of Decision Support
10-7a Service-Oriented Architecture 235 Systems 268
10-7b Rapid Application Development 236 Decision Support Systems at Family
10-7c 
Extreme Programming 236 Dollar 269
Extreme Programming in Action 236 12-3 Executive Information Systems 269
Agile Methodology at HomeAway, Inc. 237 12-3a Reasons for Using EISs 270
10-7d Agile Methodology 237 12-3b Avoiding Failure in Design and Use of EISs 270
Reviews and Discussions 238 12-3c EIS Packages and Tools 271
Projects 239 Executive Information Systems at Hyundai Motor
Are You Ready to Move On? 239 Company 272
Case Study 10-1: Systems Development at SEB Latvia 240 12-4 Group Support Systems 272
Case Study 10-2: Crowdsourcing Pays Off 240 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server: A New Type of
Groupware 273

11 Enterprise Systems 242

12-4a Groupware 273
Groupware and Health IT 274
11-1 Supply Chain Management 243 12-4b Electronic Meeting Systems 274
11-1a SCM Technologies 244 Remote Collaboration with Google Apps for
Work 275
Supply Chain Management at Coca-Cola
Company 245 New Generations of Electronic Meeting
Systems 275
Green SCM in Action: Walmart 245
12-4c Advantages and Disadvantages of GSSs 276
3D Printing in Action: the Medical Field 250
12-5 Geographic Information Systems 276
11-2 Customer Relationship Management 251
12-5a GIS Applications 277
11-2a CRM Applications 252
GISs for Fighting Disease 278
CRM at Delta Air Lines 253
12-6 Guidelines for Designing a Management Support
11-2b Personalization Technology 253 System 279
Amazon’s Personalization Assists Sellers on Its Reviews and Discussions 280
Marketplace 255
Projects 280
11-3 Knowledge Management 255
Are You Ready to Move On? 281
Knowledge Management in Action 256
Case Study 12-1: UPS Deploys Routing Optimization with
11-4 Enterprise Resource Planning 257 a Big Payoff 281
ERP Streamlines Operations at Naghi Group 258 Case Study 12-2: GPS Technology and Analytics Combat
Reviews and Discussions 260 Crimes 282
Contents ix
 13 Intelligent Information 14 Emerging Trends, Technologies,
Systems 284 and Applications 308
13-1 What Is Artificial Intelligence? 285 14-1 Trends in Software and Service Distribution 309
13-1a AI Technologies Supporting Decision Making 285 14-1a Pull and Push Technologies 309
Computers Understanding Common Sense 286 14-1b Application Service Providers 310
13-1b Robotics 286 14-2 Virtual Reality 311
13-2 Expert Systems 288 14-2a Types of Virtual Environments 312
Medical Robotics in Action 289 14-2b Components of a Virtual Reality System 312
13-2a Components of an Expert System 289 14-2c CAVE 313
13-2b Uses of Expert Systems 291 14-2d Virtual Reality Applications 313
Expert Systems in Baltimore County Police Virtual Reality at Lockheed Martin 314
Department 292 14-2e Obstacles in Using VR Systems 315
13-2c Criteria for Using Expert Systems 292 14-2f Virtual Worlds 315
13-2d Criteria for Not Using Expert Systems 292 14-2g Augmented Reality 316
13-2e Advantages of Expert Systems 293 14-3 Radio Frequency Identification: An Overview 317
13-3 Case-Based Reasoning 293 14-3a RFID Applications 318
13-4 Intelligent Agents 293 Coca-Cola Company Uses RFID-Based Dispensers
13-4a Shopping and Information Agents 294 for Generating Business Intelligence 318
13-4b Personal Agents 294 14-4 Quick Response Codes 319
13-4c Data-Mining Agents 294 QR Codes in Action 320
Intelligent Agents in Action 295 14-5 Biometrics: A Second Look 320
13-4d Monitoring and Surveillance Agents 295 Face Recognition Technology in Action 321
13-5 Fuzzy Logic 295 14-6 Trends in Networking 321
13-5a Uses of Fuzzy Logic 296 14-6a Wi-Fi 321
13-6 Machine Learning 297 14-6b WiMAX 322
Fuzzy Logic in Action 297 14-6c Bluetooth 322
Neural Networks in Microsoft and the Chicago 14-6d Grid Computing 322
Police Department 299 14-6e Utility (On-Demand) Computing 323
13-7 Genetic Algorithms 299 14-6f Cloud Computing 323
13-8 Natural-Language Processing 300 Cloud Computing in Support of Small
13-9 Integrating AI Technologies into Decision Support Businesses 325
Systems 300 Edge Computing in Action 327
NLP in Action: The Healthcare Industry 301 14-7 Nanotechnology 328
13-10   Contextual Computing: Making Mobile Devices 14-8 Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrency 328
Smarter 301
Reviews and Discussions 330
AI Technologies for Decision Making 302
Projects 331
Contextual Computing in Action 303
Are You Ready to Move On? 331
Reviews and Discussions 304
Case Study 14-1: Cloud Computing at Intercontinental
Projects 304 Hotels Group (IHG) 332
Are You Ready to Move On? 305 Case Study 14-2: RFID at Macy’s Department
Case Study 13-1: AI-Based Software Helps Businesses Store 332
Better Understand Customers 305
Case Study 13-2: NLP: Making a Smartphone Endnotes 333
Smarter 306 Index 347

x Contents
 PART 1

1 Information Systems:
An Overview
ESB Professional/Shutterstock.com

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

1-1 Discuss common applications of computers and information systems.

1-2 Explain the differences between computer literacy and information literacy.

1-3 Define transaction-processing systems.

1-4 Define management information systems.

After you finish
1-5 Describe the four major components of an information system. this chapter, go to
1-6 Discuss the differences between data and information. PAGE 21 for the
1-7 Explain the importance and applications of information systems in functional areas
of a business.
STUDY TOOLS
1-8 Discuss how information technologies are used to gain a competitive advantage.

1-9 Explain the Five Forces Model and strategies for gaining a competitive advantage.

1-10 Review the IT job market.

1-11 Summarize the future outlook of information systems.

2   PART
PARTONE:
ONE: Fundamentals of Information Systems
This chapter starts with an overview of common
uses for computers Organizations use and information
computers and
systems, explains the information systems difference between
computer literacy and to reduce costs and information literacy,
and then reviews gain a competitive transaction-processing
systems as one of the advantage in the earliest applications
marketplace.
of information systems. Next, the
chapter discusses the components of
a management information system (MIS), including data, databases,
processes, and information, and then delves into how information
systems relate to information technologies. This chapter also covers
the roles and applications of information systems and explains the
Five Forces Model used to develop strategies for gaining a competitive
advantage. Finally, the chapter reviews the IT job market and touches
on the future of information systems.

1-1 COMPUTERS AND and retail stores as well. For example, a point-of-sale
(POS) system speeds up service by reading the universal
INFORMATION SYSTEMS product codes (UPCs) on items in your shopping cart
(see Exhibit 1.1). This same system also manages store
IN DAILY LIFE inventory, and some information systems can even reor-
der stock automatically. Banks, too, use computers and
Organizations use computers and
information systems to reduce costs
and gain a competitive advantage in the Exhibit 1.1
marketplace. Throughout this book,
you will study many information sys-
tem applications. For now, you will look
at some common applications used in
daily life.
Computers and information sys-
tems are all around you. As a student,
you use computers and office suite
software and might take online classes.
Computers are often used to grade your
exam answers and generate detailed
reports comparing the performance of
each student in your class. Computers
hin255/Shutterstock.com

and information systems also calculate

grades and grade point averages (GPAs)
and can deliver this information to you.
Computers and information sys-
tems are commonly used in grocery
CHAPTER 1: Information Systems: An Overview 3
 information systems for generating your monthly state-
ment, running ATM machines, and for many other bank-
ing activities.
Exhibit 1.2
Many workers are now telecommuters who perform
their jobs at home, and others often use their personal
digital assistants (PDAs) to conduct business while on
the go. The most common PDA is a smartphone (such
as an iPhone, Galaxy, Droid, or a BlackBerry). A typical
PDA includes a calendar, address book, and task-listing
programs; more advanced PDAs often allow for wireless
connection to the Internet and have built-in MP3 players.
Smartphones are mobile phones with advanced capabili-
ties, much like a mini-PC. They include e-mail and Web-
browsing features, and most have a built-in keyboard or
an external USB keyboard (see Exhibit 1.2). Increasingly,
tablet computers, such as iPads, are being used as PDAs.
These tablets come with apps (small programs) for com-
mon applications, and they can improve the user’s effi-

Scanrail1/Shutterstock.com
ciency. The information box “Smartphones Everywhere
and for Everything” highlights several popular applica-
tions of smartphones.
The Internet is used for all kinds of activities, from
shopping to learning to working. Search engines and broad-
band communication bring information to your desktop
in seconds. The Internet is also used for social purposes.
With social networking sites—such as Facebook, Twitter,
Google+, LinkedIn, and Foursquare—you can connect

Smartphones Everywhere and for Everything

With the growing number of apps available for both iPhones and Android phones, individuals and businesses are
using their smartphones as a productivity tool and as an intelligent assistant for all sorts of activities. Here are few
popular examples.
Group texting app GroupMe is used for sending a message to a group of employees or customers. The Samsung
iPolis app, a video camera security system, is used to remotely watch the video that monitors the location of a busi-
ness or home. Apps are available to pay bills, update a company’s Web site, market and advertise a product or service,
reach out to customers, and keep in touch with employees from anywhere. Some businesses give out the Google Voice
phone number to customers so that they can text an order. Google’s calendar is used to coordinate events, and
Instagram is used to post photos of new merchandise.1
According to Massimo Marinucci, the owner and president of The Wine Connection, a $20-million business with six
employees, the iPhone does nearly everything for business that a desktop used to do. Using their iPhones, employ-
ees check inventory, view sales for the day, run reports, print, change prices, and change inventory quantities. The
new POS app allows customers to buy immediately as soon as a new wine becomes available.2
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., plans to offer customers of two of its hotels in Harlem, NY, and Cupertino,
CA, a virtual key. Guests can bypass the crowded check-in desk and enter their rooms using their smartphones. Guests
receive a message on Starwood’s app that will unlock their rooms with a tap or twist of their smartphones, using
Bluetooth technology. Marriott International, Inc., also does mobile check-ins at some of their hotels. Loyalty program
customers can check in via their smartphones and then go to a separate check-in desk to pick up a key.3

4 PART ONE: Fundamentals of Information Systems

with friends, family, and colleagues online and meet people providing an inexpensive medium for targeting a large
with similar interests and hobbies. Twitter (www.twitter customer base.
.com), for example, is a social networking and short- In addition, people use video-sharing sites to watch
message service. Users can send and receive brief text news, sporting events, and entertainment videos. One
updates, called Tweets. These posts are displayed on one’s of the most popular sites is YouTube (www.youtube
profile page, and other users can sign up to have them deliv- .com). You can upload and share video clips via Web sites,
ered to their in-boxes. As an example, the author of this mobile devices, blogs, and e-mails. Users upload most of
textbook sends daily Tweets that consist of links to current the ­content on YouTube, although media corporations
articles about information systems applications, new devel- such as CBS, BBC, Sony Music Group, the Sundance
opments, breaking news, IT jobs, and case e­ xamples. You Channel, and others also provide content. Anyone can
can read these Tweets in Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. watch videos on YouTube, but you must register to upload
Organizations also use social networking sites to give videos. (This book has a YouTube channel on which you
customers up-to-date information and how-to support can watch many practical videos related to information
via videos. These sites can reduce organizations’ costs by systems.) Businesses are increasingly using YouTube to

In the 21st century, knowledge workers need two types

of knowledge to be competitive in the workplace:
computer literacy and information literacy.

A New Era of Marketing: YouTube

Companies use newspapers, magazines, TV shows, and search engines to promote their products, services, and brands.
YouTube is a popular video-sharing service that can be used as a marketing tool. The videos on YouTube are very well
indexed and organized. They are categorized and sorted by “channels.” The channels range from film and animation to
sports, short movies, and video blogging. Individual YouTube users have used this marketing tool to share videos and sto-
ries. One popular application is watching how-to videos for repairing cars, home appliances, and so forth. Corporations can
also take advantage of this popular platform. YouTube represents a great opportunity for marketers to reach consumers
who are searching for information about a brand or related products and services. The service can also be used as a direct
marketing tool. The following are examples of corporations that are using YouTube to promote their products and services:
Quiksilver—This manufacturer of apparel and accessories, including the Roxy brand, frequently posts new videos of
its products, continually renewing its Web presence.
Ford Models—Since 2006, it has uploaded over 554 videos promoting its brand.
University of Phoenix Online—This site has hundreds of video testimonials, reviews, and documentaries that
promote the university’s degree programs.
The Home Depot—Free content, including practical knowledge and money-saving tips for home improvements
may be found at this site.
Nikefootball—Nike maintains several distinct YouTube channels that cater to specific audiences. Consumers can find
content that is relevant to their needs without having to sift through everything.4,5
However, there are some challenges in using YouTube as an advertising medium. In 2017, several companies, includ-
ing Starbucks, Pepsi, AT&T, Verizon, Johnson & Johnson, Volkswagen, and Walmart pulled YouTube ads after ads were
placed on racist videos or alongside unpleasant videos. Alphabet, the parent company of YouTube, has taken steps
to fix this problem by involving more people in reviewing videos and developing more-sophisticated algorithms to
instruct its computers to eliminate this problem.6

CHAPTER 1: Information Systems: An Overview 5

 addition, these workers will
be able to connect to the rest
of the world to share informa-
tion, knowledge, videos, ideas,
and almost anything else that
can be digitized. Throughout
this book, these opportuni-
ties, as well as the power of
computers and information
systems, are explored.
As you read, keep in
mind that the terms infor-
mation systems and informa-
tion technologies are used

Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com
interchangeably. Information
systems are broader in scope
than information technolo-
gies, but the two overlap
in many areas. Both are
used to help organizations
be more c­ompetitive and
promote their products and services. See the information to improve their overall efficiency and e­ ffectiveness.
box “A New Era of Marketing: YouTube,” which high- Information technologies offer many advantages for
lights a few such companies. improving decision making but involve some chal-
So what do all these examples mean to you? Com- lenges, too, such as security and privacy issues. The
puters and information technology will help the knowl- information box “Social Networking and the Vulner-
edge workers of the future perform more effectively and ability of Personal Information” describes one of the
productively, no matter what profession they choose. In potential challenges.

Social Networking and the Vulnerability of Personal Information

The popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Snapchat, and Foursquare is on the rise.
As of November 1, 2017, Facebook had 2.07 billion monthly active users, and the number is increasing on a daily basis.7
But so is the potential risk. According to an InfoWorld study, over half of all users of social networks in this country are
putting themselves at risk by posting information that could be misused by cybercriminals. Many social networkers
post their full birth dates, their home addresses, photos of themselves and their families, and the times when they will
be away from home. This information could be used by cybercriminals for malicious purposes. According to the report,
9 percent of the 2,000 people who participated in the study had experienced some kind of computer-related trouble,
such as malware infections, scams, identity theft, or harassment. To reduce risk and improve the privacy of your per-
sonal information, the study offers several tips:8
●● Always use the privacy controls offered by the social networking sites.
●● Use long passwords (eight characters or longer) that mix uppercase and lowercase letters with numbers
and symbols.
●● Do not post a phone number or a full address.
●● Do not post children’s names, even in photo tags or captions.
●● Do not be specific when posting information about vacations or business trips.

6 PART ONE: Fundamentals of Information Systems

 1-2 COMPUTER LITERACY enormous volumes of data, such as inventory con-
trol in a multinational textile company. When these
AND INFORMATION systems are ­automated, human involvement is mini-
mal. For example, in an automated payroll system,
LITERACY there is little need for managerial judgment in the task
of printing and sending checks, which reduces person-
In the 21st century, knowledge workers need two nel costs.
types of knowledge to be competitive in the work- Transaction processing systems have come a long
place: computer literacy and information literacy. way. For example, the first ATM opened for busi-
Computer literacy is skill in using productivity soft- ness in 1969 with some very basic features. Similar
ware, such as word processors, spreadsheets, database to other information technologies, ATMs have gone
management systems, and presentation­software, as well through major changes and improvements.9 In 2014,
as having a basic knowledge of hardware and software, JPMorgan Chase introduced electronic banking kiosks
the Internet, and collaboration tools and technologies. (EBKs). Using these kiosks customers can withdraw
Information literacy, on the other hand, is under- cash in a variety of denominations ($10, $20, …). These
standing the role of information in generating and using machines also allow customers to cash a check and
business intelligence. Business intelligence (BI) receive exact change.10 Customers can be identified
is more than just information. It provides historical, cur- using biometric features such as a fingerprint or iris
rent, and predictive views of business operations and scanners.11
environments and gives organizations a competitive The cardless ATM is one of the recent tech-
advantage in the marketplace. (BI is discussed in more nologies deployed by some banks in order to attract
detail in Chapter 3.) To summarize, knowledge workers younger customers. An app provided by the bank is
should know the following: used to withdraw cash. The customers set the amount
using the app and receive a code on his/her smart-
●● Internal and external sources of data
phone which is scanned by the bank’s ATM when the
●● How data is collected customer gets there. The ATM dispenses the cash
●● Why data is collected and sends a receipt over
●● What type of data should be collected the phone, or it can be
●● How data is converted to information and eventually printed at the ATM.12 Computer literacy is skill
to business intelligence According to the in using productivity software,
Chicago-based BMO such as word processors,
●● How data should be indexed and updated spreadsheets, database
Harris Bank, mobile with­
●● How data and information should be used to gain a management systems, and
competitive advantage drawal reduces fraud presentation software, as well
and also increases effi­ as having a basic knowledge
ciency, as a mobile cash of hardware and software, the
Internet, and collaboration tools
transaction takes 15 sec­
and technologies.
1-3 THE BEGINNING: onds compared to 45 sec­
onds for a card-based Information literacy
TRANSACTION-PROCESSING withdrawal. 13 is understanding the role of
information in generating and using
JPMorgan Chase
SYSTEMS says upcoming ATM
business intelligence.

Business intelligence
features will include (BI) provides historical, current,
For the past 60 years, transaction-processing cash withdrawals by tap- and predictive views of business
systems (TPSs) have been applied to structured tasks ping smartphones to the operations and environments
such as record keeping, simple clerical operations, and ATM, the technology and gives organizations a
competitive advantage in the
inventory control. Payroll, for example, was one of the first similar to Apple Pay;
marketplace.
applications to be automated. TPSs focus on data collection withdrawals of up to
and processing, and they have provided enormous reduc- $3,000 on some ATMs; Transaction-processing
systems (TPSs) focus on
tions in costs. and allowing customers
data collection and processing; the
Computers are most beneficial in transaction- to make their credit card major reason for using them is
processing operations. These operations are repeti- and mortgage payments cost reduction.
tive, such as printing numerous checks, or involve at the ATM.14
CHAPTER 1: Information Systems: An Overview 7
 Information Technologies at Domino’s Pizza
In 1960, Domino’s Pizza opened its first store. Today, there are nearly 12,000 stores, half of them outside the United States. In
2007, Domino’s started online and mobile ordering. Today, customers can order online at www.dominos.com or they can use
apps for the iPhone, Android, or Kindle Fire.15 This allows them to customize their pizzas with any combination of ingredients,
enhancing their sense of participation while also saving Domino’s the labor costs associated with phone orders. After placing
the order, the customer can track it all the way to when it is sent out for delivery, keeping an eye on an estimated delivery time.
In 2012, Domino’s surpassed $1 billion in annual sales through its Web site, proving that e ­ lectronic sales will con-
tinue to play a large role in the company’s success. 16

At Domino’s, online ordering seamlessly accomplishes multiple

objectives without the customer even taking notice. First, it creates the
feeling among customers that they are an active part of the pizza-mak-
ing process. Second, it results in greater efficiency at the various stores
because employees do not have to spend as much time taking orders.
Susan Montgomery/Shutterstock.com
They merely need to prepare the orders, which appear in an instant
order queue, with all the customers’ specifications.
Domino’s now has the ability to store its online orders in its database. This data can then be used for many purposes,
including target marketing and deciding which pizzas to offer in the future. The company is also actively using social
media, including Facebook and Twitter, to promote its products and gather customers’ opinions.
In 2014, Domino’s began allowing customers to order pizza using a voice app called “Dom,” powered by Nuance
Communications. It enables users of iOS and Android devices to place orders using their voices.
Twitter is now a part of the ordering system at Domino’s. As of 2015, U.S. customers can order pizza by tweeting a
pizza emoji.17
Starting in 2016 customers were able to order Domino’s Pizza from a Facebook Messenger bot.18 Also, in 2016,
Domino’s Pizza began testing a delivery robot called DRU in New Zealand.19 And the pizza company also announced
plans to beat Amazon and Google to delivery by drones.20
In 2017, Domino's tested self-driving pizza delivery in a joint project with Ford in a specially equipped Ford Fusion
that comes with both self-driving technology and an oven.21

However, there are some security risks associated ●● Watch for signs that the ATM of a gas pump may have
with using ATMs. ATM skimming is a worldwide problem been tampered with. This could be done by physically
costing more than $2 billion a year in fraudulent charges. touching the machine or checking on Bluetooth for
Skimmers, by using a card the size of a credit card installed unusual Wi-Fi networks.
inside the ATM or on the top of the machine, are able to ●● Cover your pin number when entering it.
record PIN numbers and other financial information of the
users. This could happen when you swiped your card at the
ATM or even at a gas station. Skimmers have been stealing 1-4 MANAGEMENT
financial information from cards with magnetic strips, as
chip-based cards are more difficult to steal from. To protect INFORMATION SYSTEMS
your financial informa-
tion while using an ATM, A management information system (MIS) is an
A management
information system (MIS) follow these steps22: organized integration of hardware and software technol-
is an ­organized integration ogies, data, processes, and human elements designed to
●●  heck your bank
C
of hardware and software
statements regularly.
produce timely, integrated, relevant, accurate, and use-
technologies, data, processes, ful information for decision-making purposes.
and human elements designed to Usually, if you report
fraudulent charges The hardware components, which are discussed
produce timely, integrated, relevant,
accurate, and useful information for within two days your in more detail in Chapter 2, include input, output, and
decision-making purposes. bank will reimburse you memory devices and vary depending on the applica-
for anything over $50. tion and the organization. MIS software, also covered
8 PART ONE: Fundamentals of Information Systems
 If an organization has defined its strategic goals,
objectives, and critical success factors, then structuring
the data component to define what type of data
is collected and in what form is usually easy.

in Chapter 2, can include commercial programs,

software developed in-house, or both. The appli-
cation or organization determines the type of
Exhibit 1.3
software used. Processes are usually methods for
performing a task in an MIS application. The
human element includes users, programmers,
Data Database Process Information
systems analysts, and other technical personnel.
This book emphasizes users of MISs.
In designing an MIS, the first task is to clearly
define the system’s objectives. Second, data must
be collected and analyzed. Finally, information must be sections: data, a database, a process, and information
provided in a useful format for decision-making purposes. (see Exhibit 1.3).23
Many MIS applications are used in both the private
and public sectors. For example, an MIS for inventory con- 1-5a
trol provides data (such as how much of each product is on
hand), what items have been ordered, and what items are The data component of an information system is consid-
back-ordered. Another MIS might forecast sales volume ered the input to the system. The information that users
for the next fiscal period. This type of system uses recent need affects the type of data that is collected and used.
historical data and mathematical or statistical models to Generally, there are two sources of data: external and inter-
generate the most accurate forecast, and sales managers nal. An information system should collect data from both
can use this information for planning purposes. In the pub- sources, although organizational objectives and the type of
lic sector, an MIS for a police department, for example, application also determine what sources to use. Internal data
could provide information such as crime statistics, crime includes sales records, personnel records, and so forth. The
forecasts, and allocation of police units. Management can following list shows some examples of external data sources:
examine these statistics to spot increases and decreases in ●● Customers, competitors, and suppliers
crime rates or types of crimes and analyze this data to deter- ●● Government agencies and financial institutions
mine future deployment of law enforcement personnel. ●● Labor and population statistics
As you will see in this book, many organizations use
●● Economic conditions
information systems to gain a competitive advantage.
The information box on Domino’s Pizza describes one Typically, data has a time orientation, too. For exam-
example of this. (Note: MISs are often referred to as just ple, past data is collected for performance reports, and
information systems, and these terms are used inter- current data is collected for operational reports. In addi-
changeably in this book.) tion, future data is predicted for budgets or cash flow
reports. Data can also be collected in different forms,
such as aggregated (e.g., subtotals for categories of
1-5 MAJOR COMPONENTS OF information) or disaggregated (e.g., itemized lists). An
organization might want disaggregated data to analyze
AN INFORMATION SYSTEM sales by product, ter-
ritory, or salesperson.
Data consists of raw facts and
In addition to hardware, software, and human ele- Aggregated data can be is a component of an information
ments, an information system includes four major useful for reporting over- system.
components, which are discussed in the following all performance during
CHAPTER 1: Information Systems: An Overview 9
 a particular sales quarter, for
example, but it limits the ability
of decision makers to focus on
specific factors.
If an organization has defi­
ned its strategic goals, objectives,
and critical success factors, then
structuring the data component
to define what type of data is
collected and in what form is
usually easy. On the other hand,
if there are conflicting goals and
objectives or the company is not

cunaplus/Shutterstock.com
aware of critical success factors,
many problems in data collec-
tion can occur, which affects an
information system’s reliability
and effectiveness.
An information system can include a wide range of
1-5b models to support all levels of decision making. Users
should be able to query an information system and gener-
A database, the heart of an information system, is a ate a variety of reports. In addition, an information sys-
collection of all relevant data organized in a series of tem should be able to grow with the organization so users
­integrated files. (You will learn more about databases in can redefine and restructure models and incorporate new
Chapter 3.) A comprehensive database is essential for information into their analyses.
the success of any information system. To create, orga-
nize, and manage databases, a database management
1-5d
system (DBMS) is used, such as Microsoft Access or
FileMaker Pro for home or small-office use. In a large Although they might seem the same, data and informa-
organization, a DBMS such as Oracle or IBM DB2 tion are different. Data consists of raw facts and by itself
might be used. is difficult to use for making decisions. Information—
Databases are also important for reducing person- the output of an information system—consists of facts
nel time needed to gather, process, and interpret data that have been analyzed by the process component and
manually. With a computerized database and a DBMS, are therefore more useful to the MIS user. For example,
data can be treated as a common resource that is easy to XYZ Company’s total sales last month were $5 million.
access and use. This number is data because it does not tell you how the
company performed. Did it meet the sales goal? Did
1-5c sales increase or decrease from the previous month?
How did the company perform against its top competi-
A database is a collection of all The purpose of an infor- tors? These questions and more can be answered by the
relevant data organized mation system’s process information that an information system provides.
in a series of integrated files. component is generating The quality of information is determined by its use-
The process component of an the most useful type of fulness to users, and its usefulness determines the suc-
information system generates the information for making cess of an information system. Information is useful if it
most useful type of information for decisions. This compo- enables decision makers to make the right decision in a
decision making, including
nent generally includes timely manner. To be useful, information must have the
transaction-processing reports and
models for decision analysis. transaction-processing following qualities:
reports and models for
Information consists of facts ●● Timeliness
decision analysis that can
that have been analyzed by the ●● Integration with other data and information
process component and is an be built into the system
output of an information system. or accessed from external ●● Consistency and accuracy
sources. ●● Relevance
10 PART ONE: Fundamentals of Information Systems
 If information lacks any of these qualities, the results provides. For example, knowing which major is the fast-
are incorrect decisions, misallocation of resources, and est growing can help with decisions on hiring faculty, and
overlooked windows of opportunity. If the system c­ annot knowing the estimated number of students for 2025 can
give users a minimum level of confidence in its reliabil- help with planning facilities.
ity, it will not be used or users might dismiss the reports Example 2 Teletech, an international textile com-
it generates. Information must provide either a base for pany, uses a database to store data on products, sup-
users to explore different options or insight into tasks. pliers, sales personnel, costs, and so forth. The process
Another factor affecting the usefulness of informa- component of the information system conducts analysis
tion is the information system’s user interface. Because this on the data to provide the following information about
interface must be flexible and easy to use, most informa- the preceding month:
tion systems make use of graphical user interfaces (GUIs), ●● Which salesperson generated the highest sales?
with features such as menus and buttons. To be useful, ●● Which product generated the highest sales? The
information systems should also produce information in ­lowest sales?
different formats, including graphics (e.g., pie charts and
●● Which region generated the highest sales?
bar graphs), tables, and exception reports, which highlight
information that is outside a specified range. Supplying Again, forecasting models can be used to generate
information in a variety of formats increases the likelihood predictions for the next sales period, and these predic-
of users understanding and being able to use the informa- tions can be broken down by product, region, and sales-
tion. Note that, in addition to the formal information that person. Based on this information, many decisions could
an information system generates, users need to be able to be made, such as allocating the advertising budget to
make use of informal information—such as rumors, uncon- ­different products and regions.
firmed reports, and stories—when solving problems.
The ultimate goal of an information system is to gen-
erate business intelligence (BI), described earlier in this
1-6 USING INFORMATION
chapter. As you will learn throughout this book, many SYSTEMS AND INFORMATION
different tools, techniques, and types of information sys-
tem technologies are used to generate BI. TECHNOLOGIES
1-5e Information systems are designed to collect data, process
the collected data, and deliver timely, relevant, and use-
To better understand the four main components of an infor-
ful information that can be used for making decisions. To
mation system, take a look at the following two examples.
achieve this goal, an information system might use many
Example 1 A state university stores all student data
different information technologies. For example,
in a database. The collected data includes each student’s
organizations often use the Internet as a worldwide
first name, last name, age, gender, major, nationality, and
network to communicate with one another. Computer
so forth. The process component of the information sys-
networks (wired and wireless), database systems, POS
tem performs all sorts of analysis on this data. For exam-
systems, and radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags
ple, the university’s DBMS has a built-in query capability
are just a few examples of information technologies used
that can generate the ­following information:
to support information systems. The information box on
●● How many students are in each major? The Information Technologies at Home Depot box gives
●● Which major is the fastest growing? you an idea of how companies use information technolo-
●● What is the average age of the student body? gies to stay competitive.
●● Among the international students, which country is
home to the highest number of students? 1-6a 
●● What is the ratio of male to female students in
each major?
Information is the second Information technologies
Many other types of analysis can be done. A fore- most important resource support information systems
and use the Internet, computer
casting model (part of the process component) could (after the human ele-
networks, database systems, POS
be used to generate the estimated number of students ment) in any organiza- ­systems, and radio-frequency
for 2025, for instance. In addition, predictions could be tion. Timely, relevant, and identification (RFID) tags.
made or improved, based on information this system accurate information is a
CHAPTER 1: Information Systems: An Overview 11
 Information Technologies at The Home Depot
The Home Depot revolutionized the do-it-yourself home-improvement industry in the United States. Its stores use a POS
system for both fast customer service and improved inventory management as well as a wireless network for efficient in-
store communication.24 The Home Depot has a Web site to communicate with customers and increase sales with online
orders. It also uses RFID tags to better manage inventory and improve the efficiency of its supply chain network.
The Home Depot maintains a high-speed network connecting its stores throughout North America, and it uses a data-
warehousing application to analyze variables affecting its success—customers, competitors, products, and so forth.25 The
information system gives The Home Depot a competitive advantage by gathering, analyzing, and using information to
better serve customers and plan for customers’ needs.
In 2010, The Home Depot launched a transition to Fujitsu
U-Scan self-checkout software in its U.S. and Canadian retail stores.
The software offers retailers the flexibility to quickly make changes

Sergey Yechikov/Shutterstock.com
to their POS systems, and offers savings in labor costs.26
Other Information Technologies used in some of The Home
Depot stores include virtual and augmented reality (discussed
in Chapter 14), mobile checkout, and heat mapping to reduce
in-store congestion. This technology assists the store manager
to deploy more associates to congested area within the store.27

critical tool for enhancing a company’s competitive position information that helps decision makers in personnel carry
in the marketplace and managing the four Ms of resources: out their tasks more effectively. Web technologies have
manpower, machinery, materials, and money. played a major role in improving the efficiency and effec-
To manage these resources, different types of infor- tiveness of HR departments. For example, intranets are
mation systems have been developed. Although all have often used to provide basic HR functions, such as employ-
the major components shown in Exhibit 1.3, they vary ees checking how much vacation time they have left or
in the kind of data they collect and the analyses they looking up how much they have in their 401(k) plans.
perform. This section discusses some major types of Intranets reduce personnel costs and speed up responses
information systems, focusing on the types of data and to common employee requests. As discussed in Chapter 7,
analysis used in each. an intranet is a network within an organization that uses
A personnel information system (PIS) or human Internet protocols and technologies for collecting, stor-
resource information system (HRIS) is designed to provide ing, and disseminating useful information that supports

Human Resource Information Systems in Action

Large organizations have been using HRISs for years by deploying software platforms such as SAP HR software and
Oracle PeopleSoft. With cost reduction, ease of use, and the availability of cloud-based HR software or software as a
service (SaaS) (discussed in Chapter 14), small and mid-sized organizations can now benefit from HRISs.
Sarnova Inc., a medical products company based in Columbus, Ohio, with over 500 employees, replaced its paper-
based system with an HRIS. They used Workforce from ADP for this implementation. The HRIS enables Sarnova to
track employees by region, title, and category, among other things. According to Christy Gigandet, senior HR partner
at Sarnova Inc., the most beneficial feature of the system is managing the open enrollment for employee benefits.
This automation process has saved the company “at least a month in man hours.” The system has automated the
printing and mailing of employee paperwork and has made it a self-service driven process.28
UltiPro, Sage HRMS, and SuccessFactors are among the most popular HRIS software applications on the market.
They all offer basic HR functions such as time management, payroll, talent management, scheduling, and workforce
planning, among other functions.29

12 PART ONE: Fundamentals of Information Systems

business activities such as sales, customer service, human The information box featuring UPS shows uses of
resources, and marketing. The main difference between information systems and information technologies, par-
an intranet and the Internet is that intranets are private ticularly logistics information systems.
and the Internet is public. A PIS/HRIS supports the fol- A manufacturing information system (MFIS) is used to
lowing decisions, among others: manage manufacturing resources so companies can reduce
manufacturing costs, increase product quality, and make
●● Choosing the best job candidate
better inventory decisions. MFISs can perform many types
●● Scheduling and assigning employees
of analysis with a high degree of timeliness and accuracy.
●● Predicting the organization’s future personnel needs For example, managers could use an MFIS to assess the
●● Providing reports and statistics on employee effect on final product costs of a 7 percent increase in raw
demographics materials or to determine how many assembly-line work-
●● Allocating human and financial resources ers are needed to produce 200 automobiles in the next
three weeks. Manufacturing and operations management
The information box “Human Resource Informa-
can also use social media information systems (SMISs)
tion Systems in Action” highlights some real-life applica-
(discussed in Chapter 8) for crowdsourcing. This platform
tions of HRIS.
provides a global reach to all sorts of talents throughout the
A logistics information system (LIS) is designed to
world for performing certain manufacturing tasks at a mod-
reduce the cost of transporting materials while main-
erate cost. Here are some decisions that an MFIS supports:
taining safe and reliable delivery. The following are a
●● Ordering decisions
few examples of decisions supported by an LIS:
●● Product cost calculations
●● Improving routing and delivery schedules ●● Space utilization
●● Selecting the best modes of transportation ●● The bid evaluation process used with vendors and
●● Improving transportation budgeting suppliers
●● Improving shipment planning ●● Analysis of price changes and discounts

Information Technologies at UPS

Established in 1907, United Parcel Service (UPS) is now a global
company worth $97.37 billion as of November 2017. It uses a
sophisticated information system to manage the delivery of more
than 14 million packages a day.30 The company uses several types of
networks in its operations—particularly, GPS and wireless networks.
Its GPS network includes an algorithm that has helped drivers
reduce the number of left turns they have to take, particularly on
commercial roads. This, along with a vehicle telemetric system, has
reduced the number of accidents and delivery times, thus saving
the company over 20 million miles a year.31,32
To better serve customers, UPS has developed UPS Delivery Inter-
cept, a Web-based service that allows customers to intercept and
reroute packages before they are delivered, thus avoiding potentially
costly mistakes and wasted time and costs. UPS calls the technol-
ogy behind this service Package Flow Technology, which is also used
to map efficient routes for drivers and mark packages for special
handling. Kurt Kuehn, senior vice president of worldwide sales and
iStock.com/Juanmonino

marketing, says, “Innovations like Package Flow Technology and ser-

vices like UPS Delivery Intercept are key components of UPS’s drive to
treat each of our millions of customers as if they’re our only customer.
We’re constantly working on new and innovative ways to harness
technology to help our customers meet their unique needs.”33

CHAPTER 1: Information Systems: An Overview 13

 The goal of a financial information system (FIS) is Here are some decisions that an MKIS supports:
to provide information to financial executives in a timely ●● Analyzing market share, sales, and sales personnel
manner. Here are some decisions an FIS is used to
●● Sales forecasting
support:
●● Price and cost analysis of items sold
●● Improving budget allocation
●● Minimizing capital investment risks
●● Monitoring cost trends 1-6b
●● Managing cash flows
●● Determining portfolio structures Michael Porter, a professor at Harvard Business School,
In addition, marketing information systems identified three strategies for successfully competing in
(MKISs) are used to improve marketing decisions. An the marketplace:35
effective MKIS should provide timely, accurate, and ●● Overall cost leadership
integrated information about the marketing mix-4Ps: ●● Differentiation
price, promotion, place, and product. A growing num-
●● Focus
ber of information technology tools are being used in the
marketing field that could play a major role in running an Information systems can help organizations reduce
effective marketing operation in all types of organizations. the cost of products and services and, if designed cor-
One of these technology tool is data- rectly, they can assist with differentia-
base marketing discussed in Chapter 3. tion and focus strategies. Throughout
Other marketing technology tools are Information this book, you will see many examples
covered below. These IT tools help technologies can help of the cost savings that organizations
organizations for direct marketing and bottom-line and have achieved with information sys-
help them grow leads, opportunities, and tems and technologies. For example,
revenue.34
top-line strategies. Walmart has been using overall cost
●● Business analytics, Web and mobile leadership strategies successfully (see
analytics (discussed in Chapter 3) the upcoming information box).
enable an organization to pinpoint the performance Information technologies can help bottom-line and
of channels, technologies in use, ads campaign, top-line strategies. The focus of a bottom-line strategy is
and offers and everything else that are tractable. improving efficiency by reducing overall costs. A top-line
Popular tools include Google Analytics and Adobe strategy focuses on generating new revenue by offering
Analytics. new products and services to customers or increasing
●● E-mail marketing (discussed in Chapter 7) enables an revenue by selling existing products and services to new
organization to be in constant contact with its custom- customers. For example, e-commerce businesses are
ers in an effective and efficient manner. Popular tools adapting business models to reduce distribution costs
include MailChimp and Constant Contact. dramatically. A good example is antivirus vendors using
●● Search engine marketing (discussed in Chapter 7) that the Internet to distribute software. For a subscription
includes both paid search ads and search engine opti- fee of around $30, you can download the software and
mization (SEO) help an organization to get top rank receive updates for a year. Without the Internet for easy,
listings of the organization’s Web site. Popular tools
inexpensive distribution, vendors could not afford to
include Google AdWords and Bing and Yahoo!
offer software at such a low price.
●● Mobile technologies (discussed in Chapter 6)
As discussed in Chapter 11, many organizations use
enable an organization to sell products and services
enterprise systems, such as supply chain management
to mobile users as their number is increasing on
(SCM), customer relationship management (CRM),
daily bases.
enterprise resource planning (ERP), knowledge man-
●● Marketing automation helps an organization bring
agement (KM), and collaboration software, to reduce
all other IT tools together including analytics, online
forms, customer tracking, personalization technol- costs and improve customer service. The goal of these
ogy (discussed in Chapter 11), customer relation systems is to use information technologies to create
management (CRM) (discussed in Chapter 11), and the most efficient, and effective link between suppli-
automated alerts to sales people. Popular tools include ers and consumers. A successful CRM program, for
HubSpot and Act-On. example, helps improve customer service and create

14 PART ONE: Fundamentals of Information Systems

Information Technologies at Walmart
Walmart (http://walmartstores.com), the largest retailer in the world, built
the Walmart Satellite Network, which is the largest private satellite com-
munication system in the United States. The network links branch stores
with the home office in Bentonville, Arkansas, by using two-way voice and
data and one-way video communication. In addition to the POS systems

Vdovichenko Denis/Shutterstock.com
used for many years, Walmart uses the following information technologies
to gain a competitive advantage:
●● Telecommunications is used to link stores with the central computer
system and then to suppliers’ computers. This system creates a seam-
less connection among all parties.
●● Network technologies are used to manage inventory and implement
a just-in-time inventory system. As a result, products and services can
be offered at the lowest possible prices.
●● Walmart uses an extranet, called RetailLink, to communicate with suppliers. Suppliers are able to review product sales
records in all stores and track current sales figures and inventory levels.36 (Extranets are discussed in Chapter 7.)
●● Electronic data interchange (EDI), discussed in Chapter 11, is used to streamline the order-invoice-payment cycle,
reduce paperwork, and improve accuracy.
●● Walmart is a major user of RFID technologies, which have improved its supply chain and inventory management systems.
●● Starting in 2017, Walmart has been using virtual reality to help train its employees on topics such as management
and customer service. It is estimated that over 150,000 employees will go through the program each year.37
●● The same year, Walmart introduced robots in over 50 locations. These 2-feet-tall robots perform tasks such as checking
stock, finding mislabeled or unlabeled products, and assisting employees to fulfill orders for online customers.38

a long-term relationship between an organization and by designing its computers to look very different than PCs
its customers. and focusing on its computers’ ease of use. As another
For differentiation strategies, organizations try to example, Amazon has differentiated its Web site by using
make their products and services different from their certain information technologies, such as personalization
competitors. Apple has been successful with this strategy technologies (covered in more detail in Chapter 11) to
recommend products to customers based on their previ-
ous purchases. Amazon also uses the one-click sys-
tem for fast checkout. With this system, customers
can enter credit card numbers and addresses once
and, in subsequent visits, simply click once to make a
purchase, without having to enter information again.
With focus strategies, organizations concen-
trate on a specific market segment to achieve a
cost or differentiation advantage. Apple has also
used this strategy to target iPhones to consumer
users rather than business users. Similarly, Macin-
tosh computers are heavily marketed to creative
Peshkova/Shutterstock.com

professionals such as designers, photographers,

and writers. As another example, Abercrombie &
Fitch targets high-end clothing to low-income
customers, such as teenagers and young adults,
while Nordstrom targets its high-end clothing to
high-income customers. Information technologies

CHAPTER 1: Information Systems: An Overview 15

 Exhibit 1.4

Potential
entrants

Threat of
new entrants

Industry
competitors
Bargaining power Bargaining power
of suppliers of buyers
Suppliers Buyers
Rivalry among
existing
competitors

Threat of
substitute products
or services

Substitutes

could assist these companies in reaching their target ●● Threat of new entrants
market segments more cost effectively. ●● Rivalry among existing competitors
Remember that focus and differentiation strategies
work only up to a certain point. Customers are often will- Buyer power is high when customers have many
ing to pay more for a unique product or service or one choices and low when they have few choices. Typically,
with a specific focus. However, cost still plays a major organizations try to limit buyers’ choices by offering
role. If a product or service becomes too expensive, cus- services that make it difficult for customers to switch,
tomers might not be willing to purchase it. which is essentially using a differentiation strategy. For
example, Dell Computer was among the first to offer
computer customization options to customers, and other
1-6c
computer manufacturers followed suit. Grocery stores,
such as Sam’s Club, offer club cards that encourage cus-
Harvard Business School’s Michael Porter created a com- tomers to shop by giving them big discounts, an example
prehensive framework called the Five Forces Model of overall cost leadership strategies. Similarly, airlines
for analyzing an organization, its position in the market- and hotels offer free mileage and points when customers
place, and how informa- use their services. Information systems can make manag-
tion systems could be ing these strategies easier and more cost effective.
Michael Porter’s Five Forces Organizations use these strategies to increase
Model analyzes an organization, used to make the orga-
nization more competi- customer loyalty, thus combating the threat of new
its position in the marketplace, and
how information systems could be tive.39 The five forces, entrants or substitute products. However, certain
used to make it more competitive. shown in Exhibit 1.4, are: information technology tools, such as the Internet,
The five forces include buyer power, have evened the playing field by giving customers
supplier power, threat of substitute Buyer power
●● more access to all sorts of data, such as the various
products or services, threat of new
entrants, and rivalry among existing
●● Supplier power prices for products and services. This increases buy-
competitors. ●●  hreat of substitute
T ers’ bargaining power and decreases supplier power,
products or services which is discussed next.
16 PART ONE: Fundamentals of Information Systems
Information Technologies at Netflix
Using a wide variety of devices, over 109 million Netflix subscribers in the United States and around the world
connect to the company’s Web site and watch unlimited movies and TV episodes.40 The users can also receive
DVDs through the mail. The Internet, personalization technologies, and effective inventory management tech-
niques have revolutionized rental entertainment at Netflix. Any user with an Internet connection can connect
to the Web site and watch movies and TV episodes streamed and delivered instantly to a user’s device. Netflix is
currently using Amazon Web Services (AWS), which has provided the company with a high degree of availability
and speed.41
Using data-mining and collaborative filtering technologies, Netflix’s personalization system actively searches infor-
mation to discover relationships and patterns and make recommendations based on a user’s past movie-viewing
history and questions that were answered on the
Web site. Based on these techniques, Netflix has
created CineMatch, an algorithm that recom-
mends other movies the customer might enjoy.42
The inventory system used by Netflix is fully
automated, and computers and robots play a
major role in managing CDs and DVDs by scan-
ning them as soon as they arrive, notifying the
customer that the shipment has been received,

Maxxa Satori/Shutterstock.com
and quickly making the CDs and DVDs avail­
able for other customers. (Netflix owns over
89 ­million discs.) A machine called a “stuffer”
processes DVDs—puts the discs into the enve-
lopes, folds and closes the envelope, and applies
the sticker to the center of the envelope.43

Supplier power is high when customers have fewer for switching to another provider before the customer
options and low when customers have more options. contract is up.
Organizations might use information systems to make The threat of new entrants into the marketplace is
their products and services cheaper or to offer more ser- low when duplicating a company’s product or service
vices in order to distinguish themselves from competitors is difficult. Organizations often use focus strategies to
(another use of a differentiation strategy). Netflix, for ensure that this threat remains low. For example, devel-
example, uses information technologies to offer prod- oping a search engine that could compete successfully
ucts and services, which increases its power in the mar- with Google would be difficult. In addition, organiza-
ketplace. (For examples of how these focus strategies get tions use information technologies to increase customer
used, see the information box on Netflix.) Organizations loyalty, as mentioned previously, which reduces the
have tools other than information systems and technolo- threat of new entrants. For example, banks offer free bill
gies to increase their power. For example, drug companies paying to attract customers and keep them from switch-
obtain patents for their products to reduce competition. ing to another bank; setting up a bill-paying service at
The threat of customers choosing substitute prod- another bank takes time that most customers do not
ucts or services is high when many alternatives to an want to spend. Similarly, after customizing their home
organization’s products and services are available. Some pages with options offered by sites such as Yahoo! and
organizations add services—such as Amazon’s personal- Google, many users do not want to repeat this process
ized recommendations—to make their positions in the at a new site.
marketplace more distinctive. Other organizations use Rivalry among existing competitors is high when
fees to discourage customers from switching to a com- many competitors occupy the same marketplace
petitor, such as when cell phone companies add charges position; it is low when there are few competitors.
CHAPTER 1: Information Systems: An Overview 17
Another Random Scribd Document
with Unrelated Content
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Scent Makes a
Difference
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Scent Makes a Difference

Author: James Stamers

Illustrator: Dick Francis

Release date: April 17, 2016 [eBook #51773]

Most recently updated: October 23, 2024

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online

Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SCENT MAKES A

DIFFERENCE ***
SCENT MAKES A DIFFERENCE

By JAMES STAMERS

Illustrated by DICK FRANCIS

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from

Galaxy Magazine April 1961.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
What I wanted was a good night's sleep. What
I got was visitation rights with the most
exasperating pack of sleepwalkers in history.

A fried egg came floating up through the stone steps of the Medical
Center and broke on my shoe. According to my watch, it was time
for the breakfast I didn't have that morning, so I waited a moment
for the usual two rashers of bacon.
When they materialized, I hopped aside to avoid them and went
back into the building, where the elevator took me straight up to the
psychiatric floor, without asking.
"Your blood pressure, salts, minerals, vitamins, basal metabolism,
brain pattern, nervous reflexes and skin temperature control are
within accepted tolerances," it droned, opening the doors to let me
off. "You have no clinical organic disorders; you weigh a hundred
and fifty-two pounds, Earth, measure six feet one inch, and have a
clear pallid complexion and an egg on your shoe."
I walked down the corridor to Dr. Doogle Spacio-Psycho Please Enter
and went determinedly in.
"Name, please," said the blonde receptionist, tapping her nail eroder.
"Jones. Harry Jones."
"Mr. Harry K. Jones, the physicist?"
"Yes."
"Oh, no," she said, fiddling with the appointment list, "Mr. Harry K.
Jones has just had his morning appointment and left."
"I know," I said. "An important piece of clinical data has just turned
up. I have returned with an egg on my shoe."
"I think you'd better see the doctor."
I sat down to wait and took the little bottle of pills from my pocket.
"From the Galaxy to you, through Dr. Doogle, Spacio-Psycho," it said
on the label. "The last word in tranquilizers. Conservative Zen
methods only, appointments any hour, first consultation free, no
obligation, call personal transmitter DDK 51212-6790, Earth. Active
ingredients oxylatohydrobenzoic-phe-ophenophino, sugar, coloring to
100%."
The inner office door opened and Dr. Doogle smiled fatly at me from
behind his expensive desk.
"Do come in," he called, "and tell me all about it."
"It's happened again," I said, going into his office.
"Well, why not, if you feel that way? Nurse, bring me Mr. Hing-
humph's case history."
"Mr. Har-ry K. Jo-nes' film is in the transcriber, Doctor," said the
receptionist. "Mr. Jones, the physicist."
"Ah, yes, of course. Please sit down, Mr. Jones. Now what exactly is
the trouble? Hold nothing back, tell me all, reveal your intimate
thoughts."
"The main entrance just served me the breakfast that your diet
forbids," I said, sitting down.
"Plain case of wish fulfillment. Put it down to poltergeists, Mr.
Jones."
"And what exactly do you mean by that?"
"Well, now," Dr. Doogle said, drumming his fat fingers, "I don't think
we need to go into technicalities, Mr. Jones."
"Look," I said firmly. "I came to you to get a quiet night's sleep. No
more insomnia, you said, leave your problems in the laboratory, let
not the nucleii banish sleep, work hard, sleep hard, take tranquilizers
and enjoy the useful recuperation of the daily wear on body tissues,
deep dreamless sleep of the innocent."
He look at me suspiciously.
"It sounds like the sort of advice I might have given," he admitted.
"Well, at least I managed to keep my dreams in my head until I
started your treatment. I have an urgent problem to solve that
vitally affects national security. I can't have this sort of thing
happening in the middle of an experiment."
I pointed to the fried egg on my shoe and shook it off on the pile of
his green carpet.
"Yes. Well," he said, peering over the desk at it. "If you feel that
strongly, Mr. Jones, perhaps you'd better give up the diet and just
take the pills."
"I want to know how it happens," I said, and I settled firmly into the
consulting chair.
Dr. Doogle coughed professionally. "Of course, of course. You are an
intelligent man, Mr. Jones. One of our leading physical scientists.
Naturally you wish to know the precise mechanism of such
phenomena. Very commendable and entirely natural. Think no more
about it."
"Dr. Doogle, do you know what you are doing?"
"Spacio-Psycho is still in its early stages, Mr. Jones. You are really
privileged to be a pioneer, you know. We have had some most
interesting results with that new tranquilizer. I hope you're not losing
faith, Mr. Jones?"
"I accept the orthodox philosophy of Spacio-Psycho, it is only the
basic philosophy of Ch'anna or Zen, and I had the routine scientific
education, naturally."
"Ah," said Dr. Doogle with rapture, "the substratum of the universe is
no-mind, and thus all material things are in constant unimpeded
mutual solution. Ji-ji-muge, the appleness of an apple is
indistinguishable from the cupness of a cup."
"And an egg on the shoe is the breakfast I didn't have," I said.
"Here," he said. "I think those pills are sending your sleeping mind
down beyond the purely personal level of your own emotions and
subconscious cerebrations. Take these, in a little water, half an hour
before going to bed."
I stood up and walked over to the door.
"What are they?" I asked.
"Same as before, only stronger. Should send you right down to the
root of things. Pass quiet nights in no-mind, Mr. Jones, sleep beyond
the trammels of self, support yourself on the universal calm sea of
no-mind."
"If these don't work, there'll be no-fee," I told him.

I took three of the stronger pills that night, turned off the light and
lay back in bed, waiting for sleep to come and get me. The
antiseptic odor of the Medical Center recalled itself, but nothing else
happened, and I was still waiting to go to sleep when I woke up
next morning. No dreams of a breakfast I couldn't eat, no dreams at
all. I had been smelling the memory of formaldehyde and just slid
off to sleep. I could still smell it, for that matter, as if it were coming
from the slightly open bedroom window. I looked up.
"Hallo," said the tall skinny man in a doctor's coat on the window sill.
"Hallo yourself," I said. "Go away, I'm awake."
"Yes, you are. At least I assume you are. But I'm not."
I sat up and looked at him, and he obligingly turned his head to
profile against the brightness of the window. He had a sharp, beaky
face that was familiar.
"Haven't we met somewhere?" I asked.
"Certainly," he said, in a slightly affected voice.
"Well?"
"I don't know your name," he said, "but I have a very important
post-operative case at present, and you keep charging around the
ward when you're asleep. I just came over, as soon as I could get a
few hours' sleep myself, to ask you to stop doing it, if you don't
mind."
"I've done no such thing."
"You were doing it all last night, my friend."
"I was not," I said. "I spent last night here in my own bed. I didn't
even dream."
"Ah, that probably accounts for it. Tell me, do you take drugs,
tranquilizers, by any chance? We've had a lot of trouble with that.
They seem to cause a bubble in the sequence of probabilities and
things shift about. I've been taking a new one myself, while this case
is on. I suspect that although I'm dreaming you, I think, you are not
asleep at all. At least I wasn't when you made all that noise in my
ward last night."
"No, I'm awake," I said. "Very much so."
"I see. Well, I shall wake up soon myself and go back to my own
world, of course. But while I'm here, I suppose you haven't any
advanced works on post-operative hyperspace relapse?
"Pity," he said, as I shook my head.
"I suppose you have no information on the fourth octave of ultra-
uranium elements?"
He shook his head. "Didn't even know they existed," he said. "I don't
believe they do in my probable time. What are you, a physicist? Ah,"
he added, as I nodded, "I wanted to specialize in physics when I
was in college, but I went in for medicine instead."
"So did I," I said, "medicine, I mean, but I never passed
pharmacology with all those confusing extraterrestrial derivatives."
"Really?" he said interestedly. "It's my weakest subject, too. I'm a
pretty good surgeon, but an awful fool with medications. I suppose
that's how we got together. You won't come busting up the ward
again, will you?"
"I'd like to be obliging, but if I don't dream and I don't know where I
am when I'm asleep, I don't see what I can do to stop it. It's not as
if I'm really there, is it?"
He crossed his arms and frowned at me. "Look," he said. "In my
probable time, you're as much physically there as I am now in your
time here. I'll prove it. I know I'm asleep in the emergency surgeon's
room in my hospital. You know you're awake in your bedroom."
He held out his hand and walked across the floor to me.
"My name's Jones," he said.
"So's mine," I answered, shaking his solid hand. "This must be a
very vivid dream to you."
We smiled at each other, and as he turned away, I caught sight of
his reflection in the wall mirror beside my hairbrush on the cabinet.
"Good heavens!" I said. "In a mirror, you look exactly like me. Is
your name Harry Jones?"
He stopped, walked over to the mirror and moved about until he
could see me in it.
"Harold K. Jones," he said. "You've got the face I shave every
morning, but I've only just recognized you. You're me."
"I prefer to think you are me," I said.
"So you did fail that final pharmacology exam, eh? And I didn't, in
my probability. Well, well. I must admit it seemed more probable I
would fail at the time, but I passed."
"It was that tramp Kate's fault. She said yes too easily."
He coughed and looked at his fingers. "She said no to me. And, as a
matter of fact, after I passed I married her. She's my wife."
"I'm sorry. I meant nothing personal."
"You never married?"
"I never really got over Kate," I said.
"I wonder what would have happened if I had qualified and then not
married her."
"You mean what did happen—to the Harry K. Jones who passed in
pharmacology but did not marry Kate. He must be around in another
probability somewhere, the same as we are. Good heavens," I
shouted, "somewhere I may have solved the fourth octave
equation."
"You're right, Harry. And I may have found out how to get
hyperspace relapse under control."
"Harold," I said, "This is momentous! It is more probable that you-I
and I-you will make a mess of things, but there must be other
probability sequences where we are successful."
"And we can get to them," he shouted, jumping up. "Are you using
oxylatohydrobenzoic-pheophenophino?"
"Something like that."
"Three pills last thing at night?"
"Yes."
"Ever have foreign bodies materialize into your time-space?"
"Several breakfasts," I said. "The last egg was yesterday, on my
shoe."
"It was Virginia ham with me, so I stopped dieting and increased the
dosage."
"So did I," I said. "I suppose, apart from major points where a whole
probability branches off, we lead much the same lives. But eggs
don't dream. How did the ham get into your waking world?"
"Harry, really! I have a tendency to jump to conclusions, which you
must control. How do you know eggs don't dream? I would have
thought, though, that a pig was peculiarly liable to the nightmare
that it will end up as a rasher—any reasonably observant pig, that is.
But I don't think that is necessary. Obviously, we are dipping down
to a stratum where things coexist in fact, and not merely one in fact
and the other in mind, or one probability and not its twin alternative.
Now, how do I get hold of the me that solved this hyperspace
relapse business?"
"And I the ultra-uranium octave relationship," I added.
"Look out," he said. "I'm waking up. Good-by, Harry. Look after
myself...."
He flickered, paused in recovery and then faded insubstantially away.
I looked around my empty bedroom. Then, because it was time to
go to work at the laboratory, I shaved, dressed and left my
apartment, as usual.

Some high brass and politicians had been visiting the laboratory,
showing off to their females how they were important enough to
visit the top-secret bomb proving labs, and the thick perfume was
hanging in the sealed rooms like a damp curtain.
"I wish they wouldn't bring women into the unventilated labs," I
grumbled to my assistant.
"Never mind, Chief. If you can make this bomb work, they'll let you
build your own lab in the Nevada desert, with no roads to it. Have
you found the solution?"
"I'll tell you when I have," I said. "But I do have a new approach to
the problem."
And as soon as I could, I left the labs and went back to my
apartment downtown, took three pills and lay still, waiting for sleep.
I could not get the smell of that perfume in the lab out of my nose.
It was a heavy gardenia-plus-whatnot odor. I woke up in the middle
of the night with the perfume still clinging to the air. The room was
dark and I crossed my fingers as I leaned over to turn on the
bedside lamp. If mental concentration on all the possible errors in
my work was the key, the successful me should be here in the room,
snatched from his own segment of probability.
I turned on the light. There was no one else in the room.
"Hell," I said.
Perhaps it just meant he, or that me, was not asleep, or was
perversely not using tranquilizers. Or didn't that matter? No, I
controlled this alone and had gone wrong.
"Did you say something, Harry?" asked Kate, stepping out of the
bathroom and pulling the top of her nightgown into, I guess, place.
"Ooo, fancy dreaming about you. This is odd."
I sat up and covered myself protectively in the bedsheets.
"Look, Kate," I said. "I don't want to see you. I'm not your husband,
really. He's a pleasant fellow, I met him today, and he's not me. I
never became a doctor. No doubt you remember what I was doing
instead of studying."
That was a mistake, for she came and sat on the edge of the bed
and ran her fingers into my hair.
"I thought it was odd I should dream about my husband," she said.
"I'll believe you, because I don't know how I got here and you do
look like the Harry I used to know, before he went all high scientific
surgeon and no time for fun."
She curved more fully than she had when she was eighteen, but
there was neat symmetry to her sine formulae, and she still had
blonde hair. Her perfume was the same as the one in the lab I had
been smelling all day, it was now reaching me at high amperage.
So that was the key, the evocative power of smell association. I
sniffed deeply at the perfume in appreciation.
"Like it?" Kate asked, wriggling.
"Only for its scientific values," I said. "It suggests a most valuable
line of research."
"I'm in favor," she said, and pressed me to the bed.
"Your husband is coming!" I shouted, and it worked. She
disappeared. Presumably she woke up in her own probability time-
space. And no doubt Kate's reflexes by now were trained to snap her
awake and away at the suggestion that her husband was around. It
was highly improbable that Kate would alter much.
I got up to make myself some coffee. There was no point in wasting
sleep without a plan. Clearly, I had to take the pills and fix the
appropriate smell in my mind, and when I woke up I would drag the
proper slice of another probability with me. And then I would
interview the me who had solved the ultra-uranium heavy element
equation. And the bomb to end all bombs would be perfected. The
test was ready, waiting for me to say, "Let's go, boys. We know what
will happen this time."
But there was, it struck me, the difficulty of finding the right scent to
evoke the right probable me.

I collected all the toothpaste, deodorant, shaving stick, aftershave

lotion I could find in the bathroom and started on the toothpaste. I
inhaled deeply and lay down, with the first tube on my chest. But
after the coffee, I slept very briefly, and when I looked up there was
only a toothbrush on the carpet. It was not mine in this world and I
had no idea whose it was, or rather which probable me it belonged
to.
But at least this established the principle. The smell produced the
object—and, if I went deep enough in sleep, it would produce the
whole Jones.
I dressed quickly and went out for a walk in the night air, breathing
deeply and memorizing every scent I came across. Then I went back
to the apartment, sniffed hard at the row of personal unguents, and
lay down to sleep.
When I woke up, it was morning and the room was full of people.
There were about a dozen of me, some wearing very odd clothes,
some scowling, others grinning unbecomingly, and some looking just
plain stupid.

"Gentlemen," I said, standing up on my bed, "I am sorry to disturb

your dreams but a matter of vital consequence has made me call
you all here. I am Harry, or Harold K. Jones, and I became a
physicist. I need your help. Do any of you know anything about the
octaves of elements beyond uranium?"
There was a babble, through which I heard chiefly:
"The man's mad.... He says he's me.... Who are you, anyway?... No,
you're not. I'm Jones...."
"Please, gentlemen," I said. "I don't expect we have much time
before some of you wake up in your own probability. You, sir, in the
armchair—yes, you in the tight pants—how about you?"
"Me?" he said. "I'm Captain Jones. Third Vector Spacefleet. Engineer
rank. Who the galactic hellix are you, eh?"
Even from the bed, I could detect the smell of sweat and grease
from his working uniform.
"I suppose you took up flight engineering at high school?" I
suggested.
"Quite right," he snapped.
An early deviation, obviously. I remembered being enthralled with
the arrival when I was a kid of the early space rockets, but my
enthusiasm was daunted by old Birchall, who made us stick to
airplanes. Obviously, his was not.
"How about you?" I asked, pointing to the thinnest me in the room.
"Penal colony on Arcetus," he said. "Eternal labor."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I wonder which time—well, how many physicists are
there here, or physical chemists, or astronomers, or even general
scientists?"
I walked around the room, detecting toothpaste brands A, B, C and
Whitebrighter, and a range of toilet preparations with manly odors
contributing to our popularity with friends, relatives, girls and
bosses, but no other physicist. Not a trace of research in my line.
And one or two of them were already showing signs of waking up
elsewhere and disappearing from the room.
I was about to start tracing it back to the point when I abandoned a
medical career, and I could still smell the formaldehyde, when Dr.
Harold K. Jones appeared.
"Look," he said, "I want you to keep away from Kate. Perhaps I
didn't make that clear yesterday.... Good heavens, where did you get
all of these me from? Does anyone here know anything about post-
operative hyperspace relapse?"
Disgustedly, I saw that more than half of them did. Perhaps I should
have been a doctor, after all. The probabilities were heavily
represented in medicine. I sat on the bed and stared at my toes
while the doctors babbled excitedly together. I gathered that Dr.
Harold K. Jones had solved his problem, anyway.
"Excuse me," said a thoughtful me in a very quiet voice. "I didn't
want to make myself obtrusive, but I did do a certain amount of
research on the theoretical possibilities of elements heavier than
uranium. It seemed to me they might go on being discovered almost
indefinitely."
"They are," I said quickly, "octave after octave of them. Tell me
about it, please."
"Look," he said, "it was only an idea. I really specialized in
biochemistry, but we do use trace elements, and the formula I
worked out at the time was—let me see...."
"Please try to remember," I said.
"Ah, yes, it was this," he said, and the strain of remembering woke
him up and he disappeared back to his own probability.
"This was damned well planned, Harry!" said Dr. Harold K. Jones
enthusiastically. "I think we can save hundreds of people every year
now. I always knew I had it in me."
"Listen, Jones," said Captain Jones of the Third Vector Spacefleet,
pushing himself through the crowd. "I've been talking to one or two
of the others, see, and if you have the galactic gall to disturb my
sleep again, I'm going to blast you. Is that clear?"
"Perfectly," I said.
"It's tricky out in space, you know. No hard feelings, but the fraction
of a micro-error and poof! You see what I mean. I must get a sound
sleep at stand-down."
"Don't forget what I said about Kate," Dr. Harold K. Jones
remembered to warn me. "I know how to do it, too. And you can
have an accident with my instruments—easily."
He disappeared. I watched as the others woke up and went, one by
one, even the felon from Arcetus, until they were all gone and I was
alone with dark thoughts on heavy elements. It was so improbable
that I was the only me who had worked on these lines, and very
probable that if two of us with similar minds did work on the same
problem, we could between us find the answer. Look at Dr. Jones
and his hyperspace relapse.
Thinking of Dr. Jones made me think of Kate, and I fell asleep again
with the memory of her scent in my head, as if I were really smelling
it. When I woke up again, halfway through the morning, there she
was in my room. She was at least dressed this time, but she smiled
familiarly at me.
"For God's sake, Kate," I said, "go back to your husband!"

She began to cry. "Oh, Haroldkin," she said. "I'm so glad to see you.
I must be dreaming, because I know you're dead, but I've kept
everything just the way it was. Look—I haven't even touched your
messy desk."
"Are you sitting in a room?" I asked.
"I'm in your study, Haroldkin," she said, surprised. "Can't you see?"
"No, as a matter of fact, I can't."
"Oh! Then I can throw out all these old papers?"
"What old papers?"
"Oh, I don't know, Haroldkin," Kate said. "You made such a fuss
about failing that silly medical exam that you never let me touch
your desk when you graduated in physics."
"Physics!"
"Yes," said Kate, throwing paper after paper onto the carpet. She
made sweeping motions in the air and dumped a mass of notes into
her lap. They appeared on her fingertips, but they stayed in
existence when she dropped them on the carpet.
"How did I die?" I asked, bending down and thumbing rapidly over
the papers.
"A bomb went off," she said. "I really don't want to talk about it. But
you were so eminent, Haroldkin!"
I must have been very soft in the discrimination to have allowed that
revolting nickname, I thought, but it was clear from the papers I was
holding that I knew my physics. And there it was, printed in an issue
of the Commission's Journal that never existed in my time-space, the
whole equation I was looking for. It was so obvious when I read it
that I could not understand how I failed to think of it for myself—for
my own myself, that is.
When I looked up, this probable Kate had gone. I wanted to thank
her, but the evening would do. Meanwhile, here was the ultra-
uranium fourth octave equation.
I called the laboratory, read it off to my assistant, and told him to
get on with the test.
"Right, Chief. I'll go down myself and give you a report when I get
back."
I said fine and took the rest of the day off. It was the peak of my
career so far, and from the widow Kate's comments, it seemed as if I
had a great probable career to come. Of course, I would have to
redouble our safety precautions at the labs and it would be best if I
never went near the proving grounds. That other physicist me
probably made some error that I would avoid, being forewarned.
By evening, I decided to try to locate that probable Kate again, to
thank her, and to find out exactly how that poor me blew himself up
with a bomb. With care, I recalled the perfume and also the musty
smell of the papers, for I did not want Dr. Harold K. Jones' Kate
appearing. Then I removed all other odoriferous substances from the
bedroom, took three pills and was about to lie down to sleep when
my assistant called to report on the test.
"That you, Chief? What a success! We're made. Your name's in
lights, Chief! It was the most colossal explosion I've ever seen. It
burned the area like toast. It even smelled like toast, with a touch of
ozone and sulphur. Very strong smell...."
"Stop!" I screamed. "Stop!"
But it was too late. I could smell it clearly as he had described it.
And now the pills are working. How in the name of heaven am I
going to stay awake? Because once I fall asleep....
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