Introduction To Information Systems: An Internetworked Enterprise Perspective

Author: James A. O'Brien
List Price: $99.40
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ISBN: 0256251967
Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Irwin (01 October, 1997)
Sales Rank: 651,032
Average Customer Rating: 3.18 out of 5

Customer Reviews

Rating: 3 out of 5
A learning expirience.
My name is Janelle, and I am a business administration major at Hannibal LaGrange College. I am currently enrolled in a Business Information System class in which we are using the texbook "Introduction to Information Systems" by: James A. O'Brien. I think that this texbook has a lot of usefull information for students. It also provides up to date information that goes along with modern technology. The chapters in the textbook followed an organized pattern. One of the features in the book that helped me, is the important words and terminology were typed in bold letters. This makes it easy to identify important points and to study for my tests. Another helpful feature of the textbook are the end of the chapter Review Quiz. These reviews allowed me to be better prepared for my exams in class. The real world cases submitted within the textbook aided well in the comprehension of how business technology operates in our every changing society. In contrast the text contains areas that are slighty repetituos and monotonous.

Rating: 4 out of 5
Although reading may be tough, there are some good features.
There are many useful features in the Introduction to Information Systems book. To begin with, real world cases are provided to explain how the information systems are used. This gives the student a deeper insight on how to use the information given in the text. Next, the Contents page breaks down the chapters to making searching for a topic simple. Information is provided in the chapters in an organized fashion. Graphs and tables are used effectively, and key facts are set apart from plain text. Summaries at the end of the chapters highlight the main ideas from the main sections of the chapter. The key terms, review quiz, discussion questions, and application exercises allow the reader to use what they have learned. Selected references provide additional resources for research. A thorough glossary in the back is helpful. Also, three separate indexes for names, companies, and subjects are convenient. However, I thought that the book was difficult to read. Some of the terminology was not thoroughly explained. Also, I had a hard time organizing all the information in my head because numerous terms and examples were given but not in a clearly related manner. Some graphs were difficult to understand because such a large amount of information was given. This book has provided me with the background information that I need to understand the information systems that I may use in my job, but it has not, in any way, influenced my career choice. At the end of the semester, I do not plan to keep this book.

Rating: 3 out of 5
Text Evaluation/Fohey
The text contains an abundance of technical information. I do understand the necessity of becoming familiar with the information. However, I felt the text placed to much emphasis on technical terminology and detail. Often the content was confusing and the material, for the most part, was not that interesting.

The on-line site did not provide any useful study tips nor did it provide any type of study guide. I feel these items would have been especially beneficial because the content was difficult to fully understand.

Perhaps individuals that plan to specialize in computers would find the text more useful and interesting.



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