Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page
OpenStax Logo
Foundations of Information Systems

Application Questions

Foundations of Information SystemsApplication Questions

Application Questions

1 .
A friend asks you to explain the concept of information systems and why it is important for organizations. What do you say?
2 .
Your business offers more than fifty products for sale. Currently, you have a bookkeeper who uses a laptop with a basic spreadsheet program to track orders and maintain business records. You have five other employees who handle tasks such as inventory management and sales, but your business is small, and the only person who has computer access is the bookkeeper. Explain at least three ways an information system could benefit your business.
3 .
One of your colleagues does not understand why industry standards are important in IS. What do you say to help this colleague understand industry standards and how they can benefit IS?
4 .
What is SFIA and how can it help your organization establish and maintain a robust information system?
5 .
You are explaining your new job in IS to a friend who does not understand how your job differs from an IT job. Explain the difference between IS and IT to your friend.
6 .
The manager of your organization argues that there is no need for your organization’s information system to be concerned about globalization. What do you tell your manager to explain why the information system should be global?
PreviousNext
Order a print copy
Citation/Attribution
Reuse and redistribution of this content in digital or print format:
  • This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's prior written permission.
  • This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, which means that you can reuse and modify the material only for noncommercial purposes, must attribute OpenStax, and must distribute any derivative works under the same license.
  • Any commercial printing of this textbook, including using a local or custom printer, must be approved by OpenStax, and proper citation provided.
  • OpenStax-copyrighted images, activities, assessments, and similar components of this book are subject to the same licensing – CC-BY-NC-SA. They can be used for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Commercial use requires permission.
  • Permission requests: Anyone who intends to incorporate this content (including text, images, and other components) into large language models, use it in AI offerings, use it commercially (including in print), and/or has questions about another use case is welcome to complete our reuse request form.
Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/foundations-information-systems/pages/1-introduction

  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial digital format, then for every page that includes OpenStax content, you must license the derivative work under the same CC-BY-NC-SA license as the original, and include on every digital page view the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/foundations-information-systems/pages/1-introduction

Citation information

The information below includes the information needed to generate citations in most major styles (APA, MLA, etc.); you must reformat and organize the information as needed to fit the requirements of the style. Use the information below to generate a citation. We recommend using a citation tool such as this one.

© Apr 23, 2026 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo, and Rice University name, and Rice University logo trademarks, or wordmarks are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.