We are in the XXI century and living in a knowledge society, where business is changing rapidly and where success and survival depend on the organization's ability to adjust to dynamic business environment. In this context, some questions arise: How can we develop the best strategy for business? How information systems can contribute to the strategy? What is the contribution of information technology to the existing information systems in business?
The purpose of this chapter is to seek to understand the importance and strategic role of information and information technology in the business environment. After the main themes of literature related to the subject as: systems and enterprise organizational strategic planning, the strategic role of information and the contribution of information technology for information systems, we defined the following research questions, which will be key to the development of this research:
The research will be conducted, with companies of an industrial sector Brazilian and have aims to raise and analyze the degree of maturity of the use new technologies.
The concept of systems lead to understanding the complexity of modern business as a whole. System is a set of interdependent elements or an organized or parts that interact and form a unitary whole complex. However, we must distinguish closed systems, such as machines and watch open systems, such as biological and social systems: the man, the organization and society (Laudon & Laundon, 2007). A system is closed if no material enters or leaves and it is open if there is import and export and, consequently, changing components. The open system can be understood as a set of parts in constant interaction, constitute a whole geared for certain purposes and in permanent interdependent relationship with the external environment. A system may be composed successively of subsystems (also set of interdependent parts) that relate to each other, forming the larger system. Open systems involve the idea that certain entries are entered into the system and processed, generate certain outputs. The company draws on material resources, human and technological, whose processing resulting goods or services to be supplied to the market, as illustrated in Figure 1.
Figure 1. The company viewed as an open system (Author Self, 2010)
Another important concept is the information and information systems. Information can be considered as the result of data handling and provided with relevant purpose. Good information has significant value for organizations. Information systems are defined as a set of interrelated components that collect (retrieve), process, store and distribute information to support decision making and organizational control. According to Oliveira (2011), information system can be defined with a subsystem of the company, which owns the activities of inputs, processing and outputs as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Activities of the Information Systems (Oliveira, 2011)
The components of an information system may be defined, according to O'Brien (2004):
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Organizations: Each organization has a specific culture, values and a form to make their processes and have been accepted by company employees. Some procedures, such as how to fill out a purchase order, or to correct an invoice is added to information systems.
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People: People use information from computer-based systems in their work, integrating them in the workplace. They are required to enter data into the system and employees need special training to perform their tasks efficiently with use of information systems.
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Technology: The technology and the means by which data is transformed and organized (generating information) for use in organizational processes. An information system can be a manual system, using only the technology of pencil and paper and then make use of technological resources and computer information technology, such as hardware, software, telecommunications.
Every system, using no resources or information technology, which generates and manipulates information can be considered an information system, which is designed primarily to assist the processes of decision-making and control processes in organizations.