Using MIS, Global Edition

Technology’s Michelangelo Moment One of the most famous paintings in the world is The Creation of Adam painted on the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling by Michelangelo. It depicts an image of God reaching out to touch his creation, Adam. Similarly, the cover of Using MIS 10e depicts a woman wearing augmented reality glasses reaching out to touch the finger of a robot. This comparison is intended to underscore the increasing importance of digital reality devices, robotics, and emerging technology on our daily lives.

Leading tech companies like Microsoft (HoloLens), Google (Magic Leap), Facebook (Oculus Rift) and Apple are investing heavily in digital reality devices. They expect these new devices to create new types of applications that change the way we live, work, shop, and play. Creativity will be key in making these new 3D holographic applications.

And what about robots? Amazon started using Kiva robots in its fulfillment centers in 2012. Today its 30,000 robots have reduced operating expenses by 20 percent, reduced fulfilment times from 60 minutes down to 15 minutes, and increased inventory capacity by 50 percent. Robots are great at doing repetitive tasks, but not creative tasks like painting ceilings. Think about that when you’re considering your career options.  

You can read more about both of these innovations in chapter 4. There is also a new running case in chapters 7-12 that looks at a startup using digital reality devices to create an exercise/entertainment application.

This is not a computer book, nor is this a computer course. It’s a book about using information technology to help you as a business professional. You might be an information systems major; but more likely you’re a marketing, or accounting, or finance, or management, or some other business major. No matter which major, understanding how emerging technology will impact your industry will be critical to your future success.