Most students, regardless of their major, need to understand information systems and technologies and their importance to the success of business organizations. While many of today’s students have lived with technology their whole lives, they do not see the connection between what they use every day and what they need to understand to be successful in the business world. Introduction to Business Information Systems, Canadian Edition by Mark Huber, Craig Piercy, Pat McKeown and James Norrie, is organized using a unique spiral approach that leads students from the individual, to the organization, to the business partner perspective, allowing them to begin with what they understand, and then expand that knowledge to understand how it can help them succeed in the business world.

Students are more engaged when they begin with what they already know.  Therefore, the spiral approach to learning information systems used in this text reinforces learning through expansion of topics from the individual level, to the organizational level, and then to the business-partner level. This approach will enhance student engagement with the course material as well as improve retention.

Within each layer of the spiral are three chapters, the first of which focuses on the basics of business, the second on technology, and the third on decision-making and problem solving.  The goal is to teach that the effective integration of IS with knowledge can drive the creation of significant business value.