Business informatics

Business informatics (BI) is a discipline combining economics, the economics of digitization, business administration, information technology (IT), and concepts of computer science. Business informatics centers around creating programming and equipment frameworks which ultimately provide the organization with effective operation based on information technology application. The focus on programming and equipment boosts the value of the analysis of economics and information technology. The BI discipline was created in Germany (in German: Wirtschaftsinformatik). It is an established academic discipline, including bachelor, master, diploma, and PhD programs in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, The Netherlands, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey, and is establishing itself in an increasing number of other countries as well, including Finland, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, and India. BI shows similarities to information systems (IS), which is a well-established discipline originating in North America. However, there are a few differences that make business informatics a unique discipline: Business informatics includes information technology, like the relevant portions of applied computer science, to a larger extent than information systems do. Business informatics includes significant construction and implementation-oriented elements. I.e. one major focus lies in the development of solutions for business problems rather than the ex post investigation of their impact. Information systems (IS) focus on empirically explaining the phenomena of the real world. IS has been said to have an "explanation-oriented" focus in contrast to the "solution-oriented" focus that dominates BI. IS researchers make an effort to explain the phenomena of acceptance and influence of IT in organizations and society by applying an empirical approach. In order to do that, usually qualitative and quantitative empirical studies are conducted and evaluated.