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Types of Business Information
An information system (IS) refers to a collection of multiple pieces of equipment involved in the dissemination of
information. Or in other words we can say an information system is A combination of hardware, software,
infrastructure and trained personnel organized to facilitate planning, control, coordination, and decision making in
an organization.
Business Information Systems (BIS) contains within it not just the technology that drives business. It also relates
to the processes, data and the people that use these technologies, processes and data every day. Today, BIS is
involved in almost every aspect of doing business and it is about using IT in useful and effective ways to improve
how business operate. Studying BIS gives students the opportunity to understand how businesses operate and
benefit from using new technologies. Learning how to implement, use, and manage various types of information
systems equips students with the advantage of knowing how to creatively solve business problems by employing
current technologies in new and innovative ways. That being said, we should keep a couple of things in mind
when we think of BIS:
Small businesses must be concerned with producing quality goods or services and also with turning mountains of
data into actionable information. To contain costs and achieve a competitive advantage, many small-business
leaders consider information systems as they formulate corporate, tactical and operational strategies. To best
leverage data as a company asset, the business must adopt an information strategy, which may require the
implementation of a variety of business information systems that process business transactions and empower
business leaders to make more informed and faster decisions.
Transaction Processing System
A small business processes transactions that result from day-to-day business operations, such as the creation of
paychecks and purchase orders, using a transaction processing system, or TPS. The TPS, unlike a batch system,
requires that users interact with the system in real time to direct the system to collect, store, retrieve and modify
data. A user enters transaction data by means of a terminal, and the system immediately stores the data in a
database and produces any required output. For example, a small-business owner may direct a bank system to
debit a savings account for $500 and credit the company's checking account for $500. Because of constant
system updates, a user can access current TPS data, such as an account balance, at any point.
Management Information System
Small-business managers and owners rely on an industry-specific management information system, or MIS, to get
current and historical operational performance data, such as sales and inventories data. Periodically, the MIS can
create prescheduled reports, which company management can use in strategic, tactical and operational planning
and operations. For example, an MIS report may be a pie chart that illustrates product sales volume by territory or
a graph that illustrates the percentage increase or decrease in a product's sales over time. Small-business
managers and owners also rely on the MIS to conduct “what-if” ad hoc analyses. For example, a manager might
use the system to determine the potential effect on shipping schedules if monthly sales doubled.
Decision Support System
A decision-support system, or DSS, allows small-business managers and owners to use predefined or ad hoc
reports to support operations planning and problem-resolution decisions. With DSS, users find answers to specific
questions as a means to evaluate the possible impact of a decision before it is implemented. The answers to
queries may take the form of a data summary report, such as a product revenue by quarter sales report. To
conduct an analysis, business owners and managers use an interface -- a dashboard -- to select a particular
graphic representation of a key performance indicator that measures the progress toward meeting a specific goal.
For example, a manufacturing dashboard might display a graphic representing the number of products
manufactured on a particular line.
Executive Support System
The executive support system, or ESS, contains predefined reports that help small-business owners and
managers identify long-term trends in support of strategic planning and nonroutine decision making. System users
click on any icon displayed on the ESS screen and enter report criteria to view individual predefined reports and
graphs, which are based on companywide and functional department data, such as sales, scheduling and cost
accounting. The ESS reports brief the business manager or owner on an issue, such as market trends and buyer
preferences.The ESS system also offers analysis tools used to predict outcomes, assess performance and
calculate statistics based on existing data.
Design of Information System
The areas that need to be considered in the design process are listed below:
1. Outputs
2. Inputs
3. File Design
4. Hardware
5. Software
Outputs: Some of the outputs for a system for a nursery might be:
a) Details of the children looked after within the nursery.
Name
Smith, Tony
Jackson, Jake
Timms, Tony
Fogett, Carol
Address
12 Fields Rd
9 Man Gdns
87 Colly Row
9 Shaw St
Telephone No.
0543 3445545
0563 9545752
0543 8653653
0563 9657564
Membership No.
001342
001234
001789
001455
b) Address labels for parents of the children.
Mrs Jackson
9 Man Gdns
Todthope
TD3 5TT
Mr Timms
87 Colly Row
Todthope
TD3 8DE
Mrs Fogett
9 Shaw Street
Todthope
TD3 3HG
Mr Smith
12 Fields Road
Todthope
TD3 7HJ
Inputs:To work out the inputs required for a system several questions need to be addressed:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What data needs to be entered into the computer system?
How much data needs to be input, and how often?
Where does the data come from?
How will the data be entered into the system?
File Design:How many files are needed and what will their structure be? A nursery membership file might have
the following structure:
Hardware:This section covers the types of computers and printers thought suitable for the system being
analysed.If the system needs to be on a network, details would be specified here.
Software:A decision will have to be made as to what software to use.
The most common software packages are databases, spreadsheets and word processing packages.
Strategic Issues of Computer Aided Decision Making
Before you purchase a management information system, you have to be aware of common problems so
you can avoid them. Management information systems are powerful tools that can help you make valid
decisions and discover trends in the data your company generates. If you specifically address the most
common issues when you look for a program that satisfies your needs, you can obtain a system that
helps you improve the performance of your company.
Goals
Before you can discuss what kind of system you want with potential suppliers, you have to decide what
you want the system to do. Some management information systems only track fundamental company
data and display it on screen and in reports. Others have trend-analysis capabilities and can run
scenarios to help you with decisions. A common problem is purchasing a system that lacks features you
need. Another is that it produces results that are not relevant to your operations. You can avoid these
pitfalls by setting clear goals and making sure the purchased system can meet them.
Maintenance
A key problem for management information systems is the provision of the raw data input and the
maintenance of up-to-date information. Your company already generates data on sales, revenue,
expenses, payments and other fundamental business information. Marketing departments often have
additional databases. The right management information system for your company can use this data in
either its current form or import it from a standard format. In this way, the data in the system is always
the same data as the company working level is using and generating. If the management information
system requires extra processing, the data will be less current and less valuable.
Use
Usability is a major problem for management information systems. A powerful system perfect for the
data of your company is wasted if your employees don't use it. Management information systems fail
because their user interface is too complicated, it's too hard to get useful results or the results are not in
a useful form when the system generates them. Before selecting your system, you have to check for
these issues. The reports have to be easy to understand and relevant for your company. Users have to be
able to generate the reports they want with a minimum of training and with little effort.
Changes
An important management information system characteristic is the ability to adapt to changes in your
company. The available information may change, the reports you want may vary and often the personnel
using the system changes. The system you put in place has to allow for revisions in the inputs and
outputs, either easily enough through your own IT staff, or at agreed rates by the supplier. There has to
be a simple method of adding and deleting user accounts that you can handle internally, because old,
active accounts can be a security problem.
What is Email (Electronic Mail)
Introduction
Email is a shorthand term which means: electronic mail. Email is similar to a regular postal letter;
containing an address, routing information and content. Email uses a range of protocol's - like IMAP,
POP3, SMTP - to route messages from mail servers to users. Email - as a technology - predates the
Internet, and was first implemented in ARPANET (1972).
Email, as a term, can also be written as: e-mail. To send and receive email messages a user requires an
email address. The majority of Internet Service Provider provide a free email account to customers;
likewise, there are a plethora of companies who provide freewebmail accounts, such as: Gmail and
Yahoo!. Email client programs (like Outlook Express) can be used to access an email account.
Email has proved to be one of the Internet's most popular services; while it has been commended for
improving global communications, it has also be criticised for it's security: spam, and viruses and
malware being spread through email attachments.
History
The history of email predates the modern day Internet: Email was created for the ARPANET computer
network in the 1970's. It is generally believed that email grew out of the Mail Box Protocol, and Ray
Tomlinson is created as it's inventor (1972). ARPANET was a forerunner to the modern day Internet;
ARPANET used a similar network architecture to the Internet, therefore, email made a seamless transition
to the Internet.
While email was created for ARPANET in the early 1970's, digital messaging is far order. In 1966, MIT
developed the CTSS computer system, and this computer system featured a messaging system similar to
Email. However, CTSS was not the only computer system that featured one-to-one messaging in the
1960's.
Email was immediately popular with ARPANET users, and many Internet pioneers had a 'hand' in it's
development: such as Jon Postel, Larry Roberts and John Vittal. Intially, email was used by academic
researchers and the military. Only by the 1980's did ordinary people begin to use email, and by the
1990's - when commercial networks controlled the backbone of the Internet - it had become the
Internet's most popular service.
As stated, email grew out of the Mail Box Protocol: early email systems were highly reliant on the FTP
protocol, and only at a late date were standalone protocols developed for email, such as: IMAP, X400,
POP, SMTP, and UUCP. The most important protocol that was development for email was SMTP; SMTP was
invented in the early 1980's and is still in use today (2015). POP was another important email protocol
that was developed in the early 1980's, and IMAP was an email protocol developed in the mid 1980's by
Mark Crispin. Some email protocols became obsolete: such as Jon Postel's Mail Transfer Protocol (MTP).
Present day, most email systems rely on either: SMTP, POP or IMAP.
The key features of an email message have remained the same, comprising: a header and a body. The
format of a email address has also remained the same: Ray Tomlinson being the inventor of using the @
symbol in 1972.
Anatomy of an Email message
The format of email messages is broken into two sections: 1) a header, 2) message body.
The header of an email message is more complex, and contains the information needed to encode and
route the email message. The header can include multiple fields, but four popular fields are:: From:; To:;
Cc:; and Subject:. The two fields which an email message must include are the From: and Date: fields.
The From: and To: fields are somewhat self explanatory (email address of the sender and receiver); the
Cc: field is used to send a message to multiple additional addresses (Bcc: field hides the addresses from
other recipients); the Subject: field is used to describe what is included in the body of the message.
Originally email messages were only plain text, and some mail servers will only support plain text email
messages. However, if the content type of the email (included in the header) supports MIME: then the
body of the email message can be encoded with HTML elements. Therefore, the body section of an email
message can include plain text and HTML content.
Anatomy of an Email address
An e-mail address can be broken down into three section, coloured below:
[email protected]
The first section is the username (editor) which refers to the recipient's account name at a mail service;
also referred to as the 'local' part of an email address. Secondly there is the @ sign - which is included in
every email address - and means 'at' and connects the local part of the email address to the hostname of
the email address.
Then comes the hostname (internet-guide), which can also be called the domain name. This refers to the
mail server address: usually having an individual IP address. The hostname of an email address can
include a range of top-level domain names (TLD). For example, 'co.uk', is for commercial sites based in
the United Kingdom.
When sending email messages, it is essential to spell the email address correctly; just as with a normal
postal letter. If the email address is entered incorrectly, then it will not be sent to the correct person. If
you send an email to an address which does not exist: then the message will be returned with an
"Address Unknown" error.
Email: Webmail Accounts
Webmail, as the name would suggest, is an email service that is accessed through the World Wide Web.
The World Wide Web was launched as an Internet service in 1991, whereas email was invented in the
early 1970's. Therefore, webmail is a relatively new development for email; before webmail, most users
accessed email through a standalone email client application, like Eudora. Webmail uses the same email
protocols as earlier email clients, the only difference is the way in which the email account is accessed.
There are a plethora of free email accounts available from webmail providers, such as:hotmail. While
early webmail services were criticised for a lack of protection versus emailbombs, spam and flooding,
modern webmail services provide protection against these abuses. Professional webmail services provide
additional features, alongside the obvious features, such as: attachments, blind carbon copy options, ecards, encryption anddecryption. Every type of webmail account should be able to receive e-zines
andnewsletters.
The drawback with free webmail accounts is that the user cannot pick a unique domain name: instead
they are stuck with domain name of the service provider: such as yahoo.com. However, user can pick an
individual 'username' to suit their purposes. If a user wants an email address with a unique domain name
- they can access the inbox with a client program - then they will have to purchase that domain name
and host it with a company that provides support for email protocols.
Internet Access devices
To access the internet, you not only need an internet connection, but you also need a device to access
the internet on. The range of devices to connect to the internet on is increasing all the time.
We used to access the internet on desktop or laptop computers. Now, you might carry a smartphone or a
tablet, or even use the internet on a smart TV.
Desktop and laptop computers
Desktop computers—also called personal computers or PCs—are designed to sit on a desk, hence the
'desk' in their name.
Laptops, on the other hand, are designed to be more mobile. And since they have an internal battery,
you can use them when you're out and not near a powerpoint.
And although 'lap' is in their name, you should be careful putting them on your lap or on soft materials as
some laptops can overheat really quickly if their air vents are blocked.
Desktop computers have a keyboard and a screen, both of which plug into the hard drive. You'll also plug
in an external mouse so you can move things around on your computer's screen.
Laptops also have a screen and a keyboard, but they're built-in. Most laptops also have a touchpad,
which you can use just like a mouse, or you can one plug in if you prefer.
Tablets and smartphones
Tablets and smartphones can look like they're just a screen until you turn them on.
Tablet computers have touch screens instead of a mouse, so if you want to select something, you use
your fingertip. And if you want to type something, you activate a touchscreen keyboard and type that
way.
Tablets are smaller and lighter than a standard laptop.
Smartphones are even smaller than tablets. They'll usually have all the features of tablets but also let
you do the usual mobile phone things like make phone calls and take photos.
Both smartphones and tablets come with a range of software for using the internet and for using
internet-based services, but it's not always the same software as you might have on a desktop or laptop
computer. This means that there are some things you can't do on a tablet or smartphone that you might
be used to doing on a computer.
Also, the small screens can sometimes be a problem, particularly if you need to read a lot of text on the
screen.
Smart TVs and other internet devices
There are many other types of devices that can be connected to the internet.
'Smart' household appliances, like smart TVs, can give you access to online content on a large screen.
You can also do a lot of things that you would usually use a computer for, like making video calls.
And if you love books, there are even e-book readers. With an e-book reader, you can connect to the
internet to buy e-books or get free downloads and read them wherever you are. You can usually read
other internet content, too—like other people's reviews of the book you're reading, or online newspapers
and magazines.
Even some game consoles can connect to the internet so you can play against other players from
anywhere in the world.
And in the future, who knows what other devices we'll use to access the internet from wherever we are.
What is the World Wide Web?
Essentially, the World Wide Web (WWW) is made up of a lot of
interconnected computers (via phone lines, cables, or satellites). Some of these computers are designed to serve
out webpages. These computers are called web servers, which are usually running 24/7. Other computers, like the
one you are using to read this text, are called clients. Client computers make requests to server computers, like
asking for a web page and its associated graphics. The server computer responds by feeding (or serving) the web
page data back to the client.
The Internet is often confused with the World Wide Web. The Internet consists of a wide range of technologies
including email, file data transfer, protocols (communications infrastructure) as well as the Web. The World Wide
Web is just one component of the Internet.
Web Browsers
Web browsers are computer programs that are installed on client computers to request web page files from server
computers. It's the program you're using to access this website and read this text. Once a request is made via the
browser (by clicking a link or entering a web address in the “address bar”), the web server sever sends the
requested data back to the browser. The browser then interprets the data and displays it on the screen.
Popular web browsers include Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, Internet Explorer. Each of these browsers differ
somewhat in terms of features, but their purpose is the same. They're all meant to request and present web pages
to the user.
"Mobile browsers" are web browsers designed for use on a mobile devices like PDAs and cell phones.
Website
A website is made up of a collection of files sitting on a web server. These files usually include:
Image and/or video files
Text files that tell the web browser how to layout the page and what text to include
Script files (small programs) that add functionality or effects to the webpage
Website Hosting
The files that make up your website have to be put somewhere that people can access. This somewhere is a
computer running web server software. The server takes incoming user requests and returns your website files to
their browser. Web hosts are companies that rent space on their servers for you to store your website files on. The
web host takes care of the necessary computer hardware, software and connections.
Website Address
Lets say you have a website, how can people reach it? One answer is, by entering your website address (or “URL”
in nerd-speak) into your browser's address bar. A website has to have a unique address so that it can be found.
Just as real world home addresses are unique to avoid confusion, website addresses have to be unique also.
How do you get a unique address? By registering a domain name. Examples of domain names are “ibm.com” and
“wikipedia.org”. Our domain name is “helpsme.com”. The helpsme.com domain name is mapped to the server that
stores the files that makes up this website.
An organization named ICANN coordinates these domain names across the world. This is necessary so that when
you type an address into your browser, you reach the website you were looking for.
Conclusion
The main ideas to understand are that:
The World Wide Web is nothing more than a large number of interconnected client and server computers
Websites are accessed by client computers via the web browser
Each website has a unique addresse determined by its domain name
Website files are stored on server computers that wait for requests from client computers
Information can be defined as meaningfully interpreted data. If we give you a number 1-212-290-4700, it
does not make any sense on its own. It is just a raw data. However if we say Tel: +1-212-290-4700, it starts
making sense. It becomes a telephone number. If I gather some more data and record it meaningfully like:
Address: 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor
New York, NY 10118-3299 USA
Tel: +1-212-290-4700
Fax: +1-212-736-1300
It becomes a very useful information - the address of New York office of Human Rights Watch, a non-profit,
non-governmental human rights organization.
So, from a system analyst's point of view, information is a sequence of symbols that can be construed to a
useful message.
An Information System is a system that gathers data and disseminates information with the sole purpose of
providing information to its users.
The main object of an information system is to provide information to its users. Information systems vary
according to the type of users who use the system.
A Management Information System is an information system that evaluates, analyzes, and processes an
organization's data to produce meaningful and useful information based on which the management can take
right decisions to ensure future growth of the organization.
Information Definition
According to Wikipedia:
"Information can be recorded as signs, or transmitted as signals. Information is any kind of event that affects the state of a
dynamic system that can interpret the information.
Conceptually, information is the message (utterance or expression) being conveyed. Therefore, in a general
sense, information is "Knowledge communicated or received, concerning a particular fact or circumstance".
Information cannot be predicted and resolves uncertainty."
Information Vs Data
Data can be described as unprocessed facts and figures. Plain collected data as raw facts cannot help in
decision-making. However, data is the raw material that is organized, structured, and interpreted to create
useful information systems.
Data is defined as 'groups of non-random symbols in the form of text, images, voice representing quantities,
action and objects'.
Information is interpreted data; created from organized, structured, and processed data in a particular context.
According to Davis and Olson:
"Information is a data that has been processed into a form that is meaningful to recipient and is of real or perceived value in
the current or the prospective action or decision of recipient."
Information, Knowledge and Business Intelligence
Professor Ray R. Larson of the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley, provides
an Information Hierarchy, which is:
Data - The raw material of information.
Information - Data organized and presented by someone.
Knowledge - Information read, heard, or seen, and understood.
Wisdom - Distilled and integrated knowledge and understanding.
Scott Andrews' explains Information Continuum as follows:
Data - A Fact or a piece of information, or a series thereof.
Information - Knowledge discerned from data.
Business Intelligence - Information Management pertaining to an organization's policy or decision-making,
particularly when tied to strategic or operational objectives.
Information/Data Collection Techniques
The most popular data collection techniques include:
Surveys: A questionnaires is prepared to collect the data from the field.
Secondary data sources or archival data: Data is collected through old records, magazines, company website etc.
Objective measures or tests: An experimental test is conducted on the subject and the data is collected.
Interviews: Data is collected by the system analyst by following a rigid procedure and collecting the answers to a set
of pre-conceived questions through personal interviews.
CONCEPT, ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF MIS
CONCEPT
The MIS is an idea which is associated with man, machine, marketing and methods for
collecting information’s from the internal and external source and processing this information
for the purpose of facilitating the process of decision-making of the business.
MIS is not new, only the computerization is new , before computers MIS techniques existed to
supply managers with the information that would permit them to plan and control business
operations. The computer has added on more dimensions such as speed, accuracy and
increased volume of data that permit the consideration of more alternatives in decision-making
process.
The scope and purpose of MIS is better understood if each part of them is defined individually,
thus
1.
MANAGEMENT: Management has been define in process or activities that describe what
managers do in the operation for their organization plan, organize, initiate and control
operations. They plan by setting strategies and goals and selecting the best course of action to
achieve the goals. They organize the necessary tasks for the operational plan, set these tasks
up into homogenous groups and assign authority delegation; they control the performance
standards and avoiding deviation from standard.
The decision-making is a fundamental prerequisite of each of the foregoing process, the job of
MIS is facilitating decisions necessary for planning, organizing and controlling the work and
functions of the business so that specified goals of business are achieved.
2.
INFORMATION: Data must be distinguished from information and the distinction is clear
and important for present purpose. Data are facts and figures that are not currently being used
in a decision-making process and usually are taken from the historical records that are recorded
and filled without immediate intent to retrieve for decision-making.
Information consists of data that have been retrieved, processed or otherwise used for
information or interference purpose, argument or as a basis forecasting or decision-making
regarding any business unit. Information is knowledge that one derives from facts for effective
functioning of systems placed in the right context with the purpose of reducing uncertainty
regarding the alternative courses of action as they are based on description and measurement
of attributes of various entities associated with the enterprise.
3.
SYSTEM: The system can be described as a set of elements joined together for a common
objective. A subsystem is a part of a larger system with which one is concerned. All systems for
our purpose the organization is the system and the parts (divisions, departments, functions,
unit etc) are the subsystem.
The system concept of MIS is, therefore one of optimizing the output of the organization by
connecting the operating subsystems through the medium of information exchange.
The Management information system (MIS) is a concept of the last two decade or two. It has
been understood and described in a number of ways. It is also known as the Information
System, the Information and Decision System, the computer based Decision System.
Information is the life blood of an organization, particularly in the case of system approach
management. The MIS or Information system can be define as the knowledge communicated by
others or obtained from investigation or study. It is a system providing needed information to
each manager at the right time in the right form and relevant one which aids understanding
and stimulates the action. MIS is an organized method of providing past, present and projection
information relating to internal operations and externals intelligence. It supports the planning,
control and operational functions of an organization by furnishing uniform information in proper
time frame to help the process of decision-making.
Management Information System is generally defined as an integrated user-machine system for
providing information to support operations, management and decision-making functions in an
organization. The system utilizes computer hardware and software, manual procedure, models
for analysis. Information is viewed as a resource much like land, labor and capital. It must be
obtained processed, stored, manipulated and analyzed, distributed etc. An organization with a
well-defined information system will generally have a competitive advantage over organization
with poor MIS and no MIS.
The MIS has more than one definition, some of which are given below:
I.
The MIS is defined as a system which provides information support for decisionmaking in the organization.
II.
The MIS is defined as an integrated system of man and machine for providing the
information to support the operations, the management and the decision-making function in
the organization.
III.
The MIS is defined as a system based on the database of the organization evolved
for the purpose of providing information to the people in the organization.
IV.
The MIS is defined as a computer-based information system.
Though there are a number of definitions all of them converge on a single point, i.e. the MIS is
a system that support the decision-making function of the organization. The difference lies in
defining the elements of MIS. However, in today’s world, the MIS is a computerized business
processing system generating information for the people in the organization to meet the
information needs for decision-making to achieve the corporate objective of the organization.
MIS is a computer-based system that provides flexible and speedy access to accurate data. The
organizational information system which in general relates to the planning, operation and
control of an enterprise are the most important among them. MIS refers primarily to such an
organizational system which is generally large, sophisticated, structured and dynamically
evolving and of immense commercial values. A large number of programmers and system
analysts are employed by many organizations to build a variety of MIS. Thus, the education of
programmers and system analysts as well as general manager, the subject of MIS, has
occupied a key position.
Thus, MIS is a set of computer-based system and procedures implemented to help managers in
their routine job of decision-making and planning, expansion and development.
The objective of MIS is to provide information for a decision support process of management. It
should help in such a way that the business goals are achieved in the most efficient manner.
Since the decision-making is not restricted to a particular level, the MIS is expected to support
all the levels of the management in conducting the business operations. Unless the MIS
becomes a management aid, it is not useful to the organization.
Modern management system relies on MIS, the complexity of business management and
competitive nature of business requires handling of business operations with skill and foresight
to advert the crisis. The management process is executed through a variety of decisions taken
at each step of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating and controlling. If the
management is able to spell out the decision required to be taken, then the MIS is designed
suitably.
The actual MIS process relates to:
A.
Collection
B.
Organization
C.
Distribution
D.
Storage of wide information
E.
Managerial control and analysis of data
Hence MIS focuses on:
i.
Organization-wide information
ii.
Decision-making process
iii.
Managerial control and analysis
iv.
Computer-based system
CONCLUSION: Management Information Systems is sets of inter-related procedures using
information system infrastructure in a business enterprise to generate and disseminate the
desired information. Such systems are designed to support decision-making by the people
associated with the enterprise in the process of attainment of its objectives. The MIS gets data
and other resources of IT infrastructure as inputs from the environment and process them to
satisfy the information needs of different entities associated with the business enterprise. There
are subsystems of control over the use of IT resources and feedback system offers useful clues
for increasing the benefits of information system to business. The MIS are subsystem of
business system and by themselves serve the function of feedback and control in business
system.
Problems in Implementing MIS
This change can cause problems in the implementation process, as there may be resistance to this
change from employees. Moreover, the implementation of MIS involves migration of an information
system from a controlled environment of design and development to a 'real' environment of an
organization. Sometimes, information systems that work fine in a controlled environment fail to deliver in
the 'real' environment. This may require some tailoring and customization of the system. The
management should ensure that such minor glitches should not be used as an excuse by rumourmongers
to malign the new system.
Management should have a mature view that such problems are not expected in the implementation
process, ensuring such technical issue remains a technical issue only and are not blown up into an
organizational issue. A strong message from the top management favouring the new system thwarts
such attempts at maligning the new system and hence is advocated. However, in spite of the best efforts
some factors cause problems in the implementation process. The major factors that determine the
degree of resistance that organizations face in implementing MIS are,
1.
The degree of MIS driven change in departmental boundaries-any major change that changes the
functioning of departments drastically is likely to be challenged or resisted by the department
functionaries as it changes their way of working. This resistance should be anticipated at the design
stage. Typically, if a BPR exercise is conducted along with the requirement analysis of the system then
such exercises result in recommendations of change in business processes which result in changes in the
organization structure or functioning of departments. Thus, the fact that such a change is on its way is
known to the management well in advance. Hence, they should prepare the workforce for it.
2.
Lack of organization culture supporting MIS-some organizations does not have a culture of
information based decision-making. Implementation of MIS is such organizations are always a challenge,
as the employees have to be trained to appreciate the importance of information. They become so used
to judgment based decision-making that such training has very little impact. In some cases, it has been
noted that even after implementation of MIS the organization culture has not changed and that
managers continue to resist changes brought on by installation of MIS.
3.
The degree of employee involvement in the MIS creation-this is a major issue in implementation of
MIS. If employee participation is good then resistance to MIS is less.
4.
The degree of employee involvement in the implementation of change along with MIS is a major
issue. If the management uses a participatory approach towards MIS implementation then resistance to
MIS is less.
The degree of MIS driven change in the informal system-if MIS changes the informal communication
system completely then resistance is more. This informal communication channel is a source of power for
some individuals. They resent their loss of power due to emergence of MIS as the sole authority for
communication
Before you purchase a management information system, you have to be aware of common problems so
you can avoid them. Management information systems are powerful tools that can help you make valid
decisions and discover trends in the data your company generates. If you specifically address the most
common issues when you look for a program that satisfies your needs, you can obtain a system that
helps you improve the performance of your company.
Goals
Before you can discuss what kind of system you want with potential suppliers, you have to decide what
you want the system to do. Some management information systems only track fundamental company
data and display it on screen and in reports. Others have trend-analysis capabilities and can run
scenarios to help you with decisions. A common problem is purchasing a system that lacks features you
need. Another is that it produces results that are not relevant to your operations. You can avoid these
pitfalls by setting clear goals and making sure the purchased system can meet them.
Maintenance
A key problem for management information systems is the provision of the raw data input and the
maintenance of up-to-date information. Your company already generates data on sales, revenue,
expenses, payments and other fundamental business information. Marketing departments often have
additional databases. The right management information system for your company can use this data in
either its current form or import it from a standard format. In this way, the data in the system is always
the same data as the company working level is using and generating. If the management information
system requires extra processing, the data will be less current and less valuable.
Use
Usability is a major problem for management information systems. A powerful system perfect for the
data of your company is wasted if your employees don't use it. Management information systems fail
because their user interface is too complicated, it's too hard to get useful results or the results are not in
a useful form when the system generates them. Before selecting your system, you have to check for
these issues. The reports have to be easy to understand and relevant for your company. Users have to be
able to generate the reports they want with a minimum of training and with little effort.
Changes
An important management information system characteristic is the ability to adapt to changes in your
company. The available information may change, the reports you want may vary and often the personnel
using the system changes. The system you put in place has to allow for revisions in the inputs and
outputs, either easily enough through your own IT staff, or at agreed rates by the supplier. There has to
be a simple method of adding and deleting user accounts that you can handle internally, because old,
active accounts can be a security problem.
Ecommerce (e-commerce) or electronic commerce, a subset of ebusiness, is the purchasing, selling,
and exchanging of goods and services over computer networks (such as the Internet) through which
transactions or terms of sale are performed electronically. Contrary to popular belief, ecommerce is not
just on the Web. In fact, ecommerce was alive and well in business to business transactions before the
Web back in the 70s via EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) through VANs (Value-Added Networks).
Ecommerce can be broken into four main categories: B2B, B2C, C2B, and C2C.
B2B (Business-to-Business)
Companies doing business with each other such as manufacturers selling to distributors and wholesalers
selling to retailers. Pricing is based on quantity of order and is often negotiable.
B2C (Business-to-Consumer)
Businesses selling to the general public typically through catalogs utilizing shopping cart software. By
dollar volume, B2B takes the prize, however B2C is really what the average Joe has in mind with regards
to ecommerce as a whole.
Having a hard time finding a book? Need to purchase a custom, high-end computer system? How about
a first class, all-inclusive trip to a tropical island? With the advent ecommerce, all three things can be
purchased literally in minutes without human interaction. Oh how far we've come!
C2B (Consumer-to-Business)
A consumer posts his project with a set budget online and within hours companies review the
consumer's requirements and bid on the project. The consumer reviews the bids and selects the
company that will complete the project. Elance empowers consumers around the world by providing the
meeting ground and platform for such transactions.
C2C (Consumer-to-Consumer)
There are many sites offering free classifieds, auctions, and forums where individuals can buy and sell
thanks to online payment systems like PayPal where people can send and receive money online with
ease. eBay's auction service is a great example of where person-to-person transactions take place
everyday since 1995.
Advantages and Disadvantages of E-Commerce
We have a lot faster internet connectivity now, and we also get much more powerful tools on websites. It
makes increase on the numbers of e-commerce fans. You may want to learn on the advantages and
disadvantages so you can earn more benefits from there.
The Advantages
1. Cost Effective
The entire financial transactions will eventually become electronic, so sooner conversion is going to be
lower on cost. It makes every transaction through e-commerce payment a lot cheaper.
2. Higher Margin
E-commerce also enables us to move better with higher margin for more business safety. Higher margin
also means business with more control as well as flexibility. You can also save time from the ecommerce.
3. Better Productivity
Productivity here means productivity for both companies and customers. People like to find answers
online because it is faster and cheaper, and it costs a lot cheaper expense as well for the company.
4. Quick Comparison
E-commerce also enables you to compare price among several providers. In the end, it leads you to
smart shopping. People can save more money while they shop.
5. Economy Benefit
E-commerce allows us to make transaction without any needs on stores, infrastructure investment, and
other common things we find. Companies only need well built website and customer service.
The Disadvantages
1. Security
Customers need to be confident and trust the provider of payment method. Sometimes, we can be
tricked. Examine on integrity and reputation of the web stores before you decide to buy.
2. Scalability of System
A company definitely needs a well developed website to support numbers of customers at a time. If your
web destination is not well enough, you better forget it.
3. Integrity on Data and System
Customers need secure access all the time. In addition to it, protection to data is also essential. Unless
the transaction can provide it, we should refuse for e-commerce.
4. Products People
People who prefer and focus on product will not buy online. They will want to feel, try, and sit on their
new couch and bed.
5. Customer Service and Relation Problem
They sometimes forget how essential to build loyal relationship with customers. Without loyalty from
customers, they will not survive the business.
The disadvantages are not impossible to avoid. If we have enough management on risks, we may really
get a lot more advantages from e-commerce. The advantages are surely teasing, and we will enjoy such
easy transaction these days. Enjoy more your internet browsing and enjoy more your e-commerce
activities!
What is EDI?
Electronic data interchange (EDI) is the computer-to-computer exchange of business documents
between companies. EDI replaces the faxing and mailing of paper documents.
EDI documents use specific computer record formats that are based on widely accepted standards.
However, each company will use the flexibility allowed by the standards in a unique way that fits their
business needs.
Used in a variety of industries, over 160,000 companies have made the switch to EDI to improve their
efficiencies. Many of these companies require all of their partners to also use EDI.
How Does EDI Work?
There are 3 steps to sending EDI documents – Prepare the documents, Translate the documents into EDI
format, Transmit the EDI documents to your partner.
Step 1: Prepare the documents to be sent
The first step is to collect and organize the data. For example, instead of printing a purchase order, your
system creates an electronic file with the necessary information to build an EDI document. The sources
of data and the methods available to generate the electronic documents can include:
Human data entry via screens
Exporting PC-based data from spreadsheets or databases
Reformatted electronic reports into data files
Enhancing existing applications to automatically create output files that are ready for translation
into an EDI standard
Purchasing application software that has built-in interfaces for EDI files
Step 2: Translate the documents into EDI format
The next step is to feed your electronic data through translator software to convert your internal data
format into the EDI standard format using the appropriate segments and data elements. You can
purchase EDI translation software that you manage and maintain on your premises. This requires
specialized mapping expertise in order to define how your internal data is to be mapped (i.e. correlated)
to the EDI data. Translation software is available to suit just about any computing environment and
budget, from large systems that handle thousands of transactions daily to PC-based software that need
only process a few hundred transactions per week.
Alternatively, you can use the translation services of an EDI service provider. In that case, you send your
data to the provider, who handles translation to and from the EDI format on your behalf.
Step 3: Connect and Transmit your EDI documents to your business partner
Once your business documents are translated to the appropriate EDI format they are ready to be
transmitted to your business partner. You must decide how you will connect to each of your partners to
perform that transmission. There are several ways, the most common of which include 1) to connect
directly using AS2 or another secure internet protocol, 2) connect to an EDI Network provider (also
referred to as a VAN provider) using your preferred communications protocol and rely on the network
provider to connect to your business partners using whatever communications protocol your partners
prefer, or 3) a combination of both, depending on the particular partner and the volume of transactions
you expect to exchange. To learn more about the various options, click here.
Advantages of EDI
EDI provides cost savings by reducing paper and eliminating paper processing.
Time savings and eliminating repetition are other benefits from the reduction in paper processing.
Documents can be transferred more quickly and processing errors can be decreased allowing
business to be done more efficiently.
More efficient processing will likely lead to improved customer service which will ultimately
expand the customer base.
Disadvantages of EDI
Contrasted to XML, which is not strictly standardized, many consider EDI to have too many
standards.
There are various standards bodies who have developed 'standard document formats' for EDI
which can cause problems with cross compatibility.
These standards bodies also push standards revisions annually which could cause problems if you
have a more recent version of a document than a business partner.
EDI systems are extremely expensive making it difficult for small businesses to implement.
Many large organizations will only work with others who utilize EDI. This may limit the business
small companies are able to do with such organizations and limit trading partners.
An information system (IS) refers to a collection of multiple pieces of equipment involved in the dissemination of
information. Or in other words we can say an information system is A combination of hardware, software,
infrastructure and trained personnel organized to facilitate planning, control, coordination, and decision making in
an organization.
Business Information Systems (BIS) contains within it not just the technology that drives business. It also relates
to the processes, data and the people that use these technologies, processes and data every day. Today, BIS is
involved in almost every aspect of doing business and it is about using IT in useful and effective ways to improve
how business operate. Studying BIS gives students the opportunity to understand how businesses operate and
benefit from using new technologies. Learning how to implement, use, and manage various types of information
systems equips students with the advantage of knowing how to creatively solve business problems by employing
current technologies in new and innovative ways. That being said, we should keep a couple of things in mind
when we think of BIS:
Small businesses must be concerned with producing quality goods or services and also with turning mountains of
data into actionable information. To contain costs and achieve a competitive advantage, many small-business
leaders consider information systems as they formulate corporate, tactical and operational strategies. To best
leverage data as a company asset, the business must adopt an information strategy, which may require the
implementation of a variety of business information systems that process business transactions and empower
business leaders to make more informed and faster decisions.
Transaction Processing System
A small business processes transactions that result from day-to-day business operations, such as the creation of
paychecks and purchase orders, using a transaction processing system, or TPS. The TPS, unlike a batch system,
requires that users interact with the system in real time to direct the system to collect, store, retrieve and modify
data. A user enters transaction data by means of a terminal, and the system immediately stores the data in a
database and produces any required output. For example, a small-business owner may direct a bank system to
debit a savings account for $500 and credit the company's checking account for $500. Because of constant
system updates, a user can access current TPS data, such as an account balance, at any point.
Management Information System
Small-business managers and owners rely on an industry-specific management information system, or MIS, to get
current and historical operational performance data, such as sales and inventories data. Periodically, the MIS can
create prescheduled reports, which company management can use in strategic, tactical and operational planning
and operations. For example, an MIS report may be a pie chart that illustrates product sales volume by territory or
a graph that illustrates the percentage increase or decrease in a product's sales over time. Small-business
managers and owners also rely on the MIS to conduct “what-if” ad hoc analyses. For example, a manager might
use the system to determine the potential effect on shipping schedules if monthly sales doubled.
Decision Support System
A decision-support system, or DSS, allows small-business managers and owners to use predefined or ad hoc
reports to support operations planning and problem-resolution decisions. With DSS, users find answers to specific
questions as a means to evaluate the possible impact of a decision before it is implemented. The answers to
queries may take the form of a data summary report, such as a product revenue by quarter sales report. To
conduct an analysis, business owners and managers use an interface -- a dashboard -- to select a particular
graphic representation of a key performance indicator that measures the progress toward meeting a specific goal.
For example, a manufacturing dashboard might display a graphic representing the number of products
manufactured on a particular line.
Executive Support System
The executive support system, or ESS, contains predefined reports that help small-business owners and
managers identify long-term trends in support of strategic planning and nonroutine decision making. System users
click on any icon displayed on the ESS screen and enter report criteria to view individual predefined reports and
graphs, which are based on companywide and functional department data, such as sales, scheduling and cost
accounting. The ESS reports brief the business manager or owner on an issue, such as market trends and buyer
preferences.The ESS system also offers analysis tools used to predict outcomes, assess performance and
calculate statistics based on existing data.
Design of Information System
The areas that need to be considered in the design process are listed below:
1. Outputs
2. Inputs
3. File Design
4. Hardware
5. Software
Outputs: Some of the outputs for a system for a nursery might be:
a) Details of the children looked after within the nursery.
Name
Smith, Tony
Jackson, Jake
Timms, Tony
Fogett, Carol
Address
12 Fields Rd
9 Man Gdns
87 Colly Row
9 Shaw St
Telephone No.
0543 3445545
0563 9545752
0543 8653653
0563 9657564
Membership No.
001342
001234
001789
001455
b) Address labels for parents of the children.
Mrs Jackson
9 Man Gdns
Todthope
TD3 5TT
Mr Timms
87 Colly Row
Todthope
TD3 8DE
Mrs Fogett
9 Shaw Street
Todthope
TD3 3HG
Mr Smith
12 Fields Road
Todthope
TD3 7HJ
Inputs:To work out the inputs required for a system several questions need to be addressed:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What data needs to be entered into the computer system?
How much data needs to be input, and how often?
Where does the data come from?
How will the data be entered into the system?
File Design:How many files are needed and what will their structure be? A nursery membership file might have
the following structure:
Hardware:This section covers the types of computers and printers thought suitable for the system being
analysed.If the system needs to be on a network, details would be specified here.
Software:A decision will have to be made as to what software to use.
The most common software packages are databases, spreadsheets and word processing packages.
Strategic Issues of Computer Aided Decision Making
Before you purchase a management information system, you have to be aware of common problems so
you can avoid them. Management information systems are powerful tools that can help you make valid
decisions and discover trends in the data your company generates. If you specifically address the most
common issues when you look for a program that satisfies your needs, you can obtain a system that
helps you improve the performance of your company.
Goals
Before you can discuss what kind of system you want with potential suppliers, you have to decide what
you want the system to do. Some management information systems only track fundamental company
data and display it on screen and in reports. Others have trend-analysis capabilities and can run
scenarios to help you with decisions. A common problem is purchasing a system that lacks features you
need. Another is that it produces results that are not relevant to your operations. You can avoid these
pitfalls by setting clear goals and making sure the purchased system can meet them.
Maintenance
A key problem for management information systems is the provision of the raw data input and the
maintenance of up-to-date information. Your company already generates data on sales, revenue,
expenses, payments and other fundamental business information. Marketing departments often have
additional databases. The right management information system for your company can use this data in
either its current form or import it from a standard format. In this way, the data in the system is always
the same data as the company working level is using and generating. If the management information
system requires extra processing, the data will be less current and less valuable.
Use
Usability is a major problem for management information systems. A powerful system perfect for the
data of your company is wasted if your employees don't use it. Management information systems fail
because their user interface is too complicated, it's too hard to get useful results or the results are not in
a useful form when the system generates them. Before selecting your system, you have to check for
these issues. The reports have to be easy to understand and relevant for your company. Users have to be
able to generate the reports they want with a minimum of training and with little effort.
Changes
An important management information system characteristic is the ability to adapt to changes in your
company. The available information may change, the reports you want may vary and often the personnel
using the system changes. The system you put in place has to allow for revisions in the inputs and
outputs, either easily enough through your own IT staff, or at agreed rates by the supplier. There has to
be a simple method of adding and deleting user accounts that you can handle internally, because old,
active accounts can be a security problem.
What is Email (Electronic Mail)
Introduction
Email is a shorthand term which means: electronic mail. Email is similar to a regular postal letter;
containing an address, routing information and content. Email uses a range of protocol's - like IMAP,
POP3, SMTP - to route messages from mail servers to users. Email - as a technology - predates the
Internet, and was first implemented in ARPANET (1972).
Email, as a term, can also be written as: e-mail. To send and receive email messages a user requires an
email address. The majority of Internet Service Provider provide a free email account to customers;
likewise, there are a plethora of companies who provide freewebmail accounts, such as: Gmail and
Yahoo!. Email client programs (like Outlook Express) can be used to access an email account.
Email has proved to be one of the Internet's most popular services; while it has been commended for
improving global communications, it has also be criticised for it's security: spam, and viruses and
malware being spread through email attachments.
History
The history of email predates the modern day Internet: Email was created for the ARPANET computer
network in the 1970's. It is generally believed that email grew out of the Mail Box Protocol, and Ray
Tomlinson is created as it's inventor (1972). ARPANET was a forerunner to the modern day Internet;
ARPANET used a similar network architecture to the Internet, therefore, email made a seamless transition
to the Internet.
While email was created for ARPANET in the early 1970's, digital messaging is far order. In 1966, MIT
developed the CTSS computer system, and this computer system featured a messaging system similar to
Email. However, CTSS was not the only computer system that featured one-to-one messaging in the
1960's.
Email was immediately popular with ARPANET users, and many Internet pioneers had a 'hand' in it's
development: such as Jon Postel, Larry Roberts and John Vittal. Intially, email was used by academic
researchers and the military. Only by the 1980's did ordinary people begin to use email, and by the
1990's - when commercial networks controlled the backbone of the Internet - it had become the
Internet's most popular service.
As stated, email grew out of the Mail Box Protocol: early email systems were highly reliant on the FTP
protocol, and only at a late date were standalone protocols developed for email, such as: IMAP, X400,
POP, SMTP, and UUCP. The most important protocol that was development for email was SMTP; SMTP was
invented in the early 1980's and is still in use today (2015). POP was another important email protocol
that was developed in the early 1980's, and IMAP was an email protocol developed in the mid 1980's by
Mark Crispin. Some email protocols became obsolete: such as Jon Postel's Mail Transfer Protocol (MTP).
Present day, most email systems rely on either: SMTP, POP or IMAP.
The key features of an email message have remained the same, comprising: a header and a body. The
format of a email address has also remained the same: Ray Tomlinson being the inventor of using the @
symbol in 1972.
Anatomy of an Email message
The format of email messages is broken into two sections: 1) a header, 2) message body.
The header of an email message is more complex, and contains the information needed to encode and
route the email message. The header can include multiple fields, but four popular fields are:: From:; To:;
Cc:; and Subject:. The two fields which an email message must include are the From: and Date: fields.
The From: and To: fields are somewhat self explanatory (email address of the sender and receiver); the
Cc: field is used to send a message to multiple additional addresses (Bcc: field hides the addresses from
other recipients); the Subject: field is used to describe what is included in the body of the message.
Originally email messages were only plain text, and some mail servers will only support plain text email
messages. However, if the content type of the email (included in the header) supports MIME: then the
body of the email message can be encoded with HTML elements. Therefore, the body section of an email
message can include plain text and HTML content.
Anatomy of an Email address
An e-mail address can be broken down into three section, coloured below:
[email protected]
The first section is the username (editor) which refers to the recipient's account name at a mail service;
also referred to as the 'local' part of an email address. Secondly there is the @ sign - which is included in
every email address - and means 'at' and connects the local part of the email address to the hostname of
the email address.
Then comes the hostname (internet-guide), which can also be called the domain name. This refers to the
mail server address: usually having an individual IP address. The hostname of an email address can
include a range of top-level domain names (TLD). For example, 'co.uk', is for commercial sites based in
the United Kingdom.
When sending email messages, it is essential to spell the email address correctly; just as with a normal
postal letter. If the email address is entered incorrectly, then it will not be sent to the correct person. If
you send an email to an address which does not exist: then the message will be returned with an
"Address Unknown" error.
Email: Webmail Accounts
Webmail, as the name would suggest, is an email service that is accessed through the World Wide Web.
The World Wide Web was launched as an Internet service in 1991, whereas email was invented in the
early 1970's. Therefore, webmail is a relatively new development for email; before webmail, most users
accessed email through a standalone email client application, like Eudora. Webmail uses the same email
protocols as earlier email clients, the only difference is the way in which the email account is accessed.
There are a plethora of free email accounts available from webmail providers, such as:hotmail. While
early webmail services were criticised for a lack of protection versus emailbombs, spam and flooding,
modern webmail services provide protection against these abuses. Professional webmail services provide
additional features, alongside the obvious features, such as: attachments, blind carbon copy options, ecards, encryption anddecryption. Every type of webmail account should be able to receive e-zines
andnewsletters.
The drawback with free webmail accounts is that the user cannot pick a unique domain name: instead
they are stuck with domain name of the service provider: such as yahoo.com. However, user can pick an
individual 'username' to suit their purposes. If a user wants an email address with a unique domain name
- they can access the inbox with a client program - then they will have to purchase that domain name
and host it with a company that provides support for email protocols.
Internet Access devices
To access the internet, you not only need an internet connection, but you also need a device to access
the internet on. The range of devices to connect to the internet on is increasing all the time.
We used to access the internet on desktop or laptop computers. Now, you might carry a smartphone or a
tablet, or even use the internet on a smart TV.
Desktop and laptop computers
Desktop computers—also called personal computers or PCs—are designed to sit on a desk, hence the
'desk' in their name.
Laptops, on the other hand, are designed to be more mobile. And since they have an internal battery,
you can use them when you're out and not near a powerpoint.
And although 'lap' is in their name, you should be careful putting them on your lap or on soft materials as
some laptops can overheat really quickly if their air vents are blocked.
Desktop computers have a keyboard and a screen, both of which plug into the hard drive. You'll also plug
in an external mouse so you can move things around on your computer's screen.
Laptops also have a screen and a keyboard, but they're built-in. Most laptops also have a touchpad,
which you can use just like a mouse, or you can one plug in if you prefer.
Tablets and smartphones
Tablets and smartphones can look like they're just a screen until you turn them on.
Tablet computers have touch screens instead of a mouse, so if you want to select something, you use
your fingertip. And if you want to type something, you activate a touchscreen keyboard and type that
way.
Tablets are smaller and lighter than a standard laptop.
Smartphones are even smaller than tablets. They'll usually have all the features of tablets but also let
you do the usual mobile phone things like make phone calls and take photos.
Both smartphones and tablets come with a range of software for using the internet and for using
internet-based services, but it's not always the same software as you might have on a desktop or laptop
computer. This means that there are some things you can't do on a tablet or smartphone that you might
be used to doing on a computer.
Also, the small screens can sometimes be a problem, particularly if you need to read a lot of text on the
screen.
Smart TVs and other internet devices
There are many other types of devices that can be connected to the internet.
'Smart' household appliances, like smart TVs, can give you access to online content on a large screen.
You can also do a lot of things that you would usually use a computer for, like making video calls.
And if you love books, there are even e-book readers. With an e-book reader, you can connect to the
internet to buy e-books or get free downloads and read them wherever you are. You can usually read
other internet content, too—like other people's reviews of the book you're reading, or online newspapers
and magazines.
Even some game consoles can connect to the internet so you can play against other players from
anywhere in the world.
And in the future, who knows what other devices we'll use to access the internet from wherever we are.
What is the World Wide Web?
Essentially, the World Wide Web (WWW) is made up of a lot of
interconnected computers (via phone lines, cables, or satellites). Some of these computers are designed to serve
out webpages. These computers are called web servers, which are usually running 24/7. Other computers, like the
one you are using to read this text, are called clients. Client computers make requests to server computers, like
asking for a web page and its associated graphics. The server computer responds by feeding (or serving) the web
page data back to the client.
The Internet is often confused with the World Wide Web. The Internet consists of a wide range of technologies
including email, file data transfer, protocols (communications infrastructure) as well as the Web. The World Wide
Web is just one component of the Internet.
Web Browsers
Web browsers are computer programs that are installed on client computers to request web page files from server
computers. It's the program you're using to access this website and read this text. Once a request is made via the
browser (by clicking a link or entering a web address in the “address bar”), the web server sever sends the
requested data back to the browser. The browser then interprets the data and displays it on the screen.
Popular web browsers include Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, Internet Explorer. Each of these browsers differ
somewhat in terms of features, but their purpose is the same. They're all meant to request and present web pages
to the user.
"Mobile browsers" are web browsers designed for use on a mobile devices like PDAs and cell phones.
Website
A website is made up of a collection of files sitting on a web server. These files usually include:
Image and/or video files
Text files that tell the web browser how to layout the page and what text to include
Script files (small programs) that add functionality or effects to the webpage
Website Hosting
The files that make up your website have to be put somewhere that people can access. This somewhere is a
computer running web server software. The server takes incoming user requests and returns your website files to
their browser. Web hosts are companies that rent space on their servers for you to store your website files on. The
web host takes care of the necessary computer hardware, software and connections.
Website Address
Lets say you have a website, how can people reach it? One answer is, by entering your website address (or “URL”
in nerd-speak) into your browser's address bar. A website has to have a unique address so that it can be found.
Just as real world home addresses are unique to avoid confusion, website addresses have to be unique also.
How do you get a unique address? By registering a domain name. Examples of domain names are “ibm.com” and
“wikipedia.org”. Our domain name is “helpsme.com”. The helpsme.com domain name is mapped to the server that
stores the files that makes up this website.
An organization named ICANN coordinates these domain names across the world. This is necessary so that when
you type an address into your browser, you reach the website you were looking for.
Conclusion
The main ideas to understand are that:
The World Wide Web is nothing more than a large number of interconnected client and server computers
Websites are accessed by client computers via the web browser
Each website has a unique addresse determined by its domain name
Website files are stored on server computers that wait for requests from client computers
Information can be defined as meaningfully interpreted data. If we give you a number 1-212-290-4700, it
does not make any sense on its own. It is just a raw data. However if we say Tel: +1-212-290-4700, it starts
making sense. It becomes a telephone number. If I gather some more data and record it meaningfully like:
Address: 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor
New York, NY 10118-3299 USA
Tel: +1-212-290-4700
Fax: +1-212-736-1300
It becomes a very useful information - the address of New York office of Human Rights Watch, a non-profit,
non-governmental human rights organization.
So, from a system analyst's point of view, information is a sequence of symbols that can be construed to a
useful message.
An Information System is a system that gathers data and disseminates information with the sole purpose of
providing information to its users.
The main object of an information system is to provide information to its users. Information systems vary
according to the type of users who use the system.
A Management Information System is an information system that evaluates, analyzes, and processes an
organization's data to produce meaningful and useful information based on which the management can take
right decisions to ensure future growth of the organization.
Information Definition
According to Wikipedia:
"Information can be recorded as signs, or transmitted as signals. Information is any kind of event that affects the state of a
dynamic system that can interpret the information.
Conceptually, information is the message (utterance or expression) being conveyed. Therefore, in a general
sense, information is "Knowledge communicated or received, concerning a particular fact or circumstance".
Information cannot be predicted and resolves uncertainty."
Information Vs Data
Data can be described as unprocessed facts and figures. Plain collected data as raw facts cannot help in
decision-making. However, data is the raw material that is organized, structured, and interpreted to create
useful information systems.
Data is defined as 'groups of non-random symbols in the form of text, images, voice representing quantities,
action and objects'.
Information is interpreted data; created from organized, structured, and processed data in a particular context.
According to Davis and Olson:
"Information is a data that has been processed into a form that is meaningful to recipient and is of real or perceived value in
the current or the prospective action or decision of recipient."
Information, Knowledge and Business Intelligence
Professor Ray R. Larson of the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley, provides
an Information Hierarchy, which is:
Data - The raw material of information.
Information - Data organized and presented by someone.
Knowledge - Information read, heard, or seen, and understood.
Wisdom - Distilled and integrated knowledge and understanding.
Scott Andrews' explains Information Continuum as follows:
Data - A Fact or a piece of information, or a series thereof.
Information - Knowledge discerned from data.
Business Intelligence - Information Management pertaining to an organization's policy or decision-making,
particularly when tied to strategic or operational objectives.
Information/Data Collection Techniques
The most popular data collection techniques include:
Surveys: A questionnaires is prepared to collect the data from the field.
Secondary data sources or archival data: Data is collected through old records, magazines, company website etc.
Objective measures or tests: An experimental test is conducted on the subject and the data is collected.
Interviews: Data is collected by the system analyst by following a rigid procedure and collecting the answers to a set
of pre-conceived questions through personal interviews.
CONCEPT, ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF MIS
CONCEPT
The MIS is an idea which is associated with man, machine, marketing and methods for
collecting information’s from the internal and external source and processing this information
for the purpose of facilitating the process of decision-making of the business.
MIS is not new, only the computerization is new , before computers MIS techniques existed to
supply managers with the information that would permit them to plan and control business
operations. The computer has added on more dimensions such as speed, accuracy and
increased volume of data that permit the consideration of more alternatives in decision-making
process.
The scope and purpose of MIS is better understood if each part of them is defined individually,
thus
1.
MANAGEMENT: Management has been define in process or activities that describe what
managers do in the operation for their organization plan, organize, initiate and control
operations. They plan by setting strategies and goals and selecting the best course of action to
achieve the goals. They organize the necessary tasks for the operational plan, set these tasks
up into homogenous groups and assign authority delegation; they control the performance
standards and avoiding deviation from standard.
The decision-making is a fundamental prerequisite of each of the foregoing process, the job of
MIS is facilitating decisions necessary for planning, organizing and controlling the work and
functions of the business so that specified goals of business are achieved.
2.
INFORMATION: Data must be distinguished from information and the distinction is clear
and important for present purpose. Data are facts and figures that are not currently being used
in a decision-making process and usually are taken from the historical records that are recorded
and filled without immediate intent to retrieve for decision-making.
Information consists of data that have been retrieved, processed or otherwise used for
information or interference purpose, argument or as a basis forecasting or decision-making
regarding any business unit. Information is knowledge that one derives from facts for effective
functioning of systems placed in the right context with the purpose of reducing uncertainty
regarding the alternative courses of action as they are based on description and measurement
of attributes of various entities associated with the enterprise.
3.
SYSTEM: The system can be described as a set of elements joined together for a common
objective. A subsystem is a part of a larger system with which one is concerned. All systems for
our purpose the organization is the system and the parts (divisions, departments, functions,
unit etc) are the subsystem.
The system concept of MIS is, therefore one of optimizing the output of the organization by
connecting the operating subsystems through the medium of information exchange.
The Management information system (MIS) is a concept of the last two decade or two. It has
been understood and described in a number of ways. It is also known as the Information
System, the Information and Decision System, the computer based Decision System.
Information is the life blood of an organization, particularly in the case of system approach
management. The MIS or Information system can be define as the knowledge communicated by
others or obtained from investigation or study. It is a system providing needed information to
each manager at the right time in the right form and relevant one which aids understanding
and stimulates the action. MIS is an organized method of providing past, present and projection
information relating to internal operations and externals intelligence. It supports the planning,
control and operational functions of an organization by furnishing uniform information in proper
time frame to help the process of decision-making.
Management Information System is generally defined as an integrated user-machine system for
providing information to support operations, management and decision-making functions in an
organization. The system utilizes computer hardware and software, manual procedure, models
for analysis. Information is viewed as a resource much like land, labor and capital. It must be
obtained processed, stored, manipulated and analyzed, distributed etc. An organization with a
well-defined information system will generally have a competitive advantage over organization
with poor MIS and no MIS.
The MIS has more than one definition, some of which are given below:
I.
The MIS is defined as a system which provides information support for decisionmaking in the organization.
II.
The MIS is defined as an integrated system of man and machine for providing the
information to support the operations, the management and the decision-making function in
the organization.
III.
The MIS is defined as a system based on the database of the organization evolved
for the purpose of providing information to the people in the organization.
IV.
The MIS is defined as a computer-based information system.
Though there are a number of definitions all of them converge on a single point, i.e. the MIS is
a system that support the decision-making function of the organization. The difference lies in
defining the elements of MIS. However, in today’s world, the MIS is a computerized business
processing system generating information for the people in the organization to meet the
information needs for decision-making to achieve the corporate objective of the organization.
MIS is a computer-based system that provides flexible and speedy access to accurate data. The
organizational information system which in general relates to the planning, operation and
control of an enterprise are the most important among them. MIS refers primarily to such an
organizational system which is generally large, sophisticated, structured and dynamically
evolving and of immense commercial values. A large number of programmers and system
analysts are employed by many organizations to build a variety of MIS. Thus, the education of
programmers and system analysts as well as general manager, the subject of MIS, has
occupied a key position.
Thus, MIS is a set of computer-based system and procedures implemented to help managers in
their routine job of decision-making and planning, expansion and development.
The objective of MIS is to provide information for a decision support process of management. It
should help in such a way that the business goals are achieved in the most efficient manner.
Since the decision-making is not restricted to a particular level, the MIS is expected to support
all the levels of the management in conducting the business operations. Unless the MIS
becomes a management aid, it is not useful to the organization.
Modern management system relies on MIS, the complexity of business management and
competitive nature of business requires handling of business operations with skill and foresight
to advert the crisis. The management process is executed through a variety of decisions taken
at each step of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating and controlling. If the
management is able to spell out the decision required to be taken, then the MIS is designed
suitably.
The actual MIS process relates to:
A.
Collection
B.
Organization
C.
Distribution
D.
Storage of wide information
E.
Managerial control and analysis of data
Hence MIS focuses on:
i.
Organization-wide information
ii.
Decision-making process
iii.
Managerial control and analysis
iv.
Computer-based system
CONCLUSION: Management Information Systems is sets of inter-related procedures using
information system infrastructure in a business enterprise to generate and disseminate the
desired information. Such systems are designed to support decision-making by the people
associated with the enterprise in the process of attainment of its objectives. The MIS gets data
and other resources of IT infrastructure as inputs from the environment and process them to
satisfy the information needs of different entities associated with the business enterprise. There
are subsystems of control over the use of IT resources and feedback system offers useful clues
for increasing the benefits of information system to business. The MIS are subsystem of
business system and by themselves serve the function of feedback and control in business
system.
Problems in Implementing MIS
This change can cause problems in the implementation process, as there may be resistance to this
change from employees. Moreover, the implementation of MIS involves migration of an information
system from a controlled environment of design and development to a 'real' environment of an
organization. Sometimes, information systems that work fine in a controlled environment fail to deliver in
the 'real' environment. This may require some tailoring and customization of the system. The
management should ensure that such minor glitches should not be used as an excuse by rumourmongers
to malign the new system.
Management should have a mature view that such problems are not expected in the implementation
process, ensuring such technical issue remains a technical issue only and are not blown up into an
organizational issue. A strong message from the top management favouring the new system thwarts
such attempts at maligning the new system and hence is advocated. However, in spite of the best efforts
some factors cause problems in the implementation process. The major factors that determine the
degree of resistance that organizations face in implementing MIS are,
1.
The degree of MIS driven change in departmental boundaries-any major change that changes the
functioning of departments drastically is likely to be challenged or resisted by the department
functionaries as it changes their way of working. This resistance should be anticipated at the design
stage. Typically, if a BPR exercise is conducted along with the requirement analysis of the system then
such exercises result in recommendations of change in business processes which result in changes in the
organization structure or functioning of departments. Thus, the fact that such a change is on its way is
known to the management well in advance. Hence, they should prepare the workforce for it.
2.
Lack of organization culture supporting MIS-some organizations does not have a culture of
information based decision-making. Implementation of MIS is such organizations are always a challenge,
as the employees have to be trained to appreciate the importance of information. They become so used
to judgment based decision-making that such training has very little impact. In some cases, it has been
noted that even after implementation of MIS the organization culture has not changed and that
managers continue to resist changes brought on by installation of MIS.
3.
The degree of employee involvement in the MIS creation-this is a major issue in implementation of
MIS. If employee participation is good then resistance to MIS is less.
4.
The degree of employee involvement in the implementation of change along with MIS is a major
issue. If the management uses a participatory approach towards MIS implementation then resistance to
MIS is less.
The degree of MIS driven change in the informal system-if MIS changes the informal communication
system completely then resistance is more. This informal communication channel is a source of power for
some individuals. They resent their loss of power due to emergence of MIS as the sole authority for
communication
Before you purchase a management information system, you have to be aware of common problems so
you can avoid them. Management information systems are powerful tools that can help you make valid
decisions and discover trends in the data your company generates. If you specifically address the most
common issues when you look for a program that satisfies your needs, you can obtain a system that
helps you improve the performance of your company.
Goals
Before you can discuss what kind of system you want with potential suppliers, you have to decide what
you want the system to do. Some management information systems only track fundamental company
data and display it on screen and in reports. Others have trend-analysis capabilities and can run
scenarios to help you with decisions. A common problem is purchasing a system that lacks features you
need. Another is that it produces results that are not relevant to your operations. You can avoid these
pitfalls by setting clear goals and making sure the purchased system can meet them.
Maintenance
A key problem for management information systems is the provision of the raw data input and the
maintenance of up-to-date information. Your company already generates data on sales, revenue,
expenses, payments and other fundamental business information. Marketing departments often have
additional databases. The right management information system for your company can use this data in
either its current form or import it from a standard format. In this way, the data in the system is always
the same data as the company working level is using and generating. If the management information
system requires extra processing, the data will be less current and less valuable.
Use
Usability is a major problem for management information systems. A powerful system perfect for the
data of your company is wasted if your employees don't use it. Management information systems fail
because their user interface is too complicated, it's too hard to get useful results or the results are not in
a useful form when the system generates them. Before selecting your system, you have to check for
these issues. The reports have to be easy to understand and relevant for your company. Users have to be
able to generate the reports they want with a minimum of training and with little effort.
Changes
An important management information system characteristic is the ability to adapt to changes in your
company. The available information may change, the reports you want may vary and often the personnel
using the system changes. The system you put in place has to allow for revisions in the inputs and
outputs, either easily enough through your own IT staff, or at agreed rates by the supplier. There has to
be a simple method of adding and deleting user accounts that you can handle internally, because old,
active accounts can be a security problem.
Ecommerce (e-commerce) or electronic commerce, a subset of ebusiness, is the purchasing, selling,
and exchanging of goods and services over computer networks (such as the Internet) through which
transactions or terms of sale are performed electronically. Contrary to popular belief, ecommerce is not
just on the Web. In fact, ecommerce was alive and well in business to business transactions before the
Web back in the 70s via EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) through VANs (Value-Added Networks).
Ecommerce can be broken into four main categories: B2B, B2C, C2B, and C2C.
B2B (Business-to-Business)
Companies doing business with each other such as manufacturers selling to distributors and wholesalers
selling to retailers. Pricing is based on quantity of order and is often negotiable.
B2C (Business-to-Consumer)
Businesses selling to the general public typically through catalogs utilizing shopping cart software. By
dollar volume, B2B takes the prize, however B2C is really what the average Joe has in mind with regards
to ecommerce as a whole.
Having a hard time finding a book? Need to purchase a custom, high-end computer system? How about
a first class, all-inclusive trip to a tropical island? With the advent ecommerce, all three things can be
purchased literally in minutes without human interaction. Oh how far we've come!
C2B (Consumer-to-Business)
A consumer posts his project with a set budget online and within hours companies review the
consumer's requirements and bid on the project. The consumer reviews the bids and selects the
company that will complete the project. Elance empowers consumers around the world by providing the
meeting ground and platform for such transactions.
C2C (Consumer-to-Consumer)
There are many sites offering free classifieds, auctions, and forums where individuals can buy and sell
thanks to online payment systems like PayPal where people can send and receive money online with
ease. eBay's auction service is a great example of where person-to-person transactions take place
everyday since 1995.
Advantages and Disadvantages of E-Commerce
We have a lot faster internet connectivity now, and we also get much more powerful tools on websites. It
makes increase on the numbers of e-commerce fans. You may want to learn on the advantages and
disadvantages so you can earn more benefits from there.
The Advantages
1. Cost Effective
The entire financial transactions will eventually become electronic, so sooner conversion is going to be
lower on cost. It makes every transaction through e-commerce payment a lot cheaper.
2. Higher Margin
E-commerce also enables us to move better with higher margin for more business safety. Higher margin
also means business with more control as well as flexibility. You can also save time from the ecommerce.
3. Better Productivity
Productivity here means productivity for both companies and customers. People like to find answers
online because it is faster and cheaper, and it costs a lot cheaper expense as well for the company.
4. Quick Comparison
E-commerce also enables you to compare price among several providers. In the end, it leads you to
smart shopping. People can save more money while they shop.
5. Economy Benefit
E-commerce allows us to make transaction without any needs on stores, infrastructure investment, and
other common things we find. Companies only need well built website and customer service.
The Disadvantages
1. Security
Customers need to be confident and trust the provider of payment method. Sometimes, we can be
tricked. Examine on integrity and reputation of the web stores before you decide to buy.
2. Scalability of System
A company definitely needs a well developed website to support numbers of customers at a time. If your
web destination is not well enough, you better forget it.
3. Integrity on Data and System
Customers need secure access all the time. In addition to it, protection to data is also essential. Unless
the transaction can provide it, we should refuse for e-commerce.
4. Products People
People who prefer and focus on product will not buy online. They will want to feel, try, and sit on their
new couch and bed.
5. Customer Service and Relation Problem
They sometimes forget how essential to build loyal relationship with customers. Without loyalty from
customers, they will not survive the business.
The disadvantages are not impossible to avoid. If we have enough management on risks, we may really
get a lot more advantages from e-commerce. The advantages are surely teasing, and we will enjoy such
easy transaction these days. Enjoy more your internet browsing and enjoy more your e-commerce
activities!
What is EDI?
Electronic data interchange (EDI) is the computer-to-computer exchange of business documents
between companies. EDI replaces the faxing and mailing of paper documents.
EDI documents use specific computer record formats that are based on widely accepted standards.
However, each company will use the flexibility allowed by the standards in a unique way that fits their
business needs.
Used in a variety of industries, over 160,000 companies have made the switch to EDI to improve their
efficiencies. Many of these companies require all of their partners to also use EDI.
How Does EDI Work?
There are 3 steps to sending EDI documents – Prepare the documents, Translate the documents into EDI
format, Transmit the EDI documents to your partner.
Step 1: Prepare the documents to be sent
The first step is to collect and organize the data. For example, instead of printing a purchase order, your
system creates an electronic file with the necessary information to build an EDI document. The sources
of data and the methods available to generate the electronic documents can include:
Human data entry via screens
Exporting PC-based data from spreadsheets or databases
Reformatted electronic reports into data files
Enhancing existing applications to automatically create output files that are ready for translation
into an EDI standard
Purchasing application software that has built-in interfaces for EDI files
Step 2: Translate the documents into EDI format
The next step is to feed your electronic data through translator software to convert your internal data
format into the EDI standard format using the appropriate segments and data elements. You can
purchase EDI translation software that you manage and maintain on your premises. This requires
specialized mapping expertise in order to define how your internal data is to be mapped (i.e. correlated)
to the EDI data. Translation software is available to suit just about any computing environment and
budget, from large systems that handle thousands of transactions daily to PC-based software that need
only process a few hundred transactions per week.
Alternatively, you can use the translation services of an EDI service provider. In that case, you send your
data to the provider, who handles translation to and from the EDI format on your behalf.
Step 3: Connect and Transmit your EDI documents to your business partner
Once your business documents are translated to the appropriate EDI format they are ready to be
transmitted to your business partner. You must decide how you will connect to each of your partners to
perform that transmission. There are several ways, the most common of which include 1) to connect
directly using AS2 or another secure internet protocol, 2) connect to an EDI Network provider (also
referred to as a VAN provider) using your preferred communications protocol and rely on the network
provider to connect to your business partners using whatever communications protocol your partners
prefer, or 3) a combination of both, depending on the particular partner and the volume of transactions
you expect to exchange. To learn more about the various options, click here.
Advantages of EDI
EDI provides cost savings by reducing paper and eliminating paper processing.
Time savings and eliminating repetition are other benefits from the reduction in paper processing.
Documents can be transferred more quickly and processing errors can be decreased allowing
business to be done more efficiently.
More efficient processing will likely lead to improved customer service which will ultimately
expand the customer base.
Disadvantages of EDI
Contrasted to XML, which is not strictly standardized, many consider EDI to have too many
standards.
There are various standards bodies who have developed 'standard document formats' for EDI
which can cause problems with cross compatibility.
These standards bodies also push standards revisions annually which could cause problems if you
have a more recent version of a document than a business partner.
EDI systems are extremely expensive making it difficult for small businesses to implement.
Many large organizations will only work with others who utilize EDI. This may limit the business
small companies are able to do with such organizations and limit trading partners.
