NCRD’s STERLING INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

STUDIES

Subject:- management information system

Assignment no. :- 1, 2, 3

Submitted to:- prof. sandeep ponde

Submitted by:- nishita shivkar
Roll no:- 88
mms fy-b
 ASSIGNMENT - 1

1. Define management information system? Discuss its

objectives?

MIS (Management Information Systems) is a general term for the computer

systems in an enterprise that provide information about its business operations.
It's also used to refer to the people who manage these systems. Typically, in a
large corporation, "MIS" or the "MIS department" refers to a central or
centrally-coordinated system of computer expertise and management, often
including mainframe systems.
MIS is a formalised computer information system which can integrate data from
various sources to provide the information necessary for decision-making at the
management level.

OBJECTIVES OF MIS

 MIS allows all participants, both management and staff, to view, analyze,
and interpret useful data to set goals and objectives.
 Generates competitive advantages: Businesses succeed or fail based on
how they face competitive challenges. MIS, if implemented properly, pr
 Provides a wealth of information to allow management to construct
effective plans to meet, and beat, their competition.
 Managers play a key role in any organization. They are responsible for
taking decisions appropriate to the need of the market. Information
systems have become the main tool used by managers in decision
making.
 How the market is currently allocated?
 Which is the competitor’s product offers to hold share in the market?
 Pros and cons of this product.

DISCUSS THE ROLE OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM IN

THE ORGANISATION STRUCTURE?

 The MIS system ensures that an appropriate data is collected from the
various sources, processed, and sent further to all the needy destinations.
The system is expected to fulfill the information needs of an individual, a
 group of individuals, the management functionaries: the managers and the
top management. 
 The MIS helps the clerical personnel in the transaction processing and
answers their queries on the data pertaining to the transaction, the status
of a particular record and references on a variety of documents.
 The MIS helps the middle management in short them planning, target
setting and controlling the business functions. It is supported by the use
of the management tools of planning and control operations of an
organization.

The MIS plays the role of information generation, communication, problem

identification and helps in the process of decision making. The MIS, therefore,
plays a vital role in the management, administration and MIS can also be used
across the organization as an information utility to

-support policy making

-meet regulatory and legislative requirements
-support research and development
-support consistent and rapid decision making
-enable effective and efficient utilization of resources
-provide evidence of business transactions
-identify and manage risks
-evaluate and document quality, performance and achievements.

DISCUSS THE VARIOUS CATEGORIES OF MIS & THEIR ROLE IN

DECISION MAKING.

Management information systems can be used as a support to managers to

provide a competitive advantage. The system must support the goals of the
organization. Most organizations are structured along functional lines, and the
typical systems are identified as follows:

Accounting management information systems: All accounting reports are

shared by all levels of accounting managers.

Financial management information systems: The financial management

information system provides financial information to all financial managers
within an organization including the chief financial officer. The chief financial
officer analyzes historical and current financial activity, projects future financial
needs, and monitors and controls the use of funds over time using the
information developed by the MIS department.

Manufacturing management information systems: More than any functional

area, operations have been impacted by great advances in technology. As a
result, manufacturing operations have changed. For instance, inventories are
provided just in time so that great amounts of money are not spent for
warehousing huge inventories. In some instances, raw materials are even
processed on railroad cars waiting to be sent directly to the factory. Thus there
is no need for warehousing.

Marketing management information systems: A marketing management

information system supports managerial activity in the area of product
development, distribution, pricing decisions, promotional effectiveness, and
sales forecasting. More than any other functional areas, marketing systems rely
on external sources of data. These sources include competition and customers,
for example.

Human resources management information systems: Human resources

management information systems are concerned with activities related to
workers, managers, and other individuals employed by the organization.
Because the personnel function relates to all other areas in business, the human
resources management information system plays a valuable role in ensuring
organizational success. Activities performed by the human resources
management information systems include, work-force analysis and planning,
hiring, training, and job assignments

Write a short note on importance of MIS & its different levels of

management?

Businesses worldwide make extensive use of Management Information Systems

(MIS). MIS designed by the top management of an organization is a tool for
assembling and accumulating facts and figures about all the important business
processes. The information so collected is tabulated and presented in the form
of meaningful reports. The MIS particularly aims at controlling the
technologies, work force and the policies, procedures and practices of the
business.
Organizations use four types of MIS. The Transaction Processing System or
TPS is the most basic and elementary form of MIS. TPS processes recurring and
routine business transactions, such as customers' orders or orders for raw
material. The Operations Information System, or OIS, collects comprehensive
data and tabulates it for operations managers. Using this, the managers are able
to maximize production and minimize losses. Decision Support Systems, or
DSS, and Expert Systems, or ES, are two forms of MIS that the top
management uses extensively. Both forms use modeling techniques and
databases for presenting their reports.

IMPORTANCE OF MIS:

1. MIS is always management oriented and keeps in view every level of

management and gets the desired information.
2. Integrated - refers to how diff components (sub systems) are actually tied up
together. Egg: diff departments of organization linked together.
3. Useful for planning - as every organization makes log-term and short-term
plans with the help of information like sales & production, capital investments,
stocks etc management can easily plan...
4. Effective MIS helps the management to know deviations of actual
performance from pre-set targets and control things.
5. it’s important for increasing efficiency
 ASSIGNEMENT – 2

1. List five types of information systems & explain each of them

in brief?
Transaction Processing Systems
TPS processes business transaction of the organization. Transaction can be any
activity of the organization. Transactions differ from organization to
organization. For example, take a railway reservation system. Booking,
canceling, etc are all transactions. Any query made to it is a transaction.
However, there are some transactions, which are common to almost all
organizations. Like employee new employee, maintaining their leave status,
maintaining employees accounts, etc. This provides high speed and accurate
processing of record keeping of basic operational processes. These include
calculation, storage and retrieval.
Transaction processing systems provide speed and accuracy, and can be
programmed to follow routines functions of the organization.

Management Information Systems

These systems assist lower management in problem solving and making
decisions. They use the results of transaction processing and some other
information also. It is a set of information processing functions. It should handle
queries as quickly as they arrive. An important element of MIS is database. A
database is a non-redundant collection of interrelated data items that can be
processed through application programs and available to many users.

Decision Support Systems

These systems assist higher management to make long term decisions. These
type of systems handle unstructured or semi structured decisions. A decision is
considered unstructured if there are no clear procedures for making the decision
and if not all the factors to be considered in the decision can be readily
identified in advance. These are not of recurring nature. Some recur
infrequently or occur only once. A decision support system must very flexible.
The user should be able to produce customized reports by giving particular data
and format specific to particular situations.
Executive Support System ("ESS")

It is designed to help senior management make strategic decisions. It gathers,

analyses, and summarizes the key internal and external information used in the
business.

A good way to think about an ESS is to imagine the senior management

team in an aircraft cockpit - with the instrument panel showing them the status
of all the key business activities. ESS typically involves lots of data analysis and
modeling tools such as "what-if" analysis to help strategic decision-making.

Knowledge Management Systems

Knowledge Management Systems ("KMS") exist to help businesses

create and share information. These are typically used in a business where
employees create new knowledge and expertise - which can then be shared by
other people in the organization to create further commercial opportunities.
Good examples include firms of lawyers, accountants and management
consultants.

KMS are built around systems which allow efficient categorization and
distribution of knowledge. For example, the knowledge itself might be
contained in word processing documents, spreadsheets, PowerPoint
presentations, internet pages or whatever. To share the knowledge, a KMS
would use group collaboration systems such as an intranet.

2. Name & describe the five functions of decision support

system?

There are a number of Decision Support Systems. These can be categorized into
five types:

Communication-driven:
Most communications-driven DSSs are targetted at internal teams, including
partners. Its purpose are to help conduct a meeting, or for users to collaborate.
The most common technology used to deploy the DSS is a web or client server.
Examples: chats and instant messaging softwares, online collaboration and net-
meeting systems.
Data-driven:
Most data-driven DSSs are targeted at managers, staff and also product/service
suppliers. It is used to query a database or data warehouse to seek specific
answers for specific purposes. It is deployed via a main frame system,
client/server link, or via the web. Examples: computer-based databases that
have a query system to check (including the incorporation of data to add value
to existing databases.
Document-driven:
Document-driven DSSs are more common, targeted at a broad base of user
groups. The purpose of such a DSS is to search web pages and find documents
on a specific set of keywords or search terms. The usual technology used to set
up such DSSs are via the web or a client/server system. Examples:
Knowledge-driven:
Knowledge-driven DSSs or 'knowledgebase' are they are known, are a catch-all
category covering a broad range of systems covering users within the
organization seting it up, but may also include others interacting with the
organization - for example, consumers of a business. It is essentially used to
provide management advice or to choose products/services. The typical
deployment technology used to set up such systems could be slient/server
systems, the web, or software runnung on stand-alone PCs.
Model-driven:
Model-driven DSSs are complex systems that help analyse decisions or choose
between different options. These are used by managers and staff members of a
business, or people who interact with the organization, for a number of purposes
depending on how the model is set up - scheduling, decision analyses etc. These
DSSs can be deployed via software/hardware in stand-alone PCs, client/server
systems, or the web.

3.What are the 3 main components of a DSS? Explain each type of

components & 3 objectives of DSS?

Decision support systems are interactive, computer-based systems that aid users
in judgment and choice activities. They provide data storage and retrieval but
enhance the traditional information access and retrieval functions with support
for model building and model-based reasoning. They support framing,
modeling, and problem solving.

There are three fundamental components of DSSs

_ Database management system (DBMS):-A DBMS serves as a data bank for
the DSS. It stores large quantities of data that are relevant to the class of
problems for which the DSS has been designed and provides logical data
structures (as opposed to the physical data structures) with which the users
interact. A DBMS separates the users from the physical aspects of the
database structure and processing. It should also be capable of informing the
user of the types of data that are available and how to gain access to them.
Model-base management system (MBMS):-The role of MBMS is analogous
to that of a DBMS. Its primary function is providing independence between
specific models that are used in a DSS from the applications that use them. The
purpose of an MBMS is to transform data from the DBMS into information that
is useful in decision making. Since many problems that the user of a DSS will
cope with may be unstructured, the MBMS should also be capable of assisting
the user in model building.
Dialog generation and management system (DGMS):- The main product of
an interaction with a DSS is insight. As their users are often managers who are
not computer-trained, DSSs need to be equipped with intuitive and easy-to-use
interfaces. These interfaces aid in model building, but also in interaction with
the model, such as gaining insight and recommendations from it. The primary
responsibility of a DGMS is to enhance the ability of the system user to utilize
and benefit from the DSS. In the remainder of this article, we will use the
broader term user interface rather than DGMS.

4.Explain some of the advantages of information systems for an

organization?

Advantages

Management information systems have changed the dynamics of running

businesses efficiently. Decentralization is one of the biggest advantages; it
allows monitoring of operations at low levels and frees up resources for
departmental managers to devote time to strategic activities. Coordination of
specialized projects and activities is much better and decision makers in the
organization are aware of issues and problems in all departments. Another
advantage of MIS is that it minimizes information overload, which can be quite
common with conventional businesses in the modern era.

Better Planning and Control

MIS has to be designed and managed in such way that it aggregates

information, monitors the company's activities and operations and enhances
communication and collaboration among employees. This ensures better
planning for all activities and better ways to measure performance, manage
resources and facilitate compliance with industry and government regulations.
Control helps in forecasting, preparing accurate budgets and providing the
tools and vital information to employees, top management and business
partners.

Aid Decision Making

 The purpose of MIS is to generate synthesized and processed information
from computerized/automated and certain manual systems. Information
distribution to all levels of corporate managers, professionals and key
executives becomes quite seamless with streamlined MIS. Managers are able to
make quick, timely and informed decisions. Top management and board
members can take strategic decisions, plan future growth and business
expansion activities based on the data and information generated by MIS.
 ASSIGNMENT – 3

1. Why are information system security central necessary?

Several studies have documented actual and potential losses due to IS security
abuses. An understanding of the effective and responsible use of management of
information systems and technologies is important for managers and business
professionals etc. Information systems play a vital role in the strategic success
of a business. Thus, better computer literacy, increased computer user
sophistication, and availability of advanced software tools may also contribute
to IS security abuses in the future.
As the businesses are getting more dependent upon the use of information
systems the need for better IS security is also increasing. Thus, the main goal of
defining an IS security policy is the ‘Protection of information systems against
unauthorized access to or modification of information whether in storage,
processing or transit, and against the denial of service to authorized users,
including those measures necessary to detect, document, and counter such
threats. The manufacturing records, sales records, financial records, customer
records are all kept on computers. In today's networked world, these may be
accessible from anywhere, via the Internet.

In fact there is. Like the BS 7799 Information Security Management

System.

BS 7799 standard

Anyone who wants to ascertain the quality of a business process will

look for ISO 9001:2000 certificates. This gives an assurance that the
organization has achieved the minimum requirements for establishing a
Quality Management System (QMS). Similarly, the British Standards Institute
(BSI) has established a standard for Information Security Management
System (ISMS). The BS 7799 was first issued in 1995 and was revised in
1999. Latest revision i.e. BS 7799 -2 2002 is due on 5th Sept. 2002.

The BS 7799 standard comprises two parts:

 Part 1: Code of Practice for Information security management.

 Part 2: Specifications of Information Security Management Systems.

Part 1 outlines the recommended best practices that one should follow and
Part 2 gives the specifications against which an organization will be evaluated
to determine whether it deserves to be certified.
 2. What are different types of computer security breaches?
Discuss any one of them in details?

Computer security is that branch of information technology which deals in

the protection of data on a network or a standalone desktop. As every
organization is dependent on computers, the technology of its security
requires constant upgradation. Here are the different types of computer
security.

Types of Computer Security:

1) Computer System Security

2) Computer Network Security
3) Computer Information and Data Security

Computer Information and Data Security:

It is important to avoid data and information loss in case of hard disk

crashes. The only solution is to regularly keep backups of all the data on other
media such as magnetic tapes, CD-ROM, etc. It is a good practice to store the
media off-site and in case of a disk crash, restore the information from the
backup media onto the new disk. In case a backup media is not affordable,
one should try and store the files on at least two different media devices.
These media devices should be systematically kept at a place which is safe
and secured, as the information contained may be confidential. People usually
backup database files, spreadsheet files and large documents. As the
technical constraints are always there, it is better to take regular backups, in
order to avoid any loss of information.

It is important to keep a record of technical support consultants and software

documentations, like, manuals and guides to make them accessible to the
staff members of the company.
 3. EXPLAIN CHALLENGES OF SECURING COMPUTER
SYSTEMS IN AN ORGANISATION?

Top 10 challenges faced by IT administrators:

Backup and recovery is the most well-established and common data

management application. Yet, it is arguably now the most complex and difficult
to administer. The top data protection challenges faced by IT administrators
include:

 Continued growth in data volumes, forcing some percentage of data-

center-managed data sets out from under the data projection umbrella
 Proliferation of data "on the edge" (remote offices, mobile workers) that
falls outside the data protection umbrella and the corporate security
blanket
 Fault-tolerant systems and applications availability requirements
 Varying recovery-time objectives, starting with immediate recoverability
 Continued consolidation and virtualization at the server level
 Increasing demand for more granularity as applied to the recovery
process
 Varying protection levels that are commensurate with the degree of data
set criticality
 The proliferation of data copies
 More backup target choices
 Increasing need to apply security measures to the backup process
 Inability to integrate point-product backup applications and backup
management servers, leading to the maintenance and support of
multiple backup applications within larger IT environments
 Inability to accurately assess backup success vs. failure rates, and the
overall reliability of the backup process
 Escalating cost to manage and support all of the above.