INSTITUTE OF TEXTILE

TECHNOLOGY AND
MANAGEMENT
( ITTM )

PROGRAM
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
( MBA )

NAME : HARIS NASEER

SUBJECT : MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
SYSTEM ( MIS )
FACULTY : SIR TALAT HUSSAINI
ASSIGNMENT # : 01
TOPIC : IMPORTANCE,FUTURE …
DATE : 29-05-2009
“MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM”
DEFINED
A MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (MIS) is a subset of the overall internal
controls of a business covering the application of people, documents,
technologies, and procedures by management accountants to solving business
problems such as costing a product, service or a business-wide strategy.
Management information systems are distinct from regular information systems in
that they are used to analyze other information systems applied in operational
activities in the organization. Academically, the term is commonly used to refer to
the group of information management methods tied to the automation or support
of human decision making, e.g. Decision Support Systems, Expert systems, and
Executive information systems.

An 'MIS' is a planned system of the collecting, processing, storing and

disseminating data in the form of information needed to carry out the functions of
management. According to Philip Kotler "A marketing information system consists
of people, equipment, and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate, and
distribute needed, timely, and accurate information to marketing decision
makers."

The terms MIS and information system are often confused. Information systems
include systems that are not intended for decision making. The area of study
called MIS is sometimes referred to, in a restrictive sense, as information
technology management. That area of study should not be confused with
computer science. IT service management is a practitioner-focused discipline. MIS
has also some differences with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) as ERP
incorporates elements that are not necessarily focused on decision support.

Professor Allen S. Lee states that "...research in the information systems field
examines more than the technological system, or just the social system, or even
the two side by side; in addition, it investigates the phenomena that emerge when
the two interact.".

MIS 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 but also including
by extension the corporation's entire network of computer resources.

In the beginning, business computers were used for the practical business of
computing the payroll and keeping track of accounts payable and receivable. As
applications were developed that provided managers with information about sales,
inventories, and other data that would help in managing the enterprise, the term
"MIS" arose to describe these kinds of applications. Today, the term is used
broadly in a number of contexts and includes (but is not limited to): decision
support systems, resource and people management applications, project
management, and database retrieval applications.
Concept of MIS can also be illustrated as,

Right Information
To the right person
At the right place
At the right time
In the right form
At the right cost

System emphasizing a fair degree of integration and a holistic

view;

Information stressing on processed data in the context in

which it is used by end users;

Management focusing on the ultimate use of such information

systems for managerial decision making.
IMPORTANCE OF MIS IN BUSINESS
Modern business is spurred on by technology and innovation. The driving force
behind these two things is information and how it is used. For decades, business
used information as a strategic tool to grow customer base, market share, cut
costs and to gain the overall target of increased profits and efficiency. In the
modern environment, information on its own isn't enough, what's required is a way
to use this information properly, keep it secure and to make it accessible to the
appropriate parties. To do this, a new strategic asset has been developed. The
new asset is Information Technology and in the business context it's called
Management Information Systems (MIS).

The overall purpose of MIS is to provide profitability and related information to

help managers and staff understand business performance and plan its future
direction.

In the modern workplace, it is imperative that technology works both effectively

and reliably. Computer and information systems managers play a vital role in the
implementation of technology within their organizations. They do everything from
helping to construct a business plan to overseeing network security to directing
Internet operations.

Computer and information systems managers direct the work of systems analysts,
computer programmers, support specialists, and other computer-related workers.
They plan and coordinate activities such as installation and upgrading of hardware
and software, programming and systems design, development of computer
networks, and implementation of Internet and intranet sites. They are increasingly
involved with the upkeep, maintenance, and security of networks. They analyze
the computer and information needs of their organizations from an operational
and strategic perspective and determine immediate and long-range personnel and
equipment requirements. They assign and review the work of their subordinates
and stay abreast of the latest technology to ensure the organization does not lag
behind competitors.

Project managers develop requirements, budgets, and schedules for their firms’
information technology projects. They coordinate such projects from development
through implementation, working with internal and external clients, vendors,
consultants, and computer specialists. These managers are increasingly involved
in projects that upgrade the information security of an organization.

Computer and information systems managers plan, coordinate, and direct

research and facilitate the computer-related activities of firms. They help
determine both technical and business goals in consultation with top management
and make detailed plans for the accomplishment of these goals. This requires a
strong understanding of both technology and business practices.
IMPORTANCE OF MIS IN MBA
The duties of computer and information systems managers vary greatly. Chief
technology officers (CTOs), for example, evaluate the newest and most innovative
technologies and determine how these can help their organizations. The chief
technology officer often reports to the organization’s chief information officer,
manages and plans technical standards, and tends to the daily information
technology issues of the firm. (Chief information officers are covered in a separate
Handbook statement on top executives.) Because of the rapid pace of
technological change, chief technology officers must constantly be on the lookout
for developments that could benefit their organizations. Once a useful tool has
been identified, the CTO must determine an implementation strategy and sell that
strategy to management.

Management information systems (MIS) directors or information technology (IT)

directors manage computing resources for their organizations. They often work
under the chief information officer and plan and direct the work of subordinate
information technology employees. These managers ensure the availability,
continuity, and security of data and information technology services in their
organizations. In this capacity, they oversee a variety of user services such as an
organization’s help desk, which employees can call with questions or problems.
MIS directors also may make hardware and software upgrade recommendations
based on their experience with an organization’s technology.

Computer and information systems managers spend most of their time in offices.
Most work at least 40 hours a week and some may have to work evenings and
weekends to meet deadlines or solve unexpected problems. Some computer and
information systems managers may experience considerable pressure in meeting
technical goals with short deadlines or tight budgets. As networks continue to
expand and more work is done remotely, computer and information systems
managers have to communicate with and oversee offsite employees using
modems, laptops, e-mail, and the Internet.

Like other workers who spend most of their time using computers, computer and
information systems managers are susceptible to eyestrain, back discomfort, and
hand and wrist problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

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. eg: 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. its important for increasing efficiency.
6.MIS provides updated results of various departments to management.
7.MIS is highly computerized so it provides accurate results.
8.MIS adds to the intelligence, alertness, awareness of managers by providing
them information in the form of progress and review reports of an ongoing
activity.
9.Helps managers in decision- making.
FUTURE CONCEPTS OF MIS
Now I would like to bring up the topic of the future concepts of Management
Information Systems. Because of the nature of this topic, it will be mostly a
hypothetical one. At first approach towards the future of MIS, one must ask a
question. Can we really go any farther in MIS development? I mean, seriously, the
field of MIS has already grown leaps and bounds just in the few years that it has
been in action. We can already compute all financial data, track billions of orders,
and follow the movement of a product across national and international
boundaries. What more can be done? My best guess is that it will be something to
do with portability and automation. Already, major retailers are moving their
inventory systems to handheld devices that can be worn on the body. Or there are
even the exciting developments in RFID chips that allow companies to do away
with inventory crews all together. When I look at MIS, there are still quite a few
bugs as far as user compatibility and customization, but those problems are much
smaller and fewer and farther between than that of portability. I believe that the
wave of future MIS will consist of amazingly small and powerful computers that are
continuously linked to a MIS system that can do nearly everything on its own
except make decisions. This is kind of getting into the whole science fiction realm
now that I think about it. I don’t think that MIS will ever take the role of human
interaction and intuition, but I do believe that we can make a system so
sophisticated that it can do nearly all tedious tasks of number crunching and
operations flow management. I also think that the information side of the MIS will
increase in the future as well. We are already seeing new developments in credit
card companies who are using magnetic data strips that contain personal
information about a person. I believe that the future of MIS will allow companies to
customize their products more based on what segment a consumer works with.
Pizza Hut uses their web based ordering system as such a device. Data collected
from the website is used to customize online buyers ordering preferences to allow
for better service and improved products from their restaurants. Take a look at car
manufacturers today as well. You can now piece together a car at Saturn.com and
they will deliver it to your door! Imagine being able to customize how you want
your food products to be in the future. For those of you who are health conscious,
you could ask for all frozen dinners to contain less salt and fat, and all at very little
extra cost because of a sophisticated MIS system at food processing company that
allows them to do market segmentation of meals without the premiums. I am
personally anxious to see some of the developments of MIS in the near and distant
future. I imagine it will only make my life easier and my transactions more
pleasant.