Master of Computer Application (MCA) Semester 4MC0076 Management Information Systems (Book ID: B0901) Assignment Set 1 Que

Que .1 a. Explain the impact of MIS in the area of police Information system. b. What are the functions and disadvantages of MIS? Ans: A m a n a g e m e n t i n f o r m a t i o n s y s t e m ( M I S ) i s a systemo r p r o c e s s t h a t p r o v i d e s information needed to manage organizations effectively Managem ent informationsystems are regarded to be a subset of the o v e r a l l inte rnal controls p r o c e d u r e s i n a business, which cover the application of people, documents, technologies, and proceduresused bymanagement accountantsto solve business problems such as costing a product,service or a business-wide strategy. Management information systems are distinct fromregular information systems in that they are used to analyze other information systemsapplied in operational activities in the organization. Academically, the term is commonlyused 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, andExecutive information systems.At the start, in businesses and other organizations, internal reporting was made manuallyand only periodically, as a by-product of the accounting system and with some additionals t a t i s t i c ( s ) , a n d g a v e l i m i t e d a n d d e l a y e d i n f o r m a t i o n o n m a n a g e m e n t p e r f o r m a n c e . Previously, data had to be separated individually by the people as per the requirement andnecessity of the organization. Later, data was distinguished from information, and insteadof the collection of mass of data, important, and to the point data that is needed by theorganization was stored. Early on, business computers were mostly used for relatively simple operations such astracking sales or payroll data, often without much detail. Over time these applications became more complex and began to store increasing amounts of information while alsointerlinking with previouslyseparateinformation systems. As more and more data wasstored and linked man began to analyze this information into further detail, creating entiremanagement reportsfrom the raw, stored data. The term "MIS" arose to describe thesekinds of applications, which were developed to provide managers with information aboutsales, inventories, and other data that would help in managing the enterprise. Today, theterm is used broadly in a number of contexts and includes (but is not limited to):decision suppor t systems ,resourceandpeople manage ment applications ,ERP,SCM,CRM , project management and database retrieval application.An 'MIS' is a planned system of the collecting, processing, storing and disseminating datain the form of information needed to carry out the functions of management. In a way it isa documented report of the activities that were planned and executed. According toPhilip Kotler "A marketing information system consists of people, equipment, and procedures togather, sort, analyze, evaluate, and distribute needed, timely, and accurate information tomarketing decision makers b. What are the functions and disadvantages of MIS? Ans:MIS provides the following advantages.1 . I t F a c i l i t a t e s p l a n n i n g : M I S i m p r o v e s t h e q u a l i t y o f p l a n t s b y p r o v i d i n g r e l e v a n t information for sound decision making . Due to increase in the size and complexity of organizations, managers have lost personal contact with the scene of operations.2 . I n M i n i m i z e s i n f o r m a t i o n o v e r l o a d : M I S c h a n g e t h e l a r g e r a m o u n t o f d a t a i n t o summarized form and there by avoids the confusion which may arise whenmanagersareflooded with detailed facts.2

3. MIS Encourages Decentralization : Decentralization of authority is possibly whenthere is asystemfor monitoring operations at lower levels. MIS is successfully used for measuring performance and making necessary change in the organizational plans and procedures.4. It brings Co ordination : MIS facilitiesintegrationof specialized activities by keepingeach department aware of the problem and requirements of other departments. It connectsall decision centers in the organization .5 . I t m a k e s c o n t r o l e a s i e r : M I S s e r v e s a s a l i n k b e t w e e n m a n a g e r i a l p l a n n i n g a n d control. It improves the ability of management to evaluate andimprove performance .T h e u s e d c o m p u t e r s h a s i n c r e a s e d t h e d a t a p r o c e s s i n g a n d s t o r a g e c a p a b i l i t i e s a n d reduced the cost . 6. MIS assembles, process , stores , Retrieves , evaluates and Di s s e m i n a t e s t h e information

Q.2 Discuss the Components of an Organizational Information System? Ans Components of an Organizational Information System The environment in which organizations operate from the informational perspective int e r m s p r o p o s e d b y G e o r g e H u b e r o f t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f T e x a s , w h o h a s s t u d i e d t h e organizational design required by an i nformation society. His conclusions provide aframework for determining what is required of an organizational information system.These, according to Huber, are the hallmarks of an information society:1) Dramatic Increase of Available Knowledge Whether measured in terms of the number of scholarly journals, patents and copyrights,or in terms of the volumes of corporate communications, both the production and thedistribution of knowledge have undergone a manifold increase.2) Growth of Complexity Huber characterizes complexity in terms of numerosity, diversity, and interdependence.A g r o w i n g w o r l d p o p u l a t i o n a n d t h e i n d u s t r i a l r e v o l u t i o n c o m b i n e d t o produce numerosity, or a growing number of human organizations. To succeed, peoplea n d o r g a n i z a t i o n s l e a r n e d t o s p e c i a l i z e : t h e y d o t h i n g s d i f f e r e n t l y a n d organizethemselves differently to accomplish specialized tasks. These d i f f e r e n c e s l e a d to diversity. Two principal factors have led to increased interdependence. T h e f i r s t a s b e e n t h e revolution in the infrastructure of transportation and communication. The second factor isspecialization in firms that make narrowly defined products, as opposed to the selfsufficiency of companies producing a complex product down to its minute elements. Acompanys product is typically a part of a larger system, produced with contributionsfrom a number of interdependent firms (consider a car or a computer). Moreover,interdependence has increased on a global scale. Even the most isolated of countriesparticipates in some way in the international division of labor. 4 Organizations operating in the public sector, while rarely in a competitive situation, arestill governed by the demands of society. Pressures on the public sector in democraticsocieties, along with the pressures conveyed from the private sector, also make theenvironment in which public organizations operate more complex.3) Increased Turbulence The pace of events

in an information society is set by technologies. The speeds of todays computer and communication technologies have resulted in a dramatic increasein the number of events occurring within a given time. Consider the volumes and speed of trades in thesecurities and currency markets. Widespread use of telefacsimile, as another example,h a s r e m o v e d t h e " f l o a t " t h e l a g b e t w e e n s e n d i n g a n d r e c e i v i n g - i n w r i t t e n communications. Equally important, because of the infrastructure discussed earlier, thenumber of events that actually influence an organizations activities (effective events)has also grown rapidly.The great amount of change and turbulence pressuring organizations today thus calls for rapid innovation in both product and organizational structure. To thrive, an organizationmust have information systems able to cope with large volumes of information in aselective fashion.Huber concludes that these factors an increase of available knowledge, growth of complexity, and increased turbulence-are not simply ancillary to a transition to the newsocietal form. Rather, they will be a permanent characteristic of the information society inthe future. Moreover, we should expect that these factors would continue to expand atan accelerating rate (a positive feedback exists). Barring some catastrophic event, weexpect that the rapidly changing environment will be not only "more so" but also "muchmore so." To succeed in an information society, organizations must be compatible withthis environment. Q.3 What are the features contributing to success and failures of MIS models? Ans: Factors contributing to success of MIS: If MIS is to be success, then it shouldhave all the features listed below: 1) MIS is integrated into the management function. Itsets clear objectives to ensure that MIS focuses on the major issues of the business. Alsoadequate development resources are provided and human & organizational barriers to progress are removed 2) An appropriate information processing technology required tomeet the data processing and analysis needs of the users of MIS is selected. 3) MIS isoriented, defined and designed in terms of the user's requirements and its operationalviability is ensured. 4) MIS is kept under continuous surveillance, sot that its open systemis modified according to the changing information needs 5) MIS focuses on results andgoals, and highlights the factors and reasons for non achievements. 6) MIS is not allowedto end up into and information generation mill avoiding the noise in the information andt h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s y s t e m . 7 ) M I S r e c o g n i z e s t h a t a m a n a g e r i s a h u m a n b e i n g a n d therefore, the systems must consider all the human behavioral aspects in the process of management. 8) MIS is easy to operate and therefore, the design of MIS has such goodfeatures which make up a user friendly design. 9) MIS recognizes that the informationneeds become obsolete and new needs emerge. The MIS design, therefore, has a potentialcapability to quickly meet newer and newer needs of information. 10) MIS concentrateson developing the information support to manage critical success factors. It concentrateson the mission critical applications serving the needs of the top management.Factors contributing to failures: Many times, MIS is a failure. The common factors whichare responsible for this are as follows:1) MIS is conceived as a data processing and not as an information system. 2) MIS doesnot provide that information which in needed by managers but it tends to provide theinformation generally the function calls for. MIS then becomes an impersonal function.3) Understanding the complexity in the business systems and not recognizing it in the6 MIS design leads to problems in the successful implementation. 4) Adequate attention isnot given to the quality control aspects of the inputs, the process and the outputs leadingto insufficient checks and controls in MIS. 5) MIS is developed without streamlining thetransaction processing systems in the organizations. 6) Lack of training and appreciationthat the users of the information and the generators of the data are different, and theyhave to play an important role in the MIS. 7) MIS does not meet certain critical and keyfactors of its users, such as a response to the query on the database, an inability to get the processing done in a particular manner, lack of user friendly system and the dependenceo n t h e s y s t e m p e r s o n n e l . 8 ) A b e l i e f t h a t t h e c o m p u t e r i z e d M I S c a n s o l v e a l l t h e management problems of planning and control of the business.

9) Lack of administratived i s c i p l i n e i n f o l l o w i n g t h e s t a n d a r d i z e d s y s t e m s a n d p r o c e d u r e s , w r o n g c o d i n g a n d deviating from the system specifications result in incomplete and incorrect information.10) MIS does not give perfect information to all users in the organization. Any attempttoward such a goal will be unsuccessful because every user has a human ingenuity, biasa n d c e r t a i n a s s u m p t i o n s n o t k n o w n t o t h e d e s i g n e r . M I S c a n n o t m a k e u p t h e s e b y providing perfect information. Q.4 Explain the relationship between artificial intelligence and neural networkswith help of a scenario.Ans:Artificial intelligence (AI) is theintelligenceo f m a c h i n e s a n d t h e b r a n c h o f computer sciencet h a t a i m s t o c r e a t e i t . T e x t b o o k s d e f i n e t h e f i e l d a s " t h e s t u d y a n d d e s i g n o f intelligent agents," where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environmentand takes actions that maximize its chances of success.John McCarthy, who coined theterm in 1956, defines it as "the science and engineering of making intelligent machines."The field was founded on the claim that a central property of humans, intelligencethesapienceof Homo sapiens can be so precisely described that it can be simulated by amachine. [5] This raises philosophical issues about the nature of themindand limits of scientifichubris,issues which have been addressed bymyth,fictionand philosophysinceantiquity. Artificial intelligence has been the subject of optimism, [7] but has also sufferedsetbacks and, today, has become an essential part of the technology industry, providingthe heavy lifting for many of the most difficult problems in computer science.AI research is highly technical and specialized, deeply divided into subfields that oftenf a i l t o c o m m u n i c a t e w i t h e a c h o t h e r . S u b f i e l d s h a v e g r o w n u p a r o u n d p a r t i c u l a r institutions, the work of individual researchers, the so l u t i o n o f s p e c i f i c p r o b l e m s , longstanding differences of opinion about how AI should be done and the application of w i d e l y d i f f e r i n g t o o l s . T h e c e n t r a l p r o b l e m s o f A I i n c l u d e s u c h t r a i t s a s r e a s o n i n g , knowledge, planning, learning, communication, perception and the ability to move andmanipulate objects. General intelligence (or "strong AI " ) i s s t i l l a l o n g - t e r m g o a l o f (some) research.Traditionally, the term neural network had been used to refer to a network or circuit of biological neuronsThe modern usage of the term often refers toartificial neural networks,which are composed of artificial neuronsor nodes. Thus the term has two distinct usages:8

1.Biolo gical neural networks a r e m a d e u p o f r e a l b i o l o g i c a l n e u r o n s t h a t a r e connected or functionally related in the peripheral nervous systemor thecentral nervous system. In the field of neuroscience, they are often identified as groups of neurons that perform a specific physiological function in laboratory analysis.2.Artif icial neural networ ks a r e m a d e u p o f i n t e r c o n n e c t i n g a r t i f i c i a l n e u rons(programmi ng construct s t hat mi mic t he propert ies of bi ologi cal neuro ns).A r t i f i c i a l n e u r a l n e t w o r k s m a y e i t h e r b e u s e d t o g a i n a n u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f biological neural networks, or for solving artificial intelligence problems withoutn e c e s s a r i l y c r e a t i n g a m o d e l o f a r e a l b i o l o g i c a l s y s t e m . T h e r e a l , biologicalnervous system is highly complex and includes some features t h a t m a y s e e m superfluous based on an understanding of artificial networks.This article

focuses on the relationship between the two concepts; for detailed coverageof the two different concepts refer to the separate articles:Biological neural network andArtificial neural network

company attempts to retain the flexibility to respond to local needs and opportunities whileachieving global integration. Because transnational operate on the premise of teamwork, theydemand the ability to share both information and information services .

Q.6What are the limitations of ERP systems? H o w E R P p a c k a g e s h e l p i n overcoming theses limitations. Ans:-Enterprise resource planning ( ERP ) is an Integrated computer-based system used tomanage internal and external resources including tangible assets, financial resources,materials, and human resources. It is a software architecture whose purpose is to facilitatet h e f l o w o f i n f o r m a t i o n b e t w e e n a l l b u s i n e s s f u n c t i o n s i n s i d e t h e b o u n d a r i e s o f t h e organization and manage the connections to outside stakeholders. Built on a centralizeddatabase and normally utilizing a common computing platform, ERP systems consolidateall business operations into a uniform and enterprise wide system environmentAn ERP system can either reside on a centralized server or be distributed across modular hardware and software units that provide "services" and communicate on alocal area network . The distributed design allows a business to assemble modules from differentvendors without the need for the placement of multiple copies of complex, expensivecomputer systems in areas which will not use their full capacityERP, which is an abbreviation for Enterprise Resource Planning, is principally anintegration of business management practices and modern technology. InformationTechnology (IT) integrates with the core business processes of a corporate house tostreamline and accomplish specific business objectives. Consequently, ERP is anamalgamation of three most important components; Business Management Practices,Information Technology and Specific Business Objectives.11

In simpler words, an ERP is a massive software architecture that supports the streamingand distribution of geographically scattered enterprise wide information across all thefunctional units of a business house. It provides the business management executiveswith a comprehensive overview of the complete business execution which in turninfluences their decisions in a productive way.At the core of ERP is a well managed centralized data repository which acquiresinformation from and supply information into the fragmented applications operating on auniversal computing platform.Information in large business organizations is accumulated on various servers acrossmany functional units and sometimes separated by geographical boundaries. Suchinformation islands can possibly service individual organizational units but fail toenhance enterprise wide performance, speed and competence.The term ERP originally referred to the way a large organization planned to use itsorganizational wide resources. Formerly, ERP systems were used in larger and moreindustrial types of companies. However, the use of ERP has changed radically over a period of few years. Today the term can be applied to any type of company, operating inany kind of field and of any magnitude.Today's ERP software architecture can possibly envelop a broad range of enterprise widefunctions and integrate them into a single unified database repository. For instance,functions such as Human Resources, Supply Chain Management, Customer RelationshipManagement, Finance, Manufacturing Warehouse Management and Logistics were

all previously stand alone software applications, generally housed with their ownapplications, database and network, but today, they can all work under a single umbrella -the ERP architecture.In order for a software system to be considered ERP, it must provide a business with12 wide collection of functionalities supported by features like flexibility, modularity &openness, widespread, finest business processes and global focus.Integration is an exceptionally significant ingredient to ERP systems. The integration between business processes helps develop communication and information distribution,l e a d i n g t o r e m a r k a b l e i n c r e a s e i n p r o d u c t i v i t y , s p e e d a n d p e r f o r m a n c e . The key objective of an ERP system is to integrate information and processes from allfunctional divisions of an organization and merge it for effortless access and structuredworkflow. The integration is typically accomplished by constructing a single databaserepository that communicates with multiple software applications providing differentd i v i s i o n s o f a n o r g a n i z a t i o n with various business statistics and information.Although the perf e c t c o n f i g u r a t i o n w o u l d b e a s i n g l e E R P s y s t e m f o r a n e n t i r e organiz ation, but many larger organizations usually deploy a single functional system andslowly interface it with other functional divisions. This type of deployment can really betime-consuming and expensive