INFORMATION SYSTEMS ASSIGNMENT

Define the following and relate to any process (existing or

conceptual) wherein they are involved:
1) Information system
Information Systems are a means by which organizations and
people use computers to collect, process, store, use (analyse)
and distribute information.
Just like in any business or organization, Saint Louis
Universitys IT Center (formerly Management Information Systems
Office) use IS to process student records such as grades,
subjects and class schedules.
2) Data

Since facts are about something, data refers to some
outside object, event or concept. Data does not necessarily have
to refer to a physical object: it can be about concepts
relationships between objects etc. but it does pertain to an
objective real world out there which the information system
seeks to describe or model.

English message could be spoken or signed in sign
language, written using the normal alphabet or in shorthand, in
Braille, in Morse code, in bar code etc.

3) Information

Information is data that (1) has been verified to be
accurate and timely, (2) is specific and organized for a purpose,
(3) is presented within a context that gives it meaning and
relevance, and (4) that can lead to an increase in understanding
and decrease in uncertainty. The value of information lies solely
in its ability to affect a behaviour, decision, or outcome. A
piece of information is considered valueless if, after receiving
it, things remain unchanged.
When comparing data with information, the first obvious
difference is that information must be seen in a context in which
it makes sense. This context usually relates to an action or a
decision to be taken. The following are just some of the
characteristics or attributes of information: accuracy,
reliability, completeness, verifiability, relevance, timeliness,
simplicity, and cost.

In the case of a credit manager, information about
outstanding accounts might be needed to decide whether to pursue
a tighter credit policy.


4) Knowledge

Knowledge has been described as "a state or fact of
knowing" with knowing being a condition of "understanding gained
through experience or study; the sum or range of what has been
perceived, discovered, or learned" (Schubert et al.1998). The
perspective on knowledge as a state of mind focuses on enabling
individuals to expand their personal knowledge and apply it to
the organization's needs.

Knowledge management is purported to increase
innovativeness and responsiveness (Hackbarth 1998). A recent
survey of European firms by KPMG Peat Marwick (1998b) found that
almost half of the companies reported having suffered a
significant setback from losing key staff with 43% experiencing
impaired client or supplier relation and 13% facing a loss of
income because of the departure of a single employee. In another
survey, the majority of organizations believed that much of the
knowledge they needed existed inside the organization, but that
identifying that it existed, finding it, and leveraging it
remained problematic (Cranfield University 1998). Such problems
maintaining, locating, and applying knowledge have led to
systematic attempts to manage knowledge.

How does IS influence the organization business strategies?
Management Information Systems (MIS) are systems that use the
data generated by the TPS to help lower and middle management in their
decision making. MIS use a variety of techniques to process, summarise
and present the information in the form of useful reports: tables,
statistics, graphics, etc. Many MIS can easily be customised and new
reports are readily created on demand. Because many businesses are
still organised on a functional basis, many MIS tend to focus on
specific functional areas e.g. a marketing MIS, a human resources
MIS etc. The decisions taken by middle management are more complex
than pure operational decisions. They involve a longer, medium-term
time span (typically looking several months ahead), influence a large
number of individual operational decisions (e.g. price setting,
carrying or dropping new stock items, changing procedures etc.) and
are less structured than operational decisions, though they do tend to
follow certain patterns and be of a recurrent nature. These decisions
are called tactical management decisions. They typically affect the
whole or a major part of a functional department (e.g. the entire
marketing department) and involve more significant resources than
operational decisions.

A particularly useful feature of MIS are the so-called exception
reports which list only unusual or abnormal transactions, namely
those that fall outside the normal pattern; instead of many, many
pages of detailed data, the manager sees only those items which may
require special attention or corrective action. An exception report
for a bank manager might list all transactions exceeding one million
rand; or those bank departments who have exceeded their budget by more
than 10%.

Organisational support provided to business managers by the MIS
commonly includes financial planning and budgeting, investment
management, financial controls, marketing management and the provision
of customer service.





References:


http://www.commerce.uct.ac.za/informationsystems/
http://www.commerce.uct.ac.za/informationsystems/staff/personalpa
ges/jvbelle/pubs/DiscoveringInformationSystems.pdf
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/information.html
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/knowledge.html#ixzz2
BxYZgyHv
http://mgmt.iisc.ernet.in/~piyer/Knowledge_Management/KM%20and%20
KMS%20Conceptual%20Foundations%20and%20Research%20Issues%20MIS%20
Quarterly%2025%201%20March%20201.pdf