Management Information System

Management Information System plays a very important role in an organization. There is

hardly a business magazine that dos not contain article about information system.
MIS can be defined as
A system which collects, processes, stores and distributes information to help in decision
making for managerial functions.
(Planning, staffing, directing, controlling, organizing and budgeting)
It may also be defined as Integrated user/ Machine system for providing information to
support the decision making process.
MIS is a computer based system, which presents both external and internal information of
business.
This system utilizes computer hardware and software, manual procedure for analysis,
planning, control and decision making.
These system do not take decisions but they assist in providing a necessary information as an
input to the decision making process.
MIS should provide information which is consistent, accurate, timely, economically flexible
and relevant.
MIS can be computerized or manual. MIS provides information in report format on regular
basis to assist managers with decision which occur frequently and can be anticipated.
MANAGEMENT
Management has been defined in a variety of ways, but for our purpose it compromises the
processes or activities that describes what managers do in the operation of their organization;
plan, organize, initiative and control operations.
INFORMATION
Data must be distinguished from information. Data are facts and figures that are not currently
being used in decision process.
Information consist of data that have been retrived, processed or otherwise used for
informative or inference purposes, arguments, or as a basis for forecasting or decision
making.
SYSTEMS
A system can be described simply as a set of elements joined together for a common
objective. The system concept of mis is therefore one of the optimizing the output of the

organization by connecting the operating sub-system through the medium of information

exchange
PYRAMIDICAL STRUCTURE OF MIS
I)

Lower level:-The bottom layer consists of information required for transaction

processing and inquiry processing.

II)

Operational level:- This layer has the information which is required for day to
day performance of activities and their control.

III)

Middle level:- This layer has the information which is useful for tactical planning
and decision making to implement the policy of top management.

IV)

Top level:- This layer has information which is useful for strategies and policy
planning.

CHARACTERISTICS OF MIS
The mis plays a vital role in management, administrations and operations of an organization
as it helps in information generation, communication, problem identification in the process of
decision making.
The main features of mis are:I)

Management oriented:- The development of mis starts after deciding the

management needs and keeping in view overall objective of management.

II)

Management directed:- A good mis removes the lack of knowledge, enriches

experience and improves analytical abilities leading to better business judgement.

III)

Integrated system:- MIS binds together database of business system and through
information interchange, integrates the organization. It also provides adequate
development resources and removes the human and organizational barriers to
progress.

IV)

Avoid redundancy:- Since mis is a integrated system, it avoids unnecessary

inconsistency and redundancy in data gathering and storage.

V)

Common data flow:-MIS provides common data flows, which try to utilize
minimum data processing efforts and minimize the number of output document.

VI)

Heavy planning element:- Designing and implementation of mis require detailed and
meticulous planning of activities like acquisition and utilization of resources.

VII)

Common database:- MIS acts as a master that holds the functional sub-system
together. It achieves this aim by allowing access to different master files of data to
several functional sub-systems.

VIII)

Flexibility:- MIS design should be flexible so as to provide alternate ways of

processing data and system should be easy to operate so that not much of computers
skills are required.

IX)

Computerization:- MIS can be computerized because of its nature. This provide

speed, accuracy and consistency in creating and access of files.

X)

Relevance:- MIS should deal only with operation and control of relevant information.

XI)

Support to top management:- MIS cannot be effective unless they receive the full
support of top management. For this, top management should be educated about cost
and benefits of mis.

XII)

Periodic evaluation:- The last feature of mis is that the system should be evaluated at
periodic intervals to ensure that mis is achieving the objective of which this has been
installed.

COMPONENTS OF MIS
Management information system refers to the data, equipment and computers program that
are used to develop information for managerial use. The MIS consists of following
components which are as followsI)

People:- People is only living component of mis which operates and controls the
other components of mis. They enter, analyze and diagnose data, so that useful
information is produced and provided to top executives for decision making.

II)

Data process:- Data process uses different procedures, so that data can be
properly analyzed and effective information is generated. Procedures explain
people how to operate the computer hardware, what program to run, what data to
use and what to do with the results.

III)

Data communication:- There are different ways for communication of data. It

may be informed orally or in the form of written report. Written forms are more
appropriate than oral ones as it is permanent and systematic way of organizing
information.

IV)

Information:- Data are facts and figures that are not currently being used in
decision process. Data is process by applying different procedures to obtain
information. It may be recorded into computer, storage media or manual files and
is retrived whenever required.

V)

System planning:- We have achieved a very high degree of automation and

combination sub-system in scientific, mechanical and factory manufacturing
operation. The system concept of mis is therefore of optimizing the output of the
organization by connecting the operation sub-system, through the medium of
information exchange.

VI)

Hardware and Software:- The hardware generally consists of computer

equipments, on the other hand software consists of programs or instructions given
to the computer such as pay roll processing, invoices etc.

FUNCTIONS OF MIS
A MIS is used to collect data, store and process data and present information to managers.
I)

Collect data:- Data can be obtained from source within and outside the
organization. Internal sources such as records, reports and external sources
such as publications, customers and consultancy.

II)

Store and process data:- After creation of data, a database must be stored and
processed in a form useful to managers. The data can be loaded into computers
for easy access by user.

III)

Present information to users:- After collection of data, storing and

processing of data, the next step is to present the information to managers for
their use.

USES/BENEFITS/ROLE OF MIS
I)

MIS ensures that appropriate and relevant data is collected from various
sources, processed and is sent further to needy destination.

II)

It fulfills the needs of individual, group, management.

III)

Mis helps in strategic planning, management control, operational control and

transaction processing system.

IV)

Mis plays an important role in information generation, communication,

problem identification and decision making administration.

V)

With good mis support marketing, finance, production and personnel functions
increases efficiency.

VI)

Mis creates structured database and therefore saves time.

VII)

Mis brings clarity in communication and understanding, thus helps in bringing

degree of professionalism.

INFORMATION
We breathe information, eat information, drink information, wake up with information, sleep
with information etc. So information is as life blood of any organization, without information
survival of any organization is not possible.
Information means processing of data or analyses of data in a specific context to get
required information. It is a basis of decision making. The decision taken on basis of
complete and accurate information is less risky.
The value of perfect information is calculated by finding out the difference between the
optimal policy with and without perfect information.

Characteristics of an information
i)

Accuracy:- accuracy means that information is free from mistakes and error and it
accurately and clearly reflects the meaning of data from which it is derived. It
conveys the accurate picture to receiver and is free from biasness.

ii)

Timeliness :- information must be delivered at the right time and the right place to
the right person otherwise information would be of little value to the organization.
hence, making information available to the receiver within time is very crucial for
every organization.

iii)

Relevance :- information should be to the point and meaningful to the decision

maker. Relevance of information for different users will be different.

iv)

Correct information format :- information should be given to the user in such a

form that it could be easily understood by user.

v)

Completeness :-information is said to be complete if decision maker can

satisfactory solve the problem at hand using that information. Incomplete
information has no meaning for user.

vi)

Subjectivity :- it is the value and usefulness of the information.

vii)

Accessibility :- information should be readily accessible in desired format when

needed. Technological advancement has made data accessibility easy.

Classification of Information System

I)

TPS(Transaction Processing System) :- Most fundamental computer system

which is concerned with processing of business is called TPS. The objective of
TPS is to improve routine business activities on which functions of organization
depends. The main work of TPS is to record and process the data resulting from
business transactions. A transaction is an event or entity which affects the
organization. Transaction processing could also be considered as a set of
procedures for handling transactions and it includes activities like calculation,
classification, storage and retrieval, sorting, validation, verification,
summarization etc. These activities occur at operational level in nay organization.
TPS produces a variety of information system for internal and external cause.

Examples:
a. ATM Machine System Banking Transactions
b. Cash Register System Point of Sale Transactions
c. Accounting System Checking Account Transactions
d. Even Pay-per-view or OnDemand is a TPS

II)

Process control system :- PCS collects, processes, stores and transmits data and
information in the form of electronic office communication. These automatic
systems rely on text processing, telecommunication and offer information system
technologies. Example- word processing, electronic mail, desktop publishing,
telecommunication and document image processing. It enhances the abilities of
users to communicate with their colleagues within their work groups and
organization and with external contact such as customers and suppliers.

Examples:
a. Petroleum Refining
b. Power Generation
c. Automobile Manufacturing

Advantages

They provide more time to managers to concentrate on their basic jobs.

They improve the quality of work in terms of content, throughness, timeliness and
accuracy.

They speed up specific functions and thereby increases the quantity of clerical output.

They reduce the time spent on input capture and creation.

They co-ordinate and integrate office tasks.

They enable more cost- effective and time- effective communications.

They increase the productivity of office workers at all levels.

Disadvantages

Cost of automated office hardware is very high.

Oas can disrupt traditional office work roles and environment.

Oas may lead to security problems.

III)

Enterprise collaborative system : Abbreviated as ECS, Enterprise Collaboration

Systems is a type of information system (IS). ECS is a combination of groupware,
tools, Internet, extranets and other networks needed to support enterprise-wide
communications, such as the sharing of documents and knowledge to specific

teams and individuals within the enterprise. Some examples of enterprise

communication tools include e-mail, videoconferencing, collaborative document
sharing, project management tools and others. The objective of an ECS is to
provide each user with the tools for managing communications, documents and
other information that individuals need to manage their own tasks efficiently in
their departments.
Examples:
a. E-mail
b. Chat
c. Video Conferencing
d. Calendaring
e. Journaling
f. Workflow
g. File Sharing (Kazaa, Morpheus, Limework, Napster)

IV)

Management Information System : An organized approach to the study of the

information needs of an organization's management at every level in making
operational, tactical, and strategic decisions. Its objective is to design and
implement procedures, processes, and routines that provide suitably detailed
reports in an accurate, consistent, and timely manner. In a management
information system, modern, computerized systems continuously gather relevant
data, both from inside and outside an organization. This data is then processed,
integrated, and stored in a centralized database (or data warehouse) where it is
constantly updated and made available to all who have the authority to access it,
in
a
form
that
suits
their
purpose.

V)

Decision Support System: Decision support system (DSS) is a computer program

application that analyzes business data and presents it so that users can make
business decisions more easily. It is an "informational application" (to distinguish
it from an "operational application" that collects the data in the course of normal
business operation).Typical information that a decision support application might
gather and present would be:

Comparative sales figures between one week and the next

Projected revenue figures based on new product sales assumptions

 The consequences of different decision alternatives, given past experience in a context

that is described
A decision support system may present information graphically and may include an
expert system or artificial intelligence (AI). It may be aimed at business executives or
some other group of knowledge workers.

VI)

EIS(Executive Information System):- The decision made by executives are

mostly unstructured for which informational requirements are generally for
processed and summarized data from variety of sources. Initially tip executive
information system relies on non computer source. Top level executives get
information whenever they require from many sources like letters, memos,
periodicals and report produced manually as well as by computer system. Thus,
with computer based EIS provides top management with immediate and easy
access to selective information, which reduces the information overload on
executives and help to achieve firms strategic objective.
Advantages:

Planning:- ES can make a valuable contribution to planning. It can use

information from earlier project which can be used to improve subsequent
plans.

Decision making:- ES can support decision making by storing

information in its knowledge base from several experts rather than a single
expert.

Monitoring:- ES can be used to monitor the process, activities of

employees and cash management etc.

Diagnosis:- ES can be used in diagnosing different conditions. Ex- in

diagnosing the reasons for manufacturing equipment, human diseases in
medicine etc.

Training:- when an ES is being used as a regular nature in the course of

work, users learn the way the system reaches destination.

Timely response:- ES are available on call at all the time and, can be used
to provide immediate support and to perform task immediately.

Reliability:- they are reliable in the sense that they do not become tired or
bored. They pay attention to all details and do not overlook any relevant
information.

Disadvantages:-

Expert system are not problem solver.

It may take longer time to solve problem than an expertise.

Expert systems takes long development time and are expensive.

Artificial Intelligence:
Artificial Intelligence can be defined as an area having over half a century of the history.
First of all in the late 1940s, the emergence of the computers took place and it was
during this phase only that the Artificial Intelligence began in the earnest.
These machines have the ability to store huge amount of the data and after this step
these machines process it into the information at a very high speed. Although the
Artificial Intelligence was born in the 1940s but it did not receive a great response from
the various users at that particular time. It was only in the 1980s that the Artificial
Intelligence received the popular economic and the managerial acclaim. All along during

this period, a large amount of the transition took place in the concept of the Artificial
Intelligence and one of the main transitions included the transition from a primary
research area to the potential commercial applications.
After this period of the major transitions only, the Artificial Intelligence was accepted as
an emerging technology and got a very hot response from the different types of the
users using it. The major reason of its acceptance was the fact that the Artificial
Intelligence does not replace people but in fact the Artificial Intelligence liberate the
experts from solving the common and the simple types of the problems, hence in turn
leaving the experts for solving the various complex problems.
One of the major advantages of the Artificial Intelligence is that it helps to avoid making
the mistakes and also helps in responding very quickly to any type of the problem that
may arise.
Meaning and the Definition
George Luger and William Stabblefied defined Artificial Intelligence as a branch of the
computer science that is mainly concerned with the automation of the intelligent
behavior.
Dan Patterson defined Artificial Intelligence as a branch of the computer science
concerned with the study and the creation of the computer systems that exhibit some
form of the intelligence: systems that learn the new concepts and the tasks, systems
that can reason and also draw the useful conclusions about the world around us,
systems that can under stand the various natural languages and perceive and
comprehend a visual scene and the systems that perform the other types of the feats
that essentially require the human types of the intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence can be under stood as the technology playing a very major part in
the application of the computers to the areas or the fields, which requires the basic
knowledge, the perception, the reasoning, the understanding and the cognitive abilities.
By having all this, it really becomes possible to distinguish the human behavior from the
machines like the computers etc. Artificial Intelligence actually is the science and the
engineering involving the making of the intelligent machines and one major point to be
remembered here is that the Artificial Intelligence is related a great deal to the similar
task of making use of the computers in order to under stand the human intelligence.
Human intelligence is also referred to as the natural intelligence and the below explained
comparison between the Natural Intelligence and the Artificial Intelligence helps a great

deal in under standing the concept of both the Artificial Intelligence and the Natural
Intelligence and the basic differences that occur between them.
Examples Of Artificial Intelligence
Expert Systems!!
An expert system is a computer program that is designed to hold the accumulated
knowledge of one or more domain experts. It reasons with knowledge of some specialist
subject with a view to solving problems or giving advice. They are tested by being placed
in the same real world problem solving situation.
Machine Learning!
Machine learning is a scientific discipline concerned with the design and development of
algorithms that allow machines to mimic human intelligence.
There are three ways that A.I learns
1. Failure Driven Learning
2. Learning by being Told
3. Learning by Exploration

Failure-Driven Learning
Failure-driven learning is based on creating a program that will learn by making mistakes
and then finding a solution so that mistake doesn't happen again. This is similar to the
way humans learn. If we make a mistake we usually try to learn from that mistake to
improve

upon

ourselves

so

we

don't

make

it

again.

The above animation shows a graphical representation of a program that has to put the
"a" block on top of the "b" block. At first the program can't because the "c" block is on
top of the "a" block. The program now has to figure a solution to why it can't lift the "a"
block. It devises a solution to move the "c" block off the "a" block. Once the "c" has been

moved, it can now place the "a" block on top of the "b" block and its objective is
completed.
Learning by being told
Learning by being told is another area of AI learning. It's simply interaction of a teacher
(human) and the AI student. The teacher is there to teach the AI how to do things in the
real world. Because the teacher has a grasp on the real world situation, it virtually
elimates the need for induction by the AI. The only problem is communication between
the teacher and the AI. Preferably the teacher would want to teach in english, but the AI
doesn't understand english. There isn't a sufficient english to code translator around.
One solution is for the teacher to use partial english. This reduces the need to interpret
unnecessary parts of the sentence such as some pronouncs and articles.
i.e. Instead of saying "It's easier to move the little boxes first" the teacher could say
"move little boxes first."
This reduces the command down to a verb, adjective, noun, and word telling the
program in what order to move the boxes.
Learning by exploration
Learning by exploration is a little different than the other ways of learning. The purpose
of learning to explore is to just gather information, and not really pursue a goal. All it
tries to do is find interesting information so it can store and learn from it. But it doesn't
explore until it has nothing left to explore. It will follow a series of tasks. It will perform
one task, which may add more tasks, and then move onto the next task. This causes a
database of concepts to continue to grow.

Human Intelligence VS Artificial Intelligence

Pros
Human Intelligence

Intuition, Common sense, Judgement, Creativity, Beliefs etc

The ability to demonstrate their intelligence by communicating effectively

Plausible Reasoning and Critical thinking

Artificial Intelligence

Ability to simulate human behavior and cognitive processes

Capture and preserve human expertise

Fast Response. The ability to comprehend large amounts of data quickly.

Cons
Human Intelligence

Humans are fallible

They have limited knowledge bases

Information processing of serial nature proceed very slowly in the brain

as compared to computers

Humans are unable to retain large amounts of data in memory.

Artificial Intelligence

No common sense

Cannot readily deal with mixed knowledge

May have high development costs

Raise legal and ethical concerns

Applications of Artificial Intelligence

1. Neural Networks,
2.

Fuzzy Logical Control System,

3.

Virtual Reality ,

4. Expert System(ES),
5.

Executive Information System(EIS),

6. Cross Functional Information Systems.

Neural Networks
An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is an information processing paradigm that is inspired
by the way biological nervous systems, such as the brain, process information. The key
element of this paradigm is the novel structure of the information processing system.

It is composed of a large number of highly interconnected processing elements

(neurones) working in unison to solve specific problems. ANNs, like people, learn by
example. An ANN is configured for a specific application, such as pattern recognition
or data classification, through a learning process. Learning in biological systems
involves adjustments to the synaptic connections that exist between the neurones. This
is true of ANNs as well.

Why use neural networks

Adaptive learning: An ability to learn how to do tasks based on the data given for
training or initial experience.

Self-Organisation: An ANN can create its own organisation or representation of the

information it receives during learning time.

Real Time Operation: ANN computations may be carried out in parallel, and special
hardware devices are being designed and manufactured which take advantage of this
capability.

Fault Tolerance via Redundant Information Coding: Partial destruction of a network

leads to the corresponding degradation of performance. However, some network
capabilities may be retained even with major network damage.

Neural networks versus conventional computers

Neural networks take a different approach to problem solving than that of

conventional computers. Conventional computers use an algorithmic approach i.e. the
computer follows a set of instructions in order to solve a problem. Unless the specific
steps that the computer needs to follow are known the computer cannot solve the
problem.

Neural networks do not perform miracles. But if used sensibly they can produce some
amazing results.
Fuzzy Logical Control System

Fuzzy logic is widely used in machine control. The term "fuzzy" refers to the fact that
the logic involved can deal with concepts that cannot be expressed as "true" or "false"
but rather as "partially true..

Although alternative approaches such as genetic algorithms and neural networks can
perform just as well as fuzzy logic in many cases, fuzzy logic has the advantage that
the solution to the problem can be cast in terms that human operators can understand,
so that their experience can be used in the design of the controller. This makes it
easier to mechanize tasks that are already successfully performed by humans

WHAT IS FUZZY LOGIC?

Definition of fuzzy
Fuzzy not clear, distinct, or precise; blurred
Definition of fuzzy logic
A form of knowledge representation suitable for notions that cannot be defined
precisely, but which depend upon their contexts.

Fuzzy logic provides an alternative way to represent linguistic and subjective

attributes of the real world in computing. It is able to be applied to control systems
and other applications in order to improve the efficiency and simplicity of the design
process.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is an artificial environment that is created with software and presented
to the user in such a way that the user suspends belief and accepts it as a real
environment. On a computer, virtual reality is primarily experienced through two of
the five senses: sight and sound.

The simplest form of virtual reality is a 3-D image that can be explored interactively
at a personal computer, usually by manipulating keys or the mouse so that the content
of the image moves in some direction or zooms in or out. More sophisticated efforts
involve such approaches as wrap-around display screens, actual rooms augmented
with wearable computers, and haptics devices that let you feel the display images.

Expert System
Artificial intelligence based system that converts the knowledge of an expert in a specific
subject into a software code. This code can be merged with other such codes (based on the
knowledge of other experts) and used for answering questions (queries) submitted through
a computer.
Expert systems parts

(1) A knowledge base: which contains the information acquired by interviewing experts,
and logic rules that govern how that information is applied
(2)

An Inference
engine:
an Inference engine that
interprets
the
submitted problem against the rules and logic of information stored in the knowledge
base

(3) Interface: Interface that allows the user to express the problem in a human language
such as English.
Despite its earlier high hopes, expert systems technology has found application only in areas
where information can be reduced to a set of computational rules, such
as insurance underwriting or some aspects of securities trading. Also called rule based
system.
Executive Information System(EIS)

An executive information system (EIS) is a type of management information

system that facilitates and supports senior executive information and decisionmaking needs. It provides easy access to internal and external information relevant
to organizational goals. It is commonly considered a specialized form of decision
support system (DSS).

EIS emphasizes graphical displays and easy-to-use user interfaces. They offer strong
reporting and drill-down capabilities. In general, EIS are enterprise-wide DSS that
help top-level executives analyze, compare, and highlight trends in
important variables so that they can monitor performance and identify opportunities
and problems. EIS and data warehousing technologies are converging in the
marketplace.

Components
EIS components can typically be classified as:

Hardware

Software

User interface

Telecommunications

Advantages of EIS

Easy for upper-level executives to use, extensive computer experience is not required
in operations

Provides timely delivery of company summary information

Information that is provided is better understood

EIS provides timely delivery of information. Management can make decisions

promptly.

Improves tracking information

Offers efficiency to decision makers

Disadvantages of EIS

System dependent

Limited functionality, by design

Information overload for some managers

Benefits hard to quantify

High implementation costs

System may become slow, large, and hard to manage

Need good internal processes for data management

May lead to less reliable and less secure data

Cross Functional Information Systems

A cross-functional information system is the third era of information systems,

after calculations systems and functional systems. Cross-functional systems were
designed to integrate the activities of the entire business process, and are called so
because they 'cross' departmental boundaries

UP Board Syllabus
Class Intermediate (12th)
Subject English (First Paper)
English prose
1. Explanation of any one out of three passages.

4 Marks

2. Comprehension questions on any one out of two passages.

4 Marks

3. Two out of three short answers type questions.

4. One out of two long answers type questions.
5. Use of expressions or words.

4 Marks
6 Marks
2 Marks

Or
From the four alternatives given, choose the most appropriate word or phrase that best completes the sentence.
Julius Caesar
6. One out of two long answers type questions.

5 Marks

7. One out of two short answers type questions.

2 Marks

English Short Stories

8. One out of two long answers type questions.

5 Marks

9. One out of two short answers type questions.

2 Marks

English Poetry & The Light of Asia

10. Explanation of any two out of three passages.

6 Marks

11. Central idea of one of three passages.

4 Marks

12. One out of two long answers type questions on The Light of Asia.
13. Identification of Figures of Speech on two of three sentences.
14. Definition with illustration of any one Figures of Speech.

4 Marks
1 Marks
1 Marks

English (Second Paper)

Grammar
1. (a) Narration (Direct & Indirect).

2 Marks

(b) Synthesis: Combining of Sentences.

2 Marks

(c) Transformation of Sentences.

2 Marks

(d) Syntax: Correction of Sentences.

2 Marks

2. Use of three idioms/ phrases.

3 Marks

Vocabulary
3. (a) Synonyms (two words).

1 Marks

(b) Antonyms (two words).

1 Marks

(c) One Word Substitution (two groups of words).

1 Marks

(d) Words often Confused (Homophones).

1 Marks

Translation
4. (a) Hindi to English

10 Marks

(b) English to Hindi

5 Marks

Composition
5. An essay in about 250 words on one out of 4 or 5 topics.

10 Marks

6. Letter or Application writing.

5 Marks

Unseen Passage
7. Comprehension questions, explanation of italicized group of words, suitable title and summary of the passage.

5 Marks