What is MANAGEMENT?????

Management is art of getting things done through and with the people in formally organized groups. The basic functions performed by a manager in an organization are: Planning, controlling, staffing, organizing, and directing.

What is INFORMATION????
Information is considered as valuable component of an organization. Information is data that is processed and is presented in a form which assists decision maker.

What is a SYSTEM????
A system is defined as a set of elements which are joined together to achieve a common objective. The elements are interrelated and interdependent. Thus every system is said to be composed of subsystems. A system has one or multiple inputs, these inputs are processed through a transformation process to convert these input( s) to output.

INFORMATION SYSTEM
Information systems differ in their business needs and the information varies depending upon different levels in organization. information system can be broadly categorized into following : Transaction processing system Management Information System Decision support system

Transaction Processing Systems

It processes business transaction of the organization. Transaction can be any activity of the organization. For example, take a railway reservation system. Booking, canceling, etc are all transactions. Any query made to it is a transaction. This provides high speed and accurate processing of record keeping of basic operational processes and include calculation, storage and retrieval. Transaction processing systems provide speed and accuracy, and can be programmed to follow routines functions of the organization.

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. 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.

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM

Management Information Systems (MIS), referred to as Information Management and Systems, is the discipline covering the application of people, technologies, and procedures collectively called information systems, to solving business problems. 'MIS' is a planned system of collecting, storing and disseminating data in the form of information needed to carry out the functions of management. 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.

Most management information systems specialize in particular commercial and industrial sectors, aspects of the enterprise, or management substructure. Management information systems (MIS), per se, produce fixed, regularly scheduled reports based on data extracted and summarized from the firms underlying transaction processing systems to middle and operational level managers to identify and inform structured and semi-structured decision problems. Decision support systems (DSS) are computer program applications used by middle management to compile information from a wide range of sources to support problem solving and decision making. Executive information systems (EIS) is a reporting tool that provides quick access to summarized reports coming from all company levels and departments such as accounting, human resources and operations. Marketing information systems are MIS designed specifically for managing the marketing aspects of the business. Office automation systems (OAS) support communication and productivity in the enterprise by automating work flow and eliminating bottlenecks. OAS may be implemented at any and all levels of management.

Management information system can be analyzed thus: Management: management covers the planning, control, and administration of the operations of a concern. The top management handles planning; the middle management concentrates on controlling; and the lower management is concerned with actual administration. Information: information, in MIS, means the processed data that helps the management in planning, controlling and operations. Data means all the facts arising out of the operations of the concern. Data is processed i.e. recorded, summarized, compared and finally presented to the management in the form of MIS report. System: data is processed into information with the help of a system. a system is made up of inputs, processing, output and feedback or control. Thus MIS means a system for processing data in order to give proper information to the management for performing its functions.

Objectives of MIS :
Data Capturing : MIS capture data from various internal and external sources of organization. Data capturing may be manual or through computer terminals. Processing of Data : The captured data is processed to convert into required information. Processing of data is done by such activities as calculating, sorting, classifying, and summarizing. Storage of Information : MIS stores the processed or unprocessed data for future use. If any information is not immediately required, it is saved as an organization record, for later use. Retrieval of Information : MIS retrieves information from its stores as and when required by various users. Dissemination of Information : Information, which is a finished product of MIS, is disseminated to the users in the organization. It is periodic or online through computer terminal.

CHARACTERISTICS OF MIS
Main characteristics of management information system (MIS) are given below:

1. Integration
In MIS, whole system is integrated with each movement of business. It will be supportive to produce more positive information. 2. Central Database It is also the characteristics of MIS that it has a central database. Only correct validation, anyone can access to information. 3. Software Based System MIS is software base system which is used in management accounting. It needs continually updates. Moreover, software will process data automatically. 4. Flexibility MIS is more flexible system than any other system of management. We can adjust input data and processing technique according to need of business and get information according to this. We can also divide MIS in sub systems for proper recording and process of data.

Essential Requirement of an Effective MIS :

Qualified System and Management Staff : The prerequisite of an effective MIS is that it should be managed by qualified officers. These officers should have a mutual understanding about the roles and responsibilities of each other. be understand clearly the view of their fellow officers. Futuristic Perspective : An effective MIS should be capable of meeting the future requirements of its executives as well. This capability can be achieved by regular monitoring and updating the MIS.

 (iii) Support of Top Management : For a management information system to be effective, it must receive the full support of top management. The Reasons for this are : (a) Subordinate managers are usually lethargic about activities which do not receive the support of their superiors. (b) The resources involved in computer based information system are larger and are growing larger and larger in view of importance gained by management information system.

 (iv) Common Database : It is an integrated collection of data and information which is utilized by several information subsystems of an organization. A common database may be defined as a super file which consolidates and integrates data records formerly stored in a separate data file. (v) Control and maintenance of MIS : Control of the MIS means the operation of the system as it was designed to operate. Some times, users develop their own procedures or short cut methods to use the system which reduces its effectiveness.

ADVANTAGES OF MIS
Improves personal efficiency Expedites problem solving(speed up the progress of problems solving in an organization) Facilitates interpersonal communication Promotes learning or training Increases organizational control Generates new evidence in support of a decision Creates a competitive advantage over competition Encourages exploration and discovery on the part of the decision maker Reveals new approaches to thinking about the problem space Helps automate the Managerial processes.