information management system assignment

78 MIS Topics for Presentations and Essays

🏆 best management information systems project ideas, 🎓 interesting topics related to information systems, ✅ simple & easy mis assignment topics.

• Samsung Company’s Management Information System The scope of Management Information System is defined as, “The combination of human and computer based resources that results in the collection, storage, retrieval, communication and use of data for the purpose of efficient management […]
• The Role of Management Information System (MIS) in Business The diagram below shows the relationship between the departments and underpins how the manual system which is used to conduct the primary and secondary activities within the departments is related to the performance of each […]
• Management Information System Implementation in the Bank This conforms to the first principle of change in which a person is adjusted via a change in the system that they work in.
• Management Information Systems: Making Strategic Decisions The company will create a model of the relationship between all the pieces of information in the group. In this regard, the organization employs MISs in order to complete and integrate a series of elements […]
• Management Information Systems: Effective Decision-Making and Security Through taking into account the different organizational levels within an organization management information systems are classified into four main types, namely, operational level systems, knowledge level systems, management level systems and strategic level systems. Management […]
• ABC Company Management Information System Increasing the presence of the firm’s products to specific segments of clients provides the customers with seamless shopping experience in the business’s physical and online stores.
• Management Information Systems and Enterprise Resource Planning In addition to heavy investment in the staff who left, their departure led to delay in the areas they were in charge of as well as repeating some of the steps already done during the […]
• Management Information Systems Analysis and Design The progress of this project will be based on a simple definition of a management information system which would be: a computer based system that provides flexible and speedy access to accurate data.
• Management Information System: Cisco Systems Prior to the implementation of the ERP system, the company’s systems were on the brink of failure. The management of the company understood the need for the company to shift to a new ERP system.
• Management Information Systems and E-Government In the developing countries, it has been of much surprise to notice that, the failures of e-government project, is a problem that is real and much practical.
• Management Information Systems: Mitsubishi Motors A management information system is considered as one of the most effective and successful systems that are able to provide the necessary information in order to promote the development and management of any organization in […]
• Management Information Systems Benefits in Business This has helped this firm to achieve competitive advantage in the market because it is always aware of the needs of its customers. To manage this threat, ABC has discounted and differentiated its products in […]
• Management Information Systems in Organizational Performance The information system has enabled the organisation to solve problems like inappropriate use of time, increased expenditure, and customer dissatisfaction. Management information system is an important tool that can be used to shift the cost […]
• Management Information Systems: Socio-Technical Aspect Software: This component stands for programs that are used to operate the MIS, manage data, search and cipher through logs, and other related activities.
• Health Management Information Systems: Impact on the Technology Implementation Since the beginning of the information systems implementation, the vast majority of spheres have adopted some cutting-edge technologies to increase the effectiveness of their working process.
• Management Information Systems (MIS) The advances in the evolution of devices and the achievement of a new stage of development critically impacts MIS and creates the basis for the emergence of multiple changes towards the achievement of better outcomes […]
• Chalhoub Group: Management Information Systems This presentation will focus on one organization in UAE, highlighting how its improved IS/IT systems have helped it register massive profits.
• Healthcare Management Information Systems: Working Principles For instance, the ministry of health uses the network to disseminate health information to people in all regions and also globally.
• Healthcare Management Information Systems: An Evaluation In this perspective, the Chief Information Officer survey therefore becomes important for the Health Management Information System industry because it assist health institutions to project current and future informational and technological needs, not mentioning the […]
• Accounting and Management Information Systems This article is a discussion of the results obtained by Mangiuc in an empirical study that involved both local and foreign companies in Romania.
• Management Information Systems: Primis Online System at McGraw Hill This paper focuses on the analysis, design and system development elements applied by the Primis team in deployment of the online system at McGraw Hill.
• Imperial Tobacco. Management Information System – Competitive Forces This means that the management at Imperial Tobacco needs to develop products that can compete with the new products for them to maintain their position in the market.
• Management Information Systems: Ethics and Career Path The second one is the group of skills necessary to vivificate information, and the last one is meant to reason in a proper.
• Management Information System and Outsourcing According to these critics, there is a need for some of the currently outsourced services to be performed in the home country.
• “Management Information Systems” by James O’Brien and George M. Marakas This is a network or sub-network with a high speed that interconnects different types of data storage devices that have associated data servers on behalf of a larger network of users. Through this, data can […]
• Management Information Systems and Its Impacts As thus, it is the obligation of the employees so see to it that they acquire the necessary knowledge and skills; otherwise, they will be washed out of the company system.
• Management Information Systems: Efficiency and Collaboration In addition, it is important to stress out that Microsoft Access allows a more flexible retrieval of data even when the volume of data gets high.
• Fly Dubai Company’s Management Information Systems Data from the company’s website and its associated pilot training website outline the main sources of primary information. Identity refers to the ease that websites explain the nature, history, and values of a company.
• Relevant Decision Making: Management Information Systems in Organizations In this respect, managers are likely to make wrong decisions, especially, if they are unaware of the inaccuracy of the information provided by the system.
• Management Information System and Strategic Performance According to his assumption, the higher the demographic diversity in top management team, the greater the contribution of accounting system to strategic performance.
• Management Information Systems in Corporate Institutions With the invention of personal computers and other information technology tools, the companies had to develop a proper information technology system that would handle the work of the organization and reduce the errors that were […]
• Types of Management Information Systems in Business Generally, a TPS is used to process the data that is required to update the records about the operations of a business.
• Management Information Systems: LinkedIn Corporation It highlights how information technology has been used in management, the general operations of the organization as well as how the use of information systems has helped the organization to attain a competitive edge.
• Management Information Systems and Business Decision-Making The article explains to its audience the importance of promoting and adapting the use of information systems to ensure that managers get the latest information in time.
• Management Information System in Business The main importance of information system to any modern organization is to store its data and that of its associates and customers in a secure manner.
• Management Information Systems Major: Courses and Careers Knowledge on Management information systems is vital to institutions on a management height, where it is employed to preserve and build up new techniques for organizing vast amounts of information and helping managers in the […]
• Management Information System: Operational Efficiency and Decision-Making The customers as well are in a position to be aware of the status of their deliveries by logging in to the company’s website which is updated by the servers throughout.
• Bespoke Management Information Systems Using Microsoft Access
• Management Information System in Starbucks: IBM TPS System
• Logistics Management Information Systems: Functions, Components, Examples
• The Management Information Systems of Toyota: New Methods and Accomplish Business Goals
• Management Information Systems for Shipping and Delivery Company
• Management Information Systems of the Small and Medium Enterprises
• Management Information Systems in Marketing: Kotler’s Model
• Barriers to Successful Development of Strategic Management Information System
• Management Accounting Information System: Auditing and Financial Reporting Modules
• Warehouse Management Information System: Optimizing the Use of Available Space or Coordinating Tasks
• Management Information Systems in Hospitals: Accounting for the Control of Doctors
• Management Information Systems Through User Interface
• Project Management Information System: Using More Efficiently, Without Getting Overwhelmed With Data
• Information Management Systems in the Supply Chain
• How Management Information Systems Affect Working Ethics
• Human Resource Management System: The Best Tools in 2022
• Management Information System for Real Estate and Property Management
• Management Information System: Advantages and Disadvantages
• The Technology of Information Management System
• Management Information Systems for Computer-Aided Design
• Management Information Systems: Enterprise Applications
• The History of Management Information Systems: Five Eras
• Management Information System: Development Process With System Development Life Cycle
• Credit Management Information Systems: A Forward-Looking Approach
• Common Problems in Management Information Systems
• Management Information Systems at Rosenbluth Travel: Competitive Advantage in a Rapidly Growing Global Service Company
• Why Can Management Information Systems Effectiveness Decreases
• Management Information Systems: The Difference Between Advanced MIS and MI Dashboard
• Developing Decision Support Capabilities Through the Use of Management Information Systems
• Using National Education Management Information Systems to Make Local Service Improvements: The Case of Pakistan
• How Might a Management Information System Be Used in a School
• The External Organizational Environment and Its Impact on Management Information Systems
• Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm by Kenneth Laudon, Jane Laudon
• The Disadvantage of Management Information System: Fraudulent Activities
• Management Information Systems: Impact on Dairy Farm Profitability
• Which Country Is Best in Management Information System
• Management Information Systems Program for Poughkeepsie Children’s Home
• Relationship Between Management Information Systems and Corporate Performance
• Management Information Systems: Air Canada Takes off With Maintenix
• Farm Management Information Systems Planning and Development in the Netherlands
• Cyber Security Topics
• Encryption Essay Titles
• Hacking Essay Topics
• Information Management Paper Topics
• Quality Control Research Topics
• Security Management Essay Ideas
• Virtualization Essay Titles
• Software Engineering Topics
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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BUS206: Management Information Systems

Course introduction.

• Time: 57 hours
• College Credit Recommended ($25 Proctor Fee) -->
• Free Certificate

The term Management Information Systems  has several definitions that might depend on where you look or who you ask. Common among these many definitions is that MIS represents a collection of technologies, people, and processes that manage the information and communication resources of an organization.

Even if you do not realize it, you use MIS every day. If you use email, you are using MIS since email is an information system (though you, the user, only see one end of it). If you log into a computer every morning and access or edit data on corporate servers, you are using information systems. In general terms, information systems encompass any interactions between organized data and people. MIS can be the means by which information is transmitted (such as the Internet), the software that displays the information (such as Microsoft Excel), or the systems that manage the data. In this course, you will learn about the components of management information systems and how to leverage them in business.

Course Syllabus

First, read the course syllabus. Then, enroll in the course by clicking "Enroll me". Click Unit 1 to read its introduction and learning outcomes. You will then see the learning materials and instructions on how to use them.

Unit 1: Introduction to Management Information Systems

This unit will introduce you to the concept of MIS and the impact it has on business organizations. Most people recognize that information systems are composed of technologies such as computers, keyboards, and networks, but technology is just one small component. Some argue that other components of MIS are far more important. Information systems are made up of three high-level components: technology, people, and process. Later in the course, you will spend more time learning about the specifics of each of the three components introduced in this unit.

Innovation drives MIS. The right technology, processes, and people come together to solve problems utilizing new techniques and strategies. In this unit, you will also look at the applications of MIS in business and learn how far MIS has come since the inception of the information age.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 6 hours.

Unit 2: MIS Basics – Hardware, Software, Networking, and Security

Much of MIS is now centered on technology. Accordingly, MIS capabilities are mostly limited to the hardware and software capabilities of a given system. Ten years ago, it took the average Internet user a few minutes to download an MP3 music file over a cable connection. This can now be done in seconds wirelessly from just about anywhere in the developed world thanks to improvements in hardware and software. While it is nearly impossible to remain in front of technology developments, it is possible to analyze trends in technology advancements and identify what hardware and software may give you a competitive advantage.

This unit will first discuss the hardware component of technology, followed by the software component. We will finish the unit with a discussion of networking as a component of technology.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 11 hours.

Unit 3: Data and Databases

Data is a collection of facts. For example, population estimates for China and the United States are data. Information is the presentation of these facts in an organized manner, such as by presenting population estimates side-by-side with other facts like per capita income. Knowledge refers to the use of information to make informed decisions. In this case, you might consider these figures critical knowledge for making policy decisions about China and the United States. Managing data allows the government, corporations, and even individuals to apply this knowledge to their everyday lives. Managing data can be difficult because databases are often filled with more information than you need. In this unit, you will explore the challenges of data management and learn how to take data and turn it into knowledge.

We have used the word database  many times in this course. We will now define and study databases in detail. Entire courses are devoted to this subject (such as CS403: Introduction to Modern Database Systems ) since the uses and types of databases are as varied as the businesses that use them. However, finishing this unit should give you enough of an understanding of databases to have a conversation with a database administrator about the needs of your team or department.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 9 hours.

Unit 4: Information Systems and Organization Strategy

Strategic MIS is the application of information management in the overall strategy of a business. Many corporations include a Chief Information Officer (CIO) in executive management to implement information systems to be more competitive. What good would it do for a company to create an application that can tell where you are and serve you ads based on your location if it was unable to process that information? Part of the role of the CIO would be to figure out if it is possible to do this now – and if not now, when.

This unit will examine how information technology and information systems change the way organizations operate. The unit starts by looking at some of the key technological forces that characterize the information age that all firms must consider in their strategic planning. Then, you will learn about the special characteristics and challenges that business-to-business operations face. The unit concludes with an examination of how organizations adapt to technological changes.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 12 hours.

Unit 5: Information Systems Development

Businesses have diverse needs. While software packages for managing information exist, most software is not "plug-and-play" ready for most business applications. IT departments, in conjunction with representatives from all lines of business, must work together to develop and implement information system solutions. The IS development process can range from the simple to the extremely complicated. Managers often find themselves disagreeing about what information is most important and what is worth developing. Trade-offs between financial resources, time, and the capabilities of current information systems can lead to frustration. For this reason, IS development is a very important function within a business.

Unit 6: Information Systems in Society and the World

The reach of information systems extends well beyond the world of business. Today it is nearly as easy to communicate with someone on the other side of the world as it is to talk to someone next door. New technologies create situations that society has never dealt with before. How do we handle the unique capabilities that these technologies enable? Will societies need new laws or social mores to protect us from ourselves regarding technology?

We will conclude with a look at the future of MIS. After studying the security issues and failures of various systems, the outlook can seem bleak. Wherever there is a problem in MIS, there are opportunities to find profitable solutions.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 13 hours.

Study Guide

This study guide will help you get ready for the final exam. It discusses the key topics in each unit, walks through the learning outcomes, and lists important vocabulary. It is not meant to replace the course materials!

Course Feedback Survey

Please take a few minutes to give us feedback about this course. We appreciate your feedback, whether you completed the whole course or even just a few resources. Your feedback will help us make our courses better, and we use your feedback each time we make updates to our courses.

If you come across any urgent problems, email [email protected].

Certificate Final Exam

Take this exam if you want to earn a free Course Completion Certificate.

To receive a free Course Completion Certificate, you will need to earn a grade of 70% or higher on this final exam. Your grade for the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you can take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt.

Once you pass this final exam, you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate .

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Take this exam if you want to earn college credit for this course . This course is eligible for college credit through Saylor Academy's Saylor Direct Credit Program .

The Saylor Direct Credit Final Exam requires a proctoring fee of $5 . To pass this course and earn a Credly Badge and official transcript , you will need to earn a grade of 70% or higher on the Saylor Direct Credit Final Exam. Your grade for this exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you can take it again a maximum of 3 times , with a 14-day waiting period between each attempt.

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Computer Information Systems (CIS) Class

• Research Resources
• For Information Systems Paper

Much of the information found in these e-books probably will be basic in nature, but you will probably find some good points for your research in one of all of them.  So give these a once over and see if any work for you. 

Prompt of Paper

According to Britannica.com, an  Information System  is an integrated set of components for collecting, storing, and processing data and for delivering information, knowledge, and digital products.

For this assignment, you will compose a 500-word minimum paper that identifies 3 different companies that use Information Systems. Then for each company, describe the  WHAT  the company actually uses, the  HOW  the company uses it, and the  WHY  the company needs to implement this system within itself.

Example: Dunkin Donuts uses a Radiant POS Information System. This system collects all information on sales, inventory, staff, etc. The company then uses this information for projected ordering, hiring, and sales growth.

In the closing paragraph of your paper, describe the impact that these companies have on our society and how the use of this technology plays a role in their impact. Would their companies have such an impact if they did not use these information systems?

Paper Format:

• Save As ~  CIS101_YourUsername_InformationPaper
• Title Page ~ Course Name, Paper Title, Your Name, Total Word Count, Submission Date
• Paper ~ APA Style (Information on proper formatting can be found  here (Links to an external site.) )
• Reference Page ~ Minimum 3 resources required using proper citation. Just listing an URL address will not count as a citation.
• If you need help creating acceptable citations please visit https://www.citationmachine.net

Apply appropriate technology tools and resources to locate and retrieve information from various sources (e.g., on-line, libraries, etc.) while completing this assignment. Use proper English grammar and spelling, normal page margins, and standard formatting of Microsoft Word. Include at least 3 sources at the end of the paper. Resources to write your paper can be collected from various Internet sites using Google, and you are welcome to visit the [http://egcc%20library/]EGCC Library (Links to an external site.) as well. 

Be sure to  review the assignment rubric  before submitting to ensure you have met all evaluation criteria.

Basic Advice and Research Tacks

• Basic Advice
• Tack One: Choosing Information System First
• Tack Two: Choosing Company First
• General note about word count

There are two ways in which you can research this paper.  This box walks you through both of them.  However, regardless of either of these methods, there is one universal piece of advice that you should keep in mind while researching this paper. You do not need library resources for this.  The library databases will prove to be a very difficult place to find the information you need.  Therefore utilize Google for your search.  However, the information you find must be judged and evaluated.  Use some of the advice found in the Evaluating Information Guide to assess the usefulness and accuracy of the sources.

The first method deals with choosing the information system first.   The second deals with choosing the companies first.  One has more prep work but makes your research easier in the long run, the second seems like it will provide instantaneous results, but may set up road blocks if you’re not careful.  Also, some companies use more than one system because of the complexity of corporate culture .

• Management Information Systems (MIS)
• Transaction Process System (TPS)
• Point of Sale System (POS)
• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
• Supply Chain Management System (SCM)
• Customer Relationship management (CRM)
• Knowledge Management System (KMS)
• Decision Support System (DSS)
• Executive Information Systems (EIS)
• Marketing Information Systems
• Accounting Information Systems
• Human Resource Management Systems
• Office Automation Systems
• Picking one will allow you to compare how three different companies use one system. Picking three, will allow you to contrast the systems.  So, it really depends on what interests you and how easy you want your research steps to be.
• Google which companies use said system.  For example, if you choose Supply Chain Management, you would ask google “What companies use Supply Chain Management?” If you choose more than one system, you should repeat this search a second or third time, depending on how many systems are used.
• From the list(s) provided, pick your three companies. Now you will do your research proper.
• Do three searches, using this set up for search terms. Company name + “Information System type.” (Remember you do not need library resources for this.)  Remember, assess those articles well, don't choose them willy-nilly.
• Walt Disney Company
• Warby Parker
• McDonald’s
• Google company name by asking: which information systems does [name] use?  Which will produce the research articles you need.
• The first is the fact that it wholly depends on which companies you choose.  If you choose a company that has no discernable examination of which systems they use and why the company uses them, then you will run into walls.
• If you choose from the list provided above (which provides proven results), then you risk boring your instructor with the same companies repeated over and over again.    

You are asked to write a paper with a certain amount of words and are scared because 100, 150 or even 200 words sound daunting.  This gives you an idea of approximately how many words those truly are.  (Most if not all resources outside the library.)

• Welcome to Words Per Page This resources allows you to either implant the total number of words (along with the required formatting) required for the paper and it will give you the number of pages you should aim for. Or if you have the paper already written it will make sure you have enough words for the required count.
• Writer's Write: Determining Word Count This gives you an approximate idea of the number of pages required for typical word counts. For example, this paper requires 500 words, which this resource defines as 1.8 pages.
• What does a 3-4 page paper translate to in word count? This gives you a general idea of how page count is determined as defined by Howard Community College Library's FAQ page

In short, you are writing around 2-2.5 pages.  And remember, you have to write about three companies and an introduction and conclusion.  Therefore, you think you're going to need a ton of information, but it's not as much as you think.

Supplementary advice

• Background reading
• FAQs to keep in mind
• Library Guides of Use

If you have read the Britannica article but still are a little unsure about what Information Systems are, these two links are guaranteed to give you a better perspective of what this term means.  Not only that, but these two links will provide some good background research you can use to start your paper off.

• Information Systems for Business and Beyond: Chapter 1: What is an Information System? This chapter in this open textbook introduces what Information Systems are and provides excellent background information. Moreover, the rest of the book will provide some excellent research as well.
• Information System Components Think that the Britannica article doesn't go in-depth enough for you? This Lumen Module will provide a more detailed exploration of what is presented in the article. Feel free to explore the rest of modules of this Information Systems book which could be a great resource as well.

Even though the best research for this paper is found on Google, if you are really insistent on using Library resources, you will want to use following Database and especially the journal title.  Also, the Guide Page listed below will be of use:

Computer & Applied Science Complete (CASC) covers the research and development spectrum of the computing and applied sciences disciplines. It contains collected knowledge on traditional engineering challenges & research, and is a resource for research concerning the business and social implications of new technology.

CASC provides indexing and abstracts for more than 2,100 academic journals, professional publications, and other reference sources from a diverse collection. Full text is also available for more than 1,000 periodicals. Subject areas include the many engineering disciplines, computer theory & systems, new technologies, and social & professional context. Research is aided by the inclusion of searchable cited references for key journals.

• Information Systems
• Business Management: Researching a Specific Business
• FAQ on Full Text This walks you through the process making sure you can read anything digitally in the library databases.

As many of you are new to researching in the library, you may get stuck with some technical navigation along the way.  These FAQS will help you with various aspects of the technical navigation of the library.

If you need to know some basics about how library research works, evaluating information, or knowing how to find full text, use these links..   Of important note: the General Writing Guide has a section on APA!!!

• Introduction to the Library by Brian Richards Last Updated Jan 31, 2024 2989 views this year
• Getting Ready for Research by Brian Richards Last Updated Jan 31, 2024 216 views this year
• Introduction to Sources and Evaluating Them by Pamela Tarajcak Last Updated Jan 26, 2024 114 views this year
• Citation and Writing Guide by Pamela Tarajcak Last Updated May 2, 2024 7223 views this year
• Google Scholar - Basic User Guide by Amanda Miller Last Updated Mar 1, 2023 13 views this year
• Industry and Market Research by Brian Richards Last Updated Feb 6, 2024 122 views this year
• Nexis Uni - Basic User Guide by Brian Richards Last Updated Sep 13, 2023 337 views this year
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• Last Updated: Jul 14, 2023 1:34 PM
• URL: https://egcc.libguides.com/cis

• Management Information Systems (MIS): Definition and How It Works

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Management Information System, commonly referred to as MIS is a phrase consisting of three words: management, information and systems. Looking at these three words, it’s easy to define Management Information Systems as systems that provide information to management.

That is the simple definition of MIS that generally sums up what a Management Information System is, and what it should do. However, its role and impact on the smooth operation of a company can never be overemphasized. That is the reason why every successful company makes use of these systems in one way or another.

The reason why Management Information Systems are very important in the day to day operation of companies is because these systems work with people, organizations, technology and relationships among the people and organizations affecting the company.

This means that when properly implemented, Management Information Systems will help achieve a high level of efficiency in a company’s management operations.

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This explains why MIS degrees are in high demand globally since the graduates have practical knowledge that will help them develop more efficient solutions thanks to their systems perspective of business processes developed in their training in Management Information Systems.

In the decade between 2014 and 2024, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that MIS professionals, and specifically database administrators, should expect the highest job growth when compared to all the other occupations.

In this guide, we explore 1) the history of Management Information Systems, 2) types of information systems , 3) components of Management Information Systems, 4) its role in business , 5) common advantages and disadvantages of using MIS , and 6) tips for effeccctively applying MIS in your business .

HISTORY OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Owing to the strong link between Management Information Systems and technology, the history of these systems goes hand in hand with the history of computing technology.

With that said, we will split the evolution of MIS into five eras. Let’s take a closer look at what changes were effected in each of these eras.

First Era: Computing on Mainframe and Minicomputers

This was the era before 1965 when computing was done on large mainframe computers located in large special rooms designed specifically for the computers. This included special temperature control to ensure that the machines always operated in optimum conditions.

These computers were operated by teams of technicians and hence the cost of operating them was quite high. As a result, most of the computing was done on a time-sharing basis to meet the high costs of owning and operating these mainframes. The dominant supplier of hardware and software in this era was IBM .

With time, technology advanced and towards the end of this era, minicomputers were introduced. The minicomputers were significantly smaller and cheaper, hence large companies could afford to own these and do their computing in-house. However, the minicomputers were still very expensive when compared to today’s standards.

Second Era: Personal Computers

This era began in 1965 and was mainly as a result of the introduction of the microprocessor. This meant that companies could now afford cheaper personal computers, which provided access to computing power that would have cost exorbitant amounts of money just one decade before.

By mid 1980s, personal computers were becoming much more affordable hence they were made available to the mass markets. The predominant ones at this time were the Apple I and Apple II, and the IBM personal computer, commonly referred to as PC. The PC was friendlier to businesses, which explains why it rose to popularity in those early days.

During this era, Management Information Systems started making way into businesses thanks to the development of a spreadsheet application known as VisiCalc (short for “visible calculator”). This application was released originally for the Apple II, but a PC version was also made for the IBM PC when it was produced.

This application is considered by many the factor that turned the microcomputer from an expensive gadget for scientists and enthusiasts to an all-important business tool thus paving way for the modern Management Information Systems. Following the success of the VisiCalc, more powerful spreadsheet applications like the Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft’s Multiplan and later Excel.

Follow this interview with the developers of VisiCalc .

Third Era: Client/Server Networks

With the widening use of computing in business and advances in technology, more needs came from the business community to ensure a more efficient interaction with information. Since companies were able to computing thanks to reduced costs of computers, better ways had to be sought for making the most out of this computing power.

One of the most prominent needs that arose was the need for employees within organizations to share computer information with other employees. The solution was provided by client/server networks that went a long way in enhancing the management information systems we have today.

One big step in this era was the development of intranets which were static websites that gave employees access to information that was stored in a central location. This made it possible to work faster and more efficiently because more people could access information on a server as long as their computers were on a common network.

Fourth Era: Enterprise Computing

The fourth era was an improvement of the third era that saw to it that different departments in companies had even better access to information. The main improvement was the introduction of high speed enterprise networks that enabled faster access to information.

This provided a better and more complete management structure since decision making was easier thanks to the better access of information from different parts of the company. Essentially, the applications used by departments in the company were consolidated and woven together into a single platform that was accessible from the company network.

High-speed networks were also added into the mix to increase the efficiency of the platform. This meant that business operations such as finance, accounting, sales, marketing, inventory and even human resource management could be harmonized to ensure cooperation and efficiency throughout the entire company.

Although the applications used by different departments differed and measures of access control were introduced to limit access to sensitive company information, this era gave top management officials a complete view of the current standing of the entire business.

Fifth Era: Cloud Computing

This is the current era that employs the latest networking technology to further enhance information processing and access by business officials and management executives. The added element in this era is the fact that the networking technology adds a level of mobility to the systems.

This means that irrespective of your location, the configuration that you are using or the hardware that’s available, you will still be able to use business applications and access data stored in company servers. With the improvement of cellphone networks to provide high speed mobile data access and the increase in popularity of Wi-Fi networks, managers have ready access to the Management Information System around the clock hence better decisions can be made faster.

This era frees management from the chains of office-bound computers with local network access. With the rise in popularity of mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablet computers, great levels of mobility are achieved while still improving on efficiency.

This also calls for a change in management style since the workers will be generally more informed due to the ability to produce and consume more information about the business, giving rise to what’s now known as the knowledge worker . Knowledge workers are more empowered and hence more productive naturally.

This means that the command-and-control method of management will no longer be the most effective management style for this worker. As a result, employee autonomy is gradually becoming more and more inevitable.

A beginner’s guide to cloud computing .

[slideshare id=44803904&doc=cloud101editeddeckfinal-150217155954-conversion-gate02&w=710&h=400]

TYPES OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Management Information Systems is one out of several information systems that are used in business. To better understand Management Information Systems, let’s look at the different types of information systems available in business.

• Transaction Processing Systems. These systems have been designed to collect, process and store transactions that occur in the day to day operations of a company. The system can also be used to cancel or modify transactions done in the past if the need arises. One property of this system that enables them to work effectively is the ability to accurately record multiple transactions even if the different transactions take place simultaneously. They are built to be able to handle large volumes of transactions. Examples include stock control systems, payroll systems, order processing systems etc.
• Decision Support Systems. These systems help decision makers to make the best decisions by generating statistical projections from analyzed data. Although it does not eliminate the need for the manager’s judgment, it significantly improves the quality of the decision by offering forecasts that help determine the best course of action. These systems compile information from several sources for purposes of aiding in decision making. Examples of these systems include computer supported cooperative work, group decision support systems, logistics systems and financial planning systems.
• Executive Information Systems. Also known as Executive Support System, this is a tool used for reporting enterprise-wide data to top executives. These systems provide quick and easy to use reports that are presented in graphical displays that are easy to compare. They can be taken as specialized decision support systems because they provide information necessary to help improve the quality of decisions. Owing to the high expectations from such a system, these systems need to be highly individualized hence they are usually custom made for specific clients. They are also customizable to fit the specific needs of the clients.
• Management Information Systems. These systems make use of information technology to help managers ensure a smooth and efficient running of the organization. Information collected by these systems is structured so that the managers can easily evaluate the company’s current performance vis-à-vis previous outputs. Some of the common types of Management Information Systems include process control systems, human resource management systems, sales and marketing systems, inventory control systems, office automation systems, enterprise resource planning systems, accounting and finance systems and management reporting systems.

COMPONENTS OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS

To effectively deliver the information needed to decision makers, Management Information Systems need to have the necessary components to collect, process, store and retrieve the information whenever it is needed.

To achieve this, these systems use the following four components:

• Information System. This is a combination of software, hardware, personnel and infrastructure. This component helps in the collection of data that is stored in the MIS. The hardware includes computers, scanners, printers and network devices. The software elements include the company’s enterprise software and any other software that is used in the running of the company’s network. This component makes it possible for employees to interact with the system and thus information can be collected
• Database Management System. This component is primarily made up of computer programs that help in the storage and retrieval of data. Of course, it also includes the actual physical databases where the information is stored after it has been captured. There are several different database management systems that can be used in Management Information Systems. The suitability of the systems will depend on the amount of data that will need to be processed and stored in the system. There are small database management systems that can comfortably work on personal computers and there are huge ones that will need larger and more complex machines like mainframe computers. Learn more about database technologies .
• Intelligence System. This component is concerned with processing of the data collected and presenting it in a manner that is easy to comprehend. Everything from the processing of the data to the displaying of the data is designed to give top executives an easy time as they try to make decisions concerning the business. It is sometimes referred to as business intelligence which stores human knowledge and uses the logic to formulate quick solutions for future problems where patterns match.
• Research System. This component is concerned with identifying the main management problems in the organization and coming up with alternative decisions that could have sufficed in a particular situation. This helps ensure that all the possible options are analyzed and the best decision made. The best decision is not always the most obvious one. This component of Management Information systems ensures that the best decision is reached even in those instances.

ROLE OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN BUSINESS

The main role of Management Information Systems is to report on business operations with the purpose of supporting decision making. This is to ensure that the organization is managed in a better and more efficient way so that it can be able to achieve full potential thus gain competitive advantage.

Let’s look at some of the other roles played by Management Information Systems in an organization.

• To provide information readily to company decision makers. Regardless of whether it is a marketing, financial or operational issue, managers need quick access to information so that they can make good decisions that will have a positive impact on the company’s performance. Management Information Systems enhance this by strategically storing vast amounts of information about the company in a central location that can be easily accessed by managers over a network. This means that managers from different departments have access to the same information hence they will be able to make decisions that collectively help solve the company’s problems in the quickest way.
• Management Information Systems also help in data collection. Data from everyday operations in the company is collected and brought together with data from sources outside the organization. This enables a healthy and functional relationship between distributors, retail outlets and any other members of the supply chain. It also helps keep good track of performance since production and sales numbers will be recorded and stored in a central database that can be accessed by all members of the MIS. Access to this information also helps ensure that problems are detected early and decisions are made quickly using the latest information.
• To promote collaboration in the workplace. In any large company, there are many situations that call for input from several individuals or departments before decisions can be made. Without an efficient communication channel, these decisions can take a very long time. Even with good communication channels, if the different stakeholders don’t have access to all the available data, the process would hit a number of snags before it’s complete. Management Information Systems ensure that all the members of the decision-making group have access to all the data that’s required to make the decision even if they are working from different physical locations.
• To run possible scenarios in different business environments. Before making a decision that will affect the overall standing of the business, a lot of precaution must be taken. There is a need to check and verify that the company will not suffer after making a decision. Management Information Systems enable executives to run what-if scenarios so that they can see how some of the important metrics in the business will be affected by a given decision. The data is presented in easy to understand reports and graphs that make interpretation easy. For example, a human resource manager will be able to tell what will happen to the revenue, production, sales and even profit after reducing the number of workers in a manufacturing department. Another example would be the effect of a price change on profitability. Once executives have been able to see whether or not the decision will be beneficial to the company, it is easier to make good decisions that will not leave the company in chaos.
• Management Information systems give accurate projections of the company’s standing in the short and long term. Most of the decisions made by top executives in companies have an effect on the company strategies. As a result, some of them may need some modifications done on the company goals or strategies. Most Management Information Systems come with trend analysis features that will enable you to project the performance of a business with the current configuration and how they will be affected once you have implemented any changes that you are considering. The Management Information Systems that don’t have the trend analysis feature will still provide you with enough information to accurately carry out the analysis using external tools.
• Management Information Systems help track the implementation of particular decisions in a company. Before making a decision, executives use these systems to make projections of the expectations from the particular decision. If they decide to go ahead with the changes, there will be a need to keep monitoring the performance to see if you are on track to achieving the desired results. Management Information Systems give detailed reports and recommendations so that the evaluation of the goals moves smoothly and effectively. You get data that shows if your decisions have had the desired effect. If not, you will be able to take the necessary corrective measures early so that you can get back on track.
• To improve on the company’s reporting. One of the reasons why Management Information Systems are favored by large companies is the effectiveness of the reporting features. The decisions can be made quickly because the information is presented in an easy to understand format. The fact that the system is accessible by people from different parts of the organization makes it an effective reporting and communication tool. Findings can be shared among colleagues with all the necessary supplementary data. It is also possible to create brief executive summaries that sum up the whole situation for review by senior company executives in situations that need their approval.

ADVANTAGES OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS

There are many benefits that come with applying Management Information Systems. Some of these benefits help make work easier for management while the rest of them help the organization as a whole.

Let’s take a closer look and see what you stand to gain from having a MIS.

• All stakeholders in the company have access to one single database that holds all the data that will be needed in day to day operations. If the MIS is used for project management , the contractor, client and consultant will be able to achieve a high level of transparency hence it will be easy to develop trust. Operations will also be smoother because information will always be readily available and data collection methods like forms or questionnaires will be standardized.
• Employees and other stakeholders in the organization will be able to spend more time doing productive tasks. This is because a big chunk of their time is saved thanks to the more efficient information system. This time would have otherwise been spent setting up or retrieving traditional information recording systems such as forms and files. As a result, the company is able to save on manpower costs, while at the same time producing more output in a fixed time span will now be spent productively.
• Another benefit of Management Information Systems is that they bring the power of data processing tools that help significantly improve the quality of decisions made in the company. A majority of Management Information Systems have built-in data processing tools that are able to draw conclusions based on the inputs received from the different sources. This helps make better plans for material management, manpower allocation and even the overall execution of the project.
• Owing to the flexibility that is brought by the use of mobile devices such as tablet computers and smartphones, Management Information Systems ensure that employees have easier and closer interaction with information about the progress of any process within the organization . This also ensures a higher degree of accuracy in data collection since it will be possible to record the progress in smaller milestones throughout the day on mobile devices as opposed to recording once at the end of the day. As a result, management is able to get a better idea of the progress due to the availability of the latest information.
• Inputs and modifications in these systems are logged and the authors noted. The time when the change has been made is also recorded for future reference. This means that the company is able to achieve a higher degree of accountability since all the actions can always be tracked back to the particular individuals who initiated them. This also means that the best performing employees can also be easily identified since information such as production numbers per shift and sales reports are always available and well presented in the system.
• Management Information Systems help reduce the amount of paperwork that departments have to deal with thanks to the central database that’s accessible from the company network. This means that in addition to making processes simpler and faster, the company is able to go paperless while at the same time reducing its carbon footprint. The bills also go down since the need for items like plain papers, ink and toner cartridges will be reduced significantly. Transportation costs are also reduced since there will be no need for shipping documents back and forth for approval and signatures. Shelf space will be saved and used for other tasks. Company wastes will also be reduced when the company goes paperless.
• Reports make it easy for companies to easily identify their strengths and weaknesses in carrying out various tasks. Management Information Systems provide revenue reports, performance reports for employees, expenses tracking reports and many others. When companies use these reports, they are able to improve their operations.
• From a top executive perspective, Management Information Systems help give an overall impression of where the company stands financially. These systems can also give overall status reports for specific projects within the organization. This enables top executives and managers to easily tell if the company is on track towards achieving its goals.
• Most Management Information Systems provide a channel for customers to collect and store vital data and feedback from customers. With this data, companies can easily adjust their products and marketing campaigns to better suit the needs of the customers hence improving on sales.
• With management information systems, a company gains competitive advantage. This is because operations are faster and smoother and thus results are achieved faster and more efficiently. Customers will be happy with the service delivery because they will be getting the answers that they seek faster and employees will be motivated because most of the tasks will become easier with better access to data.
• MIS helps eliminate redundant roles. When information is stored efficiently, it’s possible to identify parts of a system that are unnecessary. This means that any efforts that were duplicated are eliminated hence the company is able to better use the available resources.

CHALLENGES WHEN APPLYING MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN BUSINESS

Even with the numerous benefits, there are a number of challenges that companies are likely to face when applying Management Information Systems in their businesses.

• The first challenge is in the cost of equipment. For a big company to successfully incorporate a Management Information system, there is a need to purchase devices that the employees and management executives will be using to interact with the system. These devices include servers, tablets, laptops and desktop computers. In addition, the company needs to invest in a good network that will connect these devices in order for the system to work effectively.
• Training of the workforce can also become a problem when applying Management Information Systems in a company. Without a proper understanding of how the system works, it can be hard to reap the full benefits of using it. This therefore makes it necessary for the company to ensure that employees and their managers are well trained on how to use the system. This can be an expensive and time consuming exercise.
• The systems are expensive to purchase . Owing to the unique needs of each organization, Management Information Systems have to be customized for each company. This means that there has to be brainstorming sessions where the vendors sit with management officials seeking to understand the needs before they can develop the system. As a result, the cost of the system goes up, thus taking it out of reach for small and medium companies.
• Many companies end up purchasing systems that lack the features they need most . As mentioned earlier, each company has its own unique needs when it comes to Management Information Systems. When you purchase a system that is not meant for your company, you will have better access to data that doesn’t help improve your operations. As a result, you will not be able to get the best return on investment.
• There is also a need for trained personnel to keep the system in good working order at all times . Like any other system, management information systems need proper maintenance in order for them to produce the best results. This means that you will need to add specialized personnel for system maintenance in your company. Without these people, using the system will be a challenge since errors will go unresolved and this will result in inefficiencies in the operations.
• Management Information Systems are heavily affected by large changes in the company . This means that before you make any change in the way you run the company, there will be a need to consider the impact of the changes on the information system. Sometimes, it becomes impossible to make some changes without changing the Management Information Systems hence having the system in place ends up being a limitation. However, most small changes should easily be incorporated in a good MIS.
• Management Information Systems will result in the loss of employment for a number of employees in a company . People like office messengers and traditional registry clerks will need to be reduced or eliminated after the system has been incorporated since some of these tasks will be automatically done on the system. These employees will not be happy about the changes and this can easily result in lawsuits or other problems with trade unions when large numbers of employees are retrenched.

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVELY APPLYING MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN A BUSINESS

Even with the challenges, it goes without saying that installing a Management Information System is the way to go for businesses to perform better.

This means that companies should find a way of working around the challenges. Here are a number of tips that will help ensure a successful and smooth transition.

Know your needs from the outset

This is the first step towards getting an effective system. Before you even start looking for a vendor, it’s important to first ensure that you know exactly what type of system you want for your company. Make a portfolio score card that is in line with the goals that you have as a company.

This score card should define the objectives and the key performance indicators that you will be using to evaluate your success as a company. This is what you will go with to the vendors.

Evaluate a number of vendors

Once you have established what you need, it’s time to talk to a number of vendors in the market.

Find out about their costs for the system and any additional benefits that you will get when you purchase the system from them. Some of the things to look out for include support, installation, updates and training of employees on how to use the system.

The vendor to choose is the one who offers the system that you need and at the same time, one who will give you the best after sales service to ensure that you have an easy time using the system.

Train your employees well

Don’t assume that your employees will figure out how to use the system once it is in place. Remember, the quality of the decisions made by management from using the MIS will be determined to a large extent by the data that has been captured by employees.

This means that you need to put all the necessary measures in place to ensure that these employees do a good job.

Invest in reliable devices across your company

Investing in enough devices improves the accessibility of the system. This ensures that more data is tracked and as a result, more of it is accessible to management.

Better accessibility also reduces the time taken for data to be entered in the system and as a result making it available faster.

Get a system that only has the features that you need

Instead of investing in a complicated system that is expensive to run and tracks large volumes of data that you don’t need, you should go for something that addresses the immediate needs of your company’s management.

This way, you will not have to pay too much for the system and at the same time, you will not take your workforce through a complicated and unnecessary training process. You will also reduce the chances of errors arising in the use of the system since the features and functions will be easy to understand.

Make sure that you choose a system that is adaptable to changes

The system that you choose should be able to adapt to changes in the company. With time, you might need to change the personnel handling different tasks in the system or the reports that you will need the system to generate.

It is important to ensure that the system is able to handle these small but frequent changes easily without having to contact the developer. If there will be a need to contact the developer, like in the event of large changes, you should discuss this early before you make the decision to purchase the system.

However, most small changes should be effected in-house.

Be prepared for the changes

Incorporating a Management Information System in your business is a big step that will result in many changes in your operations. Be prepared for these changes and prepare your workforce for them.

You will need to train your employees, move some of them from one department to another or even adjusting job descriptions to eliminate redundancy in tasks.

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An Assignment on Information System Modeling

On Teaching Data and Process Integration

• Conference paper
• First Online: 29 January 2019
• Cite this conference paper

• Jan Martijn E. M. van der Werf 9 &
• Artem Polyvyanyy 10  

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing ((LNBIP,volume 342))

Included in the following conference series:

• International Conference on Business Process Management

1978 Accesses

2 Citations

An information system is an integrated system of components that cooperatively aim to collect, store, manipulate, process, and disseminate data, information, and knowledge, often offered as digital products. A model of an existing or envisioned information system is its simplified representation developed to serve a purpose for a target audience. A model may represent various aspects of the system, including the structure of information, data constraints, processes that govern information, and organizational rules. Traditionally, the teaching of information system modeling is carried out in a fragmented way, i.e., modeling of different aspects of information systems is taught separately, often across different subjects. The authors’ teaching experience in this area suggests the shortcomings of such fragmented approach, evidenced by the lack of students’ ability to exploit the synergy between data and process constraints in the produced models of information systems.

This paper proposes an assignment for undergraduate students which requests to model an information system of an envisioned private teaching institute. The assignment comprises a plethora of requirements grounded in the interplay of data and process constraints, and is accompanied by a tool that supports their explicit representation.

You have full access to this open access chapter,  Download conference paper PDF

Similar content being viewed by others

An Instructional Design Model for Information Science

Essential Challenges in Business Systems Modeling

Interactive Learning: Introducing a First-Year Systems’ Analysis and Design Course

• Data and process modeling
• Information system modeling
• Computer science and information systems education

1 Introduction

In the information age we live, information systems provide core mechanisms for supporting operational business processes of organizations. Hence, leading Computer Science and Information Systems curricula comprise courses that teach students the art and rigor of designing information systems. Traditionally, modeling of each aspect of an information system, e.g., data and process constraints, is taught separately, often across different subjects. The authors have independently taught the foundations of information systems modeling to undergraduate students at Utrecht University, The Netherlands, and Queensland University of Technology, Australia (for five and seven consecutive semesters, respectively). In this paper, the authors report on identified drawbacks of such a fragmented approach to teaching information system modeling, and argue for the need in educating students on data and process integration.

As an example, consider a task of designing a learning management system that keeps track of course offering, and corresponding lecturers and student enrollments. A decision to start by developing a high-quality data model for the proposed scenario may result in a design which requires that every course offering is assigned at least one lecturer. This design may contradict the corresponding business processes that require to assign a lecturer to a course offering only once it reaches the minimum number of student enrollments. Conversely, a decision to introduce a process constraint may limit the number of solutions to the design of the data model in a way that excludes the required solution. Note that even if all the data and process requirements of the desired solution are laid out prior to embarking into modeling, they may lead to a contradiction that does not manifest neither in a data model nor in a process model that satisfies the respective requirements. Thus, an effective approach to modeling an information system should allow a designer to experience the interplay between data and process constraints. Building from this understanding, the paper at hand contributes:

An assignment to model an information system of an envisioned private teaching institute;

A systematic analysis of challenges experienced by students when solving the assignment in a traditional way, i.e., by tackling modeling of information constraints and business processes of the system separately;

A proposal to address the identified challenges by using a new tool capable of representing an interplay between the data and process constraints in an integrated model of an information system.

The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. The next section examines how data and process modeling skills are recognized in the curricula of undergraduate degrees in Information Systems. Section  3 proposes an assignment that aims to teach data and process modeling skills in an integrated way. Section  4 shares our experience, while Sect.  5 proposes a tool support for designing data and process constraints in an integrated way. The paper closes with conclusions.

2 Teaching Data and Process Modeling in IS Curricula

In 2010, the Association for Information Systems (AIS) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) have released IS 2010, the latest in a series of proposed model curricula for undergraduate degrees in Information Systems [ 15 ]. IS 2010 provides guidance regarding the core content of a curriculum in Information Systems and suggests possible electives and career tracks.

IS 2010 comprises seven core and several elective courses, among which Data and Information Management (IS 2010.2) and Systems Analysis and Design (IS 2010.6) are recognized to play a central role. Next, we examine these two courses with respect to the proposed learning outcomes and topics that contribute to data and process modeling skills, taking a close look at the skills that are grounded in the interplay of data and process constraints in the designs of information systems.

2.1 Data and Information Management

According to IS 2010, the Data and Information Management (IS 2010.2) course provides students with an introduction to the core concepts in data and information management. Concretely, this course teaches students methods and techniques for identifying organizational information requirements, constructing conceptual models of these requirements, converting the conceptual data models into logical models, e.g., relational data models, verifying the correctness of the models, and implementing the models, e.g., using a Relational Database Management System (DBMS) [ 11 , 14 ].

Among the 21 suggested learning objectives of this course, we identify three core objectives Footnote 1 that specifically target the data modeling skills of a student:

Use at least one conceptual data modeling technique (such as entity-relationship modeling) to capture the information requirements for an enterprise domain;

Design high-quality relational databases;

Understand the concept of database transaction and apply it appropriately to an application context.

The topics of the course that contribute to these skills are conceptual, logical, and physical data models, for example entity-relationship model, relational data model, and data types, respectively. The curriculum suggests that the focus should be on conceptual and logical data modeling skills, while “students should understand the basic nature of the DBA tasks and be able to make intelligent decisions regarding DBMS choice and the acquisition of DBA resources.”

Two learning objectives of the IS 2010.2 course may be interpreted as such that suggest an interplay between the data and process modeling skills:

Apply information requirements specification processes in the broader systems analysis and design context;

Link to each other the results of data/information modeling and process modeling.

None of the proposed course topics explicitly contributes to the integration of data and process modeling skills of a student. One may argue that such skills are implicit in the topic of “Using a database management system from an application development environment”. Still, this topics advocates for a compartmented approach to data and process modeling. At the same time the curriculum acknowledges that “information requirements specification processes must be firmly linked to the organizational systems analysis and design processes”.

2.2 Systems Analysis and Design

The curriculum suggests that the Systems Analysis and Design (IS 2010.6) course should contribute to 13 learning objectives, among which only two implicitly target process modeling skills, namely:

Use at least one specific methodology for analyzing a business situation (a problem or opportunity), modeling it using a formal technique, and specifying requirements for a system that enables a productive change in a way the business is conducted.

Within the context of the methodologies they learn, write clear and concise business requirements documents and convert them into technical specifications.

We identify that the topics of the course that can contribute to these objectives are Business Process Management and analysis of business requirements. The curriculum contains an elective course entitled Business Process Management [ 1 , 2 , 8 ], which refines the learning objectives that address process modeling skills. The main focus of this elective course is on understanding and designing of business processes, which manifests in four learning outcomes (out of 11):

Model business processes;

Understand different approaches to business process modeling and improvement;

Use basic business process modeling tools;

Simulate simple business processes and use simulation results in business process analysis.

Two proposed learning objectives of the IS 2010.6 course address the integration of data and process modeling skills, namely:

Use contemporary CASE tools for the use in process and data modeling.

Design high-level logical system characteristics (user interface design, design of data and information requirements).

However, again, similar to IS 2010.2, none of the proposed topics of IS 2010.6, or those of the elective Business Process Management course, explicitly contributes to the integration of data and process modeling skills of a student.

3 Assignment: Supporting the Private Teaching Institute

An effective assignment to modeling an information system should allow students to experience the interplay between data and processes. The assignment should have a sufficiently challenging and realistic case description, while being manageable in size.

3.1 Learning Objectives

As a first step, we crafted the learning objectives, following the IS 2010 guidelines, and the Bloom Taxonomy [ 4 ]. As the assignment focuses on learning to apply techniques, we assume that once the assignment starts, students already have an initial understanding of data modeling e.g. with ERM [ 6 ], and process modeling, e.g., with Petri nets [ 13 ] and BPMN [ 8 ]. In other words, we assume students to start at level 2 (comprehension) of the Bloom Taxonomy. The learning objectives of the assignment cover the next levels, being application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. After the assignment, the students should be able to:

Model and analyze process and information requirements using formal techniques;

Critically assess models and make well-informed design decisions to solve real world problems related to information systems;

Write clear and concise requirements and convert these into technical specifications using formal techniques;

Manage the complexity of contemporary and future information systems and the domains in which these systems are used; and

Use contemporary off-the-shelf components to integrate models into an information system.

Experience from a previous assignment [ 10 ], where students had to design and build an information system for an online shop, showed that students had difficulties in understanding the underlying problems of the domain. Therefore, the context of this assignment should be geared to the students’ perception of their environment. For this purpose, we designed a case around a fictive educational institute, the Private Teaching Institute (PTI). Several requirements have been left implicit, or are even underspecified to allow students to reflect and perform a proper context analysis. In this way, students can use their own experience to better understand the situation.

3.2 The Case: The Private Teaching Institute

The Private Teaching Institute (PTI) offers education tracks. Each education track consists of several mandatory courses, and some optional courses. PTI consists of a small team per track, the track management, and a small student administration for all tracks together. To deliver the courses, PTI has a pool of lecturers who are qualified to deliver several courses. Everybody is entitled to enroll for a track. As soon as somebody registered themselves, and they are accepted by the track management, they become a student of that track. Students enrolled have to create an educational plan, consisting of the courses they want to follow. This plan has to be approved by the appropriate track management, and filed by the administration.

As soon as the plan is approved, students may register for courses. Once there are sufficient registrations for a course, the management creates a tender and sends it out to the lecturers who are qualified to give that course. After the response offers by the lecturers, the management selects the best offer and appoints the corresponding lecturer for that course. Every course at PTI consists of several lectures, either in a classical class room setting or on-line, practical assignments, and one or more exams, depending on the wishes of the appointed lecturer. Once the student meets all criteria set by the lecturer, i.e., passing a sufficient number of assignments and exams, the student receives a certificate of passing. In all cases, the result is filed by the administration.

Once a student passed all the courses agreed upon in the educational plan, the student is eligible to receive a diploma for that track. The track management verifies the course certificates and the plan, after which the management can award the diploma. Students can choose for a formal ceremony, or to receive their diploma by post.

PTI wants a process-aware information system that supports them in their primary processes, to ease the administrative burden.

3.3 Phases and Deliverables

The information system should be designed and implemented, while ensuring that all deliverables remain consistent. The assignment identifies two phases: the specification phase, and the implementation phase. Instead of following the traditional waterfall approach, the phases run concurrently, and the deliverables of the two phases should be synchronized regularly. Having small cycles assist in keeping the problem at hand manageable, and also allows the teaching staff to provide the students with early feedback.

During the first phase, the students have to analyze the assignment, and identify the involved stakeholders and their interactions with the to-be-designed information system. For this analysis, students may apply different techniques. Some students prefer to create use cases [ 5 ], other students perform a PACT analysis [ 3 ]. A PACT analysis studies the People involved, their Activities, the Context in which these activities are performed, and the main Technologies used to support these.

Once the context of the assignment has been analyzed to gain a better understanding of the environment, the students have to derive the information requirements and build a specification. Part of the specification is a data model in ERM notation. Many choices have been left implicit in the case description, such as the number of courses a track consists of, whether courses are mandatory for the complete institute, or only for tracks, etc. Students have to discover these choices, and make and document their design decisions. To model the flow of information, the different processes in the case have to be identified, analyzed and modeled using Petri nets. The resulting models should be analyzed for correctness using formal approaches, such as weak termination (i.e., absence of deadlocks and livelocks) and boundedness. Additionally, the different models created should be consistent, and validated with the context analysis, i.e., the use cases and scenarios created initially should be supported by the models.

The context description, information model and process models together with their analyses are captured in the Specification Document that the students have to deliver. The resulting document should be concise, clear and contain all important requirements of the case.

Once an initial version of the specification document, containing one or two processes, is being created, the implementation phase starts. The goal of the implementation phase is to use packaged solutions, rather than implement a system from scratch. The assignment relies on the Business Process Management Suite (BPMS) ProcessMaker Footnote 2 , which has both an open source edition, as well as a commercial cloud service. For the implementation of the information system, each process designed in the specification document should be converted into a BPMN model, together with the forms and triggers for each activities. As the complete information system comprises several processes, the data model has to be implemented, and the forms and activities of the different processes should manipulate the data model. This phase results in two deliverables: the Implementation Guide , and the implementation itself.

Gantt chart of the assignment. The open diamonds are feedback moments, the filled diamonds are official deadlines, including a demonstration.

As in real life, processes may be altered, updated or completely revised during the implementation. Therefore, during the different phases, the specification document and implementation guide need to be updated together, ensuring that the revised models remain correct, and the documentation consistent.

For grading, the schema shown in Table  1 is used. The schema addresses the different learning objectives. For feedback and grading a rubric based on this schema is used Footnote 3 . Part of the implementation phase is a demonstration of the system to the teaching staff, simulating the role of a stakeholder at PTI.

4 First Experiences with the Assignment

Last year, the assignment has been executed for the first time during the Information Systems course at Utrecht University, with about 170 first year Information Science Bachelor students. Although the group is quite large, we decided to have the students to create pairs, instead of larger groups. In this way, students are able to cooperate, and discuss design options, at the same time preventing free riders.

The course is taught in the final block of the year, and runs over a period of 10 weeks. As a 7,5 EC credit course Footnote 4 , students are expected to work 20 h per week on the subject, including lectures on process modeling and analysis. In total, each student is expected to dedicate in total 100 h to the assignment. Each phase had two intermediary deadlines for feedback, and a final deadline at the end of the period (see Fig.  1 ). The demonstrations were in the same week as the final deadline.

Process Identification. During the first feedback moment, we noticed that many students found it challenging to discover the different processes in the assignment. Many groups had problems in dividing the case description into smaller, manageable components. Several authors acknowledge the difficulty of discovering the processes in an organisation (cf. [ 8 ]), and point e.g. at categories of Processes according to Porter, to assist in this activity. However, as these categories are tailored towards businesses, students found it difficult to apply them on a different context.

Some students delivered a single large model that covered all facets of the institute. For example, the student’s enrollment and the tender process for lecturers were combined in a single process. They failed to recognize that by combining these two processes, the complete tender process had to be repeated for each student enrollment. A possible cause is that BPMN leaves the notion of a case implicit. As a consequence, students do not notice that halfway the process the case changes from the “student following a course instance”, to “the course instance for which a lecturer needs to be selected”. By providing feedback after the first round on how to read the case description, and by posing questions like “what is the subject of this process?” explicitly in the feedback, students understood the notion of cases and processes much better.

Other groups divided the assignment in many small processes, such as “do assignment”, which comprised two activities: the student creating an assignment, and a lecturer grading the assignment. Although in essence this is not wrong, the finer the granularity of the processes identified, the more challenging it is to understand the interplay of the different processes. For example, is a student allowed to receive a grade if one of the assignment processes is still running? Having a too fine-grained solution simplifies modeling and analyzing the separate models, but complicates the overall design of the information system.

In the end, most student groups delivered an information system that implemented two to four business processes. These processes capture different aspects of the information system, from enrolling in an educational track, following a course instance, the lecturer tendering process, and obtaining the diploma. Some students combined the enrollment and obtaining the diploma, i.e., the process a student follows in an educational track. Others combined the students following a course instance process with the lecturer tendering process, by taking the course instance as a case, rather than a student following a course instance.

Process Modeling. Although having Petri nets as the primary modeling notation helps students in making the state, and thus the case, explicit, it turned out to be difficult for students to give proper meaning to tokens and places. Tokens resembling a single object, such as a lecturer or a student were often found at a first round. However, combining different notions, like “a token in this place resembles a student that is following a course” turns out to be more difficult than initially anticipated. After the first round of feedback, students were taught the concept of place invariants. This increased the students’ understanding of the idea of tokens and places resembling combinations of elements, rather than just being single elements representing the state of the net.

As in a previous course on information modeling, students learned to design forms to populate their data model, several groups created “screen-based” processes. Each activity represented a screen a user would see in the system, and the process flow depicted the possible orders in which the screens would be displayed. Discussing their solution after the first feedback round, revealed that these student groups had similar problems in understanding the notion of a case.

Another challenge many students faced is the level of abstraction in activities. For example, several groups produced process models with small activities like “fill in address”, “fill in telephone number”, and “select education track”, rather than having a larger activity “enroll for education track”, leaving the details of what data is needed for an enrollment to a later stage in the process. These small activities appeared either in a large parallel construct, or were modeled consecutively, in a fixed order.

In the final deliverable, all student groups delivered process models with each containing ten to twenty activities. Each activity had a clear form and roles assigned. The interplay between the different processes was expressed both in Petri nets, and implemented using triggers on the activities, and by connecting the data model to the different activities in the process models.

Process Analysis. During the lectures of the course, many different analysis techniques, such as reachability and invariant calculus are discussed. Relating these abstract properties, like liveness, boundedness and place invariants to properties turns out to be a good exercise in understanding why these properties help in improving their solutions.

The students had to analyze their solution in different dimensions. The first dimension is intra-process versus inter-process. Within a single process, all properties are relatively easy to verify, especially if their solution contains many small processes. The challenge is in analyzing the interplay between different processes. For example, dependencies may exist, like in the example of the small assignment process: who is allowed to start this process, and when? Similarly, to model a check whether a course instance has sufficient students enrolled, can be challenging if each student enrolls in a separate process instance.

A second dimension is verification within the models versus validation with the context. Verification of the models, i.e., checking whether the models satisfy properties like liveness, boundedness and weak termination, was performed by all students. Validation, i.e., checking whether the models are appropriate for the problem at hand turns out to be more difficult. Most students delivered initially reports containing many, large user stories, but no analysis whether their solution can actually replay the scenarios they described earlier in the same document.

Situation modeled in Petri nets (a) for which the multi-instance activity in BPMN (b) gives a more natural solution.

Implementation. Another challenge remains in transforming the formal process models designed with Petri nets into BPMN models that are executable by Business Process Management Suites (BPMSs) like ProcessMaker. On the one hand, the formal semantics of Petri nets allow the students to simulate and analyze their processes, and test their dependencies by composing all models into a large Petri net. On the other hand, a BPMS requires the model to be divided into small processes, in which the state is left implicit. In addition, several constructs are needed in Petri nets to keep models analyzable, e.g. the amount of lecturers available to teach a course. In BPMN specialized constructs exist, such as parallel repetition via multi-instance activities, that are designed to solve such situations, as an example shows in Fig.  2 . This requires the students to be creative in their solutions on how to move from a formal specification into a technical implementation, while showing that their ideas remain consistent with the specification.

Balancing Data and Processes. An important observation we made during the assignment is how subtle the connection between processes and data is. Although these subjects are being taught in different courses, these go hand in hand in an integrated information system.

To give an example, most students create a data model in which a course instance always has a lecturer (a one-to-many relation), has one exam and one assignment. However, in the process of running a course instance, the track management first decides that a course instance, for which students already could subscribe, will start, and only then decide to start a tender for which lecturers can apply. Hence, although the course instance already exists, no lecturer is assigned to it. Consequently, the data model is violated, as the one-to-many relationship is not valid, whereas adding a lecturer while creating a course instance violates the process model. This results in a deadlock caused by the integration of the two models. Although the example seems trivial, it turns out that many such integration issues occur in the assignment.

The interplay between processes and data is very difficult to analyze and discover at design time, and is mostly found only while testing the information system, which is already difficult and challenging in itself. This debugging and “bug hunting”, as some students named it, is a very time-consuming and frustrating process, as it is scattered over the different forms, triggers and database handling in all processes.

Overall Perception. All student groups delivered an integrated information system that supported most functionality. The specification document and implementation guide typically were consistent. Reduction rules [ 13 ] combined with reachability graphs were the most used analysis tool to verify the models, and several groups used place invariants to show that their resources, such as lecturers, courses and students remained constant in the system.

ISModeler. The tool combines CPN Tools with a theorem prover for the data model.

Afterwards, the course was evaluated by the students (n = 41) using closed questions on a 1–5 likert scale. Students pointed out that the lectures were well usable for the assignment (85% scored \(\ge \) 4), and that they learned “a great deal” (83% scored \(\ge \) 4). Although labor intensive, the students valued the early feedback rounds and stated that the feedback helped improving their results (73% scored \(\ge \) 4). In the open feedback questions, students posed that the used system has its problems and peculiarities. This made it often difficult to understand what went wrong, and how this could be mitigated. However, the students valued the freedom the assignment provides, ensuring that everybody has a different solution, enabling them to discuss alternatives among each other.

5 Next Steps

Based on the results of the first run of the assignment, we found that integrating data and processes is experienced as challenging by the students. For many practitioners, experience plays an important role in knowing how to adapt processes and data, and when. In some cases it is better to alter the data model, in other cases the process model. This requires experience, and practice.

In our view, integrating processes and data is given too little attention in current curricula. The assignment shows that students find it very difficult to analyze the specification on deadlocks caused by the integration of data and process models. To our knowledge, hardly any analysis technique taught in textbooks is grounded in both data and processes. At the same time, we see that courses on Data and Information Management (IS2010.2) focus on information requirements and data modeling. Processes are acknowledged, but play a very small role in the IS 2010 guideline. Similarly, process modeling courses, like the elective on BPM, focus on processes, but tend to ignore that these processes manipulate (structured) data.

A course on information system modeling should not only focus on these two aspects, but also show the synergy between the two modeling paradigms. We therefore developed the tool ISModeler that makes this synergy explicit [ 16 ]. It combines a process model in the form of a Petri net in which tokens carry identifiers [ 10 , 12 ], a data model, and a transition specification that defines how each transition manipulates the data model through transactions. The tool builds upon CPN tools [ 17 ], and a theorem prover to validate the transactions on populations of the data model. In ISModeler , a transition is enabled if it is both enabled in the Petri net, and the transaction yields a valid population. Figure  3 shows a screenshot of the system. In the top part of the window, the enabled transitions are shown, whereas the bottom part depicts the population of the data model, by listing per entity type and relationship the elements it contains. In this way, we envision that students will better understand the synergy between data and processes, and thus design and build better integrated information systems. The tool is planned to be put into action in next year’s edition to evaluate its effectiveness.

6 Conclusions

In this paper, we propose an assignment that allows students to experience the design and implementation of an information system using a BPMS. The proposed assignment combines data and process modeling, forcing students to design and analyze their solution using formal techniques, and translate their solution into an information system.

Running the assignment for the first time shows that the assignment helps students to experience design issues that arise while studying the case description. Students discovered that abstract properties used in verification can be linked to actual properties in the case description, and assist them in improving their solution.

However, the run also shows that students find it difficult to understand the synergy between data and processes. Although in scientific literature several approaches exist that allow to model this (cf. [ 7 , 9 , 12 ]), experiences with the assignment show that these have not yet been embedded sufficiently in our education curricula.

Note that several other proposed learning objectives can be seen as refinements of the core ones, e.g., the objective of “Design a relational database so that it is at least in 3NF” can be seen as a refinement of “Design high-quality relational databases”.

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van der Werf, J.M.E.M., Polyvyanyy, A. (2019). An Assignment on Information System Modeling. In: Daniel, F., Sheng, Q., Motahari, H. (eds) Business Process Management Workshops. BPM 2018. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, vol 342. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11641-5_44

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AN ASSIGNMENT ON INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

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• NOC:Management Information System (Video) 
• Co-ordinated by : IIT Kharagpur
• Available from : 2020-05-06
• Intro Video
• Lecture 01: Introduction - Part 1 of 2
• Lecture 02: Introduction - Part 2 of 2
• Lecture 03: Dimensions of Information System
• Lecture 04: Information Management in the digital world
• Lecture 05: Class discussions and conclusion
• Lecture 06: Data bases and information management
• Lecture 07: Data warehouse and business intelligence
• Lecture 08: Introduction to data mining
• Lecture 09: Data analytics tools and techniques
• Lecture 10: What is ERP ?
• Lecture 11: ERP – Evolution and Benefits
• Lecture 12: Business Benrfits of ERP
• Lecture 13: ERP project management : Challenge , risks and best practices
• Lecture 14: Change management and conclusion
• Lecture 15: Customer relationship management
• Lecture 16: Supply Chain Management ( Part 1)
• Lecture 17: Supply Chain Management ( Part 2)
• Lecture 18: Supplier relationship management
• Lecture 19: Product lifecycle maintenance
• Lecture 20: Information Systems for manufacturing management
• Lecture 21: Information Systems for manufacturing management ( Contd. )
• Lecture 22: Information Systems for materials management
• Lecture 23: Information Systems for quality management
• Lecture 24: Information Systems for marketing
• Lecture 25: Information Systems for marketing ( Contd. )
• Lecture 26: Information Systems for sales and distribution
• Lecture 27: Information Systems for finance and accounting
• Lecture 28: Information Systems for human resource management
• Lecture 29: Information Systems for human resource management ( Contd. )
• Lecture 30: Information Systems ( IS ) strategy
• Lecture 31: Aligning IT with business objectives
• Lecture 32: Balanced Score Card
• Lecture 33: Data Centers , Virtualization and cloud computing
• Lecture 34: Cloud computing and selection of cloud vendor
• Lecture 35: Introduction to E - Commerce
• Lecture 36: B2C Business Models
• Lecture 37: B2C Business Models ( Contd. )
• Lecture 38: Unique E - Commerce Business Models
• Lecture 39: Social Commerce & M - Commerce
• Lecture 40: Cloud Computing Part - I
• Lecture 41: Cloud Computing Part - II
• Lecture 42: Internet of Things Part - I
• Lecture 43: Internet of Things Part - II
• Lecture 44: Internet of Things Part - III
• Lecture 45: Big Data and other Emerging Technologies
• Lecture 46: Knowledge Management Systems ( KMS )
• Lecture 47: Decision Support Systems
• Lecture 48: Executive Support Systems
• Lecture 49: Expert Systems
• Lecture 50: Learning Management Systems ( LMS )
• Lecture 51: Ethical and Social Issues in MIS - I
• Lecture 52: Ethical and Social Issues in MIS - II
• Lecture 53: Security Issues in MIS - I
• Lecture 54: Security Issues in MIS - II
• Lecture 55: Security Issues in MIS - III
• Lecture 56: Managing Global Organization - Globalization Part 1
• Lecture 57: Global Strategies and Business Organization
• Lecture 58: Shared Services
• Lecture 59: Offshoring / Transitioning Global IT Systems
• Lecture 60: Globalization of Corporates in a Flat World
• Live Session 22-09-2021
• Live Session 08-10-2020
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