Management Information System

Before we are going to conclude whether MIS (Management Information System) is a correct course description, and to discuss it, management, system, and information must be defined. In an online dictionary (referring the Dictionary.com), management defines as the act or manner of managing or handling of something. Management in all business and human organization activity is simply the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management consists of planning , directing, organizing and controlling. To understand what management is, there are two definitions from a common online encyclopedia (reffering the Wikkipedia.com). First, "Organization and coordination of the activities of an enterprise in accordance with certain policies and in achievement of clearly defined objectives. Management is often included as a factor of production along with machines, materials, and money. According to the management guru Peter Drucker (1909–2005), the basic task of a management is twofold: marketing and innovation. Practice of modern management owes its origin to the 16th century enquiry into low-efficiency and failures of certain enterprises, conducted by the English statesman Sir Thomas More (1478–1535)." Second, "Directors and managers who have the power and responsibility to make decisions to manage an enterprise. As a discipline, management comprises the interlocking functions of formulating corporate policy and organizing, planning, controlling, and directing the firm's resources to achieve the policy's objectives. The size of management can range from one person in a small firm to hundreds or thousands of managers in multinational companies. In large firms the board of directors formulates the policy which is implemented by the chief executive officer." Management is the process of allocating an organization's inputs, including human and economic resources, by planning, organizing, directing, and controlling for the purpose of producing goods or services desired by customers so that organizational objectives are accomplished. If management has knowledge of the planning, organizing, directing, and controlling of the business, its decisions can be made on the basis of facts, and decisions are more accurate and timely as a result.

Information as a general notion or idea, it has a multiformity of meanings because of the daily usage of it. In general, information is related to, data, instruction, knowledge, perception and so on. Information defines itself as the act of informing or information is the knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or circumstance. Information may gained through study, communication, research, instruction and etcetera. Due to the advent of the Knowledge Age, the word information is usually used in the information socities such as informatics, information science and computer science. Information is what is used in the act of informing or the state of being informed. Information includes knowledge acquired by some means.Technical developments in computers and data processing and new theories of systems analysis made it possible to computerize systems. Much of this computerization of systems was an out growth of basic research by the federal government (Stair, Ralph M. (1996). Principles of Information Systems and Managerial Approach, 2nd ed.).

A system a coordinated body of methods or a scheme or plan of procedure. A combination of parts incorporating as a whole. A system has a structure or configuration which is coordinated body of methods or a scheme or plan of procedure. Also, it has behavior or manner which involves inputs, processing and outputs of material, information or energy. Lastly, system has interconnectivity which the various parts of a system have functional as well as structural relationships between each other.

The word system is old enough to us. Before there are many local and unlocal divisions of aboriginal people has its own system. Just like the ancient Chinese people. They use the system of barter before in order for them to trade their products with other people. One of our descendants also which was the Malays used their own system of government in order for them that they can administer their people. Even today, there are also people use the system of Kaingin. Kaingin is the process in which the trees in mountains was cleared.

A system is a scientific method of inquiry, that is, observation, the formulation of an idea, the testing of that idea, and the application of the results.The scientific method of problem solving is systems analysis in its broadest sense. Data are facts and figures. However, data have no value until they are compiled into a system and can provide information for decision making.

A computer system that receives important business data from all departments in a large company. Then, based on a carefully defined set of rules, the Management Information System generates the information and reports people need to manage the business. According to Answer.com, Management Information Systems are those systems that allow managers to make decisions for the successful operation of businesses.Management information systems consist of computer resources, people, and procedures used in the modern business enterprise. The term MIS stands for Management Information Systems. MIS also refers to the organization that develops and maintains most or all of the computer systems in the enterprise so that managers can make decisions. The main goal of the Management Information System is to deliver the communication in different levels or stages. Professionals of MIS generates and holds up the system of computer throughout the company.

"Trained and educated to work with corporate computer systems, these professionals are responsible in some way for nearly all of the computers, from the largest mainframe to the desktop and portable PCs." http://www.answers.com/topic/management-information-system

Now, we are going to ponder whether the said course description is wrong or right. In my own notion, MIS or Management Information System is not a wrong course description. Even the components of IT or Information Technology is, Software + Hardware and the components of Information Science is, IT (Software and Hardware) + Peopleware, which is also an essential components in Management Information System, this constituents are inseparable to each other. Therefore, Management Information System nowadays is useful and accomodating as well as very helpful in businesses, companies, industries and in commerce. Chos!