PART– A
1. Can’t we do without MIS. Discuss the need and important Characteristics of MIS.
Answer : Management Information Systems (MIS), sometimes referred to as Information
Management and Systems, is the discipline covering the application of people, technologies,
and procedures — collectively called information systems — to solving business problems.
Management Information Systems are distinct from regular information systems in that they are
used to analyze other information systems applied in operational activities in the organization. [1]
Academically, the term is commonly used to refer to the group of information management
methods tied to the automation or support of human decision making
In their infancy, business computers were used for the practical business of computing the payroll
and keeping track of accounts payable and receivable. As applications were developed that provided
managers with information about sales, inventories, and other data that would help in managing the
enterprise, the term "MIS" arose to describe these kinds of applications. Today, the term is used broadly in
a number of contexts and includes (but is not limited to): decision support systems, resource and people
management applications, project management, and database retrieval application
'MIS' is a planned system of collecting, storing and disseminating data in the form of
information needed to carry out the functions of management.According to Phillip Kotler "A
marketing information system consists of people, equipments, and procedures to gather, sort,
analyse, evaluate, and distribute needed, timely, and accurate information to marketing decision
makers." (Kotler, Phillip and Keller, Kevin Lane; Marketing Management,
2. Discuss the various types of MIS. Can we enhance MIS to the level of DSS? If yes, how? Discuss.
Ans: Kinds of Information System
Strategic-Level Systems: support the long-range planning activities of senior management -
match external and internal environments.
Management-Level systems: support the monitoring, controlling, decision-making, and
administrative activities of middle managers - periodic reports.
Knowledge-Level Systems: support knowledge and data workers in an organisation - control
flow of knowledge.
Operational-Level systems: monitor the elementary activities and transactions of the
organisation - real time data.
Office Systems: increase the productivity of data workers - toold for the job
Types of Information System
Executive Support Systems (ESS) - address non-routine decision making through advanced
graphics and communications
Management Information Systems (MIS) - serve the functions of planning, controlling, and
decision making by providing routine summary and exception reports.
Decision-Support Systems (DSS) - combine data and sophisticated analytical models or data
analysis tools to support nonroutine decision making.
Knowledge Work Systems (KWS) - aid the creation and integration of new knowledge in the
organisation.
Office Systems - designed to increase the productivity of data workers in the office.
Transaction Processing Systems (TPS) - perform and record the daily routine transactions
necessary to conduct the business
Enterprise Systems
collects data from key business processes and stores the data in a single comprehensive data
repository
o central repository used by other parts of the business
o managers emerge with more precise and timely information
o managers have a firm-wide view of business processes and information flows
help promote a single organisational culture, focused on overall business performance using
organisation-wide performance standards
o can provide general managers with a firm-wide understanding of value creation and
cost structure
o can help create a "customer driven" or "demand" organisation, which better serves the
customer's value chain
o new capabilities to forecast new products, and build them as demand appears
3. Elaborate on the concept of Functional Information Systems. Take suitable examples.
Ans : Motivation
The Functional Data Model was introduced some 20 years ago as a clear and simple model to capture the
structural and functional aspects of databases and information systems. Several prototype systems
embody various aspects of the FDM, including DAPLEX at CCA, FQL at the University of Pennsylvania,
Tristarp at Birkbeck College London, P/FDM at the University of Aberdeen, and IRIS at HP-Labs.
Increasingly, Data Models and Database Management Systems (DBMS) have been extended to handle
more complex requirements such as:
Abstract data types for multimedia applications,
Object-oriented models combining structure with "methods" to implement behaviors,
Rule processing within the DBMS to support activeness and to enforce integrity constraints,
New architectures which combine both data management and knowledge management functions.
These new requirements on advanced information systems, posit the need for new concepts, methods and
tools to: 1) support increasingly complex data organizations, 2) share both data and knowledge among
heterogeneous systems, 3) mediate user queries among multiple heterogeneous database systems, and 4)
provide flexible tools for negotiation, interaction, and interchange of data, knowledge, and information.
The goal of this Special Issue is to investigate the role of the functional approach in providing the
concepts and technologies for the next generation of Intelligent Information Systems.
Topics of Interest
This Special Issue focuses on the "Functional Approach to Intelligent Information Systems," to understand
how this approach can be used to specify, design, build and deploy IIS. Specific topics of interest include,
but are not limited to, the following areas:
Formal Aspects of Functional Models,
Functional Programming and Databases,
Experience Papers on Functional System Implementations,
Constraint Management in Functional Systems,
Functional Mediation Architectures for Heterogeneous Systems,
Functional Models for Integration and Interoperability,
Object-Orientation in Functional Systems; Execution models for Functional Queries and Updates,
Monoid Comprehensions in Functional Query Processing,
Comparison of Functional Models with OMG languages (OQL, SQL3, etc.),
Functions and Applets; Functions and Agent-based Systems, and
Parallel and distributed architectures and processing mechanisms.
Submission of Manuscripts
Interested potential contributors are invited to submit four copies of the manuscript by August 1, 1998 to
one of the editors. Manuscripts should be 25 pages in length, when formatted according to the JIIS LaTex
macros which may be obtained from the JIIS Site at Kluwer, (http://www.wkap.nl/journals/jiis).
Prospective authors are encouraged to see the Instructions for Authors of Special Issues. Manuscripts in
other than Kluwer format should be no more than 30 typewritten pages, 12 type font and 18 point spacing.
Submissions should include a title page including the corresponding author’s complete mail address,
phone, fax, and email address of all authors; the paper, including an abstract (100 to 250 words) and 3 to 5
key words (all figures and tables should be embedded in their proper place in text); and a complete
alphabetically-ordered list of all references cited in the paper, using the (author, date) citation style in the
paper. All manuscripts will be peer reviewed.
Timeline for the Special Issue
Submit four hard copies of the manuscript to one of the editors by August 1, 1998
Authors will be notified of acceptance or necessary revision by October 16,1998.
Revised papers will due by November 23, 1998.
The expected publication date is early 1999.
4. What is meant by Decision making process?. Discuss the SIMON’s Model of Decision making.
Ans : Decision making can be regarded as an outcome of mental processes (cognitive process) leading to
the selection of a course of action among several alternatives. Every decision making process produces a
final The output can be an action or an opinion. Human performance in decision making terms has been
subject of active research from several perspectives. From a psychological perspective, it is necessary to
examine individual decisions in the context of a set of needs, preferences an individual has and values
he/she seeks. From a cognitive perspective, the decision making process must be regarded as a continuous
process integrated in the interaction with the environment. From a normative perspective, the analysis of
individual decisions is concerned with the logic of decision making and rationality and the invariant
choice it leads to.
Simmons decision-making model there are four phases
1) Intelligence phase
2) Design phase
3) Choice phase
4) Implementation phase
Initially the problem comes and we are in the intelligence phase thinking of the problem as it comes and
then we try to find out what the solution to the given problem and then we move to design phase. In the
design phase the way and method to solve the problem is thought and we actually try analyze the problem,
we try to find the algorithms and the way that can actually solve the problem and hence we use the genetic
algorithm to find the solution to the given problem .After finding the method which is to be applied to the
given problem we move to choice phase and here the actual work of finding the best algorithm come .Here
we try to find the best algorithm from the given set of algorithm we have the option of choosing the
algorithms such as "ACO" algorithm which is called the ant colony optimization algorithm or we have the
choice of finding the algorithm such as Simulated annealing (SA) is a related global optimization
technique that traverses the search space by testing random mutations on an individual solution. A
mutation that increases fitness is always accepted. A mutation that lowers fitness is accepted
probabilistically based on the difference in fitness and a decreasing temperature parameter. In SA
parlance, one speaks of seeking the lowest energy instead of the maximum fitness. SA can also be used
within a standard GA algorithm by starting with a relatively high rate of mutation and decreasing it over
time along a given schedule. After deciding that genetic algorithm is the most suitable algorithm for the
programming we move to the next step which is the implemetation phase here the real implemeation of
the slotuin is done we implemet the solution to the given problem by using the geneteic algorithm
according to the given problem.
5. Discuss the concept of a System. Give its classification.
Ans : This investigates the possibility of a computer-aided system for the archaeological reconstruction of monuments. It
analyzes the entire workflow of reconstruction for steps which are suited for computational solutions and gives a concept
for the implementation of these steps in a computer program using the tools of spatial data processing.
In order to accomplish this task the necessary preconditions and input data for the program are established, a data
model is applied to organize the occurring objects in a relational database system and algorithms are presented for the
computation of the most likely reconstruction out of the input data using successive negative selection.
The concept was implemented in a prototype version and verified with small test-datasets.
A final evaluation is not yet possible, but the results of the performed test-runs seem to confirm the concept, provided
that the input data allow a reconstruction with regard to the original positions.
PART– B
1. Elaborate the concept of Data Communication. Describe the two main types of data transmission media.
Ans : The distance over which data moves within a computer may vary from a few thousandths of an inch,
as is the case within a single IC chip, to as much as several feet along the backplane of the main circuit
board. Over such small distances, digital data may be transmitted as direct, two-level electrical signals
over simple copper conductors. Except for the fastest computers, circuit designers are not very concerned
about the shape of the conductor or the analog characteristics of signal transmission.
Frequently, however, data must be sent beyond the local circuitry that constitutes a computer. In many
cases, the distances involved may be enormous. Unfortunately, as the distance between the source of a
message and its destination increases, accurate transmission becomes increasingly difficult. This results
from the electrical distortion of signals traveling through long conductors, and from noise added to the
signal as it propagates through a transmission medium. Although some precautions must be taken for data
exchange within a computer, the biggest problems occur when data is transferred to devices outside the
computer's circuitry. In this case, distortion and noise can become so severe that information is lost.
Data Communications concerns the transmission of digital messages to devices external to the message
source. "External" devices are generally thought of as being independently powered circuitry that exists
beyond the chassis of a computer or other digital message source. As a rule, the maximum permissible
transmission rate of a message is directly proportional to signal power, and inversely proportional to
channel noise. It is the aim of any communications system to provide the highest possible transmission
rate at the lowest possible power and with the least possible noise.
A communications channel is a pathway over which information can be conveyed. It may be
defined by a physical wire that connects communicating devices, or by a radio, laser, or other
radiated energy source that has no obvious physical presence. Information sent through a
communications channel has a source from which the information originates, and a
destination to which the information is delivered. Although information originates from a
single source, there may be more than one destination, depending upon how many receive
stations are linked to the channel and how much energy the transmitted signal possesses.
2. Discuss the following terms:
(a) Analog Signal
Ans : An analog or analogue signal is any time continuous signal where some time varying feature
of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity. It differs from a digital signal in that
small fluctuations in the signal are meaningful. Analog is usually thought of in an electrical context;
however, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and other systems may also convey analog signals.
An analog signal uses some property of the medium to convey the signal's information. For example, an
aneroid barometer uses rotary position as the signal to convey pressure information. Electrically, the
property most commonly used is voltage followed closely by frequency, current, and charge.
For example, in sound recording, fluctuations in air pressure (that is to say, sound) strike the diaphragm of
a microphone which causes corresponding fluctuations in a voltage or the current in an electric circuit.
The voltage or the current is said to be an "analog" of the sound.
Since an analogue signal has a theoretically infinite resolution, it will always have a higher resolution than
any digital system where the resolution is in discrete steps. In practice, as analogue systems become more
complex, effects such as non linearity and noise ultimately degrade analogue resolution to such extent that
digital systems surpass it. In analogue systems it is difficult to detect when such degradation occurs, but in
digital systems, degradation can not only be detected, but corrected as well.
(b) Digital transmission
Ans: A digital signal is a discontinuous signal that changes from one state to another
in discrete steps. A popular form of digital modulation is binary, or two level,
digital modulation. In binary modulation the optical signal is switched from a low-
power level (usually off) to a high-power level. There are a number of modulation
techniques used in digital systems, but these will not be discussed here. For more
information on digital modulation techniques, refer to the References listed in
appendix 2.
Line coding is the process of arranging symbols that represent binary data in a
particular pattern for transmission.
The most common types of line coding used in fiber optic communications include non-
return-to-zero (NRZ), return-to-zero (RZ), and biphase, or Manchester.
(c) Communication Satellite Line
ANS : A communications satellite (sometimes abbreviated to comsat) is an artificial satellite stationed in
space for the purposes of telecommunications. Modern communications satellites use a variety of orbits
including geostationary orbits, Molniya orbits, other elliptical orbits and low (polar and non-polar) Earth
orbits.
For fixed (point-to-point) services, communications satellites provide a microwave radio relay technology
complementary to that of fiber optic submarine communication cables. They are also used for mobile
applications such as communications to ships, vehicles, planes and hand-held terminals, and for TV and
radio broadcasting, for which application of other technologies, such as cable, is impractical or impossible
3. What is meant by Network Topology? Discuss the common network topology.
Ans : Network topology is the study of the arrangement or mapping of the elements (links, nodes, etc.) of
a network, especially the physical (real) and logical (virtual) interconnections between nodes.
A local area network (LAN) is one example of a network that exhibits both a physical topology and a
logical topology. Any given node in the LAN will have one or more links to one or more other nodes in
the network and the mapping of these links and nodes onto a graph results in a geometrical shape that
determines the physical topology of the network. Likewise, the mapping of the flow of data between the
nodes in the network determines the logical topology of the network. It is important to note that the
physical and logical topologies might be identical in any particular network but they also may be different.
Any particular network topology is determined only by the graphical mapping of the configuration of
physical and/or logical connections between nodes. LAN Network Topology is, therefore, technically a
part of graph theory. Distances between nodes, physical interconnections, transmission rates, and/or signal
types may differ in two networks and yet their topologies may be identical
4. Discuss data communication hardware. What purpose do modems serve? Give the applications of
Multiplexer.
Ans : Communications Devices
No-fuss data communications have contributed much to the world of data acquisition. From
telephone modems to wireless networks, a broad variety of specialized data communication devices
are available to suit every communication need.
Modems
Using telephone wires, twisted pairs, or fiber optic cable, modems transmit and receive serial, digital
data. You may be familiar with the current 56 kbps (actually, it's 57,600 baud) controversy on the
Internet, with two competing, incompatible suppliers claiming that they can achieve such data rates
over commercial phone lines. Such a modem has been available for years in the industrial world, but
it requires special isolated circuitry. Achieving higher data rates for serial data often requires fiber
optics. Examples of modems available for data acquisition include:
Limited distance modem: Low-cost ($86) general purpose modems can be used to transmit non-
critical data up to 12 miles. As distance increases, transmission speed decreases. At 12 miles, speed
is 1.2 kbps. At one mile, speed is 19.2 kbps, and at one half mile, 57.6 kbps. It requires four wires
(two twisted pairs) for full duplex operation. To achieve the highest speed of 57.6 kbps, special high-
speed, optically coupled circuits are required.
5. Discuss the concept of Internet. Give various applications of Internet.
Ans: The Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks that transmit data
by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP). It is a "network of networks" that consists of millions of
smaller domestic, academic, business, and government networks, which together carry various information and
services, such as electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and the interlinked web pages and other resources of the
World Wide Web (WWW).
Rich Internet applications (RIA) are web applications that have the features and functionality of traditional
desktop applications. RIAs typically transfer the processing necessary for the user interface to the web client but
keep the bulk of the data (i.e., maintaining the state of the program, the data, etc.) back on the application server.
PART – C
1. Explain the drawbacks of the file processing system. Discuss the alternative to the file approach.
Ans: Disadvantages of File Processing Systems include:
1. Program-Data Dependence. File descriptions are stored within each application program that accesses a given
file.
2. Duplication of Data. Applications are developed independently in file processing systems leading to unplanned
duplicate files. Duplication is wasteful as it requires additional storage space and changes in one file must be made
manually in all files. This also results in loss of data integrity. It is also possible that the same data item may have
different names in different files, or the same name may be used for different data items in different files.
3. Limited data sharing. Each application has its own private files with little opportunity to share data outside their
own applications. A requested report may require data from several incompatible files in separate systems.
4. Lengthy Development Times. There is little opportunity to leverage previous development efforts. Each new
application requires the developer to start from scratch by designing new file formats and descriptions
5. Excessive Program Maintenance. The preceding factors create a heavy program maintenance load.
6. Integrity Problem. The problem of integrity is the problem of ensuring that the data in the database is accentuate.
In information retrieval, the way in which the correspondence procedure works is highly important for the
performance of the underlying system as a whole. An inverted file ensures quick access to the information items
because the index alone is examined, rather than the actual file of items, in order to determine the items which
satisfy a search request.
2. Briefly explain the phases involved in system development.
Ans : Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) is a framework originally based upon Rapid Application
Development (RAD). DSDM utilizes continuous user involvement in an iterative development and incremental
approach, which is responsive to changing requirements, to develop a software system that satisfies the business
requirements on time and on budget. DSDM is one of a number of Agile methods for developing software, and it
forms a part of the Agile Alliance.
The Pre-Project
In the pre-project phase candidate projects are identified, project funding is realized and
project commitment is ensured. Handling these issues at an early stage avoids problems at
later stages of the project.
The Project life-cycle
The process overview in the figure above shows the project life-cycle of this phase of DSDM. It depicts the 5 stages
a project will have to go through to create an IS. The first two stages, the Feasibility Study and Business Study are
sequential phases that complement to each other.
The Feasibility Study
During this stage of the project, the feasibility of the project for the use of DSDM is examined. Prerequisites for the
use of DSDM are addressed by answering questions like: ‘Can this project meet the required business needs?’, and
‘What are the most important risks involved?’. The most important techniques used in this phase are the Workshops
The Business Study
The business study extends the feasibility study. After the project has been deemed feasible for the use of DSDM,
this stage examines the influenced business processes, user groups involved and their
respective needs and wishes. Again the workshops are one of the most valuable techniques, workshops in which
the different stakeholders come together to discuss the proposed system.
Functional Model Iteration
The requirements that have been identified in the previous stages are converted to a functional model. This
model consists of both a functioning prototype and models. Prototyping is one of the key project
techniques within this stage that helps to realize good user involvement throughout the project.
3. How do the SDLC and Prototyping methods differ? How are they interrelated?
Ans : Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) or sometimes just (SLC) is defined by the U.S. Department of
Justice (DoJ) as a software development process, although it is also a distinct process independent of software or
other information technology considerations. It is used by a systems analyst to develop an information system,
including requirements, validation, training, and user ownership through investigation, analysis, design,
implementation, and maintenance. SDLC is also known as information systems development or application
development. An SDLC should result in a high quality system that meets or exceeds customer expectations, within
time and cost estimates, works effectively and efficiently in the current and planned information technology
infrastructure, and is cheap to maintain and cost-effective to enhance. SDLC is a systematic approach to problem
solving and is composed of several phases, each comprised of multiple steps.
A prototype is a model of something to be further developed. The higher the fidelity the more representative
is the prototype. Rapid prototyping implies that there is a short time between conceiving an initial notion and
modeling it in physical form and between successive iterations. A popular method is to use paper to create the
prototype (Snyder 2003) which can be done without programming skills and which has the look of work in progress
thus encouraging users to comment on it. Software prototypes can then be developed when the ideas have been
thought through and tested on paper. These can then be used for usability testing.
4. Discuss the iterative enhancement method. How does this method differ from other development
methods?
Ans : Incremental development is a scheduling and staging strategy in which the various parts of the system are
developed at different times or rates, and integrated as they are completed. It does not imply, require nor preclude
iterative development or waterfall development - both of those are rework strategies. The alternative to incremental
development is to develop the entire system with a "big bang" integration.
Iterative development is a rework scheduling strategy in which time is set aside to revise and improve parts of the
system. It does not presuppose incremental development, but works very well with it. A typical difference is that the
output from an increment is not necessarily subject to further refinement, and its' testing or user feedback is not
used as input for revising the plans or specifications of the successive increments. On the contrary, the output from
an iteration is examined for modification, and especially for revising the targets of the successive iterations.
The two terms were merged in practical use in the mid-1990s. The authors of the Unified Process (UP) and
the Rational Unified Process (RUP) selected the term "iterative development", and "iterations" to generally mean
any combination of incremental and iterative development. Most people saying "iterative" development mean that
they do both incremental and iterative development. Some project teams get into trouble by doing only one and not
the other without realizing it.
5. Describe, with the suitable example, the concept and procedure used in constructing DFDs.
Ans : In the late 1970s data-flow diagrams (DFDs) were introduced and popularized for structured analysis and
design (Gane and Sarson 1979). DFDs show the flow of data from external entities into the system, showed how
the data moved from one process to another, as well as its logical storage. Figure 1 presents an example of a DFD
using the Gane and Sarson notation. There are only four symbols:
Squares representing external entities, which are sources or destinations of data.
Rounded rectangles representing processes, which take data as input, do something to it, and output it.
Arrows representing the data flows, which can either be electronic data or physical items.
Open-ended rectangles representing data stores, including electronic stores such as databases or XML files and
physical stores such as or filing cabinets or stacks of paper.
To create the diagram I simply worked through a usage scenario, in this case the use case logic described
in the Enroll in University system use case. On actual projects it’s far more common just to stand at a whiteboard
with one or more project stakeholders and simply sketch as we talk through a problem.
In this case I started with the applicant, the external entity in the top left corner, and simply followed the flow of data
throughout the system. I introduced the Inspect Forms process to encapsulate the initial validation steps. I
assigned this process identifier 1.0, indicating that it’s the first process one the top level diagram. A common
technique with DFDs is to create detailed diagrams for each process to depict more granular levels of processing.
Were I to do this for this process I would number the subprocesses 1.1, 1.2, and so on. Subprocesses of 1.1 would
be numbered 1.1.1, 1.1.2, and so on. I wouldn’t bother to expand this process to more detailed DFD as it is fairly
clear what is happening in it and therefore the new diagram wouldn’t add any value. I also indicated who/what does
the work in the bottom section of the process bubble, in this case the registrar. This information is optional although
very useful in my experience. You can see how the improperly filled out forms are returned to the applicant if
required.
PART– D
1. Discuss a decision tree and a decision table. Are decision trees and data flow diagrams related?
Discuss.
Ans : Take a plain html table, wrap the rows you want collapsing/expanding in a tbody with an id of treetable, map
each row to it's parent row, set some options, and let jQTreeTable take it from there.
By wrapping it in a tbody, it means you can have other rows within the same table not part of the tree, and it also
means that if javascript is disabled, users still get the plain table.
You can set which column takes the treeview effect, and you can also set which parents are collapsed initially. To
do this, it must be done with an array, even if there is only one node you want collapsed.
A highlight option can be set so that rows change colour as they are hovered over. There is dynamic striping of the
rows, and there is also a custom onselect event which fires on the table cells, that can be handled with a callback
function (watch the status bar when you click on a cell). Links within the cells still work as expected.
Decision tables are a precise yet compact way to model complicated logic. Decision tables, like if-then-else
and switch-case statements, associate conditions with actions to perform. But, unlike the control structures found in
traditional programming languages, decision tables can associate many independent conditions with several actions
in an elegant way. Each decision corresponds to a variable, relation or predicate whose possible values are listed
among the condition alternatives. Each action is a procedure or operation to perform, and the entries specify
whether (or in what order) the action is to be performed for the set of condition alternatives the entry corresponds to.
Many decision tables include in their condition alternatives the don't care symbol, a hyphen. Using don't cares can
simplify decision tables, especially when a given condition has little influence on the actions to be performed. In
some cases, entire conditions thought to be important initially are found to be irrelevant when none of the conditions
influence which actions are performed.
2. Prepare design specifications for Library Information System of your organization.
Ans : Poor conceptual designs force users to learn unfamiliar concepts, manipulate too many objects, or work out
how different objects relate. Simple conceptual design is the bedrock of good User Experiences. On the other hand,
bad conceptual design can lead to unusable products.
For instance, if you were building a house, it is important to consider the structure of the house: what rooms you
need, the purpose of each room and how people move between the rooms. Look and feel aspects such as the
decoration and accessories will be subsequent. Conceptual designs are like architects’ plans from the users’ point
of view.
A major task of detailed design is to spell out, in detail, the attributes and methods needed by each class
(the second and third "compartments" of the representation for each class in a class diagram.)
The methods needed by each class are implicit in the responsibilities assigned to the class in the CRC cards, and
become explicit in the Interaction Diagrams. A responsibility listed for a class on its CRC card generally maps into a
method or methods in the detailed design. Likewise, any time an object belonging to a given class is shown as the
recipient of a message in either a Sequence or Collaboration Diagram, the class needs a corresponding method.
Many of the needed attributes are also either explicitly or implicitly present in the diagrams; the need for others
becomes evident as the code for the class is being written. (Thus detailed design and coding are a "round trip"
process - detailed design dictates coding, and coding leads to elaboration of the detailed design.)
4. Assume you are to implement a newly developed MIS in your organization. Which method you would
like to adopt for this system? Justify your answer.
Ans : The microfinance gateway lists five MIS systems as the “best”. These are COBIS, eMerge, CUMIS
Plus, Loan Performer, and SIEM. However, the more important question is really, “What makes a good
MFI MIS?” Here are some key point to consider when working with an MFI to decide which MIS is the
right MIS:
Portfolio and accounting data are linked. This will allow the MFI to assess its performance in
relation to its current product base and activity.
There are various levels of security. The accountant has different access than a teller for example.
This ensures the financial privacy of both the clients and the institution are maintained.
Useful reports are produced in a timely way. This ensures managers have the information necessary
to manage and USAID has the information necessary to evaluate the progress of the institutions it
supports.
The system is up-datable. As products, services, and the size of the MFI expand and diversify, the
system should be able to grow with them.
The system does not drive the products delivered. Some systems are only able to track certain
financial product lines. This may limit the capacity of the MFI to meet the demands of the market,
negatively impacting its sustainability.
There is a local service provider. Local service provider offer cheaper, faster, and more personalized
service.
The MIS is not tied to an American NGO or other TA provider. This ensures that even if ties are
broken with current partners, the MFI will still be able to update and operate its MIS.
By using these requirements as a guide, you will be able to ensure that the MIS adopted by an MFI is
going to be able to serve it both now and as it grows an expands.
5. How would you evaluate your MIS? Elaborate.
Ans : 'MIS' is a planned system of collecting, storing and disseminating data in the form of information needed to
carry out the functions of management.According to Phillip Kotler "A marketing information system consists of
people, equipments, and procedures to gather, sort, analyse, evaluate, and distribute needed, timely, and accurate
information to marketing decision makers." (Kotler, Phillip and Keller, Kevin Lane; Marketing Management, Pearson
Education, 12 Ed, 2006)
The terms MIS and information system are often confused. Information systems include systems that are not
intended for decision making. MIS is sometimes referred to, in a restrictive sense, as information technology
management. That area of study should not be confused with computer science. IT service management is a
practitioner-focused discipline. MIS has also some differences with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) as ERP
incorporates elements that are not necessarily focused on decision support.
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
1. Define EDP and MIS.
Ans : MIS Is More Than Manipulating Data. When I look at the technological advances we are so excited about
today, I see us manipulating data, not making information. Networking is moving data from place to place,
windowing is displaying data, and spreadsheeting is aggregating data. Either by moving it, showing
it, or tallying it, we are getting better and better at just manipulating raw data, not enhancing its value or truly
supporting management. The management information system (MIS) was coined to represent a more-useful,
higherlevel form of management support using information rather than just data. Unfortunately, when MIS was
required to do much more than EDP (as I define it), MIS failed. That is, MIS may have been a new term, but it did
little else than raise managers’ expectations and sell a lot of computers. (Those of us in the information business
will pay for that.)
EDP Deals Only with Data. Electronic data processing (EDP) is the first of several links of the data-to-
information chain, shown in Figure 1.5.1.3.7. With EDP we merely access, store, retrieve, and manipulatedata, a
function well suited to clerical-level and operational-level endeavors. Before computers, we did the data processing
function well using hand-generated spreadsheets for manipulation and notebooks or file cabinets for storage.
Computers are able to duplicate
2. What is Information?
Ans : Information is stimuli that has meaning in some context for its receiver. When information is entered into and
stored in a computer, it is generally referred to as data. After processing (such as formatting and printing), output
data can again be perceived as information.
When information is packaged or used for understanding or doing something, it is known as knowledge.
3. What is Systems Approach?
Ans : Systems thinking is a unique approach to problem solving, in that it views certain 'problems' as a part of the
overall system so focusing on these outcomes will only further develop the undesired element or problem. Systems
thinking is a framework that is based on the belief that the component parts of a system will act differently when the
systems relationships are removed and it is viewed in isolation. The only way to fully understand why a problem or
element occurs and persists is to understand the part in relation to the whole.Standing in contrast to Descartes',
scientific reductionism and philosophical analysis, it proposes to view systems in a holistic manner. Consistent with
systems philosophy, systems thinking concerns an understanding of a system by examining the linkages and
interactions between the elements that comprise the entirety of the system
4. Even today, most of the organization have only the reporting systems. Why?
Ans : As information technology plays an ever greater role in organizations and society, those individuals with
knowledge and appreciation of such technologies stand to play a greater role in the shaping of the economic,
managerial, political and social policies of the future. With this ideal in mind, coursework in MIS offers students an
opportunity to develop and refine the skills necessary for competition in the digital age
5. What is Cybernetic System?
Ans : The term cybernetics stems from the Greek (kybernetes, steersman, governor, pilot, or rudder — the same
root as government). Cybernetics is a broad field of study, but the essential goal of cybernetics is to understand and
define the functions and processes of systems that have goals, and that participate in circular, causal chains that
move from action to sensing to comparison with desired goal to action. Studies of this field are all ultimately means
of examining different forms of systems and applying what is known to make the design and function of any system,
including artificial systems such as business management, more efficient and effective.
6. Discuss the functions of MIS.
Ans : a firm basis on which the Management Information System (MIS) function can move towards its goal within an
urban or business environment. While the examples and experience on which the report is based have been in an
urban environment, the results are seen equally applicable, with minor modifications, to any MIS environment.
Issues upon which the report concentrates are: concerns surrounding the appropriate organizational structure to
best cope with the development of an MIS; and the development of strategic operational plans to provide a
framework and direction for reaching the MIS goal.
7. How does an MIS look like? Give its structure.
Ans: This Management Information System provides information on selected conservation and production issues for
the tussock grasslands of New Zealand. You can either use the site index to find the issue you wish to look at, or
you can follow through from chosing a broad vegetation community, to deciding what your managment goal is for
the community, and then to providing you with suggested management guidelines to achieve that goal. These
guidelines were developed with existing scientific information, and land manager's observations
8. What are the objectives of Executive Support Systems?
Ans : Executive Support System (ESS) is a reporting tool (software) that allows you to turn your organization's data
into useful summarized reports. These reports are generally used by executive level managers for quick access to
reports coming from all company levels and departments such as billing, cost accounting , staffing, scheduling, and
more.
9. What do you understand by decision-making under assumed certainty?
Ans : Good decision making is an essential skill for career success generally, and effective leadership particularly. If
you can learn to make timely and well-considered decisions, then you can often lead your team to spectacular and
well-deserved success. However, if you make poor decisions, your team risks failure and your time as a leader will,
most likely, be brutally short.
10. What is software outsourcing?
Ans DataArt is a leading provider of high-end software outsourcing services for SMEs, specializing in enterprise
application development, system integration and business automation tools, with industry-specific software
expertise in financial, telecom and media sectors. Headquartered in New York City, DataArt runs R&D centers in St.
Petersburg and Voronezh, Russia, in Kharkov and Kherson (Ukraine) and maintains offices throughout the U.S. and
in London, UK. In 2006-2008, DataArt has been named one of the world's top emerging outsourcing providers by
BusinessWeek, by CMP's Global Services 100 and by International Association of Outsourcing Professionals.
11. What are the assumptions and limitations of Waterfall model?
Ans : The waterfall model is a sequential software development model (a process for the creation of software) in
which development is seen as flowing steadily downwards (like a waterfall) through the phases of requirements
analysis, design, implementation, testing (validation), integration, and maintenance. The origin of the term
"waterfall" is often cited to be an article published in 1970 by Winston W. Royce (1929–1995),[1] although Royce did
not use the term "waterfall" in this article. Ironically, Royce was presenting this model as an example of a flawed,
non-working model (Royce 1970).
12. What is Systems Analysis?
Ans : The terms analysis and synthesis come from classical Greek and mean respectively "to loosen up" and "to put
together" . These terms are used in scientific disciplines from mathematics and logic to economy and psychology to
denote similar investigative procedures. In general, analysis is defined as the procedure by which we break down
an intellectual or substantial whole into parts or components. Synthesis is defined as the opposite procedure: to
combine separate elements or components in order to form a coherent whole
14. What are the decoupling and cohesion concepts in System design?
Ans : In electronics, decoupling refers to the preventing of undesired coupling between subsystems via the power
supply connections. Nowadays, this is commonly accomplished by connecting localized capacitors close to the
power leads of integrated circuits to act as a small localized energy reservoir; these supply the circuit with current
during transient, high current demand periods, preventing the voltage on the power supply rail from being pulled
down by the momentary current load. See decoupling capacitor.
The cohesion or strength of a component of a software system is an indicator of its maintainability. The
most popular way - as evidenced from coverage in textbooks - of determining the cohesion of a component is a set
of rules developed by Stevens, Myers, Constantine and Yourdon in the early 1970s.
15. What is Gantt Chart?
Ans: A Gantt chart is a popular type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule. Gantt charts illustrate the start
and finish dates of the terminal elements and summary elements of a project. Terminal elements and summary
elements comprise the work breakdown structure of the project. Some Gantt charts also show the dependency (i.e.,
precedence network) relationships between activities. Gantt charts can be used to show current schedule status
using percent-complete shadings and a vertical "TODAY" line as shown here.
17. What Cost-Benefit analysis?
Ans : Cost-benefit analysis is a term that refers both to:
a formal discipline used to help appraise, or assess, the case for a project or proposal, which itself is a process
known as project appraisal; and
an informal approach to making decisions of any kind.
Under both definitions the process involves, whether explicitly or implicitly, weighing the total expected costs against
the total expected benefits of one or more actions in order to choose the best or most profitable option. The formal
process is often referred to as CBA, or Cost-Benefit analysis in the United States.
18. Explain various security issues in MIS.
Ans : four security issues (access to Information Systems, secure communication, security management,
development of secure Information Systems), and examines the extent to which these security issues have been
addressed by existing research efforts. Research contributions in relation to these four security issues are analyzed
from three viewpoints: a meta-model for information systems, the research approaches used, and the reference
disciplines used. Our survey reveals that most information security research has focused on the technical context,
and on issues of access to IS and secure communication. The corresponding security issues have been resolved
by using mathematical approaches as a research approach.
19. What is system maintenance?
Ans : Many kinds of truth maintenance systems exist. Two major types are single-context and multi-context truth
maintenance. In single context systems, consistency is maintained among all facts in memory (database). Multi-
context systems allow consistency to be relevant to a subset of facts in memory (a context) according to the history
of logical inference. This is achieved by tagging each fact or deduction with its logical history. Multi-agent truth
maintenance systems perform truth maintenance across multiple memories, often located on different machines. de
Kleer's ATMS (1986) was utilized in systems based upon KEE on the Lisp Machine. The first multi-agent TMS was
created by Mason and Johnson. It was a multi-context system. Bridgeland and Huhns created the first single-
context multi-agent system.
20. Give the benefits and limitations of IS Planning?
Ans : Planning is both the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process
of thinking about the activities required to create a desired future on some scale. As such, it is a fundamental
property of intelligent behaviour. This thought process is essential to the creation and refinement of a plan, or
integration of it with other plans, that is, it combines forecasting of developments with the prepararation of scenarios
of how to react to them.