SPRING 2014

Master of Business Administration MBA Semester 2

MB 0047 Management Information System 4 Credits
Book ID B1630
Roll No. 1308002393

Q.No.1 Professor A. Van Cauwenbergh of Antwerp University, in a paper presented at the

Tenth Anniversary Conference of the European Institute for Advanced Studies in
Management, presented four revisions to traditional Management Theory. In summary, the
revisions are:
1. The initiative for the renewal and adjustment of the activities of a firm should come
from the different levels in the management hierarchy. Strategy is not a privilege of
top management.
2. Firms, especially big firms, are incoherent systems (goals of the different component
systems are not simply subdivisions of an overall goal; there are individual,
conflicting goals as well).
Some of these differences are manifestations of organizational initiative and vitality.
Using information systems and central planning and rule-making to suppress all
differences is destructive to organizations.
3. The most vital fluid of an enterprise is the aggregate of its entrepreneurial values.
The most fundamental and motivation and control come through these shared values
relative to work, quality, efficiency, etc. Management often neglects these values and
assumes that the collection and dissemination of information will provide sufficient
motivation and control.
4. Enterprises are open systems; their structure and operating processes are determined
by their environment. This means organizations must be designed to continually
adjust to the environment.
a. If these revisions are correct, how is planning to be organized?
b. How should the information system support the planning organization?
ANS. a. ORGANIZATIONAL PLANNING PROCESS The organizational planning
process involves the following steps:
1. Analyze the situation and the need for planning Plans shape the activities needed to
reach the required goals
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2. Forecast developments in all aspects Managers must examine plans initially and
continue to do so as plans change and new goals are developed.
3. Evaluate and re-evaluation task accomplishments and resources available Task
being carried out should be evaluated once completed and the resources available
after each task must also be checked.
4. Team building It is necessary to classify and group the necessary work activities
into manageable units along with the required tools and techniques.
5. Formation and development of MIS Once the analyzing, forecasting, evaluating
and team building work is done, manager should determine the decision- making and
coordinating relationships of the organization as a whole.

Analyze the
situation and
the need for
planning

Forecast
developments in
all aspects

Team
building
and
models,
tools and
techniques
environme
nt

Vision
Mission
Policies

Formation
and
development
of MIS

Objectives
Environment
Organization
planning of
MIS

Evaluate and reevaluation task

accomplishments and
resources available.
Organizational Planning Process
b. GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING MIS

1. Make provisions in the systems.

2. Carry out alternative plans as recognized in the objectives.
3. Compare the systems plan with the organizations plan and ensure changes
accordingly.
4. Format the plans of the system, document them, and present to top management.
5. Construct a tool or technique for reviewing or altering if required.
6. Formulate a system for processing the collected data.
7. Allot the responsibility and authority for planning.
8. Allot finance for this purpose.
9. Formulate a team of technical personnel to compare the effectiveness of the system.

COMPARISON BETWEEN MIS AND BUSINESS PLAN

BUSINESS PLAN

MIS PLAN

It includes business goals, business plan and

strategy.

MIS objectives are consistent with the

business goals and objectives.

Management plan for execution and control.

Operation plan for the execution.

Architecture of the MIS to support decisions.

System development schedule, matching the
plan execution.
Hardware and software plan for the
procurement and the implementation.

SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM OF THE LEWIN MODEL The significant problem in this

model is the resistance to change. The resistance can occur due to three reasons: the internal
factors, design factors and users attitude. Users resist change as they are habituated to the
system. If they are asked to use another system which they are not familiar with, then
opposition emerges.
Q.No.2 Information Technology and Computers have brought information age. The spread of
Internet and relative ease of access made Information Breach easier. Our future is not secure,
if our information is not secure information is not secure. Information Resources need to be
guarded, protected and controlled. List the precautionary measures to be considered to
prevent cybercrime?
ANS. PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES TO PREVENT CYBERCRIME
1. Use passwords to prevent unauthorized use of the business information systems. Also
enforce the users to adopt a password which is of certain length, contains special
characters, uppercase and lowercase letters by implementing a security. Use a firewall
to prevent the employees from accessing risky sites and downloading certain types of
files.
2. To detect and delete malware, install special malware detection software such as
antivirus, Spyware sweepers. Also enable automatic updates so that new virus
definitions are used for scanning the systems periodically.
3. Encrypt (scramble) sensitive business data to prevent it falling into wrong hands. For
example customer credit card number and password is encrypted to prevent it being
captured by spyware on the internet. Even the data on employees portable systems
like laptops can be encrypted. In case it gets stolen or lost the firm loses only the
hardware asset of laptop but safeguards the business data.
4. Training employees not to download email attachments and open them. For example,
the ILOVEYOU virus arrives in an email with the subject I Love you. It contains a
VBScript program which when double clicked does its job of forwarding itself to
contacts in your outlook address book and deleting files on your system.
5. Ask the IT department to track bug reports and patches to reduce the chances of
malware like DoS, worms, virus and Trojan horses from sneaking in.
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6. Whenever a new technology or IS are bought in, analyze the risks and threats
associated with it and update the plan accordingly.
7. Plan what should happen if the organizations web based or intranet systems are under
attack. Who should be contacted? Who should mitigate the risk? Should a press
release be given? How should the data recovery be done?
Q.No.3 a. While implementing MIS in any organization change can occur in number of
ways. List and explain the steps in the process as suggested by Lewins model.
b. Compare between prototype approach and Life Cycle approach.
ANS. a. STEPS IN LEWINS MODEL
Implementation of the MIS in an organization is a process where change can occur in a
number of ways.
The Lewins model suggests three steps in this process:
1. The first step is to communicate openly within the organization. This makes everyone
in the organization look forward to the new system or the changes with a sense of
pride.
2. The second step is to outline a list of activities specifying when they begin and reach
the desired level of stability.
3. The third step is refreezing and reinforcing. This process is often implemented
through an external change agent, such as a consultant playing the role of a catalyst.
b. COMPARISON OF APPROACHES
PROTOTYPE APPROACH
Open system with a high degree of
uncertainty about the information needs.

Necessary to try out the ideas, application

and efficiency of the information as a
decision support.
Necessary to control the cost of the design
and development before the scope of the
system and its application is fully
determined. Experimentation is necessary.
Users of the system try out the system before
they commit to the specification and the
information requirements.
The system and application is highly custom
oriented.

LIFE CYCLE APPROACH

Closed systems with little or no uncertainty
about the information needs. The system
remains valid for a long time with no
significant change. The design would remain
stable.
No need to try out the application of the
information as it is already proven.
Scope of the design and the application is
fully determined with clarity and
experimentation is not necessary.
Users are confident and confirm the
specifications and the information needs.
The system and application are universal and
governed by the set principles and practices.

Q.No.4 There is an information explosion in todays society. There are lot of advantages of
DBMS like proper maintenance of the data and maintaining security. Explain the process of
data transition using diagram and an example of your own.
ANS. PROCESS OF DATA TRANSITION Transition of data takes place from data
information
knowledge
wisdom.
Data is a raw fact which has been collected for a specific purpose. Data can be anything from
binary digits to a combination of alphabets and numeric characters.
When this data is processed it becomes a meaningful piece of data which can be used for
further action. This processed data is referred to as information. Information helps in analysis
and decision making. Information is obtained from the data but not all data produce useful
information. Information is useful when it is relevant, reliable, accurate, up-to-date, timely,
complete, intelligent, consistent and convenient to the recipient.
An information system is designed in a way to process data to a meaningful form, i.e., to
accept input, manipulate it in some way and produce output. The main function of the
information systems is to convert data into information. The information systems can perform
its unction only with the proper organization and structure to convert data into information.
The transition of data with examples is as follows:
1. Data represents a fact or statement of event without relation to other things.
Example for data It is raining.
2. Information embodies the understanding of a relationship of some sort, like cause
and effect.
Example for information The temperature dropped 15 degrees and then it started
raining.
3. Knowledge represents a pattern that connects and provides a high level of
predictability as to what is described or what will happen next.
Example for knowledge If the humidity is very high and the temperature drops
substantially; the atmosphere will hold the moisture so it rains.
4. Wisdom represents understanding of fundamental principles personified within the
knowledge that is the basis for the knowledge being what it is. Wisdom is essentially
systemic.
Example for wisdom It rains because it rains. And this includes an understanding of
all the interactions that happen between raining, evaporation, air currents, temperature
gradients, changes and raining.

Transition of Data
Q.No.5 Write short note on:
a.
b.
c.
d.

World Wide Web

Voice over IP
Intranet
Extranet

ANS. a. WORLD WIDE WEB It is a huge set of interlinked documents, images, videos
and other resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs. It is abbreviated as WWW and
commonly known as the web. These hyperlinks and URLs allow the Web servers and other
machines that store originals and cached copies of these resources to deliver them as required
using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). HTTP is only one of the communication
protocols used on the internet. Web services also use HTTP to allow software systems to
communicate in order to share and exchange business logic and data.
b. VOICE OVER IP VoIP stands for Voice over IP, where IP refers to the Internet
Protocol that underlies all Internet communication. This phenomenon began as an optional
two-way voice extension to some of the instant messaging systems in businesses across the
world. In recent years many VoIP systems have become easy and convenient to use as a
normal telephone. The benefit is that, as the Internet carries the actual voice traffic, VoIP can
be free or cost much less than a normal telephone call, especially over long distances and
especially for those with always-on Internet connections. Thus, VoIP is maturing into a
viable alternative to traditional telephones.
c. INTRANET It is a private computer network. Intranet uses Internet Protocols and
network connectivity to securely share part of an organizations information or operations
with its employees. The same concepts and technologies of the Internet such as clients and
servers running on the Internet Protocol suite are used o build an intranet. HTTP, FTP and
other Internet Protocols are used in intranet. Intranets are generally restricted to employees of
an organization. Intranets are being used to deliver tools and applications, example,
collaboration or sophisticated corporate directories, sales and CRM tools, project
management, etc., to advance productivity. Intranets are also being used as culture change
platforms.
d. EXTRANET It is a private network that uses Internet protocols, network connectivity
and possibly public telecommunication system to securely share part of an organizations
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information or operations with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers or other businesses.

An extranet may be considered as a private intranet mapped onto the internet or some other
transmission system not accessible to the general public, but is managed by more than one
companys administrators. An extranet requires security and privacy. These can include
firewalls, server management, the issue and use of digital certificates or similar means of user
authentication, encryption of messages.
Q.No.6 Artificial intelligent system functions like a human being and helps a manager in
taking quick decisions. Explain the different applications of AI using diagram.
ANS. APPLICATION OF AI
Artificial
Intelligence

Cognitive Science

Robotics

Natural Interface

Applications

Applications

Applications

Expert systems

Visual perception

Natural languages

Learning systems

Tactility

Speech recognition

Fuzzy logic

Dexterity

Genetic algorithms

Locomotion

Multi-sensory
interface

Neural networks

Navigation

Virtual reality

Intelligent agents

The different applications of AI are:

1. COGNITIVE SCIENCE It is the mental representations correspondent to
computer data structures, and computational processes similar to computational
algorithms.
Example- In our society, engineers and architects constantly face tasks, such as
constructing a highway or designing a traffic light, that require optimizing a design
despite physical and financial limitations. For instance, in the traffic light example, an
engineer must consider the tradeoff economics between using stronger materials and
the price of these materials or calculate statistics on the large amounts of traffic data
available for the intersection to determine light timing. With the ability to consider
large amounts of information and design considerations in a short period of time,
advanced intelligence can be developed to solve these types of complex logic
problems. In this way, the use of artificial intelligence as a tool for engineers could
make the design process faster, more efficient and more accurate.

2. ROBOTICS Engineering and physiology are the basic subjects of robotics. Robotic
machines are produced using robotic applications along with computer intelligence
and physical movements are controlled by computers. The robotic applications are
developed in such a way to give power to robot to view, feel and physical movement.
The robotic application also enables the robot to walk in any terrain and helps the
robot to navigate and reach the destination correctly.
3. NATURAL INTERFACE The development of natural interfaces is indispensable
to the use of computers by people. Development of normal languages and speech
recognition are major thrusts in this area of artificial intelligence. The goal of AI
research is to make the computers and robots to talk and understand each other
through conversational language as practiced by human beings. Other natural
interface research applications include the development of multi-sensory devices that
utilizes the body movements to control computers. This is related to the emerging
application area of virtual reality. Virtual reality involves using multi-sensory humancomputer interfaces that enable human users to experience computer simulated
objects, spaces, activities and worlds as if they actually exist.