MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM AT UNILEVER GHANA LIMITED

INTRODUCTION
The Management Information System (MIS) has been existing in various organizations for more than 20
years. The concept of the MIS has evolved over a period of time covering different aspects of the
organizational functions. The MIS is defined as An integrated system of man and machine for providing
the information to support the operations, the management and the decision making function in the
organization. (Kupili and Aryasri, 2012).
The initial concept of Management Information System was to process data from the organization and
presents it in the reports at regular intervals. This concept was further modified when a distinction was
made between data and information. The information is a product of an analysis of data. Over time, the
concept of the end user computing using multiple databases and user interfaces emerged. These concepts
brought a fundamental change in Management Information System which made the user independent of
the system. The concept of Management Information System eventually changed to a decision making
system.
Management information is viewed by many as a multidisciplinary approach to the business management
and hence needs to be kept under a constant review and modification to meet the corporate needs for
information. To have better handle on information processing, it is necessary to have a formal system
which should take care of following aspects:

Managing large volumes of data

Confirmation of the validity of data and transaction.
Complex processing of data and multidimensional analysis.
Quick search and retrieval.
Efficient storage and security of the data
Availability of the information system to the user on time.
Fulfilling the changing needs of the information.
Provision to expand over a period of time in line with the business growth.

These and more are what prompted Unilever Ghana Limited, as part of the Unilever Group of Companies
to invest heavily in tools that will provide management with the information it needs to remain
competitive.
The discussion in this report essay will focus the strategic role of management information system and
analyze the information requirements of Unilever, an organization operating in a competitive global
environment and hence require prompt decision making at each of the managerial levels. The essay will
look at the critical relationship between the business strategies, information system (IS) strategy and the
information technology (IT) strategy in the organization and the latent ethical issues of information
systems. I will then touch on how well the Unilever System is delivering its core function and whether
there is still room for improvement.
BACKGROUND
Unilever Ghana is Ghanas leading manufacturer of fast moving consumer goods and is one of Ghanas
leading corporate citizens. It all began in 1787 when two European trading firms, Swanzy and King
arrived in the Gold Coast. They later merged in 1931 to form the nucleus of the United Africa Company

of Gold Coast (UAC) with a strong commitment to the socio-economic development of the nation trading, manufacturing, agriculture and real estate. In 1963, UAC established Lever Brothers, a consumer
goods manufacturing business.
Unilever Ghana came into being on July 14, 1992 when the two significant and complimentary Unilever
PLC subsidiaries, UAC Ghana Limited, reputed for excellence in marketing and distribution, and Lever
Brothers Ghana Limited which is strong in manufacturing, merged to form Unilever Ghana Limited.
The mission statement of Unilever Ghana represents two dimensions of their company. The first is how
Unilever products attached to the people everyday life and the second is what Unilever wants to do in the
nearest future. Everyday in Ghana, more than 26million people use Unilever products because people
know they can help themselves feel good, look good and can get more out of life. The company is
committed to provide a healthy lifestyle, variety, taste, quality products, enjoyment and supporting
increasingly precious commodity. The company is also committed to the vitality of the environment and
the communities. The Unilever doing-business-in-a-responsible way has had a positive benefit across the
country and beyond.
Successful businesses build on their strengths, correct their weaknesses and protect against internal
vulnerabilities and external threats. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis
helps businesses to understand overall business environment and exploit new opportunities more faster
than any other competitors.