Two technology

Management information systems can be described as computer based systems that provides management tools for managers to plan, structure, assess and efficiently intro departmental units within a business enterprise. The main objective of this report is to provide a discussion of two articles that address similar forms of information technology via comparing and contrasting the two articles. The two articles that shall be used in this discussion include ‘Management Information Systems’ put forward by Stephen B.

Harsh and ‘MIS (Management Information Systems)’ put forward by Margaret Rouse. In attempting to define the management information systems, both authors utilize varying processes to reach their definitions. According to Margaret Rouse (1), the main focus is placed on critical usage of the information technology, which in her opinion is used internally by business enterprises. Stephen Harsh on the other hand, places major significance on the vast and intricate topics covered by the information technology.

Harsh holds that there are several activities that are associated to management information systems that make it impossible for one to fully review the technology (Harsh 2). The second distinction between Margaret Rouse article and Stephen Harsh is that although they issues similar information technology I. E. The management information systems, they both different perspectives. Rouse mainly focuses on the historical development of information systems and how these technologies are used in the contemporary world to manage varying aspects of the business processes (Rouse 3).

Harsh on the other hand, focuses on the type of information processes by the information system, its historical perspectives, and how these aspects relates to the components of the modern decision support system within the business world (Harsh 5). According to OTOH researchers, management information systems are information technologies that are computer based. Its core relevance in the business world is that it facilitates information in a manner that makes planning, controlling, and monitoring of business activities relatively easy.

Rouse describes the management information systems as software and hardware systems found in an organization whose role is to provide it with information management requires operating an enterprise. Harsh states that this technology as the computer based technology that assists in decision aging in a business enterprise (Harsh 5; Rouse 3). According to Harsh, production and financial records in business firms have long been used by economists as tools to assess and evaluate the prosperity of an organization (Harsh 6).

Both authors acknowledge that computer technologies became vastly available between the periods of asses and early asses. This era witnessed an augmented enthusiasm for information systems to enhance management decision processes. According to Rouse some of the activities that were handled by the MIS included order entry, getting and accounting (Harsh 6; Rouse 4). Rouse further explained that the advent of personal computers in the asses greatly reinforced the expansion of MIS since it operated programs that ran spreadsheets and increased the scope of computing capabilities.

Both authors agree that although there was great enthusiasm in regards to the growth of computer technology, key focus was placed on production records and accounting activities. Some of the functionality that was handled by the MIS included supply chain management, sales force automation, getting, enterprise resource planning, order entry and accounting. In addition to this, Rouse narrows down her focus on describing how the tasks of information technologies related to other departments.

In her opinion, the tasks undertaken by the MIS were not solely the property of the information systems department but also for other parties including outside vendors, line of business computing department, and outsourced. The author continually narrates how MIS’ name transformed from the broad initial term ‘information technology in the asses to MIS in the asses (Rouse ). As the systems expanded its capacities in the asses, the author holds that the application ushered a novel set of tasks known as IS tasks in the asses.

As the IS continued to become a strategic director of the computer based software and fundamental hardware technologies, the name changed to IT rather than IS to reflect its new role. In the business world, MIS unit became a smaller section of the overall whole (Rouse 5). In Stephen Harsh perspective, key focus was placed on the type of information being conveyed within the information systems. In his opinion, there are our types of information I. E. Descriptive information, diagnostic information, prescriptive information and predictive information.

The relevance of descriptive information within the computer based technology is that it depicted the condition of a business. It also describes the nature of the business at a given point in time. The relevance of diagnostic information is that it assists managers to identify the limitations and/or problems comprised within the business process, activities and set ups. It gives managers the capacity to define a problem and develop an adequate reactive measure (Harsh 7).

The predictive information projected by the management information systems allows forecasts of future events to be assessed. At the event that business enterprise is not contented by the projection, the predictive information plays a vital role in directing managers to improve business processes so as to attain targeted objectives using the prescriptive information availed in the MIS (Harsh 7). The other distinct feature between Margaret Roué’s article and Stephen Harsh articles is that the latter author identifies to models used n MIS.

In his opinion, the information systems have to major orientations I. E. Data oriented and model oriented. According to Harsh, early information systems were data oriented. The systems relied on large mainframes of computers to convey data to the central processing center, which later sends reports back to the cooperating business. The capacities of these systems were such that although they could calculate basic accounting information, it could not compute essential ratios such as return on assets.

Moreover, although the systems had the capacity to bestow agnostic and descriptive information, it lacked the capacity to provide prescriptive and predictive information. These revelations led to the dawn of model oriented information systems to manage business functions. People such as Callahan from Singles University played an indispensable role of creating a robust simulation model known as the SIMILAR that was implemented on the mainframe computers. The relevance of such model oriented information systems is that it assisted in evaluating various production strategies.