CBMS4303 Management Information Systems: System Analysis Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Management Information Systems (MIS), focusing on Decision Support Systems (DSS), Executive Information Systems (EIS), and Expert Systems. It begins with an introduction to information systems, emphasizing their role in collecting, processing, and distributing information within organizations. The report then delves into the concepts and features of DSS, EIS, and Expert Systems, highlighting their respective strengths and applications. A comparative analysis is presented, discussing the differences in their functionalities, target users, and decision-making processes. Furthermore, the report explores the future trends, challenges, and issues associated with DSS and Expert Systems, considering advancements in technology and their impact on organizational decision-making. Finally, the report proposes the best decision support system for an organization, followed by a conclusion summarizing the key findings. References are included for further study.

Running head: ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
Name of student
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ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Analysis of the overall concept and features of Decision Support System, Executive
Information System and Expert System.....................................................................................3
Decision support system:.......................................................................................................3
Executive information system:...............................................................................................4
Expert system:........................................................................................................................4
Discussion on the differences of Decision Support System, Executive Information System
and Expert System......................................................................................................................5
Discussion on the future trends, challenges or issues of Decision Support System and Expert
System........................................................................................................................................8
Future trends of decision support system...............................................................................8
Challenges of decision support system..................................................................................9
Future trends in expert system:............................................................................................10
Challenges of expert system.................................................................................................10
Proposal for best decision support system for the organization...............................................11
Conclusion................................................................................................................................12
References:...............................................................................................................................13

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Introduction
Information system refers to a computer system that integrates hardware, software along with
telecommunication network that helps in collecting, processing and distributing information,
especially in an organizational context. It defines how information flows within a system.
The main aspect of an information system is to provide required information to a user while
collecting, processing and communicating data to the user of the information system
(Cassidy, 2016)). An organization consider different types of information system according
to organizational requirements as well.
Some information systems are applied for managing operational activities and some
information systems are considered for making organizational decision. Therefore, type of
information systems that are chosen by the organization depends on the requirements of the
organization (Bhuyar & Ansari, 2016). One of the most preferred information systems for
managing operational activities of the organization is office automation system. This type of
information system applied to automate office tasks and their role is limited in decision-
making process. Therefore, it is beneficial for operational people of the organization. Another
important type of information system identified in organization is transaction processing
system. It collect data related to transactions that are done between organization and its
clients which comprises of internal and external customers as well.
Analysis of the overall concept and features of Decision Support System, Executive
Information System and Expert System
Decision support system:
It refers to a system that assists management in making a decision regarding business. It
provides an interface that allows human-machine interactions and allows someone making

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business decision to ensure control over the entire decision making process through this
system referred to as a decision support system.
Features of decision support system:
Some of the important features of decision support system are the followings (Tole & Matei,
2016):
 One of the main aspects of the manager job is to make an effective decision for the
business which help in enhancing organisational performance as well. However,
making effective decisions is not so easy if access to required information is not
ensured. The decision support system is capable of providing information to the
managers which help them in making decisions that are not only intelligent but
according to the requirements of the business is well.
 This system allows communicating business information directly to the executive
which makes decision-making process simple and effective. This feature is also
provided in a typical information management system the decisions on support system
extends this feature even further and make this process even more effective.
 The reason why decision support system is different than typical information
management system is that in it the decision-maker is provided context for ensuring
interaction with information system and access information easily. It makes the
decision-making process effective and efficient as well.
Executive information system:
In an organisation, managers in top-level and executive do not go through a lot of information
analyse them and obtain the summary. Instead, they want the information to be present in
inspector format that it is easier for them to obtain the information they looking for and this is

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where executive information system please an important role in providing information to the
top-level executive in an organised way that is easier to analyse.
Features of executive information system:
Some of the important features of executive information system are the followings (Yin,
2018):
 Access to information regarding organizational success factor
 Access to various database through an uniform interface for easier access to data
 Capable of extensive data analysis and therefore identifying details in information
which is presented in a summarized format
Expert system:
An expert system is a term that is closely associated with artificial intelligence. It refers to a
computer system that mimics the expertise of a human and takes a decision like an expert.
This system is capable of analysing problems and apply logic to provide a solution to those
problems in an efficient way. In order to solve problems as if the method is considered and
therefore it is different than problem-solving through traditional procedural code.
Features of expert system:
Some of the important features of expert system are the followings (Eroshkin et al., 2017):
 It applies artificial intelligence for decision making process
 It is capable of analysing problems that are highly complex and requires intelligent
decision making
 Provide justification regarding an decision which makes decision effective and
efficient as well

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ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
Discussion on the differences of Decision Support System, Executive Information
System and Expert System
Information system that helps organization in making decision are described in this context.
Decision Support System is one of the most popular information systems helps in making
effective decision for the organization. Along with this, Executive Information System and
also Expert System are important example of this type of information system (delone &
mclean, 2016). Although the main purpose of these information systems is to collect and
analyse data and helps organization in making informed decision, but the way these
information systems are applied in decision making process differs and it depends on people
who are involved in this decision making process as well.
In this context, a comparative analysis is provided regarding Decision Support System,
Executive Information System and Expert System as well.
Decision support system:
● It organises information in such a way so that it is applicable in the decision-making
process. It applies the database in this context. Decision support system does not help
in automating transformation applied on or it even does not provide output presented
in report format rather it provides approaches for solving problems required in making
effective decisions in a business context.
● In the decision, the support system interface is designed in such a way that it makes
human-computer interaction natural so that this easier to apply this system in the
decision-making process.
● The decision support system is designed specifically for a user or a group of users
which allow this system to be implemented for various decision-making purposes
according to the requirements as well.

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ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
● Although it is possible to customise the decision support system according to
requirements but designing specific decision support system from scratch is a
complex process. There are tools available for this purpose. System analyst might
consider DSS generator which helps in integrating different hardware and software
provided in a package for the decision-making process.
● For designing and employing a decision support system properly, it is important to
consider it as a process rather than a product. It will help ensure that the design and
application of decision support systems are effective and efficient as well.
Executive information system:
● It provides external along with internal information of an organisation in a format that
is not only highly summarised but convenient as well.
● It provides assistance in identifying an issue you are an opportunity or some trend that
is important for the organisation design it strategies which are in accordance with
business and organisational requirements as well.
● The executive information system provides quick and easy access to information
which helps in identifying important success factors for the organisation required for
ensuring organisational success.
● Another important feature of executive information system is to provide access to a
different database. It includes the external and internal database. Access to this
database is provided through a uniform interface that makes excess easier and
effective as well.

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● The executive information system should provide recent status along with future
projection so that it is easier to make an informed decision in the organisational
context.
● Executive information system allows going deeper into the data. Therefore even if the
information is presented in the highly summarised way it is possible to get detailed
information through going deeper into the data and this is what makes this system so
effective and often preferred by top management in an organisation.
● It should offer customizability so that it is possible to design this system according to
the requirements of the user or group of users. It is an important feature that an
effective executive information system should provide for ensuring that the design
and implementation of an executive information system are effective and efficient as
well.
Expert system:
● It is an advanced computing system and the main purpose of its implementation is to
provide a solution to various complex problems applying non-algorithmic procedures
where human expertise is required.
● Expert systems are mostly applied in domain where there is significant complexity in
analysing the problem and identify proper solution according to the requirements. It is
mostly preferred as an effective alternative for identifying a solution for problems that
require human intelligence and expertise as well.
● Expert systems are not only efficient in providing a solution to problems but these
systems are even capable of justifying solution to the problems provided. They
analyse fast input from the user and there co-ordinate the inputs to identify what is the
most effective solution for a particular problem for which these systems are applied.

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ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
● An important feature of the expert system is backward chaining. It is an inference
technique where the goal is divided into smaller goals. The benefit of this approach is
that it is easier to provide proof for a problem through if-then rules.
● Sometimes problem-solving requires analysis of data that are not properly organised
and there is a certain level of uncertainty is associated with those data. There is
uncertainty in data it affects the quality of the decision. However, expert systems are
capable of analysing data even though it is not properly organised and there is
uncertainty in the provided data. This data are analysed applying proper logic and
then provide solutions that are effective and efficient as well.
Discussion on the future trends, challenges or issues of Decision Support System and
Expert System
Future trends of decision support system
Innovation in information technologies has provided context to introduce new features in
decision support system. It is therefore required to analyse what are the future trends in
decision support system as these trends are most likely to enhance how this system helps in
making effective decision for the organization.
Some of the trends that might be important for this information system are the followings
(Paraforos et al., 2017):
 An important trend that is most likely to be seen in decision support system is its
application in making decision involving geographical data. It will be introduced as
geographic information system or GIS which will integrate technologies like GPS and
other visual technologies which will be capable of collecting, storing, manipulating,
analysing, managing and presenting geographical data. This will ensure enhancing
decision making process

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ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
 Another important future trend regarding decision support system is integration of
cognitive feature. This will help in eliminating negative consequences associated with
a decision that is not so effective or lack proper analysis
 Application of multi-criteria optimization is another important future trend in decision
support system that will help to ensure that a decision is effective while considering
objectives that are conflicting in nature. When there are multiple objectives which are
conflicting in nature, it affects decision making process. However, application of
multi-criteria optimization in decision support system will ensure that decision is
effective and efficient as well
 In future, decision support system is most likely to be integrated with search engine
and advanced data mining tools. These data mining tools will help to identify if there
is any missing data and it will complete these data. Therefore, it will be easier to make
decision even if data is not collected properly. Therefore, it will ensure that design
and application of decision support system is effective and efficient as well
Challenges of decision support system
Quantification of data:
Decision support system requires data that are quantifiable. However it is not always possible
to represent data in this form specially data which is intangible or not easy to define (Hasan,
Mahdi & Nat, 2017). Therefore, it is a major drawback of this decision support system.
Assumptions are not clear:
It is not possible for a decision maker to identify what are the assumptions that are considered
by the decision support system while analysing data associated with a specific problem.
Collecting data is not that easy:

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It needs to be identified collecting every data that is related to a particular problem. While
some data are not easy to record, some data are not even possible to collect (Nascimento et
al., 2018). Therefore, decision provided by a decision support system might not be totally
effective.
Future trends in expert system:
Some of the future trends that is worth analysing in context of expert system are the
following (Amuna et al., 2017):
 Application of artificial general intelligence which will be capable of mimicking
human intelligence so accurately that it will be not easy to identify whether decision
are made by artificial intelligence or by a human expert
 Application of explainable artificial intelligence which will allow artificial intelligent
system to explain itself. Therefore, it will be easy to identify how decisions are made
as it will be explained in details by the system itself
 Another important trend that is worth analysing is application of deep learning which
will enhance data analysis and decision making process effective and efficient as well
Challenges of expert system
Extensive technical knowledge:
In order to ensure effective design and implementation of expert system, extensive technical
knowledge and expertise is required. However, ensuing this level of technical knowledge is
not always easy for organizations (Jarrahi, 2018).
Cost of implementation:

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Implementing an expert system requires significant investment in designing infrastructure
and purchase of required hardware and software. Therefore, implementation of expert system
is expensive, an important challenge for implementing expert system as well.
Lack of explanation:
Although expert system helps in decision making process, it is not capable of providing
explanation logic considered for some decisions and it is also not capable of automating some
complex procedures as well.
Proposal for best decision support system for the organization
There are different types of information support system and there is no such criteria that
makes any particular decision support system better than other. In order to identify the best
decision support system for an organization, it is required to analyse business and
organizational requirements. The decision support system that is analysed in this context will
be implemented in an IT organizations that specialises in enterprise software design and
consultancy service. In this type of organization it is important to ensure proper
communication not only with internal team that design and deploy enterprise software but
also with the partners of the organization as well (Chisholm, 2017). Organizations while
designing an enterprise system needs to conduct meetings with clients to identify their
requirements. Identification of client requirements and integrating that into software design is
an important business aspect and it is an effective strategy of the organization to ensure
consumer satisfaction. However, only collecting requirements of client is not enough, in
order to ensure that these requirements are properly analysed and integrated into software
design, communication with project team is of prime importance in this context. Along with
identification of requirements, ensuring team collaboration is also required, otherwise it is not
possible to ensure success in software design. Designing an enterprise software is not easy

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and it requires skills and knowledge. Therefore, it is required to ensure that everyone in the
team is providing their best in terms of their knowledge and skills required for designing and
implementation of software. Only when each and every team member contributes properly in
the project, it is possible to ensure effective execution of the project. However, to ensure team
collaboration, coordination between team members is required and for this effective
communication between team members is important.
Therefore, the best decision support system that is proposed for this organization is that
system which provides these facilities. Communication-driven decision support system is a
type of decision support system that is specifically designed for internal team of an
organization, including partners of the organization as well. It helps in conducting meetings
and allows users to collaborate as well. It includes web or client server as a preferred
technology for deploying decision support system. Therefore, it is an effective decision
support system for this organization and proposed for this organization as well.
Conclusion
From the analysis it is identified that although decision support system and expert system are
important for organizations for decision making process, there are some challenges for
implementing these systems. Some of the important issues for decision support system are
requirement for quantifiable data for decision making process, lack of explanation for
assumptions considered in decision making and collection of data for making effective
decision. Some of the issues that affect implementation of expert system are requirement for
extensive technical knowledge, implementation cost and lack of explanation for logic that is
considered in providing decision which affects quality of decision as well.

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References:
Amuna, Y. M. A., Al Shobaki, M. J., & Naser, S. S. A. (2017). The Role of Knowledge-
Based Computerized Management Information Systems in the Administrative
Decision-Making Process.
Bhuyar, R., & Ansari, S. (2016). Design and implementation of smart office automation
system. International Journal of Computer Applications, 151(3), 37-42.
Cassidy, A. (2016). A practical guide to information systems strategic planning. Auerbach
Publications.
Chisholm, R. (2017). Interorganizational decision making. Routledge.
DeLone, W. H., & McLean, E. R. (2016). Information systems success
measurement. Foundations and Trends® in Information Systems, 2(1), 1-116.
Eroshkin, S. Y., Kameneva, N., Kovkov, D., & Sukhorukov, A. (2017). Conceptual system in
the modern information management. Procedia Computer Science, 103(C), 609-612.
Hasan, H. F., Mahdi, A. A., & Nat, M. (2017, September). A recommendation of information
system implementation to support decision-making process of top management.
In Proceedings of the International Conference on Bioinformatics and Computational
Intelligence (pp. 55-61).
Jarrahi, M. H. (2018). Artificial intelligence and the future of work: Human-AI symbiosis in
organizational decision making. Business Horizons, 61(4), 577-586.
Nascimento, A. M., Meirelles, F. D. S., da Cunha, M. A. V., Scornavacca, E., & de Melo, V.
V. (2018). A literature analysis of research on artificial intelligence in Management
Information System (MIS). In American Conference on Information Systems.
Association For Information System (AIS).

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Paraforos, D. S., Vassiliadis, V., Kortenbruck, D., Stamkopoulos, K., Ziogas, V., Sapounas,
A. A., & Griepentrog, H. W. (2017). Multi-level automation of farm management
information systems. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 142, 504-514.
Tole, A. A., & Matei, N. C. (2016). Executive Information Systems'(EIS) structure and their
importance in decision-making. A comparison between decision support computer
systems. Journal of Information Systems & Operations Management, 1.
Yin, C. Y. (2018). Measuring organizational impacts by integrating competitive intelligence
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547.