University MIS Assignment: Information Systems and Business Processes

This document presents a detailed solution to a Management Information Systems (MIS) assignment. It addresses key questions about the most critical components of an information system for business success, defining the concept of information systems for a general audience, and differentiating between data, information, and knowledge. The assignment further explores the two primary categories of software, defines databases and outlines the steps for their creation, and defines software itself. Additionally, it identifies various systems needed to support business processes within an organization, explains data backup methods, discusses the history and development of networking technologies, and concludes by defining an information system and its major components. The solution provides in-depth explanations and analysis for each question, offering a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.

Running head: MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS
MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Question 1..................................................................................................................................2
Question 2..................................................................................................................................2
Question 3..................................................................................................................................3
Question 4..................................................................................................................................4
Question 5..................................................................................................................................5
Question 6..................................................................................................................................6
Question 7..................................................................................................................................6
Question 8..................................................................................................................................7
Question 9..................................................................................................................................8
Question 10................................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................10

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Question 1
Of the five primary components of an information system (hardware, software, data,
people, process), which do you think is the most important to the success of a business
organization? Explain.
In respect to the five components present within the environment of the computer
based information systems, it can be generally stated that these overall components such as
the hardware, software, people, data as well as process are quite interrelated to each other.
Moreover, the most significant component among this five may be depicted as “Data”. This is
due to the fact that the data is that component among the five that is a critical component in
the computer information system (Laudon and Laudon, 2016). The data can be represented as
the fuel that drives the overall information system. Data mainly comprises of the raw facts
that information within the specified organization bounds and the subsidiaries of information
associated with it. This data effectively executes the other parts of an information system.
Without the presence of data the working of an information system gets disrupted which will
further hamper the overall working of a specified field or environment.
Question 2
Suppose that you had to explain to a member of your family or one of your closest friends
the concept of an information system. How would you define it?
In regards to the explanation of the information systems concept, it can be said that it
is a software that enhances the organizations or any field to organize as well as analyze the
data. The main purpose of the information system can be depicted as the conversion of the
raw data into some useful and understandable information that can be further used for making
decisions within the specified organization (Davis and Yen, 2018). Let us assume that the
information system is a vehicle that runs on fuel. To run the vehicle we need fuel and this

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fuel may be represented as data of the overall constraints present within the environment of a
specified organization. Just as the fuel is needed to drive the car, similarly the data is needed
to drive the overall information system hereby adhering the benefits of the overall database.
Thus the information system may be defined as the significant system that is composed of
people as well as computers that processes or interprets the overall information present within
the database.
Question 3
Describe the differences between data, information, and knowledge.
Data is stated to be anything that is represented in a digital form, which tends to
include the non-executable format of knowledge that will be stored in the digital form.
Information is depicted as the momentary structure extraction of data, which modifies the
perspective in respect to the interpreter thus developing new data (Wang, 2015). Information
mainly exists regarding the active data interpretation time. Moreover, knowledge is stated to
be the rules, interpreters as well as algorithms that primarily transforms the data into the
information. In addition to this, the three concepts are depicted to be interrelated to each other
as shown in the provided figure.

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(Image: Data, Information and Knowledge)
(Source: Mai, 2016)
Thus the above three concepts may be specifically stated by the below stated lines.
DATA is said to be a set of representation regarding the plain facts.
INFORMATION is depicted as a message that possess a meaning.
KNOWLEDGE is said to be the information that is processed in regards to an individual.
Question 4
Describe the two primary categories of software.
The significant categories of a computer software is depicted to be divided into two
primary categories (Mall, 2018). These are System software as well as Application Software.
System Software: Primary usage of this category of software is to provide an interface to the
user for using the hardware constituents present within a computer system. The hardware

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resources regarding the computer are accessed as well as managed with the help of the
system software via utilising programs. These programs may be further categorized as
Operating System, Software for System Support and Software for System Development.
Application Software: These are stated to be the categories of the software that runs under
the system software. This can also be analysed that the application software cannot run
standalone, this always needs system software to be executed. Moreover, the various
application software are used to perform specific purposes. These softwares are used to solve
the specific problems. This application software are further classified into two parts that are
system software and operational software.
Question 5
Define the term database and identify the steps to creating one.
A database is defined as a collection of significant information in a properly
organized manner for ease of access as well as manage the data and keep it updated from
time to time. The effective methodology that is followed while keeping or maintaining the
data in an organized format is that the data are properly organized in the format of rows,
columns as well as tables (Smith and Wong, 2016). These data are accessed with the help of
indexes so that it will be relatively easy for the data to be accessed in the near future. The
system to keep the data updated, expanded as well as deleted is an enhanced feature that is
maintained whenever a new information is added within the database of the specified
information.
There are five steps that are effectively identified in regards to the creation of a
database. These are stated briefly below:
 Defining the needs of the user
 Creating a shortlist

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 Evaluation of the options
 Implementation of the software
 Maintenance of the database
Question 6
Define the term software.
Software is primarily defined as the set of the instructions, as well as programs, which
are useful in the field of operating computers thus executing some specific tasks. Software is
further stated to be used for providing reference to certain applications, scripts as well as
programs, which runs on a computer device (Silberschatz, Gagne and Galvin, 2018).
Software is identified as the most variable part of a computer system. Software is primarily
divided into two categories; one being the application software and the other one being the
system software. The system software involves the operating system present within the
computer system that tends to support the application software and is depicted as the user
interface of the computer system for a user. Moreover, the application software is used to
perform specific tasks and can only execute in the presence of the system software.
Question 7
Identify the different systems needed to support business processes in an organization.
It is identified that there is no single information system that can provide the overall
information within the environment of the organization that can cope with the needs of the
organization. There are four significant information systems that are identified by an
organization that can cope with the organizational goals of a specified organization (Chang,
2016). These are stated briefly below:

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Marketing and sales information systems: This information system mainly helps the
organization with the marketing business processes as well as sales processes within an
organization.
Production and manufacturing operating systems: This information system deals with the
planning, production as well as development of the services as well as products that primarily
controls the flow of the production within the environment of the organization.
Accounting and finance operating systems: This information system mainly deals with the
organization’s financial constraints as well as flow of funds.
Human resources information systems: This type of information systems deals with the
records of the overall employees present within the environment of the organization as well
as track the skills, performance of job and training of the employees.
Question 8
Explain how to back up data? What methods are used?
Two primary methodologies are identified for the backup of data within the
environment of the information systems (Harasim, 2017). These briefly stated as follows:
Full Back up: This methodology enhances the overall data to be backed up into a target drive
or a disk that has the capability to have backup. This means that the overall data present
within an organizational database into a single file that makes the management of the data
very simple. The advantage is that the creating backup is relatively easy as well as managing
them is also easy.
Differential Back up: This means that the lastly changed or new data since the time of the
fully last backup is effectively backed up. The prime advantage of this kind of data backup is

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said to be the fact that it requires less amount of space in respect to eth space required for a
full backup.
Question 9
Discuss the history and development of networking technologies.
In respect to the history of the computer networking technologies the overall aspects
will be stated in the following table along with the dates (Fisch, White and Pooch, 2017).
Year Description
1940 A teletype machine is developed for the transmission of instructions
1950 Early communicating computers within networks are developed
1960 The first airline reservation system are developed within two interconnected mainframes.
1964
The developers of Dartmouth developed a system for transmission of data for communicating within
large computing systems
1965 Wide Area network or WAN was first developed
1972 Commercial services were provided by the help of network technologies
1991 The first broadband that can be used in home was developed.
1996 The 56k modem had been developed for fast transmission of data
2000 CISCO certified as a significant network organization.
2001
The enhancement of the home broadband for faster data transmission rather than the dial up
methodology services provided by Internet.
2009 10 Gigabit Ethernet shows the sequential port in the market for better transmission of data
2010 10 Gigabit Ethernet standard is fully completed.
(Table: History of networking technologies)
(Source: Created by author)

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Question 10
Define what an information system is by identifying its major components.
An information system is defined as an integrated as well as co-ordinate components
of network that combines together for the conversion of data into valuable information. The
primary aim of the information system is to provide information, knowledge as well as digital
products (Soomro, Shah and Ahmed, 2016). Most of the business organizations as well as
business firms rely on the information systems for carrying their work continuously in an
active manner. The primary advantage of the information systems is to effectively run the
inter-organizational supply chains as well as electronic markets.
There are primarily five components present in regards to the information systems.
These are software, hardware, database, people as well as network (Cook, 2017). These
components of the information system integrates with each other for performing the input,
output, processes the data, provide feedback as well as control the overall performance of the
organization that is associated with it.

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References
Chang, J.F., 2016. Business process management systems: strategy and implementation.
Auerbach Publications.
Cook, M., 2017. The management of information from archives. Routledge.
Davis, W.S. and Yen, D.C., 2018. The information system consultant's handbook: Systems
analysis and design. CRC press.
Fisch, E.A., White, G.B. and Pooch, U.W., 2017. Computer system and network security.
CRC press.
Harasim, L., 2017. Learning theory and online technologies. Routledge.
Laudon, K.C. and Laudon, J.P., 2016. Management information system. Pearson Education
India.
Mai, J.E., 2016. Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking,
needs, and behavior. Emerald Group Publishing.
Mall, R., 2018. Fundamentals of software engineering. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd..
Silberschatz, A., Gagne, G. and Galvin, P.B., 2018. Operating system concepts. Wiley.
Smith, L.C. and Wong, M.A. eds., 2016. Reference and Information Services: An
Introduction: An Introduction. ABC-CLIO.
Soomro, Z.A., Shah, M.H. and Ahmed, J., 2016. Information security management needs
more holistic approach: A literature review. International Journal of Information
Management, 36(2), pp.215-225.

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Wang, Y.I.N.G.X.U., 2015. Formal cognitive models of data, information, knowledge, and
intelligence. WSEAS Transactions on Computers, 14(3), pp.770-781.