外文文献信息管理制度系统.doc

Definition of a Management Information System There is no consensus of the definition of the term management information system. Some writers prefer alternative terminology such as information processing system, information and decision system, organizational information system, or simply information system to refer to the computer-based information processing system which supports the operations, management, and decision-making functions of an organization. This text uses “MIS” because it is descriptive and generally understood; it also frequently uses “information system” instead of “MIS” to refer to an organizational information system. A definition of a management information system, as the term is generally understood, is an integrated, user-machine system for providing information to support operations, management, and decision-making functions in an organization. The system utilizes computer hardware and software; manual procedures; models for analysis planning, control and decision making; and a database. The fact that it is an integrated system does not mean that it is a single, monolithic structure; rather, it means that the parts fit into an overall design. The elements of the definition are highlighted below.?1 Computer-based user-machine system Conceptually, management information can exist without computer, but it is the power of the computer which makes MIS feasible. The question is not whether computers should be used in management information system, but the extent to which information use should be computerized. The concept of a user-machine system implies that some tasks are best performed by humans, while others are best done by machine. The user of an MIS is any person responsible for entering input data, instructing the system, or utilizing the information output of the system. For many problems, the user and the computer form a combined system with results obtained through a set of interactions between the computer and the user. User-machine