MBAR Management Information System

MBA-II YEAR

Paper Code:               MBA-207

Paper Title:                MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM

Q. 1.    Answer all the questions:

(i)What are the characteristic of internal and external information that is used in managerial decision making?

Ans:- The type of information required by decision makers in a company is directly related to:

 Resources: Profitability, sales, product quality brand associations, existing overall brand, relative cost of this new product, employee capability, product portfolio analysis

 Capabilities: Goal: To identify internal strategic strengths, weaknesses, problems, constraints and uncertainties

The External Analysis takes a look at the opportunities and threats existing your organizations environment. Both opportunities and threats are independent from the organization.

 Competitive analysis: Identify completely, put in strategic groups, evaluate performance, image, their objectives, strategies, culture, cost structure, strengths, weakness

 Market analysis: Overall size, projected grow th, profitability, entry barriers, cost structure, distribution system, trends, key success factors

 Environmental analysis: Technological, governmental, economic, cultural, demographic, scenarios, information-need areas Goa.

(ii)What are the support functions provided by decision support system?

Ans:- DSSs include knowledge-based systems. A properly designed DSS is an interactive software-based system intended to help decision makers compile useful information from a combination of raw data, documents, and personal knowledge, or business models to identify and solve problems and make decisions.

.(iii)What are the applications of Artificial Intelligence System?

Ans:- artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized information technology. The new economy of information technology has shaped the way we are living. This special issue aims to report the latest advances in every aspect of artificial intelligence technology, including machine learning, data mining, computer vision, multigene systems, evolutionary computation, and fuzzy logic.

 Artificial neural network

 Touching , Smelling Listening , Tasting , and Eating. These Perceptual activities incorporation into Intelligent Computer System is concerned with the areas of Natural Language Understanding & Processing and Computer Vision mainly. The are two major Challenges in the application area of Perception.

(iv)What is ACID test?

Ans:- Most stringent test of the reliability. So called because since ancient times acid is applied to assess the purity of a piece of gold (pure gold is unaffected by dilute acids)..

Short-term assets minus accounts receivable and inventory, divided by short-term liabilities. This is a test of a company’s ability to meet its immediate cash requirements. It is one of the more common business ratios used by financial analysts.

(v)What is the significance of ERP system?

Ans:- “Enterprise Resource Planning: An accounting oriented information system for identifying and planning the enterprise-wide resources to make, ship and account for customer orders.”Again in Internet encyclopedia, it has defined as “An enterprise planning system is an integrated computer-based application used to manage internal and external resources, including tangible assets, financial resources, material and human resources”

Note: Answer any two questions. Each question carries 5 marks (Word limits 500)

Q. 3.    Explain the various stages of System Development Life Cycle.

ANS- The System Development Lifecycle (SDLC) is a guideline for developing systems that involves the following phases:

Planning– is required to determine the feasibility of whether the project should proceed or not. Firstly, we identify the problem to be solved by investigating the issue, then establish a team and finally we develop appropriate documentation (e.g. Project Charter/ Business Case).

Analysis– is required to understand and document the user’s needs for the system. System requirements are studied and structured.  This stage refines project goals into defined functions and operation of the intended application and analyse end-user information needs.

Design– Describes how the system will fulfil the user requirements. In this stage we convert the recommended solution to system specifications. During the logical design phase, a prototype should be formed, if possible. The detailed design phase modifies the logical design and produces a final detailed design, which includes technology choices, specifies a system architecture, meets all system goals for performance, and still has all of the application functionality and behaviour specified in the logical design.

Implementation– In this stage we convert our physical system specifications into a working and reliable solution. We do this by coding, integration and testing, and installation.

Maintenance– We systematically repair and improve the information system during this stage.

Q. 4.    What are the different types of threats to companies Intranet?

ANS- Here is a list of 10 intranet security issues and what a user and organization do to resolv e them:

1. Network security threats- Internal and external threats are common. Some are deliberate threats while others are not. It's best to use a f irewall and some sort of security software like McAf ee Network Threat Response.
2. Security breaches. There are times when an intranet will encounter suspicious traffic, such as spam, phishing, spyware, adware and malware, so deploying an effective email filter (and firewall) can help block the suspicious traffic from entering the network.
3. Network attacks. There have been several cases reported ofan intranet being attacked. A network-based intrusion prevention system(IPS) or an intrusion detection prevention system(IDPS) can offer great protection. They also can be deployed for monitoring network traffic and d etecting and preventing well-known threats and attacks.
4. Unauthorized access. This happens much too often when an internal or external user (not authorized) gains access to data and corporate informati on stored on an intranet. It may be wise to use some type of authentication like passwords, smart cards, or biometrics; in addition, to deploying a bastion host before a user has access to the intranet.
5. Misuse of user privileges. Too often are users gaining unauthorized access to systems from the Intranet. Businesses may want to use some type of intranet monitoring software to see what their employees are doing on the intranet or on their own PCs.
6. Violations of security policies. At times, users will make illegal attempt to penetrate the network without clearance and permission. Internal users must understand what happens when someone v iolates the policy in attempt to protect internal IT sy stems on the intranet.
7.  Malicious content. Intranet users are vulnerable to malicious content(viruses, worms, and Trojan Horses) that attach themselves on emails. Bus inesses and users alike must remember to always maintain and update their security software on every PC and server on an intranet to ensure protection.
8. Usability problems. There are users who still improperly use the intranet. They do not know how to search, retrieve, send or share data and information; often, doing more harm than good on the private network. Some users may need formal training.
9. Weak passwords. Users tend to use weak passwords, write down passwords, never change them, or forget them. Network administrators must enco urage users to overcome these issues and have themuse hard-to-guess passwords, as well as not to share them, or write themdown.
10. Lack of encryption. Many times unsecured "confidential"data is shown to unauthorized users because they do not use encryption. Using SSL digit al certificates can help secure the Intranet.

Internal Assignment No. 2

Q. 1.    Answer all the questions:

(i)         What are the different data transmission modes?

Ans- Transmission mode refers to the mechanism of transferring of data between two devices connected over a network. It is also called Communication Mode. These modes direct the direction of flow of information. There are three types of transmission modes. They are:

1.      Simplex Mode

2.      Half duplex Mode

3.      Full duplex Mode

(ii)        How does LAN differs from WAN?

Ans- A Local area network (LAN) is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building using network media.

A wide area network (WAN) is a network that covers a broad area (i.e., any telecommunications network that links across metropolitan, regional, or national boundaries) using private or public network transports. 

(iii)       What are the features of Search engine?

An s- Search engines are increasing dramatically for both personal and professional use. It has become necessary for users to understand the differences between the search engines in order to achieve the highest satisfaction .And therefore it is important to evaluate and compare search engines in the pursuit of one search engine that will satisfy all the needs of the user. The aim of this paper is to provide information about the work and the results of the search engines. This paper represents the various evaluation methodologies to estimate the capabilities of search engines. This would help users to assess and determine the appropriate search engine to search depends on their own needs.

(iv)       What is the role of DSS in managerial decision making?

Ans- Decision Support System:

A Decision Support System is an integrated set of computer tools allowing a decision maker to interact directly with computer to retrieve information useful in making semi structured and unstructured decisions. Example of this decisions include such things as merger and acquisition decisions, plant expansion, new product decisions portfolio management and marketing decisions.

Decision making is a fundamental managerial activity. It may be conceptualized as consisting of four stages: intelligence, design, choice and implementation.

Important aspects of the Decision Support System:

1)         The most important consideration is the Decision Support System's ease of use -

2)         The ability to access information

3)         The ideal Decision Support System in sharp contrast to previous method of designing applications

4)         To adequately support the human element, this highly adaptive support capability

5)         The organizations need to access original data sometimes

6)         The Decision Support Generator

 (v)       Define ECRM?

Ans- The eCRM or electronic customer relationship management encompasses all the CRM functions with the use of the net environment i.e., intranet, extranet and internet. Electronic CRM concerns all forms of managing relationships with customers making use of information technology (IT). eCRM is enterprises using IT to integrate internal organization resources and external "marketing" strategies to understand and fulfill their customers needs. Comparing with traditional CRM, the integrated information for eCRM intraorganizational collaboration can be more efficient to communicate with customers

Q. 2.    Explain the role of TPS in supply chain management.

ANS- Transaction processing system (TPS), an information system (IS) mostly used by managers in operational management to record internal transactions, economic events that occur within an organization and external transactions where the business event took place outside the organization to make operational decision. TPS supports different tasks by setting a set of rules and guidelines that specify the ways to capture or collect, process and store any transaction in a form of data or information.

Supply chain management system(SCMs),it also can be referred to as Enterprise Resources Planning(ERP). This system involved the information of any business processes that related to the activities of producing and selling the final goods or services, such as the activities take part in the producing goods involved marketing to after-the-sale services; Industries which provide services might include document management, monitoring customer's portfolio and others.

1. Rapid response: In order to shorten the waiting time of the users, TPSs are modified to process transactions instantly to ensure the data will be available in the shortest waiting time.

2. Reliability: Due to the involvement of cash, the reliability of TPS has to be in place. TPSs have to be designed in a way to avoid the transactions slip past the net in the same time remain themselves operating permanently. Also the failure rate has to be remained within the tolerance levels. With that comprehensive safeguards and disaster recovery systems have to be incorporated by the designed TPSs.

3. Inflexibility: Mistakes or errors can occur once the steps alter. To maximize the efficiency of the TPS, transactions have to be processed in the same order. With that, TPS interfaces have to be designed so that the identical data for each transaction can be acquired.

4. Controlled Processing: Transaction processing monitor is found at every end of the computer to ensure that the transactions are correctly inputted. Still it requires human controls on it. TPSs can be used even in modify the data and fraudulent the transactions. 

Q. 3.    What are the different types f information required at various levels of management for decision making?

ANS- Information, as required at different levels of manage­ment can be classified as operational, tactical and strategic.

1. Operational information:

Operational information relates to the day-to-day operations of the organisation and thus, is useful in ex­ercising control over the operations that are repetitive in nature. Since such activities are controlled at lower levels of management, operational information is needed by the lower management.

For example, the information regarding the cash position on day-to-day basis is monitored and controlled at the lower levels of manage­ment. Similarly, in marketing function, daily and weekly sales in­formation is used by lower level manager to monitor the perform­ance of the sales force.

It may be noted that operational informa­tion pertains to activities that are easily measurable by specific standards. The operational information mainly relates to current and historical performance, and is based primarily on internal sources of data. The predictive element in operational information is quite low and if at all it is there, it has a short term horizon.

2. Tactical information:

Tactical information helps middle level man­agers allocating resources and establishing controls to implement the top level plans of the organisation. For example, information regarding the alternative sources of funds and their uses in the short run, opportunities for deployment of surplus funds in short- term securities, etc. may be required at the middle levels of man­agement.

The tactical information is generally predictive, focusing on short-term trends. It may be partly current and partly histori­cal, and may come from internal as well as external sources.

3. Strategic information:

While the operational information is needed to find out how the given activity can be performed better, strategic information is needed for making choices among the busi­ness options.

The strategic information helps in identifying and evaluating these options so that a manager makes informed choices which are different from the competitors and the limita­tions of what the rivals are doing or planning to do. Such choices are made by leaders only.

Strategic information is used by man­agers to define goals and priorities, initiate new programmes and develop policies for acquisition and use of corporate resources. For example, information regarding the long-term needs of funds for on-going and future projects of the company may be used by top level managers in taking decision regarding going public or approaching financial institutions for term loan.