System Concepts and Information System Environment:

What is a SYSTEM?

•         A system is a group of interrelated components working together toward a common goal by accepting inputs and producing outputs in an organized transformation process.

–        Components and their attribution

•         Systems structure: relationship between components

•         Subsystems

–        Environment and Boundary

–        Input and Output

Definition of a System

          The term system may be defined as an orderly arrangement of a se t of interrelated and interdependent element that operate collectively to accomplish some common purpose or goal. For example – human body is a system, consisting of various parts such as head, heart, hands, legs and so on. The various body parts are related by mean of connecting networks of blood vessels and nerves and the system has a main goal of “living”. Thus, a system can be described by specifying its parts, the way in which they are related, and goals which they are expected to achieve. A business is also a system is also a system where economic resources such as people, money, material, machines, etc are transformed by various organizational processes (such as production, marketing, finance etc.) into goods and services. A computer based information system is also a system which is a collection of people, hardware, software, data and procedures that interact to provide timely information to authorized people who need it.

Type of system

1. Elements
2. interactive behavior
3. degree of human intervention
4. working/output

Characteristics of Systems

l      A component 

•         an irreducible part or aggregation of parts that make up a system, also called a subsystem

l      Interrelated components

•         Dependence of one subsystem on one or more subsystems

l      Boundary

•         The line that marks the inside and outside of a system and that sets off the system form its environment

l      Purpose

•         The overall goal or function of a system

l      Environment

•         Everything external to a system that interacts with the system

l      Interface

•         Point of contact where a system meets its environment or where subsystems meet each other.

l      Constraint

•         A limit to what a system can accomplish

l      Input

•         Whatever a system takes from its environment in order to fulfill its purpose

l      Output

•         Whatever a system returns  from its environment in order to fulfill its purpose

Open and Closed and closed system

l     Open system

A system that interacts freely with its environment, taking input and returning output

For example- The education system or any business process system will quickly change when the environment changes. To do this, an open system will interact with element that exist and influence from outside the boundary of the system.

l     Closed system

A system that is cut off from its environment and does not interact with it

For example- Consider a ‘throw-away’ type sealed digital watch, which is a system, composed of a number of components that work in a cooperative fashion designed to perform some specific task. This watch is a closed system as it is completely isolated from its environment for its operation. Such closed system will finally run down or become disorganized. This movement to disorder is termed on increase in entropy.

Formal & Informal Information Systems

 Formal Information System:
A formal information system is based on the organisation represented by the organization chart. The chart is a map of position and their authority relationship,indicated by boxes and connected by straight lines. it is concerned with the pattern of authority, communication and work flow.
Informal Information System:
The informal information system is employee based system design to meet personnel and vocational needs and to help in the solution of work-related problems. it also funnels information upward through indirect channels. In this way, it is considered to be a useful system because it works within the framework of the business and its stated policies.

Computer Based Information System (CBIS)

A CBIS is an organized integration of hardware and software technologies and human elements designed to produce timely, integrated, accurate and useful information for decision making purposes.

For any given application the following features must be present:-

Easy to use interactive (two way) interfaces

• Touch screen
• GUI
• Menu Driven Interface
• Color Screen
• Buttons
• Labels
• Voice Activated
• Tones, on phones

Use of advanced technologies

• Phone (inc WAP)
• digital television
• Teleconferencing (audio, video and computer)
• Integration of voice, data and images through ISDN’s (integrated services digital networks)
• Image transfer systems through facsimile

Fast processing

• Searching (Google gives you search times)
• Looking up name in a database

Rapid responses

• To input
• To requests

Management Information System

            Many experts have defined MIS in different language. A management information system has been defined by Davis and Olson as “an integrated user-machine system designed for providing information to support operational control, management control and decision making function is an organization”.           

Management

Information

Systems

Decision Support Systems – DSS (definition)

The best decision support systems provide high-level summaries and drilldowns to details.
Decision Support Systems (DSS) are a specific class of computerized information system that supports business and organizational decision-making activities. A properly designed DSS is an interactive software-based system intended to help decision makers compile useful information from raw data, documents, personal knowledge, and/or business models to identify and solve problems and make decisions.
Typical information that a decision support application might gather and present would be:

• Accessing all of your current information assets, including legacy and relational data sources, cubes, data warehouses, and data marts
• Comparative sales figures between one week and the next
• Projected revenue figures based on new product sales assumptions
• The consequences of different decision alternatives, given past experience in a context that is described

General Business Knowledge

 For an individual that’s new to business and wants to negotiate Procurement contracts at some point their career, one of the first things they need to do is start to build their knowledge and skills.

 To be a good negotiator you need knowledge and skills in a number of areas.

1. General business knowledge and skills.
2. Procurement knowledge and skills
3. Contracting knowledge and skills
4. Negotiation knowledge and skills 

Interpersonal Communicational System

 Interpersonal communication is usually defined by communication scholars in numerous ways, usually describing participants who are dependent upon one another. It can involve one on one conversations or individuals interacting with many people within a society. It helps us understand how and why people behave and communicate in different ways to construct and negotiate a social reality. While interpersonal communication can be defined as its own area of study, it also occurs within other contexts like groups and organizations. Interpersonal communication is the process that we use to communicate our ideas, thoughts, and feelings to another person. Our interpersonal communication skills are learned behaviors that can be improved through knowledge, practice, feedback, and reflection.