Q.No.

1 Write down various problems associated with Traditional office /

work management.
ANS
Q.No.2 Short Notes:
o Office Automation System
Office automation systems (OAS) are configurations of
networked computer hardware and software. A variety of
office automation systems are now applied to business and
communication functions that used to be performed manually
or in multiple locations of a company, such as preparing
written communications and strategic planning. In addition,
functions that once required coordinating the expertise of
outside specialists in typesetting, printing, or electronic
recording can now be integrated into the everyday work of an
organization, saving both time and money.
It also refers to the use of equipments and processes to
facilitate efficient and effective communication within an
organization. The modern technologies applied in business
operation are geared towards improving productivity by
eliminating repeated things. Automation systems ensure that
the required processes run smoothly and are repeated with
the same level of accuracy all the time.
Think of all typical processes that occur within the office now imagine a
scenario whereby all these activities are conducted manually. For example
if you need to communicate with the director on fourth floor while you are
on second floor with no telephone you will be required to climb up to the
fourth floor to deliver the information. This makes the process
cumbersome and uneconomical especially with regards to time. This is
where office automation comes in and employs the use of equipment such
as the computer, copier, and printers among other equipments.

o DSS Vs GDSS

MIS is
to end up
mill
noise in
and the

DSS

GDSS

Decision Support
System

Group Decision
Support System

Focuses on an
individual for
instance, the
manager or the
supervisor.

Focuses on the group

Does not has.

Has network structure

or technology.

Relies on the ideas

created by the group
and gives them places
Relies to a
knowledge based to to discuss, improve
some degree.
and agree on it.

Success and
Failures of
MIS
Factors
contributing
to Success
not allowed
into an
information
generation
avoiding the
the
information

communication system.

The MIS recognizes that a manager is a human being and therefore,

the systems must consider all the human behavioural factors in the
process of the management.

The MIS recognizes that the different information needs for different
objectives must be met with. The globalization of information in
isolation from the different objectives leads to too much information
and information and its non-use.

The MIS is easy to operate and, therefore, the design of the MIS has
such features which make up a user-friendly design.

MIS recognizes that the information needs become obsolete and

new needs emerge. The MIS design, therefore, has a basic potential
capability to quickly meet new needs of information.

The MIS concentrates on developing the information support to

manager critical success factors. It concentrates on the mission critical
applications serving the needs of the top management.

Factors responsible for Failures

Lack of training and appreciation that the users of the

information and the generators of the data are different, and they
have to play an important responsible role in the MIS.

The MIS does not meet certain critical and key factors of its
users such as a response to the query on the database, an inability
to get the processing done in a particular manner, lack of userfriendly system and the dependence on the system personnel.

A belief that the computerized MIS can solve all the

management problems of planning and control of the business.

Lack of administrative discipline in following the standardized

systems and procedures, wrong coding and deviating from the
system specifications result in incomplete and incorrect information.

The MIS does not give perfect information to all the users in the
organization.

Q.No.3 W h a t a re t h e d i ff e re n t t y p e s o f i n f o rm a t i o n
s y s t e m s ( I S ) ? D i s c u s s t h e u s e s of each type of IS

Ans

Transaction Processing Systems

What is a Transaction Processing System?

Transaction Processing System are operational-level systems at the bottom

of the pyramid. They are usually operated directly by shop floor workers or
front line staff, which provide the key data required to support the
management of operations. This data is usually obtained through the
automated or semi-automated tracking of low-level activities and basic
transactions.
Some examples of TPS

Payroll systems

 Order processing systems

Reservation systems
Stock control systems
Systems for payments and funds transfers
The role of TPS

Produce information for other systems

Cross boundaries (internal and external)
Used by operational personnel + supervisory levels
Efficiency oriented

Management Information Systems

For historical reasons, many of the different types of Information Systems

found in commercial organizations are referred to as "Management
Information Systems". However, within our pyramid model, Management
Information Systems are management-level systems that are used by
middle managers to help ensure the smooth running of the organization in
the short to medium term. The highly structured information provided by
these systems allows managers to evaluate an organization's performance
by comparing current with previous outputs.
Some examples of MIS

Sales management systems

Inventory control systems
Budgeting systems
Management Reporting Systems (MRS)
Personnel (HRM) systems
The role of MIS

 Based on internal information flows

Support relatively structured decisions
Inflexible and have little analytical capacity
Used by lower and middle managerial levels
Deals with the past and present rather than the future
|Efficiency oriented
Decision Support Systems

A Decision Support System can be seen as a knowledge based system,

used by senior managers, which facilitates the creation of knowledge and
allow its integration into the organization. These systems are often used to
analyze existing structured information and allow managers to project the
potential effects of their decisions into the future. Such systems are usually
interactive and are used to solve ill structured problems. They offer access
to databases, analytical tools, allow "what if" simulations, and may support
the exchange of information within the organization.
Some examples of DSS

Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS)

Computer Supported Co-operative work (CSCW)
Logistics systems
Financial Planning systems
Spreadsheet Models
The role of DSS

Support ill- structured or semi-structured decisions

Have analytical and/or modelling capacity
Used by more senior managerial levels

 Are concerned with predicting the future

Are effectiveness oriented
Office automation system

Office automation systems (OAS) are configurations of networked computer hardware and software. A
variety of office automation systems are now applied to business and communication functions that
used to be performed manually or in multiple locations of a company, such as preparing written
communications and strategic planning. In addition, functions that once required coordinating the
expertise of outside specialists in typesetting, printing, or electronic recording can now be integrated
into the everyday work of an organization, saving both time and money.

Types of functions integrated by office automation systems include

(1) electronic publishing;
(2) electronic communication;
(3) electronic collaboration;
(4) image processing; and
(5) office management.

Expert system
Expert systems, also called "rule-based systems," are computer programs
or sets of programs that use knowledge of a domain (a specific field or
discipline) to act as an expert in that domain. Expert systems have been
built for dozens of sub-fields in medicine, business, and science, making
this one of the most successfully commercialized branches of artificial
intelligence (AI).
Uses
Camera lens design
Automobile design
Diagnosis system to reduce cause of disease from observed data,
conducting medical operations on humans.
Comparing data continuously with observed system or with prescribed
behaviour.
Finding out faults in vehicles,computers.
Detections of faults in suspicious transactions, stock market trading, air
scheduling, cargo scheduling.

Q.No.4 What is planning? Define the various tools of planning.

Ans

A systematic approach through which an organization agrees on priorities that are essential to its
mission and responsive to its environment.

Data based

Guides resource acquisition & allocation

Builds commitment

The project planning part involves the following steps:

Reviewing various project requests
Prioritizing the project requests
Allocating the resources
Identifying the project development team Various techniques used
in information system planning are:
Critical Success Factor
Business System Planning
End/Mean Analysis
The requirement analysis part involves understanding the goals,
processes and the constraints of the system for which the
information system is being designed. It is basically an iterative
process involving systematic investigation of the processes and
requirements. The analyst creates a blue print of the e entire
system in minute details, using various diagram like:
Data flow diagrams
Context diagrams
Requirement analysis has the following sub-processes:
Conducting preliminary investigation
Performing detailed analysis activities
Studying current system
Determining user requirements
Recommending a solution
Defining Requirements
The requirement analysis is generally completed by creating a
feasibility report.
Designing system architecture
System design specifies how the system will accomplish this
objective. System design consists of both logical design and
physical design activity, which produce 'system specification'

satisfying system requirements developed in the system analysis

stage.
Building or Developing the System
The most creative and challenging phase of the system life cycle is
system design, which refers to the technical specifications that will
be applied in implementing the candidate system.It also includes
the construction of programmers and program testing.
Testing the System
System testing requires a test plan that consists of several key
activities and steps for programs,strings,system,and user
acceptance testing.The system performance criteria deals with
turnaround time,backup,file protection and the human factors.
Deployment of the System
At this stage, system is put into production to be used by the end
users. Sometime, we put system into a Beta stage where users
feedback is received and based one feedback system is corrected or
improved before a final release or official release of the system.
System Evaluation & Maintenance
Maintenance is necessary to eliminate the errors in the working
system during its working life and to tune the system to any
variation in its working environment. Often small system
deficiencies are found, as system is brought into operation and
changes are made to remove them. System planner must always
plan for resources availability to carry on these maintenance
functions.