BBT 2204:

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Overview of information system

approach
Terminologies Used
Introduction
1. System---Its a set of components that interact to accomplish
some objectives. It can consist of tools, machines, procedures
& people & required order & management.
2. Boundaries---A boundary constitute of features that delimit
(define) or mark the extent of a system. I.e. separate those
things, which are part of systems from those outside system.
The things outside system constitute system environment.
System boundary provides scope for the system.
3. Environment--- the things outside the system, which may
affect what, goes on in the system, or which maybe affected by
what goes on inside the system.
4. System Objective---The purpose or goal of the system for
which it exists to achieve. A system may have one or several
objectives. For a CBIS, the system basically is designed to
transform data into information & distribute / disseminate the
information to the intended users.
5. Process and transformation---most systems are involved in
some transformation of something i.e. changing the state of
something into something else.
6. Inputs and outputs --- a system communicates with its
environment interims of input to and output from system i.e.
system transforms input into outputs.
7. Subsystems an inherent (inbuilt) property of systems where
large systems are seen to be made up of smaller parts known as
sub-systems. The study of systems involves the composing or
factoring them into small parts, resulting in a hierarchy.
8. State the behavior of system can be defined in terms of
notion of state. The state of a system is defined by values
appropriate to the systems attributes of state variables.
9. Control open systems normally adapt to changes in their
external stages. Control is the mechanism that implements
adaptation in most system. It is meant to regulate behavior of
system. Control is based on defined measures of performance
eg for an IS the time it takes to respond for the user query.
10. System Feedback

The types of feedback systems control is normally exercised within

a system through some form of feedback. Output from the process
of a system is feedback to the control mechanism. The control
mechanism then adjusts the control signal to the process on the
basis of data it received. Feedback can be +ve or ve. Ve feedback
allows system to amplify its behavior in a direction opposite of the
general direction. +Ve amplify the behavior in the same direction
the system is moving.
Example-in the marketing world 2 similar products, A & B, can be launched
with an equal advertising budget. The product that gets the best response
from consumers can then have its advertising budget increased. This is
known as +ve feedback if you choose to increase the budget of one with
poor response its ve feedback

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