Types of Information Systems
Organisations and individuals use different types of systems for different purposes. Here are some of the main types of information systems and their uses.
Components of information systems: people, equipment, procedures, data.
The main ones you need to know are TPS, MIS & DSS, and EIS.
Transaction processing system (TPS):
A TPS collects and stores information about transactions, and controls some aspects of transactions. A transaction is an event of interest to the organisation. e.g. a sale at a store.
A TPS is a basic business system. It:
- is often tied to other systems such as the inventory system which tracks stock supplies and triggers reordering when stocks get low;
- serves the most elementary day-to-day activities of an organisation;
- supports the operational level of the business;
- supplies data for higher-level management decisions (e.g. MIS, EIS);
- is often critical to survival of the organisation;
- mostly for predefined, structured tasks;
- can have strategic consequences (eg airline reservation system);
- usually has high volumes of input and output;
- provides data which is summarised into information by systems used by higher levels of management;
- need to be fault-tolerant.
On-line transaction processing: A transaction processing mode in which transactions entered on-line are immediately processed by the CPU.
Sub-species of TPS:Manufacturing and production systems: Systems that supply data to operate, monitor and control the production process. e.g. purchasing, receiving, shipping, process control, robotics, inventory systems, scheduling, engineering, operations, quality control, resource management etc. e.g. A system in a factory that:
Sales and Marketing systems: Systems that support the sales and marketing function by facilitating the movement of goods and services from producers to customers. Examples:
Finance & Accounting Systems: Systems that maintain records concerning the flow of funds in the firm and produce financial statements, such as balance sheets and income statements.e.g. for Budgeting; General Ledger; Billing: Cost Accounting, Accounts Receivable / Payable; Funds Management Systems, Payroll. They were among the earliest systems to be computerised. Examples of financial systems: cash management, loan management, check
processing, securities trading. Human Resources System: Systems that deal with recruitment, placement, performance evaluation, compensation, and career development of the firm's employees. Examples: personnel record keeping, applicant tracking, positions, training and skills, benefits. |
Decision support system (DSS):
Helps strategic management staff (often senior managers) make decisions by providing information, models, or analysis tools. For support of semistructured and unstructured decisions (structured decisions can be automated). Used for analytical work, rather than general office support.
They are flexible, adaptable and quick. The user controls inputs and outputs. They support the decision process and often are sophisticated modelling tools so managers can make simulations and predictions.
Their inputs are aggregate data, and they produce projections. An example job for a DSS would be a 5 year operating plan.
Management information system (MIS) :
Condenses and converts TPS data into information for monitoring performance and managing an organisation.
Transactions recorded in a TPS are analyzed and reported by an MIS.
They have large quantities of input data and they produce summary reports as output. Used by middle managers. An example is an annual budgeting system.
Executive information system (EIS):
Also known as an Executive Support System (ESS), it provides executives information in a readily accessible, interactive format. They are a form of MIS intended for top-level executive use. An EIS/ESS usually allows summary over the entire organisation and also allows drilling down to specific levels of detail. They also use data produced by the ground-level TPS so the executives can gain an overview of the entire organisation.
Used by top level (strategic) management. They are designed to the individual. They let the CEO of an organisation tie in to all levels of the organisation. They are very expensive to run and require extensive staff support to operate.
Office automation system (OAS) :
OAS provides individuals effective ways to process personal and organisational data, perform calculations, and create documents. e.g. word processing, spreadsheets, file managers, personal calendars, presentation packages
They are used for increasing personal productivity and reducing "paper warfare". OAS software tools are often integrated (e.g. Word processor can import a graph from a spreadsheet) and designed for easy operation.
OAS Subspecies:
Communication systems: helps people work together by sharing information in many different forms
Teleconferencing (including audioconferencing, computer conferencing, videoconferencing), electronic mail, voice mail, faxGroupware system: helps teams work together by providing access to team data, structuring communication, and making it easier to schedule meetings. For sharing information, controlling work flows, communication/integration of work
KNOWLEDGE WORK SYSTEMS (KWS): are used by technical staff. KWS use modelling functions to convert design specifications into graphical designs. They may include computer-aided design/manufacture (CAD/CAM).
Whale identification