An organization's operations are heavily reliant on its management information system (MIS). An MIS is used by at least one department within a company to ensure that operations run smoothly. For example, in human resources, the management information system serves duties such as communication and decision support, among other routine and critical tasks for the firm. Management information systems (MIS) aid in the control of the bulk of an organization's operations, and their goal is to improve efficiency and save time that would otherwise be lost making decisions that the MIS can make quickly and efficiently (Van De Walle, Turoff, & Hiltz, 2014). Within maintenance department, management information systems assist in the detection of parts that are fault hence making the maintenance process easy and convenient. In the marketing, reservations and sales departments, the availability of an MIS system guarantees time-saving, the accuracy of all activities undertaken, and operational flexibility; as a result, the organization operates efficiently.
Management information systems in inventory management department assists organizations to maintain stock which is required to satisfy the customer demands. With the MIS in place, the inventory management unit can be in a position to request for enough products and services which the customers require. The management information systems uphold the point of sale idea within an organization that makes sure whenever it gets sold to a customer, the product is automatically being removed from the inventory. As a result, the utilization of an MIS gives rise to a closed information loop and therefore, marketing and sales get enhances. The MIS are slowly replacing the old file-based information management, hence with the MIS information is readily available, and with just a single press of a button, important decisions can be made promptly. The information for MIS can be stored remotely and can be accessed from anywhere. The information is readily available to members who are who are granted access, and they utilize the information and performs various activities; hence, decisions made are more reliable and improves, the result is that the organization realizes huge profits.
Proper storage of organizational data effectively is of great importance to any organization. The stored information assist businesses when doing strategic planning for the organization and executing the strategy tactically. Management information systems are responsible for facilitating companies track information for different departments (Van De Walle, Turoff, & Hiltz, 2014). With the stored information, the MIS system can be used to track either profitability or the maximum return. The information can also be utilized to assess whether the company made profits or not.
Benefit of ERM and DBMS to the company
Electronic Records Management (ERM)
As time goes by, more and more offices are becoming paperless. Because of the enhancement technology, it has been possible to develop digital systems, for example, the Electronic Records Management (ERM) which is used in the conversion of paperwork into digital forms that get given special file codes then get stored digitally for future use. Compared to the conventional file-based management system which organizations utilized in the past, the ERM has proved to be advantageous. Among its advantages are accessibility, the possibility of searching information, cost saving, and security.
Accessibility. For the Electronic Records Management, a document gets scanned, assigned a unique code, then stored in a computerized system where authorized persons within the company can be able to access them. Unlike the conventional file-based system, documents in the ERM system are easy accessed by all authorized persons. The authorized individuals can access and retrieve the document required by only typing the document name within the search option. With the ERM, the necessary data and files can be easily get retrieved by authorized persons within the organization hence use to enhance the organization's operation efficiency and at the end saves on time (Galliers, R. D., & Leidner, 2014).
ERM promotes the thought of text that is searchable. While documents are being scanned, the OCR examines the text being scanned and hence establishes the scanned file's digital version. The digital version of the file is then stored to result in a file which authorized individuals within the organization can search. With such idea in place, marketing, management, and auditing can be easily be undertaken.
Cost saving. The ERM technology minimizes the operation costs given that some costs such as the cost of building stores for file-based systems are eliminated. Compare to the file-based system, with the Electronic Record Management, fewer staffs are required in the event a report needs to be compiled. The fact that does not require a large number of workers makes it convenient for use. Data can be easily accessed from the online store by just a click. Given that manual file storage is eliminated, the cost of operation becomes affordable.
Security. Electronic Record Management systems store information in a digital format and only authorized people can have access to specified document/files. The security measure restricts individuals who are evil-minded from having access to sensitive company information, this the organization's information gets protected. As compared to the file-based systems where documents/files can be lost in case of accidents, the ERM has improved safety as it avails a back-up of the documents/files in the event of any kind of accident.
Database Management System
The database management systems (DBMS) are critical components of an organization that handles various sorts of data. The DBMS offer efficient mechanism for handling the data types. A significant advantage of database management systems is that it saves on time. The DBMS groups information in a particular sequence and compelled to satisfy the requirements of the organization. Data in the DBMS is fed to the system then specific users are given the access privileges. Security of the data is guaranteed given that users have to be authenticated before accessing the data. With the DBMS, it is possible for multiple users to have access to same information with the help of various approaches. For example, an organization using the DBMS to manage the records of employees, create current reports for hiring, and distribute vital legal data can also allow manufacturers to track production, distribution, and inventory. In either scenario, the database management system guarantees the efficiency and smooth running of the organization.
Applications and solutions offered by retail vendors
Both the database management system and the Electronic Record Management systems are interactive; that is to say, the user can directly interact with the data and methods can be utilized to solve problems that are semi-structured problems. The systems primarily support the operations of people. The organization makes decisions which require the opinion of all people as opposed to one individual. These call for the development of specialized systems that have the potential to support the decision-making, for example, the Group Decision Support System (GDSS) which is a computer-based system that is interactive which helps in achieving the solution of the issues within the organization based on a group of decision-makers who work together. The Executive Support System (ESS) have been established to ease the information requirements of senior managers. The ESS combines both internal and external data to assist to help the senior executives make decisions regarding the unstructured problems. Therefore, the ESS system avails data and gives ease access to information to the managers with information concerning the critical factors of the organization.
Recommended framework
The electronic record management system can be implemented, unlike the database management system is given that it has unique features. With the technique of document scanning and saving the scanned document in digital format, if compared to the record entries of data one by one in the DBMS, scanning turns out to be easy and cheap. The ERM turns out to be more efficient and saves on time. Organizations that use it minimize expenses and run smoothly; as a result, productivity and profitability are improved (Galegher, J., Kraut, R. E., & Egido, 2014).
Conclusion
In today's changing world, we all in all are being accustomed to an extensive variety of modern approaches. Among all these systems, we have ended up being extremely careful about database management systems that entail securing of data that we can get to at whatever point we require it. The importance of database governance structure in present day business can never be ignored. The DBMS can assist in controlling information repetition, maintain data consistency, ensures information is available when required, and upholds the confidentiality of information. The DBMS is responsible for the efficiently managing data and allowing users to execute multiple requests simultaneously.
References
Galliers, R. D., & Leidner, D. E. (2014). Strategic information management: challenges and strategies in managing information systems. Routledge.
Galegher, J., Kraut, R. E., & Egido, C. (2014). Intellectual teamwork: Social and technological foundations of cooperative work. Psychology Press.
Van De Walle, B., Turoff, M., & Hiltz, S. R. (2014). Information systems for emergency management. Routledge.
