MS-54

Management Programme

ASSIGNMENT FIRST SEMESTER 2013

MS - 54: Management Information Systems

School of Management Studies INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY MAIDAN GARHI, NEW DELHI 110 068

ASSIGNMENT

Course Code Course Title Assignment Code Coverage

: : : :

MS - 54 Management Information Systems MS-54/TMA/SEM - I /2013 All Blocks

Note : Attempt all the questions and submit this assignment on or before 30th April, 2013 to the coordinator of your study center.
1) Define Management Information Systems (MIS) and discuss various characteristics expected of a good MIS.

2) Evaluate critical success factor method for the purpose of Information Requirement Analysis.

3) What are the various system analysis tools and why do we need more than one tool at a time?

4) Discuss the main function of data communication software.

5) Define DBMS and outline the basic sequence of steps for acquiring of DBMS.

6) Computer virus is a major threat to computer security Justify the statement.

Q1.Define Management Information Systems (MIS) and discuss various characteristics expected of a good MIS. Ans: A management information system has been defined by Davis & Olson as " a n integrated user-machine system designed for providing information to support operational control, management control and decision making functions in an organisation. The information systems make use of resources such as hardware, software. men, procedures as well as supplies." As the above given definition indicates, the Information systems are meant for supplying, and not generating, the information to various managers involved in the decision making process. The information systems are expected to provide processed information to the decision makers at various management levels in different functional areas throughout the organisation. To understand the management information systems, it is possible to define it into three constituent components: Management: Management has been defined as a process, a function, a profession dealing with the activity of getting the work done with and through people. The various functions of managers include directing, controlling, staffing, leading and motivating. Information: Information could be defined as sets of facts, figures and symbols processed for the current decision making situation. The information is considered to be of significance in a particular situation. System: A system is defined as a set of related components, activities, processes, and human beings interacting together so as to accomplish some common objective. Putting all these three components together, it could be seen that Management Information Systems are sets of related processes, activities, individuals or entities interacting together to provide processed data to the individual managers at various levels in different functional areas.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD MIS a) The Management Information Systems are primarily meant for providing information from the data after processing them, The information systems do not generate data. The data is generated, collected, recorded, stored, processed and retrieved after it has been generated by business operations in an organisation. The information systems follow the procedures designed for processing this data which has been

generated within the organisation, b) The information systems are designed for the job positions rather than for individuals. Regardless of who is the individual holding the job position, the information systems are designed keeping in mind the job responsibilities that the individual is supposed to perform and depends upon the information needs of the individual in the organisational hierarchy. c) The information systems are designed for different levels of management they are supposed to cater to the information needs of decision makers at top, middle and junior.levels of management. d) The information systems are designed. for supplying information to managers in different functional areas. The information is supplied to managers in the areas of marketing, finance, production, personnel, materials, logistics, etc. e) The information systems should be integrated by way of database's. The redundancy in storage of data, processing of data and generation of reports is avoided by way of integration of information systems. Single point data entry and updation of master data files should be ensured to minimise chances of discrepancies in the data integrity. f) The information systems are facilitated with electronic equipment such as computers.

Q2.Evaluate critical success factor method for the purpose of Information Requirement Analysis. Ans: John F. Rockart, while advocating the "CSF" approach, evaluated. the existing fourmethods of determining executive information needs, viz., the by-product technique, the null approach; the key indicator system and the total study process.. These four techniques have their relative merits and demerits, and to overcome thedisadvantages, the Research Team at Sloan School of Management, suggested a creative approach termed as CSF approach for information requirement_ analysis. Its application was found effective and response-provoking amongst the executives. As a part of the exercise, the executive goals and the CSFs are identified and reviewed to the satisfaction of both the executives and the system analysts. The CSFs for any business are the limited number of areas in which results, if they. are satisfactory, will ensure successful competitive performance for the organisation. These are a few areas where the things "must go right", for the business to flourish. The CSFs must receive constant and consistent attention from the management as well as individual managers. CSFs differ from company to company and from

manager to manager and like organisations may have differing CSFs. There are four prime sources for identifying the CS' Fs as listed below: - Structure of the particular industry,- Competitive strategy, industry position and geographical location of the company, - Environmental factors, - Temporal organisational factors needing immediate attention. The CSFs, are generally not meant for strategic planning, since the data requirements are impossible to pre-plan. The CSF method centres around information needs for management control where data requirements could be defined and pre-planned. Most executives have four to eight CSFs.

Q3.What are the various system analysis tools and why do we need more than one tool at a time? Ans: The fundamental activities involved in the system analysis are : --- definition of the overall system --- separation of the system into smaller and manageable parts --- understanding the nature, function and interrelationships of various subsystems. The analysis of the information systems could be done with the help of various tools of system analysis. Some of the tools which are available with the system analysts-are : Review of Documentation : Documentation on the existing system could be' reviewed and analysed to study the objectives, reports, procedures being followed and equipment being used. The only limitation with this technique is that the documentation on any existing system is never complete and up-to-date, Observation of the Situation : The system under study can always be observed by getting involved in the system. The system analyst can work in the system or can be a mere observer. The exercise is time consuming and costly. Also it has an inherent limitation of the fact that the analyst may never be able to observe the intricacies of the system. Conducting Interviews The system analyst can conduct interviews with the user managers and ask questions related to their job responsibilities. The interviews could be formal or informal ones and may span over a period of time. The limitation of this tool is that the user manager may not be able to explain the problem in detail.

Questionnaire Administration: A printed structured or unstructured questionnaire may be administered to find out the_, information needs of individual managers. The questionnaire survey does help In,sttving time os compared to interviews as well as gets more committed data, but It is impossible to Osign an exhaustive questionnaire to cover varfuus aspects of the system under study. The analysts use a'combination of all these tools to analyse an existing system. The analysis phase is a time consuming phase and yet a very crucial phase. The final output of this phase i s ' a functional specification report of the existing system.

Q4) Discuss the main function of data communication software. Ans: Data communication software is the software that is required on the tern equipment (computer) to bridge the gaps and interpret the bits/bytes that a transmitted via the communication media through the interface. This is illustrated Coneep a by the following example: When people use a telephone they follow a particular procedure or a protocol. First, the desired telephone number is dialled,rThen the establishment of the physical link to the desired number is confirmed with telephone bell sound. The receiver acknowledges the call by saying `Hello', This is confirmed with a return `Hello' from the speaker. Subsequently, the parties identify each other. Only after this identification process, the information is exchanged, During the conversation, whenever the information is not audible, the listeners request repetition of information by a series of `Hellos'. Then the speaker on the other side repeats the information and this process is continued till the end of the conversation. At the end of the conversation the terminating process is initiated by saying `bye'; and it is terminated only after the receipt of the acknowledgement from the other, side by a reciprocating `bye', otherwise the conversation is continued. This procedure, the telephone protocol, is used irrespective of the language communication. Similarly, the computers which have to exchange information with each other have to follow similar procedures. This collection of rules for physical establishment of the calls, identification, and transmission of the data, no acknowledgement and termination is called communication protocol. The communication protocol covers a ,wide spectrum and range from single character by character transmission with no error checking to complex rules about moving of large amount of data involving many devices.

The requirements of the software will very much depend upon the piece of equipment that would be connected. It would depend upon whether the terminating equipment is a terminal controller, concentrator, a switch or a host computer. The main functions of the software are: --- transmission initiation and termination, --- establishment of logical connections over physical line; --- message assembly and deassembly, --- data transmission and receipt, --- code- conversion, --- error detection, - data editing, --- control character recognition, --- data delivery, - data output, --- transmi.ion monitoring and maintenance. In addition to these the system also has to schedule and monitor the resources. The software that fulfils these functions may completely reside on the central computer or part of it may be located on the front end communication computers, a concentrator or remote concentrators or in the intelligent terminals. The designer of data-communication software faces some unique problems. The most. basic of these is time dimension. In a normal batch processing system the software may be designed so as not to` accept any inputs until all the stipulations/conditions are met. Whereas, in a data-communication environment data/users arrives in time and sequence beyond the control of the designer. It also has to face the errors that may be caused by the''media or' the equipment connected to it, for example, major breakdowns like line failures, or interruptions lasting as long as one or more message. Because of these and other reasons the communication software is different from other software. For this reason while developing the communication software the principles of software design and development namely: modularity, hierarchy and generality-are comprehensively and completely followed. The software of advanced computers is always developed in layers. Different layers perform different functions and provide services. This applies to any major software like operating system or database. Similar technique is also applied to, data-communication software. These layers of software have to ensure that the data is physically transmitted and the user receives it with no errors. Whatever...

necessary storage, error correction, monitoring and security that have to be provided will have to' be embedded between various layers of communication software. For advanced computer systems separate computers are made to perform these tasks, By these processes the activities are made transparent to the user while accessing or delivering the services, It is evident that computers of different vendors, having different operating systems, should have a common communication protocol to facilitate their communication with each other. Towards establishment of standards the International Standard Organisation (ISO) has defined a seven layer architecture called Reference Model of Open System International (OSI).

Q5)Define DBMS and outline the basic sequence of steps for acquiring of DBMS. Ans: A database collectively refers to one or more files that are maintained, accessed and manipulated by one or more users. A database management system (DBMS) is a set of software programs that control the relationship, storage and retrieval of data (fields, records and files) in a database. It enables individuals to define, manipulate and extract information from database. What is Database Management System(DBMS)?

A database system involves four major components: o Data (facts, figures & statistics) o Hardware (circuits, memory, devices etc.) o Software (application programs) o Users (programmers, end-users & DBA) Aim of Database Management System The main aim behind a database management system is to handle data collectively. This enables us to access information easily, quickly, economically and accurately. Various drawbacks of the conventional data file processing environment are discussed in the next few slides. Data Redundancy Data elements like employee_name, employee_code, address, etc. are used in various applications. Since data is required by multiple applications, it is stored in different data files resulting in repetition of data. This may lead to inconsistency across different files. In DBMS, data is stored only at one place practically eliminating redundancy and resulting in improvement of the system performance.

Interactive Data Entry and Updating DBMS provides a way to interactively update (modify) data in a database, as well as interrogate it. This capability allows even a beginner to work with a database very effectively. Ease of Learning and Use A major feature of a database management software package is its user friendliness. In other words documentation is adequate and clearly presented. Structural Query language and Report Writers allow users to interactively interrogate the database and analyze it. Data Independence Data independence is a primary concept of database management. In DBMS package, data is stored in a such a way so as to allow changes to the database structure without affecting the programs that access data. Data independence in DBMS separates data entry from data processing. Data Security and Integrity Data security is provided by using passwords. This prevents unauthorized users from accessing the database. Users are allowed access to the whole of database or subsets of database, called Subchema. Increased Productivity In organizations when the same database is used by several departments, DBMS provides an easy-to-use query language that enables users to get instant answers to their questions. This reduces the requirement of specially written programs and their frequent modifications according to the changing needs. Recovery from Failure DBMS have a provision to recover database in the event of hardware / software failure. A backup utility of database is used to obtain backup at regular intervals. Such a utility forms an integral part of a Database Management System. Performance This objective emphasizes on the reduction of response time to the inquiries made by the users of data. The satisfactory response time is governed by the nature of the user database dialogue.

basic sequences of steps to acquiring a DBMS. Sharing data among functions by making the data global Sharing data by passing arguments Creating numerous special-purpose functions Creating fewer functions

Using GOTO statements Using structured control flow statements Writing redundant code sequentially

Using functions for code sequences that are used repeatedly Introduction to flowcharts A flowchart is a graphical representation of the sequence of operations in an information system or program. Program flowcharts show the sequence of instructions in a single program or subroutine. Since a flowchart shows the flow of operations in pictorial form, any error in the logic of the procedure can be detected easily Flowchart Symbols Processing A processing symbol is used in a flowchart to represent arithmetic and data movement instructions. Flow lines Flow lines with arrowheads are used to indicate the flow of operation, that is, the exact sequence in which the instructions are to be executed. Decision The decision symbol is used in a flowchart to indicate a point at which a decision has to be made and a branch to one of two or more alternative points is possible.

Terminal (begin / end) This symbol is used to start or end a flowchart.

Input / Output This symbol is used to denote any kind of input or output.

Connector If a flowchart becomes very long, the flow lines start crisscrossing at many places that causes confusion and reduces the clarity of the flowchart.

Rules for Writing Flowcharts First formulate the main line of logic, then incorporate the details in the flowchart.

 Maintain a consistent level of detail for a given flowchart. Do not give every detail on the flowchart. A reader who is interested in greater details can refer to the program itself. Words in the flowchart symbols should be common statements and easy to understand. Be consistent in using names and variables in the flowchart. Go from left to right and top to bottom in constructing the flowchart. Keep the flowchart as simple as possible. The crossing of flow lines should be avoided as far as possible. If a new flowcharting page is needed, it is recommended that the flowchart be broken at an input or output point. Moreover, properly labeled connectors should be used to link the portions of the flowchart on different pages.

Advantages of Flowcharts Conveys Better Meaning Since a flowchart is a pictorial representation of a program, it is easier for a programmer to understand and explain the logic of the program to some other programmer. Analyses the Problem Effectively A macro flowchart that charts the main line of logic of a software system becomes a system model that can be broken down into detailed parts for study and further analysis of the system.

Effective joining the part of a System A group of programmers are normally associated with the design of large software systems. Each programmer is responsible for designing only a part of the entire system. So initially, if each programmer draws a flowchart for his part of design, the flowcharts of all the programmers can be placed together to visualize the overall system design. Any problem in linking the various parts of the system can be easily detected at this stage and the design can be accordingly modified. Flowcharts can thus be used as working models in the design of new programs and software systems.

Efficient Coding Once a flowchart is ready, programmers find it very easy to write the concerned program because the flowchart acts as a roadmap for them. It guides them in proceeding from the starting point of the program to the final point ensuring that no steps are omitted. The ultimate result is an error free program developed at a faster rate. Systematic Debugging Even after taking full care in program design, some errors may remain in the program because the designer might have thought about a particular case. These errors are detected only when we start executing the program on a computer. Such type of program errors are called bugs and the process of removing these errors is known as debugging. A flowchart is very helpful in detecting, locating and removing mistakes (bugs) in a program in a systematic manner.

Systematic Testing Testing is the process of confirming whether a program will successfully do all the jobs for which it has been designed under the specified constraints. For testing a program, different sets of data are fed as input to that program to test the different paths in the program logic. Flow charts help in selecting tests data for confirming the proper working of the logic. Limitations of Flowcharts Takes More Time to Draw Flowcharts are very time consuming and laborious to draw with proper symbols and spacing, especially for large complex programs. Difficult to Make Changes Owing to the symbol-string nature of flowcharting, any changes or modifications in the program logic will usually require a completely new flowchart. Redrawing a flowchart is tedious and many companies either do not change them or produce the flow chart by using a special package designed. Non-standardization There are no standards determining the amount of detail that should be included in a flowchart.

Q6)Computer virus is a major threat to computer security Justify the statement. Ans: The computer virusis a chronological successor of worm programs. The computer virus was termed by Davis and Gantenbein (1987) as: "A Trojan horse program with the capability of auto-relocation (same as in worms) and it can attack

other programs." Thus, a computer virus can cause a malicious activity as bombs or Trojans but in addition can do something more. A computer virus is the most dangerous perverse software which can reproduce itself within a computer system. Due to its replicating nature it can attach itself to a regularly used program and make you feel that the host file is benign although it intends to do much more. Computer viruses are highly contagious in nature and may cause considerable damage through an information disorder/destruction. Computer virus can get the better of the operating system which you work on, thereby taking control of the system which may sometimes lead to the destruction of all the data and programs on your hard disk. Generally, a computer virus acts like a parasite. It draws on the resources of the computer to monitor its activities, but otherwise does not immediately change the functioning of the boot system. This is done to evade early detection. If the virus has destructive effects, the reaction must be delayed somehow, because if it immediately destroys the host software, it will never be able to reproduce and spread. The main characteristics of computer virus are i) Making replicas : A virus can copy itself into another place, file or another disk. Typically, if a disk carrying a virus is put into a computer, the virus can get loaded into the machine through Random Access Memory (RAM) and copies itself onto every other disk that is used thereafter. The virus can also propagate a copy of itself through the telephone lines or via network connections. Sometimes a mutated version of the virus may be copied which may be difficult to recognise. ii) Autonomous in nature : A virus may run without being explicitly called by the user of the computer. This is possible because the virus may c1iange iT a starting up procedure on computer such that the code of the virus is executed prior to execution of the code of operating system. Thus, it has a degree of autonomy. iii) Malicious activity A virus can cause lot of damage to the computer system in terms of software and data. --- it may cause loss of data; --- it may overwrite some of the important'files with unrecognised characters; ----- it may modify programs or software making them unusable; --- it may scramble your database or Word Processor file resulting in incorrect information;

--- it may not allow the system to start at all; --- some special effects on screen like falling of characters or bouncing balls may be produced; it may display messages graphics on the screen such as Happy Birthday, Give me a Cookie, your PC is stoned etc. It is usually believed that viruses cannot damage the hardware. However, there could be situations when it can damage the moving parts. If a virus can produce a sequence of sector Read/Write instruction which can be thrust on one's terminal causing a hard disk motor and IC working for very long duration with a lot of head movement. Similarly, in the case of monitor it may result in rapid changes in frequency oscillations or by creating a high intensity beam (if proper protective hardware had not been used), the beam may destroy the phosphorous, coating on the screen. Although no such incidents have been reported, yet one thing is for certain, that is, because of over-working of the hard disk or low level formatting or very high speed rotation for a very long time may reduce the overall life of these hardware components. iv) Avoid detection: A virus may take steps to avoid detection. An active virus is difficult to recognize as it can hide itself from the scanning program through showing a mutated version of itself. Computer virus normally infect the following areas : i) The hard disk partition table : The partition table. of the hard disk consists of information regarding the numbers and type of partition. This occupies the absolute sector on the hard disk and is normally not accessible to an ordinary user. This area is modified by the viruses by including its own code in the partition table information, thus on switching on the system, the virus becomes active. Some of the partition table viruses area Happy birthday, Joshi, Stoned etc. ii) Boot record of hard disk or floppies : The boot record contains a program which is essential for starting up of computer system as it helps in locating DOS files on the disk. FAT (File Allocation Table) contains the information of what areas on the disk are, allocated to which file. Virus changes the boot record by including . itself or a pointer to its code in the. disk. This, results in execution of virus code prior to the Disk Operating System files. It may reserve some space in FAT for itself, this space can be marked as bad sector.

Partition table and Boot Sector viruses are the most dangerous viruses because : (i) it is difficult to visualise them as the partition table and boot sectors are sensitive areas and normal users.are not allowed to handle these areas and (ii) they get activated veryearly in the starting up procedure, thus, they can take control of the system. These viruses may go unnoticed till the time they strike and by that time irreversible harm to data is already done. iii) Operational files : Viruses can destroy data files yet normally' do not infect data files which are, on-executable. Thus, a yours can overwrite wrong data on a data file but normally does not copy or attach its code to the data files. User created Word Processor data file, database file, ASCII files, source Program Code files of BASIC, PASCAL are...normally not infected by virus. The files which have following extensions often get infected by viruses : .COM .EXE .OVR .OVL .SYS .BIN or any other files which can LT loaded into memory and executed.

Best Wishes Maanas(maanas09@gmail.com)