Introduction
A
management information system (MIS) is a computerized database of financial
information organized and programmed in such a way that it produces regular
reports on operations for every level of management in a company. It is usually
also possible to obtain special reports from the system easily. The main
purpose of the MIS is to give managers feedback about their own performance;
top management can monitor the company as a whole. Information displayed by the
MIS typically shows "actual" data over against "planned"
results and results from a year before; thus it measures progress against
goals. The MIS receives data from company units and functions. Some of the data
are collected automatically from computer-linked check-out counters; others are
keyed in at periodic intervals. Routine reports are preprogrammed and run at
intervals or on demand while others are obtained using built-in query
languages; display functions built into the system are used by managers to
check on status at desk-side computers connected to the MIS by networks. Many
sophisticated systems also monitor and display the performance of the company's
stock.