Unit 2: P4
Introduction:
In this word document I will be writing about the different types of information systems and also write about the functions and features these different types of information systems have.
The information systems I will be writing about:
Management Information System (MIS)
Marketing Analysis
Human Resources
Financial
Competitor
The features I will be writing about:
Data
People
Hardware
Software
Communication/data flows
The functions I will be writing about:
Input
Storage
Processing
Output
Control and feedback loops
Closed and open systems
Management Information System:
The first information system I will write about is called ‘Management Information System’. This system is a computerised database of financial information that is organised and programmed in a certain way so that it can produce regular reports for a company. These reports can be used to organise, evaluate and manage departments within a company. In order to provide past, present and future information, MIS can have software that helps the decision making. For example, if a company needs to make an important decision and they need a lot of information for it, the manager would need a management information system. With this system, the manager could make decisions much faster and much easier, as he/she can calculate all the information needed.

Data:
The first feature I will be writing about is the data that is gathered with this type of information system. The data that MIS provides is data that is organised and programmed in a certain way so the data can be used for reports. These reports can be used to organise, evaluate or manage departments in a company. Overall, MIS provided a range of data which helps the organisation that is using this type if information system.
People:
This information system also needs people to work with it. The data that the MIS provides cannot be used without people, and the people working with MIS are involved with both capturing the data using the information data and also exporting the information that they gather. This is a big feature of information systems because without people not operating the system, the business using the MIS would not succeed, and that is why it is very important to make sure the employee’s that are in charge of the MIS know how important the process is.
Hardware:
The hardware that is needed to use this type of information system is dependent on the scale of the organisation using MIS. Small organisations would most likely use MIS on a PC which is controlled by the person in charge of the system. However, in larger organisations, it runs on a server that is controlled by the organisation. This server is either shared or dedicated with internet access so the MIS can gather data for reports. MIS does not need specialised hardware as its purpose is to gather and export data.
Software:
MIS also uses software to help in the decision making of data resources such as databases. MIS uses complex software to make sure that the decision making is accurate and the person using this information system can decide how much he/she wants to spend on the software. Higher price margin would mean more features for the software, and MIS needs that.
Telecommunication:
MIS can also telecommunicate through the internet but this brings up an issue of security. These pathways are most of the time protected by business firewalls, because the data is very important when coming to MIS. It contains past, present and future data, which is important for many aspects.
Input:
The MIS inputs a lot of data in to the system because the information system gathers a lot of data for each aspect. These data’s are the data that is processed and ready to be used as an output, like the data that is the past, the present and the future.

Storage:
The data can also be stored in an MIS and used later. The data is stored at the most detailed level possible and most companies that use this type of information system make