Background for the Study of Management Information Systems
Management Information Systems is the study of the organizational function responsible for managing, using, transporting and processing information in the organization. MIS is used to effectively solve problems in business on all levels for all areas. MIS can be compared to the study of Computer Science, the study of design, implementation, deployment, and evaluation of computer systems. Although, there are similarities, MIS focuses on the business environment as a way to use computers and similar technology for an organization. MIS has come a very long way through the years. There are six different eras that catalog the evolution. The first era began with the standalone mainframe. Users would use a punch card to type programs. They then would give the punch cards to the MIS personnel to input the information into the mainframe.
The second era came about by the introduction of the hard-wired terminal. Users would input programs onto electronic keyboards; MIS personnel would maintain keyboards, known as dumb terminals, and the communication to the mainframe.
The PC brought about the third era. Users would bring PCs to work and MIS personnel’s job functions became more complicated as they were asked to help with problems associated with these early PSs.
As organizations realized the amount of productivity gain from having PCs, LANS and Enterprise Networks were beginning to be used in the fourth era. LANS WANS and Enterprise Networks complicated the MIS department further as users connected with each other.
The fifth era was brought about by the internet. However, some security concerns arose with this new technology, the growth power associated led to positive outcomes involving supply chain management, B2B electronic commerce, and B2C electronic commerce.
Now wireless adds to the