管理信息系统外文翻译

英文文献翻译

专业班级：

学生姓名：

学

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科技文章摘译

Definition of a Management Information System

There

is

no

consensus

of

the

definition

of

the

term

information

system

system

simpl y

system

to

refer

to

the

computer-based

information

processing

system which supports the operations, management, and decision- making functions of

an

organization.

This

text

uses

“MIS”

because

it

is

descriptive

and

generally

understood; it also frequently uses “information system” instead of “MIS” to refer to

an organizational information system.

A

definition

of

a

management

information

system,

as

the

term

is

generally

understood,

is

an

integrated,

user-machine

system

for

providing

information

to

support

operations,

management,

and

decision-making

functions

in

an

organization.

The system utilizes computer hardware and software; manual procedures; models for

analysis planning, control and decision making; and a database. The fact that it is an

integrated

system

does

not

mean

that

it

is

a

single,

monolithic

structure;

rather,

it

means

that

the

parts

fit

into

an

overall

design.

The

elements

of

the

definition

are

highlighted below.

1 Computer-based user-machine system

Conceptually, management information can exist without computer, but it is the

power

of

the

computer

which

makes

MIS

feasible.

The

question

is

not

whether

computers should be used in management information system, but the extent to which

information

use

should

be

computerized.

The

concept

of

a

user-machine

system

implies that some tasks are best performed by humans, while others are best done by

machine.

The

user

of

an

MIS

is

any

person

responsible

for

entering

input

data,

instructing

the

system,

or

utilizing

the

information

output

of

the

system.

For

many

problems, the user and the computer form a combined system with results obtained

through a set of interactions between the computer and the user.

User-

machine

interaction

is

facilitated

by

operation

in

which

the

user’s

input-output device (usually a visual display terminal) is connected to the computer.

The computer can be a personal computer serving only one user or a large computer

that serves

a number of users through terminals

connected by communication lines.

The

user

input-output

device

permits

direct

input

of

data

and

immediate

output

of

results. For instance, a person using the computer interactively in financial planning

poses “what if” questions by entering input at the terminal keyboard; the results are

displayed on the screen in a few second.

The

computer-based

user-machine

characteristics

of

an

MIS

affect

the

knowledge requirements of both system developer and

system user. “computer

-

based”

means that the designer of a management information system must have knowledge of

computers

and

of

their

use

in

processing.

The

“user

-

machine”

concept

means

the

system

designer

should

also

understand

the

capabilities

of

humans

as

system

components

(as

information

processors)

and

the

behavior

of

humans

as

users

of

information.

Information system applications should not require users to be computer experts.

However,

users

need

to

be

able

to

specify

their

information

requirements;

some

understanding

of

computers,

the

nature

of

information,

and

its

use

in

various

management function aids users in this task.

2 Integrated system

Management

information

system

typically

provides

the

basis

for

integration

of

organizational

information

processing.

Individual

applications

within

information

systems

are

developed

for

and

by

diverse

sets

of

users.

If

there

are

no

integrating

processes

and

mechanisms,

the

individual

applications

may

be

inconsistent

and

incompatible.

Data

item

may

be

specified

differently

and

may

not

be

compatible

across applications that use the same data. There may be redundant development of

separate

applications

when

actually

a

single

application

could

serve

more

than

one

need. A user wanting to perform analysis using data from two different applications

may find the task very difficult and sometimes impossible.

The

first

step

in

integration

of

information

system

applications

is

an

overall

information system plan. Even though application systems are implemented one at a

time, their design can be guided by the overall plan, which determines how they fit in

with

other

functions.

In

essence,

the

information

system

is

designed

as

a

planed

federation of small systems.

Information

system

integration

is

also

achieved

through

standards,

guidelines,

and

procedures

set

by

the

MIS

function.

The

enforcement

of

such

standards

and

procedures

permit

diverse

applications

to

share

data,

meet

audit

and

control

requirements,

and

be

shares

by

multiple

users.

For

instance,

an

application

may

be

developed to run on a particular small computer. Standards for integration may dictate

that the equipment selected be compatible with the centralized database. The trend in

information

system

design

is

toward

separate

application

processing

form

the

data

used to support it. The separate database is the mechanism by which data items are

integrated

across

many

applications

and

made

consistently

available

to

a

variety

of

users. The need for a database in MIS is discussed below.

3 Need for a database

The term “information” and “data” are frequently used interchangeably; however,

information is generally defined as data that is meaningful or useful to the recipient.

Data items are therefore the raw material for producing information.

The underlying concept of a database is that data needs to be managed in order to be

available for processing and have appropriate quality. This data management includes

both

software

and

organization.

The

software

to

create

and

manage

a

database

is

a

database management system.

When

all

access

to

any

use

of

database

is

controlled

through

a

database

management system, all applications utilizing a particular data item access the same

data item which is stored in only one place. A single updating of the data item updates

it for all uses. Integration through a database management system requires a central

authority for the database. The data can be stored in one central computer or dispersed

among several computers; the overriding requirement is that there is an organizational

function to exercise control.

4 Utilization of Models

It

is

usually insufficient

for human recipients

to

receive only

raw data or even

summarized data. Data usually needs to be processed and presented in such a way that

the result is directed toward the decision to be made. To do this, processing of data

items is based on a decision model. For example, an investment decision relative to

new

capital

expenditures

might

be

processed

in

terms

of

a

capital

expenditure

decision model.

Decision models can be used to support different stages in the decision-making

process.

“Intelligence”

models

can

be

used

to

search

for

problems

and/or

opportunities. Models can be used to identify and analyze possible solutions. Choice

models such as optimization models maybe used to find the most desirable solution

In

other

words,

multiple

approaches

are

needed

to

meet

a

variety

of

decision

situations. The following are examples and the type of model that might be included

in

an

MIS

to

aid

in

analysis

in

support

of

decision-making;

in

a

comprehensive