Essay About New Information System And Future Needs

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Managing Information
Executive SummaryInformation is any analysed data containing meaningful sense. An organisation couldnÐЎЦt operate with out information or data collection. If no information was collected decisions couldnÐЎЦt be made therefore the business/organisation could not progress or develop. To effectively operate Sunset Coast University they need to endorse a new information system. Every organisation collects retrieves and uses data. To provide maximum benefit to an organisation data must be managed carefully, organised efficiently and used effectively. Without a system to distribute and receive data it would be almost impossible for an organisation to make decisions or at least cater for their future needs. Ensuring an organisation has reliable information is vital to meet the needs and responsibilities of the managers, as managers are the primary users of information. To effectively operate Sunset Coast University they need to endorse a new and improved information system. There are many problems with the universityÐЎЦs records management and information systems. These problems have increased over a long period of time and need immediate action. An MISA Management Information system explores unorganised data to provide managers with meaningful information. An MIS can be either manual or computer based. Most current information systems will be computer based as newer technology is more accurate and efficient. A Management Information system would be extremely beneficial for the University. An MIS would provide managers with needed information more efficiently and accurately. This would decrease the pressure on the manager and ensure a more timely process to obtain important information.The Information ManagerAn Information Manager would be a major asset to the University. It would decrease the pressure on the department heads by ensuring a more organised and controlled process of collecting and analysing information. Role of the Information Manager:Єh Identify problems and determine the cause.Єh Monitor and control data communications.Єh Develop the systems for obtaining, processing and presenting information.Єh Determine costs of the new technology and itÐЎЦs benefit to the organisation. Єh Determine current and future needs of the organisation, related to information systems. Єh Test and modify the system to adopt to changes.Єh Train and educate other staff and students. Information TechnologyInformation Technology has made a huge impact on all management functions, creating more efficient and productive workplaces.Sunset Coast University needs to integrate computing, microelectronics and telecommunication practices to ensure the smooth running of daily operations. The university needs to update software in all departments and create a database accessible to all employees. The database can be used to store data such as student grades, personal details, polices and general account details. This will also alleviate the amount of inconsistencies and mistakes involving student awards. Electronic mail (E-mail) should be used as a major source of communication as it is efficient and will reduce the amount of employees wasting time delivering information via telephone contact or memo. Not only is E-mail efficient you can attach documents from your computer and it can be sent to many people at once. The improvement in Information Management will reshape the organisation structure. This will decrease the need of supervisory staff and support staff. The decrease in staff and increase in information technology will mean employees need to be multi-skilled to complete a range of duties. With the integration of this new technology it will increase the amount of duties of one employer but decrease the time it would usually take to manage. Staff Requirements Even though Information technology will reduce the amount of supervisory/support staff there will be a need for additional staff to maintain the effectiveness of the information system. Some of the additional staff requirements the university should consider are:Hardware Engineer/Technician: to maintain the hardware and peripherals so the equipment functions. Computer Operator: Loads tapes into computer drives and retrieves computer printouts. Programmer: Creates a program, which is to be used as a computer application. Systems manager: Supervises and is responsible for daily system operations, also recommends system upgrades.Software designer: Decides how the various parts of the system will interact, designs a flow chart for the information and types of files. Data entry operator: Types data into the computer via a database so it can be processed. Systems analyst: Implements the ideas of the systems analyst and writes programs in computer language. Needs AnalysisWhen designing a managing information system all aspects of the system need to be taken into consideration, to ensure the system caters for all the departments and functions necessary. A managing information system is vital for the future operation of Sunset Coast University. A MIS would decrease the amount of faulty records, misfiled records and increase the accuracy and organisation of the current system. A managing information system would decrease the amount of equipment usage and paperwork. Department coordinators will have more time to complete meaningful duties alleviating the need to hire clerks. Students will be more satisfied with the timely process of completed assignments and their progress. Even though a MIS would be expensive it would drastically reduce the costs long term providing better facilities for their future students. Implementation Once the design has been analysed to determine of all its userÐЎЦs requirements, we then need to implement the system and deliver it to the users. The following points need to be performed in the implementation phase:Єh Installing and testing the new system.It is extremely important that the hardware and software get thoroughly tested. All programs need to be tested at this point so any errors can be corrected before putting the system into production. Єh Training and educating users.For the system to reach itÐЎЦs full potential users must be trained on all aspects of the systems functionality. User manuals should also be provided to users for future reference. Єh ResistanceMany staff can feel threatened by the producing of a new advanced system. Some staff fear of less authority or being incompetent to operate the new system while others are scared to make a change into their usual routine. Єh Involvement When delivering a new system into a workplace it is important to inform the future users of the whole implementation phase. Users