Adequate management information systems Essay

Recognition

The successful study survey is carried out by the proper counsel of the experts within the industry. I take this chance to convey my sincere thanks to all those who have straight or indirectly helped and contributed towards the completion of this study.

I would besides wish to show my sincere gratitude to Prof. _______________ for supplying me an chance to work for such research. The support and counsel from the seniors were of great aid and were highly valuable.

I ‘m besides grateful to everybody who remained involved for the readying of this study from AC Limited, particularly to Deputy Manager, Maintenance for his changeless support and encouragement.

Executive Summary

Making determinations is an built-in portion in the operation of any organisation. To ease Decision doing in this ever-competitive universe it is imperative that directors have the right information at the right clip to bridge the spread between demand and outlook. For better flow of information an equal Management Information Systems ( MIS ) is the demand of this age. Thus it is of import to hold an apprehension of the MIS followed in an organisation by all degrees of direction in order to take effectual and appropriate determinations.

A direction information system collects and procedures informations ( information ) and provides it to directors at all degrees who use it for determination devising, planning, plan execution, and control. The MIS has many functions to execute like the determination support function, the public presentation monitoring function and the functional support function.

To acquire a realistic position of the MIS, I ‘ve gone through the MIS of AC Limited. For the intent of acquiring in depth apprehension of peculiar maps of the company, I focused the demands, utilizations and benefits of MIS with regard to the Material Department of the company. For the readying of this study, Inventory Management has chiefly been focused.

AC Limited is one of the first Pakistani companies to recognize the possible and importance of information engineering and to follow mechanization and IT substructure. The preliminary cybernation took topographic point in 1986.

The organisation has traveled a long manner from the yearss in 1986 when it was utilizing simple keypunching machines. Significant betterments were made in the application systems and substructure. From Batch treating to online systems, from IBM1401 to the latest Unix and Windows XP and 2003 based machines organisation has made timely passages determined by the available engineerings. Throughout this development the MIS remained synchronized to the information flow in the organisation and the direction felt that it has played a function in the overall growing and increased public presentation of the organisation.

INTRODUCTION – Definition OF MIS

Management Information Systems ( MIS ) is a system dwelling of people, machines, processs, informations bases and informations theoretical accounts, as its constituents. The system gathers data from Internal and External beginnings of an organisation ; processes it and supplies Management Information to help directors in the procedure in determination devising. Thus it is safe to reason that an information system is “a system dwelling of the web of all communicating channels used within an organization” .

There are many possible benefits of MIS investings

Investing in information systems can pay off for a company in many ways.

1. It can back up a nucleus competence.
2. Enhance distribution channel direction.
3. Builds trade name equity.
4. IT investing can hike production procedures
5. Information systems allow company flexibleness in its end product degree.

An information system comprises of all the constituents that collect, manipulate, and present informations or information. It normally includes hardware, package, people, communications systems such as telephone lines, and the informations itself. The activities involved include inputting informations, processing of informations into information, storage of informations and information, and the production of end products such as direction studies.

Company PROFILE – THE AC LIMITED

AC ( AC Limited ) is Pakistan ‘s first maker of cement, concrete and other relevant merchandises. AC ‘s merchandises and operations are spread throughout the state over different projetcs with 9 modern cement production installations, 12 Mixture Concrete Plants, 26 gross revenues offices, and several zonary offices ( sub bureaus ) . It has a work force of about 9000 individuals and a countrywide distribution web of over 9,000 traders. AC ‘s research and development installation keeps a alone record of advanced research workers since its development, merchandises and specialised consultancy services. Since its start in 1938, the company remained a trendsetter and of import fable benchmark for the cement industry due to its unique and criterion of quality, in every regard like selling, production and procedures of forces direction. AC remained committed to environment-friendliness, high moralss in concern traffics and for its ongoing attempts for the public assistance of the community. AC ever made a important part to the procedure of state edifice by the quality merchandises, services and its shared expertness.

In the 71 old ages of its being, AC remained on the top of the list and holds a popular evaluation in the market. AC ‘s trade name name is synonymous with cement and enjoys a high degree of equity in non merely the Pakistani market but besides been exported to other nearby states. It is the lone cement company that can be listed as Consumer Super Brands of Pakistan.

The company ‘s assorted concerns are supported by a powerful, in-house research and engineering backup installation – the lone one of its sort in the Indian cement industry. This ensures non merely consistence in merchandise quality but besides uninterrupted betterments in merchandises, procedures, and application countries.

AC has huge experience in the industry of excavation because of being the largest user of limestone, and besides biggest user of coal. As the largest and quality cement manufacturer in Pakistan, Pakistan Railway is the biggest client of AC Limited. Of class mentioning main roads and roads through out the state with the aid of such industry can non be ignored.

AC has besides extended services to international market like Middle East, Africa, and South America. AC elaborates the patterns like a good corporate citizen developing a broad scope of activities and merchandises to better the life conditions of the common people populating near by the production installations.

Aim OF THE STUDY

The aim of this study is to analyze the MIS execution at AC Ltd. and with the aid of this sphere, to acquire an penetration into the demands of MIS in concern apparatuss on a large graduated table, assorted maps performed by the MIS, benefits derived out of such a system and the hazards involved.

I intend to take my survey at analysing the concern demands of the organisation, cardinal challenges or desired functional demands of the MIS, the IT solution that is presently implemented and the result of such a system.

AC Ltd. requires MIS to map internal procedures and interaction with the external environment to the engineering and guarantee the solution delivers existent benefits to the concern.

Scope OF THE STUDY

The range of this survey is to understand the grounds behind the demand of MIS in AC Ltd. This survey leads to the MIS support to the Company as a whole with particular accent on Inventory Management practiced in the Material Stores Department of the company. Through the interaction with the executives of AC Limited, we get an penetration about the effectivity of the MIS in topographic point at the organisation.

TYPES OF MIS AND USES

MIS CLASSIFICATION

MIS is a construct, which is a affair of grade instead than an absolute one. In direction there are possibly few other countries other than MIS which gas created so much contention. We would do an effort to seek to look into different types of MIS as they have evolved during the class of clip.

1. Transaction Processing System
2. Management Information System
3. Decision Support System
4. Executive Support System
5. Office Automation System
6. Business Expert System

SIGNIFICANT ROLES AND FUNCTIONAL USES OF MIS

PERFORMANCE Monitoring

MIS is non merely data analysis and statistics. It is besides used to be the Management of Objectives Tool. It helps:

• Establishing measureable and relevant aims
• Consequences and public presentation monitoring.
• Sending qui vives to directors within the organisation, on all divergences for the pre-defined aims and their consequences.

FUNCTIONAL Support

Operationss support map and Business procedures are the most primary functions. These involve aggregation, storage and an initial processing of informations. Information system plays its function in operations as followers:

• Taking input, hive awaying into informations base and treating the information, from both gross revenues and purchase subdivisions, from paysheet subdivision and other relevant informations from histories subdivision.
• All the above stated activities for stock list records, plants ( which are in advancement ) , quantitative records of care and fix of machinery and equipment, supply concatenation records, and few other operations records
• It besides handles the relevant informations of market studies, client evaluations and profiles, client yesteryear purchases, advertizement and selling, etc.
• Finally MIS besides records, shops an procedures informations for rivals, industry supply demand/ production studies, corporate aims, and strategic direction determinations and records

DECISION SUPPORT

Another beforehand measure is the concern determination doing support maps. This support map is an of import portion of determination devising. It besides allows terminal users to inquire the inquiries like “What ifaˆ¦ ? ” For illustration, what if the monetary value is been increased by 5 % ? What if the monetary value is been increased by 10 % ? What would be the affect if monetary value is decreased by 5 % ? What would go on if we increase 10 % now and propose a lessening by 5 % after six months? It besides allows users to cover with peripherals: If rising prices additions from current to minimum 3 % in six months and by 5 % at the upper limit. ( alternatively of 2 % as we are presuming ) , so what could be the scheme? What measures can be taken if new rivals are their in the market or if we temporarily free our work force etc.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE ACC LTD.

Description and Nature of Information System

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

The merchandises which are extremely demanding in the market are really hard to pull off. An accurate and realistic demand study can assist pull offing the demand-supply spread, hence is indispensable. This holds the impact on the full supply concatenation to ease consumer ‘s response based on consumer ‘s demands. That ‘s why it becomes necessary that such companies should see stock list direction at precedence. Predicting accurate demand and supply demands is the most ideal state of affairs for anyone within the supply concatenation direction people could believe.

Supplying seasonably and accurate information associating to stock list location, its conveyance, reception of merchandise, its gross revenues and returns, overall net incomes make stock list seeable throughout the web.

With inventory direction tools, the catalogues can be changed from clip to clip concealing the non-available merchandises within the stocks, or alterations in monetary values can be based on the market and concern. Sub bureaus are automatically notified about low stocks.

Information Technology plays a cardinal function in transforming purchase of goods into a strategic concern map. The existent challenge is to look for a manner where these engineerings can be put and can be used to make value and competitory advantage.

The Main Objectives in Inventory Management are:

• Improved client services
• Reduced investing on stock list
• Increased and controlled production.
• Complete information on the value of the stocked goods
• Enhanced visibleness on Measures in stock, committed measures and measures which have been sold.
• Reduced response clip to demand alterations, either high or low
• Increased and targeted gross revenues
• Exact volume of the concern become known
• Taxs and other fundss like insurance etc. are paid merely on existent clip merchandizing.

DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS

IT section is still continuously working on bettering the functionality and taking the mistakes of the system. As a consequence system is going better daily, therefore bettering the productiveness of the company.

Need FOR AN INTEGRATED MIS

The benefits associated with an integrated MIS are

• Better processing of the big volume of informations in an organisation.
• Reducing the Redundancy of Data that occurs in instance of separate bundles.
• Handiness of all the required information about any section through a common system.
• Making the system capable of back uping the directors in doing determinations.
• Facilitate the communicating between the assorted regional offices of the company and the corporate office along with the chief works.
• Use of online informations to rush up the information flow of the organisation and ease decision-making

FUNCTIONS PROVIDED BY CURRENT MIS

Plant ( Manufacturing & A ; Maintenance )

Production

• Break down and Plant public presentation Module
• MIS Reports and arrest Module, Stock place

Natural Materials Management System

• Integration with Weigh Bridge and Security Gate
• Daily stock, issue place and measure go throughing
• Transport Freight Payment Systems

Weigh Bridge

• Integrated with Security Gate
• Stopped one mechanical weigh span
• 500 trucks can weigh for gross and tare in individual twenty-four hours 500×2 = 1000
• Time Management Reports, Truck Movement studies
• Weighment is integrated with bill semen challan cargo
• Payment
• Truck place inside and outside the works.

Computerized Preventive Maintenance Software

• Both works are utilizing this faculty
• Preventive Maintenance and Break down Module
• Shutdown faculty and integrated with stock list
• Prediction of spares and accomplishments usage faculty

Inward & A ; Outward Materials Security

• Control on returnable goods

Work Order and analysis

• Work Order will be prepared by authorised individual
• Provided to all sections. Integrated with Rate Master
• And budget.

Labour Deployment and accounting System

• Daily supply of Contractor Labour deployment
• Against regular, adhoc and closure demands
• Daily/monthly/yearly analysis studies
• Contractor labour Bill passing system

Commercial Applications

Marketing Accounting and analysis System

• Excise faculty and Gross saless Tax Faculty
• Transport Bill go throughing faculty
• Order Confirmations and Dispatch Instruction
• Free Market Requirements, Railway Receipt
• Commercial Invoice, Debit Note, Credit Notes.

Stores Inventory & A ; Non Inventory

• On Line indent, Issue and Receipt Materials
• Delivery Agenda
• Controling the stock list
• Controling the increased stock list
• Shops Ledger, ingestion Summary
• MIS studies, Budget V/s Actual Consumption.
• Integrated with fiscal Package
• Repair & A ; care stock list, Department Wise Expenses.

Purchase Management System

• Purchase Order integrating with indent
• On line question, Party wise information
• Pending list of purchase order
• MIS studies, Purchase / Indent Register
• Payment Advice System ( Advance, habitue )

Financial Accounting System

• All types of verifier eating
• Purchase and cargo measure go throughing
• Other Expenses measure go throughing and TDS Module
• General Ledger, Sub Ledger and Trial balance of two
• Financial old ages
• Auto payment advice, Bank send oning letters, payment
• System, Overhead Analysis studies.
• Integrated with stock list and Payroll module MIS Reports
• Cash Budget,

Vehicle Movement

• Controling on Taxi, Car etc

On line General information System

• Information provided to Users about
• On line Leave position I.e. gap, availed and shutting position
• Electricity Deduction Employee wise, Quarter wise
• Over clip Status section wise
• Social welfare regulations and Regulations, Telephone list, inadvertent etc
• Actual Consumption against budget, Welfare information

Human Resource Development

• Subject Courses, General Awareness Programme,
• TNA of Workmen, TNA of LCW, Individual record of ext/int
• Training, Pending Training etc.

Payroll & A ; PIS Module

• Payslips of Staff, Worker, School, Badli & A ; Casual Worker
• PF, VPF, Bonus, Gratuity Module
• LIC, CTD, Thrift Society, Co-operative progresss Module.
• Recovery & A ; Deduction, PIS and Income Tax Employee wise
• Integrated with Financial Package
• Over Time, C-off Module
• Payroll of Marketing Department ( Transferred from HO )

Gross saless Accounting Systems

• Gross saless Accounting Systems, Rent Payment System
• Data burden, Expenses Payment System,
• Freight Payment, MIS, Transferring in FAS

Gate Pass System ( Returnable & A ; Non-returnable goods )

• All goods send through Computerized Gate Pass
• Integrated with Gate System.
• Pending fix points information

Architecture of MIS at AC Limited

Inventory Management Module of Current MIS

Current MIS of the company is fundamentally a In-house developed system, besides consisting of few specialized readymade package bundles bought from outside developers. It comprises of 11 chief faculties covering all the chief maps of the company.

Inventory Management Module is one of the most of import parts of the system. It is extremely integrated with the other faculties and capable of functionalities like Auto Alarming when stock list is low. It is capable of bring forthing more than 200 different types of studies to assist directors in different required ways. Its chief parts include Inventory issue, purchase, measure passing, other OER passing, cargo passing, stock updation etc.

DFDs and Data processing diagrams:

Inventory Package Context Level Diagram ( CFD ) :

Inventory Package Issue DFD:

Inventory Purchase DFD:

Datas Processing ( Full Inventory Module )

Application used for Work order Preparation at The ACC Ltd.

1. ITEM CODE CREATION

2. Indent Posting

3. Indent Approving

4. Indent Type Updation

5. Order Preparation

6. Order Printing

ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT USE OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS

IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEMS

After analysing the system decently, we came to a basic decision that system is working mulct at an overall degree and consisting of really minimum jobs. These jobs ca n’t be stated as such jobs and alternatively can be stated as future way. Still we tried to jot down the few of them, which are as follows: –

• Still deficiency of system integrating after a degree. Though inventory direction faculty is integrated good with all the other faculties like fiscal system, therefore cut downing the redundancy. But still there is demand of paper work and manual intercession when reordering is required. System can non be configured to reorder automatically, even for the fast moving natural stuff.
• Lack of Web Integration. AC has n’t still use the construct of taking orders or telling through web and have no integrating of its system to its web site.
• Bequest Network Support. Backbone web used by AC is still the same, which they used in 1993. They have n’t upgraded the web support from so, which has started making jobs for them already. As MIS of the company is bettering daily including more and more functionalities, the web has already become really slow.
• Lack of developing to directors to efficaciously utilize the determination support functionalities of system. This is another job that we felt at the company. IT section is fundamentally doing the betterments in the system continuously with new added functionalities, but there is deficiency of developing to directors to efficaciously utilize these maps in manner that can back up them to do better determinations. For illustration, on an norm, a director uses merely 10-15 types of studies out of more than 200 types of studies available.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

Sing the given jobs, their analysis and research on comparative MIS systems used in the similar sort of industries, our group is showing following recommendations for the company.

• IT section of the company should now work towards incorporating the system on a higher degree and doing the company Paper-Less Office. This should be done by incorporating the system in a manner that the manual intercession be minimized in the daily procedure.
• The company should besides get down Web-Based ordination and merchandising, so that to be able to catch up with the turning industry.
• As more betterments in MIS would be done, and Web-support to be besides incorporated, it is more than certain that current Network available is traveling to crash. To hook this, company needs to upgrade its web. For this intent, we suggest the affiliation of company with some outside contractors like IBM or CISCO to continuously upgrade and maintain their web.
• With each up step, we suggest developing to the directors of the company about efficaciously utilizing the added functionalities and usage of them in a better manner. This can be besides done by supplying a enchiridion along with each up step.

GANTT CHART

Mentions

Officials Contacted from: Mr. Sam Joseph ( Deputy Manager, IT Department ) , AC Limited.

Secondary Beginnings

• Management Information Systems – A Managerial Perspective, D.P. Goyal
• www.tcs.com
• www.sap.com