Discussion Notes # 2:
The Role of MIS in the Organization
Assuming that we are now comfortable with the definitions of the various terms related to the title and overall content of the course, we can now move to a discussion of how an MIS works within the organizational environment.
The role of MIS in the organizational environment is addressed in general by the "Reality to Objectives Model". This model is just a little homemade framework onto which other more traditional models hang.
The model begins with "reality", or the "real world". In an organizational setting, realities includes events (sales, production, firings...), states of being (overdue, under budget, lost in transit,....), and entities (people, places, things).
Organizational realities are converted to data through a "mapping" process. The term "mapping" is used frequently in an IT context to described the transformation of information from one form to another. Mapping captures the notion of imperfect representation, with the addition of elements that didn't exist in the original form, but with the deletion of some detail. In this specific context of converting reality to data, the mapping is sometimes called "creating content". Creating content may mean putting together a course, writing an article, shooting pictures, or creating a web site. There is a continual demand for new content in our society.
Data is generally captured as one of the four "data format types" or "media types" (as in "multimedia"). They are: 1.alpha-numerics (anything that might be typed into a keyboard)2. sound 3. image (static)and 4. video (dynamic).
Data is processed – let me count the ways. A good place to find examples is to look at the command lines in any software program. Copying files, printing, saving as html, sending via email - these are all examples of processing data.
Data is presented in formats (see EFTufte) to the USER (see GBDavis) via a complex interface with psychological and physiological dimensions. Users make decisions, consciously (or unconsciously) using decision models (see also Herbert Simon and all your course work). The decisions are made, presumably, to achieve the objectives of the firm.
And that is the general Reality to Objectives Model.