Module Identifier ILM5810  
Module Title MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS  
Academic Year 2001/2002  
Co-ordinator Mr Hugh Preston  
Semester Semester 2  
Course delivery Lecture   11 Hours  
  Practical   8 Hours  
  Video Lecture   2 Hours  
  Lecture   Two lecture/practical sessions of 1 hour each per week  
Assessment Project report   By the end of week 23 Project - Senario - YAWROTOM GROUP CARS plc Exercise in the use of datebases and spreadsheets to simulate a decision support enviroment Yawrotom Grouop Cars plc (Yawrotom) is a medium sized manufacturer of cars and light commerical vehicles. Its current range consists of 4 models of saloon/hatchback cars and 1 model of van. Yawrotom has relied entirely on the UK market and has not experienced with direct export, although its dealers sell some cars to overseas traders. Up to 1997 sales had been to dealers who maintained a stock of models to sell within commodity market. This enable Yawrotom to keep its production costs low, with a single production line to handle all the models. During the early 1990s Yawrotoms market share steadily declined. This was ascribed to the growth in sales of Japanese cars within the UK market. Yawrotoms senior management decided to change the production/marketing strategy form the commodity approach to a bespoke service for dealers. For the last two years (1997 and 1998), dealers have ordered vehicles as they are ordered by customers, and to the customers specifications. As aresult, the production-push manufacturing system was replaced by a demand-pull one. The available data relating to sales include records of the last two years sales accounts (1997 and 1998) in computer database format (Works for windows or Microsoft Access). As the Director of Information Services and therefore a member of the senior management team at Yawrotom you must take you part in the strategic planning processes of the organisation. Your fellow directors on the board will expect to receive concise and informed reports on which they can base their decisions. Exercise: Your paper to the board of directors will be in two parts. 1. An information services statements, briefly indicating the signifiance of information in the strategic management process. 2. A position statement for the organisation. indicating characteristics of historical and forecast sales. As appendices to the position statement, include the following: . a computer generated graph of sales ( as units shipped) per month over the two years as single time-series (ie the horizontal axis should run January 1997-December 1998); . a print-out of sales per vehicle model in terms of revenue with appropriate chart; . a graph of units shipped over 1997 and 1998 with the least squares regression line indicated; . a graph of forecasted units sales figures for 1999 with the extrapolated trend being ameded by inclusion of seasonal factors. The aim is to produce statements and appendices that offer maximum information with relevant data only. Clarity is a priority. The information services statement should not exceed 500 words. The text of the position statement should not exceed 400 words (excluding any text in the appendices). All graphs and charts should be computer generated.   100%  

Aims


The module aims to encourage an understanding of information as a resources in organisational decision making and of the principles behind systems developed to use information in decision support.

Objectives


To enable students to :


. develop an awareness of management information needs and decison-making activity in an environment of 'information use';
. appreciate the design of systems which support management decision-making in all types if organisation;
. use an intergrated software tool for decision support, including production of management reports;
. acquire skills in evaluating information systems in the corporate environment.

Reading Lists

Books
Macarthur P J et al.. A strategy for evaluating information system design for business process re-engineering. International Journal of Information Management, 14, 1994, 237-251
Martin W J et al. Marketing the concept of information management to top executives.. Journal of information science 17(4) 1991, 209-243
Earl M J and Skyrme D J.. Hybrid Managers - what do we know about them?. Journal of Information Systems, 2, 1992, 169-187
Jackson IF. Corporate Information Management 1986.
Yeates D. Project Maangement for information systems.
Rappaport A. Information for decision making: readings in cost and managerial accounting -1982. 3rd.
Barron M and argett D. The Manager's Guide to Business Forecasting, 1985.
Forgionne G. Quantitative decision making, 1986.
Makridakis S and Wheelwright S C. Forecasting Methods for Management. Wiley 1989
Fuller-Love N and Cooper J. How inofrmation technology shapes strategy in the steel industry: a case study of British Steel. International Journal of Information Management, 14, 1994, 295-306
McBride N. The rise and fall of an executive information system: a case study. Information Systems Journal, October 1997, 7/4, 277-287
Leslie G. 'Decision support systems: learning to apply computers'. Aslib Proceedings, 38 (9), September 1986, 375-283
Heymann H G. Decision ssupport systemsin finance and accounting, 1998.
Brophy P. Management information systems and performances measurements for the electric library (MIEL2).
Andreu R Ricart J E and Valor J. 'The strategic dimension of transactional information systems: some organisational implications'. Journal of Information Systems, (1), 1991, 223-232
Adams R J. Decision Support Systems on Academic Libraries, 1991.
Keen PGW and Scott Morton M S. Decision Support Systems: an organisational perspective, 1978.
Davenport L and Cronin B. Strategic information management: forging the value chain.. Internatinal Journal of inofrmation management 8(1) March 1988, 25-34
Handy C B. Understanding Organizations 1993. 4th.
Senn J. Information in Management. Wadsworth, 1990
Robson W. (1997) Strategic mangement and information systmes: an intergrated approach, (1994 edition is equally valuable).
Daniels A and Yeates D. Basic Systems Analysis.
Curtis G. Business Information Systems: analysis, design and practice.
BNB Research Fund Report 61. Availability and value of library managment information: a feasibility study, 1992.
Underwood P G. Soft systems analysis and the managment of libraries, information services and resource centres.. London: Library Association, 1996.
Marlow C and Preston H. Inofrmation contracting tools in a cancer specialist unit: the role of Healthcare Resource Groups (HRGs). Inofrmation Research, 4/2 October 1998
Underwood Peters G. Managing changes in libraries and inofromation service: a systems approach, 1990.
preston H and Hayward T. An evaluation of case study methodology within information system research in Wilson T D and Allen D K (eds) Exploring Contexts Behaviour. London, Taylor Graham, 1999, 597-608
Avison D E and Fitzgerald G. Information Systems Development: methodologies, techniques and tools,. 2nd. Blackwell Scientific Publications (1995) - Previous 1988 edition is also useful although it does not include the most recent methologies
Porter M. Competitive Strategy. Free Press, 1980
Peters T J and Waterman R H. In Search of Excellance: lessons from America's best run companies. Harper and Row 1982
Palmer A and Worthington I. The Business and Marketing Environment. McGaw-Hill 1992
Mintzberg H. Structuring of Organizations. Prentice-Hall 1980
Johnson G and Scholes K. Exploring Corporate Strategy: text cases. Prentice-Hall 1989
Rhodes, Paul C. (1993) Decision Support Systems: theory and practice. Alfred Waller,
Parker C and Case T. (1993) Management information systems: strategy and action. 2nd. Mitchell McGaw-Hill,
Broady, J and Hayward T. The role of information in the strategic management process.. College Research Fund, University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Fisher P G and Wallis K F. Seasonality on large macroeconometric models. Journal of Forecasting, 11, 1992, 225-270
Baird P. Expert Systmes for Decison Making 1987.

Journals
ASLIB Proceedings.
Information Systems Journal ( formely the Journal of Information Systems).
Journal of Forecasting.
Journal of Marketing.
Marketing Science.
Belhhlav J A and Raho L E. 'Perceptions of the organisational information system'. Journal of information Science 13, 1987, 247-251
Journal of Information Science.
International Journal of Information Management.

Technical Reports
DECIMAL. Decision making in Libraries: decision research for the development of intergrated library systems. http://www.mmu.ac.uk/h-ss/dic/research/DECIMAL.HTM

Web Page/Sites
MINSTREL. Management Information Software Tool - Research in Libraries. http://elsa.dmu.ac.uk/minstrel/
These projects are all intergrated by CAMILE - Concerted Action on Management Information for Libraries in Europe.. http://www.dmu.ac.uk/~camile/
http://mis.ucd.ie.misq/index.html
http://www.business.cartleon.ca/~gregory/teaching/is_materials/dss_links.html.
http://www.skyrme.com/
DECIDE. Decision Support Models: a decision support system for European Academic and Public Libraries. http://www.efc.co.uk/DECIDE/REPORT/DECIDE.HTM
EQLIPSE. Evaluation and Quality in Library Performance: System for Europe. http/www.uclan.ac.uk/research/centre/cerlim/projects/eqlipse.htm