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Expert: Leo Lingham - 9/1/2011

Question "Please help me by answering the following questions: 1. Define Information Technology. Describe various types of information systems. Is Information Technology as vital to modern global business as money? Why or why not? Discuss some trends in IT development. 2. Define MIS. Explain the framework of ANTHONY and SIMON for understanding the MIS and decision making process. Also discuss the role of MIS at various management levels with examples. 3. What are integrated software applications? Discuss their advantages and business utility. Every component of a computer such as hardware software and network should be protected. Justify and elaborate. 4. How the financial systems, facilitated by computer software are important for economy of data processing and administrative efficiency? - Discuss. 5. Discuss the salient features of the genetic algorithms. Explain its applications in business. How do they differ from artificial neural networks?" Get the answer below Sponsored Links SAS Data Integration MgmtSAS Data Integration landscape To Make Timely, Informed decisionswww.SAS.com Information StrategyIndependent and authoritative strategies for managing informationwww.mcknightcg.com Accept Donations OnlineFree Non profit Payment Set Up & 30+ online tools for fundraisingwww.ClickandPledge.com/fundraising Answer HERE IS SOME SOME USEFUL MATERIAL. SOME ANSWERS HELD BACK DUE TO SPACE CONSTRAINT.

PLEASE FORWARD THESE BALANCE QUESTIONS TO MY EMAIL ID leolingham2000@gmail.com. I will send the balance asap. Regards LEO LINGHAM ================== 1. Define Information Technology. Describe various types of information systems. Is Information Technology as vital to modern global business as money? Why or why not? Discuss some trends in IT development. information technology the development, implementation, and maintenance of computer hardware and software systems to organize and communicate information electronically. In the broadest sense, information technology refers to both the hardware and software that are used to store, retrieve, and manipulate information. At the lowest level you have the servers with an operating system. Installed on these servers are things like database and web serving software. The servers are connected to each other and to users via a network infrastructure. And the users accessing these servers have their own hardware, operating system, and software tools. THERE is the increasing importance of information technology as the organized industries undergo divestiture, deregulation, convergence, and globalization. In today's competitive environment, organizations increasingly focus on customer retention, cost reduction and competitive positioning. Decision-making, from system planning to operations and maintenance, is no longer just about finding the most economical solution to meet business criteria. It also involves determining customer expectations and finding the best approach to meet these expectations. Many companies have realized the benefits from using real-time technologies, such as those involving supervisory control and data acquisition and distribution automation systems. These systems have historically improved reliability, reduced operating and capital costs, and have provided invaluable data for system planning, design and operations. The organization will continue to derive these benefits as well as customer satisfaction and retention by more fully integrating their information and analysis systems. Properly managing and utilizing information will enable the companies of the future to be more competitive In the world of globalization, Information system is such where data are collected, classified and put into process interpreting the result thereon in order to provide an integrated series of information for further communicating and analyzing. In a progressively more spirited worldwide atmosphere, Information System plays the role as enabler and facilitator, which endows with tactical values to the officialdom and considerable step up to the excellence of administration. An Information System is a particular type of work system that uses information technology to detain, put on the air, store, retrieve, manipulate or display information, thereby partisan one or more other work structure. In totting up to taking sides assessment making, co-ordination and control, information systems may also help managers and workers investigate problems, envisage complex subjects and generate new merchandise or services. Work systems and the information systems that support typically undergo at least four phases: a) initiation, the process of defining the need to change an existing work system b) development, the process of acquiring and configuring/installing the necessary hardware, software and other resources c) implementation, the process of making new system operational in the organisation, and d) Operation and maintenance, the process concerned with the operation of the system, correcting any problems that may arise and ensuring that the system is delivering the anticipating benefits. The management of these processes can be achieved and controlled using a series of techniques and management tools which, collectively, tend to be known as Structured Methodologies. ============================================== THE CAPABILITIES OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS SHOULD INCLUDE

-PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR DECISION MAKERS TO MAKE SOLUTIONS FOR THE MOST CHALLENGING SITUATIONS. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR MAKING STRATEGIC DECISIONS IN A COMPETITIVE SITUATION. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR INDUSTRY BENCHMARKEING. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR PROCESS ENGINEERING ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR PRICING MANAGEMENT ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR REVENUE MANAGEMENT -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR DEVELOPING STRATEGIC ALLIANCES. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR ALLOCATING OF RESOURCES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR Identifying strategic shifts and positioning WITH clients in anticipation of several possible outcomes scenario planning --is a core part of our strategic and tactical planning. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION TO SEE Changes in market conditions, technical advances, and economic issues will all affect THE INDUSTRY / BUSINESS in the future. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION TO find the most effective marketing strategies in order to succeed in these challenging times. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR PROPRIETARY DATABASES AND ANALYTICAL SUPPORT. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION ON ECONOMIC CONDITIONS-PAST/PRESENT/FUTURE. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT enables to provide valuable understanding of the opportunities, challenges, potential pitfalls and market implications -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION WHICH helps organizations realize the most value from their assets. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDES INFORMATION TO CONDUCT portfolio management, remarketing assistance, sale and lease negotiations, asset sourcing and acquisition, appraisal and valuation, auditS and management and expert testimony. ----------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE THE RIGHT INFORMATION for a clear and disciplined approach to financial planning is vital to ensure success. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR OBJECTIVE PLANNING. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR the execution of effective business planning and sound management usually defines these differences in profitability. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-PROVIDE INFORMATION TO analyze and prioritize the BUSINESS drivers to help to achieve a superior competitive position. Vital to this process is an understanding of the economic advantages of scale and scope. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDES INFORMATION FOR Operational excellence results in the attainment of world-class quality and productivity in the delivery of services to customers --------------------------------------------------------------------------------PROVIDES INFORMATION to develop a clear understanding of their operating practices and associated costs, particularly relative to competitors. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------When running a BUSINESS, the right information systems can have a critical impact operating costs, operating effectiveness, and customer satisfaction. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------THE CAPABILITIES OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS which SHOULD INCLUDE in terms of -ability to collect qualtitative informations -ability to collect quantitative informations -ability to handle wide range of functionalities -ability to store -ability to track -ability to monitor -ability to track variances -ability to provide trends etc etc. IT MUST ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR FOR MANAGEMENT The information can be used for various purposes,

-strategic planning -delivering increased productivity -reducing service cycles -reducing product development cycles -reducing marketing life cycles -increasing the understanding of customers' needs -facilitating business and process re-engineering. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------INFORMATION can also be used across the organization as an information utility to -support policy making -meet regulatory and legislative requirements -support research and development -support consistent and rapid decision making -enable effective and efficient utilization of resources -provide evidence of business transactions -identify and manage risks -evaluate and document quality, performance and achievements. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MAKING INFORMATION AVAILABLE The availability of information is fundamental to the decision making process. Decisions are made within the organization at -STRATEGIC -OPERATIONAL -PROGRAMMES -ACTIVITY LEVEL. -----------------------------------------------------------------

The information needs and decision making activities of the various levels of management SENIOR MANAGEMENT Strategic business direction -information for strategically positioning the organization -competitive analysis and performance evaluation, -strategic planning and policy, -external factors that influence the direction etc MID LEVEL MANAGEMENT Organizational and operational functions -information for coordination of work units -information for delivery programmes -evaluation of resources usage -budget control -problem solving -operational planning etc MID LEVEL MANAGEMENT Programme management within units -information for implementing programmes -information for managing programmes -management of resources usage -project scheduling -problem solving -operational planning etc

LINE MANAGEMENT Activity management -information for routine decision making -information for problem solving -information for service delivery etc. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SYSTEMS The management oriented support systems to various levels of management. provide support

Executive Information Systems allow executives to see where a problem or opportunity exists. Decision Support Systems are used by mid-level management to support the solution of problems that require judgement by the problem solver. Line Managers use Management Reporting Systems for

routine operational information. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS These include -Accounting Information Systems -Marketing Information Systems -Enterprise Information Systems -Decision Support Information Systems -Executive Information Systems Information Systems

-Quality Management -Manufacturing -Financial

Information Systems

Information Systems Information Systems

-Human resource

SOME RECENT TRENDS IN IT FIELD. SQL Server 'Denlai' CTP3 and SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 Released by Microsoft Both the third community technology preview (CTP3) release of Microsoft's next-generation SQL Server database management system, code-named "Denali" and Service Pack 1 for its current SQL Server 2008 R2 product were announced on Monday at the Worldwide Partner Conference, being held in Los Angeles, Calif. 07/14/2011 MyEclipse Blue + Spring = Bling IDE Genuitec and Skyway Software today released a new IDE -- MyEclipse Bling -- aimed at IBM shops adopting Spring in their WebSphere-deployable applications. 07/13/2011 Upgrades Coming to VMware's Virtualization Platform An upgrade to VMware's vSphere 5, the company's flagship virtulization platform, was announced today in a live event. 07/12/2011 CloudBees Releases Eclipse Toolkit for Java Developers Java Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) company CloudBees wants to give Java jocks a more integrated process for developing, building and deploying their cloud applications. 07/08/2011 Oracle Launches JDK 7 Release Candidate Oracle this week unveiled the first and probably only release candidate of the Java Development Kit 7 (JDK 7), the next major release of the Java SE platform, and the first new version of Java to make it out of the open source community in five years. 07/08/2011 Android Market Share Continues Strong Growth According to a comScore report for a three-month period ending in May, Google's Android OS devices claim 38.1 percent of all smartphones owned in the U.S. 07/07/2011 CollabNet Upgrades Agile Dev Platform for Social, Cloud Collaboration CollabNet recently announced a new version of its TeamForge Agile software development platform new social coding collaboration features, among other changes. 07/05/2011 Windows Phone 7 Developers Get Hands on 'Mango' Beta Both a new software development kit (SDK) beta and "Mango" beta were released yesterday for Windows Phone 7 developers. 06/30/2011 IE 10 Platform Preview 2 Released Internet Explorer 10 platform preview 2 was announced on Wednesday. 06/30/2011 Google Swiffy Converts Flash Content to HTML 5 Yesterday saw the release of Swiffy, a development tool from Google Labs that allows SWF files (used in Flash elements) to be converted to HTML 5. 06/29/2011

Report: Top 25 Coding Mistakes An updated list of the top 25 coding errors considered to be responsible for the majority of security vulnerabilities plaguing software was released yesterday, with input from a coalition of government, academic and private sector security organizations. 06/28/2011 Android Deal Between Microsoft and General Dynamics Itronix Finalized Yesterday Microsoft inked a deal with General Dynamics Itronix, a Sunrise, Fla.-based maker of sturdy computers for the public service, military, industrial market and public sectors. 06/28/2011 Analyst: 'Water-Scrum-Fall' Is Current Agile Reality A lot of companies profess to following Agile software development practices, but most of them are still clinging to some of the old waterfall ways of doing things, said Forrester Research Principal Analyst Dave West in a recent Webcast. 06/24/2011 Android Game Developers Targeted by Lodsys The patent-holding company Lodsys, which has recently gained notoriety for threatening to sue iOS developers, continues to find itself embroiled in controversy as it broadens its reach to Android game developers. 06/23/2011 Eclipse Release Train 'Indigo' Launches 62 Projects This year's synchronized simultaneous launch of multiple Eclipse projects is the biggest yet, involving the work of 408 developers and 49 organizations contributing to 62 projects. 06/22/2011 JAX 2011: Java Must 'Seize the Lead in the Cloud,' Says SpringSource Founder There are clouds on the horizon for Java -- or there better be, says Rod Johnson, founder of the Spring framework and senior vice president of the Application Platform Division at VMware. 06/22/2011 Java PaaS Provider CloudBees Launches Integrated Partner Ecosystem The new CloudBees Ecosystem is designed to bring cloud-based services from the company's partners directly to developers within the CloudBees platform. 06/22/2011 Adobe Ramps Up Mobile Development Tools Adobe's Flash Platform is moving aggressively into the realm of mobile development, having added the ability in its latest release to build apps for iOS and BlackBerry devices. 06/21/2011 Survey: 30 Percent of Mobile Apps Earn Less Than $1,000 About 30 percent of mobile developers say they make less than $1,000 per app, according to a new study. 06/17/2011 Oracle's Code Contribution to Openoffice.org Voted In by Apache Software Foundation A vote was put to the members of the Apache Software Foundation last week to accept Oracle's source code contribution to Openoffice.org. 06/16/2011 Open Source Integration Platform Adds Hybrid Cloud Support Commercial open-source middleware maker Talend has taken its recently announced Unified Integration Platform into the cloud. 06/13/2011 Agile Platform Adds Cloud, Mobile Support Agile webapps toolmaker Outsystems has released the latest version of its Agile Platform environment. Version 6.0 of the platform comes with new tools for mobile development, an enhanced UI and a series of pre-built business apps designed for easy customizaton. 06/10/2011

#################################### 2. Define MIS. Explain the framework of ANTHONY and SIMON for understanding the MIS and decision making process. Also discuss the role of MIS at various management levels with examples. MIS is an integrated information system, which is used to provide management with needed information on a regular basis . The term system in MIS implies ORDER, ARRANGEMENT, and PURPOSE. MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM MIS is an integrated information system, which is used to provide management with needed information on a regular basis .

The term system in MIS implies ORDER, ARRANGEMENT, and PURPOSE. The information can be used for various purposes,

-strategic planning -delivering increased productivity -reducing service cycles -reducing product development cycles -reducing marketing life cycles -increasing the understanding of customers' needs -facilitating business and process re-engineering. MIS can also be used across the organization as an information utility to -support policy making -meet regulatory and legislative requirements -support research and development -support consistent and rapid decision making -enable effective and efficient utilization of resources -provide evidence of business transactions -identify and manage risks -evaluate and document quality, performance and achievements. MAKING INFORMATION AVAILABLE The availability of information is fundamental to the decision making process. Decisions are made within the organization at -STRATEGIC -OPERATIONAL -PROGRAMMES -ACTIVITY LEVEL. The information needs and decision making activities of the various levels of management SENIOR MANAGEMENT Strategic business direction -information for strategically positioning the organization -competitive analysis and performance evaluation, -strategic planning and policy, -external factors that influence the direction etc MID LEVEL MANAGEMENT Organizational and operational functions -information for coordination of work units -information for delivery programmes -evaluation of resources usage -budget control -problem solving -operational planning etc MID LEVEL MANAGEMENT

Programme management within units -information for implementing programmes -information for managing programmes -management of resources usage -project scheduling -problem solving -operational planning etc

LINE MANAGEMENT Activity management -information for routine decision making -information for problem solving -information for service delivery etc. MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SYSTEMS The management oriented support systems provide support to various levels of management.

Executive Information Systems allow executives to see where a problem or opportunity exists. Decision Support Systems are used by mid-level management problems that require judgement by the problem solver. Line Managers FUNCTIONAL These include -Accounting Information Systems -Marketing Information Systems -Enterprise Information Systems -Decision Support Information Systems -Executive Information Systems Information Systems use Management Reporting Systems for INFORMATION SYSTEMS to support the solution of

routine operational information.

-Quality Management -Manufacturing -Financial

Information Systems

Information Systems Information Systems

-Human resource

================================================= -WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE OF THE MANAGEMENT THE OBJECTIVE IS TO PROVIDE THE IN USING MIS

MANAGEMENT, A RANGE OF

Business Intelligence Business Performance Management Business rules Data Mining Predictive analytics Purchase order request Enterprise Architecture Information technology management Knowledge Base Online analytical processing ETC ETC =========================================================== -WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE MANAGEMENT OF MIS The major EXPECTATIONS of MIS are to: reach an understanding of the relevant processes on the basis of the available historic information. This element forms the basis for the development of models, required for forecasting and simulation. provide information on the current situation, especially for early warning purposes, for instance related to issues impacting on business, resources or business status. forecast changes and impacts, either natural or man-made, as an element in vulnerability assessments. forecast the consequences of policy decisions and measures before they are implemented in reality. This implies evaluating options for several given scenarios based on the possible results and predicted consequences, and selecting the most acceptable alternative. Conceptual frameworks used to provide context to explanations of IS usage in organizations Since the early 1970s, several attempts have been made to categorize IS and to produce taxonomies of IS. Perhaps the first one was made by Gorry and Scott Morton . They used a two dimensions framework to classify IS: (i) managerial level supported by the IS - according to Anthonys framework for managerial activities ; (ii) (ii) type of problem addressed/decision to be made whether structured, semi-structured or non-structured. Managerial activities As a consequence Anthonys framework for managerial activities became a very popular conceptual framework to support explanations of IS use. Dated from mid 1960s Anthonys three levels of managerial activities framework can be associated with the bureaucratic model of organizations that resulted from the industrial era. It might be misleading in the modern situation of flexible organizations acting in a global market with more educated employees that demand autonomy and empowerment. So, alternative and more sophisticated models of managerial activities were also used to illustrate IS usage in modern organizations. Viable System Model (VSM) VSM accounts for two important aspects: it differentiates among five managerial functions that are considered necessary to guarantee autonomy (coordination, control, audit, intelligence, and policy making) and suggests a recursive structure that is essential to assure organizations viability. Besides accommodating explanations similar to those achieved with Anthonys framework, the VSM framework also provides the basis to explain the necessity/utility of several levels of information provision provided nowadays through the use of data warehousing and OLAP technology . Decision-making When used to support managerial activities, IS are somewhat related to decision making. Therefore, decisions and the decision making process are also a popular dimension in IS taxonomies.

Communication With the advent of local area networks, another aspect become important communication. Computers started to be used to support activities that involve communication between several people (e.g., groupware systems). Therefore several features related to the communication process were, in some way, included in taxonomies. Business functions, processes and domains Some IS classifications also focus on organizational activities although they dont address the Anthonys distinction of managerial activities types. It is quite common to classify IS according to the functional area they are used in. New perspectives on IS: dealing with knowledge In recent years it became quite popular to mention that IS deal with knowledge. This isnt particularly new. The first references to computer based systems that deal with knowledge are quite old and have their roots in artificial intelligence applications. Expert systems and their integrating knowledge bases are as old. It is also easy to accept that the models bases that integrate decision support systems deal with some form of knowledge as well. And decision support systems are even older than expert systems. However, the increasing frequency of such mentions to knowledge suggest a change in discourse and might also indicate that we are living a paradigm shift in the way we perceive IS in organizations. In our view, knowledge manipulation by IS really became an issue. This can be explained as resulting from a combination of several factors that allowed that the focus of computer use in organizations shifted from just dealing with information to interfering with human capabilities for action. Such factors include the following: Widespread use of IS in organizations such as data mining, workflow management systems, e-groups, several communication services available upon the internet that go well beyond the long-standing processing of information according to previously known rules or algorithms; New organizational and social practices enabled by those computer based systems (IT in general) such as: knowledge discovery in databases; workflow management; just-in-time; supply chain management; electronic commerce; customer relationship management; communities of practice; knowledge management; Dissemination of personal computers and mobile computing and communication devices and their interconnection through the internet. Cognition systems Acknowledging that IS deal with knowledge opens up a whole new perspective for looking at IS in organizations: organizations as cognition systems, i.e., systems that exhibit cognition features similar to those that can be found in humans. In fact, organizations can be viewed as collective enterprises where purposeful action is carried out. This action can correspond either to operational action (action to produce the results it is supposed to produce according to its purpose) or to managerial action (action to guarantee the organizations survival and well being). Action demands acting capabilities that, for the cases of intellectual/mental/cognitive action, can be presented as composed by knowledge and intelligence. Knowledge corresponds to images of the internal and external state of affairs, models of the dynamics of the world and other mental images created based on the others forms of knowledge. Intelligence might include capacities such as to perceive, to memorize, to reason, to imagine, to solve problems, to plan a desired future. Types of knowledge It is possible to use those concepts to look at what IS do in organizations. In what concerns knowledge, we can use a classification of cognitions to distinguish among different

types of knowledge: perceptual, conceptual and behavioral. Perceptual knowledge can be associated to whatever can be known through perceptual mechanisms.

Conceptual knowledge can be associated to the results of reasoning upon perceptual knowledge and conceptual knowledge. Behavioral knowledge corresponds to knowing how to do something. Manipulation of knowledge representations by IS Representations of any of those types of knowledge are dealt with by IS. For instance, what we normally call data processing systems deal with representations of perceptual knowledge (e.g., records of what exists in a warehouse, what is being sold, the customers names and addresses, etc.). They use forms of deductive reasoning to produce some result that is necessary in an organizations value chain. Management information systems arent very different. They also apply forms of deductive reasoning upon representations of perceptual knowledge. However, the aim of these IS is to produce some form of conceptual knowledge such as management indicators. The decision models of decision support systems correspond to conceptual knowledge. The role of decision support systems is to support deductive reasoning using those models to produce alternative scenarios for a course of action. These scenarios are a form of conceptual knowledge as well as they result from reasoning. Workflow management systems incorporate descriptions of what to do representations of behavioral knowledge to coordinate action in organizations. Data mining systems carry out inductive reasoning upon perceptual knowledge to produce conceptual knowledge such as customers patterns of behavior. The role played by any type of IS can be re-interpreted according to the cognition system conceptual framework outlined above. In certain cases computers can be viewed as amplifiers of human cognitive capabilities, enhancing human capacity for perceiving, memorizing, reasoning, communicating. In other cases IS became autonomous elements of the cognition mechanisms of an organization (including elements that support communication and interaction among the other elements). They interact with other IS and with humans (directly or through their cognitive amplifiers) to constitute a collective organizational mind. Classification for the various components (topics, species or subsystems) of planning and control systems and to suggest the characteristics of each component. According to Anthony these components or topics include the following: Planning and Control Systems Subsystem Definition Management Control "...the process of assuring that resources are obtained and used effectively and efficiently in the accomplishment of the organization's objectives." Strategic Planning "...the process of deciding on changes in the objectives of the organization, in the resources that are to be used in attaining these objectives, and in the policies that are to govern the acquisition and use of these resources." Technical Control "...the process of assuring the efficient acquisition and use of resources, with respect to activities for which the optimum relationship between outputs and resources can be approximately determined." Anthony compares strategic planning and management control in a table reproduced below. Category Strategic Planning Management Control

Person primarily involved Staff and top management Line and top management Number of persons Small Large Mental activity Creative; analytical Administrative; persuasive Variables Complex; much judgment Less complex Time period Tends to be long Tends to be short Periodicity Irregular, no set schedule rhythmic; set timetable Procedures Unstructured; each problem different Prescribed procedure, regularly followed Focus Tends to focus on one aspect at a time All encompassing Source of information Relies more on external and future Relies more on internal and historical Product Intangible; precedent setting More tangible; action within precedent Communication problem Relatively simple Crucial and difficult Appraisal of soundness Extremely difficult Much less difficult Anthony defines "managed costs" in making a distinction between management control and technical control. Managed costs involve resources for which an objective decision as to the optimum quantity needed cannot be made, e.g., legal services. (Note: Managed costs are also referred to as discretionary costs in the accounting literature.) Management control involves the whole organization and includes those parts of the organization where managed costs are significant. Technical control, on the other hand, involves only activities where there are no significant managed costs. Management control covers the whole organization, where technical control relates to subunits, or activities of subunits. Psychological considerations are dominant in management control systems, while logical rules apply to technical control systems. According to Anthony, a technical control system is analogous to a thermostat, while a management control system is highly dependent on the human behavior. Technical control can be programmed based on a set of objective rules. Management control requires subjective judgment. Therefore, failing to make the distinction between management control and technical control can create many problems within an organization. For example, attempts to substitute technical control (e.g., computers) for management control does not work. ================================================= is Simons framework for decision-making? How does it help in MIS design? Simmons decision-making model there are four phases 1) Intelligence phase 2) Design phase 3) Choice phase 4) Implementation phase Initially the problem comes and we are in the intelligence phase thinking of the problem as it comes and then we try to find out what the solution to the given problem and then we move to design phase. In the design phase the way and method to solve the problem is thought and we actually try analyze the problem, we try to find the algorithms and the way that can actually solve the problem and hence we use the genetic algorithm to find the solution to the given problem .After finding the method which is to be applied to the given problem we move to choice phase and here the actual work of finding the best algorithm come .Here we try to find the best algorithm from the given set of algorithm we have the option of choosing the algorithms such as "ACO" algorithm which is called the ant colony optimization algorithm or we have the choice of finding the algorithm such as Simulated annealing (SA) is a related global optimization technique that traverses the search space by testing random mutations on an individual solution. A mutation that increases fitness is always accepted. A mutation that lowers fitness is accepted probabilistically based on the difference in fitness and a decreasing temperature parameter. In SA parlance, one speaks of seeking the lowest energy instead of the maximum fitness. SA can also be used within a standard GA algorithm by starting with a relatively high rate of mutation and decreasing it over time along a given schedule. After deciding that genetic algorithm is the most suitable algorithm for the programming we move to the next step which is the implemetation phase here the real implemeation of the slotuin is done we implemet the solution to the given problem by using the geneteic algorithm according to the given problem. In the given problem a list of 26 items is given they all have different price, different weights and different volumes. The problem says that we have to find the items which can be fitted in to the given space of the container the number of items chosen to be fitted in to the given space should be such that the weight and the volume of the selected items should not be more than the total allowed volume and weight in the container. The care has to be taken such that the total weight and volume of the selected items should not exceed more than the allowed weight and the volume.

============ THE COMPANY USING THE RATIONAL APPROACH. Basic Guidelines Decision Making 1. Define the problem This is often where people struggle. They react to what they think the problem is. Instead, seek to understand more about why you think there's a problem. Defining the problem: (with input from yourself and others) Ask yourself and others, the following questions: a. What can you see that causes you to think there's a problem? b. Where is it happening? c. How is it happening? d. When is it happening? e. With whom is it happening? (HINT: Don't jump to "Who is causing the problem?" When we're stressed, blaming is often one of our first reactions. To be an effective manager, you need to address issues more than people.) f. Why is it happening? g. Write down a five-sentence description of the problem in terms of "The following should be happening, but isn't ..." or "The following is happening and should be: ..." As much as possible, be specific in your description, including what is happening, where, how, with whom and why. (It may be helpful at this point to use a variety of research methods. Defining complex problems: a. If the problem still seems overwhelming, break it down by repeating steps a-f until you have descriptions of several related problems. Verifying your understanding of the problems: a. It helps a great deal to verify your problem analysis for conferring with a peer or someone else. Prioritize the problems: a. If you discover that you are looking at several related problems, then prioritize which ones you should address first. b. Note the difference between "important" and "urgent" problems. Often, what we consider to be important problems to consider are really just urgent problems. Important problems deserve more attention. For example, if you're continually answering "urgent" phone calls, then you've probably got a more "important" problem and that's to design a system that screens and prioritizes your phone calls. Understand your role in the problem: a. Your role in the problem can greatly influence how you perceive the role of others. For example, if you're very stressed out, it'll probably look like others are, too, or, you may resort too quickly to blaming and reprimanding others. Or, you are feel very guilty about your role in the problem, you may ignore the accountabilities of others. ---------------------------------------------2. Look at potential causes for the problem a. It's amazing how much you don't know about what you don't know. Therefore, in this phase, it's critical to get input from other people who notice the problem and who are effected by it. b. It's often useful to collect input from other individuals one at a time (at least at first). Otherwise, people tend to be inhibited about offering their impressions of the real causes of problems. c. Write down what your opinions and what you've heard from others. d. Regarding what you think might be performance problems associated with an employee, it's often useful to seek advice from a peer or your supervisor in order to verify your impression of the problem. e.Write down a description of the cause of the problem and in terms of what is happening, where, when, how, with whom and why. ---------------------------------------------------3.Define the Goal or Objective In a sense, every problem is a situation that prevents us from achieving previously determined goals. If a personal goal is to lead a pleasant and meaningful life, then any situation that would prevent it is viewed as a problem. Similarly, in a business situation, if a company objective is to operate profitably, then problems are those occurrences which prevent the company from achieving its previously defined profit objective. But an objective need not be a grand, overall goal of a business or an individual. It may be quite narrow and specific. "I want to pay off the loan on my car by May," or "The plant must

produce 300 golf carts in the next two weeks," are more limited objectives. Thus, defining the objective is the act of exactly describing the task or goal. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4. Identify alternatives for approaches to resolve the problem a. At this point, it's useful to keep others involved (unless you're facing a personal and/or employee performance problem). Brainstorm for solutions to the problem. Very simply put, brainstorming is collecting as many ideas as possible, then screening them to find the best idea. It's critical when collecting the ideas to not pass any judgment on the ideas -- just write them down as you hear them. ------------------------------------------------------------5. Select an approach to resolve the problem When selecting the best approach, consider: a. Which approach is the most likely to solve the problem for the long term? b. Which approach is the most realistic to accomplish for now? Do you have the resources? Are they affordable? Do you have enough time to implement the approach? c. What is the extent of risk associated with each alternative? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6. Plan the implementation of the best alternative (this is your action plan) a. Carefully consider "What will the situation look like when the problem is solved?" b. What steps should be taken to implement the best alternative to solving the problem? What systems or processes should be changed in your organization, for example, a new policy or procedure? Don't resort to solutions where someone is "just going to try harder". c. How will you know if the steps are being followed or not? (these are your indicators of the success of your plan) d. What resources will you need in terms of people, money and facilities? e. How much time will you need to implement the solution? Write a schedule that includes the start and stop times, and when you expect to see certain indicators of success. f. Who will primarily be responsible for ensuring implementation of the plan? g. Write down the answers to the above questions and consider this as your action plan. h. Communicate the plan to those who will involved in implementing it and, at least, to your immediate supervisor. (An important aspect of this step in the problem-solving process is continually observation and feedback.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7. Monitor implementation of the plan Monitor the indicators of success: a. Are you seeing what you would expect from the indicators? b. Will the plan be done according to schedule? c. If the plan is not being followed as expected, then consider: Was the plan realistic? Are there sufficient resources to accomplish the plan on schedule? Should more priority be placed on various aspects of the plan? Should the plan be changed? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8. Verify if the problem has been resolved or not One of the best ways to verify if a problem has been solved or not is to resume normal operations in the organization. Still, you should consider: a. What changes should be made to avoid this type of problem in the future? Consider changes to policies and procedures, training, etc. b. Lastly, consider "What did you learn from this problem solving?" Consider new knowledge, understanding and/or skills. c. Consider writing a brief memo that highlights the success of the problem solving effort, and what you learned as a result. Share it with your supervisor, peers and subordinates ============================================ #######################################################

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Answers by Expert: Prof R S S Mani Brian Phillips Shannon Reising Leo Lingham Patricia A Bell Umesh Chaudhary Raghav Jim Dromsky Shirley McAllister, CPP, PHR Pankaj Bhargava

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Leo LinghamExpertisehuman resource management, human resource planning, strategic planning in resource, management development, training, business coaching, management training, coaching, counseling, recruitment, selection, performance management.

Experience18 years of managerial working exercise which covers business planning , strategic planning, marketing, sales management, management service, organization development PLUS 24 years of management consulting which includes business planning, corporate planning, strategic planning, business development, product management, human resource management/ development,training, business coaching, etc

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