BASIC STRUCTURAL CONCEPTS
The architecture of an enterprise information system determines relation of its individual parts with its surrounding environment. An effective use of information system requires, apart from other things, its painless integration in to the enterprise management system. The information system architecture can be seen by different angels. The structural design of information system might be closely interconnected with enterprise organizational architecture. However in reality structural model of information system are not fairly understandable for users.
The organization structure is build by arrangement of organizational sub system. The organization structure is built on four basic principles, namely, Hierarchy of authority, specialization, standerdisation or formalization and centralization. The structure is build to achieve goals and objectives fitting in to the environment the structure built on any principle shows division of work, managerial and non managerial man power allocation as well as flows of decision responsibility and exchange of information.
There are certain basic concepts relating to the structure of management information system .They are:
FORMAL AND INFORMAL INFORMATION SYSTEM
The information processing system in an organization can be divided into two categories namely public system and private system.
- Public information system
Public information system is a part of an organization and used by the relevant persons in an organization. Such information can be utilized by all personnel who have authority to access the information.
- Private information system
On the other hand private information system are kept by individuals . private system may help and supplement the public system .There are both formal and informal system with in the public and private system.
- Formal information system
The formal information system are represented by records and document .There are certain well prescribed rules and procedures to be followed in formal information system.
- Informal information system
The informal information system also process information needed for organizational functioning .But such an information system is not represented by any records and documents.
- Formal public information system
Management information system with its specified rules and procedures is a part of the formal public system .The system is public in the organization and it is accessible to such people who have the organizational authority to enter ,retrieve data or receive reports.
- Informal public information system
In addition to the public formal system ,there also exist informal public system in order to provide benefits to all persons in the organization who really need such information .strict rules and procedures may not be
found in such systems .Electronic mails ,telephone calls ,conversation at public places in the organization etc are examples of public informal information system.
- Formal private information system
Besides these formal and informal public information system , there are also formal and informal private system in an organization. In the case of formal private system information is under the custody of the individual owner and his staff.
For example ,a marketing manager might have been collected information regarding sales data relating to a purticuler sales district through his sales staff .In addition to that the secretary to the manager may also collect and maintain information relating to sales from some private sources .This information is available only to the marketing manager and anybody else.
- Private informal information system
Many individuals may maintain their own private informal information system for discharging their duties more effectively and efficiently .It is normally found that certain exicutives in an organization may collect valuable information from informal sources to make their decisions more accurate .They collect such type of information through their personal contacts with people .Such information might be very important and useful for decision making in certain occasions.
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