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IS supports managers in decision making

Short answer

Information systems support decision making by delivering accurate, timely information: MIS provides structured reports, DSS enables what-if analysis, ESS offers executive summaries, and expert systems give rule-based advice. Quality requirements include accuracy, timeliness, relevance, reliability, security, usability, flexibility, efficiency and maintainability.

"An Information System supports managers in decision making". Illustrate it with your thoughts. What are different quality requirements that an information system should possess?

How an IS supports managers in decision making

Decision making needs intelligence (finding the problem), design (finding alternatives), choice (selecting) and review. An information system helps managers in each step.

  1. Right information at the right time - MIS reports, dashboards and queries give current and accurate facts.
  2. Structured decisions - TPS and MIS automate routine decisions (reorder level, credit limit checks).
  3. Semi-structured decisions - DSS offers models, "what-if" and sensitivity analysis to compare alternatives.
  4. Strategic decisions - ESS gives executives summarised internal and external trends with drill-down.
  5. Expert advice - expert systems provide rule-based recommendations.
  6. Group decisions - GDSS and email/video tools allow collaboration.
  7. Monitoring and feedback - managers compare actual and planned results and take corrective action.
  8. Reduced uncertainty - forecasting and data mining reveal patterns.

Example: a store manager uses sales reports to decide stock quantities, while the CEO uses a dashboard to decide whether to open a new branch.

Quality requirements of an IS

  • Accuracy, timeliness, relevance and completeness of information
  • Reliability and availability
  • Security and privacy
  • Usability (easy interface)
  • Flexibility and scalability
  • Efficiency and low cost
  • Maintainability and integration with other systems
  • Consistency of data across the system

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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