INTRODUCTION- Definition Of MIS

Management information Systems (MIS), sometimes referred to as Information Manag

ement and Systems, are the discipline covering the application of people, techno
logies, and procedures — collectively called information systems — to solving bu
siness problems. Management Information Systems are distinct from regular inform
ation systems in that they are used to analyze other information systems applied
in operational activities in the organization. Academically, the term is common
ly used to refer to the group of information management methods tied to the auto
mation or support of human decision making, e.g. Decision Support Systems, Exper
t systems, and Executive information systems.The terms MIS and information syste
m are often confused. Information systems include systems that are not intended
for decision making. MIS is sometimes referred to, in a restrictive sense, as in
formation technology management. That area of study should not be confused with
computer science. IT service management is a practitioner-focused discipline. MI
S has also some differences with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) as ERP incor
porates elements that are not necessarily focused on decision support.

SIEMENS
Siemens AG is Europe's largest engineering conglomerate. Siemens' international
headquarters is located in Berlin, Munich and Erlangen, Germany. The company has
three main business sectors: Industry, Energy and Healthcare; with a total of 1
5 divisions.
Worldwide Siemens and its subsidiaries employ approximately 420,800 people in ne
arly 190 countries and reported global revenue of 76.651 billion Euros as of 200
9. Siemens AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and has been listed on
the New York Stock Exchange since March 12, 2001.
History
• Siemens was founded by Werner von Siemens on 12 October, 1847.
• In 1848, the company built the first long-distance telegraph line in Eur
ope; 500 km from Berlin to Frankfurt am Main.
• In 1850 the founder's younger brother, Carl Wilhelm Siemens started to r
epresent the company in London. In the 1850s, the company was involved in buildi
ng long distance telegraph networks in Russia.
• In 1855, a company branch headed by another brother, Carl Heinrich von S
iemens, opened in St Petersburg, Russia.
• In 1867, Siemens completed the monumental Indo-European (Calcutta to Lon
don) telegraph line.
• In 1881, a Siemens AC Alternator driven by a watermill was used to power
the world's first electric street lighting in the town of Godalming, United Kin
gdom
• In 1890, the founder retired and left the company to his brother Carl a
nd sons Arnold and Wilhelm. Siemens & Halske (S&H) was incorporated in 1897.
• In 1907 Siemens had 34,324 employees and was the seventh-largest company
in the German empire by number of employees.
• In 1919, S&H and two other companies jointly formed the Osram lightbulb
company. A Japanese subsidiary was established in 1923.
• In the 1950s and from their new base in Bavaria, S&H started to manufact
ure computers, semiconductor devices, washing machines, and pacemakers. Siemens
AG was incorporated in 1966. In 1988 Siemens and GEC acquired the UK defense and
technology company Plessey.
• In 1991, Siemens acquired Nixdorf Computer AG and renamed it Siemens Nix
dorf Informationssysteme AG.
• In October 1991, Siemens acquired the Industrial Systems Division of Tex
as Instruments, Inc, based in Johnson City, Tennessee.
• In 1997 Siemens introduced the first GSM cellular phone with colour disp
lay. Also in 1997 Siemens agreed to sell the defense arm of Siemens Plessey.
• In 1999, Siemens' semiconductor operations were spun off into a new comp
any known as Infineon Technologies.
• In February 2003, Siemens reopened its office in Kabul.
• In 2005 Siemens sold the Siemens mobile manufacturing business to BenQ,
forming the BenQ-Siemens division.
• In 2006, Siemens announced the purchase of Bayer Diagnostics, which was
incorporated into the Medical Solutions Diagnostics division on 1 January 2007.
• In March 2007 a Siemens board member was temporarily arrested and accuse
d of illegally financing a business-friendly labour association.
• In April 2007, the Fixed Networks, Mobile Networks and Carrier Services
divisions of Siemens merged with Nokia’s Network Business Group in a 50/50 joint
venture, creating a fixed and mobile network company called Nokia Siemens Netwo
rks. Nokia delayed the merger due to bribery investigations against Siemens.
• In October 2007, a court in Munich found that the company had bribed pub
lic officials in Libya, Russia, and Nigeria in return for the awarding of contra
cts; four former Nigerian Ministers of Communications were among those named as
recipients of the payments. The company admitted to having paid the bribes and a
greed to pay a fine of 201 million Euros. In December 2007, the Nigerian governm
ent canceled a contract with Siemens due to the bribery findings.
• In July 2008, Siemens AG announced a joint venture of the Enterprise Com
munications business with the Gores Group. The Gores Group holding a majority in
terest of 51% stake, with Siemens AG holding a minority interest of 49%.
• In April 2009, Fujitsu Siemens Computers became Fujitsu Technology Solut
ions as a result of Fujitsu buying out Siemens share of the company.

ORGANISATION STRUCTURE
Since 1 January 2008, the company is divided into 3 sectors and a total of 15 di
visions.
INDUSTRY
The Industry Sector is the world’s No. 1 supplier of manufacturing, transportati
on, building and lighting systems. With the end-to-end automation technologies a
nd a comprehensive array of industry solutions, Siemens is increasing the produc
tivity, efficiency and flexibility of the customers in the industry and infrastr
ucture segments.
Motors and drives
Automation
Building technologies
Mobility
Lightning
Market specific solutions
Financial solutions
IT solutions and service
Communication networks
HEALTH CARE
The Healthcare Sector is one of the world’s largest providers to the healthcare
industry, offering solutions based on core competencies and innovative strengths
in diagnostic systems, therapeutic technologies and knowledge processing – incl
uding information technology and systems integration.
Diagnostic Imaging and therapy
Laboratory diagnostics
Hearing instruments
 Market specific solutions
Financial solutions
IT solutions and services
ENERGY
The Energy Sector is the world’s leading supplier of a wide range of products, s
olutions and services for power generation, transmission and distribution as wel
l as for the production, conversion and transport of the primary fuels oil and g
as. Siemens is the only supplier worldwide with comprehensive knowhow encompassi
ng the entire energy conversion chain and, in particular, plant-to-grid connecti
ons and other types of interfaces. The company focuses primarily on the requirem
ents of energy utilities and industrial companies – particularly those in the oi
l and gas industry.
Power generation
Power transmission and distribution
Solutions for the oil and gas industry
Market specific solutions
Financial solutions
IT solutions and services
CONSUMER PRODUCTS
Computers
Cordless phones, broadband and home media
Electrical installation systems
Hearing instruments
Home appliances
Home security
Lightning

SIEMENS IN INDIA
The Siemens Group in India has emerged as a leading inventor, innovator and impl
ementer of leading-edge technology enabled solutions operating in the core busin
ess segments of Industry, Energy and Healthcare. The Group’s business is represe
nted by various companies that span across these various segments.
Siemens brings to India state-of-the-art technology that adds value to customers
through a combination of multiple high-end technologies for complete solutions.
The Group has the competence and capability to integrate all products, systems
and services. It caters to Industry needs across market segments by undertaking
complete projects such as Hospitals, Airports and Industrial units.
The Siemens Group in India comprises of 22 companies, providing direct employmen
t to over 17,000 persons. Currently, the group has 18 manufacturing plants, a wi
de network up of Sales and Service offices across the country as well as over 50
0 channel partners.
Today, Siemens, with its world-class solutions plays a key role in India’s quest
for developing modern infrastructure.
The Siemens Group in India is a unique player in the field of electrical and ele
ctronics engineering with a business volume aggregating about Rs 11,800 crores.
The group’s business is represented by various companies that span across three
major business segments of Industry, Energy and Healthcare.
UNDERSTANDING KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Knowledge Management System (KM System) refers to a (generally IT based) system
for managing knowledge in organizations for supporting creation, capture, storag
e and dissemination of information.
The idea of a KM system is to enable employees to have ready access to the organ
ization s documented base of facts, sources of information, and solutions. For e
xample a typical claim justifying the creation of a KM system might run somethin
g like this: an engineer could know the metallurgical composition of an alloy th
at reduces sound in gear systems. Sharing this information organization wide can
lead to more effective engine design and it could also lead to ideas for new or
improved equipment.
KMS systems deal with information (although Knowledge Management as a discipline
may extend beyond the information centric aspect of any system) so they are a c
lass of information system and may build on, or utilize other information source
s. Distinguishing features of a KMS can include:
• Purpose: a KMS will have an explicit Knowledge Management objective of s
ome type such as collaboration, sharing good practice, etc.
• Context: One perspective on KMS would see knowledge is information that
is meaningfully organized, accumulated and embedded in a context of creation and
application.
• Processes: KMS are developed to support and enhance knowledge-intensive
processes, tasks or projects of e.g., creation, construction, identification, ca
pturing, acquisition, selection, valuation, organization, linking, structuring,
formalization, visualization, transfer, distribution, retention, maintenance, re
finement, revision, evolution, accessing, retrieval and last but not least the a
pplication of knowledge, also called the knowledge life cycle.
• Participants: Users can play the roles of active, involved participants
in knowledge networks and communities fostered by KMS, although this is not nece
ssarily the case. KMS designs are held to reflect that knowledge is developed co
llectively and that the “distribution” of knowledge leads to its continuous chan
ge, reconstruction and application in different contexts, by different participa
nts with differing backgrounds and experiences.
• Instruments: KMS support KM instruments, e.g., the capture, creation and
sharing of the codifiable aspects of experience, the creation of corporate know
ledge directories, taxonomies or ontology’s, expertise locators, skill managemen
t systems, collaborative filtering and handling of interests used to connect peo
ple, the creation and fostering of communities or knowledge networks.
KMS can be used for a wide range of cooperative, collaborative, adhocracy and hi
erarchy communities, virtual organizations, societies and other virtual networks
, to manage media contents; activities, interactions and work-flows purposes; pr
ojects; works, networks, departments, privileges, roles, participants and other
active users in order to extract and generate new knowledge and to enhance, leve
rage and transfer in new outcomes of knowledge providing new services using new
formats and interfaces and different communication channels.
ADVANTAGES
Sharing of valuable organizational information throughout organizational
hierarchy.
Can avoid re-inventing the wheel, reducing redundant work.
May reduce training time for new employees.

UNDERSTANDING SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Supply chain management is concerned with the efficient integration of suppliers
, factories, warehouses and stores so that merchandise is produced and distribut
ed:
– In the right quantities
– To the right locations
– At the right time
In order to
– Minimize total system cost
– Satisfy customer service requirements
Fierce competition in today’s global markets, the introduction of products with
shorter life cycles, and the heightened expectations of customers have forced bu
siness enterprises to focus attention on, their supply chains.
This has been made easier by the use of software for managing the demand and sup
ply chain. Using supply chain software, a manufacturer can communicate with his
suppliers constantly about the raw materials required for production. This enabl
es the supplier to plan and supply the raw materials according to the manufactur
er’s demand. On the other hand, demand chain software provides the channel membe
rs and the employees of a manufacturer with accurate and up-to-date information
about the goods and services available with the manufacturer, their prices, the
distributors and the suppliers in a particular region.

Supply Chain Management Problem:

Supply chain management must address the following problems:
• Distribution Network Configuration: Number, location and network of supp
liers, production facilities, distribution centers, warehouses, cross-docks and
customers.
• Distribution Strategy: Including questions of operating control (central
ized, decentralized or shared); delivery scheme (e.g., direct shipment, DSD (dir
ect store delivery)); mode of transportation (e.g., motor carrier, including tru
ckload, parcel; rail/road; ocean freight; airfreight) and transportation control
(e.g., owner-operated, private carrier, common carrier, contract carrier.
• Information: Integration of and processes through the supply chain to sh
are valuable information, including demand signals, forecasts, inventory and tra
nsportation etc.
• Inventory Management: Quantity and location of inventory including raw m
aterials, work-in-process and finished goods.
• Cash-Flow: Arranging the payment terms and the methodologies for exchang
ing funds across entities within the supply chain

PROBLEM AT SIEMENS
Siemens being a large business house faced problems in its business process. The
problem was the lack of co-ordination between the internal units of the Company
.
A company serving thousands of customers and hundreds of clients cannot procure
all necessary raw materials by itself. Again the collaboration with so many supp
liers and customers was a big problem.
The supply chain – the flow of materials from suppliers through manufacturing, d
istribution and sales was a complex issue.

Siemens India is having 18 manufacturing units with 25 suppliers and more than
500 distribution partners. Imagine with operations in 92 countries.
SOLUTION
Embarking on a four-year plan, the company started the transformation in 1999.
Siemens had decided on a dual approach that it would use its own in-house inform
ation systems capabilities where it made sense to do so, but it would also go ou
t-of-house to purchase some systems from major vendors.
Siemens Strategic Goals Were To:
• Improve its readiness for extended electronic commerce by standardizing
hundreds of business process into minimum number of operations by application o
f electronic commerce.
• Redesign the information technology infrastructure (software components
that best fit the company’s needs, each from a different vendor), integrated in
to an enterprise wide platform.

KNOWLEDGE BASE MANAGEMENT AT SIEMENS

Using SAP systems, along with software from i2 Technology and IBM, the company b
uilt functional systems that link the enterprise, ensure support functions, and
connect with the company’s supply chain partners.
SAP:
SAP, started in 1972 by five former IBM employees in Mannheim, Germany, states t
hat it is the world s largest inter-enterprise software company and the world s
fourth-largest independent software supplier, overall.
The original name for SAP was German: Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkte, German for
"Systems Applications and Products." The original SAP idea was to provide custo
mers with the ability to interact with a common corporate database for a compreh
ensive range of applications.
i2:
i2 solutions integrate with data, processes, and systems belonging to suppliers,
customers, distributors, carriers, partners, and contract manufacturers.
i2 was founded in 1988 by Sanjiv Sidhu and Ken Sharma, two visionaries in what w
ould eventually be known as the supply chain management industry. Sanjiv and Ken
were passionate about applying technology and best practices to eliminate ineff
iciencies in business.

KMS
KMS refers to the set of business processes developed in an organization to crea
te, store, transfer and apply knowledge.
It increases the ability of the organization to learn from its environment and t
o incorporate knowledge into its business processes
The idea of a KM system is to enable employees to have ready access to the organ
ization s documented base of facts, sources of information, and solutions.
OBJECTIVES:
1) Knowledge acquisition.
2) Knowledge storage.
3) Knowledge dissemination.
4) Knowledge applications.
BENEFITS:
1) Sharing of valuable organizational information.
2) May reduce training time for new employees.
TYPES OF KMS
• Enterprise wise KMS: General purpose, integrated, firm-wide efforts to c
ollect, store, disseminate and use digital content and knowledge.
• Knowledge Work System: Special work stations and systems that enable sci
entists, engineers, & other knowledge workers to create & discover new knowledge
.
• Intelligent Techniques: Tools for discovering patterns & applying knowle
dge to discrete decisions & knowledge domains.
FUNCTIONS
Taking customer orders,
Online procuring of materials and components that go into the manufactur
ing process,
Collaborating with business partners in developing products.
Transporting finished products were integrated across the company, using
the Internet as much as possible.
To provide better customer service to Siemens s business customers.

NEED FOR MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM

This is a universally accepted fact that all managerial functions are performed
through decision making. For taking rational decisions, timely and reliable info
rmation is essential and is procured through a logical method of information col
lecting, processing and disseminating to decision makers.
In today’s world of ever increasing complexities of carrying out business, every
organization, in order to survive and grow, must have a properly planned, analy
zed, designed and maintained MIS. This need is even more increased because organ
izations now have to compete not only locally but also globally.
MIS assist decision makers, by providing the required information at various st
ages of decision making and thus greatly help the organization to achieve its go
als and objectives. On the other hand, if an MIS is poorly planned and construct
ed, it may provide inaccurate, irrelevant or obsolete information, which may eve
n prove fatal for the organization.
TYPES OF MIS AND USES
MIS CLASSIFICATION
MIS is a concept, which is a matter of degree rather than an absolute one. In ma
nagement there are perhaps few other areas other than MIS which gas created so m
uch controversy. We would make an attempt to try to look into different types of
MIS as they have evolved during the course of time.
1. Transaction Processing System
2. Management Information System
3. Decision Support System
4. Executive Support System
5. Office Automation System
6. Business Expert System
Transaction Processing System: It processes transactions and produces reports. I
t represents the automation of fundamental, routine processing used to support b
usiness operations. It does not provide any information to the user for decision
 making. TPS uses data and produces data.
Management Information System: MIS in an information system that processes data
and converts it into information. A management information system uses TPS for i
ts data inputs. The information generated by the information system may be used
for control of operations, strategic and long-range planning, short-range planni
ng, management control and other managerial problem solving.
Decision Support System: A decision support system is an information system app
lication that assists decision-making. DSS tends to be used in planning, analyzi
ng alternatives and trial and error search solutions. They incorporate a variety
of decision-making models and thus area capable of performing what-if analysis.
Executive Support System: An ESS is a special kind of DSS. It is specially tailo
red for the use of chief executives of an organization to support his decision-m
aking. Thus ESS is a comprehensive information system that includes various type
s of decision support systems, but it is more specific and person oriented.
Office Automation System: Office automation refers to the application of compute
r and communication technology to office functions. Office automation systems ar
e meant to improve the productivity of managers at various levels of management
by providing secretarial assistance and better communication facilities.
Business Expert System: A BES is a knowledge based information system that uses
its knowledge about a specific, complex application area to act as an expert.
ROLES OF MIS
THE PERFORMANCE MONITORING ROLE
MIS are not just statistics and data analysis. They have to be used as an MBO (M
anagement by Objectives) tool. They help:
to establish relevant and measurable objectives
to monitor results and performances (reach ratios)
to send alerts, in some cases daily, to managers at each level of the or
ganization, on all deviations between results and pre-established objectives and
budgets.
THE FUNCTIONAL SUPPORT ROLE
Business processes and operations support function is the most basic. It involve
s collecting, recording, storing, and basic processing of data. Information syst
ems support business processes and operations by:
recording, storing and processing sales data, purchase data, investment
data, payroll data and other accounting records
recording, storing and processing inventory data, work in process data,
equipment repair and maintenance data, supply chain data, and other production/o
perations records
recording, storing and processing personnel data, salary data, employmen
t histories, and other human resources records
recording, storing and processing market data, customer profiles, custom
er purchase histories, marketing research data, advertising data, and other mark
eting records
recording, storing an processing business intelligence data, competitor
analysis data, industry data, corporate objectives, and other strategic manageme
nt records use of all the above to implement, control, and monitor plans, strate
gies, tactics, new products, new business models or new business ventures.
THE DECISION SUPPORT ROLE
The business decision making support function goes one step further. It is an in
tegral part of making decisions. It allows users to ask "What if…?" questions: W
hat if we increase the price by 5%? What if we increase price by 10%? What if we
decrease price by 5%? What if we increase price by 10% now, then decrease it by
5% in three months? It also allows users to deal with contingencies: If inflati
on increases by 5% (instead of 2% as we are assuming), then what do we do? What
do we do if we are faced with a strike or a new competitive threat?

SYNOPSIS
Decision making is an integral part of the functioning of any organization. To f
acilitate Decision making in this ever-competitive world it is imperative that m
anagers have the right information at the right time to bridge the gap between n
eed and expectation. To facilitate better flow of information adequate Managemen
t Information Systems (MIS) is the need of the hour. Thus it is important to hav
e an understanding of the MIS followed in an organization by all levels of manag
ement in order to take effective decisions.
A management information system collects and processes data (information) and pr
ovides it to managers at all levels who use it for decision making, planning, pr
ogram implementation, and control. The MIS has many roles to perform like the de
cision support role, the performance monitoring role and the functional support
role.
To get a realistic and holistic view of the MIS, I studied the MIS at SIEMENS. T
o get a more detailed understanding of a particular function of the company, I s
tudied the need, uses and benefits of MIS. Knowledge Base Management was of prim
e focus in my study, with some aspects of Supply Chain Management.
SIEMENS is one of the first companies to realize the potential and importance of
information technology and adopt automation and IT. The MIS has greatly facilit
ated and synchronized the information flow in the organization and the managemen
t feels that is has played a role in the growth and increased performance of the
company.

REFERENCES
• www.siemens.com
• www.wikipedia.com
• www.sap.com
• Management Information System by Laudon & Laudon