The identified company and their practices in IT/IS...

With respect to the assignment given to us by Sir Gamboa, we are task to identify a local organization(s) and to discuss some of the best practices in Information Technology or Information System that they have, I, together with some of my classmates, visited some of companies to comply the said assignment. The companies that we had visited are the following: Callbox, Global Connect e-Solutions, and Concentrix.

Yesterday, a visit had been conducted in Callbox located at the LancCo Building, 9th floor. We discuss with them the real motive of visiting there office and we are glad that they shared time through listening. Because of important matter, the person involve in answering our question had some important things to do so he decided that we will just leave the questionnaire we had, he’ll do answering our inquiries, and just send it to our e-mails. We had nothing else to do but to thank them and wait for the e-mail they had promised. From the moment, we are still waiting for that response.

On the other hand, Global Connect e-Solutions was our second prospect company which is located at Bajada Street. We are pleased that Mr. Rhryan Diansay, the company programmer, entertained us but still, like in Callbox, he was in meeting at that time so he just let us leave our questionnaire. After 1 and a half hour, we took the questionnaire and the answers goes like this:

1. How does this company define MIS?

A Management Information System is a subset of the overall internal controls of a business covering the application of people, documents, technologies, and procedures by management accountants in solving business problems.

2. What is the basic function of the MIS in your company?

MIS can include software that helps in decision making, data resources such as databases, the hardware resources of a system, decision support system, people management and project management applications and computerized processes that enable the department to run efficiently.

3. What are the best practices of MIS in this company which contributes to the success of your company?

A best practice is the belief that there is a technique, method, process activity, incentive as reward that is more effective at delivering a particular outcome than other technique.

Shared knowledge and group performance.

4. Will you allow us to post your answers and pictures in our blog?

As possible.

Who we are

The company provides fulfillment services to both local and foreign clients who desire complementary service in connection with outsourced customer contact management services. Global Connect eSolutions combines specialized knowledge and substantially higher quality customer service to deliver global support solutions, consulting services, back office processing services and software support. We also offer outbound services such as telemarketing, tele-collections, sales verifications, surveys and other derived services.The company is one of the pioneers in the contact center industry in Davao City. GCeS was conceptualized last March 2007 by its President and C.E.O. Russell L. Lu and its first facilities were completed a month after. On the last quarter of 2007, a group of dynamic and diverse people joined the company to form the Core Team.

Core Business

The Company´s core business is providing third party technical support and a full suite of services that enable GCeS to deliver end-to-end CRM (Customer Relationship Management) solutions to its clients. From CRM strategy, change management, and consulting to custom programming, training, and integration, GCeS builds expert solutions that deliver real results.

Our Vision Statement

Global Connect eSolutions will be recognized as the leading provider of integrated customer care management programs, employee care services, technical support and telesales account management to the markets we serve.

Our Mission

Our mission is to deliver unparalleled value to our clients by delivering high quality service with their customers, building long-term loyalty with our employees, to the communities we serve and exceeding customer satisfaction. We shall be known as "Mindanao´s Employer of Choice."

Core Values

Customer Focus Team Work Diversity Integrity Loyalty Trust Continuous Improvement

Furthermore, the last company we had visited was the Concentrix, just a kilometer away from Global. At last, this company had really shared their time with us by letting our interview be conducted even it is immediate. The same with questionnaire was given in this company just like in previous companies. The person concerned is Mr. Christopher Lim, the MIS Supervisor.

1. How does this company define MIS?
(Rephrased.) Search it in google, I am sure it’s in there.


2. What is the basic function of the MIS in your company?

Help desk- they are the one whose responsible in repairing, troubleshooting, installing the units in their company. Creating user accounts, accessing and restricting from sites was also there responsibility as well.

Network Specialist- just like in help desk, their work is similar but they are more knowledgeable compare to help desk and they are considered as the latter’s mentor.

Senior Network Specialist- with higher position than the previous mentioned rank, these people are responsible for the configuration of servers, telephone companies management access and they do suggest for the upgrades.
Supervisor-in this person the decision-makings are made. They are the one opt for changes and recommends for all accounts.

3. What are the best practices of MIS in this company which contributes to the success of your company?

Teamwork and constant innovation.


4. Will you allow us to post your answers and pictures in our blog?

No problem.

Putting customers first for relationships that last. Quality customer service, attention to detail, andan excellent return on investment. It's what our clients and their customers experience every day. Delivering from 25 world-wide locations, in 12 languages, and supporting over 14 million interactions a year, we treat your customers with the utmost care. And that means longer-lasting, more valuable business relationships for everyone.

Concentrix-A SYNNEX Corporation Company

Parent company SYNNEX Corporation (NYSE: SNX)

Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) industry

Lines of business include technical and customer support,sales and marketing, and back office transaction processing

Experience 25+ years

Industry expertise in technology, communications, and consumer electronics

Quality process: ISO 9001-2000, ISO 27001, CMMI

Mission statement: At Concentrix, we deliver knowledge-based services that have one measure of success — customer satisfaction

Managerial Roles by Henry Mintzberg

The Canadian academic, Henry Mintzberg who had trained as a mechanical engineer, wrote his PhD thesis at the MIT Sloan School of Management analysing the actual work habits and time management of chief executive officers (CEOs). In 1973, Mintzberg's thesis on the nature of managerial work was adopted as a study and published for a wider audience.

Mintzberg's empirical research involved observing and analysing the activities of the CEOs of five private and semi-public organisations. Previous management behaviour studies had concentrated on team and subordinate behaviour or organisational structure rather than on the day-to-day reality of managerial behaviour.

To describe the work life of a CEO, Mintzberg first identified six characteristics of the job: (1) Managers process large, open-ended workloads under tight time pressure - a manager's job is never done. (2) Managerial activities are relatively short in duration, varied and fragmented and often self-initiated. (3) CEOs prefer action and action driven activities and dislike mail and paperwork. (4) They prefer verbal communication through meetings and phone conversations. (5) They maintain relationships primarily with their subordinates and external parties and least with their superiors. (6) Their involvement in the execution of the work is limited although they initiate many of the decisions.

Mintzberg then identified ten separate roles in managerial work, each role defined as an organised collection of behaviours belonging to an identifiable function or position. He separated these roles into three subcategories: interpersonal contact (1, 2, 3), information processing (4, 5, 6) and decision making (7-10).

1. FIGUREHEAD: the manager performs ceremonial and symbolic duties as head of the organisation;
2. LEADER: fosters a proper work atmosphere and motivates and develops subordinates;
3. LIASION: develops and maintains a network of external contacts to gather information;
4. MONITOR: gathers internal and external information relevant to the organisation;
5. DISSEMINATOR: transmits factual and value based information to subordinates;
6. SPOKESPERSON: communicates to the outside world on performance and policies.
7. ENTREPRENEUR: designs and initiates change in the organisation;
8. DISTURBANCE HANDLER: deals with unexpected events and operational breakdowns;
9. RESOURCE ALLOCATOR: controls and authorises the use of organisational resources;
10. NEGOTIATOR: participates in negotiation activities with other organisations and individuals.

Mintzberg next analysed individual manager's use and mix of the ten roles according to the six work related characteristics. He identified four clusters of independent variables: external, function related, individual and situational. He concluded that eight role combinations were 'natural' configurations of the job:

1. contact manager -- figurehead and liaison
2. political manager -- spokesperson and negotiator
3. entrepreneur -- entrepreneur and negotiator
4. insider -- resource allocator
5. real-time manager -- disturbance handler
6. team manager -- leader
7. expert manager -- monitor and spokesperson
8. new manager -- liaison and monitor

Mintzberg's study on the 'nature of managerial work' exposed many
managerial myths requiring change such as replacing the aura of reflective strategists carefully planning their firm's next move with one of fallible humans who are continuously interrupted. Indeed, half of the managerial activities studied lasted less than nine minutes. Mintzberg also found that although individual capabilities influence the implementation of a role, it is the organisation that determines the need for a particular role, addressing the common belief that it predominantly a manager's skill set that determines success. Effective managers develop protocols for action given their job description and personal preference,and match these with the situation at hand.

Reference:

http://www.provenmodels.com/88/ten-managerial-roles/mintzberg

http://www.henrymintzberg.com/

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000YHO3W?ie=UTF8&tag=provenmodels-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0000YHO3W

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060445564?ie=UTF8&tag=provenmodels-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0060445564

12 Leadership Roles

A. Create an Inspiring Vision and Lead by Example

1. Create an inspiring vision; establish shared values; give direction and stretch goals


2. Manage change strategically, take risks, create change; lead change; manage resistance to change


3. Lead by example; practice what you preach; set an example, and share risks or hardship

B. Empower, Insprire, and Energize People

1. Be enthusiastic; inspire and energize people; create a positive work environment


2. Empower people; delegate authority; be open to ideas; have faith in the creativity of others


3. Communicate openly and honestly; give clear guidelines; set clear expectations


4. Empathize; be willing to discuss and solve problems; listen with understanding; support and help

C. Build and Lead a Team

1. Use team approach; facilitate cooperation; involve everyone; trust your group; rely on their judgment


2. Bring out the best in your people; have common touch with them; coach and provide effective feedback


3. Permit group decision; help your team reach better decisions


4. Monitor progress, but don't micromanage, lead your team; avoid close supervision; do not overboss; do not dictate; lead team self-assessment

• Few of us are born to lead. Yet most of us will need to lead some group or organization, at some time. Leadership is a role most of us will need to play.


• Frequently, leadership is a role that we discover we need to assume when we agree to do some other task or job. We may need to lead a group, team, department, or even a whole organization. We may lead a family, club, association or a whole community.


• Our leadership role may be formally sanctioned or we may have no actual authority, just a group of followers.The context in which we lead doesn't matter. When we assume a leadership role we have a part to play in shaping the future, or at least some part of it, and some important principles apply.


• First, the leadership role is different to management. Often good leaders are also good managers. But the leadership role is not the same as the management role, even if the same person plays them both, and the two should not be confused.


• The management role is based on authority while leadership is built on relationships. Where the management role involves responsibility for command and control, the leadership role relies on influence and inspiration.


• The primary leadership role includes establishing the strategic vision, values and direction setting while the management role concentrates on planning, resource allocation and budget to deliver the vision.


• Both leadership and management are important, but at different times and in different situations. The best leaders know when to assume which role - when to manage and when to lead - and they are comfortable moving in and out of the leadership role as required.


• Second, leadership skills can be learnt. You do not need to learn these skills the hard way, all on your own. Once you develop your leadership skills, assuming any leadership role is much easier, and more effective. Attend a leadership seminar or read some leadership books. There are many available.


• And finally, just as all good actors make the roles they play their own, you must play your leadership role in a way that is uniquely you. I believe Leadership Integrity is about being the best you can be and bringing who you are to what you do. This is the most important role you can ever play.

Quick Tips

Mature teams and organizations share the leadership role according to who will be best in any particular situation or circumstances. If you view leadership as a role you can happily and productively continue contributing to a team in other ways when someone else takes over the leadership role from you. If you view leadership as part of your identity or personal power base, rather than as a
role you sometimes assume, you run the risk of clinging to leadership beyond your capacity to contribute value. Don't let this happen to you.

References:

http://www.1000advices.com/guru/leadership_12roles_vk.html

http://www.businessperform.com/articles/leadership_role_playing.html

Definition of MIS

According to Wikipedia:

"Management Information System (MIS) is a subset of the overall internal controls of a business covering the application of people, documents, technologies, and procedures by management accountants to solving business problems such as costing a product, service or a business-wide strategy. Management information systems are distinct from regular information systems in that they are used to analyze other information systems applied in operational activities in the organization. Academically, the term is commonly used to refer to the group of information management methods tied to the automation or support of human decision making, e.g. Decision Support Systems, Expert systems, and Executive information systems."

An 'MIS' is a planned system of the collecting, processing, storing and disseminating data in the form of information needed to carry out the functions of management. In a way it is a documented report of the activities those were planned and executed. According to Philip Kotler "A marketing information system consists of people, equipment, and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate, and distribute needed, timely, and accurate information to marketing decision makers." The terms MIS and information system are often confused. Information systems include systems that are not intended for decision making. The area of study called MIS is sometimes referred to, in a restrictive sense, as information
technology management. That area of study should not be confused with computer science. IT service management is a practitioner-focused discipline. MIS has also some differences with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) as ERP incorporates elements that are not necessarily focused on decision support. Professor Allen S. Lee states that "...research in the information systems field examines more than the technological system, or just the social system, or even the two side by side; in addition, it investigates the phenomena that emerge when the two interact."

I read an article in the NDSU website which states,

"The management information systems (MIS) program is designed for those students who wish to prepare themselves for professional careers in information processing or information systems in business and government. The program develops technical skills and administrative insights required for the design, development, implementation, maintenance and management of organizational information systems.".

Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_Information_Systems

http://www.ndsu.edu/ndsu/academic/factsheets/bus/mis.shtml

Reflections on my first day...

From the description of subject alone, Management Information System, I was really thinking that it was all about the creating systems in the industry just like of what others company had. To my surprise, I was merely wrong because the propriety of my whole thought was only as simple as making a hello program using JAVA program. Then, after meeting our facilitator, I learned that in order to finish this subject alone I should broaden my mind about what the world really needs using this subject.

While sitting on our room that day, June 18 this year 2009, I was wondering what does Sir Gamboa wants us to figure out regarding the equations he made about MIS. I really wanted to answer anything that time but all the ideas I had in my mind was not sufficient to clear the baffling things he is discussing. After that, when I reach home, I hurriedly look out for the meaning of MIS then there I found this single word in a definition which says its a "DISCIPLINE". Why have that word didn't come out that time when I was sitting on our class and searching for a possible answer. Maybe it would help, I guess (Hahaha, actually I'm not sure).

To conclude, I think Managerial Information System is a discipline which will help us in communicating with IT or Software + Hardware according to Sir Gamboa (hope so I am right, hahahaha).

Let me introduce myself...

Hi Sir Gamboa and to the rest of the readers,

This student who is currently enrolled in your subject Management Information System is Joan Rose P. Dandoy. I'm 19 years of age and is currently in 3rd year standing. I expect that this subject would somehow increase my knowledge with regards to the basic needs of our industry using this subject as a springboard. On the other hand, to my or shall I say to our facilitator, I heard many rumors about you sir that you are famous being a martinet. For me, its alright as long as it well help us to be more sophisticated in life.