COMDDAP Learnings

               Last July 2-4, 2009, the Computer Manufacturers, Distributors and Dealers Association of the Philippines or basically called COMDDAP had conducted an exhibit at the Apo View Hotel, Davao City. The said event was open to public and has free admission.

               Actually, by the first time I saw the tarpaulin outside the Hotel of Apo View about this COMDDAP event, I don’t have the idea on what it was all about. I did not even give care to read more about this on the tarpaulin being displayed. Until, our facilitator in Management Information System subject had instructed us to attend the one of a kind happening that by chance had conducted free seminars with the latest innovation in the market.

               We were advised to registered online for us be able to attend the free seminar that will be administered by the NEXUS Group. A link was provided for our benefit and ease of registration. The registration took only 2-3 minutes to accomplish. When I was registering to the site of the NEXUS Group, I was attracted to the seminar they are offering because it was very parallel in our field of study. I decided to take the entire seminar they are offering for me to update and to gain knowledge on the latest technology on the market.

               Honestly, it was my first time to participate in that kind of exhibit, thanks to our facilitator for instructing us to attend that said event.

               July 2, 2009 was the date of our visit in the event. Accompanied by my classmate on the same subject, we enjoyed watching the latest technology being displayed. After taking the sticker outside the function room of the hotel for recognition, we hurriedly went inside to see what was going to stun us. As I went in the room, it was like a magical store to me way back to my childhood because of the gadgets that attracted me. Latest cameras were displayed in the corners. Laptops were on the other side. Internet service providers were attracting people by giving freebies. LCD monitors are tangling the eyes because of its fine display.

               As far as I could remember, the crowd was mostly occupied by students which I think the course of study is related in either Information Technology or Computer Science from different schools. There was also a number of professional, I think, who watched the exhibit. The people participated in the free demos and free testing of their product. Of course, we, the USEPians, won’t let ourselves be left behind in doing the same thing as the people are performing.

               After taking our time exploring flaunt of technology, we went to our main reason of going to the hotel, the free seminar of the NEXUS Group. The demonstrations were located at the back of the function room. Due to the small capacity of room for demonstration, the sits are limited.

               It was already pass 1:00 pm when we reach the room. The demonstration about the ERIC Dealer Management System had started. The said demonstration was handled by the Jupiter Systems, Inc of the Nexus Group.

               The ERIC Dealer Management System (DMS) is an end-to-end software solution for the automotive dealer operation. ERIC DMS’s range of solutions covers Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Vehicle Sales and Administration (VSA), and Service Management (SVM). It is also supported by a robust back-end system on the parts and supplies inventory, over the counter sales, purchasing and requisite financial modules for financial accounting and reporting. It shows how the implementation of ERIC DMS could help in dealership to have a full visibility of over-all operations.

               The presentation ended by 2:10 pm then another presenter had come to change the stage. The next presenter showed us a technology that I had encountered for the first time – the HP thin client.

               The thin clients are computing devices that function as an access device on a network. It is a client computer or client software in client-server architecture networks which depends primarily on the central server for processing activities, and mainly focuses on conveying input and output between the user and the remote server. In a thin client/server system, the only software that is installed on the thin client is the user interface, certain frequently used applications, and a networked operating system. This software can be loaded from a local drive, the server at boot, or as needed. By simplifying the load on the thin client, it can be a very small, low-powered device giving lower costs to purchase and to operate per seat. The server, or a cluster of servers, has the full weight of all the applications, services, and data. By keeping a few servers busy and many thin clients lightly loaded, users can expect easier system management and lower costs, as well as all the advantages of networked computing: central storage/backup and easier security.

               Moreover, the demonstration had captured our attention because of its prepared prizes for a surprise question. If I were right, all ears had been given to the demonstrator just to win the prizes for the certain questions. Overall, the participants of the HP thin client demonstration had fun while gaining information because of the Answer my Questions portion.

               Next presenter had tackled about the Retail Management System Overview. They are trying to show how to remedy the existing dilemma of enterprises through their product. According to the presenter, the Philippine retail industry continues to thrive despite the global financial crisis. Retailers challenged with multi-branch servicing cost need a scalable solution to bring sales to its branches, promote interbrand stock sharing and send sales information to the head office seamlessly. They wanted to show how to have enterprise-class tools to analyze data a fraction of the cost. The need for timely business information will help to improve the bottomline, restore order to multi-branch stores and meet geographical challenges.

               After the presentation of the Retail Management System Overview, Open Source for Business Applications followed. To them, as companies cut IT spending by up to 10 percent, its income generating prospects need not suffer. Open Source development of business applications has proven to lower acquisition costs, and decrease vendor lock-in reliance and obsolescence rate so that even commercial software giants have acknowledged the rise of this technology by allowing interoperability. They aim us to discover how the use of Internet-based Open Source platforms is a viable alternative for developing systems such as corporate, e-commerce, CRM, employment, publishing and collaborative sites.

               After giving the whole content about Open Source, their came a discussion about which is reliable software to be used in the election system on 2010. Two parties, Open Source developer and the Commercial software developer, are showing their sides and opinions about which should be used. While in the heat of discussion, one party decided to stop the discussion since they are running out of time and what they are opposing is will always depend on the result of the election on 2010.

Opinion of an IT Student Regarding Automated Poll Election

            I couldn’t really remember when was the first time I heard that the upcoming election on 2010 will be automated here in the Philippines. As far as I could recall, I learned it through the words of mouth by the people around me until such time that it had become official and had been broadcast to the public.

            To be honest, when I first heard about automating the election process on May 2010, I became glad because at long last the government favored technology. I could even consider it as a pace forward towards the dream of becoming a developed country from its long status as a developing country which belongs in third world countries. I was also happy because I could now apply the knowledge I have acquired in my course so far which is “Bachelor of Science in Information Technology” and participate, if given a change, to the activities in upcoming election as one of the watchers in achieving a clean election as possible.

            As what as I am expecting, the upcoming Automated Poll Election had been imbued with intrigues and criticisms. From the news that I had heard, from the articles that I had read, from the discussions that I had joined with, even from the people around me including my family and friends, people had their own opinions about the change in voting system.Some agreed while other condemn, some review it while others trash it, some thinks it good while others thinks it was just demagogue’s way of cheating in the upcoming election.

            Having been heard about the different views of the people regarding the new system to be implemented, I decided to take a little excursion about what are the proposals on how the Automated Poll Election will take place.

            I had researched in different types of medium just to get the information about information I needed. To be transparent to my results, I researched again and compared it from my previous searches. I found out that the Comelec (Commission on Election) are selecting two prototypes: the Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) Technology and the Optical Mark Reader (OMR) Technology.

             In Direct Recording Technology, touch-screen machines will be used in voting. The running candidates will be displayed in the screen. The voters will just point his preferred candidate and confirm the selection. No traditional paper ballots will be used in this technology except for the confirmation paper that will be printed out after voting. This confirmation paper includes the list of the person that the voter had chosen and it will serve as an evidence for the voter’s transaction. For security and safety purposes, this confirmation paper will not be given away to the voter but should be kept by the Comelec officers.

             On the other hand, Optical Mark Reader Technology will still be using paper ballots unlike the DRE Technology but not the traditional one. Here, a special paper ballot will be provided to the voters where the lists of running candidate’s name are printed. Beside the every name, a circle or oblong figure is provided which serves as the option of the voter. That figure will be shaded will special marker provided if the voter will choose the certain candidate. The voter should make sure that the shaded portions are correct so the vote that should be intended to candidate A will not go to candidate B just because of shading the wrong figure. After choosing the entire desired candidate, the voter will feed the special paper ballot to the machine that will scan the paper to encode its choices. It is still not clear if the machine will still print a confirmation sheet or the confirmation will just be posted by the machine’s Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) after feeding the special paper ballot. The fed paper ballot will serves as the evidence that election had took place.

             After every transaction of a voter in the machines will readily count the votes and will be saved to the database of the machine. After the election, the votes gathered by the machines will be transmitted to the head office to congregate the data and see the final result of whoever candidate had won.

If and only if no disruptions will occur to manipulate the data that had been gathered, an accurate result will come out to the public which had addressed the election problems in the past.

            That was just an overview about what Automated Poll Election can do. It sounds as an advantage if it will be performed correctly and honestly. Moreover, I cannot hide the reality that still there is a possibility that the results will be manipulated. I am not only talking as a concern voter here but also as an IT student who’s also aware of these malicious things.

             For those who are tyros in Information Technology, one of the record manipulation techniques of the virtuosos in the field of IT is cracking. It is a way of changing the real record into a new one by intruding a not thoroughly secured system. I could even say, based on my research, that a much secured system can still be attacked by intruders who wanted to manipulate the record if they want and if they can. Furthermore, if you have heard a word hacking, it is merely different from cracking but still it is an intrusion. In hacking, the record will just be illegally viewed but it will not going to be altered, just for viewing purposes. But, let’s not tackle more about this because it will be out of the topic.

             I do understand why people critique the change in election system because it’s a part of change. According to my instructor way back then, whenever a change is introduced, resistance will always be present. Actually, I could say that criticizing this new system is good because people are being vigilant in what are the things that are happening around them. As far as I could see, many organizations are emerging to promote clean election system not only in 2010 election but also for the upcoming future election.

             What I wanted to show is the advantage and disadvantage of both parties that may occur. Even if you choose the traditional or the new electronic system, still, advantages and disadvantages take place. What is the most important here is the essence of unity. People are uniting for one goal of having a clean election as much as possible. If we just look through, there is no problem in the machines; it was just a piece of crap. The dilemma is on the people; doing harmful thing, performing the prohibited ones, destroying valuable items, and so on. I am not trying to be clean here, if you have say so, but why not try to be clean for ourselves first. Why not follow the famous saying,” Don’t ask what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country”. Is it really that difficult to be humane? Let’s remember, we are the one that controls our life so as that machines that we have discussed. So, if the result of having the election automated is good or not, the choice was all in our hands.

Reference:

Article written by Rony V. Diaz
manilatimes.net
electionpeople.com
Article written by Lito Banayo
Article written by Carmela Fonbuena

The risks associated with Information System/Information Technology change

The company that we had visited was Concentrix, a call center that offers solution supports throughout the globe. The MIS supervisor of the said company had entertained us and had catered to answer our simple questions regarding on information system or information technology change.

According to the supervisor, Concentrix, like all other Business Processing Outsourcing Company, is constantly evolving to achieve the most efficient means of service. He said that before coming up to the conclusion of changing there IS/IT, they make sure that it is for the advantage to the company. A feasible study will be conducted to show the effects of the change and how will it affect the production of their company. This feasible study will be under a thorough analysis especially to the risks that will be undergone in the proposed change in the IS/IT.

We asked him what possible problem or things that might happen if the information system will be changed; he said that the most common factors that they do consider are the following: system failure, information system security, cost, design, and loss of data. He added that these common factors are very important to think about before taking an action because even a single problem that will happen to any of the mentioned factors will really make a mark on the company progress.

To fully understand what our interviewee had said regarding to the factors affecting their system, I researched some of the information about the factors he had shared.

According to the analysis of Ben Meadowcroft, the reasons why system failure occurs are the following:

1. Poor development practices.
2. Incorrect assumptions with regard to system requirements
3. Poor user interface.
4. Faulty hardware.
5. Inadequate user training or user error.
6. Poor fit between systems and organization.

As I look over the analysis of Mr. Ben Meadowcroft and comparing it to the answer of our interviewee, it seems that they are very much alike.

I roam around in the Internet to look for additional information about the factors that affects Information Technology change. As I was searching for the word “Information System Security”, I found out these following sites and their definitions about the latter.

Wikipedia (an online encyclopedia) defines Information Security as the means of protecting information and information systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification or destruction. Furthermore, the terms information security, computer security and information assurance are frequently incorrectly used interchangeably. These fields are interrelated often and share the common goals of protecting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information; however, there are some subtle differences between them.

Moreover, this site http://www.iso27001security.com/html/27002.html which is entitled as “ISO/IEC 27002 Code of Practice” had also their own definition of Information security. According to them, “Information security” is explicitly defined as the “preservation of confidentiality, integrity and availability of information”. For me, it is a brief and concise definition for sensitive and vulnerable issue. You can also visit the link I had provided to see the content of the “ISO/IEC 27002 Code of Practice”.

As I had observed, it is more than a must to focus in the security of information especially for the companies and organizations that possesses many rivalry in their field of business. Any record or a bit of information lick, if placed in the hands of sinister, will surely place your business or organization million miles below the earth.

It was just earlier, we had interviewed a business center that deals with the innovation of information technology/information systems. The business center that I was referring to is Digilution which is located in Jacinto St. (near Ateneo de Davao University), Davao City. The establishment that we had interviewed was a business center. They are offering desktop publishing, digital printing, computer rental and internet access. They also deals in web page design, multimedia presentation, website hosting, web application development and online marketing e-commerce. They are also catering innovation services such us networking, conversion of manual to automated business operation, installation of software and hardware and the like. The structure of their building is made of two floors. The lower portion was used as an internet café and the upper portion are the workplace of their employees. They allowed us to post our findings regarding to the topic that we had discussed during our interview session. The person we are concerned with in our convention in the said business center was the production manager of Digilution.

To begin with, we asked the manager what risks are associated with Information System of Information Management change. He said that changing the information system in a certain establishment was not as easy as a tick of our hand or as fast as a blink of an eye. Many things should be considered, he added. The first thing that should be considered according to him was the compatibility of the old and the new platform that will be going to implement. But, before he deemed with the platform, the major thing that should pass the compatibility issues in innovation are the compatibility of the data processing and data transformation was his point.

He explained that most company do not really risk in Information Technology change because the information is very vulnerable to be innovated. The companies that they are partnering with are 4 to 2 years late in technology because they are not more concern with the latest technology coming up but on how the existing technology could be develop. According to his experiences, the resistances to the latest technology are common episode in their deals and they mostly hear their clients saying, “If it works, then let’s not fix it”.

A photo taken outside the building of Digilutions.

Charmaine, "me", the Production Manager, Kate, Tanya

Based on both companies, it is rest assured that changing the information system or the information technology of a certain establishment or organization should undergo a deep and thorough analysis on how will it be beneficial in the increase of profit growth. In the first company, security and system failure was being focused by our interviewee while compatibility and vulnerability was the center of the discussion in our second interview. They had different considerations in the factors of changing the Information Technology or Information Management but still in the end of the day their main concern are the protection, confidentiality and availability of the information.


References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_security
http://www.benmeadowcroft.com/reports/systemfailure/
http://www.iso27001security.com/html/27002.html

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