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英文文献翻译专业班级：信息xx班学生姓名：xxx学号：xxxxxx二〇年月日科技文章摘译DefinitionofaManagementInformationSystemThereisnoconsensusofthedefinitionofthetermmanagementinformationsystem.Somewriterspreferalternativeterminologysuchasinformationprocessingsystem,informationanddecisionsystem,organizationalinformationsystem,orsimplyinformationsystemtorefertothecomputer-basedinformationprocessingsystemwhichsupportstheoperations,management,anddecision-makingfunctionsofanorganization.Thistextuses“MIS”becauseitisdescriptiveandgenerallyunderstood;italsofrequentlyuses“informationsystem”insteadof“MIS”torefertoanorganizationalinformationsystem.Adefinitionofamanagementinformationsystem,asthetermisgenerallyunderstood,isanintegrated,user-machinesystemforprovidinginformationtosupportoperations,management,anddecision-makingfunctionsinanorganization.Thesystemutilizescomputerhardwareandsoftware;manualprocedures;modelsforanalysisplanning,controlanddecisionmaking;andadatabase.Thefactthatitisanintegratedsystemdoesnotmeanthatitisasingle,monolithicstructure;rather,itmeansthatthepartsfitintoanoveralldesign.Theelementsofthedefinitionarehighlightedbelow.1Computer-baseduser-machinesystemConceptually,managementinformationcanexistwithoutcomputer,butitisthepowerofthecomputerwhichmakesMISfeasible.Thequestionisnotwhethercomputersshouldbeusedinmanagementinformationsystem,buttheextenttowhichinformationuseshouldbecomputerized.Theconceptofauser-machinesystemimpliesthatsometasksarebestperformedbyhumans,whileothersarebestdonebymachine.TheuserofanMISisanypersonresponsibleforenteringinputdata,instructingthesystem,orutilizingtheinformationoutputofthesystem.Formanyproblems,theuserandthecomputerformacombinedsystemwithresultsobtainedthroughasetofinteractionsbetweenthecomputerandtheuser.User-machineinteractionisfacilitatedbyoperationinwhichtheuser’sinput-outputdevice(usuallyavisualdisplayterminal)isconnectedtothecomputer.Thecomputercanbeapersonalcomputerservingonlyoneuseroralargecomputerthatservesanumberofusersthroughterminalsconnectedbycommunicationlines.Theuserinput-outputdevicepermitsdirectinputofdataandimmediateoutputofresults.Forinstance,apersonusingthecomputerinteractivelyinfinancialplanningposes“whatif”questionsbyenteringinputattheterminalkeyboard;theresultsaredisplayedonthescreeninafewsecond.Thecomputer-baseduser-machinecharacteristicsofanMISaffecttheknowledgerequirementsofbothsystemdeveloperandsystemuser.“computer-based”meansthatthedesignerofamanagementinformationsystemmusthaveknowledgeofcomputersandoftheiruseinprocessing.The“user-machine”conceptmeansthesystemdesignershouldalsounderstandthecapabilitiesofhumansassystemcomponents(asinformationprocessors)andthebehaviorofhumansasusersofinformation.Informationsystemapplicationsshouldnotrequireuserstobecomputerexperts.However,usersneedtobeabletospecifytheirinformationrequirements;someunderstandingofcomputers,thenatureofinformation,anditsuseinvariousmanagementfunctionaidsusersinthistask.2IntegratedsystemManagementinformationsystemtypicallyprovidesthebasisforintegrationoforganizationalinformationprocessing.Individualapplicationswithininformationsystemsaredevelopedforandbydiversesetsofusers.Iftherearenointegratingprocessesandmechanisms,theindividualapplicationsmaybeinconsistentandincompatible.Dataitemmaybespecifieddifferentlyandmaynotbecompatibleacrossapplicationsthatusethesamedata.Theremayberedundantdevelopmentofseparateapplicationswhenactuallyasingleapplicationcouldservemorethanoneneed.Auserwantingtoperformanalysisusingdatafromtwodifferentapplicationsmayfindthetaskverydifficultandsometimesimpossible.Thefirststepinintegrationofinformationsystemapplicationsisanoverallinformationsystemplan.Eventhoughapplicationsystemsareimplementedoneatatime,theirdesigncanbeguidedbytheoverallplan,whichdetermineshowtheyfitinwithotherfunctions.Inessence,theinformationsystemisdesignedasaplanedfederationofsmallsystems.Informationsystemintegrationisalsoachievedthroughstandards,guidelines,andproceduressetbytheMISfunction.Theenforcementofsuchstandardsandprocedurespermitdiverseapplicationstosharedata,meetauditandcontrolrequirements,andbesharesbymultipleusers.Forinstance,anapplicationmaybedevelopedtorunonaparticularsmallcomputer.Standardsforintegrationmaydictatethattheequipmentselectedbecompatiblewiththecentralizeddatabase.Thetrendininformationsystemdesignistowardseparateapplicationprocessingformthedatausedtosupportit.Theseparatedatabaseisthemechanismbywhichdataitemsareintegratedacrossmanyapplicationsandmadeconsistentlyavailabletoavarietyofusers.TheneedforadatabaseinMISisdiscussedbelow.3NeedforadatabaseTheterm“information”and“data”arefrequentlyusedinterchangeably;however,informationisgenerallydefinedasdatathatismeaningfulorusefultotherecipient.Dataitemsarethereforetherawmaterialforproducinginformation.Theunderlyingconceptofadatabaseisthatdataneedstobemanagedinordertobeavailableforprocessingandhaveappropriatequality.Thisdatamanagementincludesbothsoftwareandorganization.Thesoftwaretocreateandmanageadatabaseisadatabasemanagementsystem.Whenallaccesstoanyuseofdatabas