Three Levels Managers

The MIS must produce information for managers on three levels:

·         Operational – day-to-day decisions such as ordering in more stock

·         Tactical – decisions that have a short to medium term effect, e.g. introducing a new product to a particular retail outlet;

·         Strategic – long term decisions that will affect the future of the organisation, e.g. whether to open a new store, or take over a rival concern.

a study showed the following about the time taken by a manager on various different tasks:

·         Desk work – 22 %

·         Travel – 3 %

·         Unscheduled meetings – 10 %

·         Scheduled meetings (the practical alternative to work) – 59 %

·         Telephone calls – 6 %.

Some chief executives have to change their attention rapidly form one task to another.  In some cases, half their activities last less than nine minutes.

Desirable features of an MIS

·         Be flexible - allowing for different ways of analysing data and evaluating information

·         Be able to support a range of skills and knowledge

·         Provide interpersonal communication with other people

in the organisation

·         Not require extensive periods of concentration as managers switch between different tasks.

·         Make it easy to interrupt the work and return to it at a later time

·        Protect a manager, from information overload