TRANSACTION PROCESSING SYSTEM (TPS)

Transaction Processing Systems were the exclusive domain of mainframe computers. Typical examples of such systems would be Airline Reservation Systems, Banking Systems, or the Accounting System of almost any large company. Because of this, Transaction Processing Systems are mostly unknown to the world of personal computers.

But all of this is about to change drastically, and it's all because of the Internet. Today, many small companies, non-commercial organizations, and even private individuals are discovering applications that can benefit from a Transaction Processing System.

The main problems addressed by Transaction Processing Systems are:

• the need to handle hundreds, even thousands of simultaneous Users
• the need to allow many Users to work on the same set of data, with immediate updating
• the need to handle errors in a safe and consistent manner

Transaction processing systems provide three functional areas:

System runtime functions

Transaction processing systems provide an execution environment that ensures the integrity, availability, and security of data. It also ensures fast response time and high transaction throughput.

System administration functions

Transaction processing systems provide administrative support that lets users configure, monitor, and manage their transaction systems.

Application development functions

Transaction processing systems provide functions for use in custom business applications, including functions to access data, to perform intercomputer communications, and to design and manage the user interface.

The services of a transaction processing system runtime environment include the following:

• Scheduling and load balancing. Controlling the rate and order in which tasks are processed to give higher-priority tasks the best response times and to adapt to the availability of application servers and other system resources.
• Managing system resources. Maintaining a pool of operating system resources to be used for transaction processing, loading application programs, and acquiring and releasing storage.
• Monitoring. Monitoring the progress of tasks, suspending those waiting for input, adjusting task priorities, and resolving problems.
• Managing data. Obtaining required data needed by tasks, coordinating resource managers (such as file servers and database managers), locking data for update, and logging changes.
• Managing communications. Monitoring communications with users and between servers and other systems, starting communications sessions as needed, managing data handling and conversion, and routing data to the right destination.
• Time management. Managing transaction processing in relation to the passage of time, starting tasks at predefined times, logging the date and time of events onto disk, and regularly controlling part of the business system to provide degrees of automation.

Services for systems administration and application development are described in subsequent sections.

Knowledge workers

Knowledge workers

Alternatively termed knowledge entrepreneurs, free agents, or human capital, constitute the fastest growing sector of the workforce in the world. Knowledge workers are those who acquire, manipulate, interpret, and apply information in order to perform multidisciplinary, complex and unpredictable work.

They analyze information and apply expertise in a variety of areas to solve problems, generate ideas, or create new products and services. Examples of knowledge workers include professionals, scientists, educators, and information system designers. Knowledge work is characterized by the use of information, by unique work situations, and by creativity and autonomy. Knowledge workers make decisions rather than physical items and work with ideas rather than with objects. Their work focuses on mental rather than muscle power and is characterized by non-repetitive tasks.

Characteristics

They are possessing factual and theoritical knowledge. Knowledge workers are conversant with specific factual and theoretical information. Schoolteachers possess information regarding specialized subject matter, teaching strategies, and learning theories.

They are able to find and access the information. Knowledge workers must therefore know how to independently identify and find such material. Such employees need to know which sources provide the information they need and how to use these sources in order to locate information successfully.

They have the ability to apply information. They use information to answer questions, solve problems, complete writing assignments, and generate ideas. Use of analogical reasoning and relevance judgment enables employees to address successfully personal and customer service-related issues.

They have strong commucation skills. Knowledge work is characterized by close contact with customers, supervisors, subordinates, and team mates. Successful knowledge workers present clearly, in spoken and written word, both factual and theoretical information. These employees listen with understanding and ask for clarification when they do not understand what is being said to them.

They are highly motivated. Because new technological developments call on knowledge workers to change continuously the way they accomplish their work, these individuals must maintain a desire to apply their talents toward incorporating new information and new technologies into their work.

Employer Perspective on Knowledge Worker

The shortage of knowledge workers makes employers concerned with attracting and retaining these employees. In order to hire and retain knowledge workers, employers may offer higher salaries, attractive work environments, and continuing educational opportunities. Employers take actions designed to attract and retain knowledge workers by creating a free-agent community, respecting knowledge workers as new bosses, and providing growth opportunities.

Conclusion

In competitive working environment, employees have the freedom to choose their work methods and work in the environments in which they function best. Treating knowledge workers as the new bosses means that management operates as a facilitator rather than as a controller of work. This gives knowledge workers the autonomy they need to complete their work as they see fit. Employers make work attractive and rewarding by providing growth opportunities, such as those that are associated with ongoing training and development, special assignments, and rotation of jobs and job responsibilities. In such ways, employers attempt to address the knowledge worker shortage.

Author: William W. Prince
Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Int-Loc/Knowledge-Workers.html

Additionally, there are still lot more information regarding knowledge workers. I would like to provide the links so that you are able to read more on this topic :)



This article tell the stories of "How to think like knowledge worker?"
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/unpan/unpan031277.pdf

"Are All Employees Knowledge Workers?"
http://blogs.hbr.org/bigshift/2010/04/are-all-employees-knowledge-wo.html

"Knowledge Workers and Knowledge Work"

http://www.theworkfoundation.com/Assets/Docs/Knowledge%20Workers-March%202009.pdf

Types of Decision Support Systems (DSS)

What is Decision Support System?

Decision Support System is an information system that was created to support organization decision-making activities. It help the users to make decision by enable them to utilize communication technologies, data, documents and knowledge. In most situation, it may be aimed at business executives or knowledge worker.

What kind of Information Made up from Decision Support System?

Different information system consist of different information. In Decision Support System it including the information like:

• Information on organization inventory
• Comparative data figures
• Projected figures based on new data or assumption
• Consequences of different decision alternatives based on past experience

What Types of Decision Support System?

Commonly, there are five decision support system:

1. Communication-driven DSS
This kind of DSS are to help conduct a meeting, or for a group of users to collaborate. The most common technology used to deploy the DSS is a web or client server. The examples are charts and instant messaging software and online collaboration.

2. Data-driven DSS
It is mostly used by managers, staff and also suppliers. It is used to query a database or data warehouse to seek specific answers for specific purposes. It is deployed via a main frame system, client?server link. Examples: computer-based databases that have a query system to check (including the incorporation of data to add value to existing databases.

3. Document-driven DSS
This is the most common type of DSS and targeted at a broad base of users. It is useful when search web pages and find documents on a specific keywords.

4. Knowledge-driven DSS
Broad range of systems covering users within the organization seting it up, but may also include others interacting with the organization - for example, consumers of a business. Marketing usually use it to provide management advice or to choose products/services was covered.

5. Model-driven DSS
This is the complex DSS, because it help the users to analyze decisions or choose between different options. Managers and staff members use it to provide solutions to queries or problems.

Author: Dan Power
Retrieved from http://www.gdrc.org/decision/dss-types.html

SPSS Software

Do you realize that around one month ago there are a lot of SPSS workshop poster around the UTM? Actually SPSS stand for Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and released in its first version in 1968, and is among the most widely used programs for statistical analysis in social science. It has a wide variety of functions you can use for creating and recoding variables. It is used by market researchers, health researchers, survey companies, government, education researchers, and others. In addition to statistical analysis, data management (case selection, file reshaping, creating derived data) and data documentation (a metadata dictionary is stored with the data) are features of the base software.And now i would like to share with you how these functions will us or employees.

Nowadays, competitive in the market become more intense. To make sure your firm can gain more competitive advantage in the future you will need to doing a forecasting. So, organizations in virtually every industry around the globe are realizing the benefits of using data to align their current actions with their future objectives. By incorporating predictive analytic s into their daily operations, these organizations have gained control over the decisions they make every day, so that they can successfully meet their business goals. Then, SPSS is a suitable software that is able to help you.

Actually, SPSS and Microsoft Excel is same. But why i suggest that SPSS to you? Even Microsoft Excel also can be use to analyze, manipulate, provide visual comparison data and so on but it's still have something missing compare with SPSS software. By the help of the function on SPSS, it would able to enhance the function of Excel. The following example is focus on IBM SPSS.

For decades, analysts have relied on IBM SPSS Statistics to help them guide decision-making through data analysis. IBM SPSS Advantage for Excel 2007 provides selected IBM SPSS Statistics techniques, plus the ability to access, manage and analyze enormous amounts of data.

This means you can discover information in your data even if you don’t have a detailed knowledge of statistics. IBM SPSS Advantage for Microsoft Excel includes 10 procedures specifically chosen to enable business users to use advanced data preparation and analysis tools within Excel. In particular, it features procedures for conducting recency, frequency and monetary value (RFM) analysis. Wizards guide you through the steps to help you manage and explore data, find value in your large datasets and perform analysis.

• Conduct RFM analysis
• Easily identify groups
• Find unusual data
• Prepare and transform data
• Save Excel tables to native IBM SPSS data files

SPSS offers quite a bit as a general statistics program, and is freely and widely available to everyone on campus via the labs, and if qualified, faculty or staff for personal use. There are three basic files to work with (though others are available), and SPSS has done a lot to develop its graphical user interface. If you are partial to GUI approaches SPSS is certainly ahead of some, but not all, others in that department, but that is about the only thing it has over others that would likely appeal to the applied academic researcher. I personally believe that by learned the knowledge of SPSS software, it would able to help you in your career.




Information retrieved from:
http://www.spss.com/software/statistics/
http://ittraining.iu.edu/ematerials/samples/SPSBAv8.0.0.TRUNC.pdf
http://www.youtube.com

Management Information System

DEFINITION
Management Information Systems (MIS) is the term given to the discipline focused on the integration of computer systems with the aims and objectives on an organisation.


The development and management of information technology tools assists executives and the general workforce in performing any tasks related to the processing of information. MIS and business systems are especially useful in the collation of business data and the production of reports to be used as tools for decision making.

APPLICATION OF MIS

With computers being as ubiquitous as they are today, there's hardly any large business that does not rely extensively on their IT systems.

However, there are several specific fields in which MIS has become invaluable.

* Strategy Support

While computers cannot create business strategies by themselves they can assist management in understanding the effects of their strategies, and help enable effective decision-making.

MIS systems can be used to transform data into information useful for decision making. Computers can provide financial statements and performance reports to assist in the planning, monitoring and implementation of strategy.

MIS systems provide a valuable function in that they can collate into coherent reports unmanageable volumes of data that would otherwise be broadly useless to decision makers. By studying these reports decision-makers can identify patterns and trends that would have remained unseen if the raw data were consulted manually.

MIS systems can also use these raw data to run simulations – hypothetical scenarios that answer a range of ‘what if’ questions regarding alterations in strategy. For instance, MIS systems can provide predictions about the effect on sales that an alteration in price would have on a product. These Decision Support Systems (DSS) enable more informed decision making within an enterprise than would be possible without MIS systems.

* Data Processing

Not only do MIS systems allow for the collation of vast amounts of business data, but they also provide a valuable time saving benefit to the workforce. Where in the past business information had to be manually processed for filing and analysis it can now be entered quickly and easily onto a computer by a data processor, allowing for faster decision making and quicker reflexes for the enterprise as a whole.

BENEFITS OF MIS

The field of MIS can deliver a great many benefits to enterprises in every industry. Expert organisations such as the Institute of MIS along with peer reviewed journals such as MIS Quarterly continue to find and report new ways to use MIS to achieve business objectives.

Innovation on New Information System for Blind and Visually Impaired Inviduals

The artificial intelligence group at Freie Universität Berlin, under the direction of the computer science professor Raúl Rojas, has developed a new type of information system for blind and visually impaired individuals. Field trials are being carried out to optimize the device for future users. During the next six months it will be tested by 25 persons. The artificial intelligence group at Freie Universität is collaborating with a research group at the Telekom Laboratories headed by Dr. Pablo Vidales and the Berlin Association for the Education of the Blind and Visually Impaired e.V. The joint project is called InformA.

"InformA" is a small computer that is connected wirelessly to the Internet. The device is operated like a radio. The user can choose between different information channels. By pressing a button, the time or the weather will be announced, but there are also current newspapers available as audio files.

In addition, e-mails can be read aloud by the device. The user can answer e-mails by dictating a message. An integrated camera makes it possible to have printed documents such as letters or package information leaflets read aloud fully automatically. In more complicated cases - such as a statement of account for a heating bill - the user of the device can take a photo of the document and send it to a call center. Persons doing community service instead of military service who work for the Berlin Association for the Education of the Blind and Visually Impaired e.V. then provide further assistance. "Through the wealth of information provided by InformA, the device can also be of interest for older people without previous experience with computers, who until now have not had access to information offered through the Internet," according to the project leader, Raúl Rojas.


InformA is an example of an information appliance. Even in the age of the Internet, it is not always necessary to use a fully equipped computer for online communications. Specialized equipment, such as internet radios, can cover specific needs, if the equipment is small, portable, and easy to use.

This is the link to the research university (Freie Universität Berlin)
http://www.fu-berlin.de/en/

Importance of Information System

Information system is a set of interrelated component that collect, process, store, and disseminate information to support companies’ managerial team in decision making, coordinating, controlling, and analyzing.

It is important for companies that use an up-to-date information system to gather, assimilate, and evaluate internal as well as external information to gain competitive advantage over other firms.

A sophisticated computer information system enables companies to monitor employees, to keep managers and employees informed, to coordinate activities among divisions, or even to sell their products to customers via the internet. Moreover, in the era of information technology like this, information has become valuable organizational asset just like human resources and inventories.

Furthermore, a good information system can facilitate direct communication between firm and suppliers, manufacturers, dealers, and marketers. Together, they can create a value chain as though they were in one organization. For example, when there is an customer orders, the orders would automatically appeared on the site of suppliers. This approach can achieve "just-in-time".

However, there are also unwelcome threats in information system. Today, companies are threaten by hackers, competitors, thieves, spies, hired agents, or even from existing employees. Therefore, firms have taken measures to safeguard their system such as installing complex computer firewalls to detect hackers or purchasing expensive and advance encryption software. Also, the special units are created to manage information system in organizations.

In conclusion, information system enables companies to react, respond, cater, store, retrieve, disseminate, and control their new valuable asset that is information. Nowadays, a good information system within a company will be no longer an option; it will become a compulsory in determining success.

Information retrieved from http://www.bukisa.com/articles/20243_the-importance-of-information-system

Group Decision Support System (GDSS)

     A Group Decision Support System (GDSS) is an interactive, computer-based system that helps a team of decision-makers solve problems and make choices. They are designed to enable a group of participants to work interactively in an electronic environment. GDSS systems help users to solve complex problems, prepare detailed plans and proposals, resolve conflicts, and analyze and prioritize issues effectively. They are excellent in situations involving visioning, planning, conflict resolution, team building, and evaluation.

GDSS are targeted to supporting groups in analyzing problem situations and in performing group decision-making tasks (cf., DeSanctis and Gallupe, 1987; Huber, 1984). 

     The name is very descriptive. A GDSS is a hybrid system that uses an elaborate communications infrastructure and heuristic and quantitative models to support decision-making.

A typical GDSS session includes four phases:

• Idea Generation

• Idea Consolidation

• Idea Evaluation

• Implementation Planning 

Applications

• Strategic Planning - Analyze the environment, develop a vision, identify objectives, and build action plans.

• Project Evaluation - Assess objectives achievement, impacts, relevance, cost effectiveness, and future directions.

• Focus Groups and Expert Panels - Elicit opinions and understand needs.

• Conflict Resolution - Compare points-of-view, understand differences, and seek common ground.

• Problem Solving - Identify causes, suggest alternatives, choose solutions, and develop implementation plans.

     The GDSS started originally from the Management Information System at University of Arizona. Some kind of problems has always been observed that are associated more with large meetings than with small meetings. By large meetings we mean meetings with generally more than 15 participants, but can go much beyond that, e.g. 40 or even 50. Some of the identified problems are: 

• time consuming;

• dominance over the meeting; and

• honesty and participation.

     The more details about these problems can be found here. However, it is important to realize that we are not therefore trying to say that small meetings do not have these above problems; these problems mentioned exist in any kind of meetings, but we are just trying to stress that they are more commonly found in large meetings. Small meetings tend to be more easily controlled than large meetings. 

     In a GDSS environment, there is usually a big room with something like 40 seats, which means that 40 people can be at the meeting at any one time. There are not only 40 seats but also 40 microcomputers. This enables every participant to have the use of one microcomputer during the course of the meeting. The reason why each participant needs a microcomputer depends on how GDSS works. 

     In the GDSS, with special computer software, the facilitator of each meeting will first make the agenda of the meeting, which will be projected onto a big screen that everyone can see. Then the participants will type simultaneously in their ideas of the topic of discussion on the individual microcomputers next to them. Then the computer will sort the ideas, and then the participants will then vote or comment on which ideas they like or they dislike. In the course of the whole meeting, GDSS stores, categorizes and prints out all the ideas, comments and vote tallies, so that each of the meeting participants will get a summary of the meeting when it ends.

     What so special about GDSS is that it enables meeting participants to simultaneously "talk", when the computer sorts and sends ideas to each of the terminal, all at the same time. That saves a tremendous amount of time, because all these are done electronically instead of manually, and the time saved will enable participants to spend more time manipulating and expressing their ideas. This can consequently increase the productivity and efficiency of the group. The time-consuming benefit also has an added bonus: when productivity and efficiency in meetings increase, it is likely that the team spirit can be consolidated, resulting in an increase of the strength of binding among team members. 

     Besides, under this GDSS, no one can dominate the meeting. This is because of another feature of GDSS. GDSS provides an anonymous scheme, so that whatever you type in the terminal (i.e. your opinion) will be protected. Under this circumstance, no one really knows who is typing what. Because of this, not a single person can dominate the meetings. In the worst case, we might say "some ideas" are dominating the meeting, but this is perfectly fine because this is as a matter of fact an aim of the GDSS: to help meeting participants voice their opinions from an idea-oriented mindset. For example, simply because you have a prejudice against person A does not mean that you are going to reject the idea being proposed in the meeting, because you do not know who is proposing that idea!! 

     Besides, this anonymity scheme will also help those team members who are shy to voice opinions. And with the anonymity, people are likely to be more honest, just as you'll say more, and more honestly on the professor's evaluation form if you know whatever you write will not affect your final grade on the course. This, of course, is because you know you don't have to worry about the consequences.

     However, whether this anonymity is good or not can be very controversial. The success of meetings supported by GDSS depends largely on the conduct of the participants. If people are taking advantage of the anonymity system by typing obscene words or foul languages, this system may be banned for the good of the organization.

Reference:

http://dssresources.com/faq/index.php?action=artikel&id=38

http://ksi.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/courses/547-95/kooy/gdss.html

http://www.hal.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64&Itemid=50

http://www.tbm.tudelft.nl/live/pagina.jsp?id=060ac979-a782-414d-bcc5-4e71fa4b15ae&lang=en