Information Systems and Software Applications - Essay Example

Information Systems and Software Applications Introduction With the advent of easy-to-use and sophisticated information systems and software applications, tasks that man performed manually previously and that consumed more time and cost have become simpler to perform for almost every department of an organization. These applications have made it easier to organize, store and manage bulks of information without chances of error. Cost and time consumption has been reduced along with reduced workforce and risk of data redundancy.

This paper discusses the role of various information systems and software applications that can be useful in departments of marketing, human resources and management of an organization.Marketing Marketing Information System (MkIS) implements softwares for the marketing department. It deals with activities related to compilation and investigation of marketing research information. It involves consumer response surveys, analysis of supply and deliverance of the product and an overview of profit.

This information helps in marketing related decision-making (Marketing Decision Support System software, MDSS) like what improvements can be done in the product, should the cost be reduced or increased, should it be marketed through other types of media, and etcetera. CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software applications, which deal with the relationship between consumer and organization, “are used to increase the return on marketing efforts” (Harmon, 2003) through analyzing the history of customer-organization interaction.

CRM systems give an analysis of consumer behavior toward the product through market monitoring and research. MkIS also facilitates sales labors and customer service and helps in the development of effective marketing strategy.Human ResourcesHuman Resources Information System (HRIS) implements human resources software applications that deal with “data entry, data tracking, and data information needs of the Human Resources, payroll, management, and accounting functions within a business” (Heathfield, 2010).

HRIS records, manages, analyzes and creates reports relating to all kind of employee information such as enrollment, salaries, vacancies, attendance, vacations, bonuses and other personal information. HRIS integrates with the organization’s payroll and accounting departments for salary calculation. It also deals with applicants, their interviews and selection. ManagementThe management department uses Management Information System (MIS) which converts raw data into valuable chunks of information that helps in decision making (Ajayi & Omirin, 2007, p. 110) where this system is specifically called Decision Support System (DSS).

MIS generates reports such as monthly and yearly financial statements, performance evaluation report, inventory report, and etcetera. It also works as simulation, answering questions like how the inventory status will get affected if one product is added or deleted. ConclusionTo sum up, there are a number of effective information systems and software applications for the marketing, human resources and management departments of an organization, some of which are MkIS, MDSS, CRM, HRIS, MIS and DSS.

All of these provide quick and reliable results that help in problem-solving and decision-making processes through error free transformation of raw data into precious and meaningful bits of information.ReferencesAjayi , I., & Omirin, F. (2007). The use of management information systems (MIS) in decision making in the south-west nigerian universities. Educational Research and Review, 2 (5), pp. 109-116.Harmon, R. (2003). Encyclopedia of Information Systems, 3, pp. 137-151.Heathfield, S. (2010).

Human resources information system (HRIS). About.com: Human Resources. Retrieved May 16, 2010 from http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryh/a/hris.htm