Management information system, the name itself suggests that the company's data or important records are preserved in an electronic form. An information system can be defined technically as a set of unified components that collect, process, store and distribute information to support decision making, co-ordination and control in an organization. The functions benefit the managers to support decision-making, coordination and controlled information systems. Also the employees get an advantage to analyse problems, visualize complex subjects and create new products with new innovative techniques. The information systems have a great influence on the managers in any particular organization as decisions are impossible without information and managers are constantly seeking more and better information to support their decision-making.
These activities are input, processing and output. Input deals with collection of raw data from within the organization or from its external environment. Processing converts this raw input into a more substantial form. Finally output transfers the processed information to the respective people who will use this data. Information systems also require feedback, which is output that is returned to appropriate members of the organization to help them evaluate or correct the input stage. (K.Laudon & J Laudon, management information systems, Fifth Edition, Chapter1, page no 7)
British Airways: New Technology Paradigm
History of British Airways
British Airways can trace its origins back to the birth of civil aviation, the pioneering days following World War I. On 25 August 1919, its forerunner company, Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited (AT&T), launched the world's first daily international scheduled air service between London and Paris. That initial flight, operated by a single-engine de Havilland DH4A biplane taking off from Hounslow Heath, near its successor company's current Heathrow base, carried a single passenger and cargo that included newspapers, Devonshire cream and grouse. It took two and a half hours to reach Le Bourget. Shortly afterwards, two more British companies started services to Paris, and to Brussels. These pioneer companies struggled against severe difficulties. Passengers were few, fares high, and air travel rarely less than an adventure. One pilot took two days for the two-hour flight to Paris
As a result, British Caledonian was born in 1970, when the original Caledonian Airways took over British United Airways. Two years later, the businesses of (BOAC) British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways (BEA) were combined under the newly formed British Airways Board, with the separate airlines coming together as British Airways in 1974.
Information Systems at British Airways
Efficient Management of Information System has enabled British Airways to plan co-ordinate, organize and control. It provides information needed for strategic planning and for day-to-day operations. The various levels of management in British Airways typically require the information they receive to be formatted in information system processes. Information flows in four different ways in British Airways and much other organization. These different levels of management decision-making can be described as follows: Strategic Information System, Tactical Information System and Operational Information System.
Strategic Information System:
This type of information systems is largely external in ...