Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...........................................................................................................3
1.0 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................4
2.0 EVOLUTION OF INFORMATION SYSTEM....................................................................5
2.1 SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF MIS..........................................................................................7
3.0 COMPANY BACKGROUND................................................................................................8
4.0 IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN RUNNING AND MANAGING
BUSINESS TODAY.......................................................................................................................9
5.0 THE CHANGES THAT IS BRINGS TO ORGANIZATION AND HOW THEY ARE
IMPORTANT..............................................................................................................................12
6.0 HOW ORGANIZATION WILL DEVELOP ITS COMPETITIVE STARTEGIES
USING IS......................................................................................................................................13
7.0 VALUE CHAIN AND VALUE WEB MODELS IN HELPING BUSINESSES
IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR STRATEGIC IS APPLICATIONS............................14
8.0 SYNERGIES, CORE COMPETENCIES & NETWORK STRATEGIES......................14
9.0 THE CURRENT AND FUTURE IMPACT OF IT ON IS AND ORGANIZATIONAL
PERFORMANCE........................................................................................................................16
10.0 CONCLUSION....................................................................................................................17
11.0 REFERENCES....................................................................................................................18
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In today’s age of realignment, for businesses to earn their longevity and success, embracing
constant innovation has become a must. Indeed, the technological advancement has been of great
help to firms with its ability to solve major issues and reduce workload. To survive in a
competitive environment, modern businesses are implementing highly innovative systems, an
imperative tool called the MIS (Management Information System). The MIS has been the secret
to success for businesses wishing to maintain their gamesmanship. Be it public or private sector
organizations, both have engaged into this innovative system for a more productive bureaucracy.
It is evident that both sectors have common objectives, that is to improve the overall quality of
their day-to-day performance, thus enhancing the efficacy of decision making. The purpose of
this assignment is mainly to have a comprehensive view on how MIS has refined the quality of
services businesses provide to its clients.
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Let’s take a peek at what truly MIS is all about. The MIS serves as a company’s backbone
functioning to the best of its ability. It is a computerized database which helps in gathering
information, enhancing productivity, improving service delivery and simplifying managerial
decisions. Cutting off the archaic system and adapting the new system has been a fruitful
investment for organizations in connection with achieving consistently high results of
management. Mauritius, being one of the developing countries, has adopted the MIS to support
the emerging requirements of business operations. We all can agree that the MIS is dominating
the organizational culture in the present century. Some upsides of the system are as listed below:
• Improves Productivity
With this ingenious tool, employees are able to avoid wasting time collecting data, consequently
making business processes easier and faster.
• Improving Date Accuracy
The MIS ensures high quality information, leaving no room for inaccuracy and errors. As a
result, data accuracy promotes better decision making.
• Effective Planning
The main purpose of the MIS is to help managers in their strategic planning and operational
plans. The MIS provides appropriate information and reports which are used to determine future
plans.
• Enhances quality of decisions.
Indeed, when relevant information is available, the management is better able to identify
problems and formulate possible solutions which makes the decision-making process smooth.
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Considering the benefits of MIS, we can affirm that it has transformed the way we work, and has
become an inherent part of our daily work routine. Nevertheless, it is important to look out for
the drawbacks as well. The MIS is associated with high level budget. Not every organization is
able to set up such systems due to its high-priced equipment. Also, constant maintenance is
required which involves additional fees. On top of that, it may even delay productivity as
systems may break down anytime, consequently creating hindrance in business activities, Lastly,
privacy can be hacked due to the vulnerability of MIS. Despite its shortcomings, when we see
how the world around us has changed with these business management tools, it won’t be wrong
to admit that these systems have, undeniably helped businesses come a long way and have been
constantly aiming at making every aspect of an organization stay organized.
2.0 EVOLUTION OF INFORMATION SYSTEM
Elucidating further, the MIS has marked the beginning of a new era with its evolutionary
process, hence leading to a significant boost in workflow. Let’s dig into how the MIS evolved
into a more sophisticated, inventive and resourceful system.
1950-
Electronic Data Processing Systems, EDPS
Database Management Systems, DBMS
Late 1950s –
Management Information Systems, MIS
1970-
Material Requirements Planning, MRP
Decision Support Systems, DSS
Personal Decision Support Systems, PDSS
1980-
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Manufacturing Resources Planning, MRPII
Group Decision Support Systems, GDSS
Intelligent Decision Support Systems, IDSS
Executive Information Systems, EIS
1990-
Enterprise Resource Planning, ERP
Data Warehousing, DW
Business Intelligence, BI
2000-
Extended ERP/ERP II
Collaborative Systems
Knowledge Management-based DSS
Figure 1: “The Chronicles of the Evolutionary Development of MISs” (Zhang, 2013)
As pictured above, we can see that information systems have gone through drastic advancements
over the years. Shedding light on its different evolution, let’s identify the five phases of MIS.
1. The first era included mainframe and mini computers by virtue of which businesses were
able to manage their data owing to its low budget.
2. The second era involved personal computers which began in 1965 which were less costly
and meant for individual use. This permitted enterprises to provide its staff access to
computing power.
3. As demand for sharing internal information grew, the Client/Server Networks came into
the limelight. This was the third era of computing technology which enabled access to
various data and sharing of resources.
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4. Fourth era deals with Enterprise computing which serves as a back-office support.
5. Lastly, cloud computing was established as a means to store, manage and process data.
Shifting from tedious paper works to such competitive tools have definitely proven to be prime
contributors in the success of enterprises. Computerized systems are now serving as a
replacement for manual systems, therefore eradicating the chances of monotonous and bulky
tasks. It is quite remarkable how its growth in the past decades has led to a better deliverance in
speed and accuracy.
2.1 SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF MIS
Assuredly, the 21st century can be best described as more innovative and systematic in its
approach towards business management. The MIS basically aims at enabling smooth flow of
daily business activities. In other words, we can say that the MIS acts as a road map which
guides us through ample amount of data conveniently by presenting it to us in a more readable
format. To put it differently, the ultimate purpose of the system is to “provide the right
information to the right people at the right time.” (Hu, 2015)
Figure 2: “Objectives of MIS” (GEEKTONIGHT, 2022)
The diagram illustrates the purpose of the system by going through a set of procedures to
transform data into appropriate and viable materials. In the digital age, the demand for MIS has
escalated. Unquestionably, the purpose of the system remains to satisfy the needs of managers,
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customers and other members of the workforce. From gathering data to, finally transmitting it to
the team concerned with it, the system has ameliorated the flow of information. The staff
members are sure to retrieve any information when required as everything is stored as a record
for eventual use.
3.0 COMPANY BACKGROUND
Certainly, Mauritian organizations place high emphasis on MIS which is an initiation to a much
better business outgrowth. Mauritius Telecom, the country’s exclusive telecommunication
company, provides a wide range of services. Formerly incorporated in the year 1988 as Mauritius
Telecommunications Services, it was later changed to Mauritius Telecom, following its
amalgamation with Overseas Telecommunication Services. Through the years, the organization
has witnessed a fair share of achievements and major recognition on the operational front
through its initiatives.
Kapil Reesaul
(CHIEF EXECUTIVE
OFFICER)
(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)
Kritananda Anandsing Alain Ah Neermal
Reddy Acharuz Sue Saddul
Figure 3: Mauritius Telecom Organizational Chart
(Source: Author)
From the structure above, we can see that the Chief Executive Officer plays a prime role in the
general management function and towards achieving organizational objectives. The CEO of
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Mauritius Telecom supervises business activities and consequently reports directly to its board of
directors.
Mauritius Telecom swears by the concept of improvisation, innovation, creativity and
competitiveness. The company highly believes investing continuously in customer satisfaction
and their well-being for cultivation of a loyal tribe. Their aim is to provide its customers with
world-class services. The company keeps devising new ideas and solutions to encourage
development and a healthy working environment.
Also, the management style that a leader adopts has an overall impact on the organization’s
success. MT has applied two approaches namely autocratic and democratic leadership styles for
effective communication among its staff and better decision making. The purpose behind
establishing the autocratic approach is to ensure that all tasks are being performed efficiently.
The telecommunication industry is able to boost its productivity as decisions are made quickly.
Likewise, the Democratic style is also effective when it comes to decision making. There is input
from group members which makes them feel valued, hence encouraging employee participation,
and eventually helping the company to grow.
“The growth strategy that MT has applied based on innovation, aligns with its vision ‘To be a
Premier World Class Infocom Services provider,’ whilst its commercial strategy is influenced by
the concept of ‘Customer Satisfaction First’.” (Mauritius Telecom - Annual Report 2008, 2008)
Today Mauritius Telecom has been able to secure its place on top owing to its wide clientele.
4.0 IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN RUNNING AND MANAGING
BUSINESS TODAY
In the telecom industry, MIS acts as an instrumental in the daily business activities. “Without
making use of the vast facilities/feature of the MIS (Application Software, Database
Management Systems, Web Site publishing, Call Centre and CRM setups etc.) a telecom setup is
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just an old-style, non-reliable, disintegrated and poor performing setup; with no possibility of
the comparative features like Minimum Data Loss, No Down Time and Maxim Mean Time
Between Failures.” (Hassan, 2017) For a business to level up and achieve its higher-level goals,
it is mandatory that the organization implements the Service Design processes such as back-
office software and services, customer-service systems and others. The realization of such
systems aims at ameliorating the standards of service delivery.
Additionally, in the past years, organizations have attempted to establish information systems
that correlate much with its goals and priorities. Mauritius Telecom has, without a doubt, make
every effort to be in conformity with the modern information system tools. The MIS plays a
gigantic part in this organization as the information collected through the aid of this system,
paves the way for
• Growth
• Innovative Ideas
• Better customer’s relationship management
• Service improvisation
• Modernized business strategies
Moving on to the next point, let us study how MT implements MIS into its day-to-day business
operations. “Telecommunications companies use different types of management information
systems, such as marketing information system, accounting information systems, human
resources information systems, customer relationship management systems.”(Kalhoro, 2019)
The Marketing Information System helps the telecommunication industry to have feedback on its
specific products. It presents the organization with relevant information regarding its products,
sales report, demand as well as its cost estimates. While the Accounting Information System is a
useful tool in the organization’s economic-financial area. It works on is profitability by providing
timely record of the financial data. On the other hand, we have the Human Resources
Information Systems which “includes personal information such as salary, attendance and so
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on.” (Kalhoro, CORE, 2019) It is a software application which monitors employees’
performance.
Besides, Mauritius Telecom makes use of local networks such as Local Area Networks (LAN)
and Wide Area Networks (WAN) to respond to the needs of its organization. LAN Networking
are especially designed to be able to better connect with clients and enable easy and rapid
communication within the firm. It is a kind of MIS that MT adopts which serves as a central
backing store for all its files, making it easily accessible to its employees. While the use of WAN
allows rapid connectivity between different branches of a company, therefore facilitating the
flow of communication. It even promotes remote working.
Flexible Contact Centre is yet another facility offered by the Orange Business Services. All
communications can be managed in only one interface. With its Interactive Voice Response
System (IVR), an automated telephone system, callers can easily access to information via
prerecorded messages. It is a cloud based self-service platform which is improving the customer
care process.
An automated billing system was introduced under the name of OCS (Online Charging System)
which helps with all transactions. “The OCS platform was implemented to offer more flexible
and innovative prepay and postpay services, while the newly deployed e-Topup platform allows
the purchase of mobile data packages, simplifying the task of retailers.” (2019) Mauritius
Telecom has evolved with its services like my.t money, my.t market, shop.myt.mu and my.t bill
pay. From being able to shop anything from the comfort of our homes to being able to pay our
CEB/CWA bills, the company has benefited from the MIS as it has achieved major
transformational growth.
Moreover, with the addition of Alepo SE 8, Mauritius Telecom can deliver better service and
unlimited data offers to its customers. “MT can also send automatic SMS and email messages to
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subscribers, such as low balance alerts.” (alepo, 2015) This explains that the organization is
highly dependent on MIS and might have a hard time to work in its absence. “Telecom
companies can’t work without management information systems as the number of participants in
these companies is more than million subscribers, so it’s hard to save their data using the
manual method.” (Yaser Hasan Al-Mamary, 2014)
5.0 THE CHANGES THAT IS BRINGS TO ORGANIZATION AND HOW THEY ARE
IMPORTANT
In this technology-driven world, information systems have become of utmost importance. In
order to keep up with their competitive edge, businesses had to introduce IS to be able to control
activities within an organization. As such, specialized information systems have been
incorporated by businesses to optimize organizational processes efficiently and easily.
Some examples of the specialized information systems are:
Knowledge Management System
This is a powerful tool used by businesses to organize documentation accordingly. It
serves both internal and external parties with easy access to information needed.
Basically, the software is a storage of all knowledge found in a document which aids in
finding exactly what we are looking for.
Customer Relationship Management System
The CRM system is used to manage interactions with customers. The main objective of
the system is to enhance customer’s experience by recognizing their needs.
Human Resource Management System
This software application helps to track almost everything about its employee’s
performance and also provides large amount of data in a more comprehensive view. In
short, the HRMS acts as a personal assistant which helps in running the human resources
department in a more organized way.
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Collaborative Management System
It is a type of technology that allows companies to make collaboration easier that is, it
allows employees to work from anywhere with the use of zoom, google docs and others.
Also, this platform allows sharing of information and stores it permanently for later use.
The implementation of these systems has certainly help Mauritius Telecom to regulate its
internal and external processes. It has even helped to minimize human errors and escalate
productivity. An effective management information system helps firms to achieve heights by
upgrading its service and without it, the business is nothing but a total loss.
6.0 HOW ORGANIZATION WILL DEVELOP ITS COMPETITIVE STARTEGIES
USING IS
When it comes to finding a proper competitive strategy, a business should bear in mind certain
aspects which sets it apart from its opponents. Information systems contribute largely in reaping
competitive advantages. According to Porter’s model of competition, Mauritius Telecom can
carry out the following strategies to achieve operational effectiveness.
Setting a reasonable selling price
This approach is the way to long term profitability as it invites more buyers, hence
generating more sales.
Product Differentiation
This strategy aims at developing products having completely unique characteristics from
that of its competitors. Buyers are more likely to shop products which they find new, up-
to-date and different.
Focus on strategy
Its only aim is to recognize the specific needs of a market and then act upon it
accordingly.
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Establishing a good rapport between customer & supplier
The information system can be useful in strengthening connections and loyalty between
customers and suppliers as through these systems, firms can keep track of the current
preferences of its customers.
7.0 VALUE CHAIN AND VALUE WEB MODELS IN HELPING BUSINESSES
IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR STRATEGIC IS APPLICATIONS
“Firms that ‘do better’ than others are said to have a competitive advantage over others. They
either have access to special resources that others do not, or they are able to use commonly
available resources more efficiently – usually because of superior knowledge and information
asset.” (htt1) Business considers useful models such as value chain and value web to make its
processes more efficient. Value chain is a tool which supports the internal activities of an
organization with the aim of adding value to the firm’s products. “A firm can achieve a strategic
advantage over competitors using information systems not only by improving its internal value
chain, but also by developing highly efficient ties to its industry partners – such as suppliers,
logistics firms, and distributors and their value chains.” (htt2) Hence, its ultimate objective is to
achieve operational excellence while keeping appropriate pricing.
“As businesses think about value chains, perhaps a more useful model is the value web – an
interconnected, unpredictable, multimodal and byzantine set of relationships.”
(flyingselfies.com, n.d.) The Value Web model can be defined a framework which uses high-
tech equipment for a collective work-product in an attempt to promote a culture of continuous
improvement in the workplace. This networked system quickly familiarizes itself with the
constant change in market equilibrium. With the highly synchronized value chains which is
identifiable as value webs, firms are likely to boost their productivity and improve their quality
of decisions.
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8.0 SYNERGIES, CORE COMPETENCIES & NETWORK STRATEGIES
The organizational effectiveness is improved with the usage of information systems as it builds
up synergies and core competencies. When workplace synergy takes place, the company is able
to reach broader audience. With combined efforts, ideas and resources, it has better scope to
benefit from accomplished goals, operational optimization, valuable feedback, employee
accountability and corporate trust.
Another way of staying competitive is by enhancing core competencies, also known as the
strength of a company. It refers to those unique capabilities, resources, technology,
products/services through which a business can thrive. With these, a solid foundation is built
which develops greater market dominance.
Figure 4: Examples of Core Competencies (Team, n.d.)
Meanwhile, the accessibility of online sources has facilitated the flow of information from one
point to another. Embracing the digital platform has become the new normal. It is a well-
designed network strategy which ultimately aligns our work with our objectives. “Network-
based strategies include the use of e-commerce, network economics, a virtual company model
and business ecosystems.” (Site Economics, 2016) Through the integration of network, firms
have the ability to better connect with its audience.
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9.0 THE CURRENT AND FUTURE IMPACT OF IT ON IS AND ORGANIZATIONAL
PERFORMANCE
Generally, technologies have provided a variety of functions which serves as a method to
optimize business performance. It has brought many conveniences in our lives, especially to a
firm’s operations and strategies which impacts their rate of success. “The efficient of IT not only
assess the organization’s strategic and tactic tools for the firm but it promotes competitiveness
when appropriately employed throughout the organization as it potentially brings advantages
that outweighs the costs and highlights the sustainability of its operational success in the long
run.” (Al-Habsi, 2017) Indeed, it has contributed significantly to a firm’s productivity and
profitability with its administrative performance. Information technology was, basically the
support factor for any organization.
However, disappointment followed when IT was found to be convenient only for minor tasks.
Added to it, it came with a set of disadvantages, including high investment in its tools, incapacity
to develop needed technical skills and inability to pay for its regular maintenance. Subsequently,
IS was introduced which “constitutes of several features namely system quality, information
quality and user satisfaction, ultimately leading to individual and organizational impact.” (Tim
Jacks, 2011)
With MIS coming into vogue, IT has lost its importance as it is now considered slow-paced and
outdated. The MIS has become an integral part of daily business operations. ‘Due to high level
competition in today’s global market, it has become mandatory for every organization to install
IS to compete the market and to earn more profitability, invest in innovation in their products,
and to grow their businesses.’ (Khan, 2016) Information system indeed has a positive impact on
the performance of the organization in terms of targets achievement, growth, operational
efficiency and innovation. Nevertheless, we can’t deny the fact that today we have sophisticated
information system as a consequence of information technology. If IS helps in decision making,
then IT helps in managing data.
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10.0 CONCLUSION
Today, nearly all fields, be it banking, education, administration, medical, finance or even media
necessitate the use of MIS. Even supermarkets and e-commerce websites rely on this system to
help with managing information adequately. “As evolving technologies shape the world with the
Internet of things, blockchain, cloud computing and artificial intelligence, Mauritius has been
active in setting the pace in the African region.” (Hurnaum, 2020) Imagine if we had to create
reports and process data, without the help of an automatic system, this would have definitely
impacted the business performance, and also putting high level of pressure on workers. The
manual system comes with a set of drawbacks which consists of great risk of errors, slow
productivity, poor decisions, time consuming and disorganization. “Since our cognitive abilities
become affected from laborious work, working efficiently with technology is a better solution.”
(OrderGo, n.d.) As such, automation comes as a rescue to prevent any mishaps.
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11.0 REFERENCES
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://wiki.stoa.usp.br/images/b/bb/MIS-cap3.pdf
(n.d.). Retrieved from https://paginas.fe.up.pt/~acbrito/laudon/ch3/chpt3-4main.htm
(n.d.). Retrieved from flyingselfies.com: https://flyingselfies.com/popular-articles/what-is-a-
value-web/
(n.d.). Retrieved from OrderGo: https://rpms.ordergo.app/blogs/Automating-Manual-Activities
(2016, October). Retrieved from Site Economics:
https://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/synergies-core-competencies-and-network-
based-strategies.html
(2019). Retrieved from https://www.telecom.mu/pdfs/MTAR2018.pdf
(2022, February). Retrieved from GEEKTONIGHT: https://www.geektonight.com/what-is-mis/
alepo. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.alepo.com/mauritius-telecom-upgrades-alepo-billing-
and-customer-care-platform-to-support-rapid-subscriber-growth/
Al-Habsi, R. J. (2017). Retrieved from ResearchGate:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322087198_Evaluating_the_Impacts_of_IT_Us
age_on_Organizational_Performance
Hassan, T. (2017, November ). Retrieved from ResearchGate:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323426851_Use_of_Management_Information
_Systems_in_the_Telecommunication_Organization
Hu, A.-N. N. (2015, October). Retrieved from ReseachLEAP: dx.doi.org/10.18775/ijmsba.1849-
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Hurnaum, P. B.-B. (2020, June). Retrieved from Dentons:
http://www.businessgoing.digital/digitalisation-in-mauritius-amidst-the-industrial-
revolution-4-0/
Kalhoro, S. (2019). Retrieved from CORE: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/234645398.pdf
Kalhoro, S. (2019). Retrieved from CORE: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/234645398.pdf
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Khan, P. D.-U.-H. (2016). Impact of Management Information System on the Performance of the
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(2008). Mauritius Telecom - Annual Report 2008.
Team, W. E. (n.d.). Retrieved from WallStreetMojo: https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/core-
competencies/
Tim Jacks, P. P. (2011). Retrieved from
https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/P_Palvia_Framework_2011.pdf
Yaser Hasan Al-Mamary, A. S. (2014). The Meaning of Management Information Systems and
its Role in Telecommunication Companies in Yemen. American Journal of Software
Engineering.
Zhang, J. (2013). The Evolution of Management Information Systems: A Literature Review.
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