ccording to Kenneth C.

Laudon and Jane Price Laudon in their

book Management Information Systems: A Contemporary
Perspective, an information system is "a set of procedures that collects
(or retrieves), processes, stores, and disseminates information to
support decision making and control." In most cases, information
systems are formal, computerbased systems that play an integral role
in organizations. Although information systems are computerbased, it
is important to note that any old computer or software program is not
necessarily an information system. "Electronic computers and related
software programs are the technical foundation, the tools and
materials, of modern information systems, " Laudon and Laudon
wrote. "Understanding information systems, however, requires one to
understand the problems they are designed to solve, the architectural
and design solutions, and the organizational processes that lead to
these solutions."
Though it is sometimes applied to all types of information systems
used in businesses, the term "management information systems, " or
MIS, actually describes specific systems that "provide managers with
reports and, in some cases, on-line access to the organization's
current performance and historical records, " Laudon and Laudon
noted. "MIS primarily serve the functions of planning, controlling, and
decision making at the management level." MIS are one of a number
of different types of information systems that can serve the needs of
different levels in an organization. For example, information systems
might be developed to support upper management in planning the
company's strategic direction or to help manufacturing in controlling a
plant's operations. Some of the other types of information systems
include: transaction processing systems, which simply record the
routine transactions needed to conduct business, like payroll,

shipping, or sales orders; and office automation systems, which are

intended to increase the productivity of office workers and include
such systems as word processing, electronic mail, and digital filing.
Ideally, the various types of information systems in an organization are
interconnected to allow for information