Information Systems Description Template

School of Information Systems

Curtin University
17/08/2019 • v3.2

Student and Workshop Details

Enter Your Details

Student Name:

Student Number:

Institution / Location: Curtin Mauritius

Year / Study Period: 2019 / 2

Major Area of Study: Accounting and finance

Workshop Number: 1

Workshop Leader Name:

Scenario: 4 – Loan application Information system

Contents
Information Systems Description Template......................................................................................1
Student and Workshop Details.....................................................................................................1
Contents....................................................................................................................................... 1
1. General Description of the Information System.........................................................................3
1.1 Title..................................................................................................................................... 3
1.2 General Description of Information System.........................................................................3
1.3 Users and User Tasks.........................................................................................................3
1.4 Instance.............................................................................................................................. 4
2. External Description of the Information System........................................................................4
2.1 Inputs.................................................................................................................................. 4
2.2 Outputs............................................................................................................................... 4
2.3 System Boundary................................................................................................................4
3. External View of the Information System..................................................................................5
4. Internal Description of Information System...............................................................................5
4.1 Information Processors.......................................................................................................5
4.2 Information Stores...............................................................................................................6
4.3 Communication Networks...................................................................................................6
5. Internal View of Information System.........................................................................................7
6. References............................................................................................................................... 8
1. General Description of the Information System
1.1 Title
Loan Application Information System (LAIS)

1.2 General Description of Information System

An information system collects, processes, stores, analyses, and disseminates information for a
specific purpose (Gray et al. 2015). It is an information system to process online loan applications
to Arcadia Bank. An applicant completes and send the form online. They application is received by
staff at Arcadia Bank. It is processed with regards to former credit ratings and assessed for
approval or denial. The decision is filed with the bank’s database and sent to the applicant.

1.3 Users and User Tasks

Applicant
A person seeking a loan from Arcadia Bank.
a. Use 1: Fills the application form.
b. Use 2: Receives application ID.
c. Use 3: Receives email on status of application.

Credit Agency
A database containing the evaluation of credit risks for different people.
a. Use 1: Receives query from Arcadia Bank.
b. Use 2: Provides credit rating information about the applicant.

Loan Evaluation Officer

A bank officer that assesses the loan applications of applicants.
a. Use 1: Looks at application data and the credit rating data.
b. Use 2: Decides to approve or not loan.
c. Use 3: Logs on bank’s application handling software to apply status on system.

Loan Application software

A software used to apply for loans at Arcadia bank’s online.
a. Use 1: Registers application.
b. Use 2: Sends query to credit agency database.
c. Use 3: Attaches rating to application.
d. Use 4: Record loan officer ID.
Bank’s internal Database
Arcadia bank’s database that contains all the information regarding the bank’s accounts and
decisions.
a. Use 1: Records decisions of loan officer and their ID.

1.4 Instance
Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB), Bagatelle. https://www.mcb.mu/en/personal/loans/personal/
(Mauritius Commercial Bank 2019).

2. External Description of the Information System

2.1 Inputs
Personal details
a. Name of applicant (E.g. Sherlock Holmes).
b. Address (E.g. 221B Baker Street, London, UK).
c. Phone number (E.g. +44 0452 472 768)
d. Date of birth (E.g. 06/01/1854)
e. Email (E.g. sholmes@gmail.com)

Bank details
a. Account number (E.g. 101111000)
b. Account name (E.g. S.Holmes savings account)

2.2 Outputs
Applicant - what does the applicant receives from the system

 Application ID (E.g. 1242345).

 Status of application via email (E.g. Loan approved)

2.3 System Boundary

External Components

Applicant (People)

Internal Components

Loan evaluation officer (Internal users)

Loan application software (computer processor)
Arcadia Bank’s internal database (computer processor)
Filing cabinet (computer processor)
Credit agency database (Computer processor)

3. External View of the Information System

Applicant Applicant
Personal details Application ID
Bank details Email
Application form Loan Application Information System (LAIS)

Figure 1 - External View of the Information System

4. Internal Description of Information System

4.1 Information Processors
Loan Application Officer – non-computerised processor

a. Looks at application from the loan application software together with the credit rating of the
applicant from the credit agency’s database.
b. Records details in loan application software.

Loan Application Software – computerised processor

a. Records details and process queries of the loan applicant.

b. Records details of loan application officer and their decision. Sends it to the bank’s database
to be stored.
4.2 Information Stores
Arcadia Bank’s Database
(Computerised store of information)
a. Stores the information regarding the loan applications. (E.g. Sherlock Holmes living in 221B
Baker Street, London UK, account number:101111000, application Status: approved, loan
evaluation officer’s ID:1234567).

Credit Agency Database

(Computerised store of information)
a. Stores the credit rating of individuals. The rating is retried by the loan application software of
the bank. (E.g. Sherlock Holmes born 06/01/1854 living in 221B Baker Street, London UK.
Credit Rating:AAA).

Filing Cabinet
(Non-computerised store of information)
a. Stores decision and information regarding the application. (E.g. Sherlock Holmes living in
221B Baker Street, London UK, account number:101111000, application Status: approved)

4.3 Communication Networks

Internal Communication Networks
Internal Communication Network 1
Local Area Network (LAN) - It connects two or more devices in a limited geographical location,
usually within the same building, so that each device can communicate with each other (Gray et al.
2015).
a. Connects the loan application software to the loan application officer. Loan application officer
accesses the information regarding the application from the software. (E.g. Sherlock Holmes
born 06/01/1854, living in 221B Baker Street, London UK, account number:101111000,
Account Name: S.Holmes savings account, Phone number: +44 0452 472 768, email:
sholmes@gmail.com requests a loan of $10 000).
b. Connects the loan application software to the Arcadia Bank’s database. Loan application
officer applied the status, such as loan accepted, to the software. The software records the
decision in the database. (E.g. Sherlock Holmes living in 221B Baker Street, London UK,
account number:101111000, application Status: approved, loan evaluation officer’s
ID:1234567).

Internal Communication Network 2

Physical – physical interaction with an information store
a. Connects the loan application officer to the filing cabinet. The application officer physically
stores his decision regarding the application in a filing cabinet. (E.g. Sherlock Holmes living
in 221B Baker Street, London UK, account number:101111000, application Status:
approved)
External Communication Networks
External Communication Network 1
Wide Area Network (WAN) – It is a network that covers a large geographical location (Gray et al.
2015).
a. Connects the applicant to the loan application software. The applicant fills up the application.
The software records it. (E.g. Sherlock Holmes born 06/01/1854, living in 221B Baker Street,
London UK, account number:101111000, Account Name: S.Holmes savings account, Phone
number: +44 0452 472 768, email: sholmes@gmail.com requests a loan of $10 000).
b. Connects the Loan application software to the credit rating agency. The software sends a
query to a credit-rating agency asking the agency’s system to provide credit rating
information about the applicant. (E.g. Arcadia Bank requests credit rating of Mr. Sherlock
Holmes born 06/01/1854, living in 221B Baker Street, London UK. Credit Rating:AAA).

External Communication Network 2

Email – It is a communication technology running over the internet (Gray et al. 2015).
a. It connects the software to the loan applicant. While the loan application officer takes a
decision and records it in the software and email is sent to the applicant on the issue of the
application. (E.g. Loan authorised)

5. Internal View of Information System

Applicant WAN Email Applicant

   
Loan Application Software

WAN
LAN

LAN

Loan Application Officer Credit Agency Database

Arcadia Bank Database

Physical

Filing Cabinet

Figure 2 - Internal View of the Information System

6. References

Gray, Heather, Tomayess Issa, Graeme Pye, Indrit Troshani, Kelly Rainer, Brad Prince, Hugh
Watson. 2015. Management Information Systems. Australasia: Wiley.

Mauritius Commercial Bank. 2019. Personal Loan. Accessed October 11, 2019.
https://www.mcb.mu/en/personal/loans/personal/.