Distinction Between Physical System And Information System

A physical system

Although diffucult to distinguish, it is important to understand the different between a physical system, on one hand, and an information system on the other. A physical system is the process it self and is concerned with the content or "what" is going on. An information system, in the sense it will be used here, is concerned with the form or "how" something is being accomplished. The general schematic shown in figure 1.9 below is the physical system that existain automated bakery.

Figur 1.9. Physical system

The dough is the principal input and others the oven. Automatic controls continually monitor the temperature and humidity, acessting certain remedial functions if the elements fall above or below specific predetermined tolerances. this is an example of process control system or a closed-loop industrial process. It is a physical system. For the most part, information system try to achieve the same level of control over physical processes that are not as receptive to the closedloop type of treatment. An example is a discrete manufacturing company as compared to a continous process manufacturer, in discrete manufacturing, there are a number of individual work stations where raw material is fabricated and assembled into various in-process stages until a prescribed finished-goods item is produced.

The information system

This differs from the process type of manufacturing like cement plants, petroleum companies, or bakeries, where there is a continous process of feeding raw material in one end and obtaining a finished item at the other. An information system for a discrete manufacturer would be a production scheduling system that takes ordres for particular items for a particular period of time and develops a work schedule to produce them. The information system is  based on the physical facilities that are available. it has been stated that the job of the system analyst is not to initiate changes in organizational structure or the information requirements of management. Although he can point out the benefits of so doing. Similarly, it is not his job to initiate changes in the physical systems that exist within a company. The physical system are the givens; system analisis should concentrate on improving management control over the exiting facilities and materials.

A management information system encompasses both physical and information system. An information system can be designed to enable management to obtain a clearer view of the company's use or misue of its facilities.

It can suggest alternatives and  test the potential consequences of these alternatives to improve the use of facilities. The ramifications of adding a warehause or increasing production capacity by an additional assembky line can be better ascertained trough the use of a properly designed information system. The point is not that information systems and physical are unrelated activities that can and should be tacled separately. Rather, the distinction is made to differentiate the role of management from the role of the system analyst.

The definition of a system has been given the distincnation made between a physical system and an information system. Referring now to the information system, i would like to distinguish two dimensions of information system, the first  being the horizontal dimension, which looks at a system from the point of view of its place or function in a company's operation. The other dimension in the vertical one, representing the phases that each subsystem goes through on its way to implementation. The implementation need include a computer-this point is abvious-but, for purposes of this discussion, it will be assumed that the information problem is large enough and has the characteristics to put its solution into the realm of electronic data processing.

It is posible to have a management information system without being powered by a computer, but most people would agree that the computer is the sine qwa non of medium-and largescale informations systems. The need for sytem throughput to handle a wide variety of applications and the quick response required by system users often make itmandatory for the data to be in electronic media and for the processing to be accomplished by a high-speed computer.other necessary attributes of the computer to management information system are accuracy and consistency in processing data and the reduction of demand on the clerical staff. These needs in management information system make the computer a prime requirement.

level of management

In order to put the concept of management informatin system into preper context, this chapter has presented an analytical framework from which to view the subject. each term in the word has been discussed, and various categorizations have been made. three level of management were distinguished, and the sailent job characteristics and responsibilities of top, middle and operating management were contrasted. Information was viewed from the bussiness dimension and the technical dimension. the types of information required by the three management levels were discussed. A basic system module introduced the discussion of different types of systems.

The distinction between a physical system and an information system was made with the statement that thr system analyst is responsible for the information and not the physical system. two system dimensions were illustrated; one being the horizontal dimension. Which view a system from its function in company operations; and the ather being the vertical dimension, which represents the phases that each horizontal system goes through in order to be computerized. Finally, management information system compared to the total system and integrated system.

So the article about Distinction Between Physical System And Information System, may be useful

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