ABSTRACT

This research seeks to investigate the concept of management information systems and organizational performance and examine the relationship between management information system and organizational performance in Cameroon. The research will aim at examining the role played by the management information system (MIS) in organizations and how they affect the performance of the employee. The target population of this study will be comprised of staff of three selected communication companies (Mobile Telephone Network (MTN), ORANGE and NEXTTEL).  The accessible population for the study will comprise 50 staff in each of the three communication establishment to participate in the study using a structure survey design questionnaire.  150 staff will constitute the sample size to be selected from three selected communication companies using simple and purposive sampling techniques. Collected data would be analyse using SPSS (21.0) where descriptive statistics such as mean, frequency and percentage distribution of variables would be calculated. Correlation and multiple regression analysis would be used to test for hypothesis. Analyse. The study findings revealed that 88.6% of communication companies’ staff and employees depend on MIS for their daily usage, and 85.7% prefer MIS to the traditional system. With respect to the effectiveness of MIS, findings revealed that 91.4% agreed that MIS helps in discovering new market or markets segments, results show that the majority of 95.0% stated that MIS helps in identifying market orientation and customer needs, 68.6% added that MIS is increasing the innovation degree for the employees, 98.6% agreed that MIS accelerate the process of delivering the products and services to customers in the company. Regression analysis revealed that there is a significant effect of MIS on the organizational performance of telecommunication companies. It was suggested that telecommunication companies must implement management information systems to compete in today’s dynamic and competitive environment.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

Combined with fresh company methods and superb leadership choices, a continuous stream of IT innovation transforms the way we do company, how revenue is produced, and how clients receive products and services. Business development broad information systems that provide extraordinarily wealthy data to executives on clients, vendors, and staff, implies managers no longer work in a fog of confusion but have online, almost immediate access to the significant information they need to create precise and timely choices that affect the efficiency of the organisation.

1.1 Background of the study

Information technology (IT) was designed to solve human problems through logical thinking. As IT advances, it has led to a contribution to human and cultural development, resource management and has impacted the cultural, social and political relationship at work. IT also, facilitated communication and solved problems when they occurred and developed work team when they occurred (Waleed, 2017). It is also a major concern for the IT sector to promote services and enhance productivity, integrating a variety of attempts from employer organisations and operators of devices and institutions offering hardware and technical laws, and making a significant contribution to the provision of the required infrastructure for the provision of databases by the Internet (Waleed, 2017).

And management of information systems mainly related to IT, as described as the integrated and interactive structural setup of machinery, equipment, software and manpower, ensuring data collection and processing in order to provide the required information (connected to the recipients, storage, updating and recovery) at the correct moment, price and amount (Al-Mamary, 2014).

The word information management system (MIS) is a fairly latest addition to the management vocabulary and was commonly embraced in the early 1960s following the rapid use of computers. Electronic data processing (EDP) was the most common term used to describe the use of the computer before that time. This previous phase represents the opinion that the computer was little more than a quick calculator for large-scale, routine, clerical apps previously manually performed. Hardware storage capabilities rose as these computer applications became more complicated and technology enhanced to connect earlier isolated apps. As more and more information was stored and connected, executives attempted higher detail and abstraction in order to create management reports from the raw stores information.

Information can be seen as raw information processed into meaningful and helpful context, processed into meaningful and helpful context for particular end-users (Brian 2002). This information can also be viewed as data shaped to be used in a meaningful manner. Information that is seen as the backbone and bedrock of any organisation can be internal or external depending on the type of data that the organisation would use.

Before processing information for helpful context, facts, figures, numbers, symbols etc. were considered to be raw data obtained from people and locations. To create raw data information, the information system (IS) required assistance to process these raw data into information and prepare them for the organization’s maintenance.

Okolo (2011) described the information system as a collection of interrelated parts that gather, retrieve, process, store and distribute data to promote organizational decision-making, coordination and control. It also enables executives and employees analyze issues, visualize complicated topics, and generate fresh products. Previously, paper-based work was registered for reference purposes as data with duplicates in a file until the computer era arrived to invoke and reframe all techniques of which data was held to become technologically wise.

The information management system has altered the physical layout of offices to accommodate local networks and embedded departmental systems. It is also a formalized procedure to provide management with adequate data from all relevant sources at all levels and in all tasks to allow them to create timely and efficient choices to plan, direct, evaluate and control the operations for which they are accountable. In almost every sector of Endeavour, a significant challenge facing management is to plan closely so that the amount and quality of data acquired are sufficient to satisfy its requirements (Munirat et al, 2014).

History of MIS

Kenneth C. Laudon and Jane Laudon define five eras of the evolution of the Management Information System corresponding to the five stages of computer technology growth: 1) Mainframe and minicomputer computing, 2) Personal computers, 3) Client/server networks, 4) Enterprise computing, and 5) Cloud computing.

• IBM and its mainframe computers governed the first era (mainframe and minicomputer). Often, these machines would take up entire spaces and require teams to operate them -IBM provided the hardware and software. As technology progressed, these computers were able to manage higher capacity, thus reducing their costs.
• The second period (personal computer) began in 1965 with microprocessors competing with mainframes and mini-computers and accelerating the process of decentralizing computing authority from big data centers to smaller offices. Minicomputer technology gave way to personal computers in the late 1970s, and relatively low-cost computers became mass-market commodities, enabling companies to provide their staff with computing power that would cost lakhs of rupees ten years before.
• As technological complexity increased and expenses reduced, the need to share data within a company also improved, leading to the third age (client / server) in which machines shared data on a server on a common network access. This allows simultaneous access to information by thousands and even millions of individuals.
• The fourth age (enterprise) allowed by high-speed networks, linked together all elements of the company sector providing wealthy access to data covering the entire leadership system. Each computer is used.
• The fifth age (cloud computing) is the latest and uses networking technology to produce apps and data storage regardless of the hardware’s setup, place or nature. This, together with high-speed cell phones and Wi-Fi networks, has resulted in fresh levels of mobility where executives access MIS remotely with laptop and tablet computers, plus smart phones.

The role of management and information systems (MIS) is to manage the information, organizing, retrieving of the records which help the company to offer services faster, and market greater correct and easier, which affect additionally the extent of overall performance (AL-Gharaibeh and Malkawi, 2013). There are also a number of demands for the implementation of management information systems focused on four fundamental (material and human, technical and administrative criteria) and prescribed as follows (Laudon and Jane, 2009):

First: the physical requirements: They represent the physical necessities of devices and networks, and information device, such as devices of output, enter, and significant processing gadgets. Physical demands with other components help organisations to organize business and accounting operations and assist in production planning and control, it additionally makes it less complicated for the ability on the regular and unique reports, and help managers in making control choices and provide the mounted indicators of the modern popularity and destiny of labour and adjustments.

Secondly, the technical requirements: the use of IT software and methods leads to high-level visibility problems and the use of information technology leads to time savings, and information technology plays a beneficial part in the efficiency of the choices made. There is also the function of records systems while they are connected to commercial enterprise networks, the level of use of information technology systems and the need for sophisticated use of computer applications and the level of infrastructure to upgrade trading within organisations through integration of technologies and the accessibility of information systems, many alternatives can be used in organisations, a number of decision-making processes have been created for industrial use.

Third: the necessities of human: there’s a role of MIS in the evaluation of personnel performance average. Highly developed information systems policies require the identification of initiatives and regions of suitable information systems, the role of management information systems in the training of employees. Knowledge of how best to organize information systems for the workforce and information systems and strategic decision-making is based on the theory of waste and that mechanisms need to be found to avoid people from making choices on information systems are linked to the organisation and that the theory of waste offers strategic decision-making in line with the organisation process.

Fourth: Administrative requirements: that administrators had a high level of utilization of management information systems at a job. Many research additionally confirmed that there’s is a linked between the control records system and the distribution of power among organizational units, as well as between administrative units planning and organizing information management and distribution power system activities. This helps to lower the core tasks and helps to speed up the decision-making process and the connection between the administrative and resolution quality of the information system. It is known that the level of achievement performance (in quantity and quality and species), which expresses the extent to which individuals or institutions in the best possible picture of their responsibilities and capacity utilization and available resources (Joshi, 2013).

In telecommunication companies, MIS applications have shown to have a positive effect on organisational performance as it made used of software, hardware and databases systems. A good Managerial information system is carefully planned and designed, installed, managed and improved in order to meet changing demands. The development of Managerial information systems in telecoms companies includes five basic phases: planning, analysis, design, implementation, and support. Companies should match between Managerial information system and organizational performance.

The essence of the research is to demonstrate the significance of the management information system to management and to determine whether it has helped facilitate decision-making or management and to determine to what extent it has enabled an organization’s planning, control and operational function (Agu, 2001). Documents and revision history, communication records and operational data are stored by the information scheme. The trick to exploiting this recording capability is organizing the data and the usage of the system to system and present it as beneficial ancient facts. Manager can use such information to prepare value estimates and forecasts and to analyze how supervisor movements affected the important thing agency signs (Markgraf, 2017).

Given that the end point of every activity of employees is render services to the organization and its public (effective performance), it becomes necessary to consider the aspect of management information system (MIS) to service delivery as an important feature or determinant of success in every organization. It is in connection with this understanding that this study points to the role of management information system as a crucial aspect of effective performance in organization

1.2 Statement of the problems

Despite the vast development of technology in the globe, it is still hard for most organisations and people to get to know the globalization of the globe. As a consequence, work is reduced effectively and effectively. Technology is seen as using science understanding to enhance the way things are done. To invent machines or equipment, one would use science expertise to create things simpler to do. Just as the information management system is technological means of managing data brought about by world inventors.

Management Information Systems (MIS) includes not only software systems, but also the whole set of business processes and resources used to collect data from functional or tactical systems. Data is then submitted in a user-friendly and timely way so that the correct actions can be taken by mid-and upper-level executives. The whole system is intended to fulfil the company’s strategic and tactical objectives.

Most Cameroon organization’s bane was the management issue. These occur in bad choice, inadequate resource management of organizations, and required level of organizational synergy. Because of our human restriction, this is evident. By helping organizations to decrease organizational costs and human costs and make the job more precise and quicker, the management information system becomes helpful. Management information systems assist to provide the data needed to create choices with efficiency and effectiveness, and as far as precision, comprehensiveness and timeliness in offering data enhances the effectiveness of those choices, leading to enhanced results (Al-Tai, 2005).

There are numerous functional systems for organizations. These typically include marketing systems, systems for call centres, economic systems, inventory systems, logistics systems, and more. Coordination of these various departments is complicated and will stay useless without the management information system MIS combines multi-system data. This enables managers better comprehend the contributions of their own departments and thus improved organisational productivity. The combination of data, such as sales figures combined with available inventory, helps the manager to take the appropriate action to meet the needs of the customer in many cases. Thus this study seeks to examine the impact of MIS on the performance of communication companies in Bamenda Municipality.

1.3 Objective of the study

The objective of this study is to examine the elements of MIS implemented in communication companies in Kumba and analyse its influence on organisational performance

1.3.1 Specific objectives

Specifically, the study would seek to;

1. Examine the use of MIS in communication companies in Bamenda Municipality
2. Evaluate the impact of MIS on the performance of employees in communication companies in Bamenda Municipality
3. Analyse the effectiveness of MIS in communication companies in Bamenda Municipality.