Transction Processing

2. What would make the system a more complete MIS rather than just doing transaction processing?

To determine what elements would make the system a more complete MIS, one has to consider the three main categories of information systems that serve different organizational levels, that is, operational-level systems, management-level systems, and strategic-level systems.

Operational-level systems support operational managers by keeping track of the elementary activities and transactions of the organization, such as sales, receipts, cash deposits, payroll, credit decisions, and the flow of materials in a factory. The principal purpose of systems at this level is to answer routine questions and to track the flow of transactions through the organization. Transaction processing systems (TPS) are the basic business systems that serve the operational level of the organization. It is quite evident that a Transaction Processing System (TPS) functions at this (operational) level of the organization at Zikomo Restaurant. Examples of functions performed by transaction processing systems at this restaurant include order tracking as well as order processing, to name but a few. A Transaction Processing System is a computerized system that performs and records the daily routine transactions necessary to conduct business. The system enables a waiter to take an order, and he/she then enters it online via one of the six terminals located in the restaurant dining room and the order is routed to a printer in the appropriate preparation area. A list of the item(s) ordered and the respective prices are automatically generated. The cooks are able to send an ‘out of stock’ message when the kitchen runs out of a food item, which is basically displayed on the dining room terminals when a waiter tries to order that item. This basically gives the waiters faster feedback, enabling them to give better service to the customers.

At the operational level, tasks, resources, and goals are...