Management Information System Versus Knowledge Management System (Other (Not Listed) Sample)

Enterprise Information System
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Institution
Question 1
Management Information System Versus Knowledge Management System
Arguably, knowledge is one of the most important things to manage. In the modern world, knowledge has become one of the most sought treasure both and personal and at organizational level. However, while people spend millions of money to seek knowledge, they hardly spend the time to find out what knowledge management is and how different knowledge management is from information management. To some people, particularly those that are focused on information management, knowledge management, and information management are more or less the same. The difference between the two systems is significantly clear.
According to Anderson & Mansingh, (2014), one of the reasons why some people fail to understand the difference between Information Management System and Knowledge Management System is a failure to concentrate on small but essential details. Therefore, to bring out the clear difference between the two system, this paper will first define specific terms that form part of the systems. Due to the abundance of information and research papers on this topic, this paper will use definitions by various scholars to provide a deep understanding of knowledge and information.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, information is defined as "the communication or reception of knowledge or intelligence." Van der Heijden, (2004) also defines information as “data endowed with relevance and purpose.” In all the definitions of information, it is clear that information involves the perception of a person on who raw data is organized. On the other hand, the definitions of knowledge are complicated. However, this paper will use the definition provided by Alavi & Leidner, (2001) that defined knowledge as “a combination of data and information, to which is added an expert opinion, skills, and experience, resulting in a valuable asset that aids decision making."
After contrasting the definition of the two terms, one thing is clear, that is, the role of human being dictates the difference between the two terms. For example, in the case of knowledge, human being take part in the creation and processing while in the case of information, human beings may not influence some functions. The same observations were made by Terra & Angeloni, (2003) who also observed that both knowledge and information are not static but are moved from one place to another within an organization.
Therefore, there are two ways through which one can understand the difference between information management and knowledge management. That is, by looking at the human influence on the definition of knowledge and information and by looking at the stages and the processes by which information and knowledge are passed within an organization. From the management point of view, information is easy to identify, organize and distribute. On the other hand, knowledge, because it is printed on someone's brain, is not easy to manage. Therefore, knowledge management involves creating a conducive environment where people can concentrate and use their knowledge to process and share information to create value.
On the other hand, information management refers to plans and activities that must be executed to store records in an organization (Fotache, 2013). Therefore, management of information in an organization involves taking steps like identifying the needs of information, acquiring the information, processing of the information and transferring it from one place to another within the organization. According to Fotache, (2013), information management plays a crucial role in knowledge creation in an organization and the realization of what is known as "intelligent organization."
After understanding what information, knowledge, Information Management (IM) and Knowledge management (KM) are, the definitions of Management Information System (MIS) and Knowledge Management System (KMS) will now be almost obvious. This paper will adopt the definitions provided by various scholars to define MIS and KMS. Management Information System is a “computer-based system that provides managers [and employees] with the tools to organize, evaluate and efficiently manage [data from different] departments within an organization” (Asemi, Safari & Zavareh, 2011).
On the other hand, Knowledge Management System is “refers to any kind of [Information Technology] system that stores and retrieves knowledge, improves collaboration, locates knowledge sources, mines repositories for hidden knowledge captures and uses knowledge "Alavi & Leidner, 2001). In other words, MIS and KMS are computer-based systems that enhance the process of information management and knowledge management respectively.
While some organizations prefer using both MIS and KMS together, some organization prefers to use either MIS or KMS at a time. An example of a company that has successful installed MIS within its system is Amazon.com. Amazon.com is one of the largest e-commerce companies that specializes in online retail services. The company that started in the United States has spread across the world due to its good reputation for quick delivery, wide variety, and competitive pieces.
Amazon.com has successfully integrated Management Information System into their system and gained competitive advantage and efficient