The AIS is composed of three major subsystems: (1) the transaction processing system (TPS), which supports daily business operations with numerous reports, documents, and messages for users throughout the organization; (2) the general ledger/financial reporting system (GL/FRS), which produces the tradi- tional financial statements, such as the income statement, balance sheet, statement of cash flows, tax returns, and other reports required by law; and (3) the management reporting system (MRS), which pro- vides internal management with special-purpose financial reports and information needed for decision making such as budgets, variance reports, and responsibility reports. We examine each of these subsys- tems later in this chapter.
The Management Information System
Management often requires information that goes beyond the capability of AIS. As organizations grow in size and complexity, specialized functional areas emerge, requiring additional information for production planning and control, sales forecasting, inventory warehouse planning, market research, and so on. The man- agement information system (MIS) processes nonfinancial transactions that are not normally processed by traditional AIS. Table 1-1 gives examples of typical MIS applications related to functional areas of a firm.
Why Is It Important to Distinguish between AIS and MIS?
SOX legislation requires that management design and implement internal controls over the entire finan- cial reporting process. This includes the financial reporting system, the general ledger system, and the transaction processing systems that supply the data for financial reporting. SOX further requires that man- agement certify these controls and that the external auditors express an opinion on control effectiveness. Because of the highly integrative nature of modern information systems, management and auditors need a conceptual view of the information system that distinguishes key processes and areas of risk and legal responsibility from the other (nonlegally binding) aspects of the system. Without such a model, critical management and audit responsibilities under SOX may not be met.
AIS SUBSYSTEMS
We devote separate chapters to an in-depth study of each AIS subsystem depicted in Figure 1-3. At this point, we briefly outline the role of each subsystem.