The Strategic Usefulness of MIS as Perceived by Top Managers in Tanzania

The study sought to investigate the MIS strategic usefulness as perceived by top management in Tanzania. An MIS was expressed in terms of the set of applications across the functional areas of an organization. Strategic usefulness was expressed in term of the information attributes of timeliness, scope, aggregation and accuracy. Data was collected through questionnaires, interviews and observations. The items included were developed from the literature. Data analysis used simple quantitative techniques such as coding, computation of mean and percentage. A qualitative approach was used in discussing the results of the research. The study proposed a strategic planning framework for MIS and a three-stage model to provide practical guidance for strategic MIS planning. Recommendations made include: development of a national information policy, collaboration between private corporations and government in ensuring access to communication and information services, application of participative methodologies for strategic MIS planning and improved MIS training for senior management.