Dear Ash,

Management Information Systems (MIS) are information systems, typically computer-based, that are used within an organization. WordNet describes an information system as "a system consisting of the network of all communication channels used within an organization". A management information system may also be defined as "a system that collects and processes data (information) and provides it to managers at all levels who use it for decision making, planning, program implementation, and control." An information system is comprised of all the components that collect, manipulate, and disseminate data or information. It usually includes hardware, software, people, communications systems such as telephone lines, and the data itself. The activities involved include inputting data, processing of data into information, storage of data and information, and the production of outputs such as management reports.

As an area of study it is commonly referred to as information technology management. The study of information systems is usually a commerce and business administration discipline, and frequently involves software engineering, but also distinguishes itself by concentrating on the integration of computer systems with the aims of the organization. The area of study should not be confused with Computer Science which is more theoretical and mathematical in nature or with Computer Engineering which is more engineering.

In business, information systems support business processes and operations, decision-making, and competitive strategies (Excerpts from wikipedia)

Computer hardware
This is the physical technology that works with information. Hardware can be as small as a smart phone that fits in a pocket or as large as a super computer that fills a building. Hardware also includes the peripheral devices that work with computers, such as keyboards, external disk drives, and routers. With the rise of the Internet of things, in which anything from home appliances to cars to clothes will be able to receive and transmit data, sensors that interact with computers are permeating the human environment.
Computer software
The hardware needs to know what to do, and that is the role of software. Software can be divided into two types: system software and application software. The primary piece of system software is the operating system such as windows or IOS, which manages the hardware’s operation. Application software is designed for specific tasks, such as handling a spreadsheet, creating a document, or designing a web page.

Telecommunications
This component connects the hardware together to form a network. Connections can be through wires, such as Ethernet cables or fiber optics or wireless, such as through Wi-Fi. A network can be designed to tie together computers in a specific area, such as an office or a school, through a local area network (LAN). If computers are more dispersed, the network is called a wide area network (WAN). The Internet itself can be considered a network of networks.

Databases and data warehouses

This component is where the “material” that the other components work with resides. A database is a place where data is collected and from which it can be retrieved by querying it using one or more specific criteria. A data warehouse contains all of the data in whatever form that an organization needs. Databases and data warehouses have assumed even greater importance in information systems with the emergence of “big data,” a term for the truly massive amounts of data that can be collected and analyzed.

Human resources and procedures

The final, and possibly most important, component of information systems is the human element: the people that are needed to run the system and the procedures they follow so that the knowledge in the huge databases and data warehouses can be turned into learning that can interpret what has happened in the past and guide future action.