MIS linkage: how is management connected to the organization's information processor (MIS/DSS) in terms of inputs and outputs?

Introduction / Context:
Management information systems (MIS) and decision support systems (DSS) exist to turn data into actionable insight and to capture decisions for execution. Understanding the bidirectional linkage clarifies why data governance and decision logging are both essential for organizational learning and control.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Managers consume reports, dashboards, and models (inputs).
• They issue decisions, plans, and policies (outputs) that drive processes.
• Systems collect operational data and also record decision outcomes.

Concept / Approach:
The connection is two-way: systems feed data to management (situation awareness), and management returns decisions to the organization (actions, approvals, parameter changes). This closed-loop aligns with cybernetic control: measure, compare, decide, act. Both elements are necessary; data without decisions is inert, and decisions without data risk being uninformed.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Control frameworks (plan–do–check–act) and MIS textbooks describe this reciprocal relationship explicitly, confirming that both data and decisions form the linkage.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Selecting only one direction ignores the closed-loop nature of management control; “neither” contradicts the purpose of MIS/DSS.

Common Pitfalls:
Treating MIS as one-way reporting; effective systems also capture and route managerial decisions for execution and audit.

Final Answer:
both (a) and (b)