Term Paper on "MIS Solving Business Problems With Information Technology (IT)"

Quoted Instructions for "MIS Solving Business Problems With Information Technology (IT)" Assignment:

request for pamrc007

Files available on fax file board!!

NOTE: I am sending you the RESOURCE MATERIALS for this via email.

Management Information Systems - Solving Business Problems with Information Technology.

DIRECTIONS: Create a Word document containing your answers.

SEE RESOURCE: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072947799/student_view0/

(FOR ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE QUESTIONS.)

Read the case titled Amazon.com

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072947799/student_view0/end_of_text_cases.html

(I*****ve emailed the file as one of the attachments if you can*****t go to the URL)

Develop the following:

a. Situation analysis

b. Problem/Opportunity Statement

Read Cases: The Computer Industry

(I*****ve included as attachments pages 1 to 6)

Answer the following Questions:

Dell, questions 1 to 5,

Gateway, questions 1 and 2,

Sun, questions 1 and 2,

Assignment Notes

When analyzing the cases in this course, you are to address the problems of each firm as they are presented in the text of the case, so in that sense you are addressing the situation as it existed at the time of writing; however, in recommending solutions you can suggest any available technology.

The answers to questions do not necessarily have to be extensive, but the important point to note is that you describe why it is important to firm, and how it affects the firm, rather than reiterating any particular point made in the case itself.

The overall objective is to have you apply the knowledge learned in previous technical courses - networking, database management, and systems analysis - to specific business problems. So the intent of the course is to take the technical information out of the theoretical and into the business environment, where you view the problems of information as a "manager" rather than a technical specialist.

Analysis of business conditions and the internal workings of a firm is sloppy, difficult, never complete, and never entirely accurate - but it still has to be done to forge a path for the firm to follow. This "sloppiness" and lack of a "correct" answer causes much difficulty for students - some either can't get started or go overboard in trying to cover every single detail.

Keep in mind that the important aspect of a number of the questions is to identify what you think is important, and to explain why you think it is important.

(Networks and Telecommunications): Review questions

Q.#8 Why are standards so important in networks?

and #9, In what way have phones and computers converged? Why is this convergence occurring?

(Computer Security):

Q.#9, Read the information on the Thawte Web site about how users can be authenticated (Web of Trust). Briefly explain how the system works. Do you think this is a secure and reliable system?

(Transaction and Operations):

Review questions 2, What is electronic data interchange (EDI)? Why has EDI taken so long to catch on? Will business ever use EDI for all transactions?

6, Why has it taken so long for new payment mechanisms to be adopted?

and 7; What is meant by the term *****˜data quality*****? Give three examples of problems with data quality.

Q.#8

On the basis of the cost figures in the text, create a spreadsheet and compare the estimated annual costs for the carious online payment mechanisms for three hypothetical companies. The first company sells digital content for about $20 each and anticipates about 5,000 sales per year. The second company sells music for $0.75 per song, but expects people to download and pay for 5 to 10 songs at a time. It anticipates 500,000 customers. The third company sells stereo and video equipment ranging from $400 to $2,000 per item, and expects about 10,000 sales the first year. On the basis of the data, recommend a payment mechanism for each company.

(Enterprise Integration): a. Review questions

Q.#4 What are the primary features and capabilities of an enterprise resource planning system (ERP)?

and #9, Why is an executive information system or digital dashboard so important to an ERP system?

b. To help design an EIS for a retail video store chain, briefly describe the screens and steps needed to identify stores that are performing below par and find possible causes of the problems.

(Teamwork): Exercise Q.#3,

Research the features of Cisco MeetingPlace and compare them to Microsoft*****s offerings. What hardware is required to implement Cisco*****s product.

(Business Decisions):

Q.#6 Identify a problem that would be well suited for a neural network. Explain how the system would be trained (e.g., what existing data can be used?). Explain why you think the problems needs a neural network and what benefits can be gained.

and #7A, For the following problems identify those that would be best suited for an expert system, decision support system, or a more advanced AI system. Explain why.

A) Helping students create a degree program.

B) Determining how many cooks are needed each night at a large restaurant.

C) Identifying potential criminals at an airport.

D) Investing in the stock market.

E) Hiring an employee for a technical job.

F) Troubleshooting the cause of power problems on a ship.

G) Predicting the impact of government economic policies.

H) Evaluating crime trends within a city.

7b. The chart below gives sales data (in $000s) for a McTeale, small autoparts supplier.

i. Plot the sales data in a chart in Excel or other Spreadsheet package.

a. Add a trend line to the chart.

b. Create a separate chart with a 3-period moving average.

ii. Use Excel*****s regression function to estimate the trend line and produce a forecast for

four periods ahead.

iii. What do these charts indicate about the firm*****s sales over the past 3 years and expected sales for the next four periods?

iv. What do the forecasted values calculated in part ii tell you about the limitations of this type of modeling?

Assignment Notes

Appendix: Forecasting:

The last part of assignment #3 is based on the appendix to chapter 8 which shows how Excel can be used in decision support, so the exercises that follow ask you to complete work in Excel. You can do this assignment in using another Spreadsheet package and save the file as an excel spreadsheet.

The first part is asking you to plot the sales data with a trend line. When using Excel, you must first insert the Data analysis add-in:- Click on the Tools menu, then select Add-ins, check Data Analysis, and click ok.

Next, list the data in columns, column A for month, column B a numerical value for the month/time period, i.e. 1-36, then the sales data in C.

Following this, click on regression under data analysis, and specify your ranges and it will give you regression data. To add a trend line to an existing chart, just click in the chart area, click on the chart menu, and select add trend line. Within this dialog box you can select the number of periods [which corresponds to whatever period your working with, it just takes the data from any 3 successive entries to create the average], specify 3 periods in this box.

This gives you all of your coefficients. You can predict values either using the trend line or using the forecast function.

There are a number of ways to produce a forecast for the next four periods. Probably the easiest is to simply highlight all of the observed values, click on the fill handle at the bottom left-hand corner of your selected cells, and drag it through the next four cells.

Another way to forecast is to take your regression equation - the y = ax +b form, and use this; your formula is cell Y = (a*[cell Y -1]) + b.

(Systems Development):

Exercise #4, You have been hired to create a new checkout system for a grocery chain. It wants to put scanners into the shopping carts and have shoppers scan their own products. The system will track the basic purchases by customer so that it can offer discounts and recommend related products based on current and past purchases. You need to find a way for people to pay for their purchases. You want to minimize theft, but one of the goals is to reduce costs by using fewer checkout clerks. Create an initial design for this system.

#5, for each of the following information system projects, identify the method that would be the best approach for most companies.

A) A new system to track customers requests and comments for the marketing department at a large ski manufacturer.

B) A system to help managers evaluate regional sales data, from the existing sales system running on an Oracle database.

C) A system to track current location and maintenance status of thousands of baggage carts at an airport.

D) A Web site to sell *****homemade***** dog treats over the Internet for a small business.

E) A scientific system to help astronomers collect data from colleagues, track specific items (e.g., comets), and send announcements and questions over the Internet to group of registered users.

F) A system to help a group of financial managers monitor client transactions and observe them for potentially illegal patterns such as insider trading.

G) A system running on one PC that connects to a truck scale and records incoming shipments of recyclable materials.

H) A system for a manger that pulls data on cell hone usage from all of her workers. It groups the calls and costs so that she can see if workers are making too many personal phone calls.

and #6, Assume that you are on a project to build a new Web site for a midsize company. The firm sells materials to home builders *****“ usually contractors, but some individual sales as well. The company wants to take orders over the Web and enable customers to track the status of current orders. Contractors also want the ability to look at old orders when placing new ones. For example, if they build the same style of house twice, they will need approximately the same materials. The manufacturer is not completely certain on many of the details yet, and you will have to interview customers to get additional details and feedback. Set up a schedule for developing this system using the SDLC approach. Then, identify ways that RAD might be used to reduce the overall development time.

(Organizing MIS Resources): #2

Make a list of symptoms you would expect to see in a company that has centralized databases and MIS personnel, but has just decentralized its departments and users have just bought hundreds of new personal computers in the last three years.

and #3,

Make a list of symptoms you would expect to see in a company that is *****too decentralized.***** That is, company users are free to choose any hardware and software, and databases are maintained by each department. Data is shared through reports that are printed in each department and forwarded to other departments on paper. There is no central MIS staff and no CIO. Treat it as a company that started small using personal computers and grew but did not come up with a centralized information system approach.

#18,

Write a plan for moving a midsize service company to an intranet and mobile-commerce-based information system, where as many applications as possible will run through browsers and data will be accessible from anywhere in the company. What technologies will you use? What functions will you centralize or decentralize? How will you provide adequate security?

Assignment Notes

Question #5 from (Systems Development) relates to the systems development methodologies discussed in chapter 12. Your task is to identify the most appropriate methodology for each system based on the explanations given in the text *****“ SDLC, prototyping, RAD, component development, etc.

Any of the methods described may be applicable depending on the system being built. For example, a large firm with many thousands of products and sales people seeks to build a brand new application using cutting edge technology to perform a set of tasks that have never been done by the firm before. Can they buy an off-the-shelf product? Could they assemble from components? Not likely, and even if they did would they be able to build a suitable system?

On the other end of the spectrum, a small cookware distributor wishes to use an EC application to generate online sales *****“ can they find an off-the-shelf product to satisfy their needs?

You*****re determining the broad requirements for the types of systems listed and establishing the best approach to use based on the broad requirements of the system.

Question #18 from Organizing MIS resources is intended to be brief, i.e. not a full working plan. You should identify, on a high level, the major systems involved; specify the aspects of the systems that can be decentralized or will need to be centralized; identify major security concerns and identify ways to handle them.

*****