04/08/2016

MA-682: Management Information Systems

1. Describe and define business process and their relationship to information system.

Information systems automate manual business processes and make an organization more
efficient. Data and information are available to a wider range of decision-makers more quickly
when information systems are used to change the flow of information. Tasks can be performed
simultaneously rather than sequentially, speeding up the completion of business processes.
Information systems can also drive new business models that perhaps wouldn’t be possible
without the technology.

2. Describe the information systems supporting the major business functions.

An information system (IS) is an arrangement of people, data, processes, and information
technology that interact to collect, process, store, and provide as output the information
needed to support an organization.
A management information system (MIS) is an information system that provides for
management-oriented reporting based on transaction processing and operations of the
organization.

3. Evaluate the role played by systems serving the various levels of managements in a business and
their relationship to each other.

Primary functions are needed to develop and deliver products or services. Support functions are
needed to perform in order to support primary functions.
TPS: Major source of data for other systems; ESS: Primarily a recipient of data from lower-level
systems
Other systems may exchange data as well; Exchange of data between functional areas
E.g. Sales order transmitted to manufacturing system In most organizations, systems are loosely
integrated

4. Explain how to enterprise applications and intranets promote business process integration and
improve organizational performance.

Enterprise systems, also known as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, provide a single
information system for organization-wide coordination and integration of key business
processes.

Information that was previously fragmented in different systems can seamlessly flow
throughout the firm so that it can be shared by business processes in manufacturing,
accounting, human resources, and other areas. Benefits of Enterprise Systems, Help to unify
the firm’s structure and organization: One organization; Management: Firm wide knowledge-
based management processes; Technology: Unified platform; Business: More efficient
operations & customer-driven business processes.
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MA-682: Management Information Systems

5. Assess the role of the information systems functional in a business.

Supply Chain Management (SCM), Helps in procurement of materials, transformation of raw

materials into intermediate and finished products, Helps in distribution of the finished products to
customers, Includes reverse logistics - returned items flow in the reverse direction from the buyer
back to the seller.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Manages all ways used by firms to deal with existing
and potential new customers, Business and technology discipline, uses information system to
coordinate entire business processes of a firm.

Knowledge Management Systems, collects relevant knowledge and make it available wherever and
whenever it is needed, Support business processes and management decisions, Also link the firm to
external sources of knowledge, Support processes for acquiring, storing, distributing, and applying
knowledge.

6. What are the supply chain management systems? How do they benefit business?

it’s clear that there are many benefits of supply chain management, but what exactly are those
benefits? Effective SCM achieves more accurate information, along with the ability to carry out
better sales forecasting. Other benefits include building stronger partnerships and supplier
networks, balancing out supply and demand, improving business plans and working strategies,
predicting transportation requirements, planning daily operations of the company, creating
streamlined inventory management and removing irrelevant elements.

While all organizations have supply chain processes of varying degrees, it is important to
understand, identify and implement each stage with careful consideration. Variables including the
size of the organization and the type of product manufactured affect SCM components, so
understanding the most critical business discipline in the world today will greatly benefit you, your
business and your bottom line.

7. What are the customer relationship management systems? How do they benefit business?
To build profitable relationships by maximizing the effectiveness of customer interactions, To
access vital customer information anytime, anywhere - even while disconnected, To fill the sales
pipeline with qualified leads that brings in consistent revenue, To identify new opportunities,
analyze performance and business metrics, and diagnose potential issues, To tailor the system
to match your business process and user preferences, To integrate with other business
management solutions, desktop applications, and web services - for that complete, holistic view,
Having a Business Partner who provides professional services in the design, implementation,
training and support.
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MA-682: Management Information Systems

8. What is the role of knowledge management systems in the enterprise?

he operational origin of KM, as the term is understood today, arose within the consulting
community and from there the principles of KM were rather rapidly spread by the consulting
organizations to other disciplines. The consulting firms quickly realized the potential of the
Intranet flavor of the Internet for linking together their own geographically dispersed and
knowledge-based organizations. Once having gained expertise in how to take advantage of
intranets to connect across their organizations and to share and manage information and
knowledge, they then understood that the expertise they had gained was a product that
could be sold to other organizations. A new product of course needed a name, and the name
chosen, or at least arrived at, was Knowledge Management.

9. Describe how the information systems functions supports a business. What roles are played by
programmers, system analyst, information system managers, and chief information officer
(CIO).

The information systems department is the formal organizational unit responsible for
information technology services. The information systems department is responsible for
maintaining the hardware, software, data storage, and networks that comprise the firm’s IT
infrastructure.

Programmers are highly trained technical specialists who write the software instructions for
computers.

Systems analysts constitute the principal liaisons between the information systems groups and
the rest of the organization. The systems analyst’s job is to translate business problems and
requirements into information requirements and systems.

Information systems managers lead teams of programmers and analysts, project managers,
physical facility managers, telecommunications mangers, or database specialists.

Chief information officer (CIO) is a senior manager who oversees the use of information
technology in the firm.

Chief security officer (CSO) is responsible for information systems security in the firm and has
the principle responsibility for enforcing the firm’s information security policy. The CSO is
responsible for educating and training users and IS specialists about security, keeping
management aware of security threats and breakdowns, and maintaining the tools and policies
chosen to implement security.

Chief knowledge officer (CKO) helps design programs and systems to find new sources of
knowledge or to make better use of existing knowledge in organizational and management
processes
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MA-682: Management Information Systems

10. Adopting an enterprise application is a key business decision as well as well as technology
decision. Do you agree? Why or why not? Who should make the decision?

Yes I Agree, Enterprise systems integrate the key business processes of an organization into a
single central data repository. This makes it possible for information that was previously
fragmented in different systems to be shared across the firm and for different parts of the
business to work more closely together.

This changes the work flow of an organization:

 Information flows seamlessly throughout an organization, improving coordination,

efficiency, and decision making.
 Gives companies the flexibility to respond rapidly to customer requests while producing
and stocking only that inventory necessary to fulfill existing orders.
 Increases customer satisfaction by improving product shipments, minimizing costs, and
improving a firm’s performance.
 Improves decision making by improving the quality of information for all levels of
management. That leads to better analyses of overall business performance, more
accurate sales and production forecasts, and higher profitability.