Individual Assignment (Nadya Shafirah/1401164232)


Nadya Shafirah
MB-40-INT-3
1401164232

Mid-Exam Test

  1. Major objectives using information systems in business

a. Operational excellence

Walmart’s Retail Link system links suppliers to stores for superior replenishment system

b. New products, services, and business models

Apple’s iPad, Google’s Android OS, and Netflix

c. Customer and supplier intimacy

High-end hotels that use computers to track customer preferences and used to monitor and customize environment

d. Improved decision making

Verizon’s Web-based digital dashboard to provide managers with real-time data on customer complaints, network performance, line outages, and so on

e. Competitive advantage

· Delivering better performance

· Charging less for superior products

· Responding to customers and suppliers in real time

Examples: Apple, Walmart, UPS

f. Survival

Information technologies as necessity of business

Example: Citibank’s introduction of ATMs

  1. Characteristics of Decision Support System and Management Information System

a. Decision Support System

· Facilitation

DSS facilitate and support specific decision-making activities and/or decision processes.

· Interaction

DSS are computer-based systems designed for interactive use by decision makers or staff users who control the sequence of interaction and the operations performed.

· Ancillary

DSS can support decision makers at any level in an organization. They are NOT intended to replace decision makers.

· Repeated Use

DSS are intended for repeated use. A specific DSS may be used routinely or used as needed for ad hoc decision support tasks.

· Task-oriented

DSS provide specific capabilities that support one or more tasks related to decision-making, including: intelligence and data analysis; identification and design of alternatives; choice among alternatives; and decision implementation.

· Identifiable

DSS may be independent systems that collect or replicate data from other information systems OR subsystems of a larger, more integrated information system.

· Decision Impact

DSS are intended to improve the accuracy, timeliness, quality and overall effectiveness of a specific decision or a set of related decisions.

b. Management Information System

· It supports transaction handling and record keeping.

· It is also called as integrated database Management System which supports in major functional areas.

· It provides operational, tactical, and strategic level managers with east access to timely but, for the most, structured information.

· It supports decision –making function which is a vital role of MIS.

· It is flexible which is needed to adapt to the changing needs of the organization.

· It promotes security system by providing only access to authorized users.

· MIS not only provides statistical and data analysis but also works on the basis on MBO (management by objectives). MIS is successfully used for measuring performance and making necessary change in the organizational plans and procedures. It helps to build relevant and measurable objectives, monitor results, and send alerts.

· Coordination: MIS provides integrated information so that all the departments are aware of the problem and requirements of the other departments. This helps in equal interaction of the different centers and connects decision centers of the organization.

· Duplication of data is reduced since data is stored in the central part and same data can be used by all the related departments.

· MIS eliminates redundant data.

· It helps in maintaining consistency of data. It is divided into subsystems. Handlings with small systems are much easier than an entire system. This helps in giving easy access of data, accuracy and better information production.

· MIS assembles, process, stores, Retrieves, evaluates and disseminates the information.

  1. Name and example of five primary activities from value chain model

1) Inbound logistics – These are all the processes related to receiving, storing, and distributing inputs internally. Your supplier relationships are a key factor in creating value here.

2) Operations – These are the transformation activities that change inputs into outputs that are sold to customers. Here, your operational systems create value.

3) Outbound logistics – These activities deliver your product or service to your customer. These are things like collection, storage, and distribution systems, and they may be internal or external to your organization.

4) Marketing and sales – These are the processes you use to persuade clients to purchase from you instead of your competitors. The benefits you offer, and how well you communicate them, are sources of value here.

5) Service – These are the activities related to maintaining the value of your product or service to your customers, once it’s been purchased.

  1. Five steps in ethical analysis

1) Identify and describe clearly the facts. Find out who did what to whom, and where, when, andhow. In many instances, you will be surprised at the errors in the initially reported facts, andoften you will find that simply getting the facts straight helps define the solution. It also helps toget the opposing parties involved in an ethical dilemma to agree on the facts.

2) Define the conflict or dilemma and identify the higher-order values involved. Ethical, social,and political issues always reference higher values. The parties to a dispute all claim to bepursuing higher values (e.g., freedom, privacy, protection of property, and the free enterprisesystem). Typically, an ethical issue involves a dilemma: two diametrically opposed courses ofaction that support worthwhile values. For example, the chapter-ending case study illustrates twocompeting values: the need to improve health care record keeping and the need to protectindividual privacy.

3) Identify the stakeholders. Every ethical, social, and political issue has stakeholders: players inthe game who have an interest in the outcome, who have invested in the situation, and usuallywho have vocal opinions. Find out the identity of these groups and what they want. This will beuseful later when designing a solution.

4) Identify the options that you can reasonably take. You may find that none of the options satisfyall the interests involved, but that some options do a better job than others. Sometimes arriving ata good or ethical solution may not always be a balancing of consequences to stakeholders.

5) Identify the potential consequences of your options. Some options may be ethically correct butdisastrous from other points of view. Other options may work in one instance but not in othersimilar instances. Always ask yourself, “What if I choose this option consistently over time?”

  1. Explain what is Storage Area Network (SAN)

SAN is a high-speed network of storage devices that also connects those storage devices with servers. It provides block-level storage that can be accessed by the applications running on any networked servers. SAN storage devices can include tape libraries and disk-based devices, like RAID hardware.

The main functions of a storage area network (SAN) includes the following:

· A high-speed network of storage devices.

· Connects the storage devices with servers.

· Can be accessed by applications on networked servers.

· Particularly helpful in backup and disaster recovery.

· Uses networking protocols to span longer distances geographically.

· SAN can also simplify some management tasks.

· Offers flexibility, availability and performance.

  1. Define Database Management and how it solve the problem of traditional five environment

Database management has become more important as the volume of business data has grown. Rapid data growth creates a wide variety of negative conditions, including poor application performance and compliance risk, to name a few. Database management comprises a number of proactive techniques to prevent the deleterious effects of data growth.

Database management does not have one objective. There are many, including performance, storage optimization, efficiency, security, and privacy. By controlling data throughout its entire lifecycle, from creation through retirement, organizations can prevent events that degrade efficiency and revenue and boost data integration for greater business intelligence.

  1. What is the meaning of convergence in Networking and Communication Trends

Telephone networks and computer networks converging into single digital network using Internet standards.

  1. How do CRM help firms achieve customer intimacy

a) Capture and integrate customer data from all over the organization

b) Consolidate and analyze customer data

c) Distribute customer information to various systems and customer touch points across enterprise

d) Provide single enterprise view of customers

Additional Questions

  1. IT organization revolution, from call center to profit center

Historically, the contact center has been viewed as a cost center. Contact center agents, weary from dealing with angry customers, were often left to fend for themselves with insufficient data and inadequate technology. Long wait times and customer frustration became all-too-familiar punch lines to jokes. Companies turned to automation as a way to reduce operational costs and human interaction, but this did little to improve outcomes for the customer.

Today, organizations are realizing that the contact center plays an important role in delivering the best possible customer experience. Today’s empowered customer won’t stand for the shortcomings of yesterday’s contact center. According to research from Zogby Analytics, 16 percent of consumers share negative customer experiences with others, and 13 percent say such an experience would prevent them from doing business with a company in the future.

At the same time, if a customer receives a quick, effective solution to their problem, the contact center can boost customer loyalty and goodwill. The Zogby study revealed that 31 percent of customers will give a company positive feedback and 14 percent will share their positive experience with others.

As a result, the contact center is now being viewed less as a cost center and more as a profit center capable of enhancing both the customer experience and the organization’s bottom line. However, your technology and processes must be aligned with customer needs and capable of meeting high expectations, which have increased dramatically in recent years.

What do customers expect from your contact center?

· Customers expect to receive service on the channel of their choosing, whether it’s phone, email, text, instant messaging or social media.

· Customers expect a consistent, high-quality experience across all customer service channels.

· Customers expect to deal with the right person right away instead of being passed along from person to person.

· Customers expect an instant response and fast resolution to their problems.

· Customers expect to move forward, not backwards. In other words, they don’t want to be asked the same questions twice.

The ability to gather, store and analyze data, and deliver this data to contact center agents in real time, is critical to delivering the kind of customer service that people expect from your contact center. Agents also need streamlined access to the various customer service channels. In the next post, we’ll discuss how the contact center is evolving to meet customer expectations, and the business value of an effective contact center.

  1. Find out about KPI (Key Performance Indicators)

A Key Performance Indicator is a measurable value that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives. Organizations use KPIs at multiple levels to evaluate their success at reaching targets. High-level KPIs may focus on the overall performance of the enterprise, while low-level KPIs may focus on processes in departments such as sales, marketing or a call center.

  1. Find out about Sarbanes-Oaxley Act
    Imposes responsibility on companies and their management to safeguard the accuracy and integrity of financial information that is used internally and released externally

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