Applications of Digital Technologies in the Enterprise Flashcards
Enterprise Applications
Systems that span across functional areas, focus on executing business processes across the firm, and include all levels of management
The objective is to ensure that TPS, MIS, DSS and ESS work together smoothly
Four major enterprise applications: Enterprise (ERP) Systems, Supply Chain Management (SCM) Systems, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems, Knowledge Management Systems (KMS)
See model (Enterprise Application Architecture)
Enterprise Systems / Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems
Integrates business processes from the four major business functions into a single software system
Make TPS, MIS, DSS and ESS work together smoothly
E.g. when a customer places an order, the order data flow automatically to other parts of the company that are affected by them; warehouses, factory, accounting (send the invoice), customer service
SAP is one of the leading companies selling ERP systems to large corporations
See model
Supply Chain Management (SCM) Systems
Help suppliers, purchasing firms, distributors and logistics companies share information about orders, production, inventory levels and delivery of products and services so they can source, produce and deliver goods efficiently
Goal: right amount of products to destination with least amount of time and lowest cost
A type of interorganizational system (meaning it automates the flow of information across organizational boundaries to external companies)
Focuses on upstream activities in supply chain
See model
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems
Provides information to optimize revenue, customer satisfaction and customer retention
Integrate firm’s customer related processes (collecting feedback, customer orders, customer information) and consolidate customer information
Focus on downstream activities in supply chain
Marketing activities managed in CRM systems: where did the customer hear about the product - did they receive a marketing email, did they google sport shoes and found Nike, did they see an online ad, did they look specifically for Nike etc., this is data that is also stored in a CRM system, so it includes secondary activities as well as primary
Knowledge Management Systems (KMS)
Help organizations to manage processes for capturing and applying knowledge and expertise through collecting knowledge and experience in the firm and makes it available wherever needed to improve business processes and management decisions
Support processes for acquiring, creating, storing and distributing, applying and integrating knowledge (also external knowledge)
Knowledge is meaningful information plus the skill to use the information
Examples:
Enterprise Social Media (ESM), where companies can extract value from social media software (you can share knowledge and solutions to problems), such as sharing things on a corporate site so everyone can comment and share information such as Facebook
LinkedIn
Corporate Wikis
Intranet
Internal company websites that are accessible only be employees
Internal network
Extranet
Accessible by authorized vendors and suppliers
Used to coordinate the movement of supplies to the firm’s production apparatus
E-business (Electronic Business)
The use of digital technology and the internet to execute the major business processes in the enterprise
Includes electronic commerce/e-commerce
Buying and selling goods and services over the Internet
Activities supporting market transactions: advertising, marketing, customer support, security, delivery and payment
E-government
Application of the Internet and networking technologies to digitally enable government and public sector agencies’ relationships with citizens, businesses and other arms of government
Makes government operations more efficient and empowers citizens by giving them easier access to information and the ability to network electronically with other citizens
E.g. Renew your drivers license online or apply for unemployment benefits online
Team (within collaboration)
Teams have specific missions that someone in the business assigned to them (e.g. increase online sales by 10 percent)
Short lived, depending on the problems they are working on
Social Business
The use of social networking platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and internal corporate social tools to engage employees, customers and suppliers
See model of applications of social business
Tools for Collaboration and Social Business
Email and Instant Messaging (IM)
Wikis (users can contribute without programming knowledge and you can share corporate knowledge)
Virtual worlds (IBM have used online world for meetings, interviews, employee training)
Collaboration and Social Media Platforms, such as videoconferencing systems, cloud collaboration services (Dropbox, Onedrive), Microsoft Sharepoint and IBM notes, Enterprise Social Networking Tools
The Time/Space Collaboration and Social Tool Matrix
Face-to-face (same time, same place)
Continuous task (different time, same place)
Remote interaction (same time, different place)
Communication + Coordination (different time, different place)
See model
The Information Systems Department
Exist in all firms (except smallest firms), and is responsible for IT services, such as maintaining the IT infrastructure, and include programmers, system analysts and information system managers
- Chief Information Officer (CIO): senior manager in charge of the information system department
- Chief Security Officer (CSO) / Chief Information Security Officer (CISO): in charge of (information systems) security for the firm
- Chief Privacy Officer (CPO): ensures company complies with data privacy laws
- Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO): responsible for the knowledge management program, and designs programs and systems to improve use of existing knowledge in organizational and management processes
- Chief Data Officer (CDO): Ensures the firm collects the appropriate data to serve its needs, deploys the appropriate technologies for analyzing the data, uses the results to support business decisions
- End users: representative from departments outside the information system groups – the ones the applications are developed for
IT Governance
Includes the strategy and policies for using information technology within an organization
Specifies decision rights and framework for accountability to ensure the use of IT supports the organization’s strategies and objectives
