Fundamentals

Question 1

What is Information systems?

Answer 1

Systems that collect, process, store, and distribute information from these functions in the organization:

1. production and manufacturing
2. sales and marketing
3. finance and accounting
4. human resources

Question 2

What is MIS?

Answer 2

Management Information Systems

MIS can analyze the data from the information systems, and provide middle managers with reports about the organization’s current performance

Question 3

What are some business intelligence systems?

Answer 3

MIS
Decision-support systems (DSS)
Executive support systems (ESS)

Question 4

How can a business manage all the information in these differing Information systems, that have data from the whole organization?

Answer 4

Enterprise Software: Think of The thanksgiving dinner

• ERP
• SCM
• CRM

Question 5

What are ES?

Answer 5

Enterprise system

• Systems that operate at the level of the enterprise
• Support end-to-end processes
• Software that can handle large volumes of data and enable organizations to integrate and coordinate
- knowledge sharing across management hierarchies
- serves the needs of an organization (% individual users) – solves an enterprise-wide problem rather than a departmental problem

Question 6

What value do Enterprise systems provide?

Answer 6

• Value by both increasing operational efficiency and providing firmwide information to help managers make better decisions:
o Corporate headquarters has access to up-to-the-minute data on sales, inventory, and production and uses this information to create more accurate sales and production forecasts

Question 7

Define what ERP is and what it does

Answer 7

Enterprise resource planning system
• Generally, one application (think of the turkey)
• Provide the enterprise with the means to deal with day to day functions in areas such as:
o People (HR)
o Finance
o Accounting

Information that was previously fragmented in many systems is stored in a single central database where it can be used by many parts of the business
- For example, when a customer places an order, the order data flow automatically to other parts of the company that they affect

Question 8

Define SCM and what it does

Answer 8

Supply Chain Management

Help suppliers, purchasing firms, distributors, and logistics companies share information about orders, production, inventory levels, and delivery of products and services so that they can source, produce, and deliver goods and services efficiently

A business’ supply chain:
• A network of organizations and business processes for procuring raw materials
- transforming these materials into intermediate and finished products
- and distributing the finished products to customers

• Materials, information, and payments flow through the supply chain in both directions
upstream = suppliers, supplier’s suppliers
downstream = distributors, customers

Question 9

Define CRM and what it affords

Answer 9

Customer relationship management

• About knowing the customer identify, attract, and retain the most profitable customers; provide better service to existing customers; and increase sale
- therefore looking at data in sales, service, marketing

• Capture and integrate customer data from all over the organization, consolidate the data, analyze the data, and then distribute the results to various systems and customer touchpoints across the enterprise

Question 10

What are some differences between Enterprise Software and Collaboration Software?

Answer 10

ES:
o Relatively rigid (not very adaptable, meant for one or few purposes only)
o Focus on large business process
o Enterprise systems provide value by both increasing operational efficiency and providing firm-wide information to help managers make better decisions
o Large companies with many operating units in different locations have used enterprise systems to enforce standard practices and data so that everyone does business the same way worldwide

CS: 
o	Relatively flexible 
o	Allows ad-hoc collaboration
Collaboration tools: 
 Email and instant messaging (IM), wikis, virtual worlds, social business environments (Teams, drive, dropbox, google hangout, SharePoint)

Question 11

How does Collaboration software benefit the business of a company / department?

Answer 11

• Investment in collaboration technology can return large rewards, especially in sales and marketing, research and development
• Productivity: Sharing knowledge and resolving problems

Can help:
• Quality: Faster resolution of quality issues
• Innovation: More ideas for products and services
• Customer service: Complaints handled more rapidly
• Financial performance: Generated by improvements in factors above

Question 12

What is work system?

Answer 12

A system where humans/machines perform work using information, technology and other resources to produce products/services for internal/external customers

• businesses operate through work systems

Question 13

Why is it relevant to look at Work Systems?

Answer 13

• Many ES has been implemented with a lot of difficulties and with less benefit than was expected
• Many factors have influenced that, but one, in particular, is evident:
- The tendency to mainly focus at the IT system and the use of it in a narrow sense
= This leads to correct systems, BUT they do not sufficiently support the work that lead to the intended % business goals

Question 14

What is the work system theory? What does it consist of?

Answer 14

• A tool to describe each element of a work system
• Work system theory view IT as part of an information system that supports work

Work System Framework
Work System Snapshot
Work System Life Cycle

Question 15

What is information management?

Answer 15

1. Captures and collects raw data within the organization or from its external environment
2. Converts this raw data into a meaningful form
3. Transfers the processed information to people who will use it or to the activities for which it will be used