13. Current Issues in Information Systems

January-2004 [4]

1. Give brief (one or two sentence) answers to the following questions:

l) Define ERP and CRM. [2]

Ans: Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a company-wide computer software system used to manage and coordinate all the resources, information, and functions of a business from shared data stores.An ERP system typically has modular hardware and software units and "services" that communicate on a local area network. The modular design allows a business to add or reconfigure modules (perhaps from different vendors) while preserving data integrity in one shared database that may be centralized or distributed.
Customer relationship management (CRM) consists of the processes a company uses to track and organize its contacts with its current and prospective customers. CRM software is used to support these processes; information about customers and customer interactions can be entered, stored and accessed by employees in different company departments. Typical CRM goals are to improve services provided to customers, and to use customer contact information for targeted marketing.

2) Name current challenges for IT management. [2]

Ans: The challenges for IT management are:

a. Training Demands

b. Errors

c. New Integration

d. Cascading Needs

e. Vendor Neglect

f. Vendor Oversell

g. Acquisition Dilemma

h. Support Burden

i. data governance

j. data quality

k. retention management

l. complex software

July-2004 [11]

1. Give very brief (2-3 lines) answers to the following questions:

m) Define E-commerce. [2]

Ans : Electronic Commerce, commonly known as (electronic marketing) e-commerce or eCommerce, consists of the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily with widespread Internet usage. The use of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and drawing on innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems.

c) Explain SCM 3

Ans: Supply chain management (SCM) is the management of a network of interconnected businesses involved in the ultimate provision of (business)|product and [[Service (economics)] packages required by end customers.Supply chain management encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing, procurement, conversion, and logistics management. It also includes the crucial components of coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third-party service providers, and customers. In essence, supply chain management integrates supply and demand management within and across companies.

a) The internetworked enterprise is the best model for the business use of information technology in the present century.' Do you agree or disagree? Give reason(s) for your answer. [5]

c) One, of the concerns of the consumers making online purchases is about the confidentiality about their credit/debit card information that is vulnerable to interception by network sniffers. You are required to suggest any two-security measures, which can take care of this concern of the consumers. [2]

b) Write short notes on any three of the following:

ii) Role of E-Commerce in Marketing [3]

Ans: Some common applications related to electronic commerce are the following:

Email
Enterprise content management
Instant messaging
Newsgroups
Online shopping and order tracking
Online banking
Online office suites
Domestic and international payment systems
Shopping cart software
Teleconferencing
Electronic tickets

8) Application of Artificial Intelligence in Modern Business Organisation [3]

Ans: Artificial Intelligence has been used in a wide range of fields including medical diagnosis, stock trading, robot control, law, scientific discovery and toys.

Role of Artificial Intelligence in different fields are:

a) AI researchers have created many tools to solve the most difficult problems in computer science.

b) Banks use artificial intelligence systems to organize operations, invest in stocks, and manage properties

c) Financial institutions have long used artificial neural network systems to detect charges or claims outside of the norm, flagging these for human investigation.

d) A medical clinic can use artificial intelligence systems to organize bed schedules, make a staff rotation, and provide medical information.

e) Artificial neural networks are used for medical diagnosis

f) Composition, performance, music theory, sound processing are some of the major areas on which research in Music and Artificial Intelligence are focusing on.

g) AI are use in building of robots.

h) In telecommunication field AI plays a great role.

July-2005 [30]

g) Briefly explain role of E-Commerce in marketing? [4]

Ans :

E-commerce marketing, internet marketing

Now-a-days Internet marketing is the best way to succeed in the online business.E-Commerce marketing along with the advertising systems makes the business to reach at optimum level.E-commerce makes the marketing easy, faster, efficient and maximum accurate.

E-commerce, Web designing and development:

Trading on the Internet, credit card payment, and virtual shopping carts are being used by today’s generation points to a new direction in commerce (ecommerce). The ever-increasing ecommerce solutions are serving businesses worldwide at an extreme extent. Businesses, to compete in today's market, need a dynamic web designing and development.

E-commerce advertising:

Ecommerce advertising allows you to place advert for other companies and services in the site by way of banners or, perhaps text adverts which makes your site most popular, increase the business and maximize the profits.

E-commerce play vital role in faster economic growth by using the modern technology. It provides larger employment. It improves the technological stands of the people lives by using the contemporary methods of technology in the fast growing world

b) Explain CRM. What are the five common steps in CRM? [8]

Ans: Five common steps of CRM are:

Get executive buy-in first.
Perform an in-depth needs analysis
Clearly define business objectives
Set measurable project goals.
Determine what needs to be automated and take an incremental approach.
Build and train the right teams.
Manage organizational change
Choose a business partner to help with implementation
Define and set measurable metrics
Let business processes drive the implementation

a)Explain e-business with the help of examples. What is B2B transaction? [9]

Ans: Business-to-business (B2B) describes commerce transactions between businesses, such as between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer. Contrasting terms are business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-government (B2G). What is B2B e-commerce?
B2B e-commerce is simply defined as e-commerce between companies. This is the type of e-commerce that deals with relationships between and among businesses. About 80% of e-commerce is of this type, and most experts predict that B2B e-commerce will continue to grow faster than the B2C segment. The B2B market has two primary components: e-frastructure and e-markets. E-frastructure is the architecture of B2B, primarily consisting of the following:

logistics - transportation, warehousing and distribution (e.g., Procter and Gamble);

application service providers - deployment, hosting and management of packaged software from a central facility (e.g., Oracle and Linkshare);

outsourcing of functions in the process of e-commerce, such as Web-hosting, security and customer care solutions (e.g., outsourcing providers such as eShare, NetSales, iXL Enterprises and Universal Access);

auction solutions software for the operation and maintenance of real-time auctions in the Internet (e.g., Moai Technologies and OpenSite Technologies);

content management software for the facilitation of Web site content management and delivery (e.g., Interwoven and ProcureNet); and

Web-based commerce enablers (e.g., Commerce One, a browser-based, XML-enabled purchasing automation software).

E-markets are simply defined as Web sites where buyers and sellers interact with each other and conduct transactions.10
The more common B2B examples and best practice models are IBM, Hewlett Packard (HP), Cisco and Dell. Cisco, for instance, receives over 90% of its product orders over the Internet.
Most B2B applications are in the areas of supplier management (especially purchase order processing), inventory management (i.e., managing order-ship-bill cycles), distribution management (especially in the transmission of shipping documents), channel management (i.e., information dissemination on changes in operational conditions), and payment management (e.g., electronic payment systems or EPS).

b)Explain the impact of e-business on supply chain management. [9]

Ans : There are four key dimensions in which the impacts can be found:

DIMENSION	ELEMENTS	BENEFITS/ IMPACTS
Information Integration	Information sharing & transparency Direct & real-time accessibility	Reduced bullwhip effect Early problem detection Faster response Trust building
Synchronized Planning	Collaborative planning, forecasting & replenishment Joint design	Reduced bullwhip effect Lower cost Optimized capacity utilization Improved service
Workflow Coordination	Coordinated production planning & operations, procurement, order processing, engineering change & design Integrated, automated business processes	Efficiency & accuracy gains Fast response Improved service Earlier time to market Expanded network
New Business Models	Virtual resources Logistics restructuring Mass customization New services Click-and-mortar models	Better asset utilization Higher efficiency Penetrate new markets Create new products

January-2006 [26]

e)Explain how the Internet is changing business model in present day firms. [4]

Ans : The Internet radically reduces the cost of creating, sending, and storing information while making that information more widely available. The Internet reduces search costs, allowing customers to locate products, suppliers, prices, and delivery terms. The Internet enables companies to collect and analyze more detailed and accurate information about their customers, allowing these companies to better target market their products and services. The Internet shrinks information asymmetry and has transformed the richness and reach of information. It can help companies create and capture profits in new ways by adding extra value to existing products and services. It also provides the foundation for new products and services.

b) What is e-commerce? How is e-commerce business model is different from that of traditional commerce? [6]

Ans: Electronic commerce or e-commerce refers to a wide range of online business activities for products and services. ^[1] It also pertains to “any form of business transaction in which the parties interact electronically rather than by physical exchanges or direct physical contact.” ^[2]
E-commerce is usually associated with buying and selling over the Internet, or conducting any transaction involving the transfer of ownership or rights to use goods or services through a computer-mediated network. ^[3] Though popular, this definition is not comprehensive enough to capture recent developments in this new and revolutionary business phenomenon. A more complete definition is: E-commerce is the use of electronic communications and digital information processing technology in business transactions to create, transform, and redefine relationships for value creation between or among organizations, and between organizations and individuals

E-commerce	Tradition Commerce
1. Reliable 2. Faster 3. Time Saving 4. Cost effective 5. Less energy consuming 6. Reduce cost 7. Easily information transferable	1. Less Reliable 2. Slow 3. Time consuming 4. Not Cost effective 5. More energy consuming 6. Doesn’t reduce cost. 7. Information transferable is not easy

b) What is the goal of installing supply chain management software? Do we need to have ERP software before we install supply chain software? [9]

Ans: Functions of supply chain management software are:

Customer requirement processing
Purchase order processing
Inventory management
Goods receipt and Warehouse management
Supplier Management/Sourcing

Goals of installing supply chain management software are:

a. Increase the supply chain.

b. Reach directly to customer.

c. To bring more customer under it scheme.

d. To provide information to suppliers

e. To know information about sales and stock from retailers.

f. The payoff of timely and accurate supply chain information is the ability to make or ship only as much of a product as there is a market for.

g. allows companies to reduce the amount of inventory that they keep

h. Make supply chain management flexible.

i. To make the communication between supplier and customer good.

No, we need not to have ERP software before we install supply chain software.

b) Write short notes on any three of the following:

iii) Role of information in supply chain management [3]

Ans: IT infrastructure capabilities provides a competitive positioning of business initiatives like cycle time reduction, implementation, implementing redesigned cross-functional processes. Several well know firms involved in supply chain relationship through information technology. First, satisfying in fact pleasing customer has become something of a corporate obsession. Serving the customer in the best, most efficient and effective manner has become critical. Second information is a crucial factor in the managers' abilities to reduce inventory and human resource requirement to a competitive level. Information flows plays a crucial role in strategic planning.

iv) Intranet and Internet [3]

Ans: An intranet is a private network that uses Internet protocols to securely share any part of an organization's information or operational systems within that organization. The term is used in contrast to internet - a network between organizations - and instead refers to a network within an organization. Sometimes the term refers only to the organization's internal website, but may be a more extensive part of the organization's information technology infrastructure.

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standardized Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private and public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope that are linked by copper wires, fiber-optic cables, wireless connections, and other technologies.

July-2006[14]

c) How can Internet technologies improve relationships and service for a business? [4]

Ans: By:

a. Providing faster information.

b. Reducing communication cost.

c. Reducing time consumption.

d. Reducing complexity.

Think back to how business was done a few decades ago. There was no email, Internet, mobile marketing, telecommuting or smartphones. Now communications are instantaneous, huge amounts of information move through email and the Internet and powerful tools are in the hands of owners and employees. Innovations in technology have improved operations at companies of all sizes and helped turn small local businesses into global businesses.

Communication

Cell phones have become small business necessities for owners and employees. These devices are lifelines for staying in touch when on the road and responding to customer inquiries in a timely manner. Smartphones raise the bar with access to the Internet, email and business applications in a small hand held device. Email, text messaging and social networking are other advances in communication that keep small businesses connected to their customer bases and improve internal communication within the company.

Marketing

Technology has freed small businesses from the restrictions of prints ads when it comes to reaching new and existing customers. Internet marketing ranges from a simple informational website, to advertising on search engines, to online product sales. Email marketing is an effective and low cost method to reach a large group of people with a newsletter, coupons or business updates. Mobile marketing is a relatively new frontier that reaches people through text messaging, advertising on mobile applications and offering branded applications that tie customers into what is happening with the business in a fun and entertaining way.

Productivity

Small businesses need to wring every ounce of productivity out of their operations and technology tools help employees get tasks done more quickly. This may range from printing out marketing materials to providing customer service through email or online chat. The key is to keep employees focused when using technology and to use it appropriately with the goal of saving time. Sometimes, a phone call may be more efficient and productive than an email. Provide employees with the right hardware and updated software to keep them working at peak proficiency.

Customer Service

Technology brings businesses closer to customers. Businesses use email to answer questions, offer online chat to help customers that are visiting the business website, and equip call centers with the latest phone equipment that makes customer service agents more efficient. Give customers a choice of ways to contact the company. Technology is powerful, but keep the people element in mind and don't skimp on training employees in effective customer service techniques and the proper use of the technology.

Telecommuting

Many small businesses now offer telecommuting and flex time as benefits. Colleagues can stay in touch from different locations, and when working different hours, by using email, online collaboration tools and mobile computing devices. When in the office, workers can share digital documents, convey information through presentations and create training videos to bring new employees up to speed.

Teleconferencing

Teleconferencing over the phone is one of the simplest conferencing methods, but advancement in recent years have brought web conferencing to the fore. Web conferencing can bring together web cams, audio and collaborative online meeting spaces to create an extremely interactive environment. Participants can see each other, work together on documents and recreate the in-person meeting experience no matter where they are in the world. This is one way that small businesses can extend their reach to include global customers and workers.

a) What is ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)? Explain the different types of ERP systems. [10]

Ans: Different types of ERP are:

1) SAP: The SAP ERP application is an integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) software manufactured by SAP AG that targets business software requirements of midsize and large organizations in all industries and sectors. It allows for open communication within and between all company functions. SAP stands for Systems, Applications and Products (Systeme, Anwendungen und Produkte in the original German) in Data Processing.

2) BAAN: Baan was a vendor of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that is now owned by Inform Global Solutions. Baan or Baan ERP was also the name of the ERP product created by this company. It provide financial and administrative consulting services. Its mo

3) Oracle Financials:

4) Siebel:

5) PeopleSoft: PeopleSoft, Inc. was a company that provided human resource management systems (HRMS) and customer relationship management (CRM) software, as well as software solutions for manufacturing, financials, enterprise performance management, and student administration to large corporations, governments, and organizations

January-2007 [18]

a) Identify and give examples of several ways that e-Commerce applications provide significant business value to a company and its customers. [10]

b) What companies are expecting from their future use of Intranets, extranets and enterprise information portals. [8]

July-2007 [9]

b) What is E-Commerce? Explain its uses in Modern Business. [9]

January-2008 [31]

c) How do information systems facilitate supply chain management? Explain briefly. [4]

b) What is the impact of the Internet on organizations and their process of management? How is the Internet changing the economics of information and related business models? [8]

c) What is channel conflict? Why is it becoming a growing problem in electronic commerce? [5]

Ans: Channel conflict occurs when manufacturers (brands) disintermediate their channel partners, such as distributors, retailers, dealers, and sales representatives, by selling their products direct to consumers through general marketing methods and/or over the internet through eCommerce.

It is growing problem in e-commerce because:

a). Some manufacturers want their brands to capture the power of the internet but do not want to create conflict with their other distribution channels, as these partners are necessary and viable for any manufacturer to maintain and gain success.

b) Nowadays, E-commerce wins in popularity as second distribution channel, because of the low overhead expenses and communication costs. Their advantage is at the same time their disadvantage, since consumers can communicate less expensive and more easily with each other too. Therefore, price and product differentiation is getting tougher than ever.

c) Newer versions of products, changes in trends, insolvency of wholesalers and retailers and the distribution of damages goods also affect channel conflict.

Friday 13 January 2012

management information system(13)