MIS1600D E-Business Systems Semester 1, 2010 Student Copy

Assignment 1 Tasks

Week 1/Task 1 (Module 1)

Readings: Kroenke Text Book (Experiencing MIS), Chapter 1 (pp. 2-18):

Consider costs of a system in light of the five components: costs to buy and maintain the
hardware; costs to develop or acquire licenses to the software programs and costs to maintain
them; costs to design databases and fill them with data; costs of developing procedures and
keeping them current; and finally, human costs both to develop and use the system.

a. Over the lifetime of a system, many experts believe that the single most expensive
component is people. Does this belief seem logical to you? Explain why you agree or
disagree.
b. During the past few decades technology has been developing at a very rapid rate. Some
people argue that the single most expensive component is people. This is an argument
which could be agreed upon. No matter how developed the technology is, still people
become the most expensive component.
c. People are what feedbacks and control the machines. Also its people who themselves made
the machines in order to make their work easier. Machines does what people want to and
also it has no intelligence other than artificial intelligence. This way a machine cant decide
what it should do. For an examples if by any chance the calculations go wrong and a
employer command a machine to print 100 copies when it should be 75, the machine will
still print 100. It doesn’t have the intelligence to think that the amount is higher.
d. Another good example for why we can say that the people are the most important
component is because companies invest a lot on human resource management. More that it
invest for other departments sometimes. This is because without the human power a
company cant run. This is mostly because like explained above, peoples intelligence is what
runs a place.

e. Consider a poorly developed system that does not meet its defined requirements. The needs
of the business do not go away, but they do not conform themselves to the characteristics
of the poorly built system. Therefore, something must give. Which component picks up the
slack when the hardware and software programs do not work correctly ? What does this
say about the cost of a poorly designed system? Consider both direct money costs as well
as intangible personnel costs.

Information systems are developed for people to facilitate the business objectives efficiently and
accurately in a timely manner. However when the system is poor and not facilitating its expected
business objectives, the money the time used to develop the system becomes a waste. The time

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and the money use to operate and maintain the system adds up additional costs for daily
operating expenses without generating any gains for the business. Furthermore the underling
expenditures for developing, operating and maintaining an information system must be an
investment rather than a cost. Thus poor systems would never be investments and simply be costs
to their businesses and people.

f. What implications do you, as a future business manager, recognise after answering parts a
and b? What does this say about the need for your involvement in requirements and other
aspects of systems development? Who eventually will pay the costs of a poorly developed
system? Against which budget will those costs accrue?

The business manager should actively participate throughout the IS development process in order
to develop the correct system to achieve the desired business needs. He/she should only adopt
the technology which is needed. If the IS is not to support the increased efficiency, accuracy or fail
to achieve the desired business need, the entire business system will face its unnecessary
overhead cost. This may even lead to a business failure.

20 marks

Week 2/Task 2 (Module 2)

Week 2/Task 2

Readings: Kroenke Text Book (Experiencing MIS), Chapter 2 (pp. 22-38), Chapter Extension 3 (pp.
355-360):

Hayman Island Resort is a top-end (rooms cost from $580 to $3,900 per night), 212-unit resort
located in Australia’s magnificent Great Barrier Reef. Hayman Island prides itself on its beautiful
location, its relaxing setting, and its superb service. The resort’s restaurant is highly rated and has
an extensive list of exceptional wines. The well-heeled clients are accustomed to the highest levels
of service.

Q1. Give an example of an automated system that would support the ‘menu’ and ‘meal planning’
decision in answer to question 1 (of the Lab). Describe work performed by each component of
the information system.

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A system where the choices of the customers get recorded would be ideal in order to do the meal
planning as well as the menu. A ‘preferences’ card could be provided to the customers along
with the bill so that the customers would tend to comment on services and food, this could be
recorded in such a way where the manager would have access at any time he/she wants.
Taking the customer choice records and the comments customers have given, the manager will
be able to see the demand per day for each number in the menu in a average basis through
the system. Looking at it in a augmentation basis, he can also come to a decision of what side
of food should be improved. (ex – if the records say 60% buys chicken, a decision like adding a
new type of chicken will be effective). The records could also include a list of ingredients
needed added by the executive chef. This would help the manager in deciding the amount of
ingredients that should be bought since the system would show how many customers are
expected each day in an average basis.

Q2. Give an example of an augmentation system that would support one of the decisions in your
answer to question 1 (of the lab). Describe work performed by each component of the
information system.

Taking the number of customers and also their preferences, the managers could come into
decisions like introducing high tea in new places, cruises or combining themselves with
another recognized hotel. Well of course if the customer feedback says they are mostly there
for the food which is supplied, the managers can go to a decision like outdoor catering
services as well.

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Q3. Show how the figure below applies to the answers in Q 1 to Q4 of the lab and Q1 & Q2 above:

Q4. List the decision steps for one of the decisions in your answer to question 1 of the Lab. List the
decision steps for one of the decisions in your answer to question 3 of the Lab. Compare the
use of information systems to support each of the decision steps for these two decisions.

20 marks

Week 3/Task 3 (Module 3)

Readings: Kroenke Text Book (Experiencing MIS), Chapter 3 (pp. 42-58):

Samantha Green owns and operates Twigs Landscaping Service. Samantha graduated from the
forestry program of a nearby university and worked for a large landscape design firm, performing
landscaping, tree trimming and removal. After several years of experience, she bought her own
truck, stump grinder, and other equipment and opened her own business in Brisbane.

Although many of her jobs are one-time operations to design and landscape gardens, remove a
tree or stump, others are recurring, such as trimming a tree or groups of trees every year or every
other year, offering advice on garden maintenance. When business is slow, she calls former clients
to remind them of her services and of the need to trim their trees on a regular basis as well as to
inform them of latest offerings in landscaping.

Samantha has never heard of Michael Porter or any of his theories. She operates her business “by
the seat of her pants.”

Q1. How would knowledge of her competitive strategy help her sales and marketing efforts?

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 Having a competitive strategy or a competitive advantage is important for a business for its long
run survival. As in the case Samantha has worked for a large landscape firm. Thus she must
know their target markets and the approaches to such markets and also a better knowledge
about new entrants, substitutes, nature of suppliers and customers. Therefore she must have
seen a profitable niche which has not been looked after. This could be the reason that she
wanted go on her own and establish her own business. Even though she has not heard of Porter
she has that knowledge from her industry experiences. Now that she has started the business
and things are going well. But in the long run studying Porter theories well and work through a
competitive strategy will help her bring a stress free future to her business as it gives the benefit
of knowing her competitive environment and act upon. More importantly she must be aware of
the fact that the survival is difficult for SME’s in competitive markets.

Q2. Describe, in general terms (i.e. not specific types of technology or applications), the kind of
information system that she needs to support sales and marketing efforts.

A system where all the details of the former clients along with the specific services they asked
for gets recorded would be ideal for a business like Samantha’s. This way she could always easily
check up on which customer needs services whenever she types the month or a season since
certain trees and gardens depend a lot on the seasons. Also Samantha could open a website
where she would advertise her product along with a introducing packages would be very
suitable. This way if she enters the data correctly into the system, she could look up the
software whenever a customer calls and ask for a service. All she has to do is insert the services
the customer asks for and the ideal package for his would appear.

Q3. Describe in specific terms (i.e. what kind of technology or applications) the more ‘modern’ or
innovative types of IS Samantha can use to differentiate herself from her competitors.

She could use a database or a system where she could get the details of the possible clients she
could have. These databases or the websites could be linked with companies like construction or
land selling. This way she would be informed whenever there is a possible client who is building a
house or buying land to build a house.

20 marks

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 Week 4/Task 4 (Module 4)

Readings: Kroenke Text Book (Experiencing MIS), Chapter 4 (pp. 72-95)

Q1. Describe the three categories of application software. Give an example of each. Explain
Figure 4-11 (page 88). Search the Internet for an example of horizontal- and vertical-market
software, other than those mentioned in this chapter. Search the Internet for the product
QuickBooks. Briefly describe the functions of this product. What operating system(s) does it
require? Suppose you wish to install and use QuickBooks, but you need some functions to be
altered. Search the Internet for vendors or consultants who could help you. List two or three
such vendors or consultants.

Horizontal – market application

Vertical – market applications

One-of-a kind application

QuickBooks

QuickBooks is an easy to use accounting software (book keeping software) which can track sales,
expenses, customers and instantly generate invoices, pay bills and pay checks (Intuit, 2010). The
main functionalities are as Sales and Customers, Inventory control, Purchases and suppliers,
banking & general ledgers EST.

According to Intuit (2010) QuickBooks works on Windows XP (SP2), Vista or 7 operating systems.

AccSoft Solutions (Pvt) Ltd is the only master authorised dealer for QuickBooks in Sri Lanka.

http://quickbooks.intuit.com/product/accounting-software/simple-start-bookkeeping-
software.jsp

Q2. Reread MIS in Use 4 on page 84 and view the Surface promotional video at
www.microsoft.com/surface . Recall the RAND study cited in Chapter 1 (page 10) that stated
there will be increased worldwide demand for workers who can apply new technology to solve
business problems in innovative ways. Surface is an excellent example of a new technology
that will be applied innovatively.

a. Consider uses for Surface at your university. How might Surface be used in chemistry, law,
health science, hospitality and tourism, business, geography, political science, art, music,

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 or any other discipline in which you (or your group) has interest? Describe a potential
application for Surface for three different disciplines.

Business

Introducing surface for unit selections can be made will make take process easier and more
interesting for students. The lecturers can also use this technology for effectively delivering their
lecture. For instance lecturers can write (make notes, draw instant graphs) on the surface while
doing their presentations to make the teaching clearer.

Geography

The surface will also be an interesting tool for geographic students. When accessing their lecture
notes or exploring geography through the surface the student will feel their lessons are more
realistic rather than working with the traditional keyboard and mouse.

Art

Surface technology will be a great opportunity for the Arts faculty. They can effectively utilise the
surface technology when lecturing Arts in place of traditional ways of doing them. Simply the
students can draw on the surface by their own hand. This is a huge advancement of the technology
which can be effectively used in art lessons

b. List specific features and benefits for each of the three applications you selected in
question 1.

c. Using the five-component framework, describe the tools, documentation, and facilities
that Microsoft or one of its partners must provide to enable widespread development of
Surface applications.

20 marks

Remember that all answers are to be in a single MSWord 2007 document and are to be handed in
during the week 5 class.