MIS 390 Lesson 2

What are enterprise systems?

Firms use enterprise systems, also known as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, to integrate business processes in manufacturing and production, finance and accounting, sales and marketing, and human resources into a single software system.

What are supply chain management (SCM) systems?

Firms use supply chain management (SCM) systems to help manage relationships with their suppliers. These 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 and services efficiently.

What are the business benefits of collaboration and social business?

If such an environment could be created, it is likely to drive operational efficiencies, spur innovation, and accelerate decision making. Benefits can include enhanced productivity, quality, innovation, customer services, and financial performance.

How are business processes related to information systems?

Information systems automate parts of business processes, and they can help organizations redesign and streamline these processes.

What is an extranet?

It is a restricted part of an organization's internal network that enables business to exchange information with stakeholders securely over the internet.

What is an intranet?

It is an internal network that only authorized users can access. The company uses its intranet to share information with employees, clients, suppliers and other authorized entities.

What are knowledge management systems?

Knowledge management systems (KMS) enable organizations to better manage processes for capturing and applying knowledge and expertise. These systems collect all relevant knowledge and experience in the firm and make it available wherever and whenever it is needed to improve business processes and management decisions

What are the characteristics of management information systems (MIS)?

MIS provide middle managers with reports on the organization's current performance. This information is used to monitor and control the business and predict future performance.

How do systems serve the different management groups in business?

Operational management, middle management, and senior management each use systems to support the decisions they must make to run the company.

What is the role of programmers?

Programmers are highly trained technical specialists who write the software instructions for computers.

What defines a supportive organizational culture and business processes for collaboration?

Successful collaboration requires an appropriate organizational structure and culture, along with proper collaboration technology. Needs are collaboration capability and collaboration technology. Capability includes an open culture, decentralized structure, and breadth of collaboration. Collaboration technology includes implementation, operations, and strategic planning.

What is the role of a CPO?

The CPO is responsible for ensuring that the company complies with existing data privacy laws.

What is the role of a CDO?

The chief data officer (CDO) is responsible for enterprise-wide governance and utilization of information to maximize the value the organization can realize from its data.

What is the role of a CKO?

The chief knowledge officer (CKO) is responsible for the firm's knowledge management program. The CKO helps design programs and systems to find new sources of knowledge or to make better use of existing knowledge in organizational and management processes.

What is the role of a CSO?

The chief security officer (CSO) is in charge of information systems security for the firm and is responsible for enforcing the firm's information security policy.

What is the role of the information systems function in a business?

The information systems department is the formal organizational unit responsible for information technology services. It is responsible for maintaining the hardware, software, data storage, and networks that comprise the firm's IT infrastructure. The department consists of specialists, such as programmers, systems analysts, project leaders, and information systems managers, and is often headed by a CIO.

What are business processes?

The manner in which work is organized, coordinated, and focused to produce a valuable product or service. Business processes are the collection of activities required to produce a product or service.

What is IT governance?

The strategy and policies for using information technology within an organization.

What is social business?

The use of web-based collaborative tools, such as internal and external social networking platforms, to engage employees, customers, and suppliers.

How does the information systems function support a business?

There are business processes specific to each of the major business functions, but many business processes are cross-functional. Information systems automate parts of business processes, and they can help organizations redesign and streamline these processes.

Why are systems for collaboration and social business so important?

They are increasingly important in business because of globalization, the decentralization of decision making, and growth in jobs where interaction is the primary value-adding activity.

What is the role of information systems managers?

They are leaders of teams of programmers and analysts, project managers, physical facility managers, telecommunications managers, or database specialists. They are also managers of computer operations and data entry staff.

What is the role of a CIO?

They are the senior manager who oversees the use of information technology in the firm. They are expected to have a strong business background as well as information systems expertise and to play a leadership role in exploring new technologies and integrating technology into the firm's business strategy.

How do intranets and extranets help firms integrate information and business processes?

They can help increase integration and expedite the flow of information within the firm, with customers, and with suppliers.

What is the role of systems analysts?

They constitute the principal liaisons between the information systems groups and the rest of the organization.

Why should managers pay special attention to business processes?

They determine how well the organization can execute its business, and they may be a source of strategic advantage.

What are the characteristics of decision-support systems (DSS) and how they benefit businesses?

They focus on problems that are unique and rapidly changing, for which the procedure for arriving at a solution may not be fully predefined in advance.

How do you choose the right collaboration technology for a firm?

To answer this question, you need a framework for understanding just what problems these tools are designed to solve. The time/space matrix focuses on two dimensions of the collaboration problem: time and space.

What are the characteristics of transaction processing systems (TPS) and the roles they play in a business?

Transaction processing systems (TPS) help operational managers keep track of the elementary activities and transactions of the organization, such as sales, receipts, cash deposits, payroll, credit decisions, and the flow of materials in a factory.

What is a cross-functional business process?

Business processes that cover different functional areas are called cross-functional business processes. For example, filling a customer order could cross over sales, accounting, and production.

What are customer relationship management (CRM) systems?

Customer relationship management (CRM) systems coordinate the business processes surrounding the firm's customers.

How do enterprise applications improve organizational performance?

Each of the enterprise applications integrates a related set of functions and business processes to enhance the performance of the organization as a whole.

What is the role of end users?

End users are representatives of departments outside of the information systems group for whom applications are developed.

What is an enterprise application?

Enterprise applications are cross-functional; they are used by multiple functional areas of the business. Enterprise applications can also span the three different levels of the organization: operational, managerial, and executive. They include ERP, SCM, CRM, and KMS.

What are the characteristics of executive support systems (ESS)?

Executive support systems (ESS) help senior management make these decisions. They address nonroutine decisions requiring judgment, evaluation, and insight because there is no agreed-on procedure for arriving at a solution.