Assignment 1: questions and answers PDF

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31266 – Introduction to Information Systems Assessment 1 – Individual assignment Information Systems in business, organization and society

STUDENT NAME

Muhammad Qasim Inayat 13569823

STUDENT ID 10:30am – 12:00pm TUTORIAL TIME 22/04/2019 SUBMISSION DATE turnitin software)

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1.1 A) Three examples of the data Happy Mind would gather from its transactions would be: 1

 Items Ordered.  Quantitative Amount of items ordered.  Time of transaction. B) The information they would gather from the transactions:  What items are selling more, and what items are selling less.  Average amount of that specific item being sold over a certain time period; allows Kim and Kian to control what and how much they need in their inventory.  What time the greatest number of customers come in and what time the least number of customers in, each day. 1.2 The produced information can help Kim and Kian manage their inventory as the information will be able to display an order of what items are selling the most, and what items are selling the least. From this list, they can determine the greatest amount of ingredients being used in their items, meaning they need to bulk up on these ingredients in their inventory. From this they can also cut down on buying the amount of ingredients that aren’t being used as much. From this they, can be more economical, and are not wasting ingredients, which boosts their societal image. From the money they save, they have more freedom in investing in the café, e.g. upgrading the technology being used and etc. 1.3 Happy mind can use technology to comply with legal requirements and social responsibilities surrounding the sale of alcohol by:  Implementing security systems, such as high definition cameras to monitor all aspects of the café. There is a common issue residing in café/bar environments where individuals who legally obtain alcohol from the café then go onto supply minors with alcohol in a hidden/low profile area within the café. The camera systems will be able to pick this up, and security staff that are monitoring the cameras will be able to handle the situation by identifying the culprits involved, monitoring how many drinks have been illegally handed over to minors, and then taking further action with the police.  Security staff can be standing at all entrance/exit points of the café with breathalyzers, to breath test individuals leaving the café to determine whether they are able to drive or not, and if not, further action can be taken to prevent the individuals from drink driving. The breathalyzers can be used on people entering the venue, to determine whether they are drunk or not; if they are drunk they may not be allowed to enter as they may pose a threat of violence towards others after further drinking and etc.  ID Scanning technology can be used to prevent minors from using fake IDs to purchase and consume alcohol at the café.

2.1 Michael Porter’s value chain is a business management concept. In Porter’s book, Competitive Advantage, Porter explains that the value chain is a collection of activities performed by a 2

company to create value for its customers, and this leads to competitive advantage, which ultimately leads to higher profitability for the company. The value chain consists of five primary activities: Inbound logistics, Operations, Outbound Logistics, Marketing and sales, and service. When applying Porter’s value chain to Apple, the tasks that Apple must accomplish for each primary value activities are:  Inbound logistics: Inbound logistics is the process of receiving, storing and distributing raw materials for production, and for Apple to effectively run as a business it must ensure that all this runs efficiently. Apple usually obtains its raw materials for production from Japan and China, highly prolific countries in terms to mass production of information technology hardware. Apple’s main job is to find a supplier that would provide the, the best materials, but in the most economic way possible. Apple is known to allow suppliers to compete with one another, in turn reducing the amount of suppliers to choose from. Furthermore, by this, Apple is able to build strategic relationships with their suppliers and ultimately save costs, which allows them to produce more products and profit more.  Operations: Operations within Apple are separated in different fragments, which are spread all around the world, i.e. USA, China, Europe and etc. Apple’s job is to subcontract manufacturers that offer the best value for the most economical pricing. An example is that iMacs are manufactured in Europe instead of Asia, as it is cheaper to manufacture iMacs in Europe, even though most manufacturing services are located in China and Japan.  Outbound logistics: Outbound logistics is the process of storing, transporting and distributing goods to customers. Apple is highly recognized as one of the best in the industry for their outbound logistics techniques. Within the outbound process, Apple has a large distribution channel both indirectly and directly. An example of a direct distribution channel is their Apple Store, and an indirect distribution channel is Kogan, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and etc.  Marketing and Sales: Marketing and sales is the process in which Apple has to convey consumers into buying their products. This is effectively done by Apple through their Keynote presentations, where they unveil their latest devices. Other factors that contribute towards this is Apple’s high level of customer service and customer satisfaction; Apple is known to have the most “premium” build quality and hardware and technological innovations, which instantly upsells their products. Apple also has a wide target audience as their software is very easy to handle and use and get familiar with. Along with this, they display very simple but aesthetic advertisement regimes, as opposed to Samsung or Huawei. Apple products are also well documented by media outlets, such as online news outlets like Forbes, YouTube channels such as LinusTechTips and etc, that also have a large influence over people’s perspectives of technology available on the market.  Service: Overall service and post-maintenance of the product is one of the key essential attributes of Apple’s brand. Apple is known to have the best customer support/service during pre-purchase (advisory on which device is best for the end-user), purchase and post purchase, and this is all done to ensure customers are satisfied and will come back to buy more products in the near future. This is done within their well-established Apple Stores, that are spread all around the world. The Apple stores have sales assistants helping customers buy products, and they also have their “Genius-Bar”, where customers 3

can book appointments to seek assistance by a certified Apple technician on their faulty devices, or devices that aren’t functioning as they are supposed to. 2.2 Four information systems that can add value to any one of the five primary activities:  Decision Support Systems (DSS): can help decision makers in Apple make the best decisions by generating data from statistics and benchmark reports. Benchmark reports can help them decide which hardware would be suitable for a specific product, and from this they will be able to know which locations are best for the production of the hardware, and which locations will be best for manufacturing, and in return indicating the profit margin they should be able to achieve. This ultimately helps the marketing and sales operations.  Sales and Marketing Systems: contribute and add value to the outbound logistics as well as the sales and marketing. This information system analyses the demographics of the customers and current trends in information technology, which then allows apple to know their target market, more specifically what appeals to what kind of age group and etc, and how they can combine the elements of the different age groups so that it is appealing to everyone. They can then start advertising according to their studies, and hire out billboards and websites and etc.  Human Resource Management Systems: adds value to the servicing aspect of apple. Apple will be able to generate payroll data, accounting information and management of employees. From this, apple can track how much it is pay its employees and how they are spread around the world. Other information such as recruitment information, like skillsets, past experiences and capabilities can also be tracked.  Inventory Control Systems: contribute to inbound logistics as it allows Apple to manage a system for purchasing from suppliers, organizing a storage location, shipping to the warehouse for storage, tracking and outsourcing for manufacturing. If they have too many raw materials in stock, the whole idea of being economical is diminished and can cause Apple a deficit. If dealt with efficiently, this can allow. for competitiveness against other companies who use the same suppliers. 3. The explicit knowledge (knowledge that is objective and rational, and can be codified, verbalised and easily communicated to other individuals) a tutor, who works in a university, would acquire over time can consist of:  Following rules and regulations/ethics when interacting with students. The University will have outlined a set of rules for how a tutor can communicate with students, e.g. interacting on social media is prohibited, or the tutor must know not to reveal information regarding assessments/examinations. These codified set of rules would be instilled within the tutor’s knowledge of teaching over time.  General steps involved in a method to solve problems in an area of study. Over time, the tutor would have developed a greater understanding of a certain codified method to solve problems (e.g. Pythagoras’s Theorem to find the length of a side of a triangle). The tutor is then able to easily communicate and transfer his explicit knowledge of the general steps of the method to his students. The tacit knowledge (knowledge that refers to an individual’s skillset that can be applied to a specific area, and is difficult to transfer over to another person by the means of verbally communication, demonstrating or writing it down) a tutor, who works in a university, would acquire over time can consist of: 4

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Different ways to communicate with different types of students, to ensure they understand the concepts that are being taught to them. Some students may be visual learners, i.e. they need to see examples being solved in front of them by the tutor in order to understand the concepts, or some students may be auditory learners, i.e. they understand the concepts only when the tutor verbally describes the concepts and etc. Over time, the tutor will have learnt efficient methods to accommodate for the different types of learners, through his/her experiences of teaching these different types of students. o According to a study published by John Kenny Web, the material tutors are transferring students is based off explicit knowledge, however, the methods used to convey these concepts is done through the means of implicit knowledge, i.e. the tutor knows the concepts fully, but his/her teaching style may not be efficient enough for some students to be able to understand the implicit knowledge, but over time, a tutor will be able to learn more efficient ways to accommodate for the students that are not grasping the concepts being taught. Identifying whether a specific student is/isn’t understanding the concepts being taught. Over time, tutors will be able to acquire the skillset to determine whether students are understanding the information being transferred or not by the means of the student’s body language, facial expressions, performance in assessments/homework and etc.

4. Sofila can implement information systems to provide the best customer service and maintain and motivate loyal customers, ultimately meeting the manager’s visions, using Customer Relationship Management systems (CRM) and Decision Support Systems (DSS):  Customer Relationship Management systems would allow Sofila to gather information/data on customers and their preferred room selections, personal information (such as names, how many individuals classified as adults and how many individuals classed as children, addresses, gender and etc), edible goods consumed from the hotel’s restaurants/café’s/room service/minibar, time stayed, any additional paid activities that were undertaken during the customer’s stay at the hotel (spa/massage and etc). This data can then be used to customise a service for each customer, to their “wants” and “needs”, which will lead to the customers feeling important and valued. Additionally, for returning customers, the hotel company can use the data obtained to make small and complementary samples, such as cosmetics, or drinks the customer may have consumed on their previous stays, showing the customers that they are valued by the hotel company, which may entice the customers on visiting more often. Along with this, the hotel company can aim to provide consistent and similar experiences for the customer, as well as providing room upgrades and etc.  Decision Support Systems allow the hotel’s managers to take the customer’s as feedback and data for analysis and can help the hotel to enhance their services for a better experience for future returning and new customers. This can also allow the managers to observe fluctuations in trends, and help them solve problems such as sales and etc. E.g. there is a low sales amount for high level suites, so the hotel can upsell the suites by offering cheaper one time room upgrades to regular customers, making the customer feel valued by the hotel with the inexpensive upgrade, which could encourage customers in the future to book high level suites, ultimately raising the sales of the high level suites, and diminishing the problem.

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5. BNV’s problems could be solved with the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, which would also involve Management Information Systems, acting as support systems, such as Executive Support systems, more commonly known as Executive information systems. The information system would use software and information technology to aid the efficiency and smoothness of the companies work and data flow. As stated, BNV has disjointed information systems that have caused several communications and tracking issues as well as it being difficult for managers to obtain information and attempts to access queries for aggregated data takes too long. The use of an ERP will diminish these issues, as it will allow data, information and tracking orders to be stored on a centralised server/database, where information can flow seamlessly between departments, and communications will become more efficient, as there are no more disjointed information systems. Managers will be able to access data, such as the queries for aggregated data, from the database instantly, and along with the use of Executive support systems (ESS), they will be able to use the dashboard interface of the ESS and the information accessed from the database to produce strategic decisions. The use of the Human Resource Management (HRM) systems, another management information system, will allow the interactions with clients and suppliers through fax to be diminished, and the HRM systems can generate data on payroll, client/supplier information, which will ultimately allow BNV to interact with their clients and suppliers through a variety of methods, as well as providing contact information to BNV, which also increases the efficiency of the organisation. As a result of this, the company will benefit from the implementation of this information system as:  Unnecessary roles and data can be eliminated. Previously, a lot of the processes were humanised, instead of being digitized, which leaves more room for error. By digitizing most of the humanised processes, the company’s workflow becomes faster and less errorprone. The use of the ERP and the Management Information systems allow the data to be stored and accessed more efficiently, and critical decisions can be made much easier. As communication would improve drastically, the risk of duplicated efforts would be eliminated, allowing better use of resources, and an ultimately better system of workflow.  The use of these systems would allow BNV to have an overall increase in business activity and growth, in a more effective manner. Issues such as tracking of inventory and communication and dealing with suppliers and customers would have been diminished, showing a greater standard of effort and results, that ultimately gives BNV a stronger outlook and image. 6. The potential benefits of big data analytics in higher education include:  Identifying students who are not performing well in classes, e.g. failing and not submitting assignments. This can allow tutors to focus on these students and personally correct the students and help them focus on areas they need help with.  During recruitment of scholarships for universities, Universities can select students by categorising them by school results, work experience, extra-curricular activities, aptitude, personal/parental income and etc. 6

Bibliography: johnkenny1, V. (2019). Teachers need explicit knowledge to teach reading, but they don’t have it. [online] John Kenny Blog. Available at: https://johnkennyweb.wordpress.com/2017/11/25/teachers-need-explicit-knowledge-to-teachreading-but-they-dont-have-it/ [Accessed 22 Apr. 2019]. Answers.com. (2019). Differences between ERP and TPS systems. [online] Available at: https://www.answers.com/Q/Differences_between_ERP_and_TPS_systems [Accessed 22 Apr. 2019]. Andatech Pty Ltd. (2019). Breathalyzer Vending Machines - Breathalyzer for Bars and Venues. [online] Available at: https://andatech.com.au/pages/breathalyzer-vending-machines [Accessed 22 Apr. 2019].

Criteria Correct identification and explanation. Correct application of theoretical knowledge relevant to the case. Grammar. 7

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Late submission - 10% per day Other Penalties as per instructions -10% (e.g. font, size, spacing, reference) Explanation: Total Mark out of 25

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