Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Principles of MIS

© 2008 by Jerry Post

1. Choose a transaction that you have performed recently (as a consumer or vendor). Identify the payment method and the types of data that were collected. Estimate the transaction costs involved.
2. Choose an industry and research the use of EDI in that industry. Is it widely used? Explain the problems that exist. See if there is a B2B auction site for that industry. Has it been more successful than traditional EDI?
3. Identify the primary government laws and rules that are designed to protect the government’s interest in transactions.
4. Assume that you are running a small manufacturing business. To reduce costs, you want to contract with an overseas manufacturer to build a key component. How would you locate a company do to the work? What transaction details and data sharing will you have to set up to make the process work?
5. Find a balance sheet and income statement for a company (Try the EDGAR system at http://www.sec.gov). Rebuild the two statements as separate pages in a spreadsheet.
6. Create the basic forms needed to use the database in a transaction system.
7. Create the spreadsheet in Figure 6.17 that shows the initial integration. The database file contains the basic data. You should build queries and import the data into a spreadsheet to create the analysis and charts. It is best if you use dynamic links.
8. If you have access to an ERP system, take a specific role (salesperson, production manager, customer, supplier, etc.) and use the system to enter data and check on the current status variables for your role.
9. Choose an industry (for example, automobiles, bicycles, or spare parts). Research the industry and identify what aspects follow mass production versus what operations follow mass customization strategies. Identify whether the industry sells predominantly to consumers or other businesses.
10. Find a relatively complex pay stub. Cross out any data and names. List and identify all of the data items shown on the form. How can an employee look up his or her data for the year? Describe a system that would enable an employee to make changes to the discretionary data. What security steps need to be observed?

Technology Toolbox

11. Find information on at least two accounting or ERP packages that could be used for a business with 100 to 150 employees. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of each package. Are the packages tailored to specific industries?
12. You need to select an accounting or ERP package for a small service business, such as a law firm or accounting firm. Identify the major features that you want to see in the accounting system.
13. You have been hired as a consultant to a small graphics design firm with 20 employees. Design a digital dashboard for the owner-manager to monitor the important variables of the company.
14. Compare the purchasing capabilities offered by two ERP vendors. Visit their Web sites and view the demos. If possible, include copies of the main purchasing forms from each vendor. Summarize the similarities and differences.
15. Find an organization that uses a digital dashboard-executive information system. Identify the major components on the main screen, and briefly explain how the system is used to drill down to additional information.

Teamwork

16. Have each team member visit a retail store in the area and determine how they handle transaction processing for sales. How many checkout counters are available at each store? By counting the number of customers in a 10- to 15-minute time interval, estimate the total number of sales transactions occurring for a given day. Combine the results and create charts to compare the stores.
17. From a list of at least 500 companies, each team member should randomly research one and identify the major operations of the firm. Identify the primary transactions.
18. Each team member should research one ERP system. Identify the internationalization features available. Assume you are running a midsize company with offices and operations in several European nations. Describe the benefits provided by these international features. Make a recommendation on which product to buy.
19. Interview or tour a local company as a team. Assign each person to a functional area (accounting, HRM, marketing, and so on). Write a report on how an ERP system could be used by the company to improve or change its operations.
20. You have been hired as a consultant to a midsize agricultural company that packs fruit and ships it to retail outlets. The fruit is grown under contract at regional farms. About 65 percent is sold to grocery and chains and fruit stores in the United States, while the rest is shipped overseas to high-end stores and restaurants. Design an ERP system with a digital dashboard for this company. Assign individual components to each team member. Be sure to identify potential problems and risks that might arise.

Rolling Thunder Database

21. Identify the major transaction-processing components in the system.
22. What features are used in the database and the forms to ensure quality of transaction data?
23. For each major transaction type, identify the sequence of steps that are performed and determine which ones are time critical.
24. For each major transaction type, estimate the frequency of the transaction and the volume of data involved.
25. Using the existing forms, perform the following tasks for Rolling Thunder:
    1. Take a bicycle order.
    2. Assemble a bicycle.
    3. Create a new purchase order.
    4. Record the receipt of purchases.
26. Extract sales and cost data by model type and create a spreadsheet to analyze it. (Hint: Use the Extract Data form.) Write a short report discussing profitability and any trends. Include graphs to illustrate your comments. Your spreadsheet should look at monthly sales by model and monthly material costs by model. Be sure to compute profit margins and examine percentages.
27. Assume that Rolling Thunder is experiencing problems with quality control. Suddenly there are several complaints about the components. Write a report describing all of the data and reports we would need to help us resolve these problems.
28. Top management needs an analysis of purchases and deliveries from vendors. Begin by using queries to extract the appropriate data to create a basic spreadsheet. Write a report analyzing the data; include graphs to illustrate your points.

Vendor	Purchases Order total $	Percent of vendor total	Received $	Receipts % of purchase	Avg. # days to deliver

29. Describe how an ERP solution could improve operations at Rolling Thunder. What operations would you implement first?
30. Describe how Rolling Thunder Bicycles might use a supply chain management system. In particular, how would it integrate with its suppliers?
31. Describe or create a subsystem that could be used by the head of sales management to monitor and improve customer relationships and sales.