Week 2 - Long descriptive questions

1. In this assignment, you will use Google Maps to map out transportation routes for a business and select the most efficient route. You have just
started working as a dispatcher for Cross-Country Transport, a new trucking and delivery service based in Cleveland, Ohio. Your first assignment is
to plan a delivery of office equipment and furniture from Elkhart, Indiana (at the corner of E. Indiana Ave. and Prairie Street), to Hagerstown,
Maryland (at the corner of Eastern Blvd. N. and Potomac Ave.). To guide your trucker, you need to know the most efficient route between the two
cities. Use Google Maps to find the route that is the shortest distance between the two cities. Use Google Maps again to find the route that takes the
least time. Compare the results. Which route should Cross-Country use?

Cleveland, Ohio, USA to Elkhart, Indiana, USA - Drive 238 miles, 3 hr 42 min
2.Explain how systems serve the different management groups in a business?

Systems serving operational management are transaction processing systems (TPS), such as payroll or order processing, that tr ack the flow of
the daily routine transactions necessary to conduct business. Management information systems (MIS) produce reports serving middle
management by condensing information from TPS and are not highly analytical. Decision support systems (DSS) support managemen t
decisions that are unique and rapidly changing using advanced analytical models. All of these types of systems provide business intelligence
that helps managers and enterprise employees make more informed decisions. These systems for business intelligence serve mult iple levels of
management and include executive support systems (ESS) for senior management that provide data in the form of graphs, charts, and
dashboards delivered via portals using many sources of internal and external information.

3.Explain how enterprise applications improve organizational performance.

Enterprise applications are designed to coordinate multiple functions and business processes. Enterprise systems integrate the key internal business
processes of a firm into a single software system to improve coordination and decision making. Supply chain management systems help the firm
manage its relationship with suppliers to optimize the planning, sourcing, manufacturing, and delivery of products and services. Customer
relationship management (CRM) systems coordinate the business processes surrounding the firm’s customers. Knowledge management systems
enable firms to optimize the creation, sharing, and distribution of knowledge. Intranets and extranets are private corporate networks based on
Internet technology that assemble information from disparate systems. Extranets make portions of private corporate intranets available to outsiders.

4.What are business processes? How are they related to information systems?
A business process is a logically related set of activities that defines how specific business tasks are performed, and it represents a unique way in which
an organization coordinates work, information, and knowledge. Managers need to pay attention to business processes because they determine how
well the organization can execute its business, and they may be a source of strategic advantage. 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.
5.How are business processes related to information systems?
Any business can be successful only when there is a consistent management of organizational and financial data with efficient information systems.
Most of the companies have seen a drift in the process of workflow due to the accuracy and reliability. There is no alternative for the right information
at the required time in the world of business where every industry revolves round the "Internet of Things"

This raised the need to innovate and develop the systems that can be implemented to make information accurate, that can be quickly accessed on
demanWith the constant change and evolution of customer preferences and requirements – businesses that can bring about new methods and
innovative techniques can survive the market and continue to function as per the customer demands. The implementation of information system can
benefit a lot in businesses and helps in controlling the internal and external processes.

With the constant change and evolution of customer preferences and requirements – businesses that can bring about new methods and innovative
techniques can survive the market and continue to function as per the customer demands. The implementation of information system can benefit a
lot in businesses and helps in controlling the internal and external processes.

Following are the benefits of information system

New Products and Services

Any business striving to enhance and to give a strong hold on the future has to instill a well organized Business Information System. An IS can help
in analyzing independent processes and enables organized work activities. Hence an information system entitles the companies to understand how
the company generates, develops and sells the services or products.

Information Storage

Keeping a log of activities is important for all the organizations, to understand the reason for the problems and so to provide solution to the same.
Business Information System makes it simple to store operational data, revision histories, communication records and documents. The storing of
data manually involves a lot of time and money. A sophisticated Information system stores the information in the database which simplifies the
process of finding the data easily.

Simplified Decision Making

Business Information System, eases the process of decision making and simplifies the process of delivering the required information and hence assists
in taking better decisions instantly.

Behavioral Change
Business Information System can be effectively implemented to help communication better between the employers and the employees. Information
Systems work better as it stores documents and files in folders that can be accessed and shared by the employees. This ensures to oversee the flow of
information between the management and the lower-level employees. This also allows the the front-line employees to be a part of the decision making
process and hence feel motivated and committed towards doing a task.d. An effective information system can entitle an organization with better
planning, decision-making and hence desired results.