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UCI 202 Topic 2 E-Business Systems

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50 views16 pages

UCI 202 Topic 2 E-Business Systems

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aroridouglas880
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© © All Rights Reserved
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UCI 202 Computer-Based Information Systems

P.O. Box 3275 - 40100, KISUMU | Tel: +254 703 113 417| email: [email protected] |
http://ecampus.maseno.ac.ke
Lecture Notes

2.1 Definitions
 E-business – is the use of the Internet, other network and information technologies to support electronic
commerce, enterprise communication and collaboration, and web-enabled business processes both within
the enterprise and with its customers and business partners.
 Information systems that support e-business processes can be classed into two broad classes:
a) Functional area information systems
b) Cross-functional area information systems

2.2 Functional Area Information Systems


Definition – Information systems within a business organization that support one of the traditional functions
of business such as marketing, finance, marketing, human resources, or production/operation.

Functional business systems comprise either operations or management information systems.

 Functional area information systems (FAISs) provide information mainly to lower- and middle-level
managers in the functional areas. They use this information to help them plan, organize, and control
operations.

1. Marketing Information Systems


 Marketing systems are concerned with planning, promotion, and sale of existing products in existing
markets, development of new products and new markets, and to better serve and attract present and
potential customers.
 Key marketing information systems include :
a) Interactive marketing
b) Sales Force Automation
c) Customer relationship management.
Interactive Marketing

 A term coined to describe a customer focused marketing process that is based on the Internet, intranets
and extranets to establish a two-way communication between a business and its customers or potential
customers.
 In interactive marketing, customers are not just passive participants but are actively engaged in a network
enabled proactive and interactive processes.
 The goal of interactive marketing is:
(i) Profitably use networks to attract and keep customers
(ii) Get customers to help create, purchase, and improve products and services
 This is enabled by various Internet technologies like: Chart and discussion groups, Web forms and
questionnaires, e-mail correspondence, and social networks e.g. Facebook.
 Benefits include: rich collection of marketing data; new product ideas; increased sales; and strong customer
relationships.
Sales-Force Automation

 Systems use mobile computing and Internet technologies to automate many processing activities for sales
support and management.
 The sales force is being equipped with notebook computers, web browsers and Sales Contacts
Management software that connect them to marketing websites on the Internet, extranets and their
company intranets.
 Benefits include:
(i) Increases the personal productivity of sales people
(ii) Dramatically speeds up the capture and analysis of sales data from the field to marketing
managers at the company headquarters.
(iii) Allows the marketing management to improve sales support by delivering key information in time to
them.

2. Manufacturing Information Systems


 Support the production/operations function that include all the activities concerned with the planning and
control of the processes involved in producing goods and services.
 Computer-based manufacturing information systems help a company achieve computer-integrated
manufacturing (CIM).
 The objectives of CIM are to
(i) Simplify production processes, product design, and factory organization
(ii) Automate production processes and the business functions that support them with computers,
machines and robots.
(iii) Integrate all production and support processes using computers, telecommunication networks and
other information technologies.
 CIM help companies to quickly produce high-quality products to meet changing customer demands.
 Examples of CIM systems include: Engineering systems, Manufacturing Resource Planning, Manufacturing
Execution Systems.

Engineering Systems

 Computers help engineers design products using both Computer-aided engineering (CAE) and Computer-
aided design (CAD) systems.
 They are also used to better production processes using Computer-aided Process planning

Manufacturing Resource Planning

(i) Inventory management—how much inventory to order, how much inventory to keep, and when to order
new inventory.
(ii) Quality control—controlling for defects in incoming material and defects in goods produced
(iii) Materials requirements planning—planning process that integrates production, purchasing, and inventory
management of interdependent items (MRP)
(iv) Manufacturing resource planning—planning process that integrates an enterprise’s production, inventory
management, purchasing, financing, and labor activities (MRP II)
(v) Just-in-time systems—principle of production and inventory control in which materials and parts arrive
precisely when and where needed for production (JIT)
Manufacturing Execution Systems

 Manufacturing execution systems monitor and control the manufacture of products on the factory floor
through shop floor scheduling and control systems, controlling a physical process (process control), a
machine tool (numerical control), or machines with some humanlike work capabilities (robotics).

3. Human Resource Management Information Systems


 HRM function involves the recruitment, placement, evaluation, compensation, and development of
employees of an organization.
 The goal of HRM is the effective and efficient use of the human resources of a company.
 HRM information systems are therefore designed to support
(i) Planning to meet the personnel needs of the organization.
(ii) Development of employees to full potential
(iii) Control of all personnel policies and programs
 Traditionally, HRIS performed the following human resource management functions:
(i) Produce payslips and payroll reports
(ii) Maintain personnel records
(iii) Analyze the use of personnel in business operations.
 Today’s HRIS come with modules that support advanced functions like:
(i) Recruitment, selection, and hiring
(ii) Job placement
(iii) Performance appraisals
(iv) Employee benefits analysis
(v) Training and development
(vi) Health, safety and security.

HRM and the Internet

 The Internet has become a major force for change in HRM e.g.
(i) Recruitment via the company website & commercial recruiting services
(ii) Source of a wealth of information and contacts about employers and job hunters.
(iii) Posting messages in selected Internet newsgroups
(iv) Communicating with job applicants via e-mail
(v) Advertisement of vacancies

HRM and Corporate Intranets

 Corporate intranet enhance HRM services by :


(i) Providing around-the-clock HRM services to their clients (employees).
(ii) Disseminating information faster than previous company channels
(iii) Collecting information from employees online
(iv) Allowing common HRM tasks to be performed with little HRM department intervention
(v) Providing superior training tools. Employees can easily download instructions and processes to get
information or education they need. Employees can also use training videos over the intranet on
demand.
(vi) Update of personnel database e.g. changes in job assignment and compensation, hiring and
termination etc.
(vii) Locating employees within the company who have skills required for specific assignments and projects
using the personnel database.

4. Accounting Information Systems


 Systems that records and reports business transactions and economic events.
 Computer based accounting systems record and report the flow of funds through an organization on a historical basis
and produce financial statements forecasts future conditions
 Accounting information systems include: order processing, inventory control, accounts receivable, accounts payable,
payroll, and general ledger.

1. Sales Order Processing


 Captures and processes customer orders and produces data for inventory control and accounts receivable.
 They also keep track of the status of customer orders until goods are delivered.
 Computer based sales order processing systems provide fast, accurate, and efficient method of recording
and screening customer orders and sales transactions.
 They also provide inventory control systems with information on accepted orders so that they can be
processed as quickly as possible.
2. Inventory Control
 Processes data reflecting changes to items in inventory and prepares necessary shipping details.
 They may also notify managers of the about items that need reordering and other inventory reports.
 Thus computer based inventory systems help firms provide high quality customer service while at the same
time minimizing investment in inventory and inventory carrying costs.
3. Accounts Receivable
 Records amounts owed by customers and produces customer invoices, weekly/monthly customer
statements, and credit management reports.
 Computer based accounts receivable systems stimulate prompt customer payments by preparing accurate
and timely invoices and monthly statements to credit customers.
 They provide managers with reports to help them control the amount of credit extended and the collection
of money owed.
4. Accounts Payable
 Systems keep track of data concerning purchases from and payments to suppliers.
 They prepare cheques in payment of outstanding invoices and produce cash management reports.
 Computer based accounts payable systems help ensure a good credit standing, and secure any discounts
offered for prompt payment.
5. Payroll
 Records employee work and compensation data.
 They produce payslips, payroll documents and labor analysis reports.
 Computer-based payroll systems enable organizations make prompt and accurate payments to their
employees, as well as reports to management, employees, and government agencies concerning earnings,
taxes, and other deductions.
 They may also provide management with reports analyzing labor costs and productivity.
6. General Ledger
 Consolidates data from other accounting systems and produces the periodic financial statements and
reports of the business.
 At the end of each accounting period, they close the books of accounts and produce the general ledger trial
balance, the income statement and balance sheet of the organization, and various income and expense
reports for management.
 Computer-based general ledger systems help organizations accomplish these accounting tasks in an
accurate and timely manner.
 They typically provide better financial controls and management reports and involve fewer personnel and
lower costs than manual accounting methods.

5. Financial Management Information System


 Computer-based Information systems support financial managers in 1) the financing of a business and 2)
the allocation and control of financial resources within an organization.
 Systems include cash management, online Investment management, capital budgeting, and financial
forecasting and planning.
1. Cash Management
 Cash Management systems collect information on all receipts and disbursements within a company on a
real-time or periodic basis.
 Such information allows businesses to deposit or invest excess funds more quickly.
 These systems also produce daily, weekly, or monthly forecasts of cash receipts or disbursements (cash
flow forecast) that are used to spot future cash deficits or surpluses.
 They can also determine alternative financing or investment strategies for dealing with forecasted cash
deficits or surpluses.
2. Online Investment Management
 Businesses have the option of investing in 1) short-term low-risk marketable securities (e.g. treasury bills)
or in high-return high-risk alternatives.
 Investment information and securities trading are available in plenty on the Internet.
 Online Investment management services help financial managers make buying, selling, or holding
decisions for each type of securities so that an optimum mix of securities is developed that minimizes risk
and maximizes income for the organization.

3. Capital Budgeting
 The capital budgeting process involves evaluating the probability and financial impact of proposed capital
expenditure.
 These systems make heavy use of spreadsheet models that incorporate present value analysis of expected
cash flow and probability analysis of risk to determine optimum mix of capital projects for a business.

4. Financial Forecasting And Planning


 Financial analysts use electronic spreadsheets and other financial planning software to evaluate the present and
projected financial performance of a business.
 They also help determine the financing needs of a business and analyze alternative methods of financing.
 Financial analysts use financial forecasts concerning the economic situation, business operations, and types of
financing available, interest rates, and stock and bond prices to develop an optimal financing plan for the
organization.
 Electronic spreadsheet packages, DSS software, and Web-based groupware can be used to build and manipulate
financial models.
 Answers to what-if and goal-seek questions can be explored as financial analysts and managers evaluate their
financing and investment alternatives.
2.3 Cross-Functional Business Systems
 Information systems that are integrated combinations of business information resources across the
functional units of an organization.
 Organizations view cross-functional enterprise systems as a strategic way to use IT to share information resources
and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes, thus helping an e-business attain its strategic
roles.
 Companies are using Internet technologies to help reengineer and integrate the flow of information among their
internal business processes and their customers and suppliers.
 Companies have also moved away from functional mainframe-based legacy systems to integrated cross-functional
client/server applications.
 Leading cross-functional enterprise systems software includes SAP America, Oracle, PeopleSoft, and Baan.
 Examples include Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Enterprise
Application Integration, Supply Chain Management, Transaction Processing, and Enterprise Collaboration.

1. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)


 Enterprise resource planning is a cross-functional enterprise system that integrates and automates
many of the internal business processes of a company, particularly those within the manufacturing,
logistics, distribution, accounting, finance, and human resource functions of the business.
 Thus, ERP serves as the vital backbone information system of the enterprise, helping a company
achieve the efficiency, agility, and responsiveness required to succeed in a dynamic business
environment.
 ERP systems provide the information necessary to control the business processes of the organization.
Business processes can be located entirely within one functional area or span multiple functional
areas.
 ERP software includes a set of interdependent software modules, linked to a common database, that
provide support for the internal business processes in the following functional areas: finance and
accounting, sales and marketing, manufacturing and production, and human resources.
 The modules are built around predefined business processes, and users access them through a single
interface.
 The integrated modules give a company a real-time cross-functional view of its core business
processes, such as production, order processing, and sales, and its resources, such as cash, raw
materials, production capacity, and people.

Advantages of ERPs

1. Efficiency - ERP creates a framework for integrating and improving back-office systems that result in
major improvements in customer service, production, and distribution efficiency.
2. Decision support - ERP provides vital cross-functional information quickly on business performance to
managers to significantly improve their ability to make better business decisions across the enterprise.
3. Improved quality of products and services.
4. Decreases production/operational costs
5. Improves enterprise agility
Disadvantages of ERPs

1. They can be extremely complex, expensive, and time consuming to implement.


2. Companies may need to change existing business processes to fit the predefined business processes
of the software. For companies with well-established procedures, this requirement can be a huge
problem.
3. Carries high risks with it. Failure can cripple or kill a company.
4. Companies must purchase the entire software package even if they require only a few of the modules.

Common Causes of ERP Failure

1. Under-estimating the complexity of planning, development, training


2. Failure to involve affected employees in planning and development
3. Over-reliance on ERP vendor or consultants
4. Insufficient training
5. Insufficient data conversion and testing
6. Trying to do too much, too fast

2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)


 Customer relationship management is a cross-functional enterprise system that integrates and automates many
of the customer-serving processes in sales, marketing, and customer services that interact with a company's
customers.
 CRM focuses on building long-term and sustainable customer relationships that add value for both the
customer and the company.
 CRM systems use information technology to support the many companies who are reorienting themselves into
customer-focused businesses as a top business strategy.
 The major application components of CRM include contact and account management, sales, marketing and
fulfillment, customer service and support, and retention and loyalty programs, all aimed at helping a company
acquire, enhance, and retain profitable relationships with its customers as a primary business goal.
 The goal of CRM is to acquire and retain customers.
 Acquiring a new customer can cost many times more than retaining an existing customer.
 Therefore, CRM helps organizations to keep profitable customers and to maximize lifetime revenue
from them.
 In order to build enduring one-to-one relationships in a CRM initiative, a company must continuously
interact with customers individually. One reason so many firms are beginning to focus on CRM is that
this kind of marketing can create high customer loyalty, which will increase the firm’s profits.
 For CRM to be effective, almost all other functional areas must become involved.

Customer Relationship Management Applications

 In the past, customer data were located in many isolated systems in various functional areas, such as
finance, distribution, sales, service, and marketing. In addition, e-commerce generated huge amounts
of customer data that were not integrated with the data in the functional area ISs.
 CRM systems were designed to address these problems by providing information and tools to deliver a
superior customer experience and to maximize the lifetime customer value for a firm.
 CRM systems integrate customer data from various organizational sources, analyze these data, and
then provide the results to both employees and customer touch points.
 A customer touch point is a method of interaction with a customer, such as telephone, e-mail, a
customer service or help desk, conventional mail, a Web site, and a store.
 Properly designed CRM systems provide a single, enterprisewide view of each customer.
 These systems also provide customers with a single point of contact within the enterprise as well as a
unified view of the enterprise.
 CRM systems provide applications in three major areas: sales, marketing, and customer service.

(i) Sales
 Sales force automation (SFA) functions in CRM systems make salespeople more productive by helping
them focus on the most profitable customers.
 SFA functions provide data such as sales prospect and contact information, product information,
product configurations, and sales quotes.
 SFA software can integrate all the information about a particular customer so that the salesperson can
put together a personalized presentation for that customer.

(ii) Marketing
 CRM systems support marketing campaigns by providing prospect and customer data, product and
service information, qualified sales leads, and tools for analyzing marketing and customer data.
 In addition, they enhance opportunities for cross-selling, upselling, and bundling.
 Cross-selling refers to the marketing of complementary products to customers. For example, a bank
customer with a large balance in his or her checking account might be directed toward CDs or money
market funds.
 Up-selling is the marketing of higher-value products or services to new or existing customers. For
example, if you are in the market for a television, a salesperson will show you a plasma-screen TV next
to a conventional TV, in hopes that you will pay extra for a clearer picture.
 Bundling is a type of cross-selling in which a vendor sells a combination of products together at a
lower price than the combined costs of the individual products. For example, your cable company might
offer a package that includes basic cable TV, all the movie channels, and broadband Internet access
for a lower price than these services would cost individually.

(iii) Customer Service


 Customer service functions in CRM systems provide information and tools to make call centers, help
desks, and customer support staff more efficient.
 Customer service tools include
a) Help desk software
b) Call center software- Call centers are typically the “face” of the organization to its
customers, and they handle incoming product support and customer inquiries.
c) Web-based self-service - These functions often include Web-based self-service
capabilities.
Web Based Customer Services

1. CRM systems can personalize interactive experiences to induce a consumer to commit to a


purchase or to remain loyal to a company.
2. Provision of manuals and instructions
3. The ability to download manuals and solutions to common problems at any time is another
innovation of Web-based customer service.
4. Mass customization
5. Customized information—such as product and warranty information—can be efficiently delivered
when the customer logs on to the vendor’s Web site. Not only can the customer pull (search and
find) information as needed, but the vendor also can push (send) information to the customer.
Example: Dell Computer revolutionized the purchasing of computers by letting customers configure
their own systems. Many other online vendors now offer this type of mass customization.
Consumers are shown prepackaged specials and are then given the option to custom-build
products using product configurators.

6. Customers can view their account balances or check the shipping status of their orders at any time
from their computers or cell phones. If you order books from Amazon, for example, you can find the
anticipated arrival date.
7. Many companies allow customers to create their own individual Web pages. These pages can be
used to record purchases and preferences, as well as problems and requests. For example, you
can create your own personalized Google Web page by visiting www.google.com/ig.
8. FAQs are the simplest and least expensive tool for dealing with repetitive customer questions.
Customers use this tool by themselves, which makes the delivery cost minimal. However,
nonstandard questions still require an individual e-mail.
9. E-mail has become the most popular tool of customer service. Inexpensive and fast, e-mail is used
primarily to answer inquiries from customers. However, firms also rely on e-mail to disseminate
product and other information (for example, confirmations) and to conduct correspondence
regarding any topic.

Benefits of CRM

1. Identify and target the best customers


2. Real-time customization and personalization of products and services
3. Track when and how a customer contacts the company
4. Provide a consistent customer experience
5. Provide superior service and support across all customer contact points

CRM Failures

 Business benefits of CRM are not guaranteed.


 Reasons for failure:
 Lack of understanding and preparation.
 Not solving business process problems first.
 No participation on part of involved business stakeholders.
3. Supply Chain Management (SCM)
 Supply Chain – a network of inter-business relationships needed to build and sell a product.
 Supply chain management is a cross-functional inter-enterprise system that integrates and automates
the network of business processes and relationships between a company and its suppliers, customers,
distributors, and other business partners.

 Goals of SCM
(i) Forecast demand
(ii) Control inventory
(iii) Enhance relationships with customers, suppliers, distributors, and others
(iv) Receive feedback on the status of every link in the supply
 SCM is frequently subdivided into supply chain planning applications, such as demand and supply
forecasting, and supply chain execution applications, such as inventory management, logistics
management, and warehouse management.
 Companies increase their use of Internet technologies to enhance integration and collaboration with
their business partners and improve the operational efficiency and business effectiveness of their
supply chains.

Components of Supply Chains

 The term supply chain comes from a picture of how the partnering organizations are linked together.
 A typical supply chain, which links a company with its suppliers and its distributors and customers
 Supply chain involves three segments:
1. Upstream - where sourcing or procurement from external suppliers occurs
2. Internal - where packaging, assembly, or manufacturing takes place
3. Downstream - where distribution takes place, frequently by external distributors
 The flow of information and goods can be bidirectional. For example, damaged or unwanted products
can be returned, a process known as reverse logistics.

Benefits and Challenges of SCM

(i) Strategic relationships with supplier


(ii) Lower transaction and materials cost
(iii) Quicker times to market
(iv) Reductions in inventory levels
(v) Faster, more accurate order processing

Challenges of SCM

(i) Lack of demand planning knowledge, tools, and guidelines


(ii) Inaccurate data provided by other information systems
(iii) Lack of collaboration among marketing, production, and inventory management
(iv) SCM tools are immature, incomplete, and hard to implement
4. Transaction Processing Systems (TPS)
• Cross-functional information systems that: monitor collect, store, and process data generated from all
business transactions.
• Transactions include sales, purchases, deposits, withdrawals, refunds, and payments.
• These data are inputs to the organization’s database.
• TPSs have to handle high volume and large variations in volume (for example, during peak times)
efficiently, avoid errors and downtime, record results accurately and securely, and maintain privacy and
security.
• Online transaction processing (OLTP) is a real-time system that captures transactions immediately.

Transaction Processing Activities

1. Data entry
• This is capture of business data about a transaction.
• Correct capture of data is a challenge.
• Organizations try to automate the TPS data entry as much as possible because of the large volume
involved, a process called source-data automation.

2. Transaction Processing
• Transaction processing systems process data in two ways
(i) Batch processing – transaction data are accumulated over a period of time and processed
periodically.
(ii) Realtime processing – data are processed immediately after a transaction occurs.
3. Database maintenance – TPS update the corporate databases to reflect changes on the day-to-day
business transactions to ensure that they are up-to-date and correct.
4. Report generation – TPS produce a variety of reports that are used in decision making at various levels
of the organization.
5. Inquiry Processing – many TPS allow inquiries about transactions. Responses are usually displayed in
a variety of prespecified formats or screens.

5. Enterprise Collaboration Systems (ECS)


 EC systems are cross-functional information systems that enhance team and workgroup.
 They achieve this by helping
(i) Communication – share information with each other.
(ii) Coordination – coordinating our individual work efforts and use of resources with each
other.
(iii) Collaboration – working together cooperatively on joint projects and assignments.
 Collaboration technologies share information, synchronize work, and enable cooperation on joint
assignments.
 Systems may include
(i) Networked PC workstations
(ii) Servers
(iii) Databases
(iv) Groupware and application packages
 Software tools for collaboration include electronic communication tools, electronic conferencing tools,
and collaborative work management tools.
1. Electronic Communication Tools
• Enables team members to communicate and collaborate with others by electronically sending text
messages, documents, data files, multimedia over the Internet, intranets and extranets.
(i) E-mail – widely used to send and receive text messages.
(ii) Voice-mail - unanswered telephone messages that are stored and played back to you by a voice
messaging computer.
(iii) Fax – transmitting and receiving images of documents over telephone or computer networks using PCs
or fax machines.
(iv) Web publishing – creating and uploading webpages on Internet or intranet web servers.

2. Electronic Conferencing Tools


• Help people share information and collaborate while working together on joint assignments.
(i) Data conferencing – users at networked PCs can view and edit work on shared whiteboard of
drawings, documents and other materials.
(ii) Voice conferencing – telephone conversations shared among several participants via speaker phones
or networked PCs with Internet telephone services.
(iii) Videoconferencing – real-time video and audio conferencing among users at networked PCs (desktop
videoconferencing) or conference rooms in different locations (teleconferencing).
(iv) Discussion forums – provide a computer network discussion platform to encourage and manage online
discussion over a period of time among members of special interest group or project teams.
(v) Chat systems – enables two or more users at networked PCs to carry on online realtime text
conversation.
(vi) Electronic meeting systems – using a room with networked PCs, a large-screen projector, and EMS
software to facilitate communication, collaboration, and group decision making in business meetings.

3. Collaborative Work Management Tools


 Help people to accomplish or manage joint work activities.
(i) Calendaring and scheduling – using electronic calendars and other groupware features to automatically
schedule, notify, and remind team members of meetings, appointments, and other events.
(ii) Task and project management - managing team and workgroup projects by scheduling, tracking, and
charting the completion status of tasks within a project.
(iii) Workflow systems – help knowledge works collaborate to accomplish and manage the flow of
structured work tasks and electronic document processing within a business.
(iv) Knowledge management - organizing and sharing the diverse forms of business information created
within an organization. Includes managing and providing personalized access to project and enterprise
document libraries, web databases, and other knowledge bases.
Online Questions

1. E-business _______________.
A. is the same as e-commerce
B. is narrower in scope than e-commerce
C. uses the Internet and information technology to support e-commerce
D. is just techno-speak and hype; it is no different than traditional business

2. Moving from mainframe-based legacy systems to integrated, cross-functional client/server applications typically
involves installing _______________ software.
A. enterprise resource planning
B. supply chain management
C. customer relationship management
D. All of the choices are correct.

3. Cross-functional enterprise systems _______________.


A. are no longer popular among large organizations
B. reengineer and improve vital business processes all across the enterprise
C. involve the buying, selling, marketing, and servicing of products, services, and information over the Internet and
other networks
D. None of the choices are correct

4. _______________ is defined as the use of the Internet and other networks and information technologies to
support electronic commerce, enterprise communication and collaboration, and Web-enabled business processes,
both within a networked enterprise and with customers and business partners.
A. Electronic business
B. Enterprise collaboration
C. Cross-functional system management
D. Supply chain management

5. According to the Real World Case, customer relationship management software is easier to implement when a
company is _______________.
A. large
B. old
C. profitable
D. young
6. Which of the following applications focuses on the efficiency of a firm's internal production, distribution, and
financial processes?
A. Customer relationship management
B. Enterprise resource planning
C. Knowledge management
D. Supply chain management

7. Which of the following applications focuses on acquiring and retaining profitable customers via marketing, sales,
and service processes?
A. Customer relationship management
B. Enterprise resource planning
C. Knowledge management
D. Supply chain management

8. Which of the following applications focuses on providing a firm's employees with tools that support group
collaboration and decision support?
A. Customer relationship management
B. Enterprise resource planning
C. Knowledge management
D. Supply chain management

9. Which of the following applications focuses on developing the most efficient and effective sourcing and
procurement processes with suppliers for the products and services needed by a business?
A. Customer relationship management
B. Enterprise resource planning
C. Knowledge management
D. Supply chain management

10. A cross-functional information system for a manufacturing company supports all the following new product
development processes for R&D/Engineering except:
A. Product Testing.
B. Production Start.
C. Market Research.
D. Product Design.
11. A cross-functional information system for a manufacturing company supports all the following new product
development processes for Marketing except:
A. Component Design.
B. Customer Feedback.
C. Market Research.
D. Market Test.

12. A cross-functional information system for a manufacturing company supports all the following new product
development processes for Manufacturing except:
A. Product Design.
B. Production Start.
C. Equipment Design.
D. Product Release.

13. Supply chain management focuses on:


A. Developing the most efficient and effective sourcing and procurement processes.
B. Acquiring and retaining profitable customers via delivery of timely products.
C. Acquiring and retaining partners who can enhance the selling and distribution of a firm's products and services.
D. Providing a firm's employees with tools that support group collaboration and decision support.

14. Knowledge management focuses on:


A. Developing the most efficient and effective sourcing and procurement processes.
B. Acquiring and retaining profitable customers via delivery of timely products.
C. Acquiring and retaining partners who can enhance the selling and distribution of a firm's products and services.
D. Providing a firm's employees with tools that support group collaboration and decision support.

15. Customer relationship management focuses on:


A. Developing the most efficient and effective sourcing and procurement processes.
B. Acquiring and retaining profitable customers via marketing, sales, and service processes.
C. Acquiring and retaining partners who can enhance the selling and distribution of a firm's products and services.
D. Providing a firm's employees with tools that support group collaboration and decision support.

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