MS7 Information Systems for Managers December 2006

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

December, 2006

MS7 : INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR MANAGERS

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) Answer any three questions from Section A
(ii) Section B is compulsory.
(iii) All questions carry equal marks.

SECTION A

1. (a) Is Information Technology as vital to modern global business as money ? Why or why not ? Discuss some trends in IT development.

(b) Write a note on input and output devices, Dâstingush between human data input devices and source data capture devices.

2. (a) Describe various ways of assessing the value of information. Explain each method briefly.

(b) In context of MIS, compare the job content of management levels.

3. (a) Describe how IT facilitates recruiting, training and personnel development and labour planning.

(b) What are integrated software applications ? Discuss their advantages and business utility.

4. (a) Write short notes on any one of the following

(i) Communication systems
(ii) Decision support systems
(iii) Briefly explain the features of HTML and elaborate its applications in business.

5. (a) Discuss data warehousing and data mining. How are they helpful?

(b) ExpLain Neural Networks and their applications in business.

SECTION B

6. Write short notes on any two of the following

(i) Programmed decisions
(ii) Emerging trends in convergence of IT
(iii) Intranet and Internet

7. Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end.

An Enterprisewide information System at Hertz

Hertz Corporation, the largest company In the car rental industry, competes against dozens of companies in hundreds of locations worldwide. Several marketing decisions must be made almost instantaneously (such as whether to follow a competitor’s price discount). The company’s marketing decisions are decentralized and are based on information about cities, climates, holidays, business cycles, tourist activities, past promotions, competitors’ actions, and customers’ behaviour. The amount of such information is huge, and the only way to process it is to use computers. The problem faced by Hertz was how to provide accessibility to such information and use it properly. A mainframe-based DSS was developed as early as 987 to allow fast analysis by executives and managers. But a marketing manager who had a question had to go through a staff assistant, which made the process lengthy and cumbersome . The need for a better system was obvious.

In 1988, Hertz decided to add a PC-based EIS as a companion to the DSS. The combined system gave executives tools to analyze the mountains of stored information and make real-time decisions without the help of assistants. The system was migrated to a Web-based enterprise system in 2001. It Is extremely user-friendly and is maintained by the marketing staff. Since its assimilation into the corporate culture conformed to the manner in which [Iertz executives were used to working. implementation and extensive use were no problem. Hertz managers say that the enterprise system creates synergy in decision making. It triggers questions, a greater influx of creative ideas, and more cost-effective marketing decisions. In the Late l990s, the system was integrated with a data warehouse and connected to the corporate intranets and the Internet. Now local managers know all competitors’ prices, in real time. By using supply-demand models, they can assess the impact of price changes on the demand for cars. In 2001 the system was connected to the corporate ERP and expanded to include e-commerce capabilities.

Questions:

(a) Why was the DSS insufficient by itself, and how did the addition of the EIS make it effective ?
(b) Why is the data warehouse useful?
(c) Why was an integration to e-commerce needed ?