Management Information Systems

Rondel J. Parker

MIS Chp. 2 Discussion Questions

2/2/15

1. The four major functions of a business are: manufacturing and production, sales and marketing, finance and accounting, and human resources. A business process is a logically related set of activities that define how specific business tasks are performed.

2. TPS keeps track of the elementary activities and transactions of the organization for operational managers. MIS provides middle management with reports on the organization’s current performance. DSS focuses on problems that are unique and rapidly changing, for which the procedure for arriving at a solution may not be fully predefined in advance. ESS helps senior managers make decisions that focus on strategic issues and long-term trends, both in the firm and in the external environment.

3. Enterprise applications are systems that span functional areas, focus on executing business processes across the business firm, and include all levels of management. They help businesses become more flexible and productive by coordinating their business processes more closely and integrating groups of processes so they focus on efficient management of resources and customer service. The four major enterprise applications are:

a. Enterprise systems – (ERP) Integrates business processes in manufacturing and production, finance and accounting, sales and marketing, and human resources into a single software system

b. Supply chain management systems – (SCM) helps manage relationships with their suppliers

c. Customer relationship management systems – (CRM) helps manage relationships with their customers

d. Knowledge management systems – (KMS) enable organizations to better manage processes for capturing and applying knowledge and expertise

4. Intranets are simply internal company websites that are only accessible to employees. Extranets are company Web sites that are accessible to authorized vendors and suppliers.

5. Collaboration is...