Information Technology for Managers

PPT: Is Social Business working out? by Juncheng Guo on Scribd

Automakers become software companies Q1: How is software adding value to automakers’ products? Answer:  Software adding value to the automakers’ products via: Cutting cost and time By using the on-board software, the automakers’ products can be managed via the cloud. For instances, Ford Motor Company previously need to take about two and one-half years to plan, design and build a new car. Design and production, including the metal stamping equipment and assembly line setup must be finalised long before the car rolls off the line. But now, by using the software, the automakers can create a new software interface within months and update it over and over again for the customers in the future and the process is not time consuming. Improve customer’s experiences and values Automaker will be able to keep updating the features and functions to improve the customer’s experience. For instances, Ford is trying to fulfil customer’s needs because they know it will bring t...

Modernization of NTUC Income Q1: What were the problems faced by Income in this case? How were the problems resolved by the new digital system? Answer: Income was facing a few problems : Time:  Income takes longer time to process their insurance because it is very tedious and paper-based. It normally takes them more days and time to finish a certain request for insurance. As well, the HP3000 mainframe used by Income always experience breakdown, the back-up system only allowed restoration to the previous day’s back-up data, if the daily data back-up was not completed, the data will be lost and it takes time to recover. At the end it will affect the work progress. Money:  Income needs to always invest and upgrade HP3000 mainframe that frequently breaks down and it might be costly. Space:  Due to the company is paper-based, there are tons of paper need to be stored and it occupying 3 warehouses. Real-time information: Income lost opportunities to...

Is Social Business working out? Q1: Identify the management, organization, and technology factors responsible for impeding adoption of internal corporate social networks. Answer: Management: No matter young or old employees, who were collaborating and doing business in more traditional settings normally need an incentive to use social software. However, majority of the companies are not providing incentives to the employees, there are only 22 percent of the users of the social software believe the technology is useful and necessary to their job. Organization: Those companies that have tried to set up the internal social network have found out that the employees who are used to do business in a certain way and overcoming the organizational inertia can prove difficult. About half of the survey respondents said that internal social networks had a “very little impact” on employee’s retention, the speed of making decision or the reduction of meetings. Technology: To...

Schiphol International Hub to become faultless: Truth or Dare? Q1: How many levels of complexity can you identify in Schiphol’s baggage conveyors network? Answer: From the case study, I found that there are 3 layers of complexity: i.  System complexity : The conveyors network is large and complicated. It involved 21 kilometers of transport tracks, 6 robotic units, 9,000 storage capacitors all behaving as one system. The system needs to co-operate between many technological layers both at software and hardware levels, for instances, conveyor belts, security checkers, scanners and so on. ii.  Social complexity : The system is needed to support and help out the work of humans, for instances to handle the baggage automatically. iii.  Business complexity : The network needs to work in different way to cope with different company’s operation. The conveyor network must cope with different baggage governance policies. Q2: What are the management, organization...

Mashaweer: Online Personal Services in the Gulf  Q1: What kinds of applications are described in this case? What business functions do they support?  What kinds of applications are described in this case? Answer: In this case, they started their own company that providing personal service, which is to run errands for their customers with motorcycles. There are few applications being used by the company to run their business. I.  Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system ERP is integrated enterprise-wide standard information systems that automate all aspect of an organization’s business process. When their business growing bigger, they wanted to get an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to help in managing the business, however, they found the quotations are too high. As a result, they started their own information technology company, Innov8 (innovate), and they created their customized ERP system, and they then connected to their customized PDAs ...