(1)Q. What role is played by information systems in SCM and CRM?

Elaborate Ans : The emergence of a global economy, transformation of industrial economies, transformation of the business enterprise and the emergence of digital firm make information systems essential in business today. Information system is a foundation for conducting business today. In many businesses, survival and the ability to achieve strategic business goals is difficult without extensive use of information systems. Six reasons why information systems are so important for business today includes:i) Operational excellence. ii) New product, services and business models. iii) Customer and supplier intimacy. iv) Improved decision making. v) Competitive advantage. vi) Survival. Supply chain Management (SCM):If we manage a small firm that makes a few products or sells a few services, chances are we will have a small number of suppliers. We could coordinate our supplier orders and deliveries using a telephone and fax machine. But, if we manage a firm that produces more complex products and services then we will have hundreds or even thousands of suppliers and our suppliers will each have their own set of suppliers. Suddenly, we are in a situation where we will need to coordinate all the activities of many suppliers firms in order to produce our products and services. An answer to these problems of supply chain complexity and scale is the MIS i.e. Management Information System. MIS help businesses manage relationships with their suppliers. This MIS provides information to help suppliers, purchasing firms, distributors and logistics companies share information about orders, production, inventory levels and delivery of products and services so that they can source, produce and deliver goods and services efficiently. The ultimate objective is to get the right amount of their products from their source to their pint of consumption with the least amount of time and with the lowest cost. If a company and its supply network do not have accurate information they will most likely to saddled by excessive inventories, inaccurate manufacturing plans and missed production schedules. Inability to move products efficiently through the supply chain raises costs while degrading customer services. Various roles of MIS in Supply Chain Management of an organization can be given as: i) ii) iii) iv) v) vi) vii) viii) MIS helps in decision making like when and what to produce, store and move. MIS rapidly communicate orders. MIS track the status of orders. MIS check the inventory availability and monitor inventory level. MIS reduces inventory, transportation and warehousing costs. MIS track shipments. MIS plan production based on actual customer demand. MIS rapidly communicate changes in product design.

All these roles increase firm profitability by lowering the costs of moving and making products and by enabling managers to make better decisions about how to organize and schedule sourcing, production and distribution, Example:Alcan packaging expects ( its supply chain management system) to reduce overtime by 25% reduce setup costs by up to 7.5% and reduce carrying inventory by up to 10% with the help of MIS.
Distribution centers WMS
Shipping Notifications

Orders & shipping Notifications

Corporate Systems Order entry system Manufacturing planning system

Middleware
Shipments Plan Plans & shipments

Shipping System

Freight carriers

TMS
orders

MIS is supply chain management WMS = Washhouse management system TMS = Transportation Management system Inefficiencies in the supply chain, such as parts shortages, underutilized plants capacity, excessive finished goods inventory or high transportation costs, are caused by inaccurate or untimely information. For example, manufacturers may keep too many parts in inventory because they do not know exactly when may will receive their next shipments from their suppliers. Suppliers may order too few raw materials because they do not have precise information on demand. These supply chain inefficiencies waste as much as 25% of a companys operating costs. If a manufacturer had perfect information about exactly how many units of product customers wanted, When they wanted them and when they could be produced, it would be possible to implement a highly efficient just in-time strategy, components would arrive exactly at the moment they were needed and finished goods would be shipped as they left the assembly line. In a supply chain, however, uncertainties arise because many events cannot be foreseen uncertain product demand, late shipments from supplies, defective parts or raw materials or production process breakdowns. To satisfy customers, manufacturers after deal with such

uncertainties and enforce ten events by keeping more material or products in inventory than what they think they may actually need. The safety stock acts as a buffer for the lack of flexibility in the supply chain. Although excess inventory is expensive, how fill rates are also costly because business may be lost from canceled orders. One recurring problem in supply chain MIS is the bullwhip effect, in which information about the demand for a product get distorted as it passes from one entry to the next across the supply chain. A slight rise in demand for an item might cause different members in the supply chain-distributors, manufacturers, suppliers, Secondary suppliers (suppliers suppliers) and tertiary (suppliers suppliers suppliers) so each has enough just in case. These changes ripple throughout the supply chain, magnifying what started out as a small change from planned orders, creating excess inventory, production, Warehousing and shipping costs xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxx Upstream

Manufacturer

Distriburetor

Retaler

Customers

Downstream

Tiers Suppliers

Tiers2 Suppliers

TiersI Suppliers

Inaccurate information can cause minor fhetnations in demand for a product to be amplified as one moves further back in the supply chain. Minor fhetnatins in retail sales for a product can create excess inventory for distributes manufacturers and supplies . The bullwhip is tamed by reducing uncertainties about demand and supply when all memes of the supply chain have accurate and up to date information. It all supply chain members share dynamic information about inventory levels, schedules, forecasts and shipments, they have more precise knowledge about now to adjust their sourcing manufacturing and distribution plans. Supply chain management systems provide the kind of information that helps members of the supply chain make better purchasing and scheduling decisions. Supply chain software is classified as either software to help business plain their supply chains ( supply chain planning) or software to help them execute me supply chain steps i.e. supply chain execution. Supply chain planning systems enable the firm to generate demand foceastes for a product and to develop sourcing and manufacturing plans for that product such systems help xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxx

help companies make better operating decisions, such as determining how much of a specific product to manufacture in a given time period; establishing inventory levels for raw materials, intermediate products and finished goods; determining where to store finished goods and identifying me transportation mode to use for product delivery.

Capabilities of supply chain planning systems:(1) Order planning:- Select an order fulfillment plant that best meets the desired level o service to the customer given existing transportation and manufacturing constraints. (2) Advanced scheduling and manufacturing planning:- Provide detailed coordination of scheduling based on an analysis of changing factors, such as customer orders, equipment outage or supply interruptions. Scheduling modules create job schedules for the manufacturing process and suppliers logistics. (3) Demand planning:- Generate demand forecasts from all bus : units using statistical tools and business forecasting techniques. (4) Transportation Planning:- Track and analyses inbound, outbound and & intra company movement of materials and products to ensure that materials and finished goods are delivered at the right time and place at the minimum cost.

Supply chain execution systems manage the flow of products through distribution carters and warehouses to ensure that products are delivered to the physical status of goods, the management of materials, warehouse and transportation operations, and 12 technologies are major supply chain management software vendors, and enterprise software vendors SAP and oracle-peoplesoft offer supply chain management modules. Capabilities of supply chain Execution systems:(1) Order commitments:- Enable vendors to quote accurate delivery dates to customers by providing more real-time detailed informatics on the status of orders from availability of raw materials and inventory to production and shipment status. (2) Final Production:- Organize and schedule final subassemblies required to make each final product. (3) Replenishment:- Co-ordinate component replenishment work so that warehouses remain stocked with the minimum amount of inventory in the pipeline. (4) Distribution management:- Coordinate the process of transporting goods from the manufacturer to distribution centers to the final xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx Customer provide online customer access to shipment and delivery data. (5) Reveres distribution:- Track the shipment and accounting for manufactured products. returned goods or

Thus, it seems that how management information systems enables firms to streamline both their internal & external supply chain process & provide management with more acerbate information about what to produce, store and move by implementing a networked & integrated supply chain management system companies match supply to demand reduce inventory levels improve delivery service speed product time to market & use assets more effectively. Total supply chain costs represents the majority of operating expenses for many business and in some industries approach 75% of the total operating budget ( Hand filed & Nichols 2002) Reducing impact on firm profitability. In addition to reducing casts, supply chain mguit systems help increase sales. If a product is not available from someone else more precise cannot of the supply chain en-haves the firms ability to have the right product available for customer purchases at the right time. --- 0 Customer Relationship Management :-

We have probably heard phrases such as the customer is always right or he customer comes first Today these words ring more trac them ever. Because competitive advantage based on an innovative new product or service is often very shots lived. Companies are realizing that their only endorsing competitive strength may be their relationships with their customers some Day that me basis of competition has sweetened form who rolls the most products and services to who owns the customers and that customer relat ionships represents a firms most valuable asset. Even manufactured goods like automobiles come with significant customer service & support content from warnaties & road side repairs & towing services built into the purchase price. The distinction between a manufactured product & a service is increasingly diffident to maintain.

Role of information system customer Relationship Management :What kinds of information would you need to build & mustered strong long lasting relationships with customers? xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx

we had want to know exactly who are our customers, how to contact them, whether they are costly to service & sell to, what kinds of products & services they are interested in, and how much money they spend on your company. If we could, we had want to make sure we know our each of our customers well, as if we were running a small town store. And we had wanted to make jour good customers feel special. In a small business operating in a neighborhood, it is possible for business owners & managers to really know their customers on a personal, full to face basis. But, in a large business operating on a metropolitans, regional, national or even global basis, it is impossible to know our customer in this intimate way. In these kinds of businesses there are too many customers and too many different ways that customers interact with the firm (over the web, the phone fax and face-to face). It becomes especially difficult to integrate information from all these sources and to deal with the large numbers of customers. This is where customer relationship management systems help. Customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Which capture and integrate data from all over the organization, consolidate the data, analyses the data, and then distribute the results to various systems and customer touch points across the Enterprise. A touch point (also known as a contact point) is a method of interaction with the customer, such as telephone, e-mail customer service desk, conventional mail, web site, wireless device, or retail store, well-designed CRM systems provide a single enterprise view of customers that is useful for improving both rates & customer service. Such systems likewise provide customers with a single view of the company regardless of what touch point the customer uses

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Customer Relationship Management ( CRM)

Sales Sales Telephone Sales Web Sales Retail Store Sales Field Sales

Customer

Marketing Campaign Data Content Date analysis

Service Call centre data Web self service data Wireless data

Good CRM systems provide data and analytical tools for answering questions such as these What is the value of a particular customer to the firm over his or her lifetime? Who are our most Profitable customers ? ( it can cost six times more to sel l to a new customer than to an existing customer) who are our most profitable customers? & what d these profitable customers want to busy? Firms use the answers to these questions to acquire new customers provide better service and support to existing customers, customize their offerings more precisely to customer preferences and provide ongoing value to retain profitable customers. Commercial CRM software packages range from niche tools that perform limited functions, such as personalizing web sties for specific customers to large seale enterprise applications that capture myriael interactions with customers analyze them with Bophisticatd reporting tools and lien to other major enterprise applications, such as supply chain management an enterprise systems. The more comprehensive CRM packages contain modules for partner relationship management ( PRM) and Employee relationship management ( ERM). PRM uses many of the same data, tools and system as customer relationship management to enable collaboration xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xx between a company and its selling partners. If a company does not sell directly to customers but rather works through distributors or retailers, PRM helps these channels sell to customers

directly. It provider a company and its selling partners with the ability to trade information and distribute leads and data about customers, integrating lead generation, pricing, promotions, order configurations and availability. It also provides a firm with tools to assess its partners performance so it can make sure its best partners receive the support they need to close more business. ERM software deals with employee issues that are closely related to CRM, such as setting objectives, and employee performance management, performance based compensation and employee training. Major CRM application software vendors include Siebel systems (acquired by oracle corp.) classify and salesfoce.com.Enterprise software such as SAP and oracle people soft are also active in customer relationship management and feature tools for integrating their enterprise system module with their customer relationship management modules. Information systems to customer relationship management typically provide software and online some of these are given below:(1) Sales force Automation(SFA):- Sales force automation modules in CRM systems help sales staff increases their productivity by focusing rates efforts on the most profitable customers, those who are good candidates for sales and services.CRM systems provide sales prospect and contact information, product information product configuration capabilities and sales quote generation capabilities. Such software can assemble information about a particular customers past purchases to help the sales person make personalized recommendations. CRM software enables rates, marketing and delivery departments to easily share customer and prospect information. If increases each sales persons efficiency in reducing the cost per sales as well as the cost of acquiring new customers and retaining old ones. It has capabilities for sales forecasting, territory management and term selling.

(2) Customer service:- Customer service modules in CRM systems provide information and tools to increase the efficiency of call xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Centre help desks and customer support staff. They have capabilities for assigning and managing customer service requests. One such capability is an appointment or advise telephone line: - When a customer calls a standard phone number the system rotes the call to the correct service pension who inputs information about that customer into the system only once. Once the customers data are in the system, any service representative can handle the customer relationship improved access to consistent and accurate customer information helps call centers handle more calls per day and decrease the duration of each call. Thus call centers and customer service groups achieve greater productivity reduced transaction time and higher quantity of service at lower cost. The customer is happier

because he or she spends less time on the phone restating his or her problem to customer service representations. CRM systems may also include web based self service capabilities :The company web site can be set up to provide inquiring customers personalized support information as well as the option to contact customer service staff by phone for additional assistance. 3) Marketing :CRM system support direct marketing campaigns by providing capabilities for capturing prospect and customer data, for providing producing product and service information for qualifying reads for targeted marketing and for secluding and tracking direct marketing maligns or email marketing modules also includes tools for analyzing marketing and customer data identifying profitable and unprofitable customers, designing products and services to satisfy specific customer needs and interests and identifying oppartmities for cross selling. How information systems in CRM supports marketing Responses by channels for January 2007 promotional campaign.

Chart Title
T 29.2% W 6.7% C 16.0% D 30.8%

Direct mail Telephone Web Email Cell phone text message

E 17.8%

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customer relationship management software provider a single point for users to manage and valuate marketing campaigns across multiple channels, including e-mail, direct mail, telephone, the web and wireless message.

CRM SOFTWARE CAPABILITIES

Customer Data Sales Account Management Lead Management Marketing Campaign Management Channel Promotions Management Events Managements Market Planning Marketing Analytics Service Service delivery

Customer satisfaction Management Returns Management Service planning Call centre & help desk Service Analytics

Order Management Sales Management Field Sales Sales analytics

The major CRM software products support business processes in sales, service and marketing, integrating customer support for both the operational and analytical aspects of CRM. Companies with effective information systems in customer relationship management realize many benefits, including increased customer satisfaction, reduced direct marketing costs, more effective marketing and owner costs for customer acquisition and retention. Information from CRM systems increases sales revenue by identifying the most profitable customer and regiments for focused marketing and cross setting. Customer churn is reduced as sales, service and marketing better respond to customer needs. The churn rate measured the number of customers who stop using or purchasing products or services from a company. It is an impartment indicator of the growth or decline or a firms customer base. ## O ##

(2)Q. Give a dossier international information systems? Ans : International information systems are those information systems which are developed and/ or used in an international context. International information systems can be defined as any information system which attempts to deliver the totality of measurable data worldwide within a defined context. It is also known as Global Information System ( GLIS).

Common to this class of information systems is that the context is a global retting, either for its use or development process. This means that it highly relates to distributed systems/ distributed computing where the distribution is global software development and there out sourcing when the outsourcing locations are globally distributed and offering aspects. A specific aspect of global information systems is the case (domain) of international software development. A main research aspect in this field concerns the coordination of and collaboration between virtual teams. Further important aspects are the international alisation and language locatization of system components. Tasks in international information systems Design:Critical tasks in the design of international information systems are i) Process and system design:- How are the processes between distributed actor organized. How are the systems distributed and integrated. ii) Technical Architecture :- What is the technical infrastructure enabling actions to collaborate? iii) Support Mechanison :- How are actors in the process of communication cooperation supported? A variety of examples can be found basically every multilingual website can be seen as a international information system. However, mostly a international information system is referred as a specific developed or used in the global context. Examples :- Specific examples are :i) Systems developed for international users eg. SAP as a global ERP system. ii) International information system for education : The global learning objects Brokered Exchange. iii) Support systems for international or global cooperation : Systems eg plantar. iv) For the specific case of data integration : http://data.un.org, http://www.internattrafficreport.com , http://www.uniler.org/ statics, html, http://www.globalcatthfacts.org/ etc. The Growth of International information systems :Present world facts the emergence of a global economic system and global would order driven by advanced networks and information systems. The World order is sweeping away many national corporations, national industries and national economies controlled by demotic politicians, many localized firms will be replaced by fast, moving networked corporations that panscend national binderies . The growth of international trade has radically altered domestic economies around the globe. Today the combined value of impacts and exports formal nations is about $ 20 trillion dollars annually, a little less than one third of the worlds total GDPof $ 67 trillion. The United states exports about $ 1 trillion annually. While importing $ 1.7 trillion for a combined $ 2.7 trillion in trade, or

about 22% of the US economy. While the World GDP is growing at about 4.7% a year, international trade is growing at about 5.6 % annually ( CIA 2006). Today the production and design of many high end electronic products is parceled out to a number of different countries consider the path to market for Hewlett packings proliant ML 150 server. The idea for the product was hatched in singapare, which did the initial design work. HP headquarters in Horton approved the concept. Contractors in Taiwan did the machines engineering design and initial manufacture. Finally, assembly of the server takes place in Singapore, china, India and Austria ( Buek man, 2004) None of this would be possible without powerful International information and communication systems. Developing an International Information Systems Architecture :- An international information systems architects consists of he basis information systems required by organizations to coordinate worldwide trade and other activities Fig given below illustrates the reasoning we follow throughout the explanation and depicts the major dimensions of an international information systems portfolio.

The basic strategy to follow when building an international system is to understand the global environment is which your firm is operating. This means that understanding the overall market forces or business drivers that are pushing your industry toward global completion, a business drive is a force in the environment to which business must respond and that influences the direction of the business. Likewise, examine carefully the inhibitors or negative factors that create management challenges factors that could settle the development of a global business once w have examined the global environment we will need our firm respond? We could ignore the global market and forces on domestic competing only, rell to the globe from a domestic base, reorganize production and distribution around the globe. These are many in-between choices. After we have developed a strategy it is time to consider how to streamed our organization so it can pursue the strategy. How will we accomplish a division of labour across a global environment? Whose will production, administration, accenting, marketing and human reroute functions be located? Who will handle the systems functions? Next we must consider the management issues in implementing our strategy and making the organization design come alive key here will be the design o business procedures. How can we discover and manage user requirements? How can we induce change in local units to conform to international requirements? How can we recognize on a global realer and How can we coordinate systems development? The lost issue to consider is the technology platform. Although changing technology plate form Although changing technology is a key driving factor leading toward global markets, we need to have a corporate strategy and structure before we can rationally choose the right technology.

After we have completed this process of reasoning we will be well on our way toward an appropriate international information systems archetutuse capable of achieving our corporate goals, fetes being by looking at the overall global environment.

INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEM ARCHITECTS

Global Environment : Business Drives and challenges

Corporate Global Strategic

Organization Structure

Management and Business processes

The major dimensions for developing an international information systems architecture are the global environment the corporate global strategies, the structure of the organization the management an business processed and technology platform

(3) Q:- Write a note on DSS and GOSS? Ans:- The form Decision support system (DSS) refers to a class of systems which support the process of making decisions. The emphasis is on support rather than on automation of decisions. Decision support systems allow the decision maker to retrieve data and test alternative solutions during the process of problem solving. In other words a decision support system (DSS) is a computer based information system that supports business or organizational decision making activities. DSSs serve the management operations and planning levels of an organization (usually mid and higher management). Decision support systems can be either fully computerized human or a combination of both. That term DSS is difficult to define. In fact DSS was defined differently according to the authors. The controversy sums more clearly between academics and DSS users. While academics have perceived DSS as a tool to support decision making process, DSS users see DSS as a tool to facilitate organizational processes. Moreover, some authors have extended the definition of DSS to include any system that might support decision making. In order to overcome this difficulty in the definition of DSS Prague (1980) recommends defining DSS by its characteristics, as following: (1) DSS tends to be aimed at the less well structured, underspecified problem that upper level managers typically face.

(2) DSS attempts to combine the use of models or analytic techniques with traditional data access and retrieval functions. (3) DSS specifically focuses on features which make them easy to use by non computer people in an interactive mode, and (4) DSS emphasizes flexibility and acceptability to accommodate changes in the environment and the decision making approach of the user. DSS include knowledge based systems. A properly designed DSS is an interactive software-based system intended to help decision makers compile useful information from a combination of raw data, documents and personal knowledge or business models to identify and solve problems and make decisions. Typical information that a decision support might gather and present includes:(1) Inventories of information assets (including legacy and relational data sources, cubes, data was houses and data marts) (2) Comparative sales figures between one period and the next. (3) Projected revenue figures based on product sales assumptions. [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision-support-system] [www.seribd.com/doc/19697901/DSS]

Overview of a DSS
TPS External Data

DSS Data Base

DSS software system models OLAP Tools Data Mining tools

User Interface

User

History of DSS:According to keen, the concept of decision support has evolved from two main areas of research: The theoretical studies of organizational decision making done at the Carnegie Institute of Technology during the late 1950s and early 960s, and the technical work on Technology in the 1960s. It is considered that the concept of DSS became an area of research of its own in the middle of the 1970s, before gaining in intensity during 1980s. In the middle and late 1980s, executive information systems (EIS), group decision support systems (GDSS) and organizational decision support systems (ODSS) evolved from the single user and model oriented DSS.

According to Sol(1987) the definition and scope of DSS has been migrating over the years. In the 1970s DSS was described as a computer based system to aid decision making In the late 1970s the DSS Movement started focusing on interactive computer based system which help decision makers utilize date bases and models to solve ill structured problems In the 1980s DSS should provide systems using suitable and available technology t improve effectiveness of managerial and professional activates and end 1980s DSS faced a new challenge towards the design of intelligent workstations. In 1987s Texas Instilments completed development of the Gate assignment Display system ( GADS) for united Airlines. His decision support system is credited with significantly reducing travel delays by avoiding the management of ground operations at various airports, be giving with OHase International Airport in Chicago and Stapleton Airport in Denvess colorado. Begging in about 1990, data waschousing and on time analytical processing ( OLAP)began broadening the realm of DSS As the turn of the millennium approached new web based analytic repeating technologies has been DSS start to emerge as a critical component of management design. Examples of this can be seen in the intense amount of discussion of DSS in the education environment DSS also have a weak connection to the user Interface paradigm of hypertext. Both the University of Vermont PROMIS system and the Carnegie Mellon 20G/KMS system were decision support system which also were major break thoughts in user interface research. Furthermore, although hypertext researchers name generally been concerned with information overload, certain researchers, notably Dongles Engelhard, have been

focused on decision makers in particular. Decision generate by chronicle format. So, it is important. Taxonomies:As with the definition, these are no universally accepted taxonomy of DSS either. Different authors purpose different classifications. Using the relationship with me user as the criteria, Haetteshailer differentiates passive, active and cooperative DSS. A passive DSS is a system that aids the process or decision making, but that cannot bring out explicit decision suggestions or solutions. An active DSS can bring out such decision suggestions or solutions. A cooperative DSS allows the decision maker to modify, complete or refine the decision suggestions provided by the system, before sending them back to the system for validation. The system again improves, completes, and refiner the suggestions or the decision maker and sends them back to him for validation. The whole process then starts again, until a consolidated solution is generated Another taxonomy for DSS has been created by Daniel Power using the mode of assistance as the criteria, Power differentiates communication driven DSS, date driven DSS, Document-driven DSS, knowledge driven DSS and model-driven DSS. (1) A communication driven DSS supports more than one person working on a shared task; e.g. Google Docs as Groove. (2) A data driven DSS emphasizes access to and manipulation of a time series of internal company data and sometimes external data. (3) A document driven DSS manages retrieves and manipulates unstructured information in a variety of electronic formats. (4) A knowledge driven DSS provides specialized problem solving expertise stored as facts, rule, and procedures or in similar structures. (5) A model driven DSS emphasizes access to and manipulation of a statistical, financial, optimization, or simulation model. Model driven DSS use data and parameters provided by users to assist decision makers in analyzing a situation; they are not necessarily data intensive. Decoders are an example of an open source model driven DSS generator. Using scope as the criterion, Power differentiates enterprise wide DSS and desk top DSS. An enterprise wide DSS in linked to large data warenourer and serves many managers in the company. A desk top, single user DSS is a small system that runs on an individual managers PC.

Alter developed taxonomy of decision support systems based on the degree of action implication of system outputs that is, the degree to which the system classification of system types is summarized and described below:(1) File drawer systems:- There allow immediate access to data items, They are basically online mechanized various of manual filing systems. Examples status inquiries for inventory information, airlines reservations requests, and shop floor monitoring. (2) Data analysis systems:- These allow the manipulation of data by means of either analysis operations. They are typically used by non-managerial personnel to analyze files containing current or historical data. Examples are a budget analysis system and a financial system for analyzing alternative investment oppartmities. (3) Analysis information systems:- These provides access to a series of databases and small modes. An example is a marketing decision support system containing internal rates data. Promotion and pricing data plus access to external databases. (4) Accounting modes:- These calculate the consequences of planned actions on the basis of accounting definitions. They typically generate estimates of incomes, balance sheets etc. based on variations in input values to the definitional formulas. Examples are monthly budgeting systems for operational decision making and shot-term financial planning. (5) Representational models:- There estimate the consequences of actions on the basis of models that represent some non definitional characteristics of the system such as probabilities of occurrence. They include all simulation models that contain elements beyond accounting definitions. An example is a risk analysis model using estimated probability distributions for each of the key factors. (6) Optimization models:- These provide guidelines for actions by generating the optimal solution consistent with a series of constraints. They are used for repetitive decisions that can be described mathematically and where a specific objective. Such as minimizing cost is the goal. Examples are a system for scheduling training classes under a complex set of constraints. (7) Suggestion models:- There compute a specific suggested decision for a fairly structured and repetitive decision. Their purpose is to bypass other procedures for generating suggestions. Examples are an insurance renewal rate calculation system and a model to price cardboard boxes based on a standard set of dimensions and decision rules. Fundamental Components of DSS architectures:Three fundamental components of DSS architectures are

(1) The database (or knowledge base) (2) The model (i.e. the decision context and user criterion) and analytical work. (3) The user interface. (4) The DSS architecture and Net work. Decision support system users:Alter identified four distinct usage patterns:(1) Subscription mode:- The decision maker receives reports that are generated automatically on a regular basis. This is the typical mode of usage for management reporting systems. (2) Terminal mode:- The decision maker is the dissect user of the system through online access. (3) Clerk mode:- The decision maker uses the system directly but offline, preparing input on a coding form. The primary difference between this mode and terminal mode is in the technology employed. (4) Intermediate Mode:- The decision markers uses the system through intermediaries , who perform the analysis and interpret and report the result. The decision makers do not used to know how the intermediary used the system to arrive at the requested information. Development Frame works:DSS systems are not entirely different from other systems and require a structured approach. Such a frame work includes people, technology and the development approach. The early framework of decision support system consists of four phases; (1) Intelligence:- Searching for condition that call for decision. (2) Design:- Inventing, developing and analyzing possible alternative actions of solutions. (3) Choice:- Selecting a course of action among those. (4) Implementation:- Adopting the selected course of actions in decision situation. DSS technology levels (of hardware and software) may include (1) The actual application that will be used by the user. This is the part of the application that allows the decision maker to make decisions in a particular problem area. The user can act upon that particular problem. (2) Generator contains Hardware/ software environment that allows people to early develop specific DSS applications. This level makes use of care tools or systems such as crystals, analytical and think. (3) Tools include lower level hardware/ software. DSS generators including special languages, function libraries and linking modules.

An iterative developmental approach allows for the DSS to be changed and redesigned at various intervals. Once the system is designed, it will need to be tested and revised where necessary for the desired outcome. Classification :There are several ways to classify DSS applications Not every DSS file nearly into one of the categories, but may be a mix of two or more architectures: Text oriented DSS Database oriented DSS Speread sheet oriented DSS, Solveroriented DSS, Rule oriented DSS and compound DSS. A compound DSS is the most popular classification for a DSS. It is a hybrid system that includes two or more of the five basic structures described by Holsapple and whinstone. The support given by DSS can be separated into three distinct interrelated categories and they are personal support Group support and organizational support. DSS components may be classified as :1) Inputs :- Factors, numbers and characteristics to analyze 2) User- Knowledge and Expertise :- Inputs requiring manual analysis by the user. 3) Outputs :- Transformed data from which DSS decisions are generated 4) Decisions :- Results generated by the DSS based on user criteria. DSS which performs selected cognitive decision making functions and are based on artificial intelligence or intelligent agents technologies are called Intelligent Decision Support system (IDSS) Benefits of DSS:i) ii) iii) iv) v) vi) vii) viii) ix) x) xi) xii) Improves personal efficiently. Speed up the process or decision making Increased organizational control Encourages exploration and discovery on the port of the decision maker Speed up problem showing in an organization. Facilitates interpersonal communication Promoter learning and training Generates new evidence in support of a decision Creates a competitive advantage over competition Reveals new approaches to thinking about the problem space Helps automate managerial processes. Create Innovative ideas to speed up the performance

DSS Characteristics and capability:i) Solve semi structured and unstructured problems

ii) iii) iv) v) vi) vii) viii) ix) x) xi) xii) xiii) xiv) xv)

Support to managers at all levels Support individual and groups Inter dependence and sequence Decision Support Intelligence, Designee, choice Adaptable and flexible Interactive and ease of use Interactive and efficiency Human control the process Ease of development by end users Modeling and Analysis Dath access Stand alone Integration and web based Support varieties of Decision process Quick Response [ en. Wikipedra. Org/wiki/Decision support system]

Group Decision support System ( GDSS) Group Decision support system ( GDSS) are a class of electronic meeting systems a collaboration technology designed to support meetings and group work ( CSCW) technologics as GDSS and more focused on task support whereas CSCW tools provide General communication support.

Group Decision Support systems may be defined as an interactive, computer based system that facilities solution of instructed problems by a set of decision makers working together as a group. It aids groups, especially groups of managers, in analyzing problem situations and in performing group decision making tasks, GDSS are categorized within a time place paradigm. Different features may be required for synchronous and asynchronous communication as well as local vs distant.

History :-

In the 1980s a commercial joint venture between IBM and the U.S Department of defense created a new form of software as a solntion to improve the decision alignment between various branches of the armed forces. Ths first commercial ( DOSBase) technology was developed by behavoual scientist Dr. Jerny wagner and was called vision qnert In the 1990s while at the university of texas, Austin campus, Dr. wagner secured ventuse capital funcing to develop new GDSS software, this time with the end of goal of leveraging the Internet. The new technology was web Q and is now colled W/Q.

Academic work on group Decision support systems was largely led in the 1980s and 1990s by the University of Minnesota and the University of Arizone. The Arizone research software was spam off as Ventana Corporation. The University of Arizona researchers repot both benefits and corts for their electronic meeting system.

Similarities Between GDSS and DSS:1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Both Both Both Both Both Both use model, data and user friendly software are integrative with What-if capabilities use internal and external data allow the decision make to take an active role have flexible systems have graphical output

Need of GDSS:(1) High level managers can spend 80% of their time making decisions in groups. Applied correctly, GDSS can reduce time, arriving at a better decision faster. (2) GDSS provides the hardware, software, databases and Procedures for effective decision making. Characteristics:(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Special design Ease of use Specific and generic support Suppressing negative group behavior Supporting Positive group behavior.

Typical GDSS Meeting Characteristics:(1) Organizational commitment and support. (2) Trained facilitators or may be user driven

(3) User training. (4) Anonymity (5) Appropriate tasks (6) Dedicated decision rooms GDSS Time-place Environment:Same-Time Same-Place (Most widely used GDSS -Computers with projectors, Voting tools) Different-Time Same-Place (audio/video conferencing, document sharing) Same-Time Different Place (Team room, tools, audio conferencing, serene sharing chat ) Different-Time Different-Place mail, email, bulletin

(Voice boards)

Advantages of GDSS:(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) Anonymity:- Drive out fear leading to better decisions from a diverse hierarchy of decision makers. Parallel communication:- Eliminate monopolizing providing increased participation, better decisions. Automated record keeping:-No need to take notes, they are automatically recorded. Ability for virtual meeting:-Only needs hardware, software and people connected. Portability:- Can be set up to be portable .. laptop. Global Potential:- People can be connected across the world. No need for a computer guru:- Although some basic experience is a must.

Disadvantages of GDSS:(1) Cost:- Infrastructure costs to provide the hardware an software/room/network connectivity can be very expansive. (2) Security:- Especially true when companies rent the facilities for GDSS, also the facilitator may be a lower-level employee who may leak information to peers. (3) Technical failure:- Power loss, loss of connectivity, relies heavily on band width and LAN/WAN infrastructure properly setup system should minimize this risk. (4) Key boarding skills:- Reduced Participation may result due to frustration. (5) Training:- Learning curve is present for users, varies by situation

(6) Perception of messages:- Lack of verbal communication could lead to misinterpretation. Typical GDSS Process:- Following steps are involved in the process of GDSS(1)Group leader (and Facilitator?) select software, develop agenda. (2)Participants meet (in decision room/Internet) and are given a task. (3)Participants generate ideas-brainstorm anonymously. (4)Facilitator Organize ideas into categories (different for user driven software). (5)Discussion and Prioritization may involve ranking by some criteria and/or rating to the facilitators scale. (6) Repeat steps 3,4,5 as necessary. (7) Reach decision (8) Recommend providing feedback as decision and results to all involved.

** Best uses of GDSS:1) It is used in complex decision making. 2) It is used for large groups a meeting of 2 or 3 people does not justify GDSS investment. [www.seribd.com/doc/B168449/GDSSGroup-Decision-support-system]

VERVIEW OF A GDSS MEETING:Group Interaction Session planning Idea Generation Brainstorming IOP commoner group outliner Idea Organizer Issue Analyses Group writer

Session

Idea Organization

Priontizing

Vote selection alternative eval Questionnaire Group matrix Policy Formation stakeholder ID

Policy Development

Organization Memory

Enterprise Analyser Graphical Brower Group Directory Brief care Access to information Personal Productivity

4. Q Explain about web portals. How are business organizations using these to share information? Ans:- Web portals are defined as the web sites or services that offers a broad array of resources and services such as a email forms search engines and online shopping malls. The first web portals were online services such as AOL that provided access to the web but by now most of the traditional search engines have transformed themselves into web portals at attract and keep a larger audience. A web portal is where we start our day or the web getting a little news the sloop on whats happening online and if the portals have their way its the epicenter of our web experience. We return there when we get lost. Our stock portfolio is these and we can look for new and old fiends to chart with online. We get our email and build our personal home page these: The portal is our security blanket our safety net and our trusty guide to all things web. A new breed web site offers the same appealing and convenient array of teatures that makes AOL so poplar news services message boards reference Tools email shopping and mere Expect they do it all for free offen referred to as web portals since they some as entryways to the Internet , most of the sites are not all that new In their earlier incarnations they functioned strictly as such sites not spots such as Atta vista, Excite, Lycos and Yahoo that brought organization to the webs chaos. But now all the search engines are piling on new features at breakneck speed. They are jockeying to be the site we set as our browsers defect home page

are as an entry point to other web destinations and return to day after day that is the best way to catch web denizens eyeballs and attracting hordes is what any site must do to self a lot of advertising banners besides searches there web portal offer news sports records horoscopes local whether reports free email and a stack of other high gloss features search sites are adding there features to generate regular customers and make money by advertising to them, automaging visitors to look at many pages on their site before moving off elsewhere. A web portal is place that people look for information also people might tureen to particular & web portals first because they are fairly certain that they will find the information they want these Yahoo has become a popular portal because it provides reliable and comprehensive listings of things on the Net Net serape has built a big portal business simply by programming its Brower to open at its home page by default. Personating Internet users to pare at a portal can be quite viable the portals carry advertising and revenue from that already reaches into the millous of dollars Leading portals like yahoo get upwards of 32 millon visitors a month with over 35% market share acceding to relevant knowledge. So we can imagine the interest of the advertisers in this type of web portals. Thus a web portal is most often one specially designed web page at a web site which brings information together from diverse sources in a uniform way Usually each information source gets its dedicated area on the page for displaying information (a portlet); often the user can configure which ounces to display . Variands of Portals include Masl up (web application hybrid) and intranet dash boards for executives and managers. The extent to which content is on a certain metaphor for configuring and customizing the Presentation of the content and the chosen implementation framework and/or code libraries. In addition, the role of the user in an organization may determine which content can be added to the portal or deleted from the portal configuration. Examples of early public web portals were AOL, Excite, iGoogle, MSN. History:In the late 1990s the web portal was a web IT buzzword. After the proliferation of web browsers in the late 1990s many companies tried to build or acquire a portal to attempt to obtain a share of an Internet market. The web portal gained special attention because I was for many users the starting point of their web browsing if it was set as their home page. The content and branding of a portal could change as internet companies merged or were acquired Netscape became a part of America online, The Walt Disney Company Launched Go. Com IBM and others lanneret prodigy and excite and a) Home became a part of AT & T corporation during the late 1990s Lycos was said to be a good target for other media companies such as CBS . The interest in portals saw some old media companies racing to outbid each other for Internet properties but died down with the dot com bust in 200 and 2001. Disney pulled the plug on Go. Com, Excite went bankrupt and its remains were sold to iwon.Com some portals

such as Yahoo! And those others first listed in this article remain active and portals feature widely outside the English speaking web portal metaphors are widely used by public library sits for borrowers using a login as user and by university intranets for students and for faculty. Vertical markets remain for ISV s offering management and executive internet dashboards for corporation and government agencies in areas such as GRC and risk management.

Classification :Web portals are sometimes classified as horizontal or vertical. A horizontal portal is used as a platform to several companies in the same economic sector or to the same type of manufacturers or distributors. A vertical portal ( also known as a vortal) is a specialized entry point to a specific market or industry inched, subject area or interest some vertical portals are known as Vertical information portals (VIPS) VIPs provide news editorial consent digital publications and e commerce capabilities In contrast to traditional vertical portals VIPs also provide dynamic multimedia applications including social networking . Video porting and blogging.

Types of web portals:1) Personal Portals i.e. a web page at a website on the World Wide Web or a local HTML home page including Java script and perhaps running in a modified web browser. 2) News portals: - traditional media rooms all around the world are fast adapting to the new age technologies. 3) Government portals:- After boom of 1990s, many government had committed to creating portal sites for their citizens e.g. Australia. Gov. in for India. 4) Cultural Portals:- Culture portal aggregate digitized cultural collections of galleries, libraries, archives and museums. e.g. Digital NZ 5) Corporate web portals:- Many companies began to offer tools to help web masters manage their data, applications and information more early and through personalized view by the help of corporate portals. Corporate portals also offer customers and employers self-service oppartmities. 6) Stock Portals:- It is also known as stock share portals, stock market portals or stock exchange portals. They are a web-based application that facilitates the process of informing the share-holders with substantial online data such as the latest price, ask/bids, the latest NAVE, News, reports and announcements eg. Money control.com. 7) Search Portals:- Search portals aggregate results from several search engines into one page.

8) Tenders Portals:- Tenders portals stands foragateway to search/modify/submit archive data on tenders and professional processing of continuous online tenders. 9) Hosted web portals:- It gain popularity when a number of companies began offering them as a hosted service. 10) Domain specified portals:- A number of portals have come about that are specific to the particular domain. Key features of web-portals:1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Security. Access different data Transactions. Search Publish content Personal content.

Functions performed by web-portal:1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Search and Navigation. Information integration. Personalization. Notification. Task management and workflow. Collaboration and groupware. Integration of applications and business intelligence. Infrastructure functionality.

2nd part:Business organizations uses these web portals to share in formations to some level of the following functionality native to them: (1) (2) (3) (4) Role-based or rule-based administration Collaboration Content Management and search Access to structured data such as user query and reporting.

These web portals which are used by business organizations are also known as Enterprise portals or Enterprise information portals. An Enterprise information portal is an application that enables a company to unlock internally and externally stored information and Provides internal and external users with single gateway to personalized information needed to make informed business decisions. It integrate access to data, information and

applications and present it to the business user in a urgent format. Business organizations use these web portals to 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Retain Expertise of key personnel Increase customer satisfaction Improve productivity. Decrease IT Administration costs. Decrease Product development cycles. Support E-business Initiatives.

Some of the Properties of these web portals are:1) Application Integration 2) Structured data Management 3) Content and document management 4) Collaboration 5) Administration 6) Architecture/platform 7) Security 8) Services 9) Support 10) Customer Relationship management 11) Business intelligence 12) Employee Portal 13) Business Process management systems. Main benefits that web portals provide to business organizations are as follows:1) Organized and structure information, which is easier to navigate. 2) Quick access to relevant personalized news, information, services applications and documents 3) A highly interactive and personalized interface that provides targeted information based on employees roles and preferences. 4) Enhanced search capabilities that reduce the account of time necessary to find sought after information. 5) Filtered, targeted and categorize information so users receive just what they need. 6) Leveraging intranets and extranets. The portal aggregates, categorized and delivers pertinent content to critical business audiences, while lowering operating costs, increasing sales, facilitating better customer service and making the supply chain management more efficient. 7) Built-in security. Because individual users must be authorized, enterprise portals offer another level of corporate security.

8) Support of multiple corporate functions. The enterprise portal unifies disparate parts of the enterprise, including accounting, forecasting and marketing. 9) Competitive advantage. i.e., without an enterprise portal, valuable information is locked away in poorly integrated data repositories only companies that can access timely information on markets sales performance and customer satisfaction via an web portal or enterprise portal can develop and advantage over competitions. Q. Answer the questions that follow the case information system in Restaurant ? Ans: (a) The decisions to be made in the area of strategic planning regarding this given system are proactive and future oriented uncertain and related directly to planning activity. In strategic planning basically future budgets, target markets, policies and objectives etc. ar e done as strategic planning or decisions involve uncertainly. Here the top level management taking all the in formations on the food items ordered and breaker out percentages showing sales of each item versus total sales. The top level management where strategic planning is done compares the weekly rates totals versus food costs, allowing planning for tighter cost controls. Executive support systems function at the strategic level, support unstructured decision making and use advanced graphics and communications. Examples of executive support systems include sales trend forecasting, budget forecasting. Operating plan development, budget forecasting, profit planning and manpower is planning. The decisions to be made in the area of managerial control are largely dependent upon the information available to the decision makers. It is basically a middle level management where planning of means is done and whenever an order is voided, the reasons for the void are keyed in which later helps in management decisions, especially of the voids are related to food or service. The managerial control that is middle level also gets customer feedbacks and is responsible for customer satisfaction. The decisions to be made in the area of operational control pertain to implementation of specific tasks through appropriate technology. This is basically a lower level where the waiter takes the order and enters it online via one of the six terminals cocateed in the restaurant dining room and the order is routed to a printer in the appropriate preparation area. The items ordered list and respective prices are automatically generated. The cooks send out of stock message when the Kitchen runs out of a food time, which is basically displayed on the dining room terminals when water tries to order that item. This basically gives the waiters farter feedbook, enabling them to give better service to the customers & Transaction processing systems function at the operational level of the organization. Examples of transaction processing systems included order tracking order processing machine control plant scheduling compensation and securities trading. End part:-

The information required to make such decision must be such that it highlights the trouble spots and shows the inter commotions with the other functions It must summarize all information relating to the span of control of the manager. The information required to make these decisions can be strategic tactical or operational information.

Advantages of an online computer system :-

1) 2) 3) 4)

Eliminates carbon copies Waiters handwriting issues Out of stock message Faster feedback helps waiters to service the customers.

Advantages to Management:1) Sales figures and percentages item wise 2) Helps in planning the menu 3) Cost accenting details

Ans :- If the management provides sufficient incentive for efficiency and results to their customers, it would make the system a more complete MIS and so the MIS should support this culture by providing such information which will aid the promotion of efficiency in the management services and operational system. It is also necessary to study the keys to successful Executive Information System ( EIS) development and operation. Decision support systems would also make the system a complete MIS as it constitutes a class of computer based information system including knowledge based systems that support decision making activities. DSSs save the management level of the organization and help to take decisions, which may be rapidly changing and not easily specified in advance. Improving personal efficiency expediting problem solving (speed up the progress of problems slowing in an organization) facilitating interpersonal communication promoting learning and training increasing organizational control generation new evidence in support of a decision, creating a competitive advantage over competition encomaging exploration and discovery on the part of the decision maker, revealing new approaches to thinking about the problem space and helping automate the managerial process would make the system a complete MIS rather than just doing transaction processing. c) Ans:- The management system should be an open system and MIS should be so designed that it highlights the original business operational technological and environmental changes to

the concerned level in the management so that the action can be taken to correct the situation. To make the system a success knowledge will have to be formalized so that machines would wide have a shared and common understanding of the information provided. The systems developed will have to be able to handle enormous amounts of information very fart. An organization operates in an ever increasing competitive, global environment operating in a global environment requires an organization to focus on the efficient execution of its processes, customer service and speed to market . To accomplish there gols, the organization must exchange valuable information across different functions, levels and business units By making the system more formal the organization can more efficiently exchange information among its functional areas, business units, suppliers and customers. As the transactions are taking place every day the system stores all the data which can be used late on when the hotel is in need of some financial help from financial institutes or banks. A the inventory is always entered into the system any fronds can be early taken care of and if anything goes missing then it can be detested through the system.