Information Systems for Managers

1. The Healthcare industry is inundated with massive volumes of data generated each minute. With the adoption of electronic health, mobile health and wearable technologies this is poised to increase dramatically over the next few years. This comprises of data that exists in the form of records, compliance & regulatory requirement. The recent trends demonstrate the transition from maintaining data in hard copies to digital data. As the Chief-Information-Officer (CIO), of a reputed hospital in the city, the management and you are in talks of migrating this data to the cloud. What are the benefits of adopting the cloud and the major challenges that you anticipate to face with regard to cloud adoption? Give justification for adopting the cloud.

2. Information Technology (IT) has become an integral part of the modern supply chains. Explain the concept of Supply Chain and with the help of an example from the retail sector, discuss how Information Systems are helping the organization in improving its supply chain performance. Mention any two future IT trends in supply chain.

3. Digital music is gaining firmer ground in India. 56 percent of digital music revenue in Asia comes from music streaming. Players like Gaana, Hungama, Saavn, Wynk etc. offer users to stream music online and save songs offline with a premium subscription. They have grabbed a significant share of the audience who have given up the traditional methods of downloading music to streaming it online. Advertisers and telecom providers have also joined the bandwagon. The primary reasons for this growing popularity can be attributed to the rise in the number of digital natives, improved internet connectivity, more localized curated song lists, personalization of content, competitive pricing, huge library , availability across different platforms, simple user interface and sharing digital music with others across social platforms. Despite this, the path to profitability is challenged by user ability to willingness to pay for subscription, low advertising prices, and high content costs.

a. How do you think these companies use analytics to lure customers to use their app or convert the existing ones from “freemiums” to “premiums” (the subscription based model)? What are the different type of analytics? Does using analytics benefit the companies?

b. Define Social Media and explain how these companies use Social Media to increase their business? Is it a wise choice to use social media to connect with customers?

Information Systems for Managers

1. PantMax Retail, through its subsidiaries, operates approximately 1000 departmental stores pan India. These stores hold a variety of merchandise including adult and children apparel, cosmetics, accessories, home furnishing etc. The management feels in order to increase their sales, PantMax needs to tailor its merchandise more to the local tastes, colors, sizes, brands which should be according to the sales pattern in each of the PantMax stores. For example, the stores in Mumbai might stock clothing in smaller sizes and brighter colors than those in Chennai, or the stores in Delhi may stock more makeup shades to attract trendier shoppers. How will information systems help PantMax implement this new strategy? Is this a suitable choice for the management to implement?

2. The goal of service companies is to develop services that attract, keep customers satisfied, loyal and speak well of them. They use information and communication technology to get closer to the customer, create long-term relationships, and gain more knowledge from and about the customers to serve them better. As a major element of business strategy, firms are embracing CRM, because technological applications permit precise segmentation, profiling and targeting of customers. To deal with competitive pressures a customer-centric culture is required. The airline industry is no exception to this. Give an example of how an airline company has successfully implemented CRM to increase their profits and keep customers happy.

3. In June 2017, a new cyber virus spread from Ukraine to wreak havoc around the globe, crippling thousands of computers. FedEx Corp, package delivery company, said its fiscal 2018 results would be hurt due to disruption of operations following a cyber-attack last month. It is still experiencing widespread service delays following the attack. It was unable to estimate when services at the unit would be fully restored. It experienced loss of revenue due to decreased volumes, incremental costs from contingency plans and remediation of affected systems. Share prices of FedEx dropped after this incident.

a) What are the different forms of system attacks? What steps should FedEx follow to handle a virus attack of such magnitude?

b) What is a Business Continuity Plan (BCP)? Should cyber security be a part of the BCP? What lessons should FedEx learn from this incident?

Information Systems for Managers

1. PantMax Retail, through its subsidiaries, operates approximately 1000 departmental stores pan India. These stores hold a variety of merchandise including adult and children apparel, cosmetics, accessories, home furnishing etc. The management feels in order to increase their sales, PantMax needs to tailor its merchandise more to the local tastes, colors, sizes, brands which should be according to the sales pattern in each of the PantMax stores. For example, the stores in Mumbai might stock clothing in smaller sizes and brighter colors than those in Chennai, or the stores in Delhi may stock more makeup shades to attract trendier shoppers. How will information systems help PantMax implement this new strategy? Is this a suitable choice for the management to implement?

2. The goal of service companies is to develop services that attract, keep customers satisfied, loyal and speak well of them. They use information and communication technology to get closer to the customer, create long-term relationships, and gain more knowledge from and about the customers to serve them better. As a major element of business strategy, firms are embracing CRM, because technological applications permit precise segmentation, profiling and targeting of customers. To deal with competitive pressures a customer-centric culture is required. The airline industry is no exception to this. Give an example of how an airline company has successfully implemented CRM to increase their profits and keep customers happy.

3. In June 2017, a new cyber virus spread from Ukraine to wreak havoc around the globe, crippling thousands of computers. FedEx Corp, package delivery company, said its fiscal 2018 results would be hurt due to disruption of operations following a cyber-attack last month. It is still experiencing widespread service delays following the attack. It was unable to estimate when services at the unit would be fully restored. It experienced loss of revenue due to decreased volumes, incremental costs from contingency plans and remediation of affected systems. Share prices of FedEx dropped after this incident.

a) What are the different forms of system attacks? What steps should FedEx follow to handle a virus attack of such magnitude?

b) What is a Business Continuity Plan (BCP)? Should cyber security be a part of the BCP? What lessons should FedEx learn from this incident?

Information Systems for Managers

1. PantMax Retail, through its subsidiaries, operates approximately 1000 departmental stores pan India. These stores hold a variety of merchandise including adult and children apparel, cosmetics, accessories, home furnishing etc. The management feels in order to increase their sales, PantMax needs to tailor its merchandise more to the local tastes, colors, sizes, brands which should be according to the sales pattern in each of the PantMax stores. For example, the stores in Mumbai might stock clothing in smaller sizes and brighter colors than those in Chennai, or the stores in Delhi may stock more makeup shades to attract trendier shoppers. How will information systems help PantMax implement this new strategy? Is this a suitable choice for the management to implement?

2. The goal of service companies is to develop services that attract, keep customers satisfied, loyal and speak well of them. They use information and communication technology to get closer to the customer, create long-term relationships, and gain more knowledge from and about the customers to serve them better. As a major element of business strategy, firms are embracing CRM, because technological applications permit precise segmentation, profiling and targeting of customers. To deal with competitive pressures a customer-centric culture is required. The airline industry is no exception to this. Give an example of how an airline company has successfully implemented CRM to increase their profits and keep customers happy.

3. In June 2017, a new cyber virus spread from Ukraine to wreak havoc around the globe, crippling thousands of computers. FedEx Corp, package delivery company, said its fiscal 2018 results would be hurt due to disruption of operations following a cyber-attack last month. It is still experiencing widespread service delays following the attack. It was unable to estimate when services at the unit would be fully restored. It experienced loss of revenue due to decreased volumes, incremental costs from contingency plans and remediation of affected systems. Share prices of FedEx dropped after this incident.

a) What are the different forms of system attacks? What steps should FedEx follow to handle a virus attack of such magnitude?

b) What is a Business Continuity Plan (BCP)? Should cyber security be a part of the BCP? What lessons should FedEx learn from this incident?

Information Systems for Managers

1. PantMax Retail, through its subsidiaries, operates approximately 1000 departmental stores pan India. These stores hold a variety of merchandise including adult and children apparel, cosmetics, accessories, home furnishing etc. The management feels in order to increase their sales, PantMax needs to tailor its merchandise more to the local tastes, colors, sizes, brands which should be according to the sales pattern in each of the PantMax stores. For example, the stores in Mumbai might stock clothing in smaller sizes and brighter colors than those in Chennai, or the stores in Delhi may stock more makeup shades to attract trendier shoppers. How will information systems help PantMax implement this new strategy? Is this a suitable choice for the management to implement?

2. The goal of service companies is to develop services that attract, keep customers satisfied, loyal and speak well of them. They use information and communication technology to get closer to the customer, create long-term relationships, and gain more knowledge from and about the customers to serve them better. As a major element of business strategy, firms are embracing CRM, because technological applications permit precise segmentation, profiling and targeting of customers. To deal with competitive pressures a customer-centric culture is required. The airline industry is no exception to this. Give an example of how an airline company has successfully implemented CRM to increase their profits and keep customers happy.

3. In June 2017, a new cyber virus spread from Ukraine to wreak havoc around the globe, crippling thousands of computers. FedEx Corp, package delivery company, said its fiscal 2018 results would be hurt due to disruption of operations following a cyber-attack last month. It is still experiencing widespread service delays following the attack. It was unable to estimate when services at the unit would be fully restored. It experienced loss of revenue due to decreased volumes, incremental costs from contingency plans and remediation of affected systems. Share prices of FedEx dropped after this incident.

a) What are the different forms of system attacks? What steps should FedEx follow to handle a virus attack of such magnitude?

b) What is a Business Continuity Plan (BCP)? Should cyber security be a part of the BCP? What lessons should FedEx learn from this incident?

Information Systems for Managers

1. PantMax Retail, through its subsidiaries, operates approximately 1000 departmental stores pan India. These stores hold a variety of merchandise including adult and children apparel, cosmetics, accessories, home furnishing etc. The management feels in order to increase their sales, PantMax needs to tailor its merchandise more to the local tastes, colors, sizes, brands which should be according to the sales pattern in each of the PantMax stores. For example, the stores in Mumbai might stock clothing in smaller sizes and brighter colors than those in Chennai, or the stores in Delhi may stock more makeup shades to attract trendier shoppers. How will information systems help PantMax implement this new strategy? Is this a suitable choice for the management to implement?

2. The goal of service companies is to develop services that attract, keep customers satisfied, loyal and speak well of them. They use information and communication technology to get closer to the customer, create long-term relationships, and gain more knowledge from and about the customers to serve them better. As a major element of business strategy, firms are embracing CRM, because technological applications permit precise segmentation, profiling and targeting of customers. To deal with competitive pressures a customer-centric culture is required. The airline industry is no exception to this. Give an example of how an airline company has successfully implemented CRM to increase their profits and keep customers happy.

3. In June 2017, a new cyber virus spread from Ukraine to wreak havoc around the globe, crippling thousands of computers. FedEx Corp, package delivery company, said its fiscal 2018 results would be hurt due to disruption of operations following a cyber-attack last month. It is still experiencing widespread service delays following the attack. It was unable to estimate when services at the unit would be fully restored. It experienced loss of revenue due to decreased volumes, incremental costs from contingency plans and remediation of affected systems. Share prices of FedEx dropped after this incident.

a) What are the different forms of system attacks? What steps should FedEx follow to handle a virus attack of such magnitude?

b) What is a Business Continuity Plan (BCP)? Should cyber security be a part of the BCP? What lessons should FedEx learn from this incident?

1. A public sector bank is currently striving to differentiate itself from the competition to private sector bank in the same region. The customers at the public sector bank complain about the employees who are not informed about each customer’s needs, preferences, and interaction history. The bank has been unable to cultivate more profitable relationships with the customers’ which has impacted its growth. Their inability to proactively identify risk – elevating customer behaviour has attributed to further losses. As the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the public sector bank, elaborate on your understanding of customer relationship management and its importance. How you would acquire, retain and create lasting relationships with the customers? How would creating these relationships help your bank?

2. The Healthcare industry is inundated with massive volumes of data generated each minute. With the adoption of electronic health records, mobile health apps and wearable technologies this is poised to increase dramatically over the next few years. This comprises of data being generated by patients in different forms such as the patient report’s generated by the diagnostic labs, the data in the form of vital stats generated by the wearable devices and body patches, data from medical insurance companies, to name a few. Explain data mining and its importance in the healthcare industry. With the help of a suitable example elaborate how patient data can be used for preventive healthcare. Would you recommend the use of Data mining in healthcare?

3. a. As the Indian city of Chennai went under floodwaters following heavy rains, it became clear that the effects of a lack of planning can be devastating for small companies. Reports suggest, as many as 40 to 60 percent of small businesses never recover after being hit by natural disasters. Some companies looked on helplessly as systems went down. They found themselves drowning in a flood of complaints from enraged customers’ as the water level rose on Chennai streets. Many enterprises believe that they can survive any disaster if they put in place a robust physical infrastructure and technical expertise. But floods in Chennai confirmed that technology companies need to do more to escape the ill-effects of natural disasters. Organizations wanted to make sure that their data centers don’t shut down, and continue to function as usual. However this was in vain. Explain BCP and its importance. What factors play an important role in the successful implementation of a BCP? In your opinion, should small businesses invest in BCP?

3. b. What are ERP systems and mention five benefits of using them. With the help of an example of any company with a failed ERP implementation, highlight the main reasons companies experience failures in implementing ERP systems. What were the lessons learnt to avoid the same mistakes in future?