Mis Exam

Download as doc, pdf, or txt
Download as doc, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1of 23

UGANDA MARTYRS UNIVERSITY NKOZI

FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM ASSESSMENT

YEAR 2021/2022.

NAME : SENNOGA SANYU

REGNo : 2018-M102-20077

PROGRAM : MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

EMAIL : ezsennoga@gmail.com

TEL : 0782861645
Question 1

Write a well referenced three-page paper explaining how KIKUBO owners can use MIS to

improve their business performance.

Management information systems are formal systems for presenting management with timely

and suitable information necessary for decision making (Leonardi and Bailey, 2008). The system

gives information on the past, present and project future and on related developments inside and

outside the organization (Baccarini, 1999). It may be described as an integrated and organized

system for collecting relevant data, transforming it into correct information and providing the

same to the concerned executives. The main purpose of MIS is to “provide the right information

to the right people at the right time” (Gray, 2000). The ideas of management information systems

were formed to counteract such inefficient development and productive use of the computer.

MIS concepts are crucial to efficient computer use in business.

Management information system is a broad term that incorporates many specialized systems.

The major types of systems include the following:

Below are the different ways through which KIKUBO owners can use MIS to improve

their business performance.

Executive Information System (EIS): KIKUBO owners use an EIS to make decisions that

affect the entire organization. Executives need high-level data with the ability to drill down as

necessary (Lewis, 2004).


Marketing Information System (MkIS): KIKUBO owners can use MkIS to report on the

effectiveness of past and current campaigns and use the lessons learned to plan future campaigns

(Leonardi and Bailey, 2008).

Business Intelligence System (BIS): Operations use a BIS to make business decisions based on

the collection, integration, and analysis of the collected data and information (Henry, 2001). This

system is similar to EIS, but both lower-level managers and executives use it.

Customer Relationship Management System (CRM): A CRM system stores key information

about customers, including previous sales, contact information, and sales opportunities. (Gray,

2000) Marketing, customer service, sales, and business development teams often use CRM.

Sales Force Automation System (SFA): A specialized component of a CRM system that

automates many tasks that a sales team performs. It can include contact management, lead

tracking and generation, and order management.

Transaction Processing System (TPS): An MIS that completes a sale and manages related

details. On a basic level, a TPS could be a point of sale (POS) system, or a system that allows a

traveler to search for a hotel and include room options, such as price range, the type and number

of beds, or a swimming pool, and then select and book it. Employees can use the data created to

report on usage trends and track sales over time.

Knowledge Management System (KMS): Customer service at KIKUBO can use a KM system

to answer questions and troubleshoot problems.


Financial Accounting System (FAS): This MIS is specific to departments dealing with finances

and accounting, such as accounts payable (AP) and accounts receivable (AR). KIKUBO owners

can use FAS to manage their transactions.

Human Resource Management System (HRMS): This system tracks employee performance

records and payroll data. according to Gray (2000), human resources management information

systems are occupied with activities related to all managerial levels, workers, and other

individuals employed by the company. Because the personnel function refers to all other

business areas, the human resources management information system represents an invaluable

part in guaranteeing organizational success (Spathis et al., 2007). Activities performed by the

human resources management information systems include workforce analysis and planning,

hiring, training, and job assignments (Hjelt, 2007).

Supply Chain Management System (SCM): Manufacturing companies use SCM to track the

flow of resources, materials, and services from purchase until final products are

shipped. Qrunfleh and Tarafdar (2014).


Conclusion

Management information system is vital for the development of business, with many benefits

that may result from it. These benefits can be obtained from the business owner application of

information systems. To be able to keep compete with competitors will require a safe and

reliable management information systems. MIS is a concept linked with man, machine,

marketing and methods for collecting information from the internal and external source and

analyzing this information to facilitate the process of decision-making of the business. Previous

research of DeLone and McLean (2003) implied that “the success of information systems will

enhance the performance of enterprises.” This is the reason numerous companies have invested

considerably in information systems as a strategy trying to gain an advantage over competitors.

All business crave improved operational efficiency and flexibility. Also, in the long run, a good

and most of all operational, functional and efficient management information system should be

sustained by electronic data communication network systems that are proven to be stable and

reliable. With the use of valid information systems, the company can exchange information more

effectively and efficiently (Priem and Butler, 2001).


Question 2

Suggest IT infrastructure components that should be adopted for any Uganda business

intending to outcompete Amazon

In the changing world, there is a necessity to improve the business requirements according to the

changing needs of technologies, trends in the market, and customers.

Whether you are new to ecommerce or already into ecommerce, your major priority is to

increase the overall efficiency of the organization. When you want to improve efficiency, you

must have a strategy and the right infrastructure to address the needs of the user and flexible

enough to satisfy their requirements.

Infrastructure is the foundation that makes your business stand out. Ecommerce infrastructure is

a collection of hardware, software, network, facilities, etc. that you need to run an ecommerce

business. When you have the right infrastructure, you will have an optimized business

performance. Here are some important components that you must consider while planning your

ecommerce infrastructure.

IT infrastructure components that should be adopted for any Uganda business intending to

outcompete Amazon

Ecommerce environment: This defines general guidelines and frameworks that will make your

business suitable for running ecommerce. It is a standard like technical tools, legal and

regulatory frameworks, and the involvement of service providers.


Infrastructure services: These are the services that specify ecommerce functions. One or more

services will work together to provide particular functions to the ecommerce business. Services

like user authorization, payment processing, order validation, etc., help

in during products checkout by the user.

The infrastructure services can further be classified in terms of the services they provide to the

user or an organization. Network services, directory services, payment services, and security

services are common infrastructure service providers to the user.

Ecommerce solution providers: They offer an end-to-end solution for ecommerce business

who does not have their implementation team.

Ecommerce infrastructure components

Ecommerce infrastructure identifies each functionality of the hardware, software, and network

with their key role. When you know about the functionality of the components in ecommerce,

then you can organize the ecommerce platform more efficiently.

Hardware:

Hardware does several things, which includes allowing you to connect to your network and have

access to the outside world. It allows you to store data, recover and use your data. Some

important hardware components are:

Devices: Computers, hubs, routers, data centers, etc.


Servers: Server provides the necessary functionality for other programs. It can be a computer

program or a device and can be used for different purposes. Some common servers are a proxy

server, web server, application server, etc.

Software:

Software components include services like system management tools, analytic tools for

estimating your business and service providers.

Management services: When you run an ecommerce business you need to manage various

services like content, database and resources. Enterprise resource planning, content management,

and data centers are some software services that help in managing the resources of the company

efficiency.

Analytics: Ecommerce business is more competitive since it is growing day by day. So, it's

important to analyze your capacity, which helps in improving your system to perform

better. Web analytics and text analytics tools will help in estimating your ecommerce site.

Middleware: Middleware is an intermediate between service providers and service users. It

could be data access for components, communication protocols, specialized servers, or a mix of

all.

API: An application program interface is a protocol or a tool for building the software

applications. It specifies how a software component should interact with each other.
Network:

Network provides the communication path and services between users, processes, applications,

services, and external networks through the Internet.

Internet connectivity: Establishing the connection between various devices and processes.

Firewalls: Firewalls protect your networks from outside attackers. It enables you to specify what

kinds of traffic are permitted through, adding a layer of security.

Security services: Even some times firewalls may lack in protecting against the hackers

including security services.

Load balancer: It uses load balancers to distribute the overall load on your web or application

servers. It also distributes demand according to the kind of task to be performed.

DNS: Domain Name System is naming a system for your website. They locate the internet

protocol address for your domain name.

Criteria for choosing IT infrastructure components that should be adopted for any Uganda

business intending to outcompete Amazon is as follows.

Choosing the right infrastructure to match your ecommerce business strategies enables your

operations to run efficiently and increase your revenue.

Flexibility: An ecommerce environment must be easy to manage for all users. They must have

the ability to respond quickly for all the changes and must adapt the new technologies and

features as a scalable factor.


Usability: Usability is an important factor while you are choosing the services for ecommerce

platforms. When any one of the services fails, it will cause a major effect in delivering efficient

performance.

Scalability: Ecommerce grows rapidly where new technology and services get added regularly

so it needs to have an environment that does not collapse during additional

services. The infrastructure should be scalable in terms of technology, human recourses, high

traffic, etc. Also, the performance of the system should not be slowed down.

Security: Ecommerce business is vulnerable to various sources like hackers,

malware, security attacks, etc. Your infrastructure must allow firewalls to protect your

ecommerce from network attacks and other paid security services.

Effective planning and management

As an ecommerce business owner, ignoring the importance of planning and developing an

ecommerce infrastructure is a major failure for a business in the long run. You need to have an

infrastructure based on the needs and priorities of your company. Even managing your

ecommerce infrastructure is challenging, but well-defined planning and management can reduce

risk and ensure uptime.


Question 3

Advise the government on the concept of security and e-service delivery as a factor in

efficient and effective government service delivery

With the increasing reliance on technology, it is becoming more and more essential to secure

every aspect of online information and data. As the internet grows and computer networks

become bigger, data integrity has become one of the most important aspects for organizations to

consider. Let’s take a look at why network security is so important in today’s digital age.

At its core, cyber security is about risk management. But leaders who see the opportunities

beyond just preventing data breaches and minimizing cyber threats can begin to realize the full

potential and benefits that cyber security can bring to a business.

Protection against external threats

Millions of cyber threats are being created every year and at great cost to businesses, exceeding

$1 trillion in 2020 alone.

While primarily launched for financial gain, the reasons behind cyber-attacks can be as varied as

the perpetrators themselves. Whether it’s cyber criminals, hacktivists, or industrial spies, the

common ground these bad actors share is how agile, sophisticated, and stealthy their attacks are

becoming.
Protection against internal threats

The weakest link in the cyber security chain remains the human factor. Whether it’s accidental,

negligent, or outright malicious, insider threats can come from current or former employees,

third party vendors, or even trusted partners.

What’s more, the exponential growth of remote work, personal devices used for business

applications, and even IoT devices in remote settings can help these types of threats fly under the

radar until it’s too late.

But with proactive monitoring of networks and managed access, detecting and responding to

threats can cut down on costly incidents. Moreover, providing consistent, up-to-date training can

help turn the risk your people currently are into the extension of the cyber security solution you

need.

Regulation compliance

In response to the increased cyber threats and exposure of sensitive data businesses face today,

many regulatory bodies are setting standards to help protect organizations and their customers

alike. Some of these regulatory standards include GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DDS, and SOX to name a

few.

For industries that still remain underregulated, there’s opportunity for businesses to invest in

cyber security and see compliance as more than an obligation.


In fact, according to data privacy and cyber security law expert Jamal Hartenstein, leaders could

approach cyber security in regulatory compliance as “a competitive advantage, getting ahead of

industry competition before underregulated industries become regulated.”

Improved productivity

Viruses and other cyber-attacks can slow networks and personal devices down to a crawl,

making it virtually impossible for employees to work. For websites to function. And for business

to operate.

By implementing a range of cyber security measures such as improved firewalls, virus scanning

and automated backups you can drastically reduce violations and the downtime it takes to

remedy the breach. Education and training can also help guide employees to identifying potential

email phishing scams, suspect links, and other nefarious criminal efforts.

Cost savings and value

According to the Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report 2021, the average cost of a single cyber-attack

to a small business in the U.S. is $25,612. Considering the fact that only about 40% of SMBs

operate profit at the loss of data and cost to recover it, downtime to restart operations, and hefty

fines can be a steep price to pay.

As cyber-attacks only continue to grow more sophisticated and complex every day, it’s important

to weigh the cost of dealing with one attack versus the value of taking preventative measures. By

mitigating risks, you put your business in a better position to respond, recover, and keep existing

customers happy a far more cost-efficient option than attracting new ones.
Brand trust and reputation

Perhaps the greatest case to make for the benefits of cyber security in business is the reputation

that you earn and keep.

One of the most important factors in business growth is customer retention. Maintaining brand

loyalty through a strong cyber security position is paramount for customers today, and the

shortest path to repeat business, recommendations, and higher per-ticket purchases.

It also opens doors to potential future ventures and expansion, helping producers land on the

vendor list with larger organizations as part of their supply chain that are only as strong as their

weakest link. According to the National Institute of Information Technology (NIST), the factors

that allow for low-cost interoperability and rapid innovation also increase the risk of

compromise. With so many high-profile cyber breaches in the past two years alone, larger

companies are examining closely the cyber security practices of third-party vendors.
Question 4

Advise company XYZ on the pros and cons of digital marketing and suggest solutions to

the challenges.

Digital marketing, also called online marketing, is the promotion of brands to connect with

potential customers using the internet and other forms of digital communication. This includes

not only email, social media, and web-based advertising, but also text and multimedia messages

as a marketing channel.

Digital marketing comprises all marketing efforts that use the internet. These include digital

channels such as search engines, email, websites, social media, etc., that can be used to connect

with current and prospective customers.

Pros of Digital Marketing

Global Reach

Traditional marketing is restricted by geography and creating an international marketing

campaign can be hard, expensive, as well as labor-intensive. However, digital marketing happens

on the Internet, which means that the reach you can achieve with it is immense. Even a very

small local business owner has the ability to reach an international audience with an online store.

This would never be possible with traditional marketing or would cost a whole lot of money to

do so. This online accessibility has opened many growth opportunities for businesses to explore.

The combination of global reach and visibility is a great opportunity for any business.
Local Reach

While global reach is a significant advantage of digital marketing, it also improves local

visibility, which is especially important if your business relies on nearby customers. Local SEO

and locally targeted ads can be beneficial for companies trying to bring more customers to their

doors. Think of the reach you can get to a whole neighborhood with digital marketing versus the

reach it would take you to print out flyers and distribute them around.

Lower Cost

Whether you want to promote your business locally or internationally, digital marketing provides

you with cost-effective solutions. It allows even the smallest companies to compete with larger

companies using highly targeted strategies. Most of these strategies won’t even cost anything at

all to start with (such as SEO, social media, and content marketing). However, not every form of

digital marketing is suitable for every business and some may even have more costs than others.

A business can find appropriate solutions based on its marketing goals.

Easy to Learn

While there are many aspects of digital marketing that you need to learn, it is fairly easy to get

started with. It gets more complex from the nature of the goals and the scale of the campaigns.

However, it is all a matter of finding the right strategy that works for your business.

Effective Targeting

Even if you don’t have a clear idea of your target audience, digital marketing enables you to

extract data to see which audiences will work best for you and optimize your campaign around
them. There are many different options of targeting such as through keywords for search engine

optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC), or through demographic information on social media.

This enormous amount of targeting elements at your disposal makes sure that every campaign

reaches the right audience. It also helps you to analyze the changing behaviors of customers and

modify campaigns for those changes. This ability to understand customers’ changing needs

quickly is a sure way of success for any company.

Multiple Strategies

There are different strategies of digital marketing that can be used by different types of

businesses. A B2B business that is interested in gaining international leads may have a totally

different strategy than a B2C local business selling clothes. While some companies can benefit

more easily with content marketing and SEO, others can benefit from conversion-based ad

campaigns. The key is to always analyze the results and develop better tactics and methods with

time. A well-executed digital marketing strategy is one that changes and adapts quickly as the

needs of the business transform.

Multiple Content Types

Another crucial advantage of digital marketing is the different content types available to

showcase your brand online. For a lot of platforms, there is a wide range of content types you

can choose from to keep your brand fresh and build effective online campaigns. Unlike

traditional marketing, you can more easily reproduce one content to fit as many platforms as you

want.
Increased Engagement

One of the most important advantages of digital marketing is increased engagement. Digital

marketing is designed to be highly engaging by default. Users can share a blog post, like a

photo, save a video, or engage with your website via a paid ad click. The best part is that all of

these actions can be measured. This enables you to create even more engaging posts to increase

brand awareness or boost sales. The more you engage online, the more loyal customers you can

get. Businesses that use engaging formats effectively in their online strategies have an easier

time converting cold traffic to loyal customers.

Analytics and Optimization

Another important advantage of digital marketing is web analytics which measures the result of

digital marketing campaigns in real-time. This helps to optimize future campaigns and fix any

possible mistakes quickly. Analyzing your digital marketing campaigns also enables you to have

the ability to pinpoint every source of traffic and take total control of your sales funnels.

Cons of Digital Marketing

High competition

The digital marketing campaign should be well thought of, should stand out, grab attention and

create impact on the target audience since the competition has grown many folds in the recent

past. Any monotonous approach or repeated method will drive the brand out of the competition

in no time. Digital marketing campaigns have become very competitive, thus, brands have to be

relevant to the needs of the customers and be quick in responding.


Dependability on Technology

Digital marketing is purely based on technology and the internet is prone to errors. There are

times when the links may not work, landing pages may not load, and page buttons just don’t

simply do its job. This leads the prospective customers to switch to other brands. Therefore, to

avoid this, a test of the website is necessary, also proofreading the contents and making sure that

the campaigns will work on its targeted niche becomes important.

Time Consuming

One of the biggest disadvantages of digital marketing campaigns is its time-consuming nature.

Unorganized tactics and strategies may consume a lot of time and often it becomes difficult to

devote the desirable time to the campaign. This will eventually lead to negative results.

Therefore, it has been suggested to focus on a strategy that the company needs the most then

accordingly plan and curate the content. Digital marketing tools like HubSpot, Ahrefs and

social media posting, and scheduling tools like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck should be used to

overcome the potential barriers.

Security and Privacy Issues

Security is the primary requirement for any brand, hence website protection is something to be

executed seriously as a digital marketer. Securing the network and safeguarding the network

connections by using firewalls and encryption tools like VPN is always suggested. The basic

approach of having a good antivirus is most desirable. The legal considerations in obtaining

customer data for using in digital marketing strategies must be done with all required formalities.
Protecting the customer data should be the top priority as it may be compromised during data

breaches.

The main advantages and disadvantages of digital marketing will work out only if market

research is not compromised by finding the best platform, creating the right content, taking note

of its pros and cons, learning the perfect timing, and pushing up the brand. Marketing, be it

traditional or digital, is all about connecting to people at the right time in the right place.

Solutions

Offering better content and utilizing paid media will help your business stand out to your

audiences and gain an upper hand over your competitors. Understanding your target

audience becomes prudent here. In order to gain new customers, it’s important that you first

understand their wants and needs and are able to showcase how your business is the right

solution for them. There are several tools called Make My Persona from HubSpot that simplify

the process of creating buyer personas.

As for creating content that stands out, try creating content your audience actually wants to

engage with by utilizing your blog to answer their questions and social media pages for questions

and polls that get your audience talking.

Refresh your brand for 2022. A well-defined brand increases brand recognition and can help

score more customers. For many businesses, their brand is no longer represents who they are as a

company or is no longer resonating with their target customers, which is why brand awareness

has been such a struggle.


Transparency

In this era of the virtual world, engaging the online audience requires brands to be transparent

and authentic, regardless of whether they’re finding new social media or creating new content to

post. Focus on creating quality content that increases brand loyalty and allows content to be

repurposed efficiently for the future as well.

Understand your audience. The best way to market to a consumer that doesn’t know about

your product or service is to provide content that is tailored to your key audience. What are their

challenges, motivations, how do they consume information? By understanding and defining your

target personas you can start to connect with your audience by answering their questions and

communicating your product or service as the solution to their problems. Try communicating

through a variety of channels to see where your audience is most engaged: create content that

answers their questions, use highly relevant hashtags in social media, and promote your content

with paid media to reach a wide audience.

Target the Right Audience

It’s now easier than ever to segment audiences since many digital marketing platforms allow you

to target a specific audience. We have access to online tools that keep track of an individual’s

online activities and demographic information. Digital marketers can use this data to offer users

specific products or services that they may be interested in. For instance, once a visitor clicks on

a brand’s display ad, whether on social media or through a search engine, the brand can target

that visitor with subsequent and related ads. If the content a visitor receives is based on their

interests and online behaviors, it creates positive reinforcement and makes shopping easier and

more satisfying.
Optimize and Obtain Better Conversion Rates

Unlike traditional marketing, which includes expensive TV, radio, or print ads, online

advertising platforms are much more affordable. You can also improve your advert conversion

rate more conveniently than you can with traditional advertising. With print advertisements, it’s

often difficult to track conversion rates as everything is happening offline.

Gain Brand Credibility

If any brand is to gain credibility quickly and sustainably, it would be via the internet. Content

marketing studies show that digitally active brands usually end up having the most credibility.

Through its content, a company can address customers’ doubts, clarify important concepts, and

show that it understands what drives its market.

Useful and interesting content helps a company to gain the trust of its customers, as well as that

of industry experts. It can be effective to the extent that competitors start to cite it also in their

content.
References

AlMaryani, M. A. H., Sadik, H. H. (2012). Strategic Management Accounting Techniques in

Romanian Companies: Some Survey Evidence. Procedia Economics and Finance, 3, 387-396.

Baccarini, D. (1999). The logical framework method for defining project success. Project

management journal, (Volume 30), 25-32.

Delone, W. H., McLean, E. R. (2003). The DeLone and McLean model of information systems

success: a ten-year update. Journal of management information systems, 19(4), 9-30.

Dopuch, N. (1993). A perspective on cost drivers. Accounting Review, 615-620.

Gray, P. H. (2000). The effects of knowledge management systems on emergent teams: towards

a research model. The journal of strategic information systems, 9(2), 175-191.

Henry, J. (Ed.). (2001). Creative management. Sage.

Hjelt, M., Björk, B. C. (2007). End-user attitudes toward EDM use in construction project work:

Case study. Journal of computing in civil engineering, 21(4), 289-300.

Huang, K. T., Lee, Y. W., Wang, R. Y. (1998). Quality information and knowledge. Prentice

Hall PTR.

Jorgensen, D. L. (1989). Participant observation. John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Kirkos, E., Spathis, C., Manolopoulos, Y. (2007). Data mining techniques for the detection of

fraudulent financial statements. Expert Systems with Applications, 32(4), 995-1003.

You might also like