Information Systems

1.  (10 points) Read the chapter and then answer the following questions:

1. Describe the organizational, people, and technology dimensions of information systems.

Organizational dimensions within the information systems include the business procedures and processes and how they work.   A business’ culture is another dimension to organization.  Also, how the business functions and the politics are all organizational dimensions. People dimensions include having skilled/trained employees that have expert knowledge in the business and their information systems.  The people dimension also includes the training of the employees to make sure they are experts in the field.  Technology dimensions include the tools that the company provides to the employees and especially the managers to handle difficult situations.  It obviously includes the software that the company uses to run the business and the technology to communicate, network and collect data.  

1. Describe each of the four steps for solving business problems.
   -problem identification: A problem must be identified by the business, next the root cause needs to be determined and last a resolution needs to be found.
   -solution design: A business needs to come to realization that there is a possibility for more than one solution, or more than one correct answer.
   -solution evaluation and choice: The solution that is decided on needs to have the manager and other employee’s approval to determine that this is in fact the best solution to the problem.
   -implementation: A solution needs to be presented to the business with all outcomes and decided that the results to this solution will be positive, therefore it will have a positive outcome.
2. Describe the relationship of critical thinking to problem solving. Describe the role of information systems in business problem solving.
   Problem solving is the steps of working through a problem to determine a solution. You must use critical thinking in order to problem solve.  They go hand in hand, when you face a problem that does not have an easy solution, you must critically think.  If you just follow what other people are saying, the best solution may not be chosen.  To critical think someone needs to make a judgement call and weigh out the different options and determine the best solution.  Problem solving you also must determine the best solution to the problem you are facing.
   Many problems require the technology that is provided with information systems.  The best solution will be resolved when you can use the information systems.

1. (10 points) Case Study: “Did Information Systems Cause Deutsche Bank to Stumble” on page 35. Then answer the following questions:

1. Identify the problem described in this case study. What people, organization, and technology factors contributed to this problem?
   
   The problem involves the outage that the Deutsch Bank experienced and how the bank's swap data recovery system was down.  With the swap data recovery system inoperable, more problems built up with the information systems and the reporting software.  Not updating systems is a huge problem when technology is so heavily relied on.  With the technology lacking that means the people are not trained as well as they should be and do not have the proper tools for the business to succeed.  
2. What was the role of information technology at Deutsche Bank? How was IT related to the bank’s operational efficiency, decision-making capability, and business strategy?
   
   Information Technology (IT) is essentially the director of Deutsche Bank.  Because technology is used heavily throughout the bank, IT is involved through and through.  IT is used to help with mergers, with core procedures, any tracking and reports, as well as any shared information.  Because procedures and software were not up to date, there were huge problems.  Changes were made to correct the issues that Deutsche Bank was experiencing.  Without the updates to the technology, the bank would not run efficiently, the decision-making capability wouldn't be easy if the correct tools were not available to make a good decision.
3. What solution for Deutsche Bank was proposed? How effective do you think it will be? Explain your answer.
   
   The solution that was proposed was to update and modernize the information technology that Deutsche Bank had.  The reengineering of the information systems was sent overseas to find the mistakes that could be fixed.  HP jumped on board to help with the updates and the new products.  I believe these changes will be effective as long as they are executed properly.  Employees will need to be trained and management needs to monitor the progress.  As long as the proper changes are made and everyone understands the reasons for the changes and the new procedures, they should be very effective.

1. (10 points) Watch the video cases in Chapter 1 on the blackboard. Then select one video case and answer any three questions from the list of Case Questions in that case. (Note: The contents on the Web are very dynamic. It is likely that one of the videos is no longer accessible due to many reasons.)

1. What improvements were made in the DIAD V?
   The improvements that were made are the faster response times, an illuminated screen that is easier to read at night, improved signature feature, hand strap to hold the DIAD-which allows one handed accessibility, smaller handheld, better quality barcode scanner and an easier typing interface.
2. How many times are packages handled by humans once they reach Worldport? Why is this important?
   The packages are only handled two times once at worldport.  This is very important in assuring no errors are made and that no damage occurs.  
3. What are “end of runway” facilities?
   These are same day delivery facilities.  When a customer has a package that needs to be delivered the same day, they’re sent to an “end of runway” facility to be loaded and sent off for delivery that same day.