Management Information Systems
Q1. How is it possible, as Braddock noted, to have a great deal of data but little information? How does the SAP data base and business intelligence component change this?
The possibility of having a great deal of data but little information occurs when an organization’s data is poorly sorted out. Under this situation, the value of the data that a business has is little due to its low utility, irrespective of its size. Unless data is organized properly, it remains useless to an organization (EMP Media, 2012). However, organizing data in a good way, processing and structuring it properly turns it from raw data to information, which is of more use to the organization. SAP software enables organizations to process, sort, and structure their raw data, improving the quality of their information. For instance, Fresh Direct is a company that serves very many customers (45,000 deliveries every week). This compels the company to collect a lot of data about the many customers, the nature of their orders, and the time when they want the orders delivered. Performing these functions also requires the right human resources. These are requirements that the company has met using SAP software’s business intelligence component (Laudon and Laudon, 2013).
Q2. What is meant by “visibility of the workflow” and why is it important to Fresh Direct’s success? What are exception screens and how do they work?
“Visibility of the workflow” is the ability of an organization to understand the process involved in all its tasks, from producing its goods/services to selling them to the customers. When an organization understands its workflow, it can identify the challenges that it faces in different tasks. Fresh direct had low visibility of its workflow. For example, it delivered orders without knowing their destinations. However, when the company gave its customers a customized online experience, the customers would give clear details about their destinations with their correct orders. Delivery became successful because the company’s workflow was visible. Exception screens show the area of a task where there is a problem. It detects the problems and alerts the concerned manager (EMP Media, 2012).
Q3. What has been the impact on employees of the changes brought about by SAP ERP system and the associated business intelligence applications?
The employees of Fresh Direct have become intelligent on managing workflow information. It has become easy to detect the cause of a problem when delays occur in delivery of the company’s orders (Laudon and Laudon, 2013). The employees also get the right information about the orders that customers want and the correct places to deliver them. Delivery problems are corrected fast, using the SAP ERP system, thereby increasing their speed. Employees who process the orders also do their job according to customers’ tastes and preferences (Laudon and Laudon, 2013).
Q4. How is Fresh Direct’s use of the software related to its brand image? What is them most important element of their brand?
The software has given Fresh Direct an image of a company that meets the expectations of its customers. According to EMP Media (2012), the company’s deliveries are exact, according to the orders that the customers place and they are also timely. The deliveries are also processed according to the preferences of the customers. Loyalty to the needs of the customers is the most important element of the company’s brand.
References
FMP Media. (August 30, 2012). SAP Customer Success: Fresh Direct. Retrieved on April 15,
2014 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0ZxTFZPUSg
Laudon, K.C., & Laudon, J.P. (2013). “Case 1: Fresh Direct uses Business Intelligence to
Manage its Online Grocery.” Business Management Information Systems 13e (pd
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