MMPC-008 Solved Assignment

1) How IT is used in an organization (illustrative case)

Chosen organization (example): a medium-sized retail business with both store and online sales

In such an organization, Information Technology is applied to handle large volumes of work quickly, reduce manual effort, improve communication, and support decision making. Typical IT use includes high-speed computation, fast and low-cost communication, compact storage with easy access, automation of routine work, and analysis of large data (including Internet-based data) for managerial decisions.

A) Operational applications (day-to-day running)

• Transaction processing and record keeping: capturing sales, purchases, receipts, and stock movements so that operations remain accurate and timely (e.g., inventory control and quicker customer service).
• Automation of routine activities: reducing repeated manual tasks and cycle time by using IT-enabled processes.
• Office productivity support: using office automation tools such as spreadsheets, word processors, presentation packages, and personal databases/calendars for structured and unstructured work.

B) Functional-area applications (department-wise)

• Finance & accounting: supporting forecasting, financial reporting, and other finance-related decision activities.
• Marketing and customer-facing work: supporting sales/marketing planning and customer interaction, including online service practices where responsiveness and customer service quality affect outcomes.
• Human resources and administration: supporting information handling and routine workflows that benefit from automation and reliable storage/retrieval.

C) Managerial control and decision-support applications

• Management Information System (MIS): converting operational data into regular, meaningful information for internal control and managerial decision making (not only internal data, but potentially relevant external data as well).
• Using external information (Internet/Web): managers can use an Internet link to locate related information/data from the Web to improve analysis and decisions, while still judging quality and reliability.

D) Strategic applications (competitive and long-term impact)

• Strategic use of IT: improving productivity, reducing cost, enhancing decision making, strengthening customer relationships, and developing new strategic applications.
• Process redesign and integration: using IT in business process reengineering and integration efforts (high potential gains but also risk), and using enterprise-wide systems to integrate business processes.
• Networking and connectivity as an enabler: networks and Internet/Intranet support fast access, remote coordination, and improved service delivery across locations (classic examples include network-based reservation and information access).

E) Integrated enterprise applications (example)

• ERP-style integration: using integrated software modules to link major functions such as financials, procurement, order management, manufacturing, and related activities. (Oracle EBS is one example of such an integrated suite discussed in the course.)

2) Anthony–Simon framework for MIS and decision making

Why this framework is useful

Organizations have limited time and attention, but face large amounts of data. MIS is intended to provide timely, accurate, and decision-relevant information rather than simply “more data.” Frameworks help managers classify decisions and match information support to the management level and the decision type.

A) Anthony’s view: three levels of planning and control

• Strategic planning: top-level, long-range decisions that set direction and major policies.
• Management control: ensuring resources are used effectively to achieve objectives; typically medium-term and policy-driven.
• Operational control: ensuring specific tasks are carried out efficiently and correctly; typically short-term and routine.

This classification is used to understand what kind of information is required at each level (e.g., more aggregated and externally-oriented at the top, more detailed and frequently updated at the operational level).

B) Simon’s view: how decisions are made and how structured they are

• Decision phases: Intelligence (recognize and define the problem), Design (develop/compare alternatives), and Choice (select an alternative).
• Decision structure: decisions can be structured/programmable (routine, rule-based), semi-structured, or unstructured/non-programmable (novel, judgment-heavy).

C) Putting Anthony and Simon together for MIS design

• Operational control + structured decisions: typically supported by routine information flows and detailed internal data.
• Management control + semi-structured decisions: typically supported by MIS reports plus analytical support where managers compare alternatives.
• Strategic planning + unstructured decisions: typically supported by highly summarized information, broader external perspectives, and executive-oriented support.

The combined view explains why different “support systems” exist: routine reporting for structured needs, analytical/decision support for semi-structured needs, and executive support that may include external data for strategic decisions.

3) Role of social media in supporting organizational decision making (with example)

A) Social media as a collaboration and communication channel

The course treats social media as part of modern electronic communication: it supports sharing information and coordinating work, including messaging/group communication that enables teams to collaborate even when they are not co-located. This changes how businesses operate by enabling “same-time, different-place” and “different-time, different-place” communication patterns through modern tools.

B) Social media as an external input for analysis

Decision making improves when managers can bring in relevant external information. The course notes that MIS can use Internet links to collect related data and information from the Web for better analysis and decisions; however, the quality and source of Web content must be judged before it is treated as reliable input.

C) Practical organizational example (retail context)

• Situation: a retail business starts receiving repeated customer complaints and product queries through social media channels.
• Decision support use: the team uses social media messages as early signals, shares them internally through communication systems, and consolidates key points for managers to review alongside internal sales/stock information.
• Decision outcomes: managers can decide corrective actions (e.g., supplier follow-up, service changes, communication to customers) faster because information is exchanged quickly and relevant external signals are visible early.

This aligns with the course emphasis that IT helps organizations identify changes in customer behavior and respond quickly, moving from reactive “firefighting” to proactive action.

D) Compliance and responsible use

Because social media and digital technology use is increasing, organizations must also follow ethical and legal guidelines (e.g., relevant IT rules and responsible handling of data and access).

4) Stepwise factors to consider while building AI in an organization

Step 1: Clarify the business purpose and scope

• Define what organizational problem the AI system should address and how success will be evaluated.
• Keep system requirements clear and stable enough to avoid uncontrolled expansion of scope.

Step 2: Select a suitable AI approach for the task

• The course explains that AI is concerned with building “smart” programs/machines that can observe the environment, reason, and act.
• Key AI task areas highlighted include knowledge representation and reasoning, heuristic search, inference, learning, and planning—choose what matches the business need.

Step 3: Plan information/knowledge inputs (internal + external)

• Identify what operational data (internal) and what external perspectives (Web-based sources) are needed.
• If Web-based inputs are used, plan how content quality will be judged and refined before use.

Step 4: Decide how knowledge will be captured and represented

• For knowledge-based AI (e.g., expert systems), define how domain knowledge will be stored and how the system will apply it to reach conclusions.

Step 5: Build using a disciplined development approach

• Treat AI development like an information system project: proceed systematically through analysis, design, implementation, and ongoing improvement/maintenance.

Step 6: Ensure usability, performance, training, and documentation

• Design for user-friendly operation and acceptable response time.
• Provide training and adequate documentation so the system can actually be adopted and used effectively.

Step 7: Put governance, security, and legal/ethical controls in place

• Follow information security practices and ensure access control, auditing, and responsible use of organizational and customer data.
• Align incident-response readiness with national structures such as CERT-In, which coordinates and supports handling of cyber security incidents.

Step 8: Deploy, monitor, and improve continuously

• After deployment, monitor outcomes and refine the system—especially where learning/adaptation is involved (as discussed under AI-linked trends such as machine learning and analytics for decision support).

5) Short notes (you may choose any three)

a) CERT-In

CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) is described in the course as a national-level body supporting cyber incident management. Its work includes collecting and analyzing incident information, issuing alerts/advisories, and helping coordinate response and mitigation actions for cyber security incidents affecting organizations and users.

b) Oracle EBS

Oracle’s E-Business Suite (Oracle EBS) is presented as an integrated suite of business software modules. It supports enterprise-wide integration across major functional areas such as financials, human capital management, procurement, order management, supply chain, manufacturing and related domains—helping standardize and integrate business processes.

c) Business value of Information Systems

The course emphasizes that information systems create business value by improving productivity, reducing costs, strengthening decision making and control, improving customer relationships/service, and enabling new strategic applications. A retail-oriented illustration discussed is that systems can help customers locate items quickly and help the organization with inventory control and better service, thereby reducing overhead and improving performance.

d) Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

SDLC is a structured, phased approach to developing and maintaining information systems. The course outlines a flow that typically includes project identification/selection, initiation and planning, analysis, design, implementation, and then operation and maintenance. This helps keep development organized, aligns the system with requirements, and supports long-term upkeep after deployment.

e) Cryptocurrency

In the course, cryptocurrency is explained as a digital currency used in blockchain-based environments. Transactions are secured using cryptography and are recorded in a public ledger, with storage in digital wallets. The material also explains that blockchain supports a decentralized, distributed ledger model and that ownership/transfer relies on cryptographic mechanisms such as keys, while coin creation can occur through mining.