ExamName_ ESSAY. Write your answer in the space provided or on a separate sheet of paper. 1) You work for an auto manufacturer and distributor. How could you use information systems to achieve greater customer intimacy? 2) Describe the four steps taken in solving a business problem. 3) What are the three dimensions to business problems? Give an example of each. 4) The department chain you work for has had numerous complaints about slow customer service. Your colleague, a sales manager, informs you that this happened at a previous store she worked for, and it was cleared up by hiring more sales representatives. Should you take her advice? Why not? What technique should you use in evaluating the problem? 5) Define business process. What might be a business process used at a hospital? 6) What are some of the information skills or knowledge essential for all business careers? 7) The retail home improvement chain you work for, DIY Discount, has noticed that one of its brands of faucets is not selling nearly as well as anticipated. What information systems of the business will you use to determine the reason for the poor sales? Discuss what information you will retrieve from which system. Which of the information systems will be most important for your analysis? Which of the systems will be least important? 8) In your opinion, what are at least three factors that contribute to the difficulty of integrating systems for different organizational levels and functions within an organization? Support your answer. 9) Describe at least two benefits of using enterprise systems. 10) Identify and discuss the major types of systems in a business from a constituency perspective. What is the relationship between these systems? 11) Value chain analysis is useful at the business level to highlight specific activities in the business where information systems are most likely to have a strategic impact. Discuss this model, identify the activities, and describe how the model can be applied to the concept of information technology. 12) Why should a company engage in business process reengineering? How would a company know if it needed or would gain from BPR? 13) You are consulting with the owner of Better Bodies, a national chain of gyms. What strategies might Better Bodies use in applying information services to achieve a competitive advantage? 14) Define operational excellence. How can information systems help achieve it? 15) You are a marketing manager for a national movie theater chain. Give an example of data that your department could use for creating meaningful information. What type of information could that data produce? 16) Describe the information systems supporting the major business functions: sales and marketing, manufacturing and production, finance and accounting, and human resources. 17) How is Internet technology useful from a network economics perspective? Give examples. 18) What important managerial function is impaired by not having access to timely and accurate information? What is the effect of this lack of data? 19) Apex Vacuum, a family-owned manufacturer of budget vacuums, has grown exponentially over the last few years. However, they are having difficulty in preparing for future growth. The only information system used at Apex is an antiquated accounting system. The company has one manufacturing plant located in Arkansas, and three warehouses, in Arkansas, Delaware, and California. The Apex sales force is national, and Apex purchases about a third of its vacuum parts and materials from a single overseas supplier. You have been hired to recommend the information systems Apex should implement in order to maintain their competitive edge. However, there is not enough money for a full-blown, cross-functional enterprise application, and you will need to limit the first step to a single functional area or constituency. What will you choose, and why? 20) You are advising the owner of Smalltown Computer, a new, local computer repair store that also builds custom computers to order. What competitive advantages could Smalltown Computer exert? Which ones will it have difficulty exercising? 1) You could create a web site that allows customers to customize cars, communicate with support personnel and other car owners. You could create an automated e-mail service reminding car owners to take their car in for periodic check ups. You could have an information system that tracks customer preference:s in local areas, so you can provide cars that reflect local customer needs and desires. 2) The four steps are:1.Problem Identification. In this step, relevant people in an organization must agree that a problem exists, about what the problem is and what its causes are, and what can be done about