Question

Go through the case and answer the questions that follow
Precision is an established brand in wristwatches and claims that PWL could achieve this status due to various management initiatives undertaken to make it an IT-enabled Internet driven Enterprise. PWL has become more customers centric. In E-environment we come to know what customer wants and what changes are taking place in the market. This is possible as we get online information in real time mode about choice of product made or expressed by the customer, rate of sale of products by location, segment and market, and unsuccessful sale events by reason and so on. With established communication network PWL, knows customer preferences, product movements, modifications and is able to respond faster to customer requirements and expectations.
PWL has four factories at Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Malaysia. Due to networking of all work centers, sales points, dealers, distributors and use of enterprise business process application suite.
PWL has management information daily on:-
1. Product Inventory: Brand, Model, Price, and Location
2. Product Sale: Fast Moving and Slow Moving
3. Market: Segment, Areas, and Locations
4. Customer: Preferences, Profile, and Lost Customers
PWL claims that all this is possible due to implementation of ERP package SAP. The implementation goal of SAP ERP was to:
• Make information access available to all concerned.
• Provide information integrity for all users.
• Integration of complete supply chain.
• Reduce inventory of watches, and know at all sales point 'Where is what?'
With ERP implementation, IT is an integral part of the enterprise making it E-business enterprise. Management of PWL is able to handle efficiently dispersed, disparate and heterogeneous customer preferences. Management is able to compete in a dynamic wrist watch market where competition from gray market and international brands is very strong.
Using IT-enabled applications Internet technologies integration of supply chain is a challenge. To boost these strategic initiatives PWL implemented B2B solutions to leverage Internet for order handling, configuring, tracking, and delivering. PWL is also thinking of implementation of Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) technology, as it believes RFID is the
technology of the future and is more efficient for handling variety of watches and high value of inventory.
PWL is convinced that strategic use of IT and Internet has made PWL an E-business enterprise where IT and Internet are business drivers and enablers as well. Management claims that success of enterprise is due to user and customer participation in E-Enterprise solution. PWL now has online Management Information systems support when weekly meetings are held for business review, operation review, and customer issues.
Questions:
A. Discuss the role of MIS for PWL in detail.
B. Identify different Information system at each level which PWL may be using.
C. Explain how SAP-ERP helps PWL to handle dynamic nature of business.
D. What are the other tools of Information System used by PWL and how are they beneficial for the company.

Answer 1

A.ROLE OF MIS FOR PWL:-

A Management information system(MIS) helps the PWL company to gather data from multiple online systems,analyzes the information and reports data which helps in management decision making.

MIS helps the company to properly strategise the overall work.Through MIS management has information daily on:-

• Product inventory- Such information helps the management to properly calculate economic order quantity,price,brand,model,location of inventory etc.
• Product sale- It helps to determine whether sale is fast moving or slow moving.
• Favourable market locations.
• Trends in the market, customer preferences etc.

Hope this answer helps you..