The following three questions pertain to the two sets of mini-cases referenced below. You need to answer each question separately for each mini-case. The first set of mini-cases is freely accessible on the Web – links to each are provided below. To access the second set of mini-cases, you are expected to log into ‘ABI Inform’ via the Langsdale Library Website and search for each case separately. (The syllabus provides more information on how to do this.)

For each system/application in the mini-cases, discuss whether its description suggests features/functionalities from one or more of the following categories of information systems covered in Chapters 2, 9, 11, and 12 of the text — TPS, MIS, DSS, ESS, ERP, SCM, CRM, KMS, collaboration environments, GIS, and GDSS. Some of these categories have multiple sub-categories, so be sure to identify any applicable sub-categories in your answer.

(As a hypothetical example, one particular system in a mini-case may appear to primarily be a decision support system targeted at mid-to-upper-level managers working in finance and accounting, with added functionality or features that resemble a management information system designed for lower-to-mid-level managers in sales and marketing. Your answer will need more elaboration and discussion, of course.)

In which stage (or stages) of decision making does each system best assist its respective user community — intelligence stage, design stage, choice stage, and/or implementation stage? Discuss and justify your answer.