Writer’s Assignment Instructions
Assignment 2: LASA 1: The Evolution of Information Systems
As an IT manager, create a 10 – 15 slide professional PowerPoint presentation (using speaker notes) for the CEO by Wednesday, September 26, 2012. The presentation topic is the evolution of information systems as seen in the organization you selected in module 1.
You will conduct research and analyze information to make recommendations for an updated system that can meet the business requirements of your chosen organization.
1. Summarize the organization’s current and past use of information systems and its impact on operations, decision making, efficiency, and profitability.
2. Explain the usage and purpose of the IS system, the improvements that can be made to it, and analyze the need for an information system. Elaborate on how decisions are made using the IT system.
3. Identify three key business requirements or needs that the system must meet of your selected organization (e.g., the system must track all customer sales by product, region, and sales representative).
4. Then, assuming that a system upgrade would be possible, discuss your responsibility as an IS professional and the roles of others in the organization to define new or other business information systems that might be needed and to select an appropriate platform. Consider various types of decision-making support systems (DSS).
5. Include a title slide, reference slide and incorporate at least three resources in your presentation.
Present your research, analysis, and recommendations in a format that could be shared with stakeholders without technical knowledge. Provide diagrams or other visual aids to explain your analysis, if needed.
Submit your assignment to the M3: Assignment 2 Dropbox.
Assignment 2 Grading Criteria Maximum Points
Summarized past and current information systems used by the selected organization. 28
Explained impact of information systems on operations, decision-making, efficiency, and profitability. 28
Described decision support system (DSS) used by the selected organization. 24
Evaluated the usefulness of a DSS and the existing DSS. 28
Identified and described three key business requirements of the selected organization. 24
Determined need for upgrade and described likely upgrade for the business requirements identified.

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CEO Additional Instructions . Please Read .

SYNOPIS of the SCENARIO

Over the next five weeks, you will be immersed in the ongoing information systems (IS) needs of two companies in the process of merging. Martin Simpson, the chief information officer (CIO) will be calling o Through research, resourcefulness, and collaboration, you and your classmates will be responsible for figuring out how IS stakeholder interests can be adequately addressed. There will be a need for evaluation, research, decision making, and discussion for an information system implementation plan that meets the needs of the new organization. Start sharpening your critical thinking skills and get ready for a one-of-a-kind experience.
You and your classmates to help with IS challenges and concerns related to the merge.
Beginning in Module 2, you will meet the chief information officer (CIO) of a company engaged in a merger with another company. Through meetings with the CIO, you will experience firsthand the various information system challenges and concerns that can affect almost any company. You will then work with classmates to identify solutions and plan information system implementation to meet the needs of the newly merged companies.
This course will enable you to acquire knowledge about the benefits of technology, its applications within a business, and how decision-making can be enhanced using technology. As you progress through this course, you will trace how organizations have moved from a paper-based way of doing business to the exciting information systems available today.
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Martin Simpson, CIO speaks instructions on the merger

Hey, I need your attention on a project!
You may not be aware of this, but our company is in the process of acquiring The Wing Company and will become a very large distributed organization called Summit Solutions, Inc.
As a result, we need to review all of our business applications to make sure they will run on an open platform. If not, I will expect you, and any other personnel you will need to involve, to use a structured approach to determine the platform needed in order to run the latest business apps.

Page 1 of 1 Business Information Systems ©2012 Argosy University Online Programs
MARTIN SIMPSON, CIO SPEAKS HIS ORDERS…………………..
OK, it seems there is money in the budget to upgrade our existing systems to accommodate all functional areas of Summit Solutions.
We need to move forward quickly on a platform decision as I would like to have all information systems in place ASAP after the acquisition paperwork is complete.
I’m going to be at a conference this week so I need you to call a meeting and bring your platform recommendations to the table. Figure out who needs to attend this meeting then go ahead and assemble meeting information for participants. It may be the same folks involved initially, or you may need to move the next level up in some cases. Be sure to include anyone who will be a stakeholder in this decision.
We have a very short timeline on this so make sure you put together and distribute enough information in advance of the meeting so that everyone can come together and make the best decision. Thanks for your help with this.
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You have a new task! The CIO of Summit Solutions, Inc. wants you to prepare and present your recommendations at a meeting on the platform issue. Your presentation will have to be written for a diverse audience including all the stakeholders and key decision-makers.
Now that you have thoroughly researched platforms and know which ones would be a good fit for your organization, let’s pull everything together and select the one choice that fits best.
In the early days of computers, you would have had the ultimate decision and authority to make the recommendation. Most stakeholders had no clue about IT terminology or the capabilities of systems. The end-users, those who would use the system on a daily basis, were practically nonexistent. In addition, there were very few choices.
In those days, computers were located in computer rooms or laboratories and technical personnel were the only ones who really used them. When department managers needed to review reports, they requested copies. However, there was no interaction between department personnel and the computers. Today, technical personnel no longer have the ultimate say in decisions concerning the operations of the department. When department managers need information, they are able to use the system to acquire the information themselves. They no longer need to rely on technical personnel for assistance.

Currently, with any IT decision, you will need to bring in personnel from all departments, including end-users, managers, finance managers, and possibly even a board member representative. When you arrange a meeting to present your recommendations, you need to make sure you have included those employees who can analyze and discuss the issue.
Otherwise, the decisions cannot be made quickly or in the best interests of the people that will be affected by the decision.
For your presentation at the Summit Solutions, Inc. meeting, you will need to determine what facts are relevant. Remember that you are dealing with a number of personalities including—those who care only about the bottom line, those who care about upward mobility, those who really don’t care and won’t contribute to the decision, and those who want it their way. You will have to make sure you prepare and present all the facts and are able to answer any questions that may be thrown your way.
In this module, you will carry out research and create a presentation on your recommendations for an IS system. Your presentation will be created keeping in mind all the stakeholders involved in the decision. As part of your research for the presentation, it may be worth your while to review some presentation techniques, team decision facilitation, and ways to deal with various personalities. You will have to present your recommendation and negotiate to get your way. If you have no experience with presentation or negotiation, now is the time to hone these skills. You will need these skills throughout your career and even in your personal life.Using the navigation on the left, please proceed to the next page.

Will this require a new infrastructure or just software? That’s one of the recommendations you people are going to have for me. That’s why we hired you.
I need you to get input from each of the end users so you know which system is preferred. You will need to determine if the requests are feasible and can operate in our environment.
Oh, and keep in mind security issues—particularly since so many more people will soon have access to our computer system.
I expect you to be on top of the latest technology trends and factor those into your decisions. Now I don’t care where you get this information, maybe it’s from Fortune and Business Week or maybe you get it from colleagues. But I expect you to be forward-thinking in these matters.
To get started, we need to evaluate our IT department to determine and analyze the following:
• Are all the software solutions being utilized by both companies up-to-date on licensing?
• What type of maintenance agreements do we have for upgrading our solutions? Are they valid at both locations now?
• Efficiency—are we utilizing all available IT options to operate as efficiently as possible?
• Effectiveness—are we utilizing all available IT options to operate as effectively as possible?
• Do we have or need a data warehouse capability at one or both of our company headquarters?
• DSS needed or do we already have one in place that works for us
• Do we need to move into an E-business plan or Internet strategy in order to increase profitability?
The resulting data will be presented with our off-site companies, so make sure you address each of their specialty areas. Keep in mind the various regulatory items that each organization has and make sure our applications can address these. Got it? Great. Thanks.
Martin Simpson, (CIO)
Martin, CIO , gives more instructions on the merger

IS merge until we provide top management with a plan for strategic decision-making. I’m stuck in executive committee meetings all week so I need you to put together some information for the CEOs.
I need you to determine who from our company and Wing should be involved in IS decisions. I don’t need specific names right now but just give me the departments and personnel level that should be included and the rationale behind those choices. We will need to establish some kind of process for how IS decisions should and will be made. There is probably some technology in the picture as well.
In fact, the CEOs were asking if decisions will be made using information from the existing IS. They also want to know the pros and cons for using technology for decision-making. I think we’d better also tell them how often strategic plans should be reviewed as well as how we will determine which plan to implement.

Do what you can to get these issues wrapped up this week. You can try catching me on my cell phone or by email if needed but I will be tied up in meetings all week so my response may be delayed. I’m counting on you—I have no doubt you can handle this without me. Thanks you need but I will be tied up in meetings all week so my response may be delayed. I’m counting on
Martin Simpson, CIO , More Instructions
You have a new task to complete for Summit Solutions, Inc. The CIO wants you to decide on an IT systems platform suitable for a distributed organizational environment. He’s told you that none of the employees are going to be happy about the change, but you will have to satisfy the employees of both companies engaged in the merger.
What is a platform? A raised surface? A pair of shoes with thick soles? An opportunity to state one’s opinion in a political discussion?
In computing, a platform refers to the standard for a computing system that determines the type of software that can be run. Software applications can be used with proprietary operating systems and open systems.
Most of you have heard of Microsoft and Apple. Each of these companies has their own proprietary operating system that is different from open operating systems.
Proprietary systems are closed systems where software applications are written to perform on specific platforms. Open systems are written to allow input from numerous sources. The input is then interpreted and produced as output. In open systems, users are allowed access to the source or internal coding and can make changes or inputs according to their needs. In closed systems, users are not allowed to make modifications. Another benefit of open systems is portability, where a computer program can be used in different operating systems with little or no rework required.

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