BIS 221 Week 2 participation Introduction to Information Systems, Ch. 10: Information Systems Within the Organization

ERP

Hello all,

What is ERP? Please describe its functionalities.

Functional area information system?

Hello All,

It does not matter in what you major, at some point in your career, you will be involved at some level in the design or implementation of an information system where you work. We all need to understand that there are very few off-the-shelf system packages that will meet all the needs without (1) making changes to our business process, or (2) making changes to the package so that it will work with the business’ existing processes. When a business does not come to grips with this when considering a new information system, the system has the potential to fail.

Those of us involved need to consider a new information system from three perspectives. (1) The vanilla approach, where the business implements a standard ERP package, using the package’s built-in configuration options. When the system is implemented in this way, it will deviate only minimally from the package’s standardized settings. This can make the implementation quicker, but the extent to which the software is adapted to the organization’s specific processes is limited. (2) The custom approach, where the business implements a more customized system by developing new functions designed specifically to meet their needs. Decisions concerning the degree of the system’s customization are specific to each organization. To utilize the custom approach, the organization must carefully analyze its existing business processes to develop a system that conforms to the organizations particular characteristics and processes. This approach can become expensive and risky because computer code must be written and updated every time the vendor releases a new version. If the customization does not perfectly match the needs of the business, then the system can be very difficult to use. Or (3)?The best of breed approach combines the benefits of the vanilla and customized systems while avoiding the extensive costs and risks associated with complete customization.

In the end, no matter what you do in your career, you will come in contact with and more than likely depend on an information system to do your job.

All, What is a functional area information system?  What are its major characteristics?