Birla Institute of Technology (BIT Mesra) 2006 MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS - Question Paper

“Number of varsities not enough - 1,500 needed: knowledge panel” as per a latest report in 1 of the leading dailies in India.


As per this report, India will need 1,500 universities to attain a gross enrolment ratio of at lowest 15 per cent by 2015. This is a key observation made by the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) in its note to the Prime Minister on higher education. Stating that opportunities for higher education “are simply not enough in relation to our needs,” the NKC has called for a massive expansion of opportunities.

As of today, there are about 350 universities. “This number is simply not enough with reference to our needs in higher education or in comparison with China, which authorized the creation of 1,250 new universities in the last 3 years”. It pointed out that only 7 per cent of the population in the 18-24 age group has access to higher education………....

Questions:

a. How do you think that the power of info technology could be harnessed to resolve the issue cited above. [2]



b. Bring out the contribution of institutions BITS Pilani, IGNOU, etc. in taking care of the increased demand for higher education in India. [3]

Q.3. ans the ques. (a), (b) & (c) based on the case study provided below:



PAVECA of Venezuela uses wireless in sales force automation



PAVECA, Venezuela’s largest paper goods manufacturer and exporter manufactures toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, and other paper products. The company enjoys a significant amount of market share, and seeking to maintain that, it chose to use a few e-commerce technologies to cut operational costs and improve customer service at the identical time.



PAVECA implemented a wireless system that allows its sales reps to use their wireless PDAs to connect to the Internet while they are in the field. Via the Internet connection, the salespeople can log directly into the company intranet to get all the info they need in real time. Orders can then be entered into the system and real time.



The system revolves around 2 pieces of software from iWork Software (iworksoftware.com): an automatic data collection system, and a workflow integration solution. The combination allows sales people to automatically register sales transactions into the ERP system as they occur. every sales person has a PDA that connects them directly to the company’s ERP system in real time. When an order is entered into a PDA, it goes into the ERP system and follows a predefined workflow. The savings produced by the new system as compared to the ERP / manual system were dramatic. For example, order processing time was decreased by 90 percent, order approval time by 86 percent, shipment time by 50 percent, and the time ranging from orders taken and order posting was decreased from 3 days to 20 seconds. The faster order pressing time not only lead to faster order approval but also increased the number of daily shipments out of their warehouse.



While the main goal was to improve workflow, there’s a different potential benefit here: better customer service. Because of that direct links and integration, customers can get their orders faster, and there’s less chance of errors occurring. Customers are happier and more loyal, and so indirectly, the company’s profits increases because customers are more likely to place additional orders in the future. Finally, the transmitted data enter directly into the corporate DSS models, enabling quick decisions in response to the field reports filed by the sales people.

Questions:



a. elaborate the benefits of PAVECA’s new system? [3]

b. What segments of supply chain are supported? [3]

c. elaborate the advantages of using wireless systems? [3]



Q.4. explain a few of the most common groupware products. Bring out 1 business application for every of the groupware identified. [8]



Q.5. What is pervasive computing? Highlight 4 of its applications areas. [8]

Earning:   Approval pending.