Case Study 3 Chapter 2 : Modernization of NTUC Income

Question 1: What were the problems faced by Income in this case? How were the problems resolved by the new digital system?


—Income’s insurance processes very tedious and paper based.
—The collection schedule could introduce delays of two or three days.
—Investment to upgrade the HP 3000 mainframe that hosted the core insurance application broke down – took several months to restore the data loss if hardware crashes
—In-house IT team – Broke multiple times, halted the system’s and caused temporary interruption 
—Started with customers meeting an agent, filling in forms and submitting documents 
—Then submit forms to branches from couriers to the office service department 
—Office service would log documents, sort them, and then send them to departments for underwriting 
—Proposal allocated to underwriting staff then sent to computer service department lastly redistributed 
—For storage all the original document packed and sent to warehouse, staff log and store the document

Question 2: What types of information systems and business processes were used by Income before migrating to the fully digital system? 
 
—In 2002, upgrade the HP 3000 mainframe that hosted the core insurance applications as well as the accounting and management information systems but still frequently broke down.
 -  HP 3000 only backup system allowed restoration of   previous days backup data.
—The COBOL programs were also developed in early 1980s and maintained by Incomes in-house IT team.
-    To be quite cumbersome and time taken to launch new product ranged.
—New customer application for motor insurance.

Question 3:Describe the Information System and IT Infrastructure at Income after they migrating to the fully digital system

—Information system
-Income change to Java based eBao life system from eBao technology
-Its compromised 3 subsystems which is Policy Administration, Sales Management and Supplementary Resources
-Consist of customer-centric design, seamless integration with imaging and barcode technology
-Immediately on high availability platform
 
—IT infrastructure
-Has been replaced with a more robust, scalable architecture
-All servicing branches has been replace with scanner
-Monitor changed into 20inches
-PC Ram size upgraded to 128mb
-new software and hardware for application servers, web servers, and disk storage system were installed

Question 4: What benefits that Income reap from the new system 

- —500 office staff and 3400 insurance advisors could access the system anytime , anywhere
—- Staff member who telecommute enjoyed faster access to information almost as fast as those who accessed the information in the office
—- Improve cross sells and customer service
—- System become more flexible
—- Cut the time and cost needed to design or launch new product
—- Support agents and brokers
—- Customer can do online services easily
 
Question 5: How well is Income prepare for the future . Are the problem describe likely to be repeated 

-— Income has continuously upgrade their software system according to the evolving of technology from paper based system to digital web-based system
—- This is to ensure the easiness of their services
—- Income also ensured that their customers will always get the best service from them
—- Those problem would not likely to be incurred if Income continuously analyzes the problem and drawbacks of their system
- —And if Income keep on finding the best and new ways to solve the problems, it might never occurred again

Case Study Chapter6 : Foundation of Business Intelligence : Database and information management

1. Discuss the role of information policy, data administration, and efforts to ensure data quality in improving data management at American Water.
 

• Developing a database environment requires policies and procedures.
• Maintenance, distribution, and use information in improving data management at American Water.
• Data administration - responsible for information policies, as well as for data planning, data dictionary development, and monitoring data usage.
• Identifying, incorrect, inaccurate and irrelevant pieces of data. 

2. Describe roles played by information systems specialists and end users in American Water’s systems transformation project.

• To determine precisely which pieces of data from the old system will be used in the new system and which data do not need to be brought over.
• Support an enterprise wide business intelligence program based on a single view of the business.
• Migrate the data from American Water’s old systems to the new platform.
• SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence enables business users to view, sort and analyze business intelligence data.
• It includes generating queries, reports and interactive dashboards.

 3. Why was the participation of business users so important? If they didn’t play this role, what would have happened?
 

• They (American Water) want to expand the business to the next level.
• To achieve that goal.
• The data cleansing processes also would be worthless.

  
4. How did implementing a data warehouse help American Water move toward a more centralized organization?

• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system designed to replace disparate systems with a single integrated software platform.
• Migrate the data from American Water’s old systems to the new platform.
• Data migration entails much more than just transferring data between old and new systems.
• SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence.
• Data cleansing required.  

 
5. Give some examples of problems that would have occurred at American Water if its data were not “clean”?
 
- Difficult to manage. 
- Software system could not handle the required regulatory controls

 6. How would American Water’s data warehouse improve operations and management decision making?
 

• SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence, set of tools that enables business users to view, sort, and analyse business intelligence data. It also include tools for generating queries, reports and interactive dashboards.

• IBM Operational Decision Manager, a full-featured, easy-to-use platform for capturing, automating and governing frequent, repeatable business decisions.

Case Study : DP WORLD TAKES PORT MANAGEMENT TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH RFID

Questions 1: HOW DID IDENTEC SOLUTION’S RFID-BASED TECHNOLOGY HELP DP WORLD INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF ITS CUSTOMER’S SUPPLY CHAINS?
RFID has enabled DP World to increase the productivity of container handoffs, speed the entry and exit of trucks through terminal gates, and increase fuel efficiency. 
Identecs’s RFID-based solution has also enabled DP world to improve customer satisfaction by enhancing the efficiency of customer’s supply chains through smoother, faster, and more effective delivery of their containers at terminal gates. 
 
Question 2:DESCRIBE TWO IMPROVEMENTS THAT RESULTED FROM IMPLEMENTING THE IDENTEC RFID-BASED SOLUTION.
   
RFID has helped it to tighten security by providing better accuracy on inbound and outbound truck movements through the terminals. For instance, the system can automatically check whether a truck has a booking and weather it is authorized to enter the port.
It also helps the elimination of lengthy paper transaction and manual inspection at gates and the reduction in manual data input error. Next, helps in approaching  to deliver a superior level of service and considering the expanding of the RFID to enable for further optimize supply chain. 
 
Question 3: HOW DOES THE CONCEPT OF SUPPLY CHAIN EXECUTION RELATE TO THIS INTERACTIVE SESSION? 
 
The concept of supply chain can be relate to the way they enhance customer by providing quality and innovative service.  The concept also helps heavily in terminal infrastructures, technologies , and people to best serve its customer. In addition its encourage in improving the way the interactive session.
  
Question 4:What managerial, organizational, and technology challenges
might DP World have faced in the early stages of the RFID project’s
deployment?
   

• DP World has adopted a customer-centric approach to enhancing its customer’s

• supply chains by providing quality, innovative services to effectively manage container, bulk, and other terminal cargo. The firm invest heavily in terminal infrastructures , technologies, and people to best serve its customers.

• Other than that, the problem that encountered is in container terminal operations is traffic congestion at port entry points. This congestion is often due to delays introduced by lengthy procedure and paper-based logistics.

• DP World management wanted to take things a step further and decided to make the loading and unloading of containers operate on ‘just in time’ principles to improve container turnaround.

Case Study : THE COMPUTER SYSTEM

1. Distinguish between hardware and software

Hardware
Definition : Device that are required to store execute the software
Type : Input, storage, processing, control and output device.
Examples : Printer, video card, scanner, monitor, cd rom, modern, routers
Software
Function : Hardware serve as the delivery system for software solutions
Definition : Is a program that enable a computer to perform a specific task, as opposed to the physical component to the system (hardware)
Type : System software, programming software and application software
Examples : Internet explorer, microsoft word, adobe acrobat
Function : To perform specific task you need to complete. Software generally not needed to perform its basic level task such as turning on and responding to input

2. Identify the functions of each fundamental computer hardware component


žThe most important of these components is the central processing unit (CPU), or microprocessor,
which acts as the "brain" of your computer.
žAnother component is random access memory (RAM), which temporarily stores information that
the CPU uses while the computer is on. The information stored in RAM is erased when the
computer is turned off.
Hard drive: storage that store anything such as programs, pictures and files.
žAnother hardware is the interface for the computer, such as keyboard, monitor, mouse, speakers,
printers.
3. Explain  the concept of Input-Process-Output (IPO) Cycle

The concept of IPO cycle is the input(s) - anything we wish to embed in a system for some type of
use such as keyboard, scanner, microphone, mouse etc.
žThe process- act of taking inputted data and converting it to something usable
žThe output - for process information and usable format , come in many different form such as
monitor, speaker, printer etc. 
žStorage - saving data for a period time such as hard disc, usb drive, cd etc.
 4. Explain  the recent development of hardware and software technologies

žThe recent development of hardware and software technologies are wearable technology. One of the
famous wearable technology is the google glass, žwearable technology can help in treating health
probs such as Parkinson disease, FDA, heart pump, and cochlear implant.

Introduction

The purpose of this blog is to share about all the case study that we had done in Managing Information System subject in University Technical Malaysia Melaka.

Prepared for : Dr. Yusri Arshad 

By :

MOHAMAD TAUFIQ BIN MOHD NOOR

MUHAMMAD NAJIB BIN NADZRI         

MUHAMMAD KHUZAIRI BIN ZAINUDDIN 

WAN NURFAEZATY MD GHAUZ

WAN NORSYAHIRAH WAN OMAR

NAJIHAH MOHD AMIN

NURAIN FASIHAH RAMZUZZAMAN