Management Information System - Problem Solving and Programming Concepts - Assignment Example

Management Information System 1. Database Systems (A) How are integrity, independence and integration within a database management system maintained, with reference to GBW where appropriate. Ans: Keys to the database in respect to GBW: The database management system commonly called as the DBMS is a unique set of programs that wheels the maintenance, and the utilization of database. It helps in the control of the database by the database administrators. A DBMS is a software parcel that assists in collating the data records, files and other things called as database (Sprankle Maureen, 2008). Integration and independence are very important in running any organization. Hence in the data management as well the integrity, independence and integration is very necessary to run the organization efficiently. The GBW is a company from the USA which provides financial help and services to about ten thousand customers. It provides the services like the mortgage brokering, investment portfolios, and different types of insurances like the life insurance, fire and water insurance, auto insurance etc. The company is set up into many departments, and each department deals with a particular field in the finance sector. Many clients deal with more than one area. There are many departments that deal with an outside organization which are supported by GBW. All the details relating to the products of the client and its suppliers are in the system called the database and the system that manages this database efficiently is called the database management system. (B) Nigella’s statement at the end of the scenario highlights potential issues regarding the implementation of a data warehouse system supported by data mining techniques. Explain the terms data warehouse and data mining and identify the potential problems of integrating a data warehouse system into the existing platform. Ans: Help to GBW through the data mining and the data warehouse: The process of data mining is not a fully automated one rather it is a combined effort of machine as well as the human brain. This highlights the process of the discovery of the knowledge. While studying the analysis report some ideas strike in our mind regarding the further inclusion of some of the materials in the data so the data warehouse can of great help. The multi-dimensionality of the warehoused data gives flexibility for the fast generation of the wanted data sets. Data mining and warehousing can be of great help to the GBW Investment Co. as it will help them to store their data in a better way and to utilize it when it will be needed in the future. As the data mining and warehousing are a perfect combination of human intelligence and machine work. It has a huge client following in the insurance and the mortgage sector that the storage and the further treatment of the data and to prepare a final report can be of great help and the data extraction and mining helps it to much extent. (C) Describe, in general terms, how the introduction of a data warehouse system with data mining facilities may help GBW to improve its position in the market place. Ans: Data Warehouse and Data Mining and the problems faced by data ware house system: Data mining is\ a division of the computer science that can be defined as a process that extracts important details from a large data by using the methods of statistics and other tools so that the important data can be retrieved from a group of raw data and to use them when it is required. Data mining is considered as an important tool in the modern business to change the large number of data whether in use or not into a work of worth so that it cane be saved for the future use. It is large used in the industry such as the surveillance, marketing, and for many discoveries in the field of science. A data Warehouse is a system used for the data reporting. The data is taken from the operational systems for further treatment. The data is then passed through an operational data store for further work before it is worn in the data warehouse. In short it can be termed as a store room for the data after the data is mined. There are some demerits with the data ware house that can be listed below:- 1. Scheduled data updates – The data in the data warehouse is updated nightly so the changes or additions that we do in the data would not be available until the next update. 2. Handling blank fields- When the data is loaded into the warehouse the blank spaces that it contains are automatically filled with some character like the numeric values are filled in by 0 and the texts are filled in by – (dash) The spaces in the date field are blank. All these points should be kept in mind or it could crash the look of the report. So by keeping these in mind the data warehousing system should be managed. 2. ARG International Airlines (A) (i) Explain why large companies should have an IT strategy. You should make reference to ARG’s situation in your explanation. Ans: Why large companies should have an IT strategy: For the financial year 2009-2013 an Information Technology Strategic Plan was formed. It was a collective development by Department of Homeland Security and the office of the Chief Information Officer in America. This plan was developed to give stress on the usage of information and technology, communication and other resources so as to strengthen the core goals to protect America so that the country can be prepared any time for the emergency. The IT strategy is important not only in the security point of view but also for the economic and the financial development of the country. In context to the ARG the strategy is very important as it helps in coordinating the financial, economic and the potential conflict. (ii) Comment on the decision of ARG to diversify away from its core business by making the WAN services available to other users. Explain the potential advantages and disadvantages this will provide for the company. Ans: Merits and demerits of WAN to ARG To support the business and to run it smoothly and efficiently ARG invested in the high speed International Wide area network coverage so that the data and the messages and can transferred in no time so that the 200 offices of ARG should run efficiently. The merits that ARG came through WAN were:- 1. The wires and the cables of the Wan were expected to have a life of 1 year. 2. Computer chips and other gadgets were updated as the technology improved. 3. And the systems were upgraded by investing a fixed amount of capital. The demerits that ARG faced were:- 1. There were very few suppliers who were willing to provide this much commitment. 2. A company called AP Ltd came forward but they did not meet the standard of the WAN. (B) Explain the characteristics that information provided across the ARG WAN, to ARG offices, must have. Show why these characteristics are relevant to ARG. Ans: Characteristics of the ARG WAN to ARG other Offices while providing information: The ARG WAN and the other ARG offices were in constant touch to each other in not time as it would work very fast. It would transfer large bulk of information and data from the one office to the other across the 200 offices with minimum delay. The systems that were used in the WAN were very particular. The WAN should have hardware and cabling that would last for about 1 year that would support long life of the goods. The other hardware items like the computer chips needed to be upgraded thus improving the infrastructure of the company. It required only a specific amount of Capital which would help the company to determine the Investment in the field of infrastructure. In other word the ARG Wan was of much help as it improved ARG in all possible ways by upgrading its standard. (C) Comment on any problems that will arise in ARG’s IT systems from the decision not to upgrade ARG’s basic IT infrastructure for the next ten years. Explain any impacts this will have on the core business of ARG. Ans: Problems faced by ARG if IT not upgraded: The problems that would be faced by ARG if they did not update their system are that they would not be able to send their data to their other offices within the fastest specified time. The ARG would lack in the infrastructure and would not be able to upgrade them according to increasing demands of the market They would have to invest a huge amount of capital to upgrade their systems which would again be a big hit to the company’s capitals. This would put a negative impact on the company’s business because the messages and the data would not be transferred so quickly as compared to the WAN and this would create confusions and problems. Hence WAN is a great boon to the ARG’s growth. (D) (i) Evaluate the potential dangers and benefits, both to ARG and to its potential WAN users, of providing Internet access. Ans: Dangers and benefits on providing internet. There are pros and cons of every thing if there is benefit there would be some demerits as well. Listed are some of the merits on providing internet:- 1. It would ensure speedy doing of any work. 2. It would provide sustainable advantage to the industry. 3. It would attract customers easily and this would increase the popularity of the airlines. Some of the demerits that the airlines faced due to internet access were:- 1. It would lead to breach in the privacy of the details of the customers. 2. It would hinder the rights that the customers had on the airlines as the others can misuse them. 3. The companies would not be able to get the standard of infrastructure that WAN requires. (ii) Explain how ARG can provide adequate data security to the companies which are paying to use its WAN. (You should consider the potential security problems posed by other WAN customers, by ARG’s airline customers and by the employees of ARG itself.) Ans: Data Securities to the other Companies by ARG: The ARG can provide adequate measures to stop the breach in the data security. Some of the points are listed below:- 1. By using Close circuit cameras the breach can be stopped. 2. By locking the computer systems through the password so that the persons who are allowed to use the password should only have access to the information that are recorded in the systems. 3. An assurance of the point of check that they can expect from ARG, counting access privileges to the WAN and release times of information across the network. In these ways the breach in the data security can be stopped and ARG can take such measures so as to stop data breaching and these advantages can be given to the companies that uses the data security system by the ARG. Reference: Sprankle Maureen, Hubbard Jim, (2008). Problem Solving and Programming Concepts. 8th ed. London: Prentice Hall. 298. Read More