Current MIS, Future MIS, and Me

Danielle Thacker

Personally, I have a primary major of marketing and my secondary major is management information systems. I would like to take this time to relate my MIS experiences thus far and those that will occur in the future to steps in performing a basic sales call. First exists the sales lead. I was in this position sophomore year as MIS was a field I was somewhat interested in and I knew had many potential benefits to myself and my future career in working for my family business. Next, I took some MIS classes to qualify this field of study by taking a few classes, making sure it would be beneficial to my family’s company as well as my liking as a possible career. The MIS seminar represents the initial sales call and fact-finding session, as I truly become familiar with “above the line thinking,” business intelligence, and the resources I can use in the future to keep on the cutting edge of technology. Finally, I have chosen to accept the proposal as I will be in the buying center of a new information system at our family business post-graduation. The following are my thoughts on the field of MIS, how to use MIS to create a more efficient business, and where I feel technology is going and how it will affect my future.

Management information systems is “a computer system designed to help managers plan and direct business and organizational operations” (dictionary.com). This broad definition serves as a mere foundation to the actual academic discipline and business field that combines the powers of business, technology, and management. At the end of my college career, I have found myself on the brink of many new generations in technology. From Internet 2.0 to the introduction of Windows Vista to Web 2.0, the technological world is anything but stagnant. By my standards, a successful business is one that embraces technological change so long as it continues to better the business. There are two ways to use MIS to better the business, internal and external.

To internally better a business through MIS is to make operations more efficient through computer systems that enable better information and better flow of information. For example, Toyota recently overtook Ford as the number two auto manufacturer. Philip Evans, senior vice president at the Boston Consulting Group says Toyota “has a very clear understanding of the role technology plays in supporting the business” (Driving). One of the most notable examples of technology in Toyota’s business is their just in time inventory. “Here, seats arrive from a nearby Johnson Controls plant every four hours, in exactly the right sequence and format to match the car on the assembly line—be it beige leather bucket seats, or a fabric three-seater bench” (Driving). Toyota’s supply chain management system is one component of a very successful internal management information system that is able to significantly keep costs down. Another example from Toyota’s manufacturing plant is their use of Activplant Performance Management System, which monitors all the machines and robots of a manufacturing plant. If a machine goes down, it is able to track the exact time it happen, the conditions of the plant, speed of operation, etc… in order to more rapidly pinpoint the exact problem with the machine which enables a better fix time. Internal MIS systems are critical to the success of a company as they can be used as a cost reducing mechanism and they and they will ultimately provide a better product and service to external users.

Along with providing internal benefits, MIS can also provide benefits to enhance the external user experience. One of the hottest areas within MIS is customer relationship management. The ability of CRM software to completely track consumer purchases and to make suggestions for accessory items is and will be another critical success factor many businesses. Apple’s iTunes has effectively achieved this with their iTunes store. As I open up my iTunes store, I see a section entitled “Just for You” which is a section powered by CRM software. It tracked the Kenny Chesney song I purchased, and based on this purchase it has suggested a song by a similar artist, Dierks Bentley, in my “Just for You” section. This is a perfect example of how businesses will push information in a manner that is customized to the consumer. CRM systems can also be used by sales forces to organize and communicate their customer relationships to others within the company. These systems prevent duplicate sales calls, phone calls, and re-iteration of information to the customer which not only will reduce costs, but enhance the customer experience.

Management Information Systems has created definite place among current business culture, but where will MIS be in the future? MIS will definitely have a place in the future. Ubiquitous wireless access on laptops and PDA’s will first enable to push of information to consumers. In the foreseeable future, I envision country concert ticket sale alerts being pushed to my phone because of my purchase of a Kenny Chesney song on iTunes. This pushing of information applicable to myself is the first step in a new method of generating additional revenue. From this, consumers will move into a state of only accepting information they deem as pertinent. For example, you will see a changeover from the general Google search, to the setting up of RSS feeds. People will no longer search CNN.com for the news they want, but they will set up an RSS feed to alert them of new headlines in their desired section. Consumers will eventually become obsessed with personalized web-pages and will no longer have the patience to sift through a general website. They will want their own page on Amazon.com, for example, that makes automatic book suggestions—easy to access with one click. Also, buyer’s remorse affects many who make purchases. As a result products online that display customer feedback in the form of a rating as well as a blog will be popular. Many possible consumers will want to see the thoughts of those who have purchased this product in the past. The upcoming generations like to gather all the information and become well-informed before making a purchase. Therefore, these blogs and feedback ratings conform with their values of learning before purchasing. From this increasing amount of blogs and RSS feeds on websites, a brand new business will emerge as companies may opt to outsource blog/feed management within their websites. Google has already capitalized on the search functions powered within many websites, so as blog/feed popularity increases, there will be a definite demand for these outsourced functions. All of these features are now in limited use, but will become very common within the very near future.

As a green twenty-one year old coming out of Villanova University, how will I plan to use this information? Well, I have committed to working for my family business that has legacy information systems that need to be replaced in order to better our internal and external operations. I will first work to replace these information systems and bring our manufacturing plant and distribution chain into communication. However in doing this, I will keep in mind the fact-finding that I have done while attending this MIS seminar. I generate ideas by watching the Google videos on technology, reading cio.com for the latest in business technology, and communicating with the Villanova network. I will use these information sources, now and in the future, to generate goals for my own information system. For now, I will achieve better internal information systems by benchmarking against some of the most lean manufacturers, such as Toyota. Simultaneously, I will work to achieve an information system that enhances the experience to external users. I would like to create a website centered around personalization featuring push information, blogs, and feeds. In addition, CRM systems that boost sales force communication and organization will be goals as well as more effective customer order procedures. This will create customer value in our company as our external user’s experience becomes more streamlined. Overall, this MIS seminar will provide me the information about the capabilities of technology and from this I will be the one to transform my family business from its current state to a company that can take full advantage of the convergence of business, technology, and management.

"What's Driving Toyota?" Mel Duvall. Baseline: The Bottom Line in I.T. 6 Sept 2006. Vol 1 No 63. Lexis Nexis Academic Database.