Group Assignment: Post # 4 (Answer)

Part A
For Fedex, they provide the various tools supporting their customers in supply chain management processes as below
EC-Inventory VisibilityFedEx EC-Inventory Visibility allows you to utilize the Internet to access and maintain inventory and warehouse management information. The system also offers shipping and tracking functions, empowering you with complete visibility of where your goods are throughout the supply chain.

FedEx EC-Manufacturing VisibilityFedEx EC-Manufacturing Visibility represents an innovative solution to manage one's inbound supply chain. It enables you to track inbound shipments of components and raw materials via the Internet. The system also allows for data management, forecasting of lead times, and comparison of forecast versus ordered products.

FedEx EC-Warehouse ManagementFedEx EC-Warehouse Management is a Java-based system that provides inventory and warehouse management. This system offers the complete functionality including reporting and administration features. EC-Warehouse Management possesses Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) capabilities, allowing flexible data exchange between systems.

EC-Return ManagementFedEx EC-Return Management builds customer confidence and satisfaction by providing an Internet-based post-sales system for handling returns, repairs and replacements with a superior level of after-sale service.


Part B
Fedex and UPS provide web shipment checking system for customer to check all the information about the shipment. Like shipment status, transportation time and cost etc.
The customer only need create their own account in these express companies. Then they can enjoy these services.

Group Assignment: Post # 5 (Answer)

PART 1
Intellectual Property Rights – pirate software, file-sharing systems
Many companies are using the pirate software in order to save the money. They buy the illegal software disc or download the software by the fire-sharing system. But both are illegal action and violates the privacy.

Computer abuse - Spam e-mail
Some companies will send e-mail about their product promotion or advertisement about their companies to the customer after they collected the customers’ e-mail. But most of them didn’t ask for the customers’ option before they send the e-mail to them.

Collection of Customer personal date
Many companies collect the customer personal date for contact in the future or for the marketing purpose. But many of them didn’t well protect the date. Few of them will sell the date to the 3rd party which is not related for company or the business. It violates the personal privacy too.


PART 2
The government have some law to protect the Property Rights. It includes the Intellectual Property. But the most effective way for protect Property Rights is teach the citizen and let them understand the important of ethical. And the employer should teach and control his/her staff.

For the spamming problem, the government also has the law to rule about electronic messages Bill. So all the company in HK must follow this.
On the other hand, the company also can do something when they collect customer information.
For example, they can use the Opt-out model to ask the customer they want to receive any promotion or not by e-mail when they are collecting the customer information.

For the personal date collecting, it has not any rule to protect and rule about this. The only we can do is we should judge the company which we gave the date to them is believable. Also, we must think twice before we give any of our personal information to others.

Group Assignment: Post # 3 (Answer)

PART 1

Break-even Calculator

Break even analysis depends on the following variables:
The fixed production costs for a product.
The variable production costs for a product.
The product’s unit price.
The product expected unit sales.

Break even can help to find out when the cost (variable and fixed) will be covered at which sales volume. Also, we can use this tool to calculate how much profit we can get in different sales quantity.

For the Senior Management level, they can see how many they need to sell to cover all the cost and gain profit. Then they can use this for analysis with other date, like competitors’ sales and market share. After that they can set long-term strategic planning and company objective.

For the Middle Management level, they need check the profit periodically to achieve the company objective. If not they need to do some activities in order to achieve the goal. For example, they may do more promotion to increase the sales. And they can use the break-even calculator to recalculate the cost and profit.

HSBC Mortgage Planner

HSBC Mortgage Planner is a tool for the company to have the estimate result and some general mortgage information. It includes: HOW MUCH CAN I BORROW? WHAT WILL IT COST? HOW MUCH CAN I SAVE ON “DEPOST-LINKED MORETGAGE”?

For Senior Management, they can know how much they can borrow from bank by this tool, then they can arrange the amount to use in different company uses. For example, company development etc.. Also, they can estimate the cost for the mortgage.

For Middle Management level, they can give guideline to the account department how to help the company to borrow bank and how to use the money after borrowed.

PART 2

1. Accept/Enter Order : Sales Management – Sales Order

2. Order Acknowledgement : Sales Management – Sales Order (Posted)

3. Purchase Materials : Procurement Management – Purchaser Order
Material Requirement Planning (MRP) – Purchasing Plan

4. Receive Materials : Warehouse Management – Physical Inventory, incoming shipment

5. Production : Production Management – Process Plan
Material Requirement Planning (MRP) – Manufacturing plan

6. Packing : Production Management – Work Requirement, Quality Control Report

7. Shipping : Warehouse Management – Goods Transaction
Sales Management – Goods shipment

8. Invoicing and Collection : Sales Management – Sales Invoice
Financial Managment

PART 3

Marking Department, Sales Department, Warehouse, Purchase Department, Production Line, Transportation and Shipping and Account Department.

First of all, by using the ERP system, it can integrate all data and performance monitoring across multiple different department in company even in different locations
If that, all employees are using the most updated information, so it can avoid any mistake by using the old and incomplete date.
Which mean they will standardize for all data in the company and improving the operating performance. Also, it will minimize the response time to customers and suppliers.
All the staff can working more efficient and work much more easier.

ERP software can serve as a foundation or platform for decision support systems because it provided the extensive database. It integrating the date and the staff can use this system in different locations but it can keep the consistence, so the company can use the ERP as a foundation or platform.

Group Assignment: Post # 5

Businesses and individuals must be aware of the information security and ethical issues that come together with their dependence and frequent use of information systems. Not knowing or caring about these issues may bring about loss of confidential information and lasting damage to their business reputation. In this post, you will talk about the following:

1) Think of 2 to 3 ways in which businesses may violate privacy or ethical rights without realizing it.

2) How can the violations mentioned in the previous question be avoided or minimized ?

Group Assignment: Post # 4

Group Assignment: Post # 4
Logistics companies such as FedEx and UPS no longer merely carry goods from one place to another. Some of them also provide supply chain planning and management services to their customers and help them manage their supply chain information. Investigate the web site of FedEx OR UPS to see how these companies’ services may be used for supply chain management. Then, answer the following questions:a) What supply chain processes can each of these companies support for their clients ?b) How can customers use the Web sites of each company to help them with supply chain management ?

Group Assignment: Post # 3

Group Assignment: Post # 3
Try any one of these decision support systems and describe two examples of decisions which they may help to support. For each decision, describe whether the decision would be made by operational, middle or senior management levels :
Break-even Calculator
Online Customer Lifetime Value Calculator (from Harvard Business School)
Hong Kong Yellow Pages Online Map
HSBC Mortgage Planner
Next, try out the different modules within the OpenBravo ERP demo. After you've familiarized yourself with these tools, identify which module can be used to handle each step within the Order-to-Cash business process below:
Accept/Enter Order
Order Acknowledgement
Purchase Materials
Receive Materials
Production
Packing
Shipping
Invoicing and Collection
Which departments need to coordinate from start to finish of the Order-to-Cash business process ? Describe how the ERP software makes their work easier. Also explain why ERP software can serve as the foundation or platform for decision support systems.

Group Assignment: Post # 2 ( Answer )

1st Report: Internet Sales Amount by Geography by Date by Product
This report shows the company’s customers geography, sales amount, revenue Goal, revenue status, revenue trend, product category and the date
Company can use this report to find out which item/items is/are most selling in each country, city and customer.
On the other hand, they can compare the sales amount, revenue trend for different market and periods easily.
Alos the company can arrange and sell the suitable items for each market and customer with this report.

2nd Report: Internet Sales Amount by Customer by Date by Employee
This report shows the customers, sales amount, revenue Goal, revenue status, revenue trend, employee and the date.
This report mainly is for the company to see the sales amount for each employee.
And they can use this report to have a better arrangement for the market and customer.
For example, the can arrange a senior employee for a new customer or a developing market etc.
Also the company can use this report for annual review about the employees’ performance and calculate the commission or bonus.



3rd Report: Internet Sales Amount by Customer by Date by Promotion
This report includes geography of customer, sales amount, revenue goal, revenue status, revenue trend, discount rate and the date.
The company can compare the sales amount and discount rate for each customer.
Then they can adjust the discount rate depends on the customer sales amount.
Also they can control their costing much better for using this report.




Benefits for using OLAP cube through the Web browser to query a data warehouse.

- It is easy to analysis and reporting. We can change the dimensions and measures easily to show different date for analysis.
- We can use the OLAP by a web conveniently, we can use this in office, at home or during meeting.
- It is time saving for consolidating and manage large date.
- It is a helpful tools for improving decision making
- Different users can use the same date for different report in the same time, it can improve the working efficient.