PREFINAL | Strategic Level Information Systems | MIS

Strategic Level Information System

This system is designed to be goal-oriented; this means that these types of systems are designed to support the overall goals and directions of an organization, based on forecasted and/or researched information.

Strategic Marketing Information System

It is an information system that handles strategic marketing activities, such as segmentation of the market based on target demographics and criteria,selection of preferred market segments, the planning of products and services to meet demands, and forecasting of sales based on market segments and products.

Sales Forecasting System

This system creates different types of sales forecasts, from industry sales, product/service sales, to forecasts of market segments. These forecasts are further categorized using the preferred criteria (target demographic, location, and sales division). Regardless of type, these forecasts are usually based on more than just historical data, as they are also based on assumptions concerning possible factors such as activities of other enterprises, government actions and policies, economic and demographical trends and demands, and other pertinent factors, including even the weather.

Marketing ResearchSystem

This system handles marketing research, whether for research departments for large organizations or via consultants for smaller enterprises. Regardless of how the function is completed, the results of marketing research provide important input to both tactical and strategic decision making. These following activities are typical of a marketing research department: Conducting trend analysis of industry-wide market sales, analysis of target demographics including changes in data or trends, analysis, and identification of target demographic preferences, analysis of customer satisfaction for products/services, and estimation of market share for products/services offered.

Product Planning and Development System

The objective of this system is to make information about consumer preferences obtained from marketing research systems, and from customer inquiries available; the information is then used to develop new products with specifications that meet the criteria from the output information of the system.

Strategic Production Information System

It is a type of information system can provide support for production decisions, such as designing and lay-outing of production facilities, as well as the selection for the facilities’ technologies, policies, and personnel. Because decisions of this magnitude require the commitment of large amounts of capital and resources over a long period of time, information from this type of system is important and is therefore not to be taken lightly.

Site Planning and Selection System

This system relies on a variety of internal (within the organization, such as those from other information systems) and external (outside the organization, such as other related companies or contacts) sources of information. The information needed is mostly external and is relatively objective and quantitative in nature, such as the availability and cost of manpower, labor, delivery systems for both raw materials and finished products, availability of suitable locations, land acquisition and cost, proximity/distance to raw materials, power costs, and rate of property and income taxation.

Technology Planning and Assessment System

This particular system allows top managers to make better or more informed decisions on which production technologies should be used for a product or service. The system can identify new technologies and assess them for their strategic advantages, which can help top management in other aspects other than production. This system may use discussed underlying technologies, such as databases, traditional and/or digitized library resources, and databases maintained by the government, industry groups, private resource groups, and consulting organizations. Because of the nature of this system, it may also include technology assessment groups within the production or engineering departments of an organization.

Process Positioning System

This system handles process positioning, or vertical integration, which are processes that are to be performed for any given product or service. Processes such as part production from raw materials, assembly, or outsourced pre-fabrication and labor are included as information that allows top management to formulate decisions based on costs, production duration, and demand.

FacilityDesignSystem

This system processes information for decisions concerning proposed facilities; information for this system includes facility design and layout, proposed technologies, personnel, expected completion dates, transportation, and ultimately the costs of materials for construction and maintenance. Much of the information processed can be procured from site planning, technology assessment, and process positioning decision processes.