Case of Seminole Industries

Nowadays, using a management information system is standard procedure in businesses. The firms are searching for new and improved methods of financially satisfying market expectations in order to outperform their aggressive competitors. The use of technology across the board by the company has been identified as the answer to this problem. The Seminole industries, their analysis, and potential action, embracing technology, are the specific case studied in this essay. Seminole Industries is at a crossroads in this situation because its traditional methods are working against it. The essay focuses on the method of developing an information system, and the various component to be included there as well as the expected output from the entire process. It gives a summary of the case, an history of the company's growth, an analysis of its internal and external environment, presents a short analysis of the findings, makes recommendations and draws a conclusion and action plan.














Introduction
Management information system is a term used to refer to the computerized systems that firms use to run their operations and store their records (Laudon & Laudon, 2017). It provides the management with an opportunity to evaluate, organize and the capability of managing the various departments of any particular organization efficiently. They are quite handy for the provision of past, current, and future predictions. It includes the software that is useful in decision-making, databases, hardware, people and project management, and also encompasses all aspects and spheres of an organization; people, process, technology, and content (Laudon & Laudon, 2017). The control of the whole complex web of the system gets done by an information technology manager. The essay shall thus specifically focus on the management information system application more precisely in the case of Seminole.
Background, History and Growth of the Company
Seminole, a manufacturing company, based in Silver Spring, Maryland. Seminole industries are one of the renowned companies in the production and manufacture of sophisticated fittings, used in the construction machines such as trucks and loaders. Some the business processes in the company are done internally, and barely twenty percent is what the company outsources more so on the most of the non-core affairs of the organization, which do not need to have the legal standards. The different branches of the company are managed independently to the specific needs of the people in that particular locality. Its eleven branches in the United States of America report to the company's chief executive officer. Most of the companies that they outsourced were computerized. The company used its clients' loyalty as its primary tool in containing and sustaining the competition in the market. The customer information of the company was kept with the different branches in isolation. It had a culture, communication and management systems based on the traditional or the old thinking in business practices; they worked very well and in a great business surrounding. The environment was quite competitive and cordial to the employees, mutual trust and respect was the guiding principles of the organization, until the financial crisis in the year 2008 when the business performance started to deteriorate. The company had to think otherwise and refer the situation to a real gear by introducing a management information system that changed the business process (Laudon & Laudon, 2010).
Analysis of the External Environment (PESTEL)
The background of the Seminole company presents a company that was performing very well in the 90s, with a decentralized form of management where customer needs are met at the individual level. Its relationship in the business was international, meaning that it had gone beyond the national borders.
Political Factor
Politically, the organization was sound having to have grown even beyond its nation borders means it was politically sound. The political environment in the US where most of its operations are centered is quite friendly for business like Seminole to thrive. Its stability encouraged businesses to establish themselves and gave them an opportunity to perform better.
Economic Factor
Economically, Seminole Company performed quite well for some time until the economic crisis of 2008 befall it. The sales volume or customers' orders got on a downward trend from the year 2008 to 2010, each successive year having the lesser amount of regarding orders. The events that accompanied the crisis affected the profitability and efficiency of the company.
Social Factor
Socially, the company was sound having had an excellent relation with its customers. The client's loyalty was the greatest tool that enabled the organization to remain relevant in the market for some time despite its slow process of adopting the information management systems.
Technological Factor
Technologically the company failed to embrace the new technology that even its outsourcing partners did embrace. It also has not embraced and adopted information management systems in its operation. These actions delayed its growth by affecting its profitability and efficiency.
Environmental Factor
Environmentally the organization did conserve its surrounding as there is no suggestion that the company has been at logger-head with the environmental bodies.
Legal Factor
Legally, the organization maintained the operations that required statutory control even though it outsourced some of its processes (Girdhar, 2013). It ensured that it operates within the provisions of the law that guided its existence and controlled its actions.
Analysis of the Internal Environment
Strengths
The analysis of the company shows some strengths such as a large market base that is beyond the country of origin, sensible economic base given the fact that is well known in the industry and economy at large, and strict adherence to the requirement of the law. The relationship between the company and its customers and the employees and manager is own of its own kind, a delegator system of management and customer loyal (Laudon & Laudon, 2010).
Weakness
In contrast, it had one significant problem of not embracing the technological changes like MIS. In, case one fails to change with change then definitely change will have to modify the person. The situation that Seminole was in necessitated a paradigm shift entirely in order to catch up with its competitors. The progress and continuous focus on information management are paramount for any particular organization given the dynamism that is seen in the world today, across the divide both the private and the public sector. Various factors are the genesis of this exodus, including the demand for compliance by the statutory bodies in the different jurisdiction, desire to improve service delivery and improvement regarding efficiency. In some cases, an information system is used to refer to the use of new technologies in the business operations, such as data warehousing, content management system and the use of portal applications in the business transactions in an organization (Laudon & Laudon, 2010).
Analysis of the Findings and Articulation of the Plan
Way forward to address the Weaknesses
In its quest to come up with an efficient management of information systems, Seminole industries realized that is a quite demanding for any particular organization to grow and ensure it obtains its set goals. The systems to be integrated are quite many and are a range as the number business needs to increase. The systems must incorporate different cultural and profession issues that must get adequately addressed to the needs and demands of the organization. The items range from the language required to be used in any given particular organization. Various principles are useful for the successful implementation of a management information system as the needs of the organization are equally fully satisfied (Laudon & Laudon, 2009).
Steps in the system development process and its deliverable
Feasibility Study
Various methods are available for the company to come up with an efficient management information system. There is one profound approach that has gained popularity more so in the recent past duped as the system development life cycle. The initial step is usually the formation of a feasibility study team. Fundamentally the role of assigned group is to characterize the issue and choose whether or not another framework to replace the current one is feasible. Amid the review, the investigator ought to survey the size of the issue and endeavor to confine, or if nothing else recognize the extent of the venture. The examiner must rundown unequivocally the issues of the present framework and furthermore show what might be required of the new framework. He should identify substitutable answers for the issues and prescribe the most financially savvy arrangement. Feasibility examinations incorporate the recognizable key components of the current framework, assurance of the yield necessities, contemplation of an option method for meeting comparative prerequisites, preparation of gross assessments of advancements, usage and operation costs for each plausible option arrangement, and documentation of the review (Laudon & Laudon, 2017).
System analysis
The second step is the framework investigation. It includes assessment of the present framework utilizing the assembled data. In the case of Seminole Company, it would seem that it is an aggregate redesign of the framework. One ought to assess whether the present and anticipated client needs are being met. If not, he ought to give a suggestion of what needs to be done. The examination includes the itemized appraisal of the parts of the current framework and the prerequisites of the framework (Laudon and Laudon, 2017).
System design
The third step in system configuration is to put a legitimate structure of the genuine framework in a shape that can be translated by other individuals separated from the maker. The examiner ought to infer a legitimate model of the way the current framework works. There is a suspicion that the present framework gives an incredible manual for what is anticipated from another framework. It ought to be not quite the same as how the new framework is to accomplish the given necessity. An intelligent outline produces particulars of significant components of the new framework. Physical outline is for the most part worried with how the present framework or future framework works in regards to how the projects are composed, records sorted out away media and how assignments are done for UI with the framework (Laudon & Laudon, 2010).
System development
The next step is the system development; the activity involves translation of system specification into program code. It is expected at this level that Seminole needs to outsource the services as it may not have the requisite expertise. A programmer is to integrate the user requirements into the computer system. Programming principles ought to cling to the utilization of a standard programming dialect. Disintegration of a program into littler units or modules ought to be executed according to the outline determinations. It is imperative that the programming collaboration in participation to enhance the nature of projects delivered (Laudon and Laudon, 2010).
System testing
The completion of the system development marks the beginning of the system testing, the confirmation on the usability of the system adequately to get the desired outcome. The possible users of the given program are given an opportunity use it. There are two primary ways of system testing, the black box testing and the white box testing (Laudon & Laudon, 2010).
System implementation
The next step is the implementation of the developed system Seminole company. At this stage, the system is put into use having been tested and proved to be to be user-friendly and expected. There are various measures to be taken by the company in implementation; direct, phased, parallel and pilot changeovers. In the quick move, the old framework stops its operation, and the new framework begins operation the following day. The old framework is improved in every stages. In the parallel case, the new and old frameworks are permitted to run next to each other or at the same time until it is demonstrated past sensible uncertainty that the new framework is working and every one of the advantages are figured it out. It is reasonable when the new framework is advanced, and an exceptionally cautious changeover is required or when the improvement group has little trust in the new framework and where there is more staff to adapt to the operations of both frameworks running in parallel. In staged change-over, the technique includes the execution of an arrangement of a well ordered approach. It infers that exclusive a part of the framework is actualized at first in the organization (Laudon and Laudon, 2010).
Maintenance of the system
The last step in the cycle is the system maintenance, involves changing part of the system according to the recommendations of the post-implementation review team. Seminole shall need an information system expert to help in the maintenance. There are various types of system maintenance; corrective maintenance, perfective, adaptive, preventive and replacive maintenance (Laudon & Laudon, 2010). Either of this can get adopted by the company depending on the kind of maintenance needed.
Functions of the system in Seminole Company
The functions of an information system can be classified into those functions involved in, transaction processing, management reporting and decision support. There are five broad types of systems including, Transaction Processing Systems (TPS), Management Information Systems (MIS), Decision Support Systems (DSS), Executive Support Systems (ESS) and The Expert Systems. TPS is for data entry into the system. The MIS, give routine data to leaders to make organized, repeating and routine choices, for example, restocking choices or extra honors. They concentrate on operational proficiency and give outlines of information. The choice emotionally supportive network is semi-organized and aids the basic leadership handle. The master framework is unstructured and helps the officials in their connection remotely. These frameworks should be coordinated by the Seminole Company in one strong framework (Girdhar, 2013).
Recommendations
For Seminole, to address the issue of the different branches in the different locations, a robust database need to get used other than the file system being used at present in the maintenance of the records. It will allow for up to date and continuous up to date information as it occurs. The database needs to have an administrator, who ensures that the data is always clean and to the expectations of the customers and other stakeholders in the organization. The company equally needs to include the expectation of the other branches by using the current technology that expects it to own its website. The adoption of this different options will surely revitalize the organization to the positive direction as it will be able to process, retrieve, and capture data at a very fast rate to the benefit of both the organization and the stakeholders, the bureaucracies will be done away as we can easily communicate with employees from all ranks (Girdhar, 2013). Also, the company should revitalize a change of its organizational structure to meet the needs of its clients as and when required. There exist an urgent need for proper coordination of the levels of hierarchy in the company to ensure that activities in the firm run smoothly and as planned. An employee reward system helps any company to motivate its staff to work even harder to attain its goals. Seminole Company ought to adopt a good employee reward scheme. Finally, the company should come up with an effective technique of resolving conflicts arising within its ranks. This will help in cases of conflicts arising between the management and employees of within its ranks.
Conclusion
From the preceding, the process of coming up with a management information system is very essential, the procedure of coming up with such a system is very robust and technical. There is various component expected to be included in the system. For the company to realize its goals, there is need to ensure that it adopts the right information management system in its operations. From the case, Seminole has taken a while to adopt the system which explains why it has lagged behind regarding to profitability and efficiency of operations. The analysis of the internal and external environment of a company gives it a chance to discover its strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats which are quite significant in decision-making. The analysis of Seminole Company should help it act faster to recoup a competitive advantage in the market and also be capable of increasing its profitability throughout the year. Finally, ethics and security of the individual and particular system need not be taken for granted, it is quite essential.











References
Girdhar, J. (2013). Management information systems. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Laudon, K.C. & Laudon, J.P. (2017). Essentials of management information systems (12th Ed.). USA: Prentice Hall.
Laudon, K.C. & Laudon, J.P. (2010). Management information systems: Managing the digital firm (11th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Laudon, K.C. & Laudon, J. P. (2009). Management information systems: Managing the digital firm (11th Ed.). USA: Prentice Hall.