CS Inter :: Management information systems and Corporate comunications : December 2003

South-North Frontier Ltd. is in leather product business. The company has two regional offices at Vijayawada and Jaipur while factories are located at Bhiwadi, Kanpur and Karimnagar. The company is marketing their products domestically and internationally. Their sales level had touched Rs.250 crore in the year 2002-03 and earned a net profit of Rs.26.46 crore. The company has totally changed its product-mix policy and is targeting low-margin large-volume products. All these are the part of their long-term objective of becoming the market leader. New recruitments were made to increase the work-force strength at higher management level across all the functional areas. Besides this, the management of the company had gone in a big way to computerisation. As a part of the computerisation scheme, all regional offices and factories are linked through an intranet with the main server stationed at Jaipur. Now, all people in the company can communicate with each other through internal-mailing system – named as snfl.mail.com.

Shiva Rao has been appointed as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), in the Vijayawada regional office recently. He observed that inspite of successful functioning of snfl.mail.com., the expenditure on stationery and postage has not reduced, which is in contrast to the management belief. Further investigations in this regard have shown that almost every e-mail is followed by a hard copy of the same. Rao wants to check it and thereby reduce unnecessary expenses within the company.

Assume that you are working in the company under Rao. You have been asked by Rao to prepare a detailed circular to be sent to each and every person in the company highlighting the reliability of the e-mail messages and convincing them about the futility of sending the hard copy of the same. Draft a suitable circular.

“E-commerce is revolutionising business in developed and developing countries.” In the light of this statement, discuss the benefits and the process of e-commerce.

No management information system (MIS) is existing at present in your company. Suggest, in the form of a note to the General Manager of your company the importance of MIS and the actions required to be taken in the design of an MIS.

The implementation of computer based information system to replace manual systems generally requires ?

List the good and bad results of the above factors as they affect individuals who work in the organisation.

“The interactive marketing process on the internet includes a choice between pull or push marketing methods.” Explain

Discuss different types of on-line information services. Give at least two examples of on-line services in Indian service sector.

Manager of a material inward department is very strict about the quality of raw material received from the supplier. It is his habit and practice to reject the entire consignment even if a small part of it has deviated from the specified quality norms. Consequently, the production department always fell short of raw material. This has adversely affected capacity utilisation. The production manager is not very much concerned about the marginal deviation from the specified quality norms. How would you reconcile the attitudes of managers of two concerned departments ?

Your company has received an export order of Rs.1 crore. Supply is to be made within 1 month’s time. This has necessitated asking the workers to work overtime for next one month. Personnel manager is not in favour of introducing the system of payment of overtime. According to him, payment of overtime is nothing but a reward for inefficiency and has suggested, if need be, the production may be outsourced. Write a note to the managing director explaining how you propose to resolve the problem.

“The greatest barrier to communication is the style of communication.” Comment and explain the types of communication that provoke defensiveness.

“Management is the technique to get work done through other people.” Explain why is counselling useful in this process ?

The marketing department of Winsome Company Ltd. has invited its chairman to speak to a select audience comprising selling agents and customer service personnel in the sales conference to be held on the 26th June, 2003. You as Deputy Company Secretary is assigned the task of preparing a speech. The following issues are proposed to be included in the speech :

—	Tardy collections resulting in increase of receivables outstanding by 40%;
—	Poor forecasting resulting in build-up of inventory and increase in inventory carrying cost by 10%;
—	Growth in tur nover by 20% during the financial year 2002-03;
—	Unrealistic projections at 40% growth for the financial year 2003-04;
—	Prompt collection of concessional sales tax forms;
—	Drastic reduction in number of customer complaints by 20%;
—	No pending customer complaints and spare orders; and
—	Reduction in free replacements on account of erection and commissioning defects by 5%. Prepare the chairman’s speech.