软件工程-外文翻译

The strategic role of management information systems

After studying this chapter, you will be able to:

1。Analyze six major information systems in the organizations。

2。Describe the relationship among various types of information systems。

3。Understand the characteristics of a strategic information system.

4。Describe how information systems in business strategy to be used for three layers.

5。Explain the problem of the establishment and maintenance of strategic information systems.

Orchids Paper Company ----- return to the right direction

Orchids Paper Co.Ltd. has been a lower cost paper manufacturer which produces napkin,handkerchief paper, tissues and toilet paper for fifty years. However, in the middle of 1990s, the company lost its developmental way. To take good advantage of the prosperous economic situation in the late twentieth century in the 80's, employers began to squeeze into the ascendant private-label paper market in California (the company headquarters at that time). Unfortunately, Orchids nearly went bankrupt because of the dual pressure from the high cost strategy and the debt from leveraged buyout. At the moment, its raw material and production costs exceeded its profits from customers. Orchids were forced to file for bankruptcy in 1992 and 1995.

Orchids' new management organization lead by the general manager, Mike Safe and chief financial officer Jim Swagerty decided to focus on core markets, where had value-seeking customers. They moved the company from California to Pryor, Oklahoma, where the utility costs were low (paper is a resource-intensive industries) and the company's recycled papers were salable. They used a low-cost strategy so that the firm's production capacity will be maximized when companies emphasize timely delivery and allow customers to clearly understand the implementation of their orders. Orchids target market is the span from Oklahoma to Atlanta.

Before the reorganization,Orchids is well known for poor service and late delivery. The company did not implement the operating and reporting practices and the financial department can not provide timely and accurate information.

Orchids installed a new manufacturing resource planning systems (MRP-Ⅱ) and a financial system. The two software management systems from the Marion Ohio can monitor and coordinate sales, Inventory and financial data. They can also provide the charts based daily operations for the company. Workers and all departments can directly access to the products and order information through a central server linked with the stored data through 25