Business Analysis for Information Technology

Business Analysis for
Information Technology

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Description of the Case Study......................................................................................................3
Software Requirements of Amazon's Management Information System....................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Management Information Systems used in businesses have become essential to increasing
the productivity and efficiency of their operations in the digital age. If sufficient input data is
provided to the management information system, it can provide a business's management with
improved decision making through well analysed data trends and patterns to improve and
increase the performance, productivity and efficiency of all business operations (Abu-Naser &
Al Shobaki, 2016). The chosen business organisation to assess the effects of management
information systems is Amazon.com, inc , an American technological business company,
operating from Seattle, Washington. Having been in operations for 25 years as of now and
enjoying significant success, Amazon has expanded into a host of diverse business operations
including e-commerce, digital streaming, smartphones, cloud computing, machine learning and
artificial intelligence. Because of its success Amazon is often referred to as one of the 'Big Four'
technological giants in the world.
Description of the Case Study
Internet based e-commerce businesses such as Amazon are increasingly implementing
their own solutions to collecting and analysing essential personal information about market
customer's preferences and trends in an effort to gain some competitive advantage over their
market competition. This case study studies how service based digital businesses such as
Amazon make use of modern technologies like management information systems to gain a
competitive advantage over others in the market through effective collection and analysis of
customer's personal information. The case study also assesses the various ways in which Amazon
has implemented its management information systems and showcases the originality of
Amazon's approach to management information system by evaluating the technology, systems
and processes used (Al Shobaki & Naser, 2016). Finally, the case study provides
recommendations on how Amazon can increase the efficiency and performance of the
management information systems it has implemented in its operations basing the
recommendations on the quality of information received and he feasibility of implementing
proposed changes into Amazon's operations.
Management Information Systems help in facilitating various management decisions at
operational and strategic levels of an organisation by effectively and efficiently integrating

diverse operational systems and processes within an organisation together in a cohesive manner.
Management Information Systems also synergise multiple interactions between users and the
information system themselves. For these benefits, Amazon implemented its management
information systems to align with the overall objectives and goals of the business. Amazon's
implementation of MIS has evolved into its current state over the past decade and has played a
major role in the development and success of Amazon's operations in the decade. During the
business's operations it has been exposed to multiple threats in relation to storing millions of
customer's personal financial information safely and securely on its servers. For these purposes,
Amazon uses separate Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems within its Enterprise
Resource Management (ERP) systems in order to integrate together its diverse operational
functions together cohesively. The primary functions of Management Information Systems at
Amazon are as follows:
Online ordering and tracking: While availing Amazon's e-commerce services, customers
wished to order multiple quantities of same products and to save their ordered cart for future
purposes. Both these user requirements made Amazon implement a management information
system in its operations. All this user information is stored in infomediary model of Amazon's
MIS (Ampatzidis & et.al., 2016). The management information system allows Amazon's
customers to view their search and order histories on the website in an effort to better service
their customers specific requirements.
The infomediary model of MIS allows Amazon to collect and critically analyse their customer's
personal information to help the business recommend new and useful products to customers who
may be interested.
Acquiring Shipment Address: User requirement to save their addresses on the website also
facilitated Amazon's implementation of MIS into its operations. Amazon's MIS allows users to
save the address of their preferred shipment destination in order to reduce customer's registration
and payment times on their website. The MIS allows users to edit and change their saved
address. The MIS also facilitates the cohesive cooperation of Amazon's distinct operations, as
this saved address has to be used by Amazons logistics department and its multiple transit depots
and warehouses.
Payment Systems and Details: Amazon's payment gateway also has management information
system integrated within as it has to store multiple customer's financial payment preferences and