Management Information System: Food Delivery and Platform Analysis

This report addresses a Management Information System (MIS) assignment focusing on a food delivery business. It outlines the required functions for a website and smartphone application, detailing input, storage, processing, output, and feedback loop functionalities. The report also identifies essential technical and non-technical resources, including hardware and software, necessary for smooth operations. Furthermore, it evaluates collaboration platforms like GoToMeeting, WebEx, and Google Sites, recommending GoToMeeting for its ease of use, affordability, security, and flexibility. The report explores the benefits of implementing a continuous replenishment system for Walmart and strategies to manage Porter's competitive forces. It analyzes ethical dilemmas using the utilitarian and deontological principles, providing a course of action for mitigating ethical concerns. Finally, the report examines technical and non-technical considerations for establishing a server farm, advocating for cloud service implementation due to its cost-effectiveness, high availability, and enhanced collaboration capabilities.

Running head: MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
Management Information System
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note:

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Question 1
1.1 Functions required for the Website and Smart Phone Application of the Information
System
The food delivery business should involve few functions in their information system
for their website and smart phone application, so that the users are able to access them
without much complexity (Fountas et al., 2015). These functions with their respective
specifications are provided in the following paragraphs:
i) Input: This input is being done in 2 parts, by which the information is being stored,
processed as well as formed on the basis of the systems’ output. Proper analysis can be done
with accurate input.
ii) Storage: As soon as the data is stored in the highest detailed level, the IT
department would make regular backups of the data of this food delivery application for any
type of disaster.
iii) Processing: With this function, the data gets turned into information and the
management can execute the complex calculations by a computer program for identifying the
missing information.
iv) Output: It is displayed either in textual or graphical format for better
understanding of the smaller details.
v) Feedback Loop: Finally, the customers would be providing feedback on the
feedback loop with a direct effect for gaining maximum advantages.
1.2 Technical and Non Technical Resources required for Food Delivery Business
Technical resources (hardware) required for the food delivery business include
i) Storage devices,

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ii) Computers,
iii) External hard drive,
iv) Wireless router and
v) Network server solution.
Software resources include:
i) Accounting and invoicing: Wave
ii) CRM.
iii) MailChimp email marketing (Laudon & Laudon, 2015).
iv) Recuva for file recovery.
v) Dropbox for file backup.
Question 2
2.1 Selection of Suitable Platform with Justification
GoToMeeting collaborative platform would be appropriate for the enterprise company
as it is easy to use, provides great affordability, high security and user flexibility. This
particular business can prefer GoToMeeting for their video conferencing and web
conferencing requirements and gain robustness. The major collaboration tools that can be
aligned with GoToMeeting include Collaborate, Sell, Market and Train.
Question 3
3.1 Benefits to implement the Continuous Replenishment System
The major benefits to implement the continuous replenishment system that can be
gained by Walmart are provided in the following paragraphs:

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i) The process costs would be reduced to a high level.
ii) The stock levels would be lowered and there would be an improved inventory
turnover (Shiau, Chen & Tsai, 2015).
iii) Moreover, the service levels would become quite high for the business.
3.2 Strategies to deal with the Porter’s Competitive Forces for the Replenishment
System
Walmart would be able to deal with different strategies with the competitive forces of
Porter for their replenishment system. Different competitive forces include threat of new
entrants, threat of substitution, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers
and competitive rivalries. There is always a high competition and chance of substitute
products for this organization and these can be resolved by different strategies like
involvement of creativity and innovation in the business. Moreover, maintenance of lower
costs would ensure that bargaining power of buyers is maintained.
Question 4
4.1 Acceptance of Utilitarian Principle with Justification
Utilitarian principle states that every action should provide utility to any particular
situation. Although, stealing anything is unethical, in this case, it is providing utility to the
situation as the man is able to feed his family from starvation (Mandal, Ponnambath & Parija,
2016). Hence, it is ethical according to the Utilitarian principle.
4.2 Ethical Analysis
The other principle is deontology theory.
i) Facts: The man has stolen food from a grocery store to feed his family from
starvation. He has done this for his family.

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ii) Conflict of Dilemma: A conflict of dilemma was present that even if the act of
stealing was unethical, he has done for noble cause.
iii) Relevant Ethical Principle: Deontology is relevant for this case study, as
according to this theory is that the morality of the action is on the basis of fact that action can
be right or wrong under a series of rules.
iv) Stakeholders: The major stakeholders of this case study include the man, his
family and the owner of the grocery store.
v) Options to take: The man could have asked from the grocery owner or have tried to
earn his bread.
vi) Consequences for each option: If he could have asked from the grocery owner,
there is a high chance that the owner might have turned him away or he would have given the
food, after observing his condition (Vadastreanu, Maier & Maier, 2015).
On the other hand, if could have tried to earn his bread, it would be taken a lot of time
and by the time, his family would have died.
vii) Conclusion: Hence, the man could have asked the grocery owner for food for his
family, in place of stealing.
4.3 Best Course of Action for Mitigation of Conscience
If the stolen foods are already consumed, the man should visit to the grocery store and
apologize for such action. Moreover, he could even work for a certain period of time as the
cost of those stolen foods.
Question 5

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5.1 Important Technical and Non-Technical Considerations
The major technical considerations to establish a server farm include networking,
systems, technical supervision as well as management, power supplies, data communications
lines and development of software (Khanam, Siddiqui & Talib, 2016). The non-technical
considerations include consideration of technologies as the strategic goals, having a change
management plan, scope projects on the basis of business operations and working agile.
5.2 Best Way within Two Options with Reasons
The most effective and efficient option for this venture company would be
implementation of cloud service. The main reason is that they would be gaining several
advantages, such as less costs, high availability, flexibility in capacity, better functioning,
enhanced collaboration as well as security.

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References
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Khanam, S., Siddiqui, J., & Talib, F. (2016). Role of information technology in total quality
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of Information Technology in Total Quality Management: A Literature Review”,
International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Engineering and
Technology, 2(8), 2433-2445.
Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (2015). Management information systems (p. 143). Upper
Saddle River: Pearson.
Mandal, J., Ponnambath, D. K., & Parija, S. C. (2016). Utilitarian and deontological ethics in
medicine. Tropical parasitology, 6(1), 5.
Shiau, W. L., Chen, S. Y., & Tsai, Y. C. (2015). Management information systems issues: co-
citation analysis of journal articles. " International Journal of Electronic Commerce
Studies", 6(1), 145-162.
Vadastreanu, A. M., Maier, D., & Maier, A. (2015). Is the success possible in compliance
with ethics and deontology in business?. Procedia Economics and Finance, 26, 1068-
1073.