Management Information Systems

In life as in business you need to grow, and change to keep up with the times. 200 years ago it was a simple matter of just getting your products to your customers. 100 years ago it was producing quality goods at a faster pace. In today's market it is all about information. How easily it is to access your business, reach your customers, and provide them with fast quality goods. E-commerce it is the future today.

1. What Internet business model would be appropriate for the company to follow in creating a Web site and why?

The business model that best suits the company I have chosen (E&E market) would be the virtual storefront business model. The E&E market would not only sell their goods in their physical store, but also have their goods available online. The goods can be purchased online with a credit card or some other payment method. Once their transaction has been approved by both financial institutions the product could be packaged and shipped, or made readily available for pick up by the customer. This would alleviate time that the customer would have spent inside the store browsing through items and wait in lines.

2. In what ways can the company benefit from a Web site? What functions should it perform for the company (i.e., marketing, sales, customer support, internal communications, etc.)?

The benefits that E&E market will receive from establishing a web site are numerous. When it comes to marketing the store itself, it will save them thousands of dollars a year. Instead of having two have printed up and delivered fliers depicting what products they have other store, individuals can simply log into their website and view the products. It will also be simpler to send a mass e-mail to all of their current subscribers about new updates in products rather than individually mailing out letters to the postal service.

Even though it is a small store it is owned by a family that has several businesses within the same area. Communications between those stores can be more efficient with the use of the web site and e-mail, instead of sending notes or just wasting gas and energy going from store to store. Customer service should also be greatly improved by use of a web site. Not every customer speaks the same language. It can be hard to try to communicate problems that you might be having. With a web site no matter what language they type in a can be translated into a language that you understand thus clearing up the problems of communication between customer and the service provider.

3. In what other ways might the company use the Internet for its own benefit?

The company itself can use the Internet and the same way that their customers would use their website. They would be able to order supplies and products from distribution companies and have them shipped to their stores. This would create less confusion and keep a better record then save deleted over the telephone. Thus providing speedier response times, and better record keeping.

4. Prepare functional specifications