1. R/Way Trucking Situation:
As you learned in the reading, R/Way is a small but rapidly growing trucking company headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. R/Way's information system currently consists of a file server and three workstations where freight clerks enter data, track shipments, and prepare freight bills. To perform their work, the clerks obtain data from a file server and use database and spreadsheet programs stored on stand-alone PCs to process the data. At your meeting yesterday, R/Way's president approved your recommendation to create a relational database to handle R/Way operations and provide links for R/Way shippers and customers.
a. Review the concept of supply chain management. Although R/Way offers services rather than products, could that concept apply to the design of R/Way's new system? If so, how?
b. What would be the advantages of selecting an internet-based architecture for R/Way's system?
c. Should R/Way's new system be based on file-server or client/server architecture? Why?
d. What would be the pros and cons of selecting in-house development versus a packaged solution for the R/Way system?
2. Nothing But Net Situation:
Nothing But Net is an IT consulting firm that specializes in e-commerce solutions. As a newly hired systems analyst, you have been asked to research some current topics.
a. Obtain at least two estimates of how much consumers are projected to spend on internet purchases during the next three years. Are the estimates similar? If not, which forecast do you believe, and why?
b. Many of Nothing But Net's customers are start-up firms that must fight hard to attract investment capital, and many traditional lending institutions are skeptical of new web- based firms. Perform research to determine the mortality rate of new e-commerce firms that use the web as their primary marketing channel, and write a brief memo that describes the results of your research.
c. Suppose you were asked to draft a sales brochure for Nothing But Net. List all the services in which potential customers might be interested.