Question: A 20-year old corporation, SewWorld, comprised of 6-locations in three states, sells sewing machines, sewing related software, and accessories. Each store sells between 3-5 different brands of sewing machines. Currently the stores run independently with separate inventory databases, budgets, and expenses. Because the stores run independent inventory databases, their inventory information is sometimes inaccurate. This leads to a loss of customers who did not want to wait for a product and went elsewhere. Also, when stores share inventory, more times than not, the information is never entered into the independent databases. This results in one store showing a missing item while another store is showing in excess.

Each store has a manager who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of that store and is paid a portion of his/her store's profits. Though there are computers with inventory/sales programs, the managers must mail reports and back-up floppy disks to the corporate office each week to keep inventory, sales, payroll, and commission information up-to-date. Due to this process, some disks are lost in the mail, and inventory, sales, payroll, and commission information is slow to gather and inefficient.

The company sells some of the vendor's products online, but the high-end machines must be sold by a local authorized dealer because they require some amount of training and face-to-face support.

The owner of SewWorld has realized their information system and internal processes creates inaccuracy, loss, inefficiency, and diminished productivity. The owner has decided it's necessary for the success of SewWorldto transition to a professional management team. The owner has hired you to do an analysis regarding SewWorld's information systems and what needs to be done to compete. Your main goal is to bring the information systems' issues in-line. You're also open to accepting a full-time position with SewWorld if the need arises.

SewWorld's current infrastructure may be described as follows:

Each store is equipped with 2-6 microcomputers, used for running an off-the-shelf point of sale (POS) software or responding to e-mail.

All data is stored locally on the microcomputers themselves as no store owns a server.

Stores are not configured with a Local Area Network (LAN) nor are any stores interconnected by a Wide Area Network (WAN).

Each location has one dial-up Internet account and one e-mail address for the store manager.

Details: One of the first things you need to do is convince the current owner of SewWorld that he needs to collect and use data. Here's what you want to get across to him: data is the facts, figures, and details collected about an organization. The data becomes information when it is put into meaningful context. Information systems help create greater knowledge and wisdom about the organization if the consumer of the information can manage and manipulate the data in appropriate ways for their enterprise.

Develop a PowerPoint presentation to share with the owner. The presentation should be structured with the following topics addressed:

Review some of the tools you use whether at home or school that helps turn the data we are exposed to into information for making decisions.

Elaborate further on the definition of information systems answering the following questions:

What is data?
What is information?
What is knowledge?
How does an information system increase a company's competitive position?

Identify what kinds of business information SewWorld would likely be interested in storing, retaining, and reporting on.
Research an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software application that would be a good fit for SewWorld. Explain how the ERP application would address SewWorld's Transaction Processing System (TPS), Management Information System (MIS), and Executive Information System (EIS) needs.