Functional Area Review Your group's task is to study the role of a functional area within a corporate environment. "my functional area is supply chain management" You will need to interview professionals working in a corporate environment and conduct literature research to obtain the necessary information." I said I am going to interview someone from Walmart about supply chain"  Each group member must be involved in at least one interview. The scope of your project must address these five (5) dimensions of content: 

• Role: Describe the basic purpose(s) and function(s) of the area. Don't oversimplify your explanations. For example, a typical HR department does not just hire and fire. Try to discover the different facets of the role. Consider various levels of management when discussing the purpose and function.

 • Data: What data is collected by this functional area? Where does the data come from? What are the typical transactions (business events) processed by this area?  Identify both internal and external sources of data.

 • Information Disseminated: What types of information are produced by this area?  For what purpose is the information used and by whom?  How is the information published?  What are some typical reports or publications produced by this department? What types of decisions does this functional area make?  Again, consider the management levels in this dimension.

 • Information Systems: What information systems (applications) support this functional area?  Identify them by title: (A/R, MRP, Benefits Administration, etc.) Discuss the purpose of the applications, describe what they do, how they work, who uses them.  Identify various TPS, MIS, DSS, ES systems used by this area - research systems that serve the functional area under review and introduce/describe the basic modules available.  Sample screen shots might add some clarity and would be an added bonus and would demonstrate some creative effort.

• Emerging Technology: Is there emerging technology within this area that is projected to change how the unit functions? Identify it and explain it. Is there emerging technology that provides greater efficiencies for the department? Is there emerging technology that allows the functional area to serve the organization in a new/better way?

As you study these dimensions of the project, where applicable, study them within the context of management levels (operational, middle vs. upper).  This is not to be a theoretical research project, rather focus on real businesses using real data supported with real systems that generate real information. You will need to achieve a balance between providing enough details to successfully explain the subject - yet, not so much detail as to overshadow the big picture.  DO NOT PRESENT THE INFORMATION FROM THE VANTAGE POINT OF THE INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED!  Generalize the information enough to represent the functional area within the context of most organizations.

Personal Reports: On presentation day, each member of the group must submit a single page report regarding the project. These reports should by typed, professionally written (style and tone) and provide the following information: identify your group membership (by functional or topical area), identify yourself as the group member reporting, and include 3 sections that cover the following:

 1) What was your personal contribution to the group project?

 2) What did you learn from participating in the project?

 3) How can you use the information gained in this experience to help you professionally?

Two pages long due Thursday 19