MIS Project 7 Chapter 14

Just choose one of the projects cases there are below. Don't use the one that requires MyMISLab's , chose the ones that do not require special software.

Complete and submit ONE Hands-on MIS Project

There is no word/length requirement. Just try to answer in a way that's clear and makes sense.

Don't use the MIS project that requires MyMISLab

Hands-On MIS Projects

The projects in this section give you hands-on experience evaluating information systems projects, using spreadsheet software to perform capital budgeting analyses for new information systems investments, and using web tools to analyze the financing for a new home. Visit MyMISLab's Multimedia Library to access this chapter's Hands-on MIS Projects.

Management Decision Problems

1. 14-8 The U.S. Census launched an IT project to arm its census takers in the field with high-tech handheld devices that would save taxpayer money by directly beaming population data to headquarters from census takers in the field. Census officials signed a $600 million contract with Harris Corporation in 2006 to build 500,000 devices but still weren't sure which features they wanted included in the units.

Census officials did not specify the testing process to measure the performance of the handheld devices. As the project progressed, 400 change requests to project requirements were added. Two years and hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars later, the handhelds were far too slow and unreliable to be used for the 2010 U.S. census. What could Census Bureau management and the Harris Corporation have done to prevent this outcome?

2. 14-9 Caterpillar is the world's leading maker of earth-moving machinery and supplier of agricultural equipment. Caterpillar wants to end its support for its Dealer Business System (DBS), which it licenses to its dealers to help them run their businesses. The software in this system is becoming outdated, and senior management wants to transfer support for the hosted version of the software to Accenture Consultants so it can concentrate on its core business.

Caterpillar never required its dealers to use DBS, but the system had become a de facto standard for doing business with the company. The majority of the 50 Cat dealers in North America use some version of DBS, as do about half of the 200 or so Cat dealers in the rest of the world. Before Caterpillar turns the product over to Accenture, what factors and issues should it consider? What questions should it ask? What questions should its dealers ask?

Improving Decision Making: Using Spreadsheet Software for Capital Budgeting for a New CAD System

Software skills: Spreadsheet formulas and functions

Business skills: Capital budgeting

1. 14-10 This project provides you with an opportunity to use spreadsheet software to use the capital budgeting models discussed in this chapterand its Learning Tracks to analyze the return on an investment for a new computer-aided design (CAD) system.

Your company would like to invest in a new computer-aided design (CAD) system that requires purchasing hardware, software, and networking technology as well as expenditures for installation, training, and support.

MyMISLab contains tables showing each cost component for the new system as well as annual maintenance costs over a five-year period, along with a Learning Track on capital budgeting models. You believe the new system will reduce the amount of labor required to generate designs and design specifications, thereby increasing your firm's annual cash flow.

Using the data provided in these tables, create a worksheet that calculates the costs and benefits of the investment over a five-year period and analyzes the investment using the four capital budgeting models presented in this chapter'sLearning Track.

Is this investment worthwhile? Why or why not?

Improving Decision Making: Using Web Tools for Buying and Financing a Home

Software skills: Internet-based software

Business skills: Financial planning

1. 14-11 This project will develop your skills using web-based software for searching for a home and calculating mortgage financing for that home.

You would like to purchase a home in Fort Collins, Colorado. Ideally, it should be a single-family house with at least three bedrooms and one bathroom that costs between $170,000 and $300,000 and financed with a 30-year fixed rate mortgage. You can afford a down payment that is 20 percent of the value of the house.

Before you purchase a house, you would like to find out what homes are available in your price range, find a mortgage, and determine the amount of your monthly payment. Use the Realtor.com site to help you with the following tasks:

Locate homes in Fort Collins, Colorado, that meet your specifications.

Find a mortgage for 80 percent of the list price of the home. Compare rates from at least three sites (use search engines to find sites other than Yahoo).

After selecting a mortgage, calculate your closing costs and the monthly payment.

When you are finished, evaluate the whole process. For example, assess the ease of use of the site and your ability to find information about houses and mortgages, the accuracy of the information you found, and the breadth of choice of homes and mortgages.