1. Discuss and debate the importance of information systems for an organization like BMW and what strategies did they apply to achieve its mission.

2. What are the enterprise IT types that are mentioned by the case, and discuss how do these information systems support the decision making process?

3. Which factor/s in the IT acceptance would be the most important for employees to accept and use the new system?

BMW is famous for its efficient and durable cars. And its mission statement is being a leader in the world as premium product provider and also premium service provider.

The present automotive industry is classified by increasing product diversity and brief development periods. One of the important activities is to enter the market quicker by organizing the product development and production start-up procedures. One can attain this streamlining by doing a huge number of effectively coordinated procedures in parallel, utilizing a data structure that has all the data regarding the product and its types and is available at each phase to all people included in production planning (Clarke, 2007). This process, pertained to as integrated product and process engineering, is at available when one utilizes mySAP Automotive.

mySAP Automotive integrates SAP Business Suite programs with customized operations to aid BMW- as well as other manufacturers, vendors, sales, and service companies – attain substantial benefits by merging the whole engineering, production, marketing and service business sector.

With mySAP Automotive merged within the operations of BMW, the company is able to improve important business procedures – and attain important company objectives:

* Competent staff and talent with effective procedures for workforce and talent acquisition

* Financial stability with improved procedures for financial performance control

* Operational effectiveness with improved procedures for operations control

* Product and service dominance with improved procedures for product control

* Excellent client value with improved procedures for sales and service

mySAP Automotive is particularly created to address the needs and challenges of the BMW and the automotive industry. It is a comprehensive and effective solution for BMW that encompasses business procedures from engineering design, preparation, manufacturing, purchasing, sales and service (SAP for Automotive Website, 2010). Created to be a comprehensive and holistic management information system, mySAP Automotive is organized based on various market sectors that create the foundations of automotive industry.

To have an improved strategic level decision making, information within BMW is analyzed and organized effectively and uniformly through mySAP Automotive. Gaps in the manner data is gathered and documented can alter data and trend analysis. Aside from this, since information gathering and documentation procedures will alter over time, so BMW management has created effective processes to enable systems developments through mySAP Automotive. These processes are always well defined and noted, effectively communicated to proper workers and has a monitoring system that aids in the strategic level decision making of BMW

BMW sends these comprehensive analyses and accurate JIT delivery timeframes to its suppliers. Major suppliers get the data through electronic data interchange (EDI). Other suppliers enter the mySAP Automotive official site, where BMW states the requisites to offer the latest data on its delivery necessities (Kuhlin, 2005). By logging online, suppliers can check this data in actual time, including release time frames, procurement files, receipts, and engineering files.

The structure of mass manufacturing was initially introduced by Automobile industry a long time ago. But at present the industry is confront world competition and the demands of the industry have completely evolved. The clients are not anymore contented with limited options. They say what they need, the time they need it at the proper place. Clients are always perceived as an important resource for automotive companies.

To address the demands, make-to-order manufacturing is essential rather than mass production. Here the effectiveness relies on speed; the pace of acknowledging market needs, the pace of establishing new frameworks, the pace of purchasing raw materials, the pace of manufacturing and the pace of shipping the products to the proper environments. Coordination the whole industry stakeholders-providers, dealers, and clients – is important

The mySAP information system of BMW is offering seamless flow of data to organizing the operations. mySAP Automotive is more than a mere Supply Chain Management information system. mySAP Automotive provides a centralized information structure for engineering, supply chain management, purchasing and business management. Regardless of whether the organization is a car manufacturer like BMW, a provider of car parts or dealer, mySAP Automotive aids these organizations to concentrate on their clients. Important strengths of the mySAP Automotive information system lies in offering established processes, improved program tools, and open technology to obtain their mySAP Automotive information system up and running immediately – and helping to attain their business objectives.

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