Critical Thinking Questions (10 pts each and a total of 30 pts)

1. Discuss the silo problem at ACI and how it was solved via the e-Enterprise
system.
ANSWER:
Based on the study case that I’ve read, employees of ACI import or export files to
communicate between accounting and business applications, causing a backlog in
reporting and data being dated.
The solution that the company came up with is the utilization of Microsoft’s Data
Transformation Services (DTS) which is a tool that merges data from diversified
references into a single or multiple path/s.
Moreover, ACI’s silo problem was resolved with the successful implementation of
the DTS software, consolidating the accounting system with the business
applications, eliminating the need for manual intervention and manual data entry.

2. Discuss both short-term and long-term benefits of the e-Enterprise system.

ANSWER:
The short-term advantages in which the company benefitted in if we were to
generalize is that it associates various systems together wherein an update is
disseminated on all parts of the organizations. This advantage can be seen in the
scenarios within the enterprise including automatically moving the information from
accounting system to the contract management system, warehouse system sending
an immediate alert to the dispatch people once a contractor stops paying bills and
completing a direct link from human resources to the accounting system. Moreover,
as it links various systems together and implements massive automation across the
organization, it gives the company a benefit to remove another area of storing data
manually and reduce the potential for errors.

On the other hand, with the short-term benefit of eliminating manual data entry and
reduced errors, this establishes an advantage of having more accurate, complete,
and timely information which promotes increased productivity and greater
operational efficiency in which the company will benefit from in the long run. In
addition, the interconnection of the different systems stimulates components that
allow a reciprocal flow of information between electronic commerce and financial
systems.

3. Does the benefits outweigh the drawbacks? What do you think?

ANSWER:
As mentioned in my answer in the preceding number, the vital benefit of the e-
enterprise was the elimination of manual data entry which is the minimal
dependence on the traditional system which is exporting and importing text files and
data to generate management reports and acknowledge management queries.
Other benefits include reduced administrative workload by 10 percent, decreased
potential errors and the association of various systems.
Meanwhile, the drawbacks of administering associated systems are mainly the
expenses, from the implementation of the system itself to the necessities during the
process of changing from the traditional to the new system and the preparation and
training of the employees on adapting with the modified enterprise system. Plus, the
cognitive preparation of the employees themselves. Another drawback is the
circumstance of the integrated systems encountering failure, one system will affect
one another.
If I were to ask if the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, my answer would be
depending on the success of the targeted objective/s of the organization. In this
case (Air Cargo), I can conclude that their benefits outweigh the drawbacks since
their main objective was to diminish manual data entry and they implemented it
successfully. Moreover, it did not just attain the main objective but also provided
various benefits within the departments of the company.