Information Technology

Corporations use different types of information systems to help run their daily operations. The systems are mainly transactional systems that focus on the management and flow of low-level data items regarding basic business processes such as purchasing and order delivery. Data is analyzed and placed into a higher-level decision support systems to help the company understand the functioning activities of the company and how to respond to the activities (O’Brien & Marakas, 2011).

Information systems supports business processes, decision making by employees and managers, and supports strategies for the company to gain competitive advantage over its competitors (O’Brien & Marakas, 2011). For example, retail stores use computer based information systems to record customer purchases, track inventory, pay employees, buy new merchandise, and to analyze sales trends. Business decisions can be made after data is retrieved and analyzed from the information systems put into place (O’Brien & Marakas, 2011). Management is able to see what products are selling and which ones that are suffering in sales. The data allows management to stock the right items and making sure enough inventory is ordered to keep up with the sales. The company can utilize all the data gathered from the systems to gain the advantage over it competitors for the customers (O’Brien & Marakas, 2011).

My past employer Lucky's Supermarket used Transaction Processing Systems, Supply Chain Management, and Customer Relationship Management. Supply Chain Management (SCM) involves the management of information flows between and among stages in a supply chain to maximize total supply chain effectiveness and profitability (O’Brien & Marakas, 2011). Customer relationship management (CRM) involves managing all aspects of a customer’s relationship with an organization to increase customer loyalty and retention and an organization’s profitability. CRM