But Bluth Corporation’s inventory turnover is still only five times annual sales, profits are at 2013 levels, and sales have recently declined partly because of the slowdown in global activity due to the ongoing pandemic. Given this, as well as the fact that the project is lagging in terms of cost, time, and scope, Lucile Bluth has been asked by the Board of Directors to provide a brief presentation at the upcoming meeting to identify the root cause of project G.O.B’s challenges as well as identify a feasible path forward. Specifically, the Board has raised the following key questions for Lucille:
1. Compare and contrast the human vs. automated side of Information Systems and their importance to Bluth Corporation.
2. What are the key components of a business process and the role of “activities” in supporting Bluth Corporation’s competitive advantage?
3. Analyze the Bluth Corporation using the competitive forces and value chain model.
4. Analyze the Internet as a source of problems and opportunities for Bluth Corporation
5. Was Orion ERP’s enterprise software package a good foundation for Bluth Corporation’s new systems? Explain your answer.
6. How can Bluth Corporation engage data warehouses to gather intelligence for strategic decision-making?
7. How can Bluth Corporation engage Social Media Information System to advance their social capital?
8. What are the five stages of a standard Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)? What would you expect Bluth Corporation to perform during the fourth stage of SDLC as a part of G.O.B implementation? What would be the primary output from this phase?
9. What security threats does Bluth Corporation face upon successfully implementing G.O.B? How can Bluth Corporation implement sufficient measure to protect against data safeguards?
10. Describe management changes Bluth Corporation was making by its “A New Start” and “G.O.B” projects. How extensive were they? Why do you think Bluth Corporation took so long to implement its changes?