Assignment Task

Assessment Details

Using real-world cases, the case study will assess your knowledge of key content areas in information systems. For successful completion of the case study, you are required to study the material provided (lecture slides, tutorials, and reading materials) and engage in the unit’s activities and the discussion forums). The prescribed textbook is the main reference and recommended reading material. By completing this assessment successfully, you will be able to identify key aspects of information systems. This will help in achieving ULO1 and ULO2.

Case Study

Founded in 1859 in Liverpool as a sugar refiner, today Tate& Lyle is a global provider of specialty food and other ingredients to four markets: food and beverage manufacturers (sweeteners, restaurants, and fibre), paper manufacturers (starches), animal feed producers (cornmeal), and cosmetic manufacturers (cosmetics and creams). It operates over 30 manufacturing facilities in four regions: the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Tate & Lyle grew through acquisitions of many companies in its operating regions throughout its history. The 1970s began diversifying from the sugar business into more specialised agricultural food products. In 2016 the company had €2.6 billion in sales and €189 million in profits. Tate & Lyle’s 2020 strategic plan is to expand the specialty food segment, broaden the geographic mix of sales to include the Asia Pacific and Latin America, and generate over €200 million in sales from new products. As a multinational agribusiness, the firm faces stiff competition from giant global competitors like ConAgra, Archer Daniels Midland, and BASF.

In the process of growing over many decades, Tate & Lyle had gathered a large collection of financial accounting systems across four regions and thirty operating facilities. All these financial systems` accounts were reconciled manually, using spreadsheets produced by individual units, telephone calls, paper records, fax, and emails to clarify disparities. Each region had its own manual processes for reconciling accounts. Reconciliation refers to the business processes used by firms to ensure that recorded expenditures and revenues are accurately reflected in cash outflow and income statements. The existing manual system stored records in different locations around the globe, which led to errors and made it difficult to produce monthly and annual financial statements. Senior managers understood that the firm could not achieve its business strategic objectives without a major rethinking of its basic financial accounting systems. ...

Tasks

Imagine you work as a consultant for Tate & Lyle. You need to introduce a workflow management system to help improve organisation workflows. In deciding whether this system suits your business needs, you are required to investigate the following through a considerable amount of research, including a literature review and relevant examples.

1. Discuss the case study objectives.

2. Identify the problems Tate & Lyle`s new information systems address and recognise the root of those problems? You require to include the role of people, organisations and technology in these problems.

3. Examine how Tate & Lyle’s new systems assist employees in being more productive.

4. Discuss the lessons that can be learned from this case regarding managing information through Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).

5. Present the workflow management system for Tate & Lyle? Explain the benefits and challenges this system provides to organisations.

6. Determine how an organisation decide to invest in a system such as Tate & Lyle’s workflow management system is worthwhile?

7. Identify and discuss the information security systems for protecting business information, such as Tate & Lyle?