XBIS 219 Week 2

Week Two

Course Assignments

CheckPoint: A Microfinance MIS

Visit the Mifos Initiative Web site at. The Mifos Initiative is a technology program sponsored by the Grameen Foundation to provide open source MIS software to microfinance institutions in developing countries.

Follow the links for the software demo. Click Product on the right side of the screen. Click Demo the Software from the listing on the left.

Write a 200-word description of what the software offers. Identify the components of the Mifos database.

Format your description according to APA guidelines. Save it in a Microsoft Word document and attach it to the Assignments page to earn points.

Assignment: Amazon Evolution

Purpose This assignment is intended to help students gain a better understanding of the importance of information systems to business by looking at an industry leader, Amazon.com. Students will examine Amazons core strategy and the use of its vast customer database as the company evolves from bookseller to service provider.

Resources Introduction to Information Systems: Supporting and Transforming Business.

Read the Case Study, Amazon: From Book Seller to Service Provider, at the end of Ch. 1 in the text (p. 26).

Write a 350- to 700-word paper, describing Amazons strategy. Discuss whether the company is moving away from its core competency of being a leading online retailer. Discuss whether this is a wise strategy and address the following: Describe the components of the Amazon database and how Amazon uses each component. What data management issues may be encountered by Amazon? Describe the relationship among data, information, and knowledge, and how Amazon addresses each.

Format your paper according to APA guidelines. Create title and reference pages. Check the sample paper at

Save the paper in a Microsoft Word document and attach it to the Assignments page to earn points.