Music as an Agent of Socialization Essay - 1409 Words

Music has played a major role as an agent of socialization in each of my 4 decades. I know and hope that it will continue to do so. During each period music has affected my personality, shown my personality, affected my perceptions and helped me to cope with growing and changing as a person. My Looking Glass Self has compared the person in song and possibly the singer themselves to myself to gain perspective of who I was at each time. I am going to discuss each decade with the thought of how music was an agent of socialization in each. I believe that music as an agent of socialization is prominent in Symbolic Interactionism. Songwriters and musicians, like poets, includes symbolism in there lyrics. They give musical symbols by which we†¦show more content†¦I loved these musicals. Movies like these carry life lessons and socialization experiences that show what life can be like in a more fantasy way. Radio was another part of mass media that affected my socialization. Most of the time country music was what my parents listened to. Loretta Lynn and Tanya Tucker were my favorites. I still remember the words to Delta Dawn by Ms Tucker. As you can see there was a great variety in the music that I was exposed to as a small child in those early cognitive years. Music had a great impact on my secondary socialization during my second decade. It had an impact on my Self Socialization as well. Music in my peer groups reflected in my choice of listening preference. I began to formulate who I was outside of my parents and other family. I formed friendships with others my age with different interests that showed me there was even more to explore in life. During this time mass media was changing and cable television was becoming popular. Along with cable, MTV was brand new. Yes, I was an original MTV viewer. MTV brought music even more into view in my life. My television stayed tuned to MTV. I awoke and went to sleep listening to the popular music of the day. It was the ‘80’s. Music favorites then wereShow MoreRelatedAgents Of Socialisation : The Mass Media1120 Words   |  5 PagesAgents of Socialisation : The Mass Media In the present day, the media is incorporated into our daily lives. Every day, through newspapers, radio, television, email, the internet and social media, are we sucked into an electronic world, which changes many of our beliefs and values about how we live our lives. It plays such a large role in almost every person’s life compared to 50 years ago, when the internet did not exist. It effects things such as our political views, tastes in music, views of menRead MoreAgents of Socialization Essay 21461 Words   |  6 PagesAgents of Socialization: An agent of socialization is an individual or institution tasked with the replication of the Social Order. An agent of socialization is responsible for transferring the rules, expectations, norms, values, and folkways of a given social order. 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These stages of a person’s life are the most influential, many core beliefs about politics are established through the agents of political socialization. The five main agents of political socialization are family, media, school, peers, and religion. Family is one of the most important political agents. They influence theRead More VIOLENCE IN THE MEDIA Essay782 Words   |  4 Pagesand youth-oriented music. Video game violence, childrens cartoons, and music lyrics have become increasingly graphic. In movies, action films depict vivid precise murders, rapes, and assaults; with each sequel, the number of deaths increases dramatically. Although media violence is not the only cause of violence in American society, it is the single most easily remediable contributing factor. It is these social networks that present the linkages between individual’s socialization and their actionsRead Moreculture and socialization Essay1533 Words   |  7 Pages Socialization can be defined as the process by which people learn to become members of a society (Tepperman Curtis, 2011, p.58). Thus, the socialization process of an individual starts from birth and continues throughout life. The period of socialization helps an individual to develop feelings, perceptions, learn the basics of social interaction and also learn to recognize and respond socially to parents and other important people in their lives (Tepperman Curtis, 2011, p.58). AccordingRead MoreWhat is Mass Media?917 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is Mass Media? Mass media refers to the many ways that information reaches a large group of people. Sociologists study mass media to see its affects on socialization, social movement, and social power (Chegg, â€Å"Definition of Mass Media†). 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Suicide Is The Third Leading Cause Death - 2146 Words

Suicide has been claiming lives for many years, and it is not getting any better. Suicide claims the lives of 30,000 people every year and was the tenth leading cause of death in 2014. Suicide is especially prevalent amongst the youth of America. Every day 18 teens will be successful in committing suicide while 1,000 others will think about. This is a problem that can be fixed if enough effort is put into it. The keys to preventing suicide are understanding and recognizing the signs. Typically depression is the leading cause, whether it is medical or just temporary. Suicide is an evergrowing epidemic that can be prevented with the right knowledge. â€Å"Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15 to 24 year olds and the sixth leading†¦show more content†¦According to Colman, more than 80% of the time they are extremely depressed, and their minds are therefore focused on the terrible emotional pain in which they find themselves (Colman 75). Often times people who are experiencing depression make it worse by repeating to themselves that things will never get better. â€Å"In some cases, depression can be a medical condition in which the patient should be carefully observed as much as possible. Symptoms of attempting suicide are similar to those of depression. Some of the more rampant symptoms include a change in eating and sleeping habits, a marked personality change and a lost of interest in pleasurable activities. They physically appear sad and weighted down, and can sleep a great deal, even talking in soft, tired voices† (Child health). On the other hand while depression and suicide are similar in many respects, one will not necessarily result in another. It is possible for someone depressed to never think about suicide at all (Galas 42). Depression can lead anyone to suicide, but teenagers are especially at risk because they often feel like their feeling of hopelessness will never go away. There is a cycle in which teens can fall into; depression, isolation, sadness, and more depression. The longer this cycle continues, the more likel y they are to try and end their own life In most

Ict in Supermarkets Free Essays

IT in the Supermarket Information systems are used widely in shops and in the distribution of goods and one area in which their use is particularly important is supermarkets. Computer systems are used in a variety of ways in the modern, large supermarket, from stock control to maintaining temperatures in fridges and freezers. In this section we will look in more detail at these systems in one particular large supermarket, which is part of a national chain. We will write a custom essay sample on Ict in Supermarkets or any similar topic only for you Order Now The supermarket uses several computers which are located in a room known as the system office and form the upermarkets own Local Area Network. These computers are used to control the stock and are connected to the checkouts. These are the ‘branch computers’. The computers are multifunctional, and each can access the data, which gives the management a number of access points. Admin and stock control staff now have access to hand held computers, SEC (Shelf Edge Computers). These are used for price changes, creating stock pictures (information on stock totals) and for forecasting deliveries. Like many companies, they have experimented with giving customers hand held scanners to enter their own shopping. The experiment has been discontinued due to huge stock losses, staff called them ‘Shop and Rob’ rather than ‘Shop and Go’. The company is currently looking at developing a better system to get round these problems. Each product to be sold must have an identifying code number which is different from that of every other product. Different sizes of the same product even need different code numbers. These code numbers are printed onto the labels or packaging of the product in the form of bar codes. Located at each checkout is an ELECTRONIC POINT OF SALE ( EPOS ) till. This EPOS till comprises a keyboard, a digital display, a scanner which reads bar codes, a set of scales, a printer, a credit / debit card reader and a till drawer. Each till also has its own base to which all of the above is attached. It is the base unit which is connected by cables to the branch computer in the supermarket’s system office. Bar codes are made up of a set of black lines and white spaces. Look at the bar code. You can see that it is split into two halves, and each half is contained within two thin black stripes. The diagram shows the pattern of lines for each digit on the bar code. Notice that the pattern for a digit on the right hand half of a bar code is the opposite of the one on the left hand half. Many bar codes today use the European Article Number or EAN. This is a thirteen digit number which can be used to uniquely identify a product. Using the bar code shown as an example : a) The first 2 digits represent the country from which the company producing the product comes. 50 – U. K. b) The next five digits represent the company which produced the product. 00208 – Lyons Tetley Ltd. c) The following five digits represent the product. 02100 – 80 Tea bags. ) The last number is a check digit. This is used to make sure the bar code has been read correctly. So 5000208021000 is the EAN for a box of 80 Tetley tea bags. The bar codes on products are read by the EPOS tills at the checkouts. This is achieved by using a scanner, which sends out infra-red laser beams via a set of mirrors, enabling the bar code to be read at most angles. When an item is passed over the scanner, the black and white parts of the code are detected by the laser, as the black parts reflect very little light whilst the white parts reflect most of the light. This is converted into electrical pulses which are sent along the cables to the branch computer. The branch computer then searches its stock file for the product matching the EAN number. When this record is located the price and description of the product is extracted and sent back to the EPOS till at the checkout which then shows this item and price on the digital display, prints them on a receipt and adds the price to the total. At the same time, the branch computer records that one of this item has been sold. We will look at how this is used for stock control on other pages. When a bar code has been correctly scanned, the scanner emits a bleep. If no such sound is made, the item can be passed over the scanner again until it has been correctly read. The keyboard is used to enter codes of products that will not scan, for example reduced price items. The scales at the EPOS till are also linked up to the branch computer. All loose fruit and vegetables are weighed at the checkout. Each product has a code number which, when typed in at the keyboard, gives the customer a description of the product on the receipt along with the weight and price of the purchase. The weight of the product is also deducted from the stock file. As well as printing an itemised receipt, the printer attached to the EPOS till can also print the name of the supermarket, the date and the amount owing on cheques and debit / credit card vouchers. This lessens the chance of mistakes as well as minimising the amount of time a customer has to spend at the checkout. Not every customer pays by cash or cheque though. Many now opt to pay by a debit card such as Switch or Delta. In these cases the customer’s card is swiped through the card reader which reads the information ( such as the account umber and date of expiry ) held on the magnetic strip on the back of the card. The latest in store development has been the arrival of smart card readers at the EPOS. A debit card with a smart chip is placed in the reader and the customer then enters their PIN to authorise the money being taken out of their account. This is much more secure than signing a docket as it cannot be forged. This information is then added to the details of how much the customer has spent and, after checking that sufficient funds are present, used to transfer this amount from the customer’s bank account to that of the supermarket’s. This process is called ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER and works even if the supermarket’s bank is different from that of the customer. PRICING The price of a product, as we have seen, is sent to the EPOS terminal when the product’s bar code is read. In the past, every single item had a price sticker attached and when a price change was required, new labels had to be placed over the old ones. This was a time consuming task, as every single item on the shelves of the product requiring the price change required a new label. Mistakes were sometimes made and customers over or undercharged. Nowadays there are no price labels ttached to products, neither does the packaging of the product show the price. The only reference to the price of a product is contained on a label attached to the shelf where that product is situated. These shelf labels are produced by the branch computer and are printed out in different sizes according to the size of the shelf display for a particular produc t. Technology. As bar codes are scanned, the branch computer looks for items which are on special offer and discounts the prices where necessary. STOCK CONTROL There are, in fact, six branch computers linked to the EPOS terminals at the checkouts. They all record information about items sold and provide backup for each other. If only one computer was used and it broke down, the supermarket could not function. These branch computers are linked via the satellite links to a large main computer housed at the supermarket’s head office elsewhere in the country. All branches of this supermarket are also linked in this way to the main computer and this is an example o an extranet. Special offers such as Multibuy – â€Å"Buy two and get one free† or LinkSave – â€Å"Buy one product and save 50% on another† could not be offered before the introduction of Information After the supermarket has closed at the end of the day, the following happens : 1) The branch computer sends the details of every individual sale to the main computer at the Head Office. 2) Using this information, the main computer system updates its record of the number in stock of every item in the store. The SEC allows managers to get a real time stock picture and allows a manager to escalate stock deliveries from nothing to 72 hours to 48 hours. It also gives a better picture of stock losses and improves the service the shop can give its customers 3) Using a forecast of sales along with other factors ( uch as the weather and the time of the year etc. ) the system automatically orders the correct amount of stock required by the store for the next available delivery 48 or 72 hours ahead. 4) The main computer also transmits these orders to computers in the distribution centres (large warehouses storing products ready for delivery to stores ) across the satellite link. 5) These distr ibution centres then deliver the required stock to the stores immediately. 6) Price changes and prices of new products, special offers etc. are sent back to branch computer in the supermarket. ) New shelf labels are printed and the night staff of the supermarket place these on the shelves ready for the following day. The company also uses computers for staff recruitment. New applicants can fill in an application form over the Internet and have it vetted by the Head Office. This saves time at branch level and serves to get rid of some applicants. If an applicant fills in a form at the branch, this can be scanned in and then uploaded to the Head office. JUST IN TIME v STANDARD METHOD OF STOCK CONTROL In the standard method, a shop selling cookers etc, keeps it stock in a shop and in an attached warehouse. When stock in the shop are runs low it is replenished from the warehouse. A check is kept on how much stock is in the warehouse. When the warehouse needs new stock, an order is placed with the appropriate suppliers – or with the organisation’s main warehouse – and the goods are delivered. In addition to being used for stock control, the information from scanning is collected on the main computer at the Head Office to build up a ‘profile’ or description of the way in which its customers shop. For example, the ratio of customers who use a washing powder to those who use a liquid detergent an be calculated from the sales of washing detergents in any particular store. From this sort of information, the amount of shelf space to be given to a product can be calculated. OTHER USES The stores are also big users of email. Each store is connected to each other, to every depot and to the Head Office. The email is used for area initiatives, promotional planning, quality control issues, head office bulletins, warning about shoplifters and banning letters. The ‘just-in-time’ system takes advantage of a stock information system. As products pass through the electronic points of sales (EPOS), the relevant data is sent to a atabase containing information about stock levels. When stock falls below a set level more is ordered. Thus only a bare minimum of necessary stock is ordered and there is no need to maintain a large, fully stocked warehouse. In some cases the system is fully automated, working out how what stock is needed and electronically processing and communicating the order. Advantages †¢ Money is saved because less warehouse space needs to be purchased and maintained. †¢ Economies can be made in regard to labour costs, i. e. fewer staff are needed. †¢ The business is more aware of and more responsive to hanges in supply and demand Disadvantages †¢ If there is disruption to the transport system, shops an d businesses will quickly run out of stock. †¢ Shops can still be caught out by sudden changes in buying patterns. In such cases they often find themselves without the stock the customers are asking for. †¢ An ICT system can be costly to set up and maintain, and expertise – which may also be costly – will be needed to run it. INTERNET SHOPPING Some supermarket companies now have websites which allow you to shop over the Internet, this has allowed them access to different markets i. e. people who do not have ransport to get to the store. Businesses have recognised that the Internet allowed people to interact with each other in a different way, and it gave the potential for creating new markets and in reinvigorating old ones. Businesses began to use the Internet in different ways: †¢ As a means of communicating information about the products and services they offer; †¢ As a ‘virtual shop’, allowing customers to purchase goods and services online; †¢ As a free service which makes money by advertisers to use the site; †¢ As a subscription service, e. g. allowing subscribers access to valuable information such as might be ontained in research papers; †¢ As an interactive site that encourages customers to give them feedback on their products. Steps in interactive shopping 1. The customer views the company’s products via a website and selects the object(s) for purchase. 2. The customer enters his order, together with credit card details, via an on-screen form. 3. An encryption system or secure link is used to protect the transaction and to ensure credit card details are not accessible. 4. The order is received and sent to a database. 5. The information in the database is communicated to a distribution centre where rders are made up. 6. The order is delivered to the customer. Advantages to the customer †¢ Customers do not have to travel long distances to the shops and struggle through crowds to make their purchases. †¢ It can be beneficial to those customers who are disabled or who, for some other reason find it difficult to travel to shops. †¢ New, smaller, more specialised businesses present themselves on he web, thus widening the range of goods and services available. Advantages to the business †¢ Overheads can be cut. A web-based business does not necessarily need a high street shop and staff to run it. Small specialised concerns have therefore been able to establish themselves on the web with very little capital outlay. †¢ Many new businesses have been created via the Internet; some have been successful some not. The overall effect, however, has been to invigorate the business environment by introducing healthy competition. Some difficulties †¢ Despite assurances by business that their sites are secure, many people are anxious about giving out their credit card details online. There have been sufficient examples of Internet-based credit cards fraud to justify this fear. †¢ Anybody can set up an online business and some ebsites are not run in an honest and reliable manner. Customers have ordered and paid for goods that hve never arrived. †¢ Shopping is not just a functional act. It is also a social activity. People go shopping to be with their friends and enjoy the atmosphere of towns and cities. Computers are also used to control the freezers and chillers throug hout the store. In the warehouse, the large freezers have to be kept within a certain temperature range. This is achieved by having temperature sensors inside each freezer which monitor the conditions and switch the cooling motor on or off. On the floor of the supermarket are many freezers and chillers which are used to store and display a wide variety of products such as fresh meat, dairy produce and frozen goods. CONTROL SYSTEMS Different products have different requirements in terms of temperature. Fresh meat, for instance, may have to be kept at 4 C whilst ice cream has to be stored at -15 C. The freezers and chillers therefore are kept at many different temperatures and, in the past, an employee of the supermarket had to check the temperature of the chiller every hour. Now every freezer and chiller is linked to a computer in the branch office. A temperature sensor in each freezer or chiller constantly MONITORS the temperature, sending data back to this computer which sends signals back, when needed, switching the individual freezer / chiller motors on or off, thus maintaining the correct temperatures. A display on each freezer / chiller shows the temperature to customers. the build up of ice but without defrosting the food. Any breakdowns are detected immediately, minimising the risk of food thawing and therefore being wasted. ADVANTAGES The advantages of using Information Technology in supermarkets can be broken down into two sections, the enefits to the customer and the benefits to the supermarket and its management. It must be remembered that changes and improvements come about over a period of time, for instance, while the introduction of Information Technology may save the supermarket chain money eventually, it requires a good deal of investment, both in terms of resources and training, initially and throughout its de velopment. This is called a ‘closed loop control system’. As can be seen from the diagram, the freezer can be either on or off ( the PROCESS ) which leads to the freezer being a certain temperature ( the RESULT ). The temperature of the freezer s then either too high, too low or alright and this FEEDBACK is used to change the process if necessary (turns the freezer from off to on, or on to off. ) Every three or four hours, each freezer has to be defrosted and the computer controls this process as well, turning the freezer off long enough to stop To the customer * faster and more efficient checkout services. * itemised till receipts. * products more tailored to their needs. * fresher goods due to low stock levels held by supermarkets. * special offers. * benefits to the supermarket passed on in the way of lower prices or increased customer services. * various methods of payment. chilled or frozen food kept at the correct temperature. To the supermarket and its management * efficient stock control, less chance of goods being out of stock. * more efficient checkouts, less chance of errors by staff. * ability to use sales forecasts and ‘profiles’, leading to more efficient use of shelf space. * little warehouse space required in each supermarket due to distribution system. * ability to monitor the performance of checkout staff. * shelf pricing more cost effective than labels on products. * ability to use electronic funds transfer improves cash flow. * effective management of chilled and frozen goods. How to cite Ict in Supermarkets, Essay examples

Leadership and Management Structures - Process

Question: Discuss about the Leadership and Management Structures, Process . Answer: Introduction Leadership is an important function of the management in which both the roles are extremely related to human interactions. The managers are expected to perform decision making activities on a regular basis. A decision needs to be based on the assessment of alternatives, outcomes and uncertainties (Hopfe Augenbroe and Hensen 2013). The decision should be based on information derived from the organizational data gathered. This is obtained from the various sources such as Management Information System (MIS), Decision Support System (DSS), Executive Information System (EIS) and Executive Support System (ESS) (Leidner 2016). These tools are used when there is a need to make decision regarding a policy. It also helps the managers for proper planning and the implementation of the same (Hopfe Augenbroe and Hensen 2013). This report would discuss about these management tools used in the management process in the organizations. The impact of technology on the organizational functioning is disc ussed. The reasons for greater adoption of technology for effective leadership is discussed in detail. The company selected for the purpose of analysis is Myers, which is retail department stores, based in Australia. The company background is discussed so that a detailed picture can be gained regarding the organization. The existing business problems and the current issues of the company are discussed. This report would broaden the definition of information systems relevant to the modern organizational context. The MIS refers to the management information system which comprises of computer based tools which assist the managers in their everyday functioning (Kerzner 2013). It provides technological tools to the managers so that they can improve their efficiency in their strategic decision making (Hopfe Augenbroe and Hensen 2013). This tool connects several other areas such as informatics, information technology, computer systems, e-commerce and others (DeLone et al. 2016). These tools help the manager in gaining an overall insight into the business affairs and maximize the return on investments in various domains related to equipment, personnel and the business processes. The MIS are produced regular scheduled reports which are based on the extraction of organizational data (DeLone et al. 2016). The data collected is being presented to the operational level managers as well as senior level managers for making structured decisions. The decision support system or DSS are the computer program application which is used for the purpose of supporting managers for their problem solving and formulating situation based decisions (Power Sharda and Burstein 2015). This tool is being used by the higher management and middle management tools for finding solutions to structured as well as unstructured decision issues (Power Sharda and Burstein 2015). There are several components of decision support system such as decision interface, modelling software, information base and the database (Bonczek Holsapple and Whinston 2014). The Executive Information System (EIS) is an efficient tool that enables quick access to the users for viewing or using the summarized reports necessary for understanding the situations of the organization (Yu et al. 2015). The reports are being collected from all the departments and organizational hierarchy. The collected data is being compiled in order to give a broader picture to the department heads or the senior management (Yu et al. 2015). The EIS provides convenient access to the external as well as internal information which are directly or indirectly related to the organizational goals. The executives can compare, analyze and highlight the crucial trends so that they can easily identify the problems or opportunities (Yu et al. 2015). It focuses on the easy to use user interfaces and utilizes graphical displays for conveying the information. The Executive Support System or ESS is widely-used reporting software which is used by the executive level managers for quick access of the company reports concerning recruitment, cost accounting, billing and scheduling (Mishra 2013). There are analytics tools involved in this system which is responsible for prediction of performance outcomes by the utilization of input data. ESS provides expected outcomes which help the executives for gaining quick reference to facts concerning vital organizational decisions (Mishra 2013). Importance of information system The information system is an important component of the organizations since it is considered as an important asset of the organization (Davenport 2013). The information helps the organizations to identify the need for the creation of new products or services (Davenport 2013). The information is also helpful in determining the correct marketing practice used by the company. The decision of market penetration or acquiring new markets can be done by using the information system used by the organization (Davenport 2013). The importance of using information system in the organizations is defined below- Reduction in operating costs- The information system would enable the company to maintain proper records of the organizational data regarding equipment, office space, purchases, recruitment, compensation structure and others (Harper 2015). This helps the organizations to curb the excessive operating cost of the company. Control the growth as well as creation of records- It is important to formulate efficient information system that addresses the creation of the records as well as the retention of the same (Davenport 2013). It is better than the paper records since they are easy to store and are highly effective. Improvement of productivity and efficiency- In the case of paper records, a lot of time is being spent on manual retrieval and there are records that go missing or lost (Jervis and Masoodian 2014). This issue is being eliminated by the information system which increases the efficiency and the productivity of the employees (Jervis and Masoodian 2014). The easy retrieval of the crucial information helps the organization to increase its productivity (Jervis and Masoodian 2014). Impact of technology on decision-making The decision making is one of the most important activities in a business. The decision-making activity requires the utilization of technology in various aspects (Hosack et al. 2012). The technology tools such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) system or the decision support system combine together to create meaningful information through the use of OLAP (Online Analytical Process) (Hosack et al. 2012). The technology impacts the decision-making activity in the following ways- Speed- It is important to process huge amounts of data so that necessary information can be extracted from them (Hosack et al. 2012). The decision maker can ask a variety of questions based on the information system and this happens at very fast speed (Lauer Peacock and Graesser 2013). The managers need to get hold of the necessary information at very fast pace so that they can facilitate the decision making process. Data processing- Technology would foster the data mining skills of the managers by computerizing the decision making capabilities of the organization (Provost and Fawcett 2013). The technological facts, figures, graphs and the tables enable the managers to make quick decision making (Provost and Fawcett 2013). Group decision making- The organization consists of several groups or teams that require performing quick decision making activities in order to support the organization in its day to day functioning (Antunes Zurita and Baloian 2014). The group decision making activity (GDSS) would support the formulation of the solutions for current problems (Antunes Zurita and Baloian 2014). GDSS would integrate the capabilities as well as telecommunications of a team so that a decision can be taken. The group deals with complex problems and hence there is a need of making structured decisions. Collaboration- The managers are required to exchange data with other departments and hence a high degree of data collaboration is required (Antunes Zurita and Baloian 2014). Technology enables the managers to use applications such as teleconferencing, electronic mail, intranets, group ware and document management systems. Access to data- The managers are required to gain access to the data at the shortest possible time. The IT tools must provide the managers access to important data and must be able to process them at rapid speeds (Antunes Zurita and Baloian 2014). The IT tools help the managers to access the data whenever they are and whenever they require doing so. Company Background Myers Holdings Pty Ltd is one of the largest departmental store chain based in Australia (Myer 2016). It was founded in the year 1900 and its headquarters is located at Melbourne, Australia (Myer 2016). The founder of this company is Sidney Myer and the store has its presence in more than 67 locations in Australia (Myer 2016). The company is reputed as the largest departmental store in Australia in terms of number of stores as well as revenues (Myer 2016). The primary product range of the company includes womenswear, childrens wear, menswear, beauty, cosmetics, fragrances, footwear, toys, accessories and electrical goods (Myer 2016). The primary competitor of the company is David Jones department chain (Myer 2016). The annual operating income of the company is AUD 113.5 million and net income of the company was AUD 60.5 million in 2016 (Myer 2016). The company has roped Ex-Miss Universe model Jennifer Hawkins for endorsing the retail chain (Myer 2016). The brand also engages several other big personalities as their brand ambassadors. Issues and business problems There are serious issues with the operation and the functioning of Myers which is a matter of concern for the senior management. The company was merged with Coles Supermarkets to form Coles Myer (Seddon et al. 2012). However, the company was separated from Coles in the year. This caused a huge drop in the market share of the company. The loyal customers of the company were not satisfied by the frequent policy changes of the company which resulted in a sharp decline in the sales of the products (Seddon et al. 2012). There was a decline in both the offline and the online sales. This turmoil has also caused a large number of employees to resign at the same time. There was lack of salesperson in the stores which further agitated the customers (Seddon et al. 2012). The company had lack of planning which resulted in the reduction of the operational efficiency in the retail environment. There was lack of information system which reduced the operational efficiency of the company. The company did not use advanced information technology tools in their regular functioning. Recommendations It is important to focus on the weaknesses of the company so that the service gaps can be reduced. It is important to introduce advanced technology measures in their day to day operations of the company. The introduction of MIS, DSS and EIS would help the company to accumulate all the facts as well as figures and compile them in a report. The executives as well as the senior management would be able to take decisions at a fast rate. The company should undertake adequate measures to enhance the customer satisfaction rates. An adequate number of employees should be recruited so that the customer satisfaction levels can be improved. The company must focus on increasing the market share of the company and increase the sales of the company. It should adopt extensive promotion activities in order to enhance the brand image of the company. Conclusions Leadership and management are vital processes which determine the success of the organizations. The managers need critical data, information so that they can gain insights into the current organizational situation. This report analyzes the various information systems used by the organization such as Management Information, Executive Information System, Decision Support System and others. All the information systems are analyzed in detail from an organizational point of view. The importance of the information system in modern organizations is discussed. The information system impacts the functioning of the organizations and detailed explanation has been done on the same. The business issues in Myers are discussed along with the company background. The concluding part of the report identifies the recommendations for improving the business issues of the company. This report would broaden the understanding of the various types of information system used in the organizations and their rel ative importance of the same. This report would present the future researchers with a foundation to perform study on information technology usage in the organizations. 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