Romney Ais Solman Ch1
CHAPTER 1
ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS: AN OVERVIEW
SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.1 The value chain classifies all business activities into two categories: primary activities and support activities. The five primary activities are: inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, sales & marketing, and service. The four support activities are: firm infrastructure, human resources management, technology, and purchasing.
The inbound logistics function at S&S includes all processes involved in receiving merchandise and storing it. S&S does not manufacture any goods, thus its operations activities consist of the processes involved in displaying various merchandise for sale. The outbound logistics activity at S&S includes delivering the products to the customer. The sales & marketing activity includes advertising and the actual processing of sales transactions. The service activity includes all post-sales services offered to customers, such as repairs and periodic maintenance.
The firm infrastructure at S&S includes the accounting function. Its human resource management activity includes all the processes involved in recruiting, hiring, training, evaluating, and dismissing employees. The technology support activity includes all investments in computer technology and various input/output devices, such as point-of-sale scanners. The purchasing support activity includes all processes involved in identifying and selecting vendors from whom S&S will acquire goods and negotiating the best prices, terms, and support from those suppliers.
1.2 Usually, most organizations will only produce information if its value exceeds its cost. There are two basic situations, however, in which information may be produced even if its costs exceed its value. First, it is often difficult to accurately estimate the value of information and, sometimes, the cost of producing it. Therefore, organizations may produce information that they expect will produce
ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS: AN OVERVIEW
SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.1 The value chain classifies all business activities into two categories: primary activities and support activities. The five primary activities are: inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, sales & marketing, and service. The four support activities are: firm infrastructure, human resources management, technology, and purchasing.
The inbound logistics function at S&S includes all processes involved in receiving merchandise and storing it. S&S does not manufacture any goods, thus its operations activities consist of the processes involved in displaying various merchandise for sale. The outbound logistics activity at S&S includes delivering the products to the customer. The sales & marketing activity includes advertising and the actual processing of sales transactions. The service activity includes all post-sales services offered to customers, such as repairs and periodic maintenance.
The firm infrastructure at S&S includes the accounting function. Its human resource management activity includes all the processes involved in recruiting, hiring, training, evaluating, and dismissing employees. The technology support activity includes all investments in computer technology and various input/output devices, such as point-of-sale scanners. The purchasing support activity includes all processes involved in identifying and selecting vendors from whom S&S will acquire goods and negotiating the best prices, terms, and support from those suppliers.
1.2 Usually, most organizations will only produce information if its value exceeds its cost. There are two basic situations, however, in which information may be produced even if its costs exceed its value. First, it is often difficult to accurately estimate the value of information and, sometimes, the cost of producing it. Therefore, organizations may produce information that they expect will produce