1. Explain how Talon helps Harley-Davidson employees improve their decision making capabilities. Talon is Harley-Davidson’s proprietary dealer management system. Talon handles inventory, vehicle registration, warranties, and point-of-sale transactions for all of Harley-Davidson’s dealerships. The system helps improve decision-making capabilities by offering an enterprise wide view of operations, sales, and expenses. The system automatically generates part orders, taking much of the guesswork out of replenishment.

Most significantly, the system allows the company to review and analyze information across its global organization giving it a 360-degree view into enterprise wide information that supports strategic goal setting and decision making throughout all levels of the organization. 2. Identify a few key metrics a Harley-Davidson marketing executive might want to monitor on a digital dashboard. An executive information system (EIS) is a specialized DSS that supports senior level executives within the organization.

A digital dashboard integrates information from multiple components and presents it in a unified display. A digital dashboard is a form of EIS. Harley-Davidson could help its executives gain access to greater amounts and details of enterprise wide information through a digital dashboard. According to Nucleus Research, there is a direct correlation between use of digital dashboards and a companies’ return on investment (ROI), hence Harley-Davidson could increase its ROI through a digital dashboard running on an EIS. Key metrics could include: * Best selling product Worst selling product * Date of highest sales per month * Date of worst sales per month * Correlation between product sales * Online orders verses in-store purchases * Sales by region * Sales by season 3. How can Harley-Davidson benefit from using decision support systems and executive information systems in its business? An executive information system (EIS) is a specialized DSS that supports senior level executives within the organization. A digital dashboard integrates information from multiple components and presents it in a unified display. A digital dashboard is a form of EIS.

Harley-Davidson could help its executives gain access to greater amounts and details of enterprise wide information through a digital dashboard. According to Nucleus Research, there is a direct correlation between use of digital dashboards and a companies’ return on investment (ROI), hence REI could increase its ROI through a digital dashboard running on an EIS. 4. How would Harley-Davidson’s business be affected if it decided to sell accessories directly to its online customers? Include a brief discussion of the ethics involved with this decision.

Harley-Davidson’s business could be affected by selling items directly online by the amount of customers they are able to reach. It would reach a much wider audience which could have good and bad implications. Ethically trade secrets of their products could be discovered. 5. Evaluate the HOG CRM strategy and recommend an additional benefit Harley-Davidson could provide to its HOG members to increase customer satisfaction. The development of the Harley Owners Group (HOG) is viewed by some as one of the greatest business decisions of all time.

Harley-Davidson operates as a customer-centric business and has customers involved in all business operations and decisions. There are numerous benefits HOG could offer its members including additional discounts, special accessories only available to HOG members, a HOG calendar featuring HOG members and only available for sale to HOG members, and even a HOG dating service. 6. How could Harley-Davidson’s SCM system, Manugistics, improve its business operations? Harley-Davidson invests time, energy, and resources into continually improving its company-to-company strategic business initiatives such as supply chain management.

The company deployed Manugistics, an SCM system, which allows it to do business with suppliers in a collaborative, Web-based environment. The SCM system will allow Harley-Davidson to build stronger relationships with the Web of participants in its supply chain, better manage its flow of materials, and improve collaboration activities with its key suppliers. 7. Provide a potential illustration of Harley-Davidson’s SCM system including all upstream and downstream participants. Rubber Manuf. | Harley-Davidson Manufacturing Plant| Tire Company| Harley-Davidson Dealerships|

Other Dealerships| Customers| Customers| Steel Manuf. | Plastic Manuf. | AAA Parts Co. | BBB Parts Co. | 8. Explain how an ERP system could help Harley-Davidson gain business intelligence in its operations. The primary purpose of an ERP is to collect, update, and maintain enterprise wide information. All of the functional departments access the same information when making decisions and solving problems. An ERP system can help Harley-Davidson gain an enterprise wide view into all of its operational information from sales and marketing to billing and finance.