Requirements: Exam Practice | 2 pages, Double spaced

About TMA:

The TMA covers the accounting information systems concepts and practices in businesses; as you work, you will gain confidence in your ability to use the accounting information systems of real company. It is marked out of 20 and is worth 20% of the overall assessment component. It is intended to assess students’ understanding of some of the learning points within chapters 1 to 3. This TMA requires you to apply the course concepts.

The TMA is intended to:

• Increase the students’ knowledge about the reality of the accounting as a profession.
• Assess students’ understanding of key learning points within chapters 1 to 3.
• Develop the ability to understand and interact with the nature of the accounting information systems in reality.
• Develop students’ communication skills, such as memo writing, essay writing, analysis and presentation of material.
• Develop basic ICT skills such as using the internet.

The TMA requires you to:

• Review various study chapters (from Chapter 1 to 3) of the textbook “Accounting Information Systems, by Richardson, Chang, and Smith. 2nd edition with Connect Access. Loose-leaf packaged text with Connect Access Card: ISBN 9781260088663 McGraw Hill Education” and apply some of the concepts within it.
• Conduct a simple information search using the internet.
• Present your findings and your answers within the specified word count.
• You should use a Microsoft Office Word and Times New Roman Font of 12 points.
• You should read and follow the instructions below carefully. Each part of the process will carry marks for the assignment.

General instructions for students:

Plagiarism: It is imperative that you write your answers using your own words. Plagiarism will be penalized depending on its severity and according to AOU plagiarism policy.

Word count: Your answers are expected to be within the specified word count. A 10% deviation from word count limit is acceptable. Not adhering to specified word count could result in the deduction of up to 4 marks of your total TMA mark.

Format and Presentation: In your answer, you should explain each point or inquire separately.

Use the following headings (below) to make up the different sections of your answer:

Failing to do so could result in the deduction of up to 4 marks of your total TMA mark.

PART ONE (60 marks)

Question I (30 marks)

Salma started Bag Zone in Riverside with the goal of providing good quality handbags. Unique designs and utilizing uncommon materials for the making of the handbags is her competitive advantage, and completed products can be wholesaled to fashion retailers or placed on consignment in local retail shops. Additionally, the handbags can also be sold directly to consumers by displaying the products at fashion or craft shows or selling them online.  has been brisk and she has established a sizeable client base over the last five years. She thinks that it could be the time to spend in an information system to record details about the sales, payroll process and offer more details about the inventory

Salma  believes that it will be possible to modernize some of the business process for reducing the amount of time, which it is taking for data processing. She wants to open up four further stores throughout the next three years. Systems used should be capable of supporting these developments

Currently, Salma finds that no details are captured by the system about the customer. Only details about the purchased goods, the method of payment, member of the staff, purchased quantity, and price & totals are captured.

It has been analysed that levels of stock are recorded by using the stock card. It can be seen that the details of the new inventory are entered into the cards when the new stock and details of sold units are changed at the termination of each trading day. It is very clear that when things become hectic, marketing off stock sheets can be forgotten and hence they are not very exact. To know the level of the stock item, the physical check is needed.

Required
As you have knowledge about information systems, would you provide assistance to Salma  in solving various issues like maintenance of customer details, maintenance of marketing off stock sheets, collection of useful data for sales forecasting and accurate calculation of wages & to electronically pay staff. You should indicate that your suggestion would help each of the stores to improve the organizational performance along with store’s efficiency.

Question 2 (12 marks)

Draw a class diagram with multiplicities for the following narrative

To put himself through school, Zach operates an ice cream truck that travels through neighborhoods, ringing a bell to attract kids that want a cold ice cream treat. Zach’s inventory includes many ice cream products and he tracks which items are sold in each sale. He occasionally adds new items to his list of ice cream products for sale.  Zach only accepts cash for each sale. To identify the routes that generate the most sales, Zach summarizes sales by neighborhood but he only tracks neighborhoods with at least one sale.  Zach deposits the cash received in his bank account at the end of each day.

Question 3 (18 marks)

Consider the following narrative describing the process of going to class: Gasem awoke to his alarm clock buzz. He got up and dressed for the day. Then, he ate a hearty breakfast of oatmeal, toast, orange juice, and coffee. He grabbed his books and prepared to leave for school. Before he left home, he checked the weather. If it looked like rain, he put on a jacket and took his umbrella, and he drove to school. If it looked sunny, he left his jacket and umbrella at home and walked to school. If he drove to school, he parked his car and walked to class. If he walked to school, he went straight to class.

Given that Suggested BPMN to model this process:

1. 1. Assume that block 1 is the start event that begins this process. From the problem description, what is the trigger for the start of the process?
2. What is the name of the BPMN symbol that should replace block 1?
3. What is the name of the BPMN symbol that should replace block 2?

4- Which of the following is the best label for block 2?

5. Assume that block 5 represents the “check weather” task. Then, block 6 represents where the process branches depending on weather. What kind of gateway should be used to replace block 6?

6-   Assume that block 7 represents a task labeled “put on jacket and take umbrella,” and block 8 represents a task labeled “drive to school.” Which of the following is the best label for block 9?

7. Which of the following is the name of the BPMN symbol that should replace block 12 to show that the two sequence options merge?
8. Which of the following describes the BPMN symbol that replaces block 12?
9. Which of the following is the name of the BPMN symbol that should replace block 13?

PART TWO (40 MARKS)

Question 1 (20 marks)

Technology activities include all of the technologies necessary to support value-creating activities. These technologies also include research and development to develop new products or determine ways to produce products at a cheaper price.

Explain how Accounting information system affects firm value.

Question 2 (20 marks)

Firms are always connected to both their suppliers and customers and their wants and needs. The focus was on supply chain optimization to minimize costs and reduce inventories. However, new supply chain technologies are emerging to respond to business disruption and supply chain challenges such as those related to the global spread of COVID-19. On the other hand, this crisis raised the importance of analysing changes in demand before and after that outbreak.

 Discuss how Accounting Information Systems (AIS) assists in business integration with external parties such as suppliers and customers.

END OF TMA QUESTIONS