Running Head PRIMIS SYSTEMPRIMIS SYSTEMPrimis Sy.docx

Running Head: PRIMIS SYSTEM
PRIMIS SYSTEM
Primis System
At Mc-Graw Hill Company
Your Name Course title Instructor Name
[Pick the date]
Introduction
The McGraw-Hill Company had started and implemented most
innovative project in the academic publishing industry for
benefitting the students and professors. The technology,
business environment, economic conditions are changing
drastically in the modern world for example students need to go
to library to find information on a particular topic but now
Kindle device is being used for finding information from the
same place without visiting library. The changes in the
technology, business processes had made the existing
information in the traditional text books outdated. Even though
textbooks are being revised regularly they may not contain
updated information. To solve such issues the Mc-Graw Hill
developed Primis system which enables the professors to design
the contents of the text book for a particular course. Generally
faculty selected the course contents from the core textbooks of a
particular subject. The issues which such systems are outdated
syllabus, could not select latest case studies, many textbooks

have to be referred by the student. The Primis systems helps the
professors to customize the text book by selecting course
contents from different text books, databases and place an order
for the customized text book. The Mc-Graw Hill will publish
the text books according to requirements of professors of a
particular university. The important steps in traditional system
development life cycle are: probem identification, system
analysis, system design, system development and system
maintenance (O'Brien & Marakas, 2011).
The Mc-Graw Hill had adopted systems approach for
developing the Primis system. Primis means first information
system where customized publishing are done on demand basis.
The present study is to understand the Primis System and how
Mc-Graw Hill had used the concepts of management
information systems to design the Primis system. The four
phases of Primis system: system analysis, system design, system
development and system maintenance are studied and analyzed
in this paper.
System Analysis
1Q. What kinds of questions might Mc-Graw Hill have asked as
part of determining the feasibility of the Primis idea?
A: The information technologies, including internet-based
iformation systems are playing a vital role and expanding role
in business (Mcleod & Schell, 2008). The Primis project had
started with uncertainty because the idea for the company as
well as for the academic publishing industry. In 1988 the Mc-
Graw had observed facts like 30 percent of the students do not
purchase all the required textbooks, course contents are
changing regularly. The following questions had been raised by
Mc-Graw Hill for determining the feasibility of Primis idea:
1Q. Do we have enough funds to invest in research for creating
custom published books?
2Q. Doe existing technology supports the new idea?
3Q. How to pay royalties for the authors?
4Q. Will customized printing increases the price of the product?

5Q. How to gather perfect requirements from the professors?
6Q. How to update the databases?
7Q. Do our vendors support for the new idea?
8Q. How to deliver the products to the customers?
9Q. What are the opportunities for custom publish textbooks?
10Q. Should we change the existing business process?
11Q. Will the employees, distributors support the idea of
custom publish textbooks?
12. How to maintain quality, pricing and deliver the product in
time to students.
13Q. Updating the system with new content may become costly
and leads to complexity in payment of royalty to authors?
14Q. Competition from new entrants into custom published text
books industry.
2Q. How well did the systems approach work for the initial
stages of the Primis system?
A: The Mc-Graw Hill had effectively implemented the systems
approach. First the company had identified the problem i.e.
professors and students are facing difficulty the complete
course content in one text book. The purchasing of many text
books for one course is difficult for students. In the next stage
the company had conducted the feasibility study whether the
new idea of custom publish text books brings benefits to
students and faculty. Hence the systems approach has given best
inputs during the initial stages of Primis system.
3Q. What could the team have done differently in the
preliminary stages? How might this have affected the end
result?
A: The project teams should identify the software, hardware
and database resources for effective implementation of the
project (O'Brien & Marakas, 2011)The team should have
conducted a survey to know the purchase intentions of students
for custom published text books. The customization should be
available only for text books which have more demand. The
team should gather the course content generally for the
universities rather than only for specific universities. The team

should have estimated the honesty issues regarding billing
issues. The team should have anticipated the issues related to
printing and collecting the bill. It would be better for Mc-Graw
to collect advance before starting the actual production. The
company should not provide a sample copy to the customers.
Now the company is experiencing lot of demand for custom
published eBooks rather than print books. The team had not
anticipated the demand for eBooks. If this is anticipated then
the Primus project could have completed within six months
saving funds, time and other resources.
4Q. Would you have implemented the system, armed with the
information the team had at the time? Why or Why not?
A: I would have implemented the system because project had
started for solving an issue related to academic books. It is true
that students are not getting the complete course content in one
text book and it is costly to purchase all the reference books.
Hence the Primis idea is best to improve the existing academic
system.
System Design
5Q. “Process engineering” is the design of business process to
achieve competitive advantage in cost, quality, speed, and
service. Which of these advantages were driving the
development of the Primis System for McGraw-Hill?
A: The quality and service are the primary driving forces for the
idea of Primis system. The Mc-Graw Hill cannot expect cost
advantages for customized text books. The target market size
gets decreased as the customization increases. The speed of
delivery can be slow due to many important steps while brining
the final published text books. The phases like proof reading,
validity of the content, accuracy, discussion with faculty,
implementing changes may consume lot of time. The Primis
team should collect the course content from professors at least
six months before the process of customization or publication
process.
6Q. What types of system design tools do you think Mc-Graw
Hill used to develop the system’s functional requirements and

technical specifications?
A: The Mc-Graw Hill had conducted feasibility analysis and
communicated the system requirements with its major vendors
like Kodak, Sun Microsystems and also developed alternate
system solutions. The Primis team had collected database from
authors, and course content details from professors. The
software was procured from vendors for appropriate file formats
to store the data. The company could have purchased latest
software for storing and retrieving the databases.
7Q. Business customers must perceive products/ services are
solutions to their problems. How did the Primis system design
keep this objective in mind?
A: The major objective of Primis system is to provide
customized published text books for the target students. The
company had collected the course contents from professors for
including the right content for a specific course. Since there is
no existing industry standard for custom-published books, the
company had developed a new system. The functional design
was developed by discussions with internal team members and
the technical design was developed through discussion with
software vendors.
8Q. The Primis team knew that technology would change in the
short and long run, affecting the design of the system. How did
the team with the knowledge of this inevitable and uncertainty?
A: The technology definitely changes from time to time.
Therefore the company had separated the ISBN database,
royalty fee, backend databases so that customization can be
done without disturbing the existing text book course contents.
The company updates the database separately according to the
course or subject. Once the requirement is collected then new
text book is customized as the inputs of the professors.
Additionally the Primis system reduces the uncertainty of
demand by printing the text books according to the demand. The
traditional publishing organizations which print core text books
may become outdated in due course but custom published text
books are supplied on demand.

Systems Development
9Q. Would prototyping have helped the Primis team? Why or
Why not?
A: The Company had taken 18 months time from the
identification of problem to actual system implementation. The
system development life cycle would have been less than a year
if there is a prototype. The company had started its project with
lot of uncertainty since it is innovative and consumed lot of
time at every stage of the system life cycle. However if Mc-
Graw Hill had developed a prototype then the system would
have completed very early. In management information system,
the initial prototype should be developed for completing the
projects because as the time goes on there is a chance that
competitors might launch the similar project in advance.
10Q. What role should end users have played in the
development of the system?
A: The end users should involve in every stage of the system
development life cycle. They should provide inputs for software
developers for designing the best system. The technical team
should have learned from the initial stages of how the Primis
system works. The company could have saved the time which is
spent for training if the end users like sales force teams,
technical support team are involved from the initial stage of
Primis system development.
11Q. What change management techniques did Mc-Graw Hill
use to increase the chances of success of for the system?
A: The Company had migrated from traditional publishing
system to Primis system which is aimed to publish customized
text books. The company had trained the employees, sales force
teams, technical teams and educated the vendors about Primis
system. The company had selected the vendors based on the
suggestion by its employees so that they feel they are involved
in the development of new system.
12Q. Why was it important to consider the relationship of
Primis to back-end systems at Mc-Graw-Hill?
A: The back-end systems play a primary role in implementing

the new system. Earlier the employees in the back-end process
used traditional methods for publishing text books. But know
they have to develop custom-published text books which are
completely different from the existing system. Hence it is
important for the Primis system to establish relationship with
back end database. The Mc-Graw Hill is having largest PDF
database which is in digital format. The new Primis system uses
the existing database for custom publish text books. The Sun
Microsystems was selected for migrating the data from legacy
system to Primis system.
13Q. If you were the project manager for Primis, what would
have done differently? Explain your response.
A: First I would have developed the prototype for the new
Primis system. I agree that the Mc-Graw Hill had followed the
steps of System Development Life Cycle but it consumed lot of
time for developing the system. Once feasibility study is
conducted than I would have implemented rapid application
development (RAD) methodology for developing the Primis
system and completed in six months. Since the problem is
perfectly identified than the solution through Primis system will
bring profits to the organization.
I would have involved all the employees in different stages
of Primis system development. I would have also invested lot of
funds for advertising the Primis system in target markets.
Maintenance
14Q. If you were professor considering adoption of a custom
textbook for your students, which form would you choose:
black& white print or color eBook? Support your answer.
A: The Primis system had started eBooks from the year 2000
onwards and the price of eBooks is 33 percent less than printed
text books. The eBooks are similar to printed text books in all
aspects. The customers can download and read them from the
computer or take a print copy for personal use.
If I am professor I would choose color eBook because they
are more attractive and easy to read and understand than black
and white eBooks. The graphs, images, charts are easy to

understand in colored eBook than black and white eBook. Even
I am having the experience of purchasing colored eBooks and
got very much satisfied. But at the same time I would not
suggest my student to take print copies of eBooks because it is
costly and they can take black and white print copy for personal
use. It is also unethical to distribute the eBooks and it also
violates copy rights issue.
15Q. Part of system maintenance managing the growing volume
of content in the Primis database. If you were managing this
content, what criteria might you use for determining what gets
added? Since many print textbooks are revised every few years,
how would this process affect contents in the Primis database?
A: First I would separate the database according to the courses
and the broad area of the subject. For example in business
management education the database can be divided into four
broad categories like marketing, finance, operation& production
and human resource management. Again in each area the
databases can be divided into different categories for example
in marketing the consumer behavior, product management,
services marketing, advertising and supply chain subjects. The
case studies in each subject are also stored in various
categories. In this way the database can be divided under
different themes. I would have used classification numbers for
each type of content based on the broad subject area.
A separate team would be recruited for updating the data
by checking the validity of the content. At least one professor in
each subject area would be consulted before updating any data.
The revision of text books enhances the performance of Primis
system and further provides a competitive advantage for the
organization. The basic objective of Primis system is to provide
custom published text books and also to update the database
continuously. This Primis system also helps in payment of
royalties for the authors appropriately.
Conclusion
The management information systems play an important
role in modernization of organizations and also enhance the

performance of the organizations. In the given case Primis
system had solved the problem of student community by
providing custom publish text books. It had brought
revolutionary changes in the academic publishing industry. The
Mc-Graw Hill had communicated its commitment for student
customer satisfaction with its innovative project. The Primis
system had achieved success only because of effective system
development life cycle process and support of latest technology.
References
Mcleod, R., & Schell, G. P. (2008). Management Information
Systems (10 ed.). USA: Pearson Education Inc.
O'Brien, J., & Marakas, G. M. (2011). Management Information
System (10 ed.). USA: McGraw Hill Publishers.
HIST 202
Spring 2016
Instructor: K. Jones

Formal Essay – African American Civil Rights
QUESTION: Compare and contrast the differing ideas and
approaches taken by African American civil rights
leaders from the late 1800s to the 1960s. Which approaches
were most effective and why?
REQUIRED READINGS:
Textbook – Chapter 21, p. 429-30; Chapter 22, p. 451-2;
Chapter 24, p. 498-9, 501-2; Chapter 29, p. 611-
621.
Primary source documents in the back of the textbook (use four
of the six):
1) Document 15 (p. 30-32) – “Atlanta Compromise,” Booker T.
Washington (1895)
2) Document 16 (p. 33-34) – “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington,”
W.E.B. DuBois (1903)
3) Document 36 (p. 71) – “I, Too,” Langston Hughes (1926)
4) Document 54 (p. 103) – Letter from Jackie Robinson to
President Eisenhower (1958)
5) Document 63 (p. 121-22) – “I Have a Dream” Speech, Martin
Luther King, Jr. (1963)
6) Document 64 (p. 123-25) – “Ballot of Bullet” Speech,
Malcolm X (1964)
PAPER COMPONENTS:
I. Format (30 points)
1) Papers should be typed. Papers should be no less than 2 full
pages long and should be double-
spaced. Students should use 12 pt font and 1-inch margins.

2) A header is required and should include the following
information: student’s name, date, class (HIST
202), and instructor’s name (Jones). There should be only one
or two spaces at most between the
header and the beginning of the paper.
3) Students may include a title for their papers. If they choose
to include this, it should be no more than
one space underneath the header in the center of the paper. The
body of the paper should begin no
more than one space underneath the title. Titles are optional.
4) Papers should have an introduction, body, and conclusion.
The body of the paper should be divided
up into separate paragraphs, one for each main topic or point
made. The first sentence of each
paragraph should be indented.
5) Papers should have a clear and specific thesis statement that
does not just restate the main question
being asked. Thesis statements can be more than one sentence
long, but should also be concise.
6) Sources should be cited within the text of the essay using
MLA format when appropriate. This means
that students should use parenthetical documentation when
directly quoting something or when
paraphrasing another author’s idea or argument. Sentences that
convey a student’s own thoughts or
arguments, or state factual information, do not need to be cited.
Citations should include the author’s
last name and the page number.
7) A Works Cited page is optional.

II. Spelling/Grammar and Style (20 points)
Papers should have minimal spelling and grammatical errors.
Please use spell check while writing your paper.
Spell check does not catch every misspelled word, so please
also proofread your papers carefully for any spelling
errors. Sentence fragments, incomplete sentences, run-on
sentences, misuse of words, and inappropriate use
of punctuation are all considered serious grammatical errors and
will negatively affect your grade. Sentences
and paragraphs should be coherent, clear, and well organized.
If you feel you need assistance with spelling,
grammar, or style, please either turn in a rough draft to me or
visit the Writing Center.
III. Content (50 points)
The main focus of the paper should be to compare and contrast
the different approaches and ideas used
by African American leaders to fight for civil rights for African
Americans from the late 1800s to the
1960s.
In addition to the background information from the lectures and
textbook, students must specifically
use at least four of the six assigned primary source documents
to back up their arguments. You are
required to use only the assigned sources listed. No other
sources are allowed.
Papers should discuss the specific arguments and points made
by each author in the primary sources.
Students should also discuss each author’s point of view
(biases, background, reasons why they might

have held the viewpoint they did).
Students should demonstrate in their paper that they have
completed the required textbook readings by
incorporating relevant background information into their papers.
Papers should not just be a summary
of the primary source documents in the workbook.
Students should try to address some of the following questions
in their papers:
What did Booker T. Washington propose as the best way for
African Americans to obtain civil rights and
equality? Did he feel equality should just be given to African
Americans or that Africans Americans
needed to struggle and earn equality? What did Washington
mean when he said “Cast down your
bucket where you are”? What kinds of jobs did Washington
believe African Americans should do and
why?
What criticisms did W.E.B. DuBois have of Washington’s ideas
and approach? What did DuBois believe
had been the result of accepting and following Washington’s
approach for African Americans? What
“truths” did DuBois believe Washington and his followers were
ignoring? Who did DuBois feel the
burden of solving the civil rights issue fell upon to solve? What
did he feel needed to be done to bring
about racial equality?
Langston Hughes was critical of many of the ideas of African
American activists like W.E.B DuBois. What
does his poem, “I, too, sing America,” tell you about his beliefs
and how they contrasted with the beliefs
of DuBois and the African American middle class of the time?

Is the narrator ashamed of his race or
proud? Does he feel he needs to earn acceptance through hard
work and submissiveness like
Washington would have advocated? Does he feel he needs to be
uplifted by the more well-educated
African American elite? Who does he place the blame for
discrimination on? Why will “they” be
ashamed?
Why was Jackie Robinson tired of being patient? What did he
feel African Americans had to do? Why?
Why did he feel patience and forbearance were not working?
What did he want President Eisenhower
to do?
What approach did Martin Luther King, Jr. advocate in the
quest for civil rights? Did he believe civil
rights advocates should use aggression and violence to achieve
their goals? Why not? What were some
of the things King was calling for? What was his dream?
What common problem did Malcolm X believe all African
Americans faced, regardless of religion? What
did he believe African Americans needed to do to achieve civil
rights? Why was 1964 such an important
year? What did he propose Africans Americans do in response
to what was happening that year? What
two tools did they have to use? Would Malcolm X agree with
the ideas in Langston Hughes’ poem?
What criticisms did Malcolm X have of civil rights leaders like
Martin Luther King, Jr. and the
Kennedy/Johnson administrations? Did he agree with the non-
violent approach to attaining civil rights?
Why not? What approach did he propose to use instead?

GRADING RUBRIC
Qualities & Criteria Excellent
(9-10 pts)

Satisfactory
(7-8 pts)
Needs
Improvement (5-
6 pts)
Unsatisfactory (0-
4 pts)
Format (Weight: 3/10)
Follows require-
ments of length,
font and style
Sources are cited
correctly using
MLA format.
Closely follows all
the requirements
related to format.
May have one or
two minor format
errors. Source are
cited correctly
Follows, for the
most part, all the
requirements
related to format.
Some
requirements are

not followed.
Sources are cited,
for the most part,
correctly.
Poorly follows the
requirements
related to format.
Many
requirements
ignored or not
met. Sources are
not cited and/or
not cited correctly.
Does not meet
requirements
related to format.
Content (Weight: 5/10)
The main topic is
addressed clearly
The background
information is
accurate and used
effectively
Background
information and
specific examples are
based on careful
reading of the
sources

Good understanding
of sources
Sources are used
effectively in the
essay
Authors’ point of
view is discussed
effectively
The essay
addresses the
main questions
being asked and
the effectively
addresses the
paper topic. The
background
information used
necessary and
sufficient to
discuss these
issues. A lot of
discussion of
authors’ point of
view. The required
number of primary
sources are used
effectively in the
essay and are cited
appropriately.
The essay mostly
addresses the
main questions

being asked and
the effectively
addresses the
paper topic. The
background
information used
is, for the most
part, necessary
and sufficient to
discuss these
issues. Some
discussion of
authors’ point of
view. Most of the
primary sources
are used
effectively in the
essay and are cited
appropriately.
The essay poorly
addresses the
main questions
being asked
and/or does not
address the paper
topic effectively.
The background
information used
is not sufficient to
discuss the major
issues of the essay.
There is no or little
use of the primary
sources and/or
they are not used

effectively in the
essay. Little to no
discussion of
authors’ point of
view. Sources are
not cited.
The essay does not
address the main
questions being
asked and/or does
not address the
paper topic.
Background
information is not
used to discuss the
major issues of the
essay. No use of
primary sources
and no citations
provided. No
discussion of
authors’ point of
view.
Spelling/ Grammar/ Style
(Weight: 2/10)
Clarity and
coherence of
sentences and
paragraphs
Correct use of
spelling, grammar
and use of English

Organization
The essay is well
written from start
to finish, with no
spelling, grammar
or use of English
errors. The essay is
well organized,
clear and presents
ideas in a coherent
way.
The essay is well
written for the
most part, with
few spelling,
grammar or use of
English errors. The
essay is for the
most part well
organized, clear
and presents ideas
in a coherent way.
The essay is not
well written, and
contains many
spelling errors,
and/or grammar
errors and/or use
of English errors.
The essay is badly
organized, lacks
clarity and/or does

not present ideas
in a coherent way.
Clarity of ideas and
organization is
severely
compromised by
poor spelling,
grammar, and style.

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