management information systems in the global intermodal freight transportation community

In a world overrun with technology , management information system plays a key role in all industries including global intermodal freight transportation . As international competition is vital , the competitive advantages associated with this global environment have become more pressing for transportation companies . To succeed on a global scale freight transportation companies have placed an emphasis on consistently upgrading their hardware and software tools

The diversification of firm resources and capabilities has led to a renewed interest in financial resources , technology , transportation data control , EDI , and human-data communication . Fundamentally management information systems

is defined as a system that generally contains comprehensive data about all transactions within an organization ' In the freight , business monitoring pertinent data boils down in finding ways to manage fleets , and data easier . Without MIS freight companies were hard pressed to depend solely on abstract physical reports , figures and quantitative data versus concrete calculations or information from an accurate reporting system (Drucker 1973 ,

.681 ) For instance , truck tracker software has become a means towards regulating maintenance tires , potential repairs , fuel intake and costs , log books , state-by state laws and tags , inventory checks , and an overall management of the freight system . Furthermore , information systems now have enterprise resource planning software systems which collects , processes , inventories , and forecasts demand . In addition hand-held computers help organize information and any information stored in the PDA . This information can easily be transferred to a PC using a `cradle ' to a laptop computer with a wireless connection . Such wireless connections allow for mobility and eliminate the annoyances associated with network wiring . Emery Air Freight was one such company that management took the opportunity to determine that show that informative data could show how many drop-offs a driver had planned to on his route and then planned out how many he actually made (Drucker 1973 ,

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These freight carriers typically have laptops or wireless connections which enable management to determine the location of the cargo at point in time . The power supplies in the notebook computers are a utility power for outlets and a battery power for when mobile such as in an airplane . This supply regulates the voltage going to the computer (Rosch , 2003 ,

. 1012 . In addition , as mobility is vital in the freight business it is sometimes necessary to link more than one network together . For example , with a laptop you might wish to have both a wired and wireless network in a certain location therefore , a bridge called a router must be in place to link or signal from one system or another (Rosch , 2003 ,

. 445 . Speed or time can be monitored and varied based upon GPS signals and contractual agreements on delivery times . Pertinent data also includes who brought in the freight , who owns the freight where a particular shipment is located at any moment in time , what inventory might be on the shipment , when and where a shipment is supposed to be , along with other such data which a business or client might be interested in...