ABSTRACT
Systems integration, as the term suggests, is the integration of information systems into the business. This means the system contemplated must fit the business in several ways. This chapter presents two case studies: Saturn's information system (SIS), a remarkably successful incorporation of information technology (IT) into a strategic business plan, and Citicorp's Mortgage Power Plus, a total failure of a would-be strategic information system. Both systems were great ideas, in the business sense. Judged in terms of providing innovation, the idea behind Mortgage Power Plus was more ingenious than the former. However, Saturn's system succeeded, whereas Citicorp's failed. Most General Motors (GM) information systems are not standardized. It is therefore hard to achieve integration of multiple units in a network. The Saturn Dealer Information System is a network of several subsystems: SALESLINE, SERVICELINE, and various transaction-processing systems that perform accounting functions.
