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Chapter 3
As with many companies, Marketing and Sales is the focal point of many of Fitter’s activities.
Why? Because Marketing and Sales is responsible for selling the company’s product, and those
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sales are the company’s only source of revenue. That means marketing personnel often guide the

company’s key strategies and tactics by making decisions regarding such critical questions as:

• What products should we produce?

• How much of each product should we produce?

• How can we best promote and advertise our products?

• How should we distribute our products for maximum customer satisfaction?

• What price should we charge for our products?

On a day-to-day basis, Marketing and Sales is involved in generating key transaction data

(including data for recording sales), creating customers’ invoices, and allocating credit to customers.
As you learned in previous chapters, the availability of a common database is one of the advantages

of having an integrated information system, because the data in the system are consistent across the
different modules. Integration can lead to problems, however. If the data are not correct, the error will

carry over into all modules.

As noted above, Fitter’s Marketing and Sales information systems are currently not well

integrated with the company’s other information systems. Because of this, company-wide use of

transaction data is inefficient, as you will see later in this chapter. You will also learn how Fitter’s

Marketing and Sales information systems could be improved by using ERP software. We begin by

looking at an overview of the company’s operations.

OVERVIEW OF FITTER SNACKER

Fitter Snacker manufactures and sells two types of nutritious snack bars: NRG-A and
NRG-B. The NRG-A bar touts “advanced energy,” and NRG-B boasts “body-building
proteins.” Each bar contains a mix of the following ingredients:
• Dry base mixture: oats, wheat germ, protein powder, and spices

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