Homework $2$: Chapter $2$ Personal Trainer, Inc.

Personal Trainer, Inc. owns and operates fitness centers in a dozen Midwestern cities. The centers have done

well, and the company is planning an international expansion by opening a new "supercenter" in the Toronto

area. Personal Trainer's president, Cassia Umi, hired an IT consultant, Susan Park, to help develop an

information system for the new facility. During the project, Susan will work closely with Gray Lewis, who will

manage the new operation.

Background

At their initial meeting, Susan and Gray discussed some initial steps in planning an information system for the

new facility. The next morning, they worked together on a business profile, drew an organization chart,

discussed feasibility issues, and talked about various types of information systems that would provide the best

support for the supercenter's operations. Their main objective was to carry out a preliminary investigation of

the new system and report their recommendations to Personal Trainer's top managers.

After the working session with Gray, Susan returned to her office and reviewed her notes. She knew that

Personal Trainer's president, Cassia Umi, wanted the supercenter to become a model for the company's future

growth, but she did not remember any mention of an overall strategic plan for the company. Susan also

wondered whether the firm had done a SWOT analysis or analyzed the internal and external factors that might

affect an information system for the supercenter. Because the new operation would be so important to the

company, Susan believed that Personal Trainer should consider an enterprise resource planning strategy that

could provide a company$-$wide framework for information management. After she finished compiling her

notes, Susan listed several topics that might need more study and called Gray to arrange another meeting the

following day.

Tasks

Review the fact statements in Chapter $1,$ and perform Internet research to find out as much as you can about

fitness center operations. Using this background, conduct a SWOT analysis with at least three entries in each

area.

What fact$-$finding techniques should Susan and Gray consider during the preliminary investigation? Also

develop a list of questions they should include in an employee survey.