Business Driven Information Systems - Term Paper Example

Business Driven Information Systems Business Driven Information Systems The of La Verne’s Competitive Pressures The University of La Verne is a California based private higher learning institution which provides various undergraduate and graduate programs and degrees in addition to academic research. The university has a rich history and heritage with significant development since its inception in 1891 (Fitch, 2011). The higher education system within California has become increasingly competitive in terms of resources, programs, students and talent, research, innovation, facilities and extracurricular activities. It is in this sense that it is obvious that the university requires to become more competitive so that it could retain its leadership in higher education and research. According to Porter’s five forces model for competitive advantage new entrants to a market and supplier power are major threats to the competitive advantage of an organization (Porter, 2008). The University of La Verne is faced by a threat of new universities within California which are providing competitive programs. In addition, supplier power for educational and research material has become a threat to the brand identity of the university which ranked among the top institutions of higher education in California. The University of La Verne is mandated to employ proper management and institutional strategies that will help it to overcome the threat of new entrants into the higher education sector and education service delivery. In addition the university must be sensitive to the power of the buyer who comprise of its students who purchase educational services. This would be achieved through affordable and high quality education which meets the needs of the students for competitive advantage. The threat of substitutes is a business challenge for competitive advantage (Porter, 2008). It is in this sense that the University of La Verne should employ proper business strategies such as marketing so that it can overcome the threat of other research centers. The University of La Verne’s IT Success IT success within the University of La Verne’s can be measured in terms of its congruency with the goals and objectives of the institution. Effective adoption and implementation of information technology is must be in line with the goals and objectives of an organization or institution such as efficiency of operations and activities (Shengbin & Bo, 2011). In addition, the IT success of the University of La Verne’s would be measured in terms of its effectiveness in meeting the needs of the users who comprise of the university management or administration, staff and children. IT programs must be designed to suit the needs of users such as user friendliness of interfaces of various applications (Shengbin & Bo, 2011). More importantly the security of the IT systems within the university is a suitable measure of success. For example private student and financial data and information must be secured and its privacy and confidentiality maintained. The use of IT for communication within the University of La Verne requires improvements in the aspect of efficiency. Regardless of the adoption of information systems within the university, many students have not been enabled to employ this technology in direct communication and exchange with lecturers and other students on educational processes and material such as assignments and discussions. This means that there is a need to reengineer the university IT architecture so that it can be used to facilitate education through applications such as video conferencing, document sharing, online forums and discussion and accessing and submitting assignments. In this regard, the university will be able to use technology as a way of achieving its objective of being a leader in the quality of higher education. IT in Decision Making Information and communication technology within the University of La Verne will allow top management or administrative officers of the institution to effectively make strategic decisions with the help of decision support systems. These systems are designed to allow top managers of an institution to make strategic decisions such as policy issues which will have long term implications on the operations of the institution of organization (Hosack, Hall, Paradice & Courtney, 2012). Therefore the strategic managers within the University of La Verne are able to employ technology in making informed decisions on matters such as new programs, new campuses and human resource management practices and policies. Decision support systems present top executives of an organization with data and information in graphical or illustrative formats so that they would be able to make decisions that will allow the organization to achieve its strategic objectives and plans (Hosack, Hall, Paradice & Courtney, 2012). For example decision support systems would be used by the strategic managers of the University of La Verne to make decisions on improved compensation of staff so that they would motivate their productivity and in return achieve the strategic objectives and goals of the institution for high performance within the higher education sector. At the tactical level of management, the managerial control of activities within the organization can be achieved through the use of technology. The tactical management team within the University of La Verne employs technology to monitor performance and make informed decisions. This is achieved through the use of human resource management systems. These systems are used by the management team to monitor the operations of various sections and departments of an organization to ensure that they work towards a common goal and objective as defined by the organizational mission or vision (Martin-Alcazar, Romero-Fernandez & Sanchez-Gardey, 2012). At the University of La Verne, human resource management systems are employed at the tactical management level to ensure that regardless of the diversity among employee and students within the university community all educational activities are collaborative and objective. Moreover these systems are used to achieve effective monitoring of the university’s various departments. For example departmental decisions within finance, admissions, student affairs, accommodation and various schools are facilitated by technology to ascertain that these departments adhere to the university rules, objectives and goals for quality and competitiveness. At the operational level, technology is used to enhance communication and relationships within the university because these processes aid decision making. The members of the University of La Verne include students, teachers, subordinate staff and the management team. Other stakeholders such as parents, suppliers and investors are also part of this community. Technologies such as social applications are used enhance communication among students which helps them to make decisions on their interaction with lectures. These applications facilitate educational processes and activities such as communicating venues for classes, discussions, exchange of educational material and doing assignments (Kukulska-Hulme, 2012). Technologies such as electronic mail are also used to communicate operational activities within the university such as sending memos to lecturers by department heads to promote their decision making. Application of Technology in Enhancing Organizational Activities My ultimate dream job is to become a leader within a large organization that is comprised of diverse workforce. This dream is motivated by my desire to employ my skills, talents, knowledge and a proper leadership style to provide exemplary leadership and achievement within the organization which I will be leading. The leadership position will require me to propel the organization into achieving its strategic goals and objectives. This means that I will be mandated to employ the best leadership strategy and approach that will motivate and influence employees to achieve high productivity and as a result promote the performance of the organization. My duties in the leadership position include being a figure head of the organization. This duty will require me to be the individual who articulates the vision of the organization to the employees in a convincing manner so that their work and attitudes will be focused at achieving this vision. In addition I will be mandated to make strategic decisions that affect the current and future operations of the organization. More importantly my leadership role will require that I monitor all activities within the organization to ensure that there is efficiency and effectiveness in meeting the objectives of the organization. Information technology promotes the leadership processes within an organization. Therefore leaders must have adequate IT skills so that they would be able to employ technology effectively to perform their leadership roles and duties (Kalargyrou, Pescosolido & Kalargiros, 2012). I will require having skills in the use of various information system applications such as decision support systems and human resource management systems. These skills will allow me to make informed choices or decisions on matters pertaining to the strategic and short term plans of the organization. In addition, these IT skills will help me to communicate effectively with employees and monitor their activities so that efficiency and productivity within the organization are achieved. More importantly, I will be required to have knowledge and skills in the use of various computer applications such as financial systems so that I would be able to understand the performance of the organization as a basis upon which I will motivate improvement (Preston, Leidner & Chen, 2008). In order to acquire these skills, I plan to enroll in an IT education program. This will equip me with skills and knowledge on different business applications which will prepare me effectively for my future leadership role. References Fitch, R. (2011). Fitch Rates University of La Verne (California) Revs BBB+; Outlook Stable. Business Wire (English). Hosack, B., Hall, D., Paradice, D., & Courtney, J. F. (2012). A Look toward the Future: Decision Support Systems Research is Alive and Well. Journal Of The Association For Information Systems, 13(5), 315-340. Kalargyrou, V., Pescosolido, A. T., & Kalargiros, E. A. (2012). Leadership Skills In Management Education. Academy Of Educational Leadership Journal, 16(4), 39-63. Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2012). How should the higher education workforce adapt to advancements in technology for teaching and learning?. Internet & Higher Education, 15(4), 247-254. Martin-Alcazar, F., Romero-Fernandez, P., & Sanchez-Gardey, G. (2012). Transforming Human Resource Management Systems to Cope with Diversity. Journal of Business Ethics, 107(4), 511-531. Porter, M. E. (2008). The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy. Harvard Business Review, 86(1), 78-93. Preston, D. S., Leidner, D. E., & Chen, D. (2008). CIO Leadership Profiles: Implications Of Matching Cio Authority And Leadership Capability On It Impact. MIS Quarterly Executive, 7(2), 57-69. Shengbin, H., & Bo, Y. (2011). The Impact of Technology Selection on Innovation Success and Organizational Performance. I-Business, 3(4), 366-371. Read More