E-Government Network Infrastructure for the State of Kuwait - Term Paper Example

27 April Contents Contents E-Government Network Infrastructure for the of Kuwait 3 Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4Business Description 5 Business Plan 6 Mission and Vision 6 Objectives 6 Market Analysis 7 Competitive Analysis 8 Marketing and Sales 8 Operations 9 Financials 10 Marketing Plan 10 Products and Services 11 Company Team 11 Works Cited 14 E-Government Network Infrastructure for the State of Kuwait Executive Summary The global business revolution cannot allow any lagging by either business or government premises. This is because the entire business scenario needs to be streamlined for efficient data exchange and speedy, effective and efficient processes. Kuwait has taken the step to implement an e-Government Network infrastructure in order to enable the link between its many government segments for efficient communication and an easy decision making process. Anonymous Computer Technologies is a Kuwait based company dealing with software development and maintenance, network design and deployment, hardware troubleshooting and a diverse range of outsourcing services. Its mission is to target high end business franchises in order to fulfill their computer solution requirements. Its vision is to become a leading IT solution company in Kuwait, a future point of reference and to trade on the Kuwait Stock Exchange. The company has a general objective of satisfying its customer's needs and separate objectives for the Kuwait project that include to design, develop and deploy a network infrastructure for Kuwait, to link every government ministry, department and legal body throughout the country via the network system and to facilitate adequate data exchange between the various government segments . The company has potential to grow given the promise in the multimillion dollar growing IT market in Kuwait. It has an upper hand to its competitors given its work portfolio and a professional team to boot. In addition to this, the company is sufficiently marketed through advertisements in the internet, print media, various promotions through event sponsorship and pamphlets. Anonymous Computer Technologies has its main operations based on the services and products it offers of software development, networking and sales of computer accessories. To conduct these operations efficiently, the company utilizes various financial reports that include project Start-up Funding Reports, financial Indicators report and projected cash flow. The company hosts an assortment of products and services that are implemented by a professional team made up of 38 members and comprising of the Chief Executive Officer, his assistant, the Chief Information Officer, developers, database administrators, the company secretary, the financial controller, networkers, sales personnel and a marketing team of three. Introduction The business world has revolutionized from the physical market to the intangible internet market that is widely referred to as ecommerce. Ecommerce, an idea originating from Information Technology and the internet have ensured that the global market has been minimized to a click away and also ensured that business is conducted in a systematic manner. Kuwait is an Arab country that has not lagged behind in this wave of new age business conduct. Most Kuwait businesses are run by ecommerce and statistics gathered have proven beyond doubt that Kuwait is fast turning towards a near 100% to ecommerce. In 2008, it was reported that 72% of ecommerce users transacted credit card payments through ecommerce modes. In the same year, 15.5% of all cell phone users in the country with a cell phone penetration of over 80% used ecommerce. However, one significant aspect in the country is dragging the whole revolution: a traditional Kuwait government network structure (Business Monitor International, 13). Kuwait citizens including workers within the government ministries, departments and other statutory bodies have had to suffer from an unreliable governmental network structure that denies them adequately integrated and processed information across board thus delaying numerous governmental processes. The current networks implement obsolete technology that is unable to link the country’s ministries and other governmental bodies denying them the prospect of integrating. As a result, decision making processes have been compromised due to lack of sufficient data, creating a chaotic work environment. The Kuwait government has an initiative to initiate a project as it has currently done and to select an IT company that would design and deploy a national infrastructure system that would link all government bodies in an electronic network throughout the nation by wide and local area network, enabling the easy exchange of data and information for decision making process and speedy governmental procedures. This would ensure efficiency in citizen access of government processes given the current 40% Kuwait internet users, a number bound to increase over time given the quick internet technology penetration and the government initiative to educate its citizens on technology. Business Description Anonymous Computer Technologies is a well established Kuwait computer technology solution providing company specializing in software development and maintenance, network design and deployment, hardware troubleshooting and a diverse range of outsourcing services. The company also deals in computer technology products that include software and hardware plus a variety of networking products. The great team of the company has had achievements with development of numerous Enterprise Resource Management sites, ecommerce sites, database design and administration and finally a high profile on network design, implementation and maintenance. Business Plan Mission and Vision The company’s mission is aimed at targeting large business franchises and governmental bodies seeking to acquire efficient software, hardware, outsourcing and networking services. The objective of this is to provide effective solutions for all business and governmental that would satisfy all the customer’s requirements and further follow up to ensure that the services provided and implemented by the company are well utilized in the application area. In this context, the company’s mission would be to fulfill the entire scope of networking for the e-government network project in order to link all its bodies for efficient data sharing and thus decision making processes. The company vision is to become the leading computer technology solution provider in Kuwait with a professional work base and a reference point of solutions among the close to 200 IT related companies in the country and have business on the Kuwait Stock Exchange. Objectives The company’s general objectives is to satisfy its customers’ needs by committing sufficient resources that include team members, time and tangible products to fulfill all the requirements of a given project contracted by the customer. The company’s objective towards the Kuwait e-government network Infrastructure is: To design, develop and deploy a network infrastructure for Kuwait with current technology and reliable internet accessibility To link every government ministry, department and legal body throughout the country via the network system To facilitate adequate data exchange between the various government segments when needed to ensure efficient decision making process and speediness of procedures and processes between the government and its citizens. Market Analysis The market size of computer technology, henceforth referred to as Information Technology (IT), is currently at a desirable level for growth in IT business of the company’s description. This is evidence by the daily sprouting of newer IT Solution companies. The market size estimation could be equated to $774 million back in 2008. Individually, the penetration rate per every 100 citizens was at 24%, defining every 24 computers within 100 citizens. This was projected to grow at a yearly rate of about 3%. Furthermore, ecommerce has been on the rice with dominance in banking. Entrance of the government as witnessed in the given scenario will further increase the odds multiply (United Nations, 3). The market trend of IT in Kuwait could only be shaken by technological change which is a positive change. Otherwise, every other aspect seems to be on the rise as the economy growth is at 2% yearly given the rich oil reserves in Kuwait that account for 9% of the world’s oil reserves (Casey, 9). IT market opportunities in this rich country are thus numerous, leaving a lot of demands from many upcoming projects from businesses and investors who seemed to have gathered a lot of interest in the oil-rich country. This aspect points to higher profitability levels as most franchises, including the government in this context, would pay a lot to ensure efficient running through IT implementation (Kerin, Hartley and Rudelius, 22). Competitive Analysis The company faces a lot of stiff competition from four IT solution companies enlisted in the Kuwait Stock Exchange plus about other 182 IT solution companies with close missions and visions to the company. Competition would thus be based on performance of the various companies, where ours would automatically beat the rest given the high profile of experience and work done. Most of the competitors have the weakness of lacking past work portfolio explaining their past achievements. This is a strong point that the company has given its previously partaken assignments. The company also has a strong work base that is professional and follows ethics to the latter. Most competitors host starters for workers, most of who have limited knowledge of professionalism and work ethics. In terms of IT implementations in the current scenario, the government would become highly competitive after IT implementation from the deployment of a fully designed and developed network infrastructure. This would enhance better data and information supply, more comprehensive decision making processes and speedy operations between the ministries and citizens. Marketing and Sales The company’s marketing strategy includes a defined advertising routine and diverse promotions aimed at publicizing the company. Given its orientation to IT, the number one advertising medium is the internet through its website, social networks and many Search Optimization techniques. The company further utilizes television media, print media and billboards for marketing. For promotion purposes, the company involves itself to numerous sponsorship deals that make known to the public its range of products and services. The company also prints numerous pamphlets that contain its goods and services and other details that include its contacts. The company portfolio of previously undertaken work references has been the number one marketing strategy. Through this, potential customers are able to appreciate works done and thus contact the company to assign desired assignments (McGrath, 65). The company’s sales could be categorized into two: goods comprising of computer and networking accessories and services. The company has been able to carry out a substantial amount of sales since ever it was first initiated into the market. Operations Daily operations of the company include getting involved in the recurring process of design and development of variously contracted assignments and projects by various companies. In addition to these, the company marketing go out to look for more customers and try to find better ways to increase the demand of the company. Product sales constitute another daily routine at the product department. The company also engages in various activities that strive to increase its value through income generation with comparison of its assets and also generating revenue that describes its business margins. Financials The company has a number of financial aspects that enable it manage its financial segment of the business: Project Start-up Funding Reports This financial aspect helps the company manage its respective budget for the various contracts that it is granted by various business franchises. This financial planning reflects the funding assets, liabilities and the total capital. Financial Indicators This report generates the company’s sales, gross margin percentages and operating expenses that are associated to draw a benchmark of the company’s expenses and profit margins from its various operations. Projected Cash Flow This indicates the net cash flow and cash balance. These two financial aspects are compared side to side to enable the ease of calculating the company’s profit and loss margins. Marketing Plan The company’s marketing plan strategies has targeted the numerous upcoming businesses and the government that has promises of fully integrating a fully IT compliant system within its operations. Success in this would be achieved by advertising strategies y the marketing team that would put a competitive edge over the numerous IT companies in Kuwait. The other main marketing aspect that the company would use is to efficiently fulfil its objectives for customer satisfaction. This would spread the word among business franchises of its efficiency thus provide it with more opportunities (Chernev, 45). The third marketing plan up the sleeve of the company would be to improve advertising media and frequency. This would ensure that most organizations know the existence of the company and thus attract its services to them. Media to be emphasized most is the internet and promotional modes of publicity (Pinson, 23). Products and Services The range of the company’s services varies. These include: Software project management throughout the whole life-cycle Network design and deployment services Development of Enterprise Resource Management and Ecommerce sites Database management Website development and administration Outsourcing services of diverse IT application areas Maintenance services The product marketed for the company includes: Completed software products either off the shelf or developed Computer hardware accessories Networking product accessories Company Team The company has 38 employees. Their organizational structure has the following in its hierarchy, each with a brief description of the task responsibility: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) This team member is the overall in charge of all entities that regard the company. He is the representative of the company on external issue and is the liaise between the strategic management and the operational level of the company. Mostly, he takes the role of the team supervisor in most projects. Vice Chief Executive Officer This is the officer who takes the responsibilities of the CEO in absence and contains all competencies that the CEO contains in order to have the ability to execute issues at an equal integrity level. Chief Information Officer This is the team member responsible for handling and managing the entire information for the company. He has a special position of managing information in most projects partaken by the company. Company Secretary These person is responsible for organizing and communicating any information within the various hierarchy level s in the team. He or she manages the contractual papers and other information regarding the company’s projects. Financial Controller This person is liable for any financial transactions that the company undertakes with its diverse customers. Web and Application Developers/Coders (12) These are specialists who have skills in web development, partaking any duty that entails web development. Database Managers (5) These are specialists responsible for developing and maintaining databases of the company and the projects that the company is contracted to develop. Networkers (10) These specialists have the responsibility to perform networking work for various outsourcing tasks and assignments such as the one the government has initiated. Product Sales (3) These personnel specialize in selling the accessories offered by the company Marketing Team (3) This is a team concerned with the company marketing to ensure that it is well known and that customers are attracted to its products and services. This team plans and executes various company advertisements and promotions. Works Cited Business Monitor International. Kuwait Information Technology Report Q1, 2009. Casey, Michael. The History of Kuwait. London: Greenwood, 2007. Chernev, Alexander. The Marketing Plan Handbook, 3rd Ed. Chicago: Cerebellum Press, 2011. Kerin, Roger, Hartley, Steven, and Rudelius, William. Marketing, 10th Ed. New York: McGraw- Hill/Irwin; 10 edition (January 13, 2010) McGrath, Michael. Product Strategy for High Technology Companies, 2nd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. Pinson, Linda. Anatomy of a Business Plan: The Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Business and Securing Your Company's Future, 7th Ed. New York: Out Of Your Mind . . . And Into The Mark, 2008. United Nations. National Profile of the Information Society in Kuwait. New York, 2009 Read More