The Developments of Information Technology - Assignment Example

 Table of Contents Chapter 1 2 Chapter 2 5 Chapter 3 8 Chapter 4 10 Conclusion 14 Bibliography 15 Chapter 1 What are the developments of Information Technology has on the workplace in the last 10 years, especially the focus of software and the peripherals? Information technology has brought about a revolution in the world of business and the pertinent workplace environments have seen the positive influence of the same phenomenon coming within their ranks on a consistent basis. Any organization would love to have a system that is automated and filled with software which emphasizes the point that paperless environment is indeed the buzzword at the end of the day. Within any organization, the current needs in the training regimes require the employees to get themselves acquainted with the ever changing role of Information Technology and the like within the business quarters as well as learn for their own betterment the different mechanisms through which they can make use of the business processes and management activities in a steady and quick manner. This means that they must align themselves with the advanced technological applications and that too in a quick way because the corporate world of present times is on the move. Thus the training needs are very much required within any organization since the same would ensure that all the employees understand what they are doing and there are as such no hiccups in the office place so to speak. More than anything else, the workers must know what the end goal for the business is like and on what parameters success is measured as far as the top management of the organization is concerned. There must be unison in their working mechanisms so that they are all on the same wavelength no matter how trying or tough the circumstances turn out to be. One of the most essential training programs is to make sure that all the employees learn to make use of the Information Technology tools and methodologies that are in line with the present day regimes. This would guarantee them success right away since they would all be on the same level as far as understanding of the IT world is concerned. Information Systems in essence embody the information about significant people, places and things within an organization or in an environment surrounding it. By information we mean data that has been shaped into a form that is both meaningful and useful to human beings. Data in contrast is a stream of raw facts. Information Systems when employed in the global scenario becomes International Information Systems as it usually holds within it Information Systems of different companies hailing from a number of companies, both having off-set and on location campuses. Information Systems accommodates within it different facets of planning, control, litigation and decision-making processes that are so very important and incessant for the betterment of a society in general, a company in particular and the people concerned with its outcomes, in specific ways and meanings. In the world of today, e-business holds the key for the smooth running of the Information Systems between any two organizations or amongst a general hoard of people who are directly or for that matter, are in an indirect relationship with each other. E-commerce and e-business, both are flips sides of the coin. Having said that, the role of the same has been a heightened one for the last decade or so, ever since companies have started doing their utmost in grabbing customers with more service-friendly policies and amenities. The same are aimed at providing an unruffled interaction between all concerned. With the developments in information technology coming about due to advancements and enhancements in this very field, businesses have started to realize their true potential as well as estimate the manner in which their profits would be exponentially increased over a period of time. The need of the hour is to comprehend the point that IT would continue to provide benefits, both in monetary terms and otherwise so that its continuation journey does not come to a halt all said and done. Chapter 2 How the current developments in Information Technology have made or not made to you Logistic operations more transparent. It is a fact that sustained and consistent economic growth requires policies which can open trade and investment with the rest of the world provides all the more basis for having a proper logistical model in place within an organization. There has not been a single nation that has achieved economic stability without being open to the world for trade. International trade requires liberalization, i.e., openness to all and sundry within the world no matter what. The living standards are in direct proportion with them. Transportation holds the significance for connection between the channel members at the trading level as it swifts up the whole process of delivering goods from the manufacturer to the distributor who in turn does his best to provide the retailer with the goods after he stores the same for a while. In the end, at certain instances the retailers also give customers with the goods and products that they want through transportation service. There is a high need to promote and liberalize the manner in which trade is carried out within the world economy. It needs to be more generous to everyone and anyone as well as helpful for the developing nations so that more and more trade is carried out between the economic world markets. This liberal approach could see the light of the day if proper usage of IT is employed and the trade workers are given the freedom to exploit their opportunities in a head on manner. Agriculture is one such example of being more liberal for the international trade market. It is important to realize that logistics companies must play their active role at the discernment of the supply chain activities and related measures since these form the basis for many a things to come in the future. The business aspects are clearly identifiable if there is clarity of purpose on the part of these logistics companies and also success is then part and parcel of their respective deliverables. Thus IT has to play its role at changing the global dynamics and within the tenets of logistics; its role is even more quintessential. The role of IT within the logistical domains is pretty significant towards the whole undertaking since the need is there to be felt by each and everyone concerned with logistics. Logistic operations certainly require a fair deal of information technology facets to be incorporated since the automated processes are much more feasible and significant in the wake of changing logistical dynamics, when one speaks of the same in the global perspectives. The need is to realize that logistical requirements would change the way in the coming times and the same would not remain as they are now. The improvements would be there for one and all to see and the change would be apparent in much the same way as it was in the yesteryears yet it lived up to its reputation and changed for the better in the present times. Chapter 3 Critically identify the role Information Technology contributes to the focus of managers. The role of a Manager is a difficult one. This person has to take with him the whole company and mesh the different processes so that he could get instant results. He is a team leader right from the onset of his job. He needs to get work done from the different people who are working under him. The end result has to be a single goal, one that drives their efforts towards the financial success of the said organization. In doing so, the manager encounters a lot of hindrances, difficulties and hurdles. He has to face a lot of pressure from the top most management, the people who are senior to him even. He has to be accountable to the publics of the organization, which could include the customers and the stakeholders as well since the latter are the people who have invested within the company’s shares and they want a quick buck out of the whole investment drive. Manager’s role at understanding as to how IT will play a significant role within the contexts of the business is pertinent since he has to make the right move as far as incorporation of IT within the business domains is concerned. IT brings a sense of ease to the role of managers and their work processes also speed up as a result of the same hence it makes all the more reason to adopt IT within the relevant ranks in order to boost profits and bring revenue for the organization which indeed is a significant aspect in the organization’s domains at the end of the day. A manager can only be termed an effective one when he understands his resources and what his team members can possibly do to their maximum in those available resources. Only then there is a sense of empathy and understanding amongst the team members and consideration towards the leader of the team which in this case is the manager himself. Thus, a good team is developed when there is complete harmony in the activities of the team members and there is basically a synergy amongst all of them. This synergy can only be encouraged by the team leader, which in this case is through an effective and considerate manager. Thus his role of usage of information technology equipments and the pertinent software is deemed as necessary since this will bring about a change in his working methodologies as well as increase his productivity levels, not to forget the subordinates working under his management hold. Chapter 4 Identify the role of Information Technology as a tool to the management of critical supply chain decisions. Employees must be trained about the different sales force mechanisms like Sales Force Automation (SFA) methodologies and the like. If the workers hail from the procurement and business development side, then there should be training in the Just In Time (JIT) and Business Development Re-engineering modules. If the workers are from the IT department, there should be continuous training regimes in the IT sector whereby they are made to learn more and more about the firewalls, ever changing security issues and their remedies, different tools that help in having security in the IT infrastructure and so on. When we speak of the management training needs, we must make sure that they are being taught about the different software which keep a close look on the performance measurement aspects of the different employees and workers and this could include a number of different software as and when one goes on to research and eventually select them. Training needs are pretty central to an organization’s ever changing quest for achieving more and more, both in front of the channel members and customers but also the outlook that it creates for itself in the related industrial domains and the marketplace which has thus been established as a result of the stiff competition. What this means is the fact that competition would lead to more and more new training processes which would eventually be imparted to the employees and workers who would ultimately benefit the cause of the individuals by all means and extents. This step definitely comes under the proactive vision as laid down in the management aspects. Training of staff would only facilitate the basis of growth and prosperity within an organization and this must be ensured no matter what the organization is trying to achieve both in the short term as well as in the long run. Training in the field of getting acquainted with the IT needs is also necessary for the staff since it brings with it the much needed awareness and knowledge which is required by them. Supply chain is a definitive sales management philosophy which requires within it the different chain members who are tied in a chain of command and there is harmony amongst them. The chain members include the retailers, wholesalers, distributors, manufacturers and the middlemen. As regards to logistics, it is a simple enough procedure of making things available through the distribution process with the active usage of transport whereas supply chain is a complete science to understand in real essence. Materials management is concerned with the raw data and the manner in which it is turned into the product form. Thus supply chain has an advantage over the terms ‘logistics’ and ‘materials management’ because it is a complete scientific basis for making products available right from the manufacturer level down to the retailers’ and indeed the end consumer itself. Customer relationship management (CRM) is quite important in the wake of the growth and success of the sales force when it is in the automated mode and even when it is not quite so. Thus the productivity is achieved with a clear vision and setting sales goals in the proper direction. It is only with the passage of time that the effectiveness is actually checked upon and when the same is found to be close to perfect the sales force automation process is deemed to be correct and one that garners a sense of trust, understanding, empathy and encouragement across all the relevant sales channels. Sales force productivity is only due to the sales force and no other thing can make it possible. No other function has such a massive effect on the performance and eventually the productivity aspects of Sales Force Automation (SFA) than them. SFA is pretty closely in line with CRM and therefore it is quite of interest for one and all to discern and find out that the usage of the two and indeed the same thing is very much evident in the business to business environments, not only of today but also in the recent decades. On that count, the role of IT within the related domains is one of significance and will continue to be the same in the years to come. Conclusion In the end, it is essential to state here that the role of information technology within any present day business is very important. This is because IT brings in more speed than the humans could ever put into work. It eases up tasks and processes as well as benefits the organization both from the short term perspective as well as the long run scheme of things. The logistics and supply chain management issues are best handled when there is information technology running within the relevant ranks and when it is easy to comprehend the whole related regimes in the light of technological prowess. Thus it is safe to conclude here that IT will continue to play a major role in the business fields in the times to come and there is absolutely no doubt on this notion whatsoever. This indeed is one facet which will continue to get bolstered in the coming times all said and done. Bibliography Tansey, Stephen D. Business, Information Technology and Society. Routledge, 2002 Wehn, Uta. Knowledge Societies: Information Technology for Sustainable Development. Oxford University Press, 1998 Tribunella, Thomas J. Business Processes and Information Technology. Issues in Accounting Education, Vol. 19, 2004 Khalil, Omar. Innovative Work Environments: The Role of Information Technology and Systems. SAM Advanced Management Journal, Vol. 61, 1996 Liebmann, Lenny. Tracking the Real Cost of Technology. Business Communications Review, Vol. 28, April 1998 Ringbeck, Jurgen. Best Practice in Logistics. The McKinsey Quarterly, 2000 Baily, Martin N. Information Technology: The Key to Service Performance. Brookings Review, Vol. 12, Summer 1994 Moore, Nancy Y. Organizational Concepts for Purchasing and Supply Management Implementation. Rand, 2004 Cook, Jack S. From Raw Materials to Customers: Supply Chain Management in the Service Industry. SAM Advanced Management Journal, Vol. 66, 2001 Pak, Minsok H. Getting Smart about Supply Chain Management. The McKinsey Quarterly, 2001 Word Count: 2,521 Read More