Open Source Software - Assignment Example

Assume that you are the staff of a PRC legislator. Outline the arguments that you would use to support a law that required all government agencies touse only open source software on the web servers. Since In China, where software piracy rates are as high as 90 percent for Microsoft Software, a bill is necessarily needed to be envoked by the government where Government agencies should be encouraged to use open source software whenever possible. This will help in cut down on software piracy. Government agencies, while working on Open Source Software can also reduce their working cost since access to Open Source Software is free of charge. Being cost effective, should be the primary goal for any business running organization, either private or Governmental “Franch head of IT systems at the Ministry of Culture, Bruno Mannoni, said the department has cut back on expenses since it began replacing 300 of its servers running Windows NT and UNIX to open-source alternatives. "Its working out to be a lot less expensive and a lot more reliable than what we used before," [1] Since Microsoft hires software programmers from Vietnam, which the Chinese republic still considers as its own territory, Microsoft has violated the official stance of the Chinese Republic and thus Governmental Organizations should demonstrate their feelings by peaceful objection declining to M.S software and switching to the alternative like Open Source Software Since the Software codes are not easily available, the end user is unknown about the absolute specifications of closed source software such as Microsoft. These software might contain back doors which may leak secret information on government run computers and can be used as a counter offence at a time of war or political crises between the US (manufacturer of Microsoft) & china (end user of M.S software) Assume that you are working for the marketing department of Microsoft China. Develop a detailed list of briefing points that would help your salespeople convince top executives of large PRC companies to use windows operating system software on their web servers. Detailed lists of briefing points are as follows: Cost: Question # 4 of the case study says “Companies such as Red Hat, Novell and SCO offer Linux operating system software for sale;charge a fee for installation and configuration help. They also offer service contracts to help users maintain and upgrade the software on a continuing bases.” Thus In terms of IT staff management, the Microsoft Soft wares are much cost effective. This sentiment is echoed by many high profile business people, including Barclays Banks Chief Technology Officer, Kevin Lloyd, who cites "terms of service" as the main reason behind his recent decision to choose a Microsoft desktop over Linux alternatives [2] Quality Compliance Since Microsoft soft wares are prepared keeping in mind highest standards of quality by a single company with Quality specification guidelines to the software programmers Microsoft Soft wares are in compliance with the regional quality standards. Guarantee of Durability Open Source Soft wares do not have a guarantee of durability as they are not made by a single vendor and are free [3]. Open Source Soft wares pass through gradual changes by software programmers working without any specifically directed guidelines, the soft wares are thus suspected of causing usage problems for the end users with ultimately no one to put blame on. Professional Organizations require software that should be error free and reliable. Due to reasons cited in the above paragraph the error rate in Open Soft wares is high.. Information Leakage-Mere Speculation The point discussed by Julie Wu, former GM of Microsoft China that MS Soft wares might have back doors, infiltrating secretive information are mere speculations and are not proven yet. Contrary to this Open source software are more viable towards leakage of information of use since their software codes are easily known and accessible. Assume that you are working for the business system analyses department in the IBM’s PRC division, which offers both Microsoft Windows and Linux consulting services to the PRC business and government offices. Develop a check list that IBM analyses could use in consulting projects that could help advice clients as they make choice between windows or Linux operating system to their web servers. Following is the check list that IBM analyses could use in consulting Projects: What are the requirements of the customer/Organization; Linux or Windows? If Windows then is the customer/organization willing to spend the exuberant cost of MS licensed software for Windows version Does customer require/organization Software with guarantees and warranty? Do they use any essential specific software that only works with Windows or Linux Is security a concern for the customer/Organization. Based on above data, customer can be advised on using a particular operating system. Companies such as Red Hat, Novell (With SuSE distribution) and SCO offer Linux operating system software for sale. Although Linux is available at no cost from various sources, these companies charge a fee for installation and configuration help. They also offer service contracts to help users maintain and upgrade the software on a continuing bases. Briefly outline the strategies that these companies might use to expand their market share in the PRC. The first and foremost strategy is to strengthen Customer support systems. Since Microsoft still has the bigger chunk of market share; efforts should be made to win customer confidence by letting customers know that the features they seek in MS operating System are also available in Open Office Operating Systems such as Linux. Major educational institutes and Government organizations should be given free assistance and customer support and software upgrading in order to win goodwill of the customer. Free presentations to public schools giving them knowledge about free software and the features that they can enjoy while working over a Free Open Software environment . Since China is rapidly becoming the biggest manufacturers of semiconductors that are used in making computers; companies should support the computer industry and provide technical assistance and elaborating how their manufactured machines can best work with their Open Soft wares. References [1] Microsoft Vs. Open Source available online at http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,101804-page,1/article.html [2] Desktop Linux ­ no cost savings, says Barclays CTO available online at http://hardware.silicon.com/desktops/0,39024645,39117438,00.htm [3] Microsoft Vs. Open Source available online at http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,101804-page,1/article.html List the types of information that Club Car division’s new CRM system makes available to sales representatives in the field. For each type of information, breifly explain how salespeople’s remote access to that type of information can help close sales on their customer’s sites. With remote excess, sales representative were able to maintain the order cart with exact customer specifications. They were provided with following two basic typs of informations Price Information With Price informationa available in the revised CRM, sales representatives could discuss pricing issues and lure customer to various alternatives. Factory’s Manufacturing Schedule With the availability of Manufacturing Schedule, Sales Representatives could provide accurate delivery dates to the customer by monitoring manufacturing schedule of the factory; thus closing deal at customer’s site. In the CRM relaunch, Club car division focussed on two CRM elements. In about 200 words, explain why this approach would work better, in general, than in implementing a comprehensive CRM system that could track all the Division’s sales activities and related infomration in real time. The initial Customer Relationship Management System which Club Car division introduced with an exhuberant cost of $200 million had some technical drawbacks which resulted users of the CRM pulling away from using it. The system was not user friendly and the data entry by sales people took a lot of time with they not openly exposed to the customer face to face. These two problems were solved in the new version-in which less efforts were required to put order information and the CRM could be used while being remote by the sales representatives keeping the customer right infront of the dealing desk, at customer’s site! With effective and efficient data entry while being remote and infront of the customer being in direct contact can let the compay know through their sales representatives, the actual requirements of th customer, the correct specification of the product they are looking for and also gives the Sales representative more chance to be elaborative with their product. Some times a customer may require a product which is out of the product line of the vendor, how ever an alternative is available which the customer might show his interest in provided a slight price negotiation. By convincing the customer that the product he is looking for will be delivered as per psecifications, thus maintaining the quality standards with an ontime delivery one can proobably add another in his list of clientales Discuss in about 200 words how Club Car division might use web services in its CRM system In this age of Information Technology when the world has become a Global Village, web services has played a great rold in ransfering information from an extremly distant place to the target area. This is an age of mergers, acquisitions, spinoffs and legacy-system turf battles and a single global platform is more the exception Companies are using web services to reach to their customer in almost every corner thus increasing their target market and clientales by many folds. Web Services technology is effectively becoming the source unifying databases to deliver much-needed customer sales and purchasing histories. Car Club Division can use web serviced for creation of more precise selling strategies. Online Customer Care Services and availability of Sales Representatives effectively catering to Customer’s needs can work good for the division. Online questioniers can be prepared in which the customers are quizzed regarding their feed back for the product they have used by the vendor as well as what modifications/changes they expct or would like to see in a certain product Car Club Division needs to target those companies and individuals who are eager to access the information from anywhere, on any platform. Customer specifications and interest can be received online with real online Sales representatives. Their interests can be logged on and transferred automatically to the concerned production department which can plan and advise shipment dates to the customer through the concerned Sales Representative. In short web services integrated in CRM is a short and cost effective way to reach out to the potential and existing customer directly which can result in boost of sales volume. Read More