Running the Business from the Palm of Your Hand - Essay Example

MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION SYSTEM and PART A. RUNNING THE BUSINESS FROM THE PALM OF YOUR HAND Question One The applications described in this case include; e-mail, messaging, scheduling, sales management in terms of sales figures, trends, and management, and Wi-Fi. These applications support business functions like maintaining a competitive advantage. This is clearly seen in the case study where Eric Jackson spends half of each year following competitors and events throughout North America using handheld devices. The applications also help him be able to monitor the industry trends. Another business function that is supported by these applications is communication with colleagues, customers, and dealers. These applications help in improving the decision making and operational efficiency by allowing individuals to communicate with one other from any part of the world through, for example, iPad 3G cellular connection and Wi-Fi. This helps companies make decisions faster. In the case of Jackson Kayak, he is able to communicate to the company headquarters so that informed decisions are made (Laudon, 2013). The Chief Operations officer is also able to compare manufacturing equipments side-by-side with the images of replacement parts so that the company gets the correct pieces that will in turn help in improving the operational efficiency. Question Two The problems that whitewater kayak manufacturer solved by the use of mobile digital devices is accessing information while outside the company. In this case, Jackson is able to gain instant access to his entire operation from afar. He is able to approve new designs, analyze customer data, and refresh the content of its Web site. This has saved the company time that would have been taken by Jackson to travel to the headquarters, submit the information gathered so that a decision is made. The company has also been able to maintain its competitive advantage by analyzing customer data. This analysis helps the company be able to determine in good time the changing taste and preferences of its customers. As a result, the company is able to satisfy the needs of its customers and make the loyal to the company. General Electric (GE) has been able to manage gas turbine inventory and manage electronic transformers throughout the world by using the company’s Transformer Monitoring application. Monitoring applications also help the company to zoom in from a global map to a specific transformer, and be able to read all of the key performance indicators. Dow Corning executives have been able to use mobile devices to view and analyze real-time data from the company’s core corporate systems that include sales figures, trends, and projections. This presents the company’s managers with simple and intuitive dashboards of complex data. The company has also been able to use its analytics App for the iPhones to monitor online sales its silicone products and Web site traffic. Question Three. Almost every type of business benefits from equipping its employees with mobile devices such as BlackBerry, iPhones, and iPads. One such business which is most likely to benefit from equipping their employees with mobile is the public relation businesses because they deal with communicating with stakeholder. This is very useful in times of crisis when Public Relations Specialists need to immediately fix a problem. Mobile phones allow specialists to handle the problem with a click of a button from any part of the world. Any kind of business could also benefit from the use of mobile technology. With globalization, organizations are always on the go. Mobile devices help companies to be able to create and edit documents, presentations, and spreadsheets, like in the case of Eric Jackson. These devices help employees to access the headquarters from any part of the world at any time due to accessibility of internet in these devices. Flexibility helps organizations to save time and to be more efficient. Mobile technology also helps all kinds of businesses to do online shopping, compare prices and the quality of products in the market. Question Four. The statement: “The iPhone is not a game changer, it is an industry changer” implies that many businesses have benefited as a result of this technology. If the iPhones had not come along many business operations would have taken longer and would have been less efficient. This technology has also helped businesses be global by being connected and by being able to communicate in real time with any person around the world. A good example is seen in the case study where Erick Jackson uses his iPad to instantly access his entire operation approve new designs, refresh content in the company Web site, and be able to analyze customer data from outside the headquarters. This has proven to be very useful because before the invention of the iPad, processes like the ones done in this company used to take a long time. These devices have become “industry changers” because the businesses have changed as a result of improved technology. The world expects businesses to operate at a rapid pace which is achieved by these devices. These devices have helped businesses to step up and, competition and business survivals in the industry have come down to which businesses can operate more inexpensively and faster (Laudon, 2013). This statement also implies that users in the iPhone industry have increased nowadays. They are not just used for fun, but have proven to be very effective when maintaining good relationship with customers. PART B. UPS COMPETES GLOBALLY WITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Question Five The United Parcel service (UPS) company is the world largest package delivery company and a leader in the transportation and logistics service market. The company was founded by James Casey in the Unites Stated of America. This company is very successful with deliveries 15.6 million packages and documents each day around the United States, and to over 1.8 million customers in over 220 countries. This company is in a very competitive market with competitors like the Federal Express and the United States Postal Services. The company has become very successful because of its excellent process in its inputs, processing, and output tracking system. The inputs of the package tracking system include information of customers such as their names, location, the contents of the packages, the weights of the packages, date of delivery, customers’ signatures, and the type of services. The processing part of the package tracking system includes calculating and comparing delivery routes for the company’s drivers and also estimating the delivery date for each package. Processing also includes processing of information from smart labels on the packages to one of the company’s computer centers in Mahwah, in New Jersey or Alpharetta, Georgia, where they are then sent to the distribution centers that are located nearest to the final destination. Finally, the outputs of the system include; the most efficient delivery routes for drivers that considers weather conditions, traffic, and the locations of every stop. Efficient delivery routes have helped the company save 28 million miles in its trucks and be able to burn 3 million fewer gallons of fuel per year. The outputs of the system also includes; the delivery status for packages. Question Six Technology plays a big role in the success of UPS’s operations, the technologies used by the company include; wired and wireless communications networks, desktop and handheld computers, in-house package tracking software, UPS’s data center, Delivery Information Acquisition Device (DIAD), and storage technology for the package delivery data. The company’s business strategy is to provide excellent services at low costs. These technologies help the company create the most efficient routes of package delivery. This database also allows customers to track their package online, calculating the shipping rates, check delivery routes, print labels, and determine time of transit. These prove to be very convenient to customers, which in turn gives customers the best services. DIAD device helps the company to achieve its business strategy of being efficient in its processes. This is because the device helps employees to capture information about every package which include; the time packages are delivered and also it captures the signature of the person who has received the package. This information in turn helps the company to be able to determine which areas have higher demand of its services and thus extra tracks will be shifted to the route. Question Seven The UPS’s information system addresses a number of business objectives which include; maintaining its competitive advantage which it has already gained through its operational excellence, and through its business and service model. By using modern technologies, the company has been able to do better than its competitors. The company has also been able to address excellence in its operations through its information system. This is because through the use of technology, the company is able to be more efficient, thus cutting down on costs that arise due to inefficiency. A good example is seen where technology has helped the company be able to get the most efficient routes and in turn save on miles. Finally, UPS’s information system has helped the company to achieve its objective of satisfying customers’ needs. The company has created new ways of delivering its services by being efficient and by allowing customers to be able to track their packages. Question Eight. If the systems were not available operations would be less efficient. This means that the company would not be able to save 28 million miles and it would not be able to save 3 million fuel each year. If the Delivery Information Acquisition Device (DIAD) was not available in the company, it would be hard for the company, and its customers to track packages. Without DIAD, the company would not be able to give prove of delivery at any time, and it would be difficult to solve disputes that arise from packages delivered in a short period of time. DIAD has helped the company to be able to keep records of time of delivery and the recipients of the delivery, which can help in times of queries. Bibliography Laudon, K. &. Laudon J., 2013. Management Information Systems: Managing The Digital Firm. Thirteenth ed. S.l.:Pearson. Read More