Organisational Perspective on Information Management - Assignment Example

Information Management of the of the Introduction The answer will show what decision Campbell made to implement SAP and organisational perspective on information management. Then discuss the critical success factors for Campbell’ SAP deployment in terms of organisational design, leadership and culture. What is organisational perspective on information management? Learning is reflected in the capability building of the individuals which is necessary to react to the changes in the environment which in turn reflects in the improvement of performance. It is important to consider organisations as systems which process information. The importance over here is put on information and its management (Klein, Long & Blackman, 2012). In this context the supports of the organisation which are necessary for processing of information is also considered. Learning capacity and the potential to create new knowledge determines the performance of the organisation. Perspectives of organisations in respect of the information management which are considered as converging aspects are: Managing processes related to information as part of the information lifecycle in order to help the organisation reach its strategic goals and objective. Ability of an organisation to manage information processes accrues benefits to the organisation. It also helps in reduction of cost and risks and adds value to the products and services which exists. Additionally it helps in the creation of new value. In the process to deploy SAP, a development committee was set up by Campbell in order to review the requirements of project harmony under the master planning process. Local resources were clearly focused on the project harmony in order to keep the business running. The rollouts which followed benefitted from the learning which was gained from the experiences acquired in earlier implementations. The site was visited by the team leaders and senior management in order to learn from the experience. It was emphasised by the senior leadership that the goal was not just the success of the current implementation but next as well. In order to understand from prior implementations of the SAP, the leaders sought the view of their experienced colleagues. The template was willing to be changed only if the standard process was not consistent with doing the business. As learning was applied from one site to next, the roles of the project leaders was supposed to change for the benefit of the organisation. As IT plays a key role for managing information in the organisations, an approach that is centred on IT is based on: Defining the information requirements of organisation Plan to build the IT infrastructures and applications related to IS. Operations of the systems Staffing, managing and organising the interplay of activities All the above listed are perfectly reflected in case of Campbell. Information Life Cycle IM is presented as a continuous cycle of six closing activities which are stated below: Identification of need of information Acquisition of the information (Gupta, 2011) Organisation and storage of the information Developing information products and services Distribution of the information Using the information The entire value chain is covered by the above information cycle Information orientation framework The definition of information orientation as forwarded by a certain section of scholars gives an overall understanding of information management by a company. It is different from orientation of market and orientation of customer Theory of orientation of information is focussed on studying the effect of interaction of people, information and technology on the performance of the business (Schniederjans, 2006). Infrastructure for application of information technology is tried to be established within the business organisation in order to achieve effective use of information and improvement of the performance of the business Information is considered as power in today’s fast moving economy based on e-commerce. Over the years, Companies have been seen to invest in information technology in order to be able to exploit the power of information and have a better performance of their businesses (Choo, 2002). However, in most of the cases the investment has been considered as a cost which guaranteed no clear payback. The investments in short were considered for competitive advantage and not as a strategic advantage. The article presents a framework for evaluating the strategies of IT in relation to orientation of information. This is done by information orientation by determining the degree of implementation and synergy of information capabilities in case of an organisation. The three information capabilities are related to behaviour of information and value, practices of management of information and practices of information technology (Powell, 2003). Descriptions of three different capabilities along with analytical basis for validating the research are provided by the information orientation so that the company can integrate the three different dimensions in order to achieve a superior business performance. The information orientation dashboard is used as a tool to measure strength and weakness of the information capabilities of the company (Ditsa, 2003). Governance structure In this case, Campbell designed a three-pronged governance structure to ensure smooth delivery and rapid realisation of project benefits which are senior management sponsors, operating committee and process advisory groups (PAGs). Leadership efforts It is obviously that the seniors – CIO, CFO and President have meetings frequently and work together to come out ideas which need to ensure focus on Project Harmony implementation. Then, operating committee has a clear division of processes and header meet weekly to ensure the overall program remained on track. Ultimately, PAGs help with design when the project leaders needed input, and they reviewed proposed end-to-end processes to identify issues. Changing organisations with an information-oriented culture A strong information base makes it possible to solve the goals of the business and is critical to the future of the organisation. Dissemination of information across a number of different channels makes it possible for every level of the organisation to be able to capture data. This provides ability to integrate information from different functions and business verticals (Galliers & Leidner, 2014). In order to maintain strict consistency of the data it is important to maintain the quality standard of data across all departments especially with increase in the amount of data. Decision makers should emphasise on getting the right information in order to effectively do their jobs and make use of the analysis in order to guide the daily operations of the business and strategy for the future. Organisations, which follow this culture are probable to excel at innovation and strategies for creating differentiation in between them and peers. Top down mandate benefits them and they are able to articulate their expectation for analytical decision making which is aligned to their business objectives. Based on the foundation of data the employees are encouraged to innovate. Conclusion The decision to implement SAP at Campbell Soup are reflects an organisational perspective on information management. The critical success factors for Campbell’s SAP deployment in terms of organisational design, leadership and culture are communication, governance and leadership efforts. Word count: 1114. Bibliography Choo, C.W. (2002). Information management for the intelligent organisation: the art of scanning the environment. New Jersey: Information Today, Inc. Ditsa, G. (2003). Information management: support systems & multimedia technology. London: Idea Group Inc (IGI). Galliers, R. D. & Leidner, D. E. (2014). Strategic information management: challenges and strategies in managing information systems. New York: Routledge. Gupta, H. (2011). Management information system. New Delhi: International book house Pvt. Ltd. Klein, B., Long, R. A. & Blackman, K. R. (2012). An introduction to ims: your complete guide to IBM information management system. New York: IBM Press. Powell, M. (2003). Information management for development organisations. New York: Oxfam. Schniederjans, A. (2006). Outsourcing management information systems. New Delhi: Idea Group Inc (IGI). Introduction The answer will identify what is outsourcing, what core benefits are of IT outsourcing, how Campbell Soup managed its IT outsourcing project and the relationships between the vendors and explain it in detail. Definition of outsourcing The process through which a business entity, a corporation or a government agency makes contract with third party for doing certain functions and activities. The third party is known as the outsourcer and this process is known as outsourcing. The outsourcer improves the internal operation by using necessary equipment. For improving the internal management and production services of outsourcing process is mainly done. This process requires high level of configuration and use of external resources. In twentieth century outsourcing is considered as a model of strategic model. The competencies of an organisation lie in maintaining its ability. But for the inefficient human resource a company becomes bound to rely on external sources or firms for improving its activities and functions (Plugge, 2012). The process of outsourcing helps to reduce operating cost of the company. It also improves the customer satisfaction and quality of work of the outsourcing organisation. Outsourcing has become very popular and it is considered as an industry. What are IT outsourcing and its development IT outsourcing has become a universal trend with the growth of IT companies. The process of IT outsourcing is considered as a way by which the performance and productivity of an organisation is improved. This process has gained its popularity from the time when Kodak’s IT was outsourced in 1989. Earlier outsourcing was mainly done for saving operational cost. But in the recent times the main focus is to improve the performance of business for conducting outsourcing (Power, 2006). The various IT functions which are outsourced are telecommunication management, application programming, system operation and system integration. For example technical responsibilities and infrastructure operations were outsourced from IBM for Campbell Soup Company. The core benefits The process of outsourcing benefits a company in various ways. It helps the organisation in improving its human resources and reducing its unnecessary expansion. Profit of the company gets increased its various extra costs are reduced for the process of outsourcing. As a result of this the company becomes able to utilise its resources effectively. With the help of outsourcing process a firm allocates funds properly which help to improve its commitment towards its work (Halvey & Murphy Melby, 2007). An organisation gains its competitive advantage and customer satisfaction by implementing the process of outsourcing. Flexibility is gained in business operations by implementing outsourcing process. The marketing, sales and R&D division of Campbell are improved by outsourcing process. This helps the company in focusing more on its operational strategy. IT outsourcing model – joint venture The model of IT outsourcing is based on four types. They are multiple- supplier sourcing, total outsourcing, seasonal sourcing and strategic/ joint venture alliance sourcing. Joint venture outsourcing is associated with investing funds for long term based on partnership (McIvor, 2005). This outsourcing is formed for various reasons. They are as follows: Establishing distribution and marketing presence. Developing production facilities in various nations. Creating presence in new distribution networks and markets. Using advance technologies and sharing costs with partners. Getting the advantage of using better resources. Relationships and reasons Initially Campbell was outsourcing only IT to IBM. However, it was noticed by Wright an alternative which would not only be cheaper to running of internal computer operations but at the same time gaining a partner who could deliver best practice, providing computer capacity which are readily available and protection against disasters (Hira & Hira, 2008). As IBM was proposed to invest in the business, the relationship extended to the status of joint venture. Scopes which are focussed on by these companies are transformed by the strategic requirements. A three pronged governance structure was designed by Campbell for ensuring smooth delivery and rapid realisation of the benefits of the project and included sponsors, senior management, process advisory groups and organising committee. In the strategic partnership in between the Campbell Soup Company and IBM a key role is played by IT outsourcing. This enables greater control and performance and requires to be managed with a clear understanding of the goals of the partnership and outcomes which are possible. There are two parts of training relationship, establishing relationship and maintaining the same. The factors which are considered important to maintain relationship in on source outsourcing are communication, process and performance. Risks associated with outsourcing It is recognised by the executives that short term cost reductions would not have strategic benefits similar to long term knowledge based outsourcing systems. However, long term outsourcing is also associated with certain risks which are inevitable. Risks in the capabilities of the client are associated with lack of experience, contract and project management capabilities (Barrar & Gervais, 2006). Vendor capabilities are presented as understaffing, lack of knowhow related to business or technical or perhaps deliberate underperformance by the vendors. Campbell and IBM are joint venture businesses in this case. The risks, knowledge and opportunities are shared and the focus is on the core strengths, accessing the resources, target market and economy of scale (Sparrow, 2003). The ways to reduce the risks are: 1. setting clear objectives, 2. finding a balance in the process, 3. ensuring integration of work practices are smooth, 4. a sense of trust and commitment which is mutual and 5. Providing sufficient leadership and support in the early stages (Burkholder, 2006). Conclusion Campbell has outsourcing its IT to IBM and gets the core benefits from this way, also this two company joint venture to overcome difficulties, against competitors and share risks as well. Word count: 943. Bibliography Barrar, P. & Gervais, R. (2006). Global Outsourcing Strategies: An International Reference on Effective Outsourcing Relationships. Hampshire: Gower Publishing, Ltd. Burkholder, N. C. (2006). Outsourcing: the definitive view, applications, and implications. London: John Wiley & Sons. Halvey, J. & Murphy Melby, B. (2007). Business process outsourcing: process, strategies, and contracts. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Hira, R. & Hira, A. (2008). Outsourcing America: the true cost of shipping jobs overseas and what can be done about it. New York: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. McIvor, R. (2005). The Outsourcing process: strategies for evaluation and management. Cape Town: Cambridge University Press. Plugge, A. (2012). Managing change in it outsourcing: towards a dynamic fit model. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Power, M. (2006). The outsourcing handbook: how to implement a successful outsourcing process. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Sparrow, E. (2003). Successful it outsourcing: from choosing a provider to managing the project. New York: Springer Science & Business Media. Read More