Discussion Thread 2- Using Technology to Manage Information - Admission/Application Essay Example

Discussion Thread #2- Using Technology to Manage Information Discussion Thread #2- Using Technology to Manage Information I work at a franchised convenience store and the information system used by my employer is the Point of Sales (POS) system. With the POS system, my employer can easily manage sales-related information. Every product sold has a bar code printed on it which contains information on the price and the product code. When a customer goes to the cashier with the item he purchased, a special device reads the bar code to determine the price of the item purchased.

Other information such as the approximate age of the customer buying the product is also recorded. The POS system has several advantages. Through the POS, the franchise head office is able to gather information on the franchise store’s operations including what products are bought, how many are bought, when they are bought and the type of people who buys the product. With that data on hand, the head office is able to monitor each store and they can determine what are the fast-selling products and which are not on a per store basis.

The advantage of this POS system is that the head office gets updated information on products sold; thus, inventory monitoring becomes less complicated. Decisions regarding the amount of stocks that should be kept per product become easier. Aside from the convenience it offers to both the store and the customers, the POS also assists my employer in making financial decisions. A major shortfall of the POS system in our store is that the manufacturer of the software requires regular updates to keep the system current.

These updates are sometimes very costly for the company. Technical support is another problem which we encounter. We need to call on the software provider to relay the problem. If the trouble cannot be solved over the phone, we have to wait for their technical person to visit the store to fix the problem. Lastly, the POS we use cannot be upgraded, we have to purchase new software or licenses if the business expands.