...European research technology development (RTD) managers of IT companies have been brainstorming for half a day. Lots of food has been consumed, exhausted secretaries and junior project managers of the two teams are praying for the meeting to end. The two senior execs have not joined efforts for the new product idea that initially seemed so exciting in previous communications they had via email. On the other hand, they do not wish to leave the meeting without making a decision. Time passes, and at one point, a new junior staffer tosses out an idea: Why not make a European project out of it? The idea was accepted with relief by all—especially the two RTD managers—and after almost a year, a two-and-a-halfyear-long project was launched, with the goal of potential commercial marketability. End of story. ^^ - their ability to use the most innovative software, thus significantly enhancing their business performance. CSK Software of Ireland acts as the Provic/er, whose aim is to increase its ability to convert the promising application of its Slingshot {www.sljngshot.net), real-time push technology product into wide adoption and marketplace success. The fourth partner, Prutech Innovation Services, also of Ireland, acts as the Enah/er, whose role is to close the technology transfer loop between the Provider and the Users by providing necessary technical and business support services. Slingshot is already well known in the European fmancial services sector, for which...
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...Marketing Plan Paper Raymond Holman BSA 310 June 17, 2010 Instructor: Terrell Potts Marketing Plan Paper McBride Financial Services will increase market penetration, establishing their services as the premier technology-based Mortgage firm in the five state areas. To achieve this goal, McBride will conduct market research, select effective media outlets, and target specific markets. Catering to time constrained professionals, retirees, and families wanting simplified and flexible full service mortgage processing McBride will establish itself as a niche leader in the region. McBride (2004) intends to aggressively market using local, TV ads, Newspapers, handouts, radio, and realtors. Additionally McBride will also leverage Internet-based marketing differentiating the business as a technology leader. Market Research Strategy McBride Financial Services recognizes that extensive market research must be completed to optimize advertizing dollars. Although the services that McBride offers are required by all customers to correctly close on a new home, McBride understands that their specific offering is better suited for particular segments of the entire market. To define this segmentation McBride will conduct two key market research studies in demographics, and psychographics. Demographics as defined...
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...- I Leveraging Web 2.0 to enhance CRM (In partial fulfilment of the course) Written Analysis and Communication II (2013-2014) To Prof. Meenakshi Sharma & Academic Associate Mr. Saurabh Shukla By Alok Agrawal Section - C On 13th January, 2013 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, AHMEDABAD. Abstract In today’s digital era, everybody has heard of web 2.0 or social networking websites. These websites provide a two way communication flow and have changed the way people live, learn and work. Web 2.0 provides an opportunity to the business world to overcome the drawbacks of traditional CRM system by integrating with social media. Though there are hurdles and inertia in business world to implement this change, it is necessary to integrate the web 2.0 into CRM and engage customer in the foreground of the decision making process for the sustainable growth and success of the business. (97 Words) Full text In today’s digital era, everybody has heard of web 2.0 or social networking websites. These websites, unlike traditional websites, not only provides information to the viewers but also empowers them to generate their own content by posting, commenting and interacting with other viewers. This two way flow of communication led to active participation of users in the social networking websites. The rapid adoption of Web 2.0 has transformed the way people live, learn and work. It has increased the ability of the people to connect and share information with each...
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...Chapter 1 1. How can information technology support a company’s business processes and decision making and give it a competitive advantage? Give examples to illustrate your answer. The term information technology refers to the various hardware, software, networking, and data management parts that are a necessity for the system to function (pg. 8). Businesses regularly utilize computer-based information systems in order to record customer purchases, keep track of inventory, pay employees, buy new merchandise, and evaluate sales trends. Without the support of information technology, businesses would ultimately fall apart. For example if a business did not choose to use computer-based information systems, they wouldn't be able to evaluate what items were selling better than others and ultimately lose valuable information for future success. Information technology can also aid in decision making for a business. Decisions are made based on analysis provided by computer-based information systems. For example a store manager may make the decision whether to discontinue an item for sale or keep it on the floor due to analysis of sales trends provided by computer-based systems. Lastly information technology helps business gain a competitive advantage. A competitive advantage is gained through computer-based information systems by applying innovative application of information technologies (pg. 9). For example a store manager installing touch screen kiosks throughout the organization...
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...ABSTRACT This analysis of the information technology infrastructure at United Parcel Service (UPS) begins with a general overview of the company’s information technology (IT) environment to establish awareness of the size and complexity of this corporation. It includes a macro-level breakdown of the technology infrastructure of UPS ranging from the data centers to the PCs currently in operation. The study also more closely analyzes the software and database structure of UPS along with an analysis of the company’s E-commerce activities. It includes an interview with Tom Creech, the North Florida District E-commerce manager at UPS. Finally, research was conducted to evaluate the emerging technologies that UPS is implementing and employing to support the business strategy and maintain its competitive edge. INTRODUCTION A case study is a "published report about a person, group, or situation that has been studied over time." If the case study is about a group, it describes the behavior of the group as a whole, not behavior of each individual in the group. Case studies can be produced by following a formal research method. In doing case study research, the "case" being studied may be an individual, organization, event, or action, existing in a specific time and place. Case studies are analyses of persons, events, decisions, periods, projects, policies, institutions, or other systems that are studied holistically by one or more method. The case that is the subject of the inquiry...
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...History of Transformation UPS has been in the package delivery business for 95 years, providing services to businesses and consumers worldwide in more than 200 countries. In 1994, UPS began to investigate the potential of e-commerce and started an internal group focused on enabling e-commerce. UPS redefined its core business and found ways to change its structure and processes, forming new businesses to take advantage of new opportunities. Products and Services UPS is in the transportation industry. They move goods, information, and funds between individuals and companies. Their operations provide delivery by land and by air, and they offer services at customer shipping centers, as well as online through UPS.com. They operate in more than 200 countries worldwide, do business in 15 different languages and dialects, and deliver an average of 13.2 million packages per day. Catalyst for Change UPS was interested in finding ways to leverage their extensive infrastructure and expertise in basic transportation of goods, services, and information. They wanted to enter new markets and continue to grow. They also wanted to undergo a more fundamental change—to transform their company into an enabler of global commerce. Vision and Strategy In 1991, the company's vision was to be "the leading package delivery company." They were able to grow significantly toward that goal, but they weren't satisfied with just that. They wanted a larger challenge for the company. In 1999, they changed...
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...5/31/2011 LEVERAGING CLOUD COMPUTING FOR GREATER BUSINESS AGILITY Ramesh Shanmuganathan Executive Vice President / Group CIO 1 John Keells Group 4 th June 2011 AGENDA TODAY’S BUSINESS CONTEXT DEMYSTIFYING CLOUD COMPUTING WHY CLOUD COMPUTING? WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS? WHAT DO I NEED TO CONSIDER? HOW DO I GET ON BOARD? CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR KEY TAKE AWAY! 2 TODAY’S BUSINESS CONTEXT 3 1 5/31/2011 Today’s Business Context ►Global competition ►Rampant Change ►Faster flow of information and communication ►Increasing Business Complexity ►Pervasive Globalisation 4 Forces Driving the New Economy ►Knowledge : Intellectual Capital ►Change : Continuous rapid and complex ►Globalization : in R&D, technology, production, trade, finance, communication and information, which has resulted in opening of economies, global hypercompetition and interdependency of business. 5 IT NEEDS TO ADAPT TO THE BUSINESS CONTEXT Robust IT, Services, and Solutions based Foundation Dynamically adapts to changing business conditions Tightens link between IT and business objectives Anticipate and rapidly respond to new market requirements Create and capture new opportunities Includes: Technology, Services and Solutions 6 2 5/31/2011 IT NEEDS TO DELIVER DECISION READY INFORMATION 7 “4” critical Qs “Data is exploding “New business & and it’s in silos” process demands ” I Need Insight How can we take advantage of the wealth...
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...to open up their market to the world. In other words, countries are emphasizing on a borderless business world. Globalization is the opening up of economies to international competition allowing goods, services, ideas, capital and some people to move freely between countries (Webster 2007). Besides, it is also the increasing interdependent and integration of countries towards a borderless world which indicates that there is a declining in cross-border trade barriers among countries which will improve their terms of trade, technology, investment and labour flows (Hill 2008). Therefore, companies have attempt to do things in new ways leveraging on information and communication technology (ICT) innovation, involve in e-business and also online advertising which brought about positive and negative effects respectively. One new way businesses are doing things is leveraging on the innovation in information and communication technology (ICT) through the Internet. Previously without the platform of Internet, companies are only exposed to the domestic market in their countries. When globalization conquers, this has place an important role on the Internet whereby companies are able to excel towards the world market. Google and Yahoo are very good examples of global companies. They create a platform to spread business on global footprints. Companies worldwide gain access to any information needed through the Internet. In addition, communication is also more advance in this 21st century...
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...competition is faced from other rental agencies that provide similar services. Nevertheless, the company has a competitive advantage over its competitors due to the flexibility of the service it provides to its customers. Other competitors for Zipcar include transportation services providers such as taxi cabs and public transportation. Nevertheless, the advantage of Zipcar over this competitor segment lies within availability virtually in any location in a dense area as well as relative cheapness of the service if a travel to long distance is required, which would add to the customer cost if a taxi, for example, was chosen. Supplier power in the competitive position for Zipcar is evaluated to be as moderate. The company provides the car rental services with its own cars, which provides for no delays in car availability from third parties. Furthermore, the company supports strong connections with petrol stations as well as technical services that guarantee in time fuel supply as well as car repairs when needed. Buyer power in the competitive position of Zipcar is strong. Buyers may easily choose between other car rental services. Thus, whenever potential buyer feels that his/her needs won’t be satisfy, he/she can easily switch to competitors. Power of new market entrants is evaluated to be strong due to attractiveness of the potential returns to new market players. Zipcar Company showed substantial growth of its business from $13.7 million in revenues in 2005 to the...
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...but also efficiency for citizens. Whereas, efficient is the acting or producing effectively with a minimum of waste, expense, or unnecessary effort (Rentzepopoulos, P. & Vassilia, O. 2010). How efficient and effective have E-government been over the past few years serving its peoples’ needs? When measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of E-government, there are many factors in determining how satisfied are customers, businesses, and administration employees when using technology to accomplish the job or receive assistance over the Internet. In terms of efficiency and effectiveness, there are three areas that have been emphasized on, such as it reduces administrative burden for citizens and businesses, it improves the organizational processes, and it reduces the carbon footprint of government output. From a citizen’s prospective, it eliminates the necessity for physical travel to government waiting in line to speak to a government worker. The processing time is quicker and the type of information or form a person is trying to pick up can be accessed from the government website at any location or time of the day. For example the people in Australia no longer have to contact their government in person or by telephone because the Internet is mainly use as a source of communication between the people and their government (Rentzepopoulos, P. & Vassilia, O. 2010). On the other hand, on the administration (Employess/Managers) prospective, government employees can access files...
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...CASE STUDY Boeing 787: Global Supply Chain Management Takes Flight Leveraging Global Partners to Maximize Customer Value Company Profile World’s leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined Goal Leverage global partners to reduce cost, speed time-to-market, and increase customer value while maintaining the highest level of safety Challenge How to maintain visibility and control while transitioning from a vertically integrated manufacturing model to a global partner model that leverages providers of best value components and technology Solution Exostar’s Supply Chain Management Solution powered by E2open software to provide end-to-end management of the order, inventory, and planning processes executed across multiple tiers of supply partners Expected Results Eliminate latency in communicating demand /supply changes and change impacts across partner tiers Ensure continuity of supply while minimizing supply disruptions Improved on-time delivery and ship-tocommit date with end customer Provide global visibility to all partners involved in the delivery of the completed assemblies Reduce total manufacturing cost by leveraging best price and value partners globally The new Boeing super-efficient jet liner is the 787 Dreamliner. Scheduled for delivery beginning in 2008, the Dreamliner provides passengers with a better flying experience and operators with a...
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...TARGET MARKET | | 4 | THE IMPROVEMENT | | 5 | TYPES OF PROMOTIONAL TOOLS | | INTRODUCTION Sunway Group Procurement is to provide quality products and services in a timely manner to procurement customers and suppliers through variety of practices and tools which supported the procurement overall mission that include engaging in adopting the Procurement Systems, value-adding Sourcing Services, enhancing our processes and others. Our working model is based on the combination of Center-Led and decentralisation organisation structure approach. Key focus areas are in the following commodity items such as Common Items Supplies, Buildings Materials, Information Technology, Hospitality and Facial Management. Mission and Vision Statement :- Vision Statement is contribute to the Group’s growth and profitability via management of the supply chain. Mission statement is to provide support to all business untis by : * Optimizing competitiveness through economies of scale * Continuous improvement through the use of latest tools and processes * Leveraging on the technical expertise of the business unit * Establishing cost indices for competitiveness analysis * Continuously enhancing market intelligence within all business units * Optimizing financial status of business units by leveraging on Group’s stability and support Objectives of the Sunway Group is :- * To deploy expertise to buy at the best price through strategic sourcing and rationalizing...
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...new customer Referrals among repeat customers are 107% greater than non-customers It costs 6 times more to sell something to a prospect than to sell the same thing to a customer This is a wake-up call. Before you go around chasing for prospects, see that your marketing dollars will go further if you use it to build, nurture and develop your customer relationships. While a growing business needs to constantly capture new customers, the focus and priority should be on pleasing your existing customer base. Customer relationship management (CRM) became increasingly popular when technology enabling CRM came into existence. CRM software helps insurance companies to streamline the process of keeping track of contacts and conversations with customers, ensuring different departments that deal with the same customer gets to reference information exchanges. These information is highly valuable when turned into ‘intelligence’ to benefit the insurance companies in marketing, selling, and servicing their customers effectively. However, it should be clearly mentioned that CRM is not only a technology project. Instead, an effective CRM is a company-wide strategy both to recruit new customers and to nurture and retain existing...
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...being data analysts to computer designing and technology maintenance. So in a nutshell computer specialists have detailed knowledge in information technology. Information systems are the set of interrelated components that retrieve, process, store and distribute information to support decision making and control in an organization. Information systems comprise of three main assets, namely Organizational, Managerial and Technical. These three dimensions combined provide solutions to challenges and problems in the business environment. Hence an information system focuses on the continual change in technology, management use of the technology, and the impact on business success. In other for information systems to function and serve its purpose of providing solutions to challenges and problems all its three dimensions must function. Using UPS as an example we realize that its Organization is tasked with anchoring the package tracking system in UPS’s sales and production functions while the Management monitors service levels and costs supported or assisted by its Technology( bar code scanners, desktop computers, handheld computers, etc.). So to conclude I am of the view that information systems should not be left to computer specialists Question 2. Organizational: • Effective work culture which is motivated by its vision of customer service reflected in its effective package tracking system. • The maintenance of a good business process, example: specifying the required...
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...strategic decision to replace a decades old information system that was the core of its business. Although the system itself was not broken it presented an opportunity for innovation to bring the company forward to for the next 30 years. The CIO was immediately faced the challenge of how to present an expensive internal project with no immediate measureable ROI for the company. Similar projects in the past had failed to gain enough support and subsequently were scaled back. A $20 million project with no foreseeable profit margin was huge risk for Polk. Approach The CIO believed that an agile delivery model leveraging newer technology would provide improvements to the legacy IBM batch driven mainframe dinosaur currently in place. Based on the past two failures to convert from the mainframe system the company came up with a different approach to the project by assembling a core team of Polk IT resources and combining them with a group of outside consultants to bring new ideas and agility to the project that it lacked in the past. This was the first building block in the success of the project. The fact the team of consults was able to free up existing Polk resources and allowed them to focus on building the next generation of its engine was what separated them from the failure to migrate from the old mainframe solution in the past. Although it was a bold move to separate the team and create a standalone entry, (RLP Technologies), instead of keeping the team with Polk...
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