1 a.) Inbound logistics- Flextime receives their so called raw materials or inventory which includes the health foods for the juice bar, getting the equipment to set up, and getting towels, soap, shampoo, and providing showers. Rank (5) Operations/ manufacturing- transform raw materials into the finished product. This includes stocking the juice bar reading it for customers and setting up the facilities and classrooms, and having an efficient locker room for customers to shower in. Rank (5)
Outbound logistics- deliver finished product to customer here the company is ready to be opened Rank (5)
Sales and marketing- creates customers to purchase products and providing information on why they should. With sales and marketing Flextime has to come up with a way to advertise what they are what they have to offer to clients and why that client should stay at Flextime Rank (3)
Customer service- provides customer support on using the product. Customer service enhances their service value and helps the customers use the equipment and teaches them how to work out basically. Rank (5) I ranked all but one a five because all of them are important in order for a business to be successful. The reason I ranked marketing lower is because you don’t always have to advertise in order to be successful. Word of mouth could be enough. If you provide good customer service then that will get you returning clients and hopefully they bring new clients along with them.
b.) procurement- involves finding vendors, contract arrangements, and negotiating prices- rank (5) technology- can help develop new methods and procedures along the way –rank (3) human resources- recruiting, compensation, evaluation, and training of employees- rank (4) firm infrastructure- management, finance, accounting, legal, and environmental affairs –rank (5) I ranked procurement and firm infrastructure a 5 because I think it is very important to have vendors who provide all the health foods for the juice bar, and if they are renting space in a building they have to come up with a price to pay for rent and a price they buy products for from the vendors. I ranked human resources as a 4 because they are still important you have to know how to manage your employees and training them but I think it is more important to have the others listed above. And lastly I ranked technology last because yes it can help develop new methods and using technology helps a business succeed but you have to find a vendor first before you can use technology to save any information between Flextime and a vendor.
C)
1.
Vendors raw materials inventory components finished goods inventory shipping customer
2.
Vendors raw materials receiving raw materials inventory components finished goods inventory products shipping updates with shipping finished goods database customer demand purchase parts order cash vendors
D.)
Each of these business processes listed above adds value to Flextime by creating organization. These processes allow Flextime to be a successful business. Vendors bring in materials which creates inventory and put together they create finished goods which then customers use. Flextime’s success is focused primarily on providing one of the best workouts a person can get and providing the best materials with it which include foods and some of the best trained teachers and trainers. If they wanted to be the lowest-cost provider of healthcare services then they would have to reduce products that don’t have anything to do with working out like the food and showers. There wouldn’t be personal trainers either there would just be classes at certain times that more than one person could attend and they would only be on certain days at certain times.
E.)
An information system that would support this business process would be one that could support customer information data. This could be things like the customer’s name, address, billing information, and also any personal information about the customers. Also one that sends emails to the customer with receipts for anything billed like food supplies, or service supplied by a trainer or even a monthly fee for being a member at Flextime. I don’t think the competitive strategy would differ from this and one that wants a low-cost competitive strategy because this is one of the cheaper ways of doing things. You don’t have to mail anything out it all goes out via email which saves costs on postage and on paper.