Business Systems and Practices (E-Commerce Systems and Strategies)
- Select case studies of organisations that have utilised e-commerce strategies and analyse their effectiveness in comparison with examples.
- Will need to identify current and future trends in e-commerce and how they relate to organisations business function.
- Learning Outcomes to be assessed (from Module/Unit specification):
LO3: Critically evaluate the potential effectiveness of key techniques in given scenarios.
LO4: Critically evaluate the importance of standards within the current information systems environment.
LO5: Synthesize and assess the technological limitations that relate to computer-based systems and explain the relationship between business functions and information systems.
Produce a report that will compare and contrast different organisations use of Information Systems. This assignment is linked with LO3, LO4, LO5. The report should be 2,500 words in length.
The report should include
- An Introduction including general Information systems
(10%)
- Identification and evidence of research into a variety of Organisations Information Systems.
(15%)
- A clear and evaluative comparison of the Organisations Information Systems.
(20%)
- Reflection of how Information Systems effect impact the business function of the Organisations.
(20%)
- Consider the potential impacts of different Information Systems on Organisations (negative and positive impacts).
(15%)
- Conclusion including Information Systems suggestions for new organisations.
(10%)
This report also awards marks for correct spelling and grammar and the correct use of referencing. A number of appropriate sources regularly cited are required for maximum marks.
ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW
Introduction
Keep it brief
What are Information Systems in general?
Who uses it, where and why in organisation
Organisations
Three organisations will need to identified (don’t use my words here)
Organisation 1
Each should have a good 2 or 3+ references to identify the main Information Systems used by the organisation. You do not need to describe the type of IS systems in massive detail. One sentence would do explain what they do.
Organisation 2
Each should have a good 2 or 3+ references to identify the main Information Systems used by the organisation. You do not need to describe the type of IS systems in massive detail. One sentence would do explain what they do.
Organisation 3
Each should have a good 2 or 3+ references to identify the main Information Systems used by the organisation. You do not need to describe the type of IS systems in massive detail. One sentence would do explain what they do.
Evaluative Comparison of Organisations IS.
A discussion about comparing the different use of the organisation systems used by the different organisations. NOT Describing.
Impact of IS on the Business Functions.
You need to make judgements whether these systems enhance the functional areas. Could the organisation function just as well with or without? Do these IS systems affect more than one area?
Business Systems and Practices (E-Commerce Systems and Strategies)
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Business Systems and Practices (E-Commerce Systems and Strategies)
Over the past two decades, technology has played a significant role in the economy and the society. People, organisations and governments embrace what technology has offered while others are cautious and resistant to these offers. From a historical perspective and our own experience with technology, it is evident that small key technologies are shaping and changing our lives. The role that information communication and technology has played in shaping our private and professional lives is becoming more prominent.
Information systems have become the backbone of our lives including that of organizations. Payments could not have been processed by banks, governments could have not been collecting taxes and supermarkets could not have been in a position of stocking their shelves without the support of information systems. In every sector (government, manufacturing, education, businesses, and finance) information systems plays a crucial role in their activities. Communication, decision making, working, and gathering information largely rely on information technology. When booking travelling ticket at any travelling agency, a collection of interconnected systems is used to check on available flights and book hotel rooms as well. When making an electronic payment, an individual interacts with the bank’s information system rather than the bank staff (Stair, & Reynolds, 2013). Today, supermarkets use information systems to track their stocks. Different organizations such as tax collecting authorities, travel agencies, recruitment agencies, and banks can be considered to be IT companies based on the role information systems in their activities. Therefore, it is evident that most of the modern organizations and institutions heavily rely on information systems.
Information Systems
There is no clear definition thus many scholars have given their own interpretations of the term, but a standard definition has been given that an information system manages and processes information. However, despite this definition being a general definition, it gives room for different interpretations. This is because there is no clarity as to whether “information system†includes only the software systems or also the humans (Beynon-Davies, 2013). Considering Alter’s framework for information systems, we can get clear reasons why information systems have several definitions. According to Alter’s framework, information systems consist of six entities: customers, products and services, business processes, participants, information, and technology (Alter, 2002). According to Alter (2002), customers are the main actors who largely interact with an organization’s information system for an exchange of goods and services. The products and services that are exchanged are manufactured and prepared in business process. The business processes use information, technology and participants. Participants perform the work; information may be about the customers or products and services while technology is being used by the processes where new technologies may bring new ways of carrying out the processes.
Different types of information systems are already in practice and are used in different organisational levels or departments (Davenport, 2013). The following are examples of such systems and the levels where they are being used in organisations.
* Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERPS).
An ERPS is an information system that is used to support business processes of an organisation such as sales, management, accounting, logistics, human resource management, and marketing. Previously, each department or organisational function had a different information system. These processes use related data and the same information causes redundancy in its respective information system forcing the organisations to spend more time and effort to synchronize data of all the information systems (Rainer, et al., 2013). Therefore, ERP system provides a solution by overcoming the synchronization efforts by integrating the different information systems into a single system.
* Procurement Systems.
This type of information system helps in the purchasing process of an organisation. Its major aim is to ensure that the organisation has what is necessary to keep the operation on at minimal cost. The organisation can monitor the available inventory, ordered inventory and the time it will arrive.
* Sales and Marketing Systems.
This system is used to process customer orders by addressing the four p’s (product, price, place and promotion).
* Delivery Systems
This system supports delivery of goods to the customers. It is used to plan and schedule when and in what order the customers will receive the orders that they placed.
* Finance Systems
This is among the oldest information systems that were introduced into organizations. They support flow of money within and between organizations. It also maintains a consistent and auditable books and reports for decision making by the management.
Among the emerging technologies is Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce). Due to the improvements and advances in technology that has enhanced vast networking of the world through satellites, optic fibers and wireless communication, a global community and market has been created where most countries are participating (Kamlesh & Debjani, 1999). E-commerce is the use of networks to carry out businesses process involving management and other operations such as purchase and sale of products and services, carrying business to business transactions, payment and billing, purchase and other necessary trading activities (Da Costa, 2016).
Companies are able to post a complete a catalog of their products and services on the internet and keep updating it from time to time. Through this, they keep communicating to their customers and adjust their offers; at the same time they are able to access other virtual markets where they can purchase what they need. Advances in technology has enabled organisations to integrate the information systems to an online platform where firms can connect to other organizations from around the world, to sell, buy, recruit new skills, and choose products and services that meets their needs from the large network (Bharadwaj, et al., 2013).
Organisations
* Coca-Cola Company
Coca-Cola Company is a global leader in the beverage industry that offers a wide range of brands that include fruit juices, drinks, sport drinks and other soft beverages (Armus, 2005). Like other organisations around the world, the company has integrated its information systems into the internet to develop an e-platform to carry out its business processes.
The company has developed a business to business platform where it conducts business with other companies. Many retailers use this system to order for products from Coca-cola without visiting their physical offices. Coca-Cola being the largest supplier of soft drinks, it has provided its partners with a fast and reliable way through which they can use to make their orders. Also, it uses the business to customer interface. Customers are able to get all coca-cola’s products such as the clothes, cookware and collectibles. The system also provides customers with order placement, payment, customer care to fulfill the customers.
With the emergence of the e-commerce technology, the company is utilizing the opportunities provided by this new technology to strengthen its relationship with its partners such as the bottling partners from around the world. In most cases these two partners operate as independent companies but the internet has made it easy for them to interact with each other as one. The Coca-Cola Company is responsible for creating and marketing the its brands and trademarks while the bottling companies are responsible for the production and packaging of finished products and distributing them to Coca-Cola’s customers. Through information systems, Coca-Cola Company is able to work with other partners around the world and operate the largest beverage distribution system. Through this system, Coca-Cola owns, leases and operates more than 700 companies around the world. Their management systems are separate from that of the Coca-Cola Company (Anderson & Anderson, 2002).
Coca-Cola Company also uses the internet to provide information to its customers. Online advertisement is rapidly changing the marketing strategies and Coca-Cola has adapted to this by putting online advertisements on various websites such as Facebook, and Twitter. Through this online advertisement, the company offers the customers with an opportunity to share their own experiences with the company’s products and provide feedbacks as well as suggestion son how the company can improve its services.
The company also uses the financial system which is also available on its website which the customers can use to pay for their orders. Through, this system, the customers can make payments using the different payment methods through its virtual online shop. The company has partnered with Innotrac Inc. which manages its online activities. It manages all the aspects such as order placement, processing, customer care and payment. It accepts all credit cards such as Visa, American Express, MasterCard, and Discover. The customers are provided with the opportunity to choose a payment method which is convenient to them.
Finally, the company uses the human resource management system to recruit new skills to its company. Through the online platform, the company advertises new opportunities within its o...