Business Mgt Essay

Part I. Assume you go through taken over responsibility to institute the work Information Technology (IT) trouble role in Magnum Enterprises. Your boss, Rachel Heigl, is Magnums CIO. The IT prudence group is comprised of six people who you bequeath be supervising. Ms. Heigl is an beginner manager, and she believes that if you argon to carry start your responsibilities usefully, you need to work with her in shaping your IT oversight role. As a first pure tone, she invites you to write a bypass statement where you describe what you imbibe to be your role as distributor point of the IT management effort at Magnum. Proper IT wariness makes researching and discerning take onment engineering science as a attach to resource guiding two operational and crucial play along capabilities. Using tuition technology to increase satisfaction of the node onside productivity and profitability give train that our competiveness with other subscriber line stays at a maximum. In crack IT gutter make duty enterprise processes more effective and efficient to im go s abet resources to customers. The lead IT sh all in all en reliable performance of the company through managing technology part encompassing priorities of the argument into the role. Striving to be a abetter _or_ abettor with great initiative this strain get out discover its leader will have accomplished and achieved what they desired. My first role of business would be to constitute the parameters and to understand the IT knowledge aras. These ar made up of development processes management challenges information technologies, business applications and foundation concepts. Concepts of the foundation be making sure the role of information governances paired with business and technical concepts atomic number 18 a familiarity with the end enforcer. Familiarity of concepts in entry level information constitutions bind with a competitive strategy croup lead to an overwhelming stra tegic advantage.Educating Magnums police squad upon the significance of information technology with the three roles that the business military man performs in baseball club to combine business management, data processor bundle system, and hardware capabilities. At the Management level, decision making would lead to significant amendments for IT utilization. Business operations suck in information systems as a huge agree to reexamination and ingest information from fiscal operations, managing manufacturing processes that are very sophisticated, pursueing company origin, and productivity. The use of metrics paired with identifying trends to assist the company in making intercommunicate decisions faster to provide information approximately our competitors. ITis use quite ofttimes to provide a strategic rear advantage for the company. Automated inventory and ordering systems an assist with the savings costs. With this information we would need to review our bursting charge statement that identifies the companys puzzle outs, provides oversight on the overall goal, a sense of direction, and guides decision making.Investigating and development towards understanding how we generate gold and ensuring a customer base for our company. Envisioning the business pattern, mission, with current IT organise and the ability to communicate with senior(a) leadership will guide me with infallible tools to assist the Chief Information Officer (CIO). To ensure a strategic IT plan is created in which will be shared and implemented with my team. intend to have Magnums team familiar with selective information resource management capabilities, hardware, inter fastens, telecommunications, and parcel deep down the company is the second playing area of information systems know as information technologies. In todays society individual(prenominal) organisers (personal digital assistants IE. Blackberrys ETC.) Personal calculators and net income servers are integral computer hardware and are crucial in our business environment. Being extremely knowledgeable is vital to our team troubleshooting and resolving hardware issues instead of having to call a nonher company for living.We have the ability to duty period down our companys software package package into two categories, application software and system software. Both types normally off the consumer shelf as technical software instead of having an employee on the team write the software codes for these computer programmes. I plan to ensure my teams are extremely familiar with all software programs and have a firm foundation when troubleshooting and resolving technical issues. Additionally, if non already formed, I will institute a configuration view board and implement test scenarios to ensure future hardware and software be purchased will not have compatibility issues. Also a part of information technologies is data resource management. This is essential in sustaining and c elebrateing our company. We will adopt a database management system of good quality that is capable of data consolidating into a database in turn can be glide slopeed my several program applications.Within the past fifteen to twenty years networks and telecommunications software have played a vital role. To ensure the expansion and growth for Magnum Enterprises, we will need out network to be harpent, reliable, monetary sufficient. I would localise the team to both install or review and switch as needed our network management system that assists with traffic management, capacity planning, network monitoring, and security in essence that our system will grow and change with modern day business culture and practices as the company expands. In order to have the just about dependable and proven with the cost of it a ring network should be put into place. The following(a) area, development processes, deals with conjureing, planning, identifying ideas, and implementing informatio n systems to cumulate strength business opportunities. It is critical that we ensure our business management capabilities alongside our hardware and software are integrated successfully at heart our company. Basis within the development process and depending upon the circumstance, there are a couple of processes we want our team to employ as resolving problems com along with our business systems. Those processes are considered or known as the prototyping onrush and he systems development life-cycle.The synopsis of prototyping entangles quickly developing or constructing test modules of a desired system in which we will engage when we cannot determine or classify the end user requirements. These systems would be apply to assist our effect with the capabilities to design or create an information system that will be intuitive and easy to navigate for consumers. Prototyping use ups quadruplet steps with the first world investigation and epitome step. This step, requirements g rouped and defined. Second, is the analysis and design step in which a model is developed and constructed to meet consumer business requirements. Next, in the design and murder, this finalizes the model that was tested and begins the initial installation. The last step to this four step process is implementation and maintenance, which would consist of the business system being accepted, used, and maintained. Prototyping advantages are decrease in the development time, development costs and requires user involvement. This generates higher(prenominal) satisfaction consequents. I plan to employ this type of approach to dainty initiatives.The next area is business application for information systems. This will consist of being familiar with commerce and business applications for our employees and which are used within the company to make strategic leadership and management decisions. A some of the most used business applications within a majority of companies are explanation, hum an resource management, enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, customer relationship management, financial management,and supply chain management. An Architectural picture of or IT business applications will ensure that I will have familiarity with all applications that we use. This approach will identify the current interrelationships, interfaces with customer, employees, business applications, and stake holders. We will then need to review the chart and see if there are any potential process improvements that we can make to integrate those systems pass through functionally and keep operational costs to a minimum. The systems development lifecycle employs the systems approach to create IT solutions.This lifecycle is often utilized for large applications and it is composed of five processes that I expect my team to know and become familiar when employing the systems development lifecycle systems investigation, systems analysis, systems design, systems implementation and systems maintenance. The first process, systems investigation, involves project cerebrate, planning and performing a feasibleness study. During the brainstorming and planning initiative, a project management implementation plan is created identifying the particular steps that will be accomplished during the creation and development of the system. The feasibleness study is critically measurable as this outlines all requirements for the system. It too explores four major areas, boldnessal, economic, technical, and operational feasibility, which determines if its worthwhile to invest in potential business ventures.In reviewing the organizations feasibility, we need to determine if the system is in line with and take fors our companys strategic objectives. The economic feasibility identifies and evaluates the projects tangible and intangible cost and earns. Technical feasibility is assessed by confident(p) if the requisite hardware and software will be available or can b e developed and tested before implementation. Operational feasibility is determined by the motivation, desire, willingness, and competence of the stakeholders (management, employees, customers and suppliers) to use and employ the proposed system. Systems Analysis consists of consolidating requirements and take ons a detailed breakdown of the business needs and requirements of the organization. This starts with an organizational analysis from one of the business end users. This individual moldiness be keenly aware of the organizational management structure, business requirements, and current IT systems operations and its proposed relationship with the newly created system.Some of the outputs generated from the systems analysisinclude system flowcharts, data flow diagrams, and connectivity diagrams which aid in the development of the analysis report The next process, systems design, focuses on the design, process diagrams, business rules, and developing specifications for the hardw are, software, data resources that will meet the proposed requirements for new business system. The three major outputs produced from the systems design phase are user data, interface, and process design. The fourth process of the systems development lifecycle is system implementation. This encompasses either acquiring the hardware or software or developing it from company resources and then testing the products in a test environment to see how well(p) they master and integrate with your existing IT architecture. If testing goes well, an implementation plan including training end users and developing system documentation will be accomplished prior to incorporating and executing this system within our IT architecture.The final process, systems maintenance consists of consistently monitoring and evaluating the newly implemented system. This also includes correcting errors and discrepancies not identify during the testing phase and continuously making system improvements, come nearm ents and upgrades. The final area of information systems is management challenges. There are numerous challenges that our IT team whitethorn be set about with at Magnum Enterprises. One challenge is addressing our security concerns which involve several areas. For instance, our IT team needs be constantly vigilant and on the alert for potential competitors trying to or actually hacking into our systems to steal or damage our data. Additionally, we may also be challenged with setting up restrictions and locking down the network for personnel to only use the network and its software applications for official business. Ensuring that our software is takeled and that employees are not il legally making copies of software for personal use is another area of concern.Preventing virus attacks to our network and installment anti-virus software to diagnose and remove computer viruses is of utmost concern. Failure to maintain a secure network can potentially halt our business from being prod uctive and resulting in thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Additional challenges the IT team may be faced with may involve expanding our infrastructure and network to address our growing business. Ensuring our network provides our employees availability to the data they need, wherever they require it, regardless of their location will test our innovativeness.The company may not have a backup plan to allow it to operate effectively and efficiently in the event of a forced relocation. If that is the case, I will recommend to our management staff that we draw a continuity of operations plan enable us to relocate with minimum impact to our business operations like a hot site for temporary functionality.In the dynamic world of IT we will evermore be faced with challenges, however, utilizing IT and being on the leading edge of new IT systems provides our business with umpteen benefits and makes our organization more effective and efficient. For example, IT can be used to improve an d upgrade new business processes such as creating an automated inventory system which will save money in assetal labor costs. another(prenominal) use of IT in making it more efficient and effective is that victimisation certain software programs enables us to identify and target our top customers in terms of profitability to our business. In summary, IT enables our company to successfully plan, integrate, manage, and carry out strategies which lead to profit.Part II. Six months after you take over the lead IT management role at Magnum, the CIO, Ms. Rachel Heigl, is pleased with your work. She has just attended a meeting of Magnums executive committee (the committee comprised of the most senior managers of Magnum), where the CEO and Vice President of merchandising have indicated that Magnums fair e-business capabilities must be strengthened. As CIO, Ms. Heigl is given primary responsibility in improving Magnums e-business performance. She in turn puts you in charge of a small task force comprised of representatives from the marketing, operations, finance, and legal sections. In order to advance and improve Magnums e-business performance operations, its vital I establish a cohesive team with representatives from the marketing, operations, finance, and legal departments. Their input and perspective is necessary and essential in developing a charge ahead and strategic plan for the future of our e-business department. Developing success with our e-business begins with marketing the company.Marketing is relate with developing and creating an innovative plan so that the product or usefulness can be promoted and sold. Promoting our products and assistants are get wind and critical in attracting new customers as well as maintaining our current customer base. It is important that I develop an understanding of the marketing role and how it can benefitby using Information Technology systems. Marketing information systems support well established and e-commerce p rocesses that sustain major elements within the marketing function and is described as a continuing and interacting structure of people, equipment and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate, and distribute pertinent, seasonably and accurate information for use by marketing decision makers to improve their marketing planning, implementation, and insure.The major components of marketing information systems include interactive marketing, gross revenue force automation, customer relationship management, sales management, product management, targeted marketing, and market research. 2 of the seven components I will be discussing are interactive marketing and customer relationship management. In our environment today, marketing information systems aid marketing personnel in a variety of tasks associated with branding products and customer service initiatives. For instance, interactive marketing is largely dependent on utilizing the internet, which permits the business and its cus tomers and potential customers to become partners in developing, socializing, acquiring and advancing products and service. With the IT department enabling this type of communication, the company benefits from generating new ideas for other products and services as well as establishing strong customer loyalty. Another area within the marketing information systems is Customer Relationship Management (CRM).This incorporates and automates many customer service processes. It consists of utilizing an IT framework to construct, automate, and integrate marketing processes with the companys business operations. CRM is normally comprised of a software suite that allows a business to provide efficient, effective and reliable service to its customers. Additionally, CRM permits a company to identify and target their most important customers as well as facilitate real-time customization of products and services based on the customers wants and desires. Understanding the marketing departments vie ws and concerns enables the IT department to implement and install an IT infrastructure that will be capable of supporting various information technologies. Some of the benefits that can be obtained from the marketing department are an opportunity to increase sales and revenue, a chance to touch new market areas, 24/7 accessibility for the customer, and more flexibility and convenience for the customers.The production and operations function is back up bymanufacturing information systems. Manufacturing information systems are designed to be used specifically in an operations and production environment. Different types of manufacturing information systems consist of computer integrated manufacturing (CIM), process go steady, machine control and robotics. CIM involves using computers to control the total manufacturing process, from design to distribution, to produce produces products of the highest caliber. Process control involves utilizing computers to oversee and control continui ng physical processes. Machine control consists of using a computer based system to direct the actions of a machine. Robotics involves designing, constructing, and building machines that have the acquaintance of a computer and human like physical capabilities. Its key out I understand how the operations representative depends on these information systems to operate effectively as well as their expectations for these systems. Working together as a team will enable the IT and operations department to develop better ideas to increase the manufacturing and production process.Developing an understanding of all the accounting and financial based systems within our business and discussing these systems with the finance representative enables our IT and finance departments to plan effectively when troubleshooting and performing upgrades. These systems include but are not limited to order processing, inventory control, accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, general ledger, cash ma nagement, investment management, corking budgeting and financial planning. The success of these systems is integrally connected with its information technology and services. For example, the order processing system captures and processes customer orders and produces data needed for sales analysis and inventory control and the accounts payable system keeps track of data concerning purchases from and payments to suppliers. communicating with the finance representative is essential in setting up or modifying these systems to meet the needs of our business. Any interruption or degradation in service can lead to severe damage to the business and financial services that Magnum Enterprises relies on to function and operate.As with any business, competitors are always facial expressioning for an advantage to get them ahead in their particular redress or industry. Unfortunately, being extremely aggressive and ambitious can sometimes cloud your decision making capabilities to the point tha t you maybe committing interruption privacy laws and monitoring and copyright violations. As the IT lead manager for Magnum Enterprises, Im charged with ensuring our network infrastructure and IT systems are operational proficiently. However, when it comes to addressing privacy issues from an IT perspective, opinions and viewpoints from a legal practised are necessary. In regards to privacy, several websites store usernames and passwords and personal information such as home addresses and phone numbers game without authorization from users.Applying internet monitoring technology within the workplace raises concerns about where the boundaries lie between personal use and public resource use. copyright concerns and violations has become an issue with the development of the Internet and upgrades to technology. Discussing these concerns with a legal expert and implementing and adhering to strict guidelines will help prevent our company from committing these violations. In additio n to the goals of strengthening the capabilities of the e-business, attention must be paid to some key technical challenges. Overseeing secure information throughout our business is extremely herculean to implement and maintain successfully. Key technical issues that may be encountered when re-engineering our e-business include privacy and confidentiality, authenticity, data integrity, access control, availability and infrastructure. Privacy and confidentiality involves businesses protecting and securing personal information while being stored or transmitted through email. This can be accomplished by utilizing encryption devices or firewalls.Authentication is used to confirm an individuals identity and during e-business transactions, the purchaser and buyer wants say-so that proper identity is established. A secure way to assist with confirming identity to both individuals is to utilize a virtual private network. selective information integrity means the data is correct and has no t been altered while being stored or transmitted. The use of firewalls assists in preventing unauthorized users and safeguarding data. Another way to ensure data integrity is through the use of antivirus software which also aids in keeping your data free from viruses. Access control exists when youre authorizing certain individuals permission to restricted systems or data. Several measures that can help with access control include firewalls, access privileges, passwords, digital certificates and virtual private networks.Availability is an issue when customers and employers need informationwithout any disruptions. Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) systems, data backups and the use of anti-virus software assist with ensuring data is always available. Our e-business infrastructure constantly needs to be monitored to ensure its meeting the needs of our business. An infrastructure that is unable to consistently support the network traffic load can potentially cost our company thousands of dollars in lost sales. If the network is continually slow, increasing the speed of the network backbone will assist in providing faster and reliable support for our customers. In addition to increasing the speed of the network backbone, implementing cross-functional enterprise systems will assist in improving critical business processes throughout Magnum enterprises. A final technical challenge is ensuring all of our systems are compatible and can operate on several different hardware platforms. By having this capability, our operating costs from a technical refresh perspective will decrease. opus strengthening capabilities and addressing technical issues, there are management challenges within the e-business that must be addressed.As discussed earlier, our team must be vigilant in addressing security challenges such as hacking into our systems, software theft, and protecting our software applications. In addition to security issues, there are ethical concerns that must be address ed. Privacy has always been a serious and contentious issue amongst employers and employees. For instance, computer monitoring is considered by many personnel to be an infringement on the employees privacy and shouldnt be allowed. However, employers argue that since the computer is a company owned resource, they should be allowed to monitor the work of their employer. In reality, many employers are concerned as to whether or not the employee is actually working and producing or just goofing off and surfing the internet. Utilizing IT equipment at work has been mentioned to take a leak a variety of wellness issues which management must address.For example, if your job consists of being in front of a computer all day, some of the health problems you may experience damage to the neck and arm muscles, eye strain, carpal tunnel syndrome, job stress, poor posture and poor circulation. Resolutions to some of these health concerns can be through the science of ergonomics. The objective of ergonomics is to devise and create safe health work conditions with the goal of decreasing health issues and increasing employee morale and work productivity. IfMagnum Enterprises has customers internationally, they also may be faced with political, geo-economic and cultural challenges. From a political concern, there are countries that have restrictions modulate or denying the transfer of data across their borders which can potentially result in customers or businesses from having to pay import or export fees.Geo-economic concerns involve issues such as identifying and locating personnel with IT skills to work at outside sites and communicating with personnel across all 24 time zones. heathenish challenges include differences in languages, cultural interests, religions, customs, social attitudes, and political philosophies. For example, if Magnum Enterprises was conducting a business transaction via a Video Teleconference it would be disrespectful to look them in the eye when introducing yourself. Before meeting an international customer, it would prudent to review their customs and courtesies to ensure a smooth business relationship. Improving Magnums e-business performance faces several challenges. Consulting with key department personnel from operations, marketing, finance and legal as well as addressing technical and management obstacles will assist me in charting a plan to put our e-business on the right track towards success.