Case Study Questions and Answer:
1. What are some of the key requirements for building a good data warehouse? Use Henry Schein Inc. as an example.
-------- The Key requirements for building a good data warehouse are: Those involved in building the data warehouse should have the right skills and experience, Ensure data quality. Determine on the front-end the information the potential business users need access to and the reports they want to see. Analyze the old paper reports and the condition of the data housed in the company’s core transaction system, Standardize transactional codes in order to produce reports needed, Developing and testing summary tables to make queries work faster.
2. What are the key software tools needed to construct and use a data warehouse?
-------- The Key software tools need would include: Data extraction software, User query and reporting software, Data transformation and loading software.
3. What is the business value of a data warehouse to Henry Schein? To any company?
-------- The business value would include:
** Determine the most profitable customers.
** Determine which customers to target with special promotion offers.
** Analyze the business by product category, sales territory, etc.
** Determine which customers should be included in specific direct marketing efforts.
** Ability of a user to add more fields to reports as they are using the system.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Case Study 4: GE, Dell, Intel, and Others: The Competitive Advantage of Information Technology
1. Do you agree with the argument made by Nick Carr to
support his position that IT no longer gives companies
a competitive advantage? Why or why not?
Answer: Yes, I agree for the argument made by Nick Carr because
Information Technology is one of the many ways run a business
or a company. If the information technology is not working the
company or business is still running through the normal lines
like telephones, good communication of managers and employers.
2. Do you agree with the argument made by the business
leaders in this case in support of the competitive advantage
that IT can provide to a business? Why or why not?
Answer: Yes, it can be but it is not necessarily because Information
Technology is only one of the possibilities to make a business or
Companies successful.
3. What are several ways that IT could provide a competitive
advantage to a business? Use some of the companies
mentioned in this case as examples. Visit their websites
to gather more information to help you answer.
Answer: Information Technology can give you optional information
For your business.
Information Technology can give an idea on how to make
Your business successful.
support his position that IT no longer gives companies
a competitive advantage? Why or why not?
Answer: Yes, I agree for the argument made by Nick Carr because
Information Technology is one of the many ways run a business
or a company. If the information technology is not working the
company or business is still running through the normal lines
like telephones, good communication of managers and employers.
2. Do you agree with the argument made by the business
leaders in this case in support of the competitive advantage
that IT can provide to a business? Why or why not?
Answer: Yes, it can be but it is not necessarily because Information
Technology is only one of the possibilities to make a business or
Companies successful.
3. What are several ways that IT could provide a competitive
advantage to a business? Use some of the companies
mentioned in this case as examples. Visit their websites
to gather more information to help you answer.
Answer: Information Technology can give you optional information
For your business.
Information Technology can give an idea on how to make
Your business successful.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Case Study 3: Aviall Inc.: From Failure to Success with Information Technology
1. Why do you think that Aviall failed in their implementation of an enterprise resource planning system? What could they have done differently?
Answer:
The reasons why Aviall failed in their implementation would the ERP system did not support adequately Aviall’s business strategies. The ERP implemented did not improve the basic operational support system needed by Aviall to provide timely supply chain management. The ERP system project did not adequately address the issue of systems integration between applications. The implementation of the ERP failed due to inadequate consideration of the magnitude of the project.
Aviall could have done differently would Project planning through the use of some form of a systematic development process. The Analysis of the business requirements prior to making decisions about the software to acquire for the ERP system and Project management should have been a higher consideration of Aviall.
2. How has information technology brought new business success to Aviall? How did IT change Aviall’s business model?
Answer:
Information Technology brought new business success for Aviall the System integrated by using common business databases managed by database software from Sybase, Inc. Designing the new combined system to properly access and deal with customized pricing charts for 17,000 customers who receive various types of discounts, and with an inventory of 380,000 different aerospace parts. Developing Aviall.com to reduce the cost per order from $9 per transaction to 39 cents. Customers are able to transfer their orders from an Excel spreadsheet directly to the web site. Customers have access to price and availability information in less than five seconds – a real time feature. Sales force spends more time developing customer relationships than processing routine orders. And Aviall can better match production to demand from the IT improvements.
3. How could other companies use Aviall’s approach to the use of IT to improve their business success? Give several examples.
Answer:
To the use of IT to improve their business success are to Reposition a firm as a supply chain management services provider through Web-enabled e-business software systems and also to redesign the customer relationship management system to minimize the routine order processing and permit the sales force to focus on product and service development efforts that will grow revenue.
Answer:
The reasons why Aviall failed in their implementation would the ERP system did not support adequately Aviall’s business strategies. The ERP implemented did not improve the basic operational support system needed by Aviall to provide timely supply chain management. The ERP system project did not adequately address the issue of systems integration between applications. The implementation of the ERP failed due to inadequate consideration of the magnitude of the project.
Aviall could have done differently would Project planning through the use of some form of a systematic development process. The Analysis of the business requirements prior to making decisions about the software to acquire for the ERP system and Project management should have been a higher consideration of Aviall.
2. How has information technology brought new business success to Aviall? How did IT change Aviall’s business model?
Answer:
Information Technology brought new business success for Aviall the System integrated by using common business databases managed by database software from Sybase, Inc. Designing the new combined system to properly access and deal with customized pricing charts for 17,000 customers who receive various types of discounts, and with an inventory of 380,000 different aerospace parts. Developing Aviall.com to reduce the cost per order from $9 per transaction to 39 cents. Customers are able to transfer their orders from an Excel spreadsheet directly to the web site. Customers have access to price and availability information in less than five seconds – a real time feature. Sales force spends more time developing customer relationships than processing routine orders. And Aviall can better match production to demand from the IT improvements.
3. How could other companies use Aviall’s approach to the use of IT to improve their business success? Give several examples.
Answer:
To the use of IT to improve their business success are to Reposition a firm as a supply chain management services provider through Web-enabled e-business software systems and also to redesign the customer relationship management system to minimize the routine order processing and permit the sales force to focus on product and service development efforts that will grow revenue.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Case Study 2: Lufthansa: Taking Mobile Computing to the Skies While Keeping the Mobile Workforce Connected
1. Are many of Lufthansa’s challenges identified in the case similar to those being experienced by other businesses in today’s global economy? Explain and provide some examples.
Answer:
Yes, the challenges faced by Lufthansa are similar to those being experienced by other businesses in today’s global economy. Companies need to provide their employees access to work and training outside of the office. Employees also need to be able to continue communicating and working while traveling, which necessitates mobile technology. Other businesses also provide adequate support to mobile operations while keeping a tight lid on cost and being able to justify the investment, redefine processes to accommodate new mobile technologies and needs of a distributed workforce – including communication, meeting and decision making practices.
2. What other tangible and intangible benefits, beyond those identified by Lufthansa, might a mobile workforce enjoy as a result of deploying mobile technologies? Explain.
Answer:
Tangible benefits would include a laptop or other technologies to use for work at home. Also, costs will decrease for the company because they would no longer need to pay for training facilities, paper copies of training manuals, travel and teachers. Intangible benefits would include more productive, time-efficient and overall happier employees that could enjoy a more flexible work environment.
3. Lufthansa was clearly taking a big risk with their decision to deploy notebook computers to their pilots. What steps did they take to manage that risk and what others might be needed in today’s business environment? Provide some examples.
Answer:
Lufthansa created a list of parameters that notebook PCs needed to meet before purchasing the laptops. They created their own secure network.
The Steps taken to manage the risk are to ensured that technical specifications for the equipment were acceptable to both pilots and the union, given the very special work environment they would be used in, Increased the chances of user buy-in by providing convenient alternatives to traditionally cumbersome tasks (such as carrying manuals and technical documents around), Standardized on a unique hardware and software platform to reduce support and upgrade costs, Structured the process in phases, pilot and general deployment, to both assess feasibility and obtain feedback before mass implementation.
Answer:
Yes, the challenges faced by Lufthansa are similar to those being experienced by other businesses in today’s global economy. Companies need to provide their employees access to work and training outside of the office. Employees also need to be able to continue communicating and working while traveling, which necessitates mobile technology. Other businesses also provide adequate support to mobile operations while keeping a tight lid on cost and being able to justify the investment, redefine processes to accommodate new mobile technologies and needs of a distributed workforce – including communication, meeting and decision making practices.
2. What other tangible and intangible benefits, beyond those identified by Lufthansa, might a mobile workforce enjoy as a result of deploying mobile technologies? Explain.
Answer:
Tangible benefits would include a laptop or other technologies to use for work at home. Also, costs will decrease for the company because they would no longer need to pay for training facilities, paper copies of training manuals, travel and teachers. Intangible benefits would include more productive, time-efficient and overall happier employees that could enjoy a more flexible work environment.
3. Lufthansa was clearly taking a big risk with their decision to deploy notebook computers to their pilots. What steps did they take to manage that risk and what others might be needed in today’s business environment? Provide some examples.
Answer:
Lufthansa created a list of parameters that notebook PCs needed to meet before purchasing the laptops. They created their own secure network.
The Steps taken to manage the risk are to ensured that technical specifications for the equipment were acceptable to both pilots and the union, given the very special work environment they would be used in, Increased the chances of user buy-in by providing convenient alternatives to traditionally cumbersome tasks (such as carrying manuals and technical documents around), Standardized on a unique hardware and software platform to reduce support and upgrade costs, Structured the process in phases, pilot and general deployment, to both assess feasibility and obtain feedback before mass implementation.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Case Study 1: Case 1: The 2004 Athens Olympics Network: Faster, Stronger—and Redundant
1. Could the 2004 Athens Olympics have been a success without all of the networks and backup technologies?
Answer:
No, otherwise the 2004 Athens Olympic would not be successful. The Information Technology Computer Networks, Cables and Satellite spread out all the information as soon as possible to the whole world. The Information Technology is responsible for the safety and security of the sports peoples and the audience for that event because the safety and security is the most important at all.
2. The 2004 Olympics is a global business. Can a business today succeed without information technology? Why or why not?
Answer:
It depends on what kind of business we have. if the business is through computer or through internet it will not be successful without information technology because the Information technology will help us or give us information on how to make our business success. The big company business like buying and sailing of food or materials then they need the information technology computer in handling of the orders which is receiving and putting out of the orders.
3. Claude Philipps said dealing with “crazy scenarios of what might happen in every area: a network problem, staff stopped in a traffic jam, a security attack . . . everything that might happen,” was the reason for so much testing. Can you think of other businesses that would require “crazy scenario” testing? Explain.
Answer:
"CABLE AND SATELLITE" - This is a kind of business that would require "crazy scenario" testing because they an precision and it takes a lot of years before the test is coming out because it needs a lot of money and a lot of works.
"INTERNET COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY" like internet cafe - this kind of business also that would require "crazy scenario" testing because when you build this kind of business you need to test that all the materials or unit is good and working and you need to make sure that if there's a trouble in the program of our computer you can fix it easily.
Answer:
No, otherwise the 2004 Athens Olympic would not be successful. The Information Technology Computer Networks, Cables and Satellite spread out all the information as soon as possible to the whole world. The Information Technology is responsible for the safety and security of the sports peoples and the audience for that event because the safety and security is the most important at all.
2. The 2004 Olympics is a global business. Can a business today succeed without information technology? Why or why not?
Answer:
It depends on what kind of business we have. if the business is through computer or through internet it will not be successful without information technology because the Information technology will help us or give us information on how to make our business success. The big company business like buying and sailing of food or materials then they need the information technology computer in handling of the orders which is receiving and putting out of the orders.
3. Claude Philipps said dealing with “crazy scenarios of what might happen in every area: a network problem, staff stopped in a traffic jam, a security attack . . . everything that might happen,” was the reason for so much testing. Can you think of other businesses that would require “crazy scenario” testing? Explain.
Answer:
"CABLE AND SATELLITE" - This is a kind of business that would require "crazy scenario" testing because they an precision and it takes a lot of years before the test is coming out because it needs a lot of money and a lot of works.
"INTERNET COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY" like internet cafe - this kind of business also that would require "crazy scenario" testing because when you build this kind of business you need to test that all the materials or unit is good and working and you need to make sure that if there's a trouble in the program of our computer you can fix it easily.
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