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Edward Glover

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Business information and management

Assignment



Organizations

in every sector everywhere throughout the world are faced with growing complexity. Not just are relationships with competitors, clients and suppliers getting to be more confounded and included, however internally, numerous organizations have complex techniques, differing business units, matrix structures and a diverse employee base. Organizations are increasingly conscious that the proper use of information can give them competitive advantage and sustaining their success (Porter,
1985) and it only depends on how businesses are able to deal with the high level of complexity which, is directly linked to how well they manage their information, people knowledge and information system. 
 In this report, a retail store called “E-Market” is the chosen company, which does not use well the information system in order to gain competitive advantage from their competitors. It is a small retail store with 4 employees and sells drinks, cigarettes, ice cream, cakes, haribos, chew gum, etc. I will describe what E-Market has to do to manage well their information in order to add value to the company. Also I will explain how technology can be useful to manage information in the company and I will make 3 years information management plan, which I will make some recommendations for the management of information and the purchase of suitable software. Finally, I will explain why my recommendations will enhance the performance of the company.


1. Information management for better performance of E-Market
 One of the best strategy for better performance is to adopt an information system within the company, which will help the company to make the adequate use of its data, reduce workload and assist with compliance with various mandatory regulations. Below are the main factors, which the company should consider:


-Information storage and analysis
 Many organizations no more deal with their information and data physically with registers and hard-copy formats. With the installation of the information systems, organizations can make utilization of sophisticated and comprehensive databases that can contain every single comprehensible bit of information about the organization.
Information system store, upgrade and even analyze the information, which the organization can then use to pinpoint answers for present or future issues. Besides, these 

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systems can incorporate information from different sources, inside and outside the 
 organization, keeping the company up to date with internal performance and external opportunities and threats (Davoren, n.d).


-Assist with making decisions
 The long-term achievement of an organization relies on the sufficiency of its strategy plan. An organization’s management group utilizes information system to figure strategic plans and settle on choices for the organization’s life span and success. The business utilizes information system to assess data from all sources, including data from outside references, for example, Reuters or Bloomberg, which give data on the general economy.
This examination to market patterns helps companies analyze the sufficiency and nature of their strategic decisions (Davoren, n.d).


-Assist with businesses
 Information system helps organizations in adding to a bigger number of value addedsystem in the company. For instance: an organization can incorporate information systems with the manufacturing cycle to guarantee that the yield it creates consents to the prerequisites of the different quality management standards. Installation of information system streamlines business techniques and eliminate unnecessary activities.
Also Information system add controls to representative methods, guaranteeing that just clients with the relevant rights can perform certain tasks. Further, information system wipe out redundant tasks and increase precision, permitting workers to focus on more high-level functions. Information system can likewise prompt better project planning and execution through successful observing and correlation against established criteria.
 2. Importance of the role of technology in order to help E-Market manage its information Technologies has been of the main field focus on retail industries as an approach to achieve objectives. Enhancements have been made in areas such as supply chain management, customer experience, inventory management and loss prevention. Wireless technology, allowing correspondence between individuals and devices anywhere and without cables, has empowered the sensational change of business methodologies in the past and continues to do so. In the retail business, wireless LANs are sent to bolster significantly more particular and inventive applications, with an attention on either enhancing existing techniques or including new ones.


-Mobile Point-of-sales
 Point-of-sale(POS) is the physical area where products are sold to customers.
Customarily, this was a counter where a cash register was located. Customers would line up before the counter and wait for their turn. Sales counters are a fixed size, nevertheless,
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and can bolster an altered number of individuals. Expanding the size of the sales counter 
 is unrealistic, so clients are compelled to bear long lines amid congested periods, for example, holidays (Entrepreneur, n.d). Studies demonstrate that upwards of one in ten clients will forsake the line while holding up, leaving the store without making a purchase. Long lines likewise incite hostility from clients, making them more averse to come back to the store later on. Wireless LAN technology can help in two noteworthy ways: -Mobile point-of-sale stations can be set up utilizing handheld computers, scanners and printers with integrated credit card readers. Amid high-volume sales periods, business people equipped with these mobile POS terminals can be situated all through a store at little table. For clients paying with credit card, the full exchange can be finished and a store receipt printed where it is helpful for the client. Plainly, solid security is a necessity from the system when charge card exchange are included (Aruba networks, 2012).
 -Mobile “line Busting” personnel can move through checkout lines with handheld computers to quicken the checkout process. The business staff can utilize their own judgement in preparing every transaction. For credit card clients with a little amount of merchandise, the whole transactions may be finished while the client is still in line. For different clients, stock can be checked with a barcode scanner and a ticket printed with prices and a master barcode on it. While holding up in line, the client has the opportunity to audit costs imprinted on the ticket. After coming to the checkout counter, the ticket is checked, the aggregate sum is reviewed from a backend framework, and the exchange is finished without the checkout representative expecting to process each item separately
(Aruba networks, 2012).


-Inventory management
 Management of in-store stock, both retail space and the warehouse, is a real territory of cost for retailers. Merchandise must be gone into stock upon landing in the stacking dock, tracked when it is moved to the floor, and expelled from stock when it is sold. Moreover, ongoing stock data must be accessible to store assistants when a item is out of stock on the floor, yet is accessible from the store room or warehouse. At long last, accurate inventory information can lessen out-of stock condition.


3. 3 years information management plan for E-Market and recommendations
 Goal 1 (1 year )- With addition of the POS( Point-of-sale) in the store and advertising, the company expect to get 10% more value of sales.
 Goal 2 (2 year )-Expansion for new products, such as: food
 Objective (3 year)-Opening a new store
 It is required that E-Market uses EDM System because the company only has 4 

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employees and it is not sufficiently big enough to use an ERP system. Electronic 

Document Management is designed to create, maintain and store an organization’s documentation. it does not have the range of co-ordinated applications, or the analytical capabilities of an ERP system, but it does unify data and information. The company has to adopt this system in order to organize company information efficiently, saves on physical storage, provides efficient access to records and manages quality of data. This system will help the company to work efficiently. For example: E-Market usually has more than 10 range of beverages available and with this EDM system will tell the company which one of the beverages is more sold and the ones which are not sold in order to have a more efficient business. Moreover, the company says that they have some problem in some periods of the day because of the rush hour, so in order to be more efficient E-Market has to buy Point-of sale system. Below it shows how the EDM system and applications work:


Supply
Chain

Human resource Groupware

E-Market

EDM

-Departments

-EDM System

-Applications

WMS

Sales

Marketing

EPOS
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Sales Marketing / EPOS

This system (EPOS) will help dealing efficiently with customer transactions and it has also the capability to: -Calculate transactions, producing totals, change and receipts.

-It is able to integrate directly with credit cards for payments -It can keep a record of inventory and customer purchases. Supply Chain/ WMS

This application(WMS) is a software program is designed to set-up, organize, manage and monitor a sequence of tasks, most notably the stages of a project. WMS will schedule delivery with the suppliers and inform the company when they are due to start and complete the task.

Human resource/ Groupware

This application( Groupware) is a software that is designed for team working. It helps staff work
 together on joint tasks.

To sum up, if E-Market follow these recommendations will succeed and make more profit than never before because the company will be very organized with the information, which will facilitate with decisions making and analyzing the information.

Moreover, the company will be better prepared and will gain competitive advantage from its competitors, which is fundamental for E-Market.

With the installation of the information system, the company will benefit from, better communication between staffs, real time data ( always up-to-date), greater productivity, reduced risk of errors. Moreover, with the use of technology, the company will save money and time through automated pricing control, reduce cost with the electronic inventory control, the company will have better understanding about their customers and better control with transactions due to POS.

The company with adoption of EDM System, will be able to performance very well because of quality of information, which is provided by the system and the system will simply the information in order to help the company to manages its information and also decision making.


References:
 -Aruba networks, 2012.” technology advances in retail: improving margins using wireless networks”. (online) accessed on: http://www.arubanetworks.com/pdf/technology/whitepapers/ wp_Retail_advances.pdf 5

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-Entrepreneur, (n.d).” Point of sale (POS) system”. (Online) Accessed on: http:// www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/point-of-sale-pos-system -Davoren, J. (n.d). “The Three Fundamental Roles of Information Systems in Business”. (Online)
Accessed on: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/three-fundamental-roles-information-systemsbusiness-23681.html


-Porter, M.E. (1985). Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. New
York: Free Press.


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