Mutual Gains Enterprise - Essay Example

Name : xxxxxxxxxxx Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : Course : xxxxxxxxxxx Abstract Owing to the challenging business environment, many business firms/companies are embracing computerized systems as part of the information system. This essay, examines the possible reasons as to why business firms are integrating the information systems into there businesses and the effective measures that should be put on emphasis during the adoption process of the computerized system. This approach, to many, is being regarded as an intelligent move owing to the many advantages that comes along with embracing technology. Key among this advantages include the fast production of goods and services that are of high quality, ease in communication within the business premises and all over the world and most important advantage of them all is that of saving time where everything is controlled at the touch of a button. While embracing this effective and intelligent strategy as many might prefer to call it, it is also important for business firms to adopt to information systems that are in line with the companies set out objectives so as to get the desired outcome. Introduction The main reason businesses are slowly and steadily emerging is to make profit. This is considered as the universal reason for starting up the businesses. But for a business to meet its set out objectives it must incorporate technology into the business. Many business firms are competing against each other to win clients subsequently staying in business for a long time through maintaining good business relationship. Due to the fact that consumer taste, preference and choice are continuously changing, consumer needs and interest come first. Organization background Magunas is a business firm situated in the central business district. In an effort of getting the desired relevant and required information, I had the opportunity of interviewing the branch manager. In his view, a business company cannot operate well without clearly setting out its objective. The main purpose of conducting this interview was to find out, at what level of integration does the firm consider best for incorporating the computerized information system? Does the information system incorporated into the business help the business towards achieving its set out objective? The size of its IT department is to a greater extent large. According to the branch manager, several factors come into play when planning for the computerized information’s system. Key among these strategies that the Magunas firm employed include The set out business objectives go hand in hand with the firms’ ability to accommodate for a period of growth. While taking up this strategy, it is important that the firm reduces the costs as much as possible. The Information technology department is also charged with the responsibility of ensuring that there is ease in communication within the organization with regard to the business applications being employed. In an effort of achieving the desired outcomes, the companies’ set out objectives should also guide the employees of what is expected of them in such an organization. The objectives of Magunas, assist the employees and the managers to spear ahead in the same direction. Once the staffs are reminded of the firm’s set objectives, implementation of the objectives becomes the second step. For the Magunas business company, according to the branch manger, it plans to affect this strategy for as long as it is in business (Ostem 1994). How then does the branch manager ensure that the staff, for instance, follows the laid down plans of effective the Information System plan? For the hired staff to embrace these measures, it must start using the top-bottom approach. It is also important that the hired staff have the credibility or rather the skills needed to operate the system. If there is no one who can operate the system, the company should see to it that they hire people with the required skills and level of competence. Staff training on how to use these machines is another issue of great significance when it comes to integration if productivity is to be realized. The staffs in this case after the training process, become well equipped with the necessary skills required for maximum efficiency. This also ensures that the staffs are equipped with the know-how when it comes to handling problems that are likely to arise in the office. It is in the best system of the company that through team building and sharing of experiences that once the set out desired objectives of the firm have been realized that the staff will be motivated to work. Another important strategy that the firms have employed is that of having a supervisory committee. This department in this case is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the clearly laid out procedures designed to meet the entire process of the integration of the implementation process. This measure not only monitors the staff in an effort of ensuring that they bringing out their best but increase the productivity levels. System integration on its part is another way of ensuring that the staffs are up to speed with the entire process of the computerized system. Once the entire business structure is equipped with the necessary components and training given to all the staff members, the only thing that remains is for the trained staff to put the learnt theory into practice. Perfect practice makes best, so they say. Naivas enterprise: At Naivas business firm, we have a flat management structure which doesn’t really affect the information technology organization. Naivas has no level of integration between our I.T systems. And we have not reorganized our IT systems recently and currently we are not planning to reorganize our IT systems as we are satisfied by the current ones because they haven’t brought any rising issue about them failing to serve their purpose. The firm and its management have a special method of recruiting the IS employees as compared to the other non- IT employees as they are required to have at least a two year working experience and have accomplished the necessary documents required. Our enterprise size has twelve members with six different job descriptions where each department has a head and an assistant. Our minimum qualification level for IS employees is a diploma certificate with a two year experience on the workforce. Screen dump of the homepage. As discussed earlier, the success of the computerized information system can be measured in terms of how the computerized information system helps the business company in achieving its set out objectives and goals. In an effort of trying to cater for the consumer taste, preference and choice, the company, through its branch manager after a careful analysis of how the customers react to their goods and services. According to the branch manager, more and more customers make shopping with us as a first priority. This can be attributed to the computerized information system that the business firm has incorporated. In the event of these services, good business relationships are created and maintained subsequently resulting in abnormal profits being realized by the firm that can be used in expanding the business both locally and internationally over time. According to the branch manager interviewed with regard to the information system, the type of planning employed by the business firm goes hand in hand with the needs of the clients the business firm is aiming to satisfy. In this case, the planning has to be specific so as to cater for the clients taste, choice and preference. The branch manager adds that planning for these information system is done to cater for a number of years if the firm hopes of achieving its desired outcomes. Over time the system has to be improved on regularly for competition purposes that is why the information system is not planned to cater for short time duration. The question as to how closely align the information system is to the business plan. The branch manager was quick to add that the business plan go hand in hand with the firm’s goals and objectives subsequently achieving the desired outcome. Therefore the incorporation of such a system into the business must be closely aligned. The success of the information system in this case is evaluated in terms of whether the system helps in achieving the desired outcome of results. Furthermore, a comparison of turnover of subsequent years is useful at this point. The issue of recruiting the workforce according to the branch manager goes hand in hand with the set objectives of the firm. The human resource department is charged with this responsibility of recruiting staff that are productive, creative and with high level of expertise. The branch manager of the firm also engages in training of staff regularly on how to become acquainted with the information systems for desired outcome of results. In this case, the trained staffs get to put in practice what they have learnt in theory into practice. Getting the relevant required skills is key. Impacts of I.T on Health and Safety An individual’s health and safety can also be affected negatively, this is shown when one acquires job stress due to workload increment, this is depicted when the organization has urge to raise the percentage of its productivity eventually causing an increase in the employees load of work and the employee skills in computer knowledge is not expertise. The workers therefore become worried, restless and eventually develop stress in the job. The organizations management therefore has the role of ensuring that their employees and other workers have undergone a full training session of how to work with the new machineries and technological advancement or instead hire more workers. These computer technologies requires one to repeatedly use the fingers and wrists during typing, this might lead to muscle strains and tensions and also recurring aching backs which are health hazards. Prolonged hands strains and injuries on the leads to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (Ostem 1994). To reduce such effects, computer designers have done a research of adopting machines and work environments for people to be able to create a comfortable and safe environment for the workers. In the case of damaged eyesight, they have designed eye protection filters and screens, they have also come up with wrist supports and adjustable back support and foot rests. The supermarkets organization also uses I.T to buffer their security systems, they have used I.T technology to create their security surveillance camera systems which are used to monitor the customers who have an intention of stealing their goods by hiding them in their clothing’s and pockets which once used to be hard for humans to control. Another security system used is the electronic sensor detected which is mainly put at the exit door of supermarkets; their main purpose is to detect any product that will be travelled outside of the market without being paid for making it easier for the security guard to arrest offenders. Due to the increase in Information technological machinery such as computers, vacuum cleaners and even the surveillance systems, most of the employees are losing their jobs rapidly by being replaced by the machinery. Although the IT infrastructure is seen to leave some of the employees unemployed, it offers the best services and monitoring so as to make the business enterprises meet their objective goal of making profits. It also offers job opportunity for those who have professionalized in studying IT as a career of their choice. Such opportunities include in Data entry, communications assistants, computer technicians and many others. Conclusion We can bring to a close that, with increase in technology, more and more business firms either well established or newly formed businesses are embracing it. As discussed earlier in this paper as much as many firms would love to enjoy the advantages that come along with technology, it does not go without mentioning that the firms interested in employing the computerized information system must do so in the right prevailing conditions. This is due to the fact that for firms embracing technology into their systems the right conditioned must prevail. It is not just a matter of employing the computerized information system for the sake of it (Ostem 1994). In addition to this, firms also should also employ effective computerized techniques that are in lie with the goals and objectives of the firms. Simply put, the strategy to be effected should help the business company in achieving its set out objective and goals. For this strategy to effectively work, cooperation and teamwork between interdepartmental cooperation is the only effective way of realizing this goal. Bibliography Osterman, P. (1994), the Mutual Gains Enterprise, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA. Read More