Management in Organization: M&S Health Foods - Case Study Example

Management in Organization end User Development Information System Name of Student: Name of Course: Name of Instructor: Date of Submission: Executive Summary The importance of information in the modern business world cannot be understated. The modern worked is being constantly referred to as an information world, hence the importance associated with the management of information. With the advancements in technology, organizations have embraced the use in information management. Ideally, information management systems are a key part of any organizational management. Information management systems are based on the fact that learning/ informed or knowledgeable is more competitive than organizations which are not. The following report analyses a case on M&S Health Foods, a food manufacturing and selling company which is currently facing information management problems. The company is using a manual system which has resulted to many erroneous entries, confusion in the organizational processes and lack of a timely reporting structure. The report will analyze the case with respect to data, information & knowledge, quality of information, information and data design, information design issues, end user development, information systems strategy, knowledge management, change management and information systems strategy. Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 Table of Contents 2 1.0 Introduction 4 2.0 End User Development 5 2.1 The Advantages and Disadvantages of End User Development (EUD) In Organizations 6 2.1.1 Advantages 6 2.1.2 Disadvantages 7 2.2 Quality of information 8 2.2.1 The Quality of Information Obtainable From the System 8 2.2.2 Information and Data Design 10 2.2.3 Information Design Issues 11 2.2.3 The Impact Of Poor Information Quality Within The Finance Department 12 2.3 The Strategies That Management Can Implement To Improve EUD Processes For The Organization 14 2.3.1 Information Management Strategy 14 2.3.2 Knowledge Management 15 2.3.3 Information Systems Strategy 16 2.3.4 Change Management 17 3.0 Conclusion 18 References 20 Management in Organization end User Development Information System 1.0 Introduction In the recent years, organizations have embraced the use of the technology in the management of various processes so as to embrace the benefits which are associated with it. With the advancement in technology, there has been the development of new technology tools which have been of great help to organizational management. One of the many technology tool used in the modern organizations are information management systems. Organizational management information systems are computerized systems which enable organizations to collect data efficiently, sort it out appropriately, store it safely, manipulate it efficiently and ultimately retrieve it at will. The importance of information management system is based on the importance of information, data and knowledge to an organization. On this point, it is worth noting that knowledge is one of the sources of competitiveness to an organization. This is due to the fact that the application of knowledge in the running of an organization yields innovation; which sets out an organization above its competitors in the market. An organization should have an information system which is ideal for the end user requirements. On this, an information system should be able to meet the specific needs of the users of the systems. The following report evaluates the information management system of M & S Health Foods. M&S Foods is currently in the development phase of a Microsoft Access information management system which is aimed at providing information management solutions to the finance, human resources, sales and marketing and production departments of the company (MS Case 2014, p.1). The report will evaluate the end user information management system with respect to various key concepts in information management. 2.0 End User Development End user program development is focused on developing software and applications which can be used easily by users who are not themselves information technology or programming experts (Görtz, Mandl, Werner, Womser-Hacker 2012, p.170). In a big organization such as M&S Health Foods, it is important for the two developers who have been given the responsibility of coming up with the information system to come u with a system which can be used by all levels of users. According to Rockart and Flannery, there are three main classifications of users namely non programming, command level and end users. All the three classifications of users have varying Information Technology / programming abilities. In an organization such as M&S Health Foods, all the three classifications of users are present hence the need for the development of system which fits the user needs of all them. From the above discussion, it can be acknowledged that there is a need for M&S Health Foods information system to develop an end user aligned system. This calls for an end user development approach to the development of the Access system. The benefits associated with this design approach are that there is an improved user control and acceptance, a reduced information system development backlog and increased user information technology management knowledge. Key to the development of the information system at M&S Health Foods should be training of the relevant stakeholders on how t o use the system, a sustainability review to assess the longtime applicability of the systems and standards for development to outline the specific elements needed for future developments of the system. 2.1 The Advantages and Disadvantages of End User Development (EUD) In Organizations 2.1.1 Advantages Increased User Control The ability of the finance department to use the system in order to achieve its goals and objectives in addition to those of the entire organization is based on its ability to control the system. The proposed system will enable the finance department collect financial data from the other departments, process the data into information from which sensible inferences can be made from and thereafter document the information as part of knowledge management; hence benefiting the organization at large. End user development enables the users of the system to have easy control over it since it is easy to use. Increased user Acceptance An end user development strategy for the information system at the company will lead to the development for a system which fits the specific needs of the users. Owing to its simplicity ad ability to narrow down on the simple things in the system, the users of the system will accept it since it s able to satisfy their needs. The increased user acceptance will translate to more success sin the company since the system will be used for the sole purposes it was designed for. Reduce IS Development Backlog The current system is associated with a backlog of activities. From the case study, to get the annual report done, the relevant stakeholders must have at least 3 months at their disposal. Additionally, there are various problems in the company ranging from the duplication of records to the erroneous entering of data which have led to an accumulation of workload in the current system. An end user information system will be easy to use for each of the users in the finance and other departments, hence reducing the backlog of information in the company. Increased User IT Management Knowledge Owing to the fact that an end user information system is easy to use, the users of the system will have a chance to develop their IT knowledge over time. Making reference to the finance department, the users of the system will have the chance to embrace the use of information technology to provide financial solution to the organization. From this, it can be acknowledged that the end user system will be associated with an increased user IT management knowledge. 2.1.2 Disadvantages Poor Quality Control The end user information system is associated with a poor quality control. Owing to the key ole of ensuring the system developed is usable to individuals with minimal IT knowledge, the developers have to forego several crucial quality control measures. This in turn leads to the development of a system characterized by poor quality control. Additionally, the access information system developed do not have high level quality control measures hence subject to poor quality outputs. Increased Operational Risks An end user information system uses the simplest programming syntax and logics to come up with the simplest system which can be used by individuals with minimal IT knowledge. For this reason, the functional aspect of the system is normally compromised, leading to the development of systems which are subject to an increased operational risk such as the lack of timely operations or inaccuracy in the outputs. Time and Labor Use An end user informational system requires a lot of time to develop. Additionally, the end user information system will normally take more time to enter data, process it ad ultimately present it as compared to other systems which may have been programmed using higher level programming languages. Loss of Integration with other Applications Lastly, an end user information system may not be integrated with other applications in the organization owing to the differences in the functional buildup of the program. The syntax and algorithms used in the end user information system vary substantially from the ones used in other classes of systems hence leading to a problem in the integration of the system and other applications/ systems. 2.2 Quality of information 2.2.1 The Quality of Information Obtainable From the System Currently, the quality of information at M&S Health Foods is wanting. There is no standard format for the reports in the organization. The varying format of the report in addition to the long period of time taken to come up with them is a major information quality issue. The individual typing of orders, the conflict of process within the sales and marketing department leads to the duplication of invoices which in turn leads to confusion (MS Case 2014, p.1). The manual data system in the organization is prone to error is a cause of major inconveniences in the organization. After the General Manager instructed two MS Access experts in the organization to develop an Access information management system, the developed system had several problems which had to rectify in the minimal time possible. The same experts were given the responsibility of correcting the system. This was in a bid to ensure that the quality of information in the organization met the required standards. Quality of information is an important aspect in any information management system. The quality of data is the degree to which the data accurately reflects the real world object represented by the data. The quality of data is directly related to the quality of information and ultimately to the quality of knowledge degenerated. Low quality information leads to low quality processes and poor decision making (Rijo, Varajao & Goncalves 2012, p.498). The poor data quality in the M&S Health Foods has been a source of major operational problems in the organization. The new information management system should have in place specific data quality measures which ensure that the quality of data meet the expectations of the users. Firstly, it should be relevant that is, it should be useful for the transactions in the organization. Secondly, it should be timely in that it should represent the most recent details. It should also be accurate in that it should be error free, complete that it should represent all that it needed about a transaction. Coherent in that the people collecting it should understand its importance, accessible in that it should be accessible to individuals who want to create information, compatible in that it should be usable in various operating environments, valid so as to guarantee its credibility, secure in that it should not be accessible by unauthorized entities and lastly, it should be in the required format. The proposed Access system should be able to exhibit the above data quality measures; hence being able to satisfy the specific needs of the users of the system and ultimately benefiting the entire organization. There is a need for information and data design and the evaluation of several design issues as discussed below. 2.2.2 Information and Data Design The information and data design determines the degree to which the developed system is able to satisfy the user requirements. The information and data design is a key element in the development of information systems in an organization. For the full benefits for a proposed solution to be realized, there is and the need for appropriate project management strategies (Merali, Papadopoulo & Nadkam 2012, p.127). Firstly, an organization should classify the kind of project it is to undertaken. Analyzing the case study, the development of an information system for M&S Health Foods is an infrastructure development project. This is due to the fact that it will involve the introduction of new hardware into the organization such as computers, scanners and printers. It also involves the introduction of new software into the organization. The MS Access information system did not exist before the organization and is due to replace the current inefficient systems. The project also involves the upgrading of networks in the organization. Networking between the workstations amongst the major departments and their sub departments will necessitate for the introduction of new networks which will ease inter and intra communication in the organization. Key to project management is to ensure that the goals and objectives of the system are realized. This calls for the elimination of the main cause failure. An inappropriate system development cycle is an amicable solution to this challenge. This ensures that the data and information architecture conforms to the specific user requirements in the organization. From the case study, it can be acknowledged that the system development cycle in the development of the Access information system was inefficient since it was associated with a lot of errors. The finance and time constraints facing the project are the major causes of failures in the system. There is a need for a system audit which will identify errors in the system and ultimately correct t so as t o meet the user requirements. 2.2.3 Information Design Issues There are several issues which affect information design. These issues have an effect in determining is an organization is able to realizes the goals and objectives of an information management system. A system design is normally retrained by various issues. One of them is the user requirements. On this point, it can be acknowledged that a system must function according to the requirements of the user in that it must be able to satisfy the specific needs of the users. For this reason, the design of the system should be retrained by these requirements. Secondly, it is restrained by software and hardware needs. On this point, t is important to note that the each type of hardware and software used has specific abilities which are in turn transferred to the system. Therefore, the choice of the software and hardware used must be in line with the requirements of the system. Lastly, the system design is also constrained by the requirements determined in the analysis. The outcomes of the data validation and verification constrain the design approach taken in the system design. In a user end information systems such as the Access system for M&S Health Foods, the user requirements should be the main constraining factors. However, consideration of the other two elements is indispensable hence the need for a strategic system design approach The user interface is another key element of a user information system. It provides the platform for the interaction of the user with the system. The user interface should be a simple as possible so as to enable the end users of the system to use the system optimally. The various elements which are considered important for a user centered design approach should be used in the design of M&S Health Foods information system. Lastly, M&S Health Foods should find great alternatives of ensuring that the security of the system is upheld. Owing to the fact that Access systems are prone to unauthorized access as compared to other systems, it is important for the system designers to come up with authentication and authorization measures to ensure that the information stored in the system is kept confidential. 2.2.3 The Impact Of Poor Information Quality Within The Finance Department Poor quality of information in the finance department will lead to poor information and ultimately misinformed knowledge. Some of the problems associated with this is that it will lead to the making of in informed decisions, lack of smooth flow of information in the organizations, lack of harmony with other departments among other problems. In order to under stand this scenario, it is important to discuss the relationship between data, information and knowledge 2.2.3.1 Data, Information & Knowledge Information management is focused management three main elements namely data information and knowledge. Data are raw facts on specific issues which are collected on the ground. Data is meaningless to the user, hence has to be analyzed so that meaningful inferences can be drawn from it. Data collection must be done with the highest accuracy levels so as to ensure that the information derived herewith is credible. Looking at the M&S Health Foods case study, it can be acknowledged that data collection was not done efficiently. The use of forms to collect data and the manual entry of data into the available manual and computer systems available was erroneous; hence the unreliable results in the company’s information management systems. After data has been processes, it gives yield to information; which has contexts and meaning attached to it, hence can be used to make decisions (Maryam, Elahe, Solmaz &  Sevda 2013, p. 991). Information is normally presented in various formats. The format chosen should be one which gives the highest degree of meaning and inferences to the end user. From the M&S Health Foods case study, the compilation of the annual report took more than 3 months and was associated with numerous errors hence led to incorrect decision making (MS Case 2014, p.1). When information is used in context and processed under full comprehension over time, it gives yield to knowledge (Melka & Harmaakorpi 2008, p.108). On this point, it is important to emphasize that knowledge is one of the most valuable assets to the modern organization. Knowledge enables an organization to be able to establish measures which enable it to stay ahead of its competitors in the market. For this reason, it is important to manage knowledge efficiently so as to realize the competitiveness brought about by it. From the discussion above, it can be acknowledged that the end user information system at M&S Health Foods should have an efficient way of collecting and storing data, manipulating the data to give information and managing the knowledge which comes from the application of the information. The end user information management system will result to an improved management of information resources at M&S Health Foods. The benefits which will be associated with this includes an improvement on the performance of the company, harmonization of processes in the organization such as the elimination of double and erroneous entries, improvement of the quality of the products, the improvement of the individual performance of the departments and ultimately an increase in the company’s profits. 2.3 The Strategies That Management Can Implement To Improve EUD Processes For The Organization There is a need for the company to have n place a system which upholds training, sustainability review, standards for development, guidance from support IT personnel, software and data audits, corporate data security so as to improve the EUD processes in the organization. The following section discusses several strategies which the company should adopt. 2.3.1 Information Management Strategy The modern business world is very competitive. As a result of these, organizational managements are constantly developing new ways of ensuring that they are able to stay ahead of their competitors in the market. This has led to the development of strategic management which involves the formulation of appropriate strategies to counter the operational requirements in the market. Strategies are proposed action plans which outline the current situation of an organization and the desired situation in a given period of time (Merali, Papadopoulos & Nadkam 2012, p.125). One of the strategies which have been of great benefit to organizations is the information management strategy. The information management strategy is based on fact that a learning/knowledgeable organization is able more competitive than an organization which is not. The information management strategy is defined as the various approaches made by organizations towards the control, organization and application of the information resources which are at the disposal of an organization so as to support an organization’s strategy (Merali, Papadopoulos & Nadkam 2012, p.127). Looking at Coca-Cola Company which is one of the largest multinationals in the world, it can be acknowledged that appropriate information management has been a source of its competitiveness. The company has been able to keep the formula of used for the manufacturing of Coke brand of soft drinks; hence being able to emerge as one of the major brands in the world. Key to effective information management should be quality in that it should meet the highest degrees possible. M&S Health Foods should use the technology led and information led approaches to information so as to be able to provide information management solutions to all the users in the organization. The company should also come up with a strategic plan which outlines how the organization will be able to improve its information management in the future. 2.3.2 Knowledge Management As outlined earlier, knowledge is one of the most important assets to the modern organization (Gavrilova & Andreeva 2012, p.525). Knowledge is a key requirement for organizational innovation hence the need to manage it appropriately. Information management systems have the ability to provide organizations with the required knowledge management. As seen earlier, data is transformed into information which is in turn transformed into knowledge. For this reason, the entire process cycle of information management systems has a direct relationship to knowledge. There are various types of knowledge. The main types are tacit and explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge is found in the human resources. Explicit knowledge is on which has been documented and stored. Tacit knowledge is helpful to an organization if it can be transformed to explicit knowledge. A good example of this is the invention of coke. The inventor had tacit knowledge which was only beneficial to the company when it was well documented to form the recipe for making the drink which has been one of its major strengths for its success over the years. Therefore, knowledge management can be defined as the way in which an organization is able to collect knowledge which is relevant to it, improve on it over time and make it accessible to the organization in a manner which enables it to exploit it creatively hence leading to value addition in its processes (Gavrilova & Andreeva 2012, p.525). On this point, it can be noted that it is crucial for M&S Health Foods to come up with a good knowledge management approach which will enable it to collect and store crucial knowledge such as its recipes, manufacturing data and marketing data which will in turn enable it to increase its competiveness in the market. The design of an appropriate information management system will enable M&S Health Foods to manage its knowledge more efficiently. 2.3.3 Information Systems Strategy Since it has been seen that information management is critical to the success of an organization, it is important for it to develop and appropriate information systems strategy. An information systems strategy involves the establishment of planning and approaches which are required to provide information systems resources to an organization hence supporting its organizational strategy (Merali, Papadopoulos & Nadkam 2012, p.125). An organization should be committed to the information systems strategy so as to realize the full benefits associated with information management. Looking at the case study, it can be acknowledged that M&S Health Foods has not invested appropriately in an information systems strategy. The company did not even have enough funds to invest in good information systems and ended up developing a MS Access system which is not appropriate for the long term sustainability of information management in the organization. Although the MS Access solution would serve the purpose for a while, it success would be challenged by the low profile performance of the organization in the critical success factors of the information system. The critical success factors are the involvement of the top level management, the alignment of the business strategy to the information systems strategy, the appropriate study of the business before the rolling out of technology and the lack of a good information systems management approach. For this reason, M&S Health Foods should embrace the most appropriate strategy model so as to achieve the full benefits associated with an information systems strategy. 2.3.4 Change Management The rolling out of the new information management system at M&S Health Foods will lead to organizational change. On this point, it is worth noting that organizational change is one of the factors which can be equally threatening to an organization in addition to the associated benefits (Busco & Scapens 2011, p.321). For this reason, it is important for M&S Health Foods to manage the change appropriately so as to provide a good platform for the full realization of the benefits of change. Ideally, change is inevitable in the modern organizations. There are various factors in both the external and internal environment which require that an organization undergoes change. The management of M&S Health Foods should communicate the need for change to the relevant stakeholders in the organization. This will ensure that there is minimal resistance to change in organization. The management should also allow for a transition period where data in the previous records system will be transferred to the new system; hence bringing about a smooth continuity of processes. There is also a need to train the relevant stakeholders n how to use the news system. Lastly, there is a need for the management to work on the organization’s culture so as to embed the information management principles in the values of the organization. This will ensure that the change is paramagnet. 3.0 Conclusion In conclusion, this report has been able to analyze the M&S Health Foods case study with respect to various elements associated with information management. M&S Health Foods is a company located in Australia which is currently faced with information management problems and is currently working on a system upgrade process. Two of its employees are developing a Microsoft Access system which is now on the testing and debugging stage. From the report, it was identified that the end user system being developed at M&S Health Foods should take note of the relationship between data information and knowledge. It was seen that data is unprocessed facts whose processing leads to information. The application and comprehension of 9information in turn leads to knowledge. The report also analyzed the importance of quality of information in information systems. Various measures of quality were identified and it was emphasized that the quality of data relates directly to the quality of information in an organization.The report also analyzed M&S Health Foods case with respect to the information design issues in information management. It was identified that the user requirements should be regarded highly in the design of the system so as to lead to the development of an end user information system. An end user system was identified as one which use is by people who have minimum knowledge in information technology and programming,. This leads to the need for an end user design approach which places the User above all other constraints. In the analysis of the system with respect to the information systems strategy, knowledge management and information system strategy, it was identified that M&S Health Foods should embrace an information management approach so as to increase its competitiveness. Lastly, appropriate change management was identified as a crucial process in the success of rolling out the new information system in the company. References Busco,C., & Scapens, R., 2011. Management Accounting Systems And Organizational Culture: Interpreting Their Linkages And Processes Of Change, Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, Vol. 8, No.: 4, pp.320 – 357 Gavrilova, T., & Andreeva, T., 2012. Knowledge elicitation techniques in a knowledge management context, Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 16, No.: 4, pp.523 - 537 Görtz,M., Mandl,T., Werner, K., Womser-Hacker, C., 2012. Challenges for Globalised Information Systems in a Multilingual and Multicultural Context, in Amanda Spink, Jannica Heinström (ed.) Library and Information Science Trends and Research: Europe (Library and Information Science, Volume 6), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp.169-191 Melkas,H., & Harmaakorpi, V., 2008. Data, Information And Knowledge In Regional Innovation Networks: Quality Considerations And Brokerage Functions, European Journal of Innovation Management, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp.103 – 124 Merali, Y., Papadopoulos, T., & Nadkam, T., 2012. Information Systems Strategy; Past Present Future? The Journal of Strategic Information Systems Vol. 21, No. 2,pp. 125–153 MS Case, 2014. Case Study, M&S Health Foods, pp. 1- 2 Maryam, P.,  Kobra, Z.,  Elahe, F.,  Solmaz, A., &  Sevda, R., 2013. Management Information System, Functions, Structure And Its Importance In Manager's Decision Making, Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research In Business, Vol. 4, No. 10, pp. 991 - 997 Rijo, R., Varajao, J., & Goncalves, R., 2012. Contact Center: Information Systems Design, J Intell Manuf . Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 497–515 Read More