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TERM PAPER.
For a grocery store using e-commerce will increase the customer base as with the development of technology most people conduct their businesses online. E-commerce will lead to operation cost reduction as the number of personnel, for example inventory managers, marketers, and billing personnel, among others, will be reduced. However, most products in a grocery are perishable, and delivery of such products to customers may take a while meaning that the goods may reach to their destination while rotten. This compromises on the quality and efficiency of the business (Barnes, and Hunt 2001, pp 8).
Benefits of CRM to a hotel manager.
The most significant benefit of using CRM in a hotel would be having all the customer’s data and relative information stored and accessed in a single location, which will create a fast way of attending to customer’s needs (Baran, Robert, and Daniel 2008, pp 36). It will allow for communication with customers on new services, existing services, and services on offer (Baran, Robert, and Daniel 2008, pp 42). It will also increase on transaction processing speed through collaboration of different transaction processing systems.
Information systems and environmental sustainability.
Information systems impact on social and economic development from their high capacity to generate and increase information on environmental sustainability (Oz 2009, pp165). This enhances positive attitude and behavior towards environmental sustainability. Information systems provide for smart metering, which is a concept used in smart energy and building, that enables the distribution of small-scale energy generation, which is ultimate goal of environmental sustainability. Information systems provide lifecycle efficient means of production. In the manufacturing sector, for example, ICT provides for large scale modeling, and simulation of products in their lifecycle leading to improved production, and reduced costs of operation and energy consumption (Ghosh, and Anandajit 2014, PP 279).
Michael Porter’s Five forces model.
The buyer’s power characterized by the number of buyers in the market indicates the extent that consumers can dictate prices (Porter 1998, pp. 16). According to Porter, few buyers are powerful than a market concentrated with many buyers (Porter 1998, pp. 16). Supplier power is dictated by the supplier concentration level in the market, their power and strength over the business, the uniqueness of their products, and the cost of moving from one supplier to another (Porter 1998, pp. 17). The few the suppliers in the market, the more the business remains competitive than in a market with many suppliers.
Competitive rivalry implies the number of capable competitors in the market: Many competitors lead less power to dictate on prices as suppliers and buyers have other options. Porter also identified threat of substitution as a feature determining business competitiveness. The measures used to prevent new entrants also define the competitive power of a business (Porter 1998, pp. 16). If it costs less to enter the market, then the competitive power is minimal.
The rise in alternatives or substitutes in traditional music industry means loss of competitiveness as the market is concentrated with suppliers and buyers have many substitutable products which increase customer’s retention rates, increased rivalry between competitors, and minimal entry and exit barriers (Porter 1998, pp. 18).
Data center tour
The usable space referred as ‘white space’ in the data center is sufficient for all available equipment. High emphasis is placed on the facility to optimize on the white space and to sustain the environment through keeping the IT equipment under recommended temperature range. The support infrastructure such as physical security systems, uninterrupted power supplies, and environmental control equipment were also overwhelming. This infrastructure contributed to safety of the equipment that stores data. Advanced analytics found in the data centers were also interesting. The analytics extract knowledge from the data allowing collection of information regarding the market or on consumer insights to promote products (Liu et al 1998, pp. 173). The analytics software conduct the ‘what if studies to identify opportunities, and prevent future problems.
Apple has established a relationship with most of its supply chain suppliers. It has ensured that its supply chin is made up of few players, and this way control is guaranteed. Its ruthlessness provides authority over its suppliers as with the existensce o many suppliers in the market, failrure of a supplier to deliver will make the company shift to other suppliers.
The idea of investing, massively with intentions of long run profit maximization also identifies Apple’s supply chain whereby the company hires expertise beyond the capabilitie of its competitors.
With the use of these strategies the company has differentiated its products, managed to install tracking devices on their products that provide feedback on the needs of their clinets, and has created business rivalry over its competitors. the long run expectations make the company maximize on quality so that customers get what they want. Additionally, apple has differentiated its prices to meet the economic status of all its customers.
This strategy would not work for products with available substitutes in the market. Despite the availability of few substitutes and complements to Apple’s products, the quality of products from the company cannot be compared to its substitutes. The strategy would also not be useful for products that require customer orientation as the company would run at high operational costs servicing employees to work on the grounds. Manuals attached on the products have served this purpose.
The company aims for both efficiency and effectiveness. Efficiency is reached through production of high volumes of products, selling at affordable prices, and producing as per the demands of the customers. Effectiveness is achieved through allocating massive capital expenditures where necessary to produce items that are on demand.
Data centre operation decisions.
Data center selection transactions are complex in nature for any company regardless of operations and size. Mostly, these decisions are cost intensive, and mission critical. A mistake in site selection has significant impacts on a company’s well as well as its stakeholders. A deliberate, and well-tested approach will assist in expediting the process and assist in achieving viable results.
REFERENCE.
Barnes, S and Hunt, B. E-Commerce and V-Business, Butterworth/Heinimann 2001
Baran, Roger J, Robert J. Galka, and Daniel P. Strunk. Principles of Customer Relationship Management. Mason, Ohio: Thomson/South-Western, 2008. Print.
Ghosh, Nilanjan, and Anandajit Goswami. Sustainability Science for Social, Economic, and Environmental Development. , 2014. Internet resource.273-312
Porter, Michael E. Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors ; with a New Introduction. New York, NY [u.a.: Free Press, 1998. Print.
Liu, Yang, Jogesh K. Muppala, Malathi Veeraraghavan, Dong Lin, and Mounir Hamdi. Data Center Networks: Topologies, Architectures and Fault-Tolerance Characteristics. Cham: Imprint: Springer, 2013. Internet resource.
Oz, Effy. Management Information Systems. Boston, Mass: Thomson/Course Technology, 2009. Print.
