The manager of Rent-A-Car requires an of an information system that is used for the management of the various cars on the lot. The purpose of this information system is to aid in the tracking and management of the cars in the company. This includes allocation; servicing, fuelling, repair and maintenance, rentals and car hire service. The cars owned by the company include the various models of Volvo allocated according to the specifications of the user.
The company offers cars to its employees in the higher echelons of power as well as those involved in projects that require extensive travelling. In addition, it offers car rentals and hires services to other external companies and individuals. For an employee to be allocated a car, it must satisfy the required company specifications.
Staff and clients confirm their allocation through proper documentation to show the project they are involved in or payment respectively. After the allocation, their distance of travel determines the parameters for fueling and service. All users are required to check into the system during the time they leave the car yard and when they return. Thus, the information system is able to retrieve the car users at any time, their status and the type of vehicle they are driving.
The company uses Volvo cars and all the information relating to these cars are transmitted to the manufacturing company’s databases for analysis and review. Thus, in this scenario Rent-A-Car and Volvo have implemented a range of information systems to aid in the management. On the Volvo side, information relating their vehicles are stored in their clouds and have used a range of IS to analyze the big data. Rent-A-Car has implemented a fleet management system.
Volvo Car Corp captures numerous amounts of data from its vehicles and information systems. This data are transmitted to the clouds and then back to the manufacturer for analysis. Volvo believes that, in a world where smart technological innovations is the way to go, it is important to leverage the numerous amounts of data generated from its vehicles and convert them to usable analytics. The vehicles are fitted with numerous sensors and CPUs that capture data and use it within the vehicle itself after which it is transmitted via the clouds back to the manufacturer.
Clouds are undoubtedly the best cheap and virtually unlimited storage for large volumes of data. Considering the volumes of data streamed into Volvo centralized analysis hub, clouds are the best option for them. Volvo generates terabytes of data from its vehicles, customer relation systems, dealership systems, and product design and development systems among other departments. The clouds are cheap with no installation and maintenance, has no physical presence hence reduced risks, requires no environmental and personnel to power and manage it. As a result, it provides a clear business advantage.
Analysis of large volumes of data in the clouds provides a host of advantages to the company. First, the data patterns provide a mechanism to detect potential issues and defects in the early process of a particular brand. Potential mechanical problems may be detected early enough before the user is exposed to them. Through well crafted analytics, the defects are analyzed and solved through adjusted manufacturing processes or supplier improvements. It becomes economical to the company to repair the flaws when spotted in the first 1000 vehicles than when it is spotted after half a million units have been produced. The customer impacts are also detrimental when flaws are detected in numerous volumes of vehicles already sold. Customer trust is crucial for business and growth of a company, and a recall of the huge number of vehicles has an impact of tainting the company image and hence sales.
Secondly, large scale data capture and analysis is principal in car safety improvements. The company Safety Center performs detailed and close to accurate forensic examinations of Volvo vehicles involved in accidents. Huge volume of digital information derived from the state-of-the-art facility improves knowledge about technical aspects of the vehicles. Remote sensors and software deployed in the vehicles are analyzed and constantly improved to enhance safety. For instance, airbag deployment is studied to determine if they are accurately deployed in a set of conditions. Rich Strader, the company’s outgoing CIO is of the opinion that the voluminous data obtained can be sufficiently used to add value across the chain.
An information system is important for a car company to automate operations and utilized web technologies. Rent-A-Car employs the information system to satisfy its business needs. The cars combine sophistication, safety, security and speed to deliver as per the user’s needs. The car is used by the management for business purposes due to its advanced capabilities. In managing the lot, the information system automatically respond with the kind of car that can be allocated to a particular class of employee. Different details such as the color, engines power and the kind of service required is available and is feed to the user at the point of allocation.
Likewise, the list of the current users is easily printable. Likewise, the manufacturer leverages the information and stores it in the clouds. The company has implemented a range of information systems to aid in the management and operation of its operations. These include customer relation and management systems, supply chain management, product design and development systems, and manufacturing systems. CRM is used to manage the interaction of the company with current and future customers. It integrates multiple channels such as social media, telephone, email and search to organize, automate, and synchronize sales, customer service, technical support and marketing. SCM integrates a number of features such as value chain planning and execution, product lifecycle management, manufacturing, and order orchestration.
References
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Group, B. D. (2013, April). Content about Volvo. Big Data Insight Group .
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