The company is a partnership of five owners who equally own and manages its running. The managerial responsibilities will be divided for the efficient management of the administrative operations.
The farm and its offices will be open from 6.00pm to 8.00pm weekdays and Saturday. On Sundays, the enterprise will be closed apart from its eatery, which will be open from 12.00pm to 6.00pm. A website will be launched in line with its e-services, and the Chickenya domain is yet to be secured.
Business Description
Chickenya Poultry Limited is a start-up business venture that seeks to provide quality eggs and chicks, to farmers who seek to keep chicken for both home and commercial purposes. The management felt that the market for chicken and chicken products was not fully exploited in Eldoret region. This was considered the most probable reason why they were costly to consumers there. The business venture is viable enough because it is located in the Eldoret region, an area which has no other establishment of this kind. Those that exist are quite far away from the region, mostly in and around the capital, Nairobi.
Use of computers
E-ordering
With the rapidly expanding e-business, we will engage the customers in ordering the products over the internet. This will be enhanced by the efficient computer system in place and website from where they can place orders.
Sales and marketing systems offer much assistance in carrying out a market research to get the potential customers for the products, help in maintaining high quality of the services, are used in creating awareness of the service to different people and in making sales. (Galliers & Sauer, 2009)
Manufacturing and production systems offer information for planning, build up of new products and services, stock control and management.
Finance and accounting systems help in following financial assets and cash flow. They include accounts receivable, budgeting, and profit development.
Human resources systems are used to keep employee records; skills, performance records and education. They are used as a standard measure for determining promotions and salary increments.
Internet use in ensuring customer relationship management will be utilized. Social networks such as Facebook, twitter and other pertinent websites and features will be used. RSS feed can also be utilized for customer feedback.
Data needed to run the business
Competitive analysis:
Competition is mainly in terms of other premises running a similar business and market share. For a business to thrive in amidst of stiff competition, it has to be slightly advantaged over the others in terms of the quality of the products provided and the pricing.
Target Market
With the target market composed of heterogeneous potential customers, most of them are financially able and willing to purchasing chicken and its products. These are the numerous poultry farmers in the region, the great number of retailers in the region and the many hotels and restaurants in Eldoret town.
Choose computer hardware
The basic computer hardware needed is fully packed with specifications that suit the business. Such like components include a processor, sufficient RAM memory and a hard drive. Some e specifications will need to be followed in choosing the hardware to be acquired.
Other computer hardware required includes a server, uninterruptible power supply unit in case of power failures, cables to facilitate networking and workstations.
Computer Software
Off the shelf software is that which is purchased from the shelf and not pirated, its software not meant to serve purposes but meant for general use. Custom software, on the other hand, is developed specifically for an organization based on its requirements. It can be produced either by an in-house group or some commissioned software developers and vendors. Since it is developed with specifications, custom software accommodates a company’s preferences incorporating all the needs.
Some of the off the shelf software adopted and used by companies include office software; word processors, spreadsheets, deign applications among others. Some system software like windows XP, vista and server applications are also needed to start off the business.
Choose computer network
In choosing a computer network to be adopted, two crucial considerations are made. A business can adopt either wired or wireless network, basing on the requirements and application areas of be to be adopted in the network. For companies that require a minimal amount of bandwidth to operate effectively, a wireless network can be adopted. On the other hand, if too much bandwidth is required then a wired bandwidth will be considered effective for use.
Employees
Systems Developer. Assisted by the project manager, the systems developer builds user friendly interfaces, effects migration of data between storage media and ensures security by allowing or denying access to information and systems.
System Administrator. Can be either one or two people that manage the IT systems applied in the project. Their responsibilities include database management, networking and build up of testing plans.
The overall Manager who is in charge of: overseeing the functions of the business, decision-making in conjunction with the other managers, staffing with the help of departmental managers and budgeting of farm expenses with the help of departmental managers.
Then there is the sales manager is responsible for supervising, marketing and distribution. The sales manager is also responsible for sales promotion.
Enterprise Computing
Enterprise computing is a terminology used to refer to all sorts of information technologies adopted for effective and efficient running of a business. It includes all software, database management systems and hardware that are used to ensure automation of a company. All these components work together to form a system that streamlines all the processes of a business venture.
Privacy issues have been growing almost at the same rate with technology. It can be said that the more advanced the technology adopted is, the more it is compromising to privacy concerns. Take an example of the wireless networks that use the TCP/IP protocol, it makes the users of such a network more vulnerable as just a look at the protocol gives so much information about them. For instance, they can be tracked down to their geographical locations and a record of what they do while online can be put down and used to tell who they are. Efforts have been made to come up with applications that can assure security, but this cannot guarantee full protection.
