Milestone 1 IT Guidelines / small brick-and-mortar business
his assignment is the first milestone that you will complete for your final project. This is an important practice opportunity to draft this section now and get instructor feedback that will help you improve upon your final submission. This is graded differently than the final project given this is a practice opportunity.
To begin, you will start with the introduction, business requirements, and competitors and technology. Your goal in the final project is to establish an e-commerce presence, but first you must improve the current technology.
Please see attachment for scenario.
Prompt: Imagine that you work for the small brick-and-mortar business described in the final project case scenario. The owner of your business wants to focus on generating new revenue through e-commerce, but she knows that this change in operations requires the company to integrate new technology. To gain an understanding of what the business might need for technology, she has asked you to create a business systems analysis. In this analysis, you will clearly introduce the problem that your business is facing. Then, you will determine the business requirements for solving that problem, including the requirements that any new technology needs to meet.
I. Introduction: In this section, you will briefly introduce the small business from the case scenario, and the problem that it is trying to solve.
A. Clearly state the problem that the business owner is seeking to solve. Be sure to address the question of what your business ultimately wants to do.
B. Identify and briefly describe the two technologies from the list provided that you will research in your business systems analysis.
II. Business Requirements: In this section, you will determine what the business requirements are to solve the stated problem, and establish the criteria that will help form your technology recommendations. You will also articulate why the business owner should undertake the project of integrating new technology.
A. Explain the objectives of undertaking this project to integrate new technology. In others words, what should the project accomplish, and how does it support the goal of your business?
B. Provide a project description that explains the purpose of the project. Be sure to address the following: i. What does your business need to do to satisfy the objectives? ii. What are the desired results at the end of the project? iii. Why is it important for your business owner to consider implementing new technology?
C. State the key technological requirements that will be required of any new technology in order to effectively solve your business’s problem. In other words, what specifically does the technology need to be capable of doing? (These are the technology requirements in the decision matrix.)
III. Competitors and Technology: In this section, you will describe two competing companies that operate in the same industry as your business. You will also explain how a company uses the two technologies that you are investigating to determine if the technology may be appropriate for your business to use. Remember that a list of competing companies was provided to you in the final project case scenario.
A. Technology One: Select one company in the same industry as your own that uses this technology. Briefly describe what that company does and how it uses this technology to support its business in general. Include specific examples.
B. Technology Two: Select one company in the same industry as your own that uses this technology. Briefly describe what that company does and how it uses this technology to support its business in general. Include specific examples.
C. Referring to what you learned in your research on the companies above, explain one specific way in which one of the companies is benefitting from technology, and describe the potential benefit to your business if you were to adopt the same approach.
ANSWER
Milestone 1 IT Guidelines /small brick-and-mortar business
- Introduction
The small business seeks to offer consumers designer clothes and accessories at discounted prices. These items have a high cost in the market, and this business seeks to ensure that individuals in dire need of purchasing designer products at pocket-friendly prices can do so. Its primary focus is to enable men and women to acquire designer items at discounted prices.
One of the potential technologies that the business can adopt is big data and knowledge management. Since the company is venturing into an online business, this technology helps handle crucial aspects such as reports, executive summaries, and statistical analysis with a key focus on facilitating effective decision-making processes. The other essential technology is business analytics and intelligence solutions. It will help the business leaders to engage historical and present data to make viable future decisions. Intelligence systems transform raw information using statistical software to make quality decisions.
- Business Requirements
The integrated business requirements solve the business problem. For example, the firm has a challenge with its reporting tool and finds it hard to make informed decisions. The big data and knowledge and business analytics system can help develop effective data management and other core functions such as payments and inventory. Depending on the urgency of each core function, the business can determine the steps to take. The business needs to undertake the new technology to streamline all its organizational activities.
- The objectives behind adopting the new technology are to enable consumers to access their products and gain a competitive advantage in the market. The current challenge in reaching potential consumers can be addressed through technology.
- The project aims at ensuring potential consumers can access designer products to acquire a broader online presence and a consumer-centric approach. The business must streamline all its activities to enable it to meet its objective. In the end, the business will acquire a broader customer pool and increased sales. The adoption of the new technology will enable the business to make quality decisions.
- The selected technologies must provide real-time data and information for prompt decision-making processes.
- Competitors and Technology
- Technology One: Macy’s
Macy’s uses big data and knowledge management to advance its sales. For example, it uses this technology to advance the consumer shopping experience. It gathers data such as online and offline personal motivations, customized checkouts, and visit frequencies with the technology.
- Technology Two: Zappos
Zappos relies on business analytics to acquire consumer information that aids in enhancing its competitive advantage. For example, it uses web analytics to search and access generic terms and specific brands worth pursuing.
- Macy’s is heavily benefiting from big data technology to understand consumer experiences and improve their satisfaction. The business at hand can adopt such a strategy to understand their interests to deliver to their expectations and satisfaction.
