Abstract
This paper will present a detailed report on the operations of Al Fouad Group Company that is based in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The first section is a detailed discussion of the company with respect to its origin, activities, and position in the Saudi economy. In the second section, I will discuss my experiences as an intern in the IT department of the pharmaceuticals division. Throughout my internship, which lasted for four months, I was able to work in various sections within the IT department. This exposure allowed me to put the knowledge I had obtained in class to practice. Additionally, I gained new knowledge in areas such as online marketing and software analysis. Finally, in conclusion, I will offer a summary of my experiences and observations.
Overview
Al Fouad Group Company is one of the largest and most established businesses in Saudi Arabia. It operates in a vast spectrum that involves different fields such as engineering, construction, energy, and pharmaceuticals. Al Fouad plays a dynamic role in promoting the economic growth of Saudi Arabia, especially in Mecca, where it is based. It has provided employment to many Saudis and even migrant workers from neighboring countries such as Yemen. The research conducted by the company in pharmacy and energy has resulted in giant steps in solving problems in the respective fields. Particularly, research in oil has been instrumental in terms of influencing strategies and policies in the nation whose economy is driven by oil.
Al Fouad was founded over thirty years ago. Its main offices are in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It has investments in many diverse sectors of the Saudi Arabian economy, ranging from engineering to pharmaceuticals. Al Fouad has grown over the years to become one of the most influential private businesses in the kingdom. It manufactures high-quality and best-cost products that guarantee customer satisfaction. Al Fouad’s products and services are customized according to the tastes and preferences of the Saudis. One of the main reasons for the robust growth of this company during its early years after inception was the growing demand for products with local taste.
Al Fouad’s partnerships with other companies have strengthened its position in the economy by promoting efficient service delivery. The company has also engaged in constructive partnerships with key local players, including the government and local communities. Al Fouad is driven by the desire to ensure that sustainable growth is attained for Saudi Arabia. The service delivery of this company is motivated by a desire to promote high standards of living for Saudis.
More recently, the company has integrated an Information Technology (IT) department into its operations. This idea was conceived in the wake of the growing influence of telecommunications, particularly social media. Al Fouad is dedicated to building strong relations with its clientele. Therefore, telecommunication has offered the opportunity for effective monitoring of customer trends and reactions to their products as a primary way of improving product quality and service delivery.
This department is equipped with modern paraphernalia to ensure that maximum benefits are obtained from the growing impact of technology on business. Additionally, all employees working in this department are experts in their relevant niches, a situation that has resulted in successful IT strategies. The following section presents my experiences and observations that I made while working at the company’s IT department the last summer.
Tasks and Assignments
Last summer, I got a rare opportunity to intern at Al Fouad Group Company, where I worked in the IT department of the pharmaceutical division. The Group Company has engaged in building robust customer relations through IT as a way of monitoring trends in consumer behavior and reactions to its products in the market. The focus is directed on the pharmaceuticals, where it has been discovered that constant feedback may assist in promoting quality delivery.
Additionally, there is a common understanding of Al Fouad that pharmaceutical products are sensitive and that the sector is controlled by stringent government policies. Class suits against pharmaceuticals are a common phenomenon in today’s society, a challenge that Al Fouad seeks to negate by maintaining real-time monitoring of drug behaviors concerning their effectiveness and side effects. The IT department also plays an important role in marketing the company’s products and observing the impact of competitor firms on the market.
Al Fouad’s dedication to building a strong IT department can be witnessed through the state-of-the-art equipment used in the department. The equipment includes high-tech computers, telephones, and fiber optic cables for fast and reliable internet connection. The company maintains a website that is constantly updated on current developments and product changes. Qualified IT professionals who have vast knowledge and experience in web development manage this website.
The IT department is divided into various sections. As an intern, I was required to work in all sections, one at a time. This strategy was important in building my expertise around the IT needs of a large company. I started my internship in the customer care section. In this section, my duties included receiving customers’ calls and responding to complaints. The customer care section maintains a Twitter account that is dedicated to handling complaints from clientele.
These complaints are received as either “tweets” or “Direct Messages (DM).” The section also operates an email domain that serves a similar purpose. It is a policy of the company to have the complaints addressed within a reasonably short time. For instance, all calls must be answered. Complaints arriving through other channels need to be responded to within a reasonable time. I worked in a team of eight officers and a supervisor. Being inexperienced in customer care, I found the tasks overwhelming during the first days. However, my team and supervisor understood my situation. For instance, if I received a technical complaint that I had little knowledge about, I could forward the call to a more experienced officer or the supervisor if all other officers were engaged.
In the second month of my internship, I worked in technical support and programming sections. The duties in this section revolve around assisting company employees on how to use the technical equipment installed in the various departments. In this capacity, I assisted in repairing broken equipment, as well as demonstrating to new employees how different electronics worked. Technicians at Al Fouad’s IT department are highly qualified in troubleshooting common hardware and software problems. This task was also an opportunity for me to put into practice my knowledge of software development.
Programming at Al Fouad is highly valued. New software is always being developed to suit clients’ demands. All departments are now automated, a situation that calls for up-to-date software to manage the ever-increasing number of tools. Activities such as manufacturing, tracking inventory, and processing payrolls require advanced technology. Al Fouad has invested in skilled programmers to create this software. I worked with these programmers to develop a plan for processing work orders in the pharmaceuticals plant.
Working in the technical support and programming section also involved testing software before installing it on the target equipment. Software testing is performed to ensure that it is reliable and capable of withstanding bugs and malware. At Al Fouad, programmers by the name Test analysts perform tests on software. Test analysts create test scripts that are then used to analyze the target software. Feedback is sent to the software developer regarding the reliability of the said software.
Software developers at Al Fouad also work as system analysts. System analysts are charged with identifying problems and engaging in logical thinking to devise software solutions to the problems. In this capacity, I would visit a department and gather important data about a problem. I would then present the report to my supervisor who would approve and forward it with recommendations to the relevant software developer.
The software developers would then create a program addressing the particular problem. Additionally, the users of the newly developed software must be trained on how to use it. The software developers who are responsible for developing it perform this training. In my position, I was also involved in training employees from various departments how to use the new software in addressing the challenge it was designed to solve.
The ‘Online Marketing’ section is an IT mini marketing department within the IT unit. This section is concerned with advertising of Al Fouad’s products and services. Activities performed here include designing adverts, launching online campaigns, and working hand in hand with the customer care section to monitor customer feedback. I stayed in the marketing section for two weeks, assisting in developing online banners, animated pictures, and video adverts. Additionally, I learned how to use persuasive language to ensure that online campaigns were successful. Al Fouad has been working toward increasing its online presence.
To achieve this goal, the group company has hired expert online marketers with outstanding experience and zeal. I was privileged to work alongside these technocrats. As a result, I gained insights on the potential impact of online marketing on a company’s productivity. I learned that social media advertising has grown in the last few years and that it is likely to surpass the traditional methods such as radio and television campaigns.
Conclusion
Al Fouad holding is a business conglomerate that operates across diverse areas of the Saudi economy. This company has influenced the Saudi economy in numerous ways. One of the important divisions of the company is the pharmaceuticals unit where I had an opportunity to work as an intern. Al Fouad has been developing its IT department with the primary goal of improving the technology used in the company. Additionally, the company has also focused on increasing its online presence. Online marketing, particularly through social media, has been identified as a major potential investment area for the company.
Hence, the IT department has been charged with creating effective strategies to tap this potential. Other important sections within this department are technical support, programming, and customer care. The duties in the customer care section involved receiving customer complaints and monitoring customer feedback about products. This feedback would be integrated into manufacturing similar products in the future.