Introduction
- Technology has taken central position in businesses today.
- Many business people have assert that embracing modern technology has significantly raised their profits.
- Additionally, those who have not embraced technology have not only made losses, but they have also dried up all together.
Scholars and critics alike have argued that technology is crucial to businesses. This presentation will focus on one organization in UAE, highlighting how its improved IS/IT systems have helped it register massive profits.
Organization Profile
- The company under investigation is Chalhoub Group that has been in existence since 1955.
- The company has relied for a very long time on pen and paper as a means of recording its activities.
- Due to expansion, the company decided to invest in the Oracle ERP System as an IS/IT project.
- The main purpose of the system was to improve the business processing transformation.
Chalhoub Group is a retain luxurious company situated in UAE. The reliance on paper and pen for record keeping limited the company as the staff could not get the right paper when needed. In addition, the company had to allocate a lot of space for the papers and this led to wastage of resources and even money. It is due to this reason that the company invested in the new IS/IT project.
Business Objectives
- To be the number one retail company in the region.
- To design and develop a proactive platform to connect with companies within the group.
- Empower the employees in analysis and reporting system.
- Achieve excellence, respect and entrepreneurial attitude among the employees.
The group’s philosophy is ‘committed to excellence’ and it is this philosophy that drives their very existence. They always try to give excellence in their products and services. To do this, they came up with key things they want to do. In the same note, the group urges the staff to be creative and consistent in whatever they do.
Identifying the Problem
- The main problem is a weak IS/IT system.
- The workers do not understand how to use the IS/IT system.
- The weak IS/IT system has led to gaps in the marketing department and the Human resource department.
- All other departments have also experience some negative impact of the system.
For example, the long process for an event to be official eats up a lot of time for the company. This has affected the marketing department greatly as many of its activities on brand management are stalled. In similar tone, there is no direct link between the back office and the stores such that there is confusion whenever changes are made on either side.
Is/It Business Solution
- The Oracle ERP System was the first choice for the company as an IS/IT system.
- The system was to help bring the company back to its glorious days and seal off some of the gaps in the department.
- ERP integrates data from all departments of a company into one system.
- Indeed the application of the system proved beneficial at the beginning.
ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning and it facilitate easy retrieval of data by compiling everything in one place. The system aimed at enhancing the analysis and reporting of all departments but target specifically marketing and HR.
How the New System Improved the Business Objectives
- It increase competitive strength for the entire group.
- It made the promotion of new products and services easier.
- Improve operational excellence.
- Since all work is done online, it becomes easier to manage files.
Since the system incorporates all data from different departments, its much easier for the staff to allocate what they are looking for. In addition, the system does not require as much space as the paper work. Similarly, decision making becomes much easier as all data can be inspected at the same time.
Comparative Analysis With Similar Organization
- The company can be compared to Etisalat, a telecommunication company also in UAE.
- Etisalat uses Oracle system to control a major part of their organization, including dealing with their clients.
- The company has also encourage its associates, like storekeepers, to adopt the system and use it for book keeping.
Etisalat have asserted that the Oracle system has made their business easy. In addition, they have agreed that the system can also be used in all department and they recently introduced it to the training department. For instance, staff can enroll themselves in trainings that have been highlighted by the system.
Group Analysis & Appraisal on the Solution
- The company seeks operational excellence through the installed system.
- It also provides a centralized data management system that is easier to use.
- The company is also planning on tapping into the ease of changing data as quickly as possible to ensure there is no confusion within the group.
Conclusion
- The company has faced challenges before due to poor recoding of data.
- This prompted them to embrace technology and adapt the Oracle ERP system.
- The company has since them cited improvement in all their departments.
