The article called “Mastering the Three Worlds of Information Technology” by Andre McAfee explores the outcomes of the rapid technological development in the contemporary world and the influences it produces on the dynamics within the world of business and management. It goes without saying that the contemporary business organisations need to become tech-savvy in response to the fast integration of the technologies in all of the spheres of modern life.
The main problem for the contemporary business authorities and managers is that the development at times can be too fast, which creates frustrations among the leaders and employees concerning the kinds of technologies they should choose to employ. To differentiate between the kinds of software business professionals require in various situations, IT is categorised into three convenient types.
The types are distinguished between based on the functions the technologies belonging to each type carry out. The confusion is also easier to overcome viewing the technologies as innovations the companies need to manage and invest into. The leaders are to find out which kinds of interactions and processes are the most frequent and important for the profit of their business, and according to this information they are to select the types of IT most suitable for their company.
It is important to mention that choosing IT is not the main issue for the modern businesses. Implementation of new technologies is the process that creates the biggest obstacles and frustrations. Yet, the positive outcomes from the implementation of IT are worth all the discomfort the managers and employees face at the initial stages of the technologies’ introduction.
Responses
Mohammed Al Rashedi begins with the comparison of the contemporary business and operations to the ones of 1970s and 1980s in order to state the rapid technological development and the changes it brought. The author also notices that today’s businesses tend to grow and turn into global corporations spreading all around the world.
Such businesses require a flexible and wise approach towards IT, which is recognised as a necessary organisational change. The author does not focus much of dispersed manufacturing. Arwa Al Harthi provides a detailed background of the company called Li & Fung, the dispersed manufacturer. The author mentions that the company stands out due to its unique ability to manage across the globe.
Al Harthi notes the advantages of the company and how it benefits from its extended supply chain. Overall, the author’s analysis of Li & Fung business processes is detailed and fair. Eman Al Hameli provides a valuable report concerning the business of Li & Fung and employs numbers for better demonstration of the size and influence of this company.
The author explains the strategies and qualities that allow Li & Fung stay successful such as cellular structure and clever outsourcing. The author wisely concludes that being focused on the customers’ needs is the key to success for Li & Fung. Nawaf Al Motairi notices that the approach of Li & Fung is highly innovative. The author also explains how the company operates by means of engaging a variety of different suppliers and manufacturers from around the world to create a final product.
This way, Al Motairi professionally notices that Li & Fung customises the value chain to meet the customer’s specific needs and provides the clients with truly customer-focused goods. “Fast, Global, and Entrepreneurial: Supply Chain Management, Hong Kong Style” by Joan Magretta explores the inner side of dispersed manufacturing taking a Hong Kong company as an example.
Dispersed manufacturing involves a number of agents located in different regions of the same country or even abroad in order to create a good quality final product. This way, the products manufactured by means of this method can surely be considered global as their various components come from all around the world. Such way of manufacturing is a good demonstration of the expansion of globalisation process and its influences on the modern world of business.
Global collaboration is what occurred as a result of business interactions and partnerships on the international level. It goes without saying that such manufacturing requires rather complex logistics and its supply chain is lengthy and complicated. At the same time, the dissection of manufacturing process allows the managers to find the best supply chain solutions at every stage of production.
This way, the benefits acquired in the process of dispersed manufacturing outweigh the costs. This approach towards manufacturing process results in ultimate collaboration between all of the participants of the supply chain and the distributors they have. Dispersed manufacturing may cover large territories and involve numerous actors. Of course, international producers have to rely on communication technologies a lot.
Therefore, a dispersed manufacturer requires a reliable and extremely sophisticated system for moving information from one facility to another and providing connection for several thousands of employees all around the world. The rapid development of information technologies plays an important role for corporations that employ dispersed manufacturing because better ways of communication and faster data transmission are a huge benefit for multinational and large companies with the supply chain scattered around the globe.
Response 1
Ahmed Al Obaidli provides a careful description of the three kinds of IT software and mentions that this resource is extremely valuable in the contemporary business world. At the same time, the author notices that the availability of IT creates an illusion that it is easy to obtain and use. Yet, Al Obaidli cleverly reminds that the main challenge is the implementation phase.
Response 2
Mohamed Al Ali presents a rather analytical comment. The author studies the structure of the reading and its components such as introduction, body and conclusion. Al Ali explores the functionality of the article and concludes that some of its parts could be more detailed and developed. Al Ali also provides a personal reflection on the article and bases the comment on personal experience.
Response 3
Arwa Al Harthi does not only sum up the article and describe the main points concerning the three main types of IT, but also provides comparisons between these types and their functions. The author also mentions the importance of the proper selection of IT for various companies, stating that main thing for the managers is to understand which IT is suitable particularly for their business.
Response 4
Fatema Al Hashmi provides a professional comment based on personal perceptions and impressions. Besides, the author mentions that the most valuable information presented in the article concerns the algorithm of selection, adoption and exploitation of the appropriate IT for the companies. The author also agrees that the opinion of the employees is crucial for the successful implementation of the selected IT.