In the information society of the XXI century, managing data is a very complicated task. In order to analyze not only the internal factors that affect the production process of a company, but also the outside factors, such as competition, demand and opportunities for expansion, one will have to consider its process of information acquisition and transfer. This is where information system management principles are to be applied.
Owing to a proper use of information system management principles, Sally Beauty, Inc. managed to succeed in the highly competitive business of selling to licensed beauty professionals. According to the company’s vision and mission, its staff is focused on delivering its merchandise of the finest quality to their customers (Sally beauty Holding Inc., n. d.), which follows the principles of ISM quite closely. Business-driven MIS is used in the given case to “adapt to technological advances and innovations” (Baltzan, 2011, p. 2).
The goals of the company are also in accordance with the MIS principles; however, more clarity on the methods, with the help of which the company is going to implement its goals, could be provided by Sally Beauty, Inc. While the company staff claims that they are willing to utilize latest technology, the means in which they are going to are still not quite clear.
Arguably, this technology is used in order to provide the services of the same quality in the USA, Canada, the UK and Mexico by enhancing the cooperation between the affiliates; however, Sally Beauty, Inc. staff never state it explicitly.
Apart from being used as a highly efficient tool for improving the company’s inbound and outbound logistics, ISM also serves a number of purposes and incorporates a variety of elements. By defining the key ones, one can embrace the plethora of opportunities that ISM provides for an ordinary company.
- Business intelligence is an interactive method of information system management.
- Enterprise resource planning is the process of arranging the company’s resources reasonably.
- Customer relationship management is a range of methods in which relationships with customers can be established.
- Data mining is an umbrella term for methods of information acquisition.
- Intelligence systems are sets of principles in accordance with which data mining can be carried out.
Judging by the methods that the Sally Beauty, Inc. uses in its process of information acquisition, processing and transfer, its method of business intelligence can be defined as auto-delivered intelligence, since the information is clearly delivered in an interactive manner. By communicating directly to the customers and analyzing the information that comes from surveys and opinion polls, the company manages to provide the services that clients need.
Consequently, various strategies of customer relationship management are utilized in the process. The traditional top-to-bottom structure makes the company vulnerable (Mcfarlan, n. d.), yet relatively stable in the market. One of the most peculiar details about the way in which the company structures its relationships with customers is that its staff prefers to build their strategies of communication with their clientele.
While admittedly risky, the given approach allows for enough flexibility and helps meet the needs of each customer in particular, which is highly appreciated by the target audience and attracts even more clients to the Sally Beauty, Inc. the company’s negligence of the rest of the strategies can be explained by the absence of necessity to resort to numerous strategies, since business intelligence seems efficient enough.
Reference List
Baltzan, P. (2011). Management information systems: Business driven MIS. In P. Baltzan (ed.), Business Driven Information Systems. New York City, NY: McGraw Hill/Irwin. Web.
Mcfarlan, F. W. The new strategic weapon: Information technology. Cambridge: Harvard Business School Publishing.
Sally beauty Holding Inc. Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SBH). Web.