Summary of the Case
This case depicts the ability of a company to transform and attain a higher level of competitiveness by taking advantage of information technology as a platform for business enhancement. According to the case, there is a myriad of other competitive companies that are operating in the same industry in which United Parcel Service Company is operating. Among these companies are FedEx and Airborne Express.
The presence of these companies denotes difficulties in terms of the ability of UPS to capture customers in the market. However, United Parcel Service has captured and deployed technology for use as a positioning factor as far as efficiency in service delivery and operations are concerned.
The manner in which the company structures and develops its information technology platform is quite desirable. Information technology in the company is structured in such a way that it is focused on both employees and customers. This increases the level at which customers interact with the company.
The case goes further to break down the IT platform in the company. According to the description provided in the case, UPS has adopted information technology and then gone ahead to ensure that information technology is applied in all its operations to increase efficiency and minimize costs of operation. The information technology tools in the company are developed in such a way that they link the operations of the company with customers, thereby increasing the level of customer satisfaction.
Learning experience from the case
One critical thing that can be borrowed from this case is the fact that firms can easily attain a desirable level of competition in a highly competitive market by taking advantage of the prevailing factors of competitiveness. For instance, a firm can deploy information technology in its operations. This does not only minimize the cost of operation, but it also raises the scale of efficiency and effectiveness in terms of service delivery to customers.
One outstanding thing in the case is the manner in which the information technology platform has been developed in UPS. UPS has tailored its information technology platform in such a way that it is focused on its customers. Customers are kept up-to-date with the latest technologies enhanced by the company and how they can use the technologies.
Information technology can only be valuable in a company if the company ensures that all its employees keep up with the pace of technology development and fully deploy technology in business operations. This is another area in which UPS has been outstanding. All workers in the company are involved in implementing IT, including drivers who perform the duty of parcel delivery.
Logistic companies are faced with the difficult task of ensuring that all parcels are tracked. It is now easy for UPS to track all its parcels to avoid logistical problems since the development of an automated package tracking system. Some of the logistical problems include wrong delivery and loss of packages among others.
The packages can be monitored by employees of the company while on transit, an activity that highly reduces chances of malpractices as far as safe and sound delivery of packages is concerned. This denotes adoption and full deployment of information technology in bettering the operations and total positioning of the company. UPS will remain competitive as long as it exploits its information technology potential in fullness.