Comprehensive Strategic Case Analysis of Real Chocolate Study

Comprehensive Strategic Analysis of Real Chocolate - Case Study Example The company is noted for its perfection in hand made gourmet chocolate made from finest quality ingredients with no artificial preservatives added. This paper presents a strategic analysis of the case real chocolate company using some analytical tools such as the PESTLE framework, Porter's five forces and competitive advantage etc. The paper is structured as follows, in part one using the PESTLE framework the paper analyses the environment in which the company is operating based on the case, the Five forces framework of Porter also help us to beef our analysis. Part two of the paper carries out an internal analysis of the real chocolate company, by using basic financial ratios, the SWOT matrix, to identify its competitive advantage and resources capabilities while part three of the paper now uses Porters generic strategy and the TOWS matrix. In the concluding part of the paper, using the balance scorecard some recommendation are made. PESTEL framework is used here because the analysis is concerned with the Macro-environmental influences which can better be analysed by use of the PESTEL framework. Johnson et al (2006) states that the PESTEL framework is a framework that can be used to categorise the factors that influence the business environment of an organisation into six main types including: Political Influences, Economic influences, Technological influences, Social Influences, Environmental influences, and Legal influences. (See appendix 1). The political environment of the United States was unstable following the period of the case with the then Republican government loosing popularity because of the war in Iraq the tooth for tat with Iran, its neglect of Russian on key international issues. The situation was further made worst by its war for peace captioned "war against terror". Thus, at the time of the case, the poor political climate of the States must have affected the operations of real chocolate company international expansion. In 2006, the political situation of the countries was the beans are grown affected production negatively. Economic factors that affected real chocolate companies from the case, prices vary due to monetary fluctuations, raw materials are sources from other countries, the trade between US and Canada were the stores are based are liable to exchange rate fluctuations. Social factors include growth in population. It was reported in June 2006, that the black pod, frosty pod, and witches' broom di seases could adversely affect the cacao beans if these plant diseases are not controlled. Obesity is becoming a major concern in the USA. In 1986, the Centers for Disease Control reported that just eight states had 10 to 14 percent of the residents obese. Technological factor offers real chocolate company an opportunity of automated production without affecting

‘Strategic Hrm and Performance Essay Example for Free

‘Strategic Hrm and Performance Essay The people in an organization are considered to be one of the most valuable resources of today’s firms. Other resources such as brands, products, processes, technological advancement, economies of scale can still provide a competitive advantage but an organisation’s human capital are more vital for its sustainability. The idea that an organisation’s Human Resource can play a strategic role in determining its success has led to the development of a field of research commonly referred to as Strategic Human Resource Management. The understanding of the causal relationship between HR and organisational performance helps HR managers to design policies that will bring forth better operational efficiency to achieve higher organizational performance. The emergence of ‘strategic’ HRM represents a paradigm shift from the traditional HRM models. It is concerned more specifically with the relationship between HRM and the strategic context. (Wood, Holman and Stride, 2006: 100) HR practices are the main tool which an organisation can use to change the pool of human capital as well as an attempt to shift and align organisational behaviours which leads to organisational success. The skills, behaviour and attitudes of employees must fit the strategic needs of the firm in order for it to develop a competitive advantage. However, the singular focus on the strategic interests of an organisation have been criticised by some who suggest that this may be to the detriment of the employees (Van Buren, Greenwood and Sheehan, 2011: 209) There has been a steady growth over the last two decades of research literature around  strategic HRM and according to Gooderham, Parry and Ringdal (2008: 2042), this can be broadly divided into three main kinds of theories Universalistic, Contingency and Configurational. Universalistic theories have an underlying assumption that there is a direct link between some human resource practices and organisational performance across all organisations and under all conditions (Lengnick-Hall, Lengnick-Hall, Andrade, and Drake, 2009: 68) and are concerned with ‘best practice’. Contingency theories reject the universal applicability of human resource practices, therefore supposing that the relationship between them and performance will differ depending on various external and internal factors and influences. Configurational theories suggest that the impact of strategic HRM on organisational performance is dependent on the use of an effective combination of interconnected human resource practices. This provides a useful framework for closer examination of the link between theory and practice. Universalistic Theory: In relation to the universalistic theory, the current literature provides much empirical evidence for a direct and linear link between strategic HRM and a positive impact on organisational performance (Boselie, Dietz and Boon, 2005: 67; Combs, Liu, Hall and Ketchen, 2006: 501; Katou and Budhwar, 2006: 1248; Stavrou, Brewster and Charalambous, 2010: 952). In their study of the retail industry, Chuang and Liao (2010: 185) concluded there was a clear link between strategic HRM and performance. They found that human resource practices can facilitate a â€Å"climate of concern† for both customers and employees which subsequently encourages employees to work well with their customers and co-workers which is essential in achieving higher levels of market performance. However the specific ways in which human resource practices impact on organisational outcomes are not always clear and their level of impact has been subject to criticism. Whilst there is strong  evidence to support the view that universal ‘best practices’ provide a strong foundation for strategic HRM, other factors need to be considered in order to achieve a higher level of performance. (Lengnick-Hall, Lengnick-Hall, Andrade, and Drake, 2009: 68). Despite the volume of evidence to suggest the contrary, there is also an increasing consensus in the current literature amongst researchers that human resource practices themselves do not directly impact on performance. Instead, it is suggested that they merely influence resources, such as the human capital, or how employees behave, and it is these, rather than the practices themselves, that subsequently lead to performance. (Katou and Budhwar, 2006: 1224). The ability to influence through strong leadership plays an important role in helping employees to be aware of the sets of HR best practices. These best practices need the support of top-level managers to adopt them in the first place, which in turn will greatly influence the buy-in from the rest of the employees in the organization. If these so called ‘best practices’ are mainly from the perspective of top management and shareholders, while there is no room for employees’ voices to be heard, the theoretical aspect of strategic HRM will not work. In their study of performance and strategic HRM in Call Centres across the UK, Wood, Holman and Stride (2006: 120) found very limited support for the human resource-performance relationship and identified inconsistent results across practices and performance. Furthermore, in other research conducted by Hesketh and Fleetwood (2006: 678), they conclude that â€Å"the empirical evidence for the existence of an HRM–performance link is inconclusive†. In real life, companies may need to respond to external pressures which creates problems of treating employees with consistency of treatment, especially over time and may cause problems of retaining good and loyal staff. Simply developing the appropriate HR practices in theory will not be enough because HR advantages also depend on how these practices are implemented on the ground. For example, an organisation that focuses on the well-being of their employees in an economic recession or times of increased competition may be forced to decide between commitment to employees and a need to cut costs, restructure or lay-offs in order to stay solvent. Therefore, looking for a link between HR practices and performance is a futile effort because the main focus needs to be on the relationship between policy, practices, processes, implementation  and performance. This is a huge effort that is not easily and practically achieved in many organisations today. Contingency Theory: In relation to the contingency theory described by Gooderham, Parry and Ringdal (2008: 2042), whereby the relationship between strategic HRM practices and performance is said to vary according to different external and internal factors and contextual variables, there is some support. Internal influences identified in the literature include factors such as technology, structure and size of the organisation and business strategy, and external influences include factors such as the legal, social and political environment (Lengnick-Hall, Lengnick-Hall, Andrade, and Drake, 2009: 66). For instance, within Wal-Mart, those in charge of logistics have extremely valuable and unique skills, much more so than the average sales associate. On the other hand, at Nordstrom’s, because customer service is important, sales associate skills are more critical to the strategy than those of the logistics employees. Indeed Godard (2010: 466) argues that a key criticism of the current research around strategic HRM practices is its failure to pay sufficient systematic attention to these variables and to the impact that historical, institutional and socioeconomic conditions may have had on human resource practices over time. Similarly, Hueslid and Becker (2001: 427) suggest that whilst the nature of work and organisations has undergone considerable change over the past two decades, the practice of strategic HRM has changed much less and this failure to adapt and be flexible has a direct impact on how well it works in practice and how much influence it has on organisational performance. Relating to this, Kim (2010: 42) asserts that understanding employees’ expectations for their work environment is fundamental to developing successful human resource practices including expectations around merit awards, promotion and career development opportunities and organisational rules. Critics of the contingency theory approach, however, suggest that whilst the arguments surrounding it build a theoretical foundation that is more solid that that of the universalistic approach, the evidence of its effectiveness in practice does not reach the same level of statistical validity. (Martin-Alcazar, Romero-Fernandez and Sanchez-Gardey, 2005: 636). Configurational Theory: Finally, with regard to the third theory proposed by Gooderham, Parry and Ringdal (2008: 2042), there appears to be a strong evidence base of support in the current literature for configurational theory. This theory suggests that the impact of strategic HRM is dependent on the effective combination of a range of interrelated and multi-dimensional practices that must work well with one another in order to achieve positive performance outcomes. In their study of strategic HRM and organisational development in British manufacturing firms, De Menezes, Wood and Gelade (2010: 468), concur with this and argue that strategic HRM only has the ability to achieve multiple goals and higher organisational performance, when it is fully integrated with other practices. Similarly, Boxall and Purcell (2000: 186) note that too often there remains a marked tendency in organisations to view human resource practices as an end in themselves, rather than as integral to the organisation and they are therefore are not appropriately linked in to one another and to other management practices, which subsequently impacts on how effectively they operate. The role and skills of human resource practitioners has also been the subject of much research in relation to what impact they have in making strategic HRM work in practice. Some commentators suggest that in order for practices to be effective, practitioners need to possess key strategic skills and core abilities including a high level of knowledge about the business and the environment in which it operates, organisational effectiveness skills, and conflict management skills (Ingham, 2010: 32). Furthermore, Van Buren, Greenwood and Sheehan (2011: 210) propose that the duality of roles that human resource practitioners have historically played, as both employer representatives and as employee advocates, has led to complications and may impact on how effective human resource management is in practice. They go on to suggest that human resource managers face pressures to emphasise employer goals, and often this impacts negatively on their role of advocating for employee welfare, and that they are constrained by demands of their managers and the organisational cultures in which they operate. (2011: 211). Related to this, another feature of the current literature is how  human resource practices are implemented and by whom within organisations. The evidence suggests that rather than being seen as a ‘specialist’ role, much of the work around human resource practice is increasingly being delegated to middle managers to implement. Critics of this approach suggest that these managers are not equipped with the essential skills and time needed to effectively implement strategic HRM. Growing workloads and rising expectations of their roles have increased tensions within their position as middle managers, with their perception that they do not have the time or resources to effectively manage their staff (McConville and Holden, 1999: 406). In a study of line manager involvement in human resource practice in the NHS, Currie and Proctor (2001: 53) found that line managers are important to strategic change within the organisation when given discretion to implement human resource strategies within their own teams. However, managers may not place the same value on strategic HRM, and managers are much more reactive than proactive, and are not likely to prioritise human resource issues unless any problems associated with them become critical. Many managers in today’s organisations are more task oriented because of the demands of multi-tasking, while ideally they should be spending most of their time really managing their staff and departments. This may not be entirely their fault because many organisations today are often dominated by cost-benefit analysis and talk a lot about trade-offs rather than the emotional and mental well-being of their employees. Another key feature of the literature is associated with the methodological challenges that exist in assessing to what extent strategic HRM theory works in practice. These challenges arise from the lack of a single agreed definition or list of human resource practices or systems to measure the relationship between strategic HRM and organisational performance (Paauwe, 2009: 136). The absence of this means that performance may only be ascribed to the specific effects of single interventions rather than measured as a whole. It has been recognised that the development and evaluation of a more comprehensive model demonstrating a causal link between strategic HRM and performance is needed. (Huselid and Becker, 2011: 422). Wright and McMahan (2011: 95) propose that there are three key measures that exist whereby the effectiveness of human capital and therefore human resource practices can be  measured. These include: subjective measures such as employee perceptions; proxy measures which are used as alternatives where aspects of practice are difficult to quantify; and direct assessments which involves measuring tangible factors such as levels of academic attainment of employees or productivity. However, they acknowledge that these measures are not necessarily easy to implement and that all pose challenges for those wanting to research and measure the effectiveness of human resource practices. Others argue that any measures of the impact of strategic HRM and human resource practices are at high risk of bias and misinterpretation and any results relating to this should therefore be treated with caution (Gardner and Wright, 2009: 68). Conclusion: The purpose of this paper is not to ignore the importance of Strategic Human Resource Management theories and the benefits it brings to organisations’ competitive advantage. The studies put in by many renowned theorists seemed to show that there is indeed a link between well executed Human Resource policies and strategies with organizational performance: Table 1: Outcomes of research on the link between HR and organizational performance. Source: Michael Armstrong (2006). Strategic Human Resource Management: A Guide to Action. Kogan Page. London. p. 73-74 The current research literature provides a very mixed view of how well the theory of strategic HRM works in practice. Whilst some studies provide convincing evidence to point to a direct causal link with strategic HRM and high organisational performance, others provide equally compelling evidence to suggest that there is no link and in some cases, even a negative correlation with good performance. In addition, many studies suggest that there are a wide range of variables which impact on how effectively the theory of strategic HRM translates into practice, and which make it difficult to differentiate the impact of strategic HRM from other management activities, and other factors including internal and external organisational pressures and drivers, the type and size of the organisation, and the skill base and strategic placement of human resource management related roles  within the organisation. It also depends on whether the organisation has the capability and the skilled resources to communicate and implement the HR strategies across all level in the organisation. For example, from top management to department heads or from line managers to service staff as well as interactions between departments and employees. The issue is additionally problematic when combined with the lack of consensus on the measures to be used to assess the impact of strategic HRM on performance. A major challenge for Strategic Human Resource Management in the near future is to is to establish a clear and consistent construct for organisational performance. Despite the strong theoretical grounds for believing that strategic HRM should be beneficial for organisational performance, the evidence in practice is ambiguous. Strategic HRM is a complex and ever evolving process and given the contesting evidence and the lack of agreed metrics, the debate around whether or not strategic HRM works in practice will continue on. One aspect of this debate, however, where there does seem to be consensus, is around the need for further research in this area, and perhaps only with this, can the debate ever be truly settled. Reference List Boselie, P., Dietz, G., and Boon, C. (2005) â€Å"Commonalities and contradictions in HRM and performance†, Human Resource Management Journal, Vol. 15 (1), pp. 67–94. Boxall, P. and Purcell, J. (2000) â€Å"Strategic Human Resource Management: where have we come from and where should we be going?† International Journal of Management Reviews, Vol. 2 (2), pp. 183-203. Chuang, C.H. and Liao, H. (2010) â€Å"Strategic Human Resource Management in Service Context: Taking Care of Business by Taking Care of Employees and Customers†, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 63, pp. 153-196. Currie, G. and Procter, S. (2001) â€Å"Exploring the Relationship between HR and Middle Managers†, Personnel Review, Vol. 11 (3), pp. 53-69. De Menezes, L.M., Wood, S. and Gelade, G. (2010) â€Å"The integration of human resource and operation management practices and its link with performance: A longitudinal latent class study†, Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 28, pp. 455-471. Edgar, F. and Geare, A. (2005). â€Å"HRM practice and employee attitudes: Different measures – different results†, Personnel Review, Vol. 34 (5), pp. 534-549. Godard, J. (2010) â€Å"What Is Best for Workers? â€Å"The Implications of Workplace  and Human Resource Management Practices Revisited†, Industrial Relations, Vol. 49 (3), pp. 466-488. Gooderham, P., Parry, E. and Ringdal, K. (2008) â€Å"The impact of bundles of strategic human resource management practices on the performance of European firms†, The International Journal of Human Resource Management†, Vol. 19 (11), pp. 2041-2056. Gould-Williams, J. and Davies, F. (2005). â€Å"Using social exchange theory to predict the effects of HRM practice on employee outcomes†, Public Management Review, Vol. 7 (1), pp. 1-24. Hathorn, M. (2012) Human Capital Challenges and Priorities, Optimis Human Capital Management: Switzerland. Katou, A.A. and Budhwar, P.S. (2006) â€Å"Human resource management systems and organizational performance: a test of a mediating model in the Greek manufacturing context†, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 17 (7), pp.1223-1253. Lengnick-Hall, M.L., Lengnick-Hall, C.A., Andrade, L.S. and Drake, B. (2009) â€Å"Strategic human resource management: The evolution of the field†, Human Resource Management Review, Vol. 19, pp. 64-85. Marescaux, E., De Winne, S. and Sels, L. (2010) HRM practices and work outcomes: The role of basic need satisfaction, Research Centre for Organisation Studies: Belgium. Martin-Alcazar, F., Romero-Fernandez, P.M. and Sanchez-Gardey, G. (2005) â€Å"Strategic human resource management: integrating the universalistic, contingent, configurational and contextual perspectives†, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 16 (5), pp. 633-659. McConville, T. and Holden, L. (1999) The filling in the sandwich: HRM and middle managers in the health sector, Personnel Review, Vol. 28 (5/6), pp.406–424. Stavrou, E.T., Brewster, C. and Charalambous, C. (2010) â€Å"Human resource management and firm performance in Europe through the lens of business systems: best fit, best practice or both?†, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 21 (7), pp. 933-962. Van Buren III, H.J., Greenwood, M. and Sheehan, C. (2011) â€Å"Strategic human resource management and the decline of the employee focus†, Human Resource Management Review, Vol. 21, pp. 209-219. Wood, S., Holman, D. and Stride, C. (2006) â€Å"Human Resource Management and Performance in UK Call Centres†, British Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 44 (1), pp. 99-124. Wright, P.M. and McMahan, G.C. (2011) â€Å"Exploring human capital: putting human back into strategic human resource management†, Human Resource Management Journal, Vol. 21 (2), pp. 93-104.

Business Intelligence Solutions for Organisational Goals

Business Intelligence Solutions for Organisational Goals Information System is becoming an important framework that can assist organizations to manage, develop and communicate their intangible assets such as information and knowledge. Therefore it can be considered as a necessary framework in the current knowledge-based economy arena. In this paper, I will also explain the role of Business Intelligence in providing organizations with a way to plan and obtain their strategic managements objectives. Than others. Theres almost always a prominent firm. In the automotive industry, Toyota is considered an exceptional performer. In pure online retailing, Amazon.com is the leader. In off-line retailing Wal-Mart, the largest retailer on earth, is the also leader. In online music, Apples iTunes is considered the superior with more than 75 percent of the downloaded music markets, and in the related industry of digital music players, the iPod is the best. In Web searching, Google is considered the leader. Firms that do better than others are said to have a competitive advantage over the others: They either have access to specific resources that others do not, or they are able to use generally available resources more efficiently-usually because of superior knowledge and information assets. In any event, they do better in terms of revenue growth, profitability growth, or productivity growth (efficiency), all of which eventually in the long run translate into higher stock market valuations than their competitors. But Why do some firms do better than the others and how do they obtain competitive advantage? How can we analyze a business and recognize its strategic advantages? How can we build a strategic advantage for our own business? How do information systems cause to strategic advantages? One answer to questions above is Michael Porters competitive forces model. Arguably, the most famously used model for understanding competitive advantage is Michael Porters competitive forces model (See Figure 1).This model provides a common view of the firm, its competitors, and the firms environments. Porters model is all about the firms common business environment. In this model, five competitive forces form the fate of the firm. Figure 1- Porters competitive forces model Customers A profitable company depends in large criterion on its ability to attract and hold customers (while denying them to competitors), and charge more expensive prices. The power of customers becomes larger if they can easily switch to a competitors products and services, or if they can force a business and its competitors to compete on price alone in a clear marketplace where there is slightly product differentiation, and all prices are known immediately (such as on the Internet). For example, in the used college textbook market on the Internet, students (customers) can find various suppliers of just about any current college textbook. In this case, online customers have high power over used-book firms. Suppliers The market power of suppliers can have a important impact on firm profits, particularly, when the firm cannot increase prices as fast as can suppliers. The more different suppliers a firm has, the greater control it can practice over suppliers in terms of price, quality, and delivery timetables. For example, manufacturers of laptop PCs almost always have various competing suppliers of key components, such as keyboards, hard drives, and monitors. Competitors All firms share market space with other competitors who are continuously making new, more efficient ways to produce by introducing new products and services, and attempting to attract customers by developing their brands and compelling switching costs on their customers. New Market Entrants In a free economy with moveable labor and financial resources, new companies are always entering the marketplace. In some industries, there are very low barriers to entry, whereas in other industries, entry is very troublesome. For instance, it is easy to start a pizza business or just about any small retailing business, but it is much more costly and difficult to enter the computer chip business, which has very high capital costs and requires a considerable amount of expertise and knowledge that is hard to achieve. New companies have several possible advantages: They are not locked into former plants and equipment, they often employ younger workers who are less expensive and maybe more innovative, they are not burdened by old, worn-out brand names, and they are more hungry (highly motivated) than traditional occupants of an industry. These benefits are also their weakness: They depend on external financing for new plants and equipment, which can be costly; they have a less experienced manpower; and they have little brand identification. Substitute Products and Services In just about every industry, there are substitutes that the customers might use if our prices become excessively high. New technologies make new substitutes all the time. Even oil has substitutes: Ethanol can substitute for gasoline in automobiles; plant oil for diesel fuel in trucks; and wind, solar, coal, and hydro power for industrial electricity production. Likewise, Internet telephone service can substitute for customary telephone service, and fiber-optic telephone lines to the house can substitute for cable TV lines. And, of course, an Internet music service that permits us to download music tracks to an iPod is a substitute for CDbased Music shops. The more substitute products and services in industry, the less we can control pricing and the lower our net profits. Information System Strategies for Facing up to Competitive Forces How can firms use information systems to neutralize some of the forces outlined in Porters competitive forces model? Four general strategies are outlined in Table-1 Strategy Descriptions Example Low-cost Leadership Use information systems to produce products and services at a lower price than competitors while enhancing quality and level of service. Wall-Mart, Dell Computer Product Differentiation Use information systems to differentiate products, and enable new services and products. Google, eBay, Apple, Lands End Focus on market niche Use information systems to enable a focused strategy on a single market niche; specialize. Hilton Hotels Harrahs Customer and supplier intimacy Use information systems to develop strong ties and loyalty with customers and suppliers. Chrysler Corporation, Amazon.com Table 1-Four basic competitive strategies Low-Cost Leadership Use information systems to obtain the lowest operational costs and the lowest prices. Firms such as Wal-Mart have utilized IT to make an efficient customer response system that directly links customer behavior back to production, distribution and supply chains. Product Differentiation Use information systems to allow new products and services, or greatly change the customer convenience in using our existent products and services. Through mass customization, organizations are capable of to offer individually tailored products or services by using mass production resources. Focus on Market Niche Use information systems to enable a particular market focus, and serve this narrow target market better than competitors. Information systems support this strategy by producing and analyzing data for extremely well tuned sales and marketing techniques. Information systems enable companies to analyze buyer buying patterns, tastes, and preferences closely so that they efficiently establish advertising and marketing campaigns to smaller and smaller target markets. Strengthen Customer and Supplier Intimacy Use information systems to make tight linkages with suppliers and develop intimacy with customers. Amazon and Chrysler Corporation are both excellent instances that are quoted in the text of how these firms used information systems to fortify their customer and supplier relationships. Strong linkages to customers and suppliers raise switching costs (expense a customer or company incurs in lost time and expenditure of resources when changing from one supplier to a competing supplier). The Business Value Chain Model Although the Porter model is very useful for identifying competitive forces and suggesting general strategies, it is not very specific about what accurately to do, and it does not provide a methodology to follow for obtaining competitive advantages. If our aim is to achieve operational excellence, where do we start? Heres where the business value chain model is really helpful. The value chain model highlights specific activities in the business where competitive strategies can best be applied (Porter, 1985) and where information systems are most likely to have a strategic effect. This model recognizes specific, critical-leverage points where a firm can use information technology most effectively to improve its competitive position. The value chain model shows the firm as a series or chain of basic activities that add a margin of value to a firms goods or services. These activities can be classified as either primary activities or support activities (see Figure 2). Figure 2-Business Value Chain Model Now, How can we use information systems to enhance operational efficiency, and improve supplier and customer intimacy? This will encourage us to critically examine how we perform value-adding activities at each phase and how the business processes might be enhanced. We can also begin to ask how information systems can be used to improve the relationship suppliers with customers who locate outside the firm value chain but belong to the firms extended value chain where they are absolutely crucial to our success. Here, supply chain management (SCM) systems that arrange the flow of resources into our firm in proper order, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems that coordinate our sales and support employees with customers are two of the most common system applications that derive from a business value chain analysis. Using the business value chain model will also bring about us to consider benchmarking our business operation versus our competitors or others in related industries, and recognizing industry best practices. Benchmarking involves comparing the effectiveness of business processes against severe standards and then measuring performan ce versus those standards. Industry best practices are usually recognized by consulting companies, government agencies, industry associations and research organizations as the most successful solutions for consistently and effectively achieving a business goal. Once we have analyzed the several stages in the value chain at our business, we can come up with proper applications of information systems. Then, once we have a list of proper applications, we can decide which to build first. By making enhancements in our own business value chain that our competitors might miss, we can obtain competitive advantage by attaining lowering costs, operational excellence, enhancing profit margins, and forging a closer relationship with suppliers and customers. If our competitors are making similar enhancements, then we will not be at a competitive disadvantage-the worst of all cases Synergies and Core Competencies A large firm is typically a collection of businesses. Often, the firm is managed financially as a collection of strategic business units, and the returns to the corporation are directly tied to the performance of all the strategic business units. Information systems can enhance the overall performance of these business units by promoting core competencies and synergies. Synergies The aim of synergies is that when the output of some units can be used as inputs to other units, or two organizations pool markets and expertise, these relationships reduce costs and make profits. Recent bank and financial firm mergers, such as the mergers of JPMorgan Chase and Bank One Corporation, FleetBoston Financial Corporation and Bank of America, and Deutsche Bank and Bankers Trust, occurred exactly for this intention, One use of information technology in these synergy situations is to fasten together the operations of dissimilar business units so that they can work as a whole. For instance, merging with Bank One provided JPMorgan Chase with a enormous network of retail branches in the Southwest and Midwest. Information systems assist the merged banks lower retailing costs and increase cross marketing of financial goods. Enhancing Core Competencies Another way to use information systems for competitive advantages is to think about ways that systems can improve core competencies. The argument is that the performance of all business units will rise insofar as these business units improve, or make, a central core of competencies. Core competencies may include being the, the best packaged delivery service, worlds best miniature parts designer or the best thin-film manufacturer. In general, a core competency leans on knowledge that is gained over many years of experience and a first-class research organization or simply key people who pursue the literature and stay side by side of new external knowledge. Any information system that supports the sharing of knowledge across business units enhances competency. Such systems might encourage or improve existing competencies and help employees become conscious, of new external knowledge; such systems might also facilitate a business leverage existing competencies to related markets. The Impact of Business Intelligence on Competitive Advantage Business Intelligence is becoming crucial for many organizations, particularly those have extremely large amount of data. Decision makers depend on detailed and exact information when they have to make decisions. Business Intelligence can provide decision makers with such precise information, and with the suitable tools for data analysis. Business Intelligence is an umbrella term that combines tools, architectures, applications, data bases, practices, and methodologies [20, 6]. Gartner Group (1996) (the first company used Business Intelligence in marker in the mid-1990) defined Business Intelligence as information and applications available broadly to employees, consultants, customers, suppliers, and the public. The key to thriving in a competitive marketplace is staying ahead of the competition. Making sound business decisions based on accurate and current information takes more than intuition. Data analysis, reporting, and query tools can help business users dig in the mine of data to extract and/or synthesize valuable information from it today these tools collectively fall into category called Business Intelligence [9]. Many organizations who built successful Business Intelligence solutions, such as Continental Airlines, have seen investment in Business Intelligence create increases in revenue and cost saving corr esponding to 1000% return on investment (ROI) [22]. A critical question that was raised by many researchers [16, 18] as to what were the main reason pushing companies to seek for business intelligence solutions, and what distinguishes Business Intelligence from Decision Support System (DSS) systems? Actually, over the last decades, organizations built a lot of Operational Information Systems (OIS), resulting in an enormous amount of dissimilar data that are located in different geographic locations, on different storage platforms, with not the same forms. This situation impedes organization from building a general, correlated, integrated, and instantaneous access to information at its global level. DSS developed during the 1970s, with the objective of providing organizations decision makers with the demanded data to sustain decision-making process. In the 1980s, Executive Information System (EIS) developed to supply executive officers with the information needed to support strategic decision-making process. Business Intelligence developed during the 1990s as data-driven DSS, sharing some of the tools and objectives of DSS and EIS systems. Business Intelligence architectures comprise: business analytics, data warehousing, business performance management, and data mining. Most of Business Intelligence solutions are facing up to structured data [1]. However, many application domains need the use of unstructured data or at lowest semi-structured data e.g. customer e-mails, web pages, sales reports, competitor information research paper repositories, and so on [4, 21]. Any Business Intelligence solution can be divided into the following three layers [1]: data layer, which is accountable for storing structured and unstructured data for decision support objectives. Structured data is usually collected in Data Warehouses (DW), Operational Data Stores (ODS), and Data Marts (DM). Unstructured data are managed by using Content and Document Management Systems. Data are extracted from operational data sources, e.g. SCM, CRM, and ERP or from exterior data sources, e.g. market research data. Data are taken out from data sources that are transformed and loaded into DW by ETL (Extract, Transfer, and Load) tools. Logic layer prepares functionality to examine data and provid e knowledge. This obtains OLAP, data mining. And finally access layer, realized by some type of software portals (Business Intelligence portal). My main focus in this paper is to explain the function of Business Intelligence solution that facilitates organizations in formulating, implementing, and obtaining their strategies. Many researchers [5, 17, 10, 12] were emphasizing the IT alignment in general, with businesses, without clearly describing what are the technologies, and tools that can assist organizations in achieving their strategy. The next section will describe the role of Business Intelligence is taking as an IT-enabler to obtain organizations strategy; such role will be emphasized by using strategic alignment model proposed by Henderson and Venkatraman (1993), explaining how this alignment can assist organizations in becoming flexible organizations, concluding how could Business Intelligence solution prepare organizations with sustainable competitive advantages. Business Intelligence as an IT-Enabler to Achieve Organizations Strategy Nowadays, Information System in general, and Business Intelligence as a strategic framework, is becoming increasingly significant in strategic management, supporting business strategies. IT-enabled strategic management addresses the IT role in strategy formulation and implementation processes [19]. Drucker, the pioneer of management by objectives, was one of the first who recognized the surprising changes IT presented to management. Strategic management theories were widely geared towards gaining competitive advantages. Porter (1979) proposed a number of very influential strategic analysis models, such as the five-force model of competition, the value chain and generic competitive strategies that I mentioned above. Porter (1979) said The essence of strategy formulation is coping with competition [14]. Many researchers have indicated the importance of IT alignment with business strategy in order to enhance corporate strategy [5, 17], (Figure3). Figure 3-IT alignment with Business Strategy [5]. Strategic Alignment Model was developed by Henderson and Venkatraman (1993) was one of the first models that explained in a clear way the interrelationships between business strategies and IT strategies [10]. This model is based on two principal concepts (Figure 4): strategic fit that identifies the necessity to position the firm in an external marketplace where growth can take place, and functional integration which addresses how to best structure internal systems to carry out the business strategy of the firm [12]. IT alignment is not only formulating IT strategy to fit business strategy. It has to consider exterior forces and the environment uncertainty. Such alignment facilitates organizations becoming flexible organizations. Due to accelerations in the rates of innovation and technological changes, markets develop rapidly, products life cycles get shorter and innovation becomes the principle source of competitive advantage. And so, organizations look for flexibility to meet market demands. Drnevich and other; (2006) illustrated that flexibility-based perspectives evolved from Schumpeters concept of creative destruction [8]. Operationalization of these perspectives in strategic management is done by way of dynamic capabilities and real options views. Dynamic capabilities view refers to the firms abilities to maintain and fit its internal resources to environment changes to maintain sustainability of competitive advantages. It applies to the capability of obtaining new ways of competitive advantage. It causes to be concerned with continuous search, innovation and adaptation of firm resources and capabilities to reveal and tape new sources of competitive advantages. Real options outlook is effective in dealing with issues of uncertainty. It allows the firm to postpone investment decisions until uncertainties are resolved. New IT organizational adoption expedites the transition into flexible organizations. Business Intelligence is one of these new IT frameworks that can assist such transition. Business Intelligence technologies become a source of competitive advantages and differentiation [13, 11]. Tang and Walters (2006) hint that competitive advantage became a hot strategic management topic [19]. They also view that making new knowledge in a continued way is the single way to achieve competitive advantage. There are many reasons for organization to adopt business intelligence systems in order that achieve organizations strategy: Business Intelligence is considered as an expansion to corporate strategy activities. Herring (1988) considered that Strategy can be no better than the information from which it is derived [11]. Data analytics can be used efficiently to create future business strategy. Data analytics and data mining could disclose hidden reasons for some deficiencies as well as possible high-yielding new investments. Corporations require to be sure that they are receiving the right information related to their long-term strategy. Herring (1988) considered that business intelligence can facilitate organizations in [11]: Supporting the strategic decision making process of the firm. Supporting SWOT analysis Supporting strategic planning and processes. All the mentioned advantage should provide organizations with sustainable competitive advantages. Conclusion In this paper, I explained the use of one aspect of Information System (Business Intelligence) in formulating, implementing, and achieving organizations strategy. I also demonstrated how Business Intelligence solution could provide organizations with sustainable competitive advantages. This survey can be extended by integrating knowledge management (KM) with Business Intelligence (IB) solutions, as it can assist deriving more value (knowledge) from the explosion of textual information(tacit to implicit), which can add more inputs for strategic decision makers. Another important factor is the take advantage of agile methodologies in order to manage the high-change high-speed current environment. Such complicated and dynamic environments highly affect organizations strategies.

Creating a Virtual Reality Game :: Video Games

Introduction When people think of play, many most likely revert back to their childhood and picture their innocent games of make-believe and pretend. According to Brian Sutton-Smith, author of The Ambiguity of Play, play â€Å"glorifies freedom, originality, genius, the arts, and the innocent and uncorrupted character of the childhood vision† (Sutton-Smith, vii). He claims that play is ambiguous, and can deal with many different ideas and characters such as animals, children, adults, fate, power, identity, imagination, phantasmagoria, the self, frivolity, as well as many other outside factors (Sutton-Smith, v). However, I’d like to focus on Sutton-Smith’s definition above that relates play to glorifying freedom and innocence and play as an element of imagination and make believe because this is my most enjoyable form of play. Inspiration The inspiration for my project is the movie, â€Å"The Lord of the Rings Trilogy† because it is my favorite fantasy movie. When watching these movies, a person can get lost in the colorful worlds, detailed characters and incredible adventures that create the magic of the film. This is the old technology I would like to stem from. Watching movies is in itself is an exciting and imaginative form of play. You get emotionally attached to the characters and are sad when the movie ends. But most of the time you are sitting in a theater or a room and just watching the film. I want to take this idea a step further. I want to allow people to step inside the movies they watch. So instead of being a passive receiver of the movie, I want a person to be able to interact with the film and its characters. To achieve this heightened sense of play, I have developed the Virtual Realm. Users/Settings/Social Elements The player must be over 18 years of age for equipment liability reasons and this type of game can appeal to all different types of people: male/female, younger/older, lower/upper class etc. The Virtual Realm can be compared to places like virtual reality arcades and interactive shows like Medieval Times. The Virtual Realm can be a solitary experience or people may choose to interact as a group. They can enter into the same chamber (fits 3 people max, depending on size of chamber) or they can all enter different chambers and interact in the scene together by being different characters. The Making of the Virtual Realm The Virtual Realm is a new virtually reality based playground where a person can go if they wish to interact with their favorite movies.

Identifying Potential Risk, Response, Recovery

In this paper I have just been hired as an Information Security Engineer for a video game development company. I have previously identified all of the potential Threats, Vulnerabilities and Malicious Attacks for the videogame development company. The CIO have reviewed my report and has now requested that I draft a report analyzing and assessing any potential Malicious Attacks, Vulnerabilities and Threats that may be carried out against the company’s network. I will then choose a strategy for dealing with risk, such as mitigation, assignment, risk and avoidance.Next I will develop controls that will be used to mitigate each risk. Now let’s begin by discussing the threat of the Web/FTP server, some servers, or hosts, must be open to the internet. Web servers are examples of such hosts. You want any user to be able to access your web server- but you don’t want everyone to be able to get to your internal network (Fundamentals of Information Systems Security). The sim ple solution for this is just to isolate the host that is connected to the internet from the internal networks and then create a demilitarized zone.The risk mitigation for the Web/FTP, the FTP is very useful for working with remote systems, or to move files between systems. On the other hand the use of FTP across the internet or other untrusted networks, exposes you to certain security risk. Your object authority scheme might not provide enough protection when you allow the FTP on your system. The next risk for FTP is a hacker can mount a denial of service attack with your FTP server to disable user profile (FTP Security). This is usually done by repeatedly trying to logging on with the incorrect password for a user profile, generally until the profile is disabled.This kind of attack will disable the profile if it reached the maximum sign on count of three. If the company use a FTP server logon exit program to reject logon requests by any system user profile and those user profiles that the company designate will not be allowed FTP access. Now we will discuss the NIDS, the primary purpose of a network-based intrusion detection system is to identify attackers trying to expose vulnerable network services. The NIDS can respond to the attack or alert personnel, who can take the necessary and appropriate actions for this type of attack.NIDS allows administrator to respond to attacks with actions appropriate to their security policy. To properly analyze false alarm reduction strategies, it is necessary to quantify risk and the NIDS role in risk reduction. The NIDS uses two formulas, one formula assumes that risk is roughly equivalent to single loss expectancy. This formula for this quantification is SLE= (Asset Value x Exposure Factor) (Fundamentals of Information Systems Security). The next formula states that risk is equal to exposure multiplied by threat. Risk= Exposure x Threat.This equation determines threat and the type of threat. For example there are threats of port scans, automated scans and sweeps, Denial of Service and Service attacks and compromises. Now we will move on to Windows 2008 Active Directory Domain Controllers (DC), because domain controllers provide critical services to their clients, it is crucial to minimize the risk of any disruption of these services that may be caused by malicious attacks. Antivirus Software can be used to mitigate the risk of malicious attacks in Windows 2008 Active Directory Domain Controllers.Make sure that you verify the antivirus software you select is confirmed to be compatible with your domain controllers. Do not use domain controller systems as general workstations. Another way to prevent malicious attacks on domain controller systems is to not allow users to use domain controllers to surf the web or to perform any other activities that can allow the introduction of malicious code. Only allow browsing on sites that are known to be safe, this will be did strictly for the purpose of supportin g server operation and maintenance.Another practice to keep in mind is to make sure that all of the company’s files, including the shared ones, should be ran against a virus scanning software. This bring me to the file servers, have the potential to receive different viruses such as worms, Trojan horses and logic bombs. To allow an end user to upload files to your website, is like opening another door for a malicious user to compromise your server (acunetix. com). File uploads are permitted in social network applications. File uploads are also allowed with blogging, e-banking sites and you tube.All of these network sites allow users the opportunity to efficiently share files with corporate employees. Users are allowed to share files with corporate employees, through uploaded videos, pictures, avatars and many other types of files. The best way to prevent malicious attacks through the company’s file servers is to make sure that the file that is being uploaded is validat ed. This will prevent a hacker from uploading files with malicious codes that can lead to a server compromise. Another way to prevent a malicious attack on the file server is for the company to block all dangerous extensions.In cases like this, there would be a blacklist, the list will show the dangerous extensions and there access will be denied if the extension of file they are trying to upload is on this list. The best practices to follow when uploading files onto websites and web applications. The first risk mitigation in a file server is to estimate the size of programs, files, and transaction. Then you will need to prevent deviation in size of the files as well as the amount of users that have access to the files. Now we will move forward the Wireless access point (WAP), this is the connection between a wired and wireless network.This is also a wireless security protocol designed to address and fix the known security issues in WEP. WAP’s are radios, sending and receivin g networking information over the air between wireless devices and the wired network wireless (Fundamentals of Information Systems Security). The best way to prevent malicious attacks on a WAP is to increase security. Presently WPA provides users with a higher level of assurance that their data will remain protected by using Temporal Key Integrity Protocol for data encryption.If the data is not encrypted then it is considered as fair game, because it would be very easy for anyone that have access to a radio to access this data. The mitigation risk for a Wireless access point is to make sure your technology is updated. Failure to upgrade to newer, more advanced technologies could potentially impact productivity and lead to significant downtime, security vulnerabilities, and non-compliance issues. Older wireless technology do not support new features and functions that are proving to be so valuable.Next you will need to choose the right carrier, ensuring information is secure within t he supply chain, complying with all the latest government and retailer mandates and taking advantage of all the latest features and functions to save time and money can seem like a daunting task ( Wireless technology Migration: Mitigating risk and increasing supply chain efficiency). Now we will discuss the 100- Desktop/Laptop computers, both of these computers are subject to viruses such as worms, hoaxes, Trojans and other security vulnerabilities.The best way to prevent these from occurring is to install and use a firewall. Always make sure you are installing and updating the latest critical security software. Add a virus software scanner, to allow the software to scan your computer for potential viruses. Next we will discuss the VOIP telephone system, this is one of the newest technologies that is being rapidly embraced by the market as an alternative to the traditional public switched telephone network. The malicious attacks that can occur with this system is denial of service, impersonation or spoofing or toll  Ã‚  fraud.The best way to prevent this from happening is to add port security, cisco secure access control server, DHCP Snooping, Cisco firewall solutions and intrusion prevention. Data transit can also be used to protect the voice traffic over the wireless LAN’s. The risk mitigation for desktop/laptop is as followed is to target malware with automated defenses. One of the first line of defenses for any PC or laptop is to block or eliminate viruses, worms, spyware, and other malware, including Trojan downloaders and keystroke loggers, both on endpoints and at the gateway.Deploy anti-malware and filtering software for all email gateways, to prevent malware and spam from ever reaching the PC’s. Next you would want to patch your vulnerabilities as quickly as possible, create a password to access your PC or laptop. To really maximize security in a minimal amount of time, as part of the â€Å"acceptable use† policy, prohibit users from installing unauthorized software on PC’s or laptops (10 Ways to mitigate your security risk).

Ethical Lens Reflection

Ethical Lens Reflection US101 I use my reasoning skills (rationality) to determine what duties are as well as the universal rules that each person should follow (autonomy). By prioritizing the value of autonomy over equality my primary concern is prospecting individual rights. I believe this is always the best way to assure that everyone in the community is treated equally. Believing all person should follow the same set of universal rules so strongly that I resist making exceptions even when intuition suggests a more passionate result. I found this result to be very true of myself.My personal ethical lens may direct my academic behavior into the positives. If all is true as the ethical lens states then when I set my mind to a project, being the discussion questions or an assignment, I fulfill those tasks. Doing this will get everything in on time. My ethical lens influences my critical thinking knowing that I have to think things through, I ask questions when need be, and ensure all resources are verified as scholarly or peer reviewed. By following my ethics I will refrain from plagiarism making sure to cite or reference all sources as needed.Keeping my conscience clear in classes. One of my results was: Tools for analyzing problems, Reason. Using critical thinking skills is my preferred method for learning and problem-solving. It states that I tend to think through a problem carefully and dutifully research options to find the one that will allow myself to fulfill my duties. My focus on gathering and carefully analyzing all the available data so I can make fully informed decision. The classical value of Temperance shows that I value individual balance and restraint in the desire for pleasure as I seek to satisfy my duties.I also know who I am, so I can act with integrity in the exercise of all virtues. â€Å"I am responsible† is my key phrase. Because I value autonomy and rationality, I tend to assume that my own definitions of what a responsible perso n should do applies to everyone. I define an ethical person as one who fulfills their duties and does the right thing as an autonomous, fully responsible adult. For me, this is the fullest expression of fairness and justice. My gift of self-knowledge shows I am concerned with figuring out my duties, when I am at my best I know myself – I know what I am doing and why.Because of this, when I say that I will do something or care for someone, I follow through. I am also able to live in the present, to determine what I need to do at any given moment to fulfill my responsibilities. I risk being autocratic or bossy. I require everyone to do things my way in order to measure up ethically. I tend to not consider other interpretations of facts or listen to other approaches once I have made up my mind. If I am not paying attention I can be tempted to excuse myself from following the rules. I insist that I really am being true to my core values, even when I am not.I’ll convince my self that the rules were meant for other people or that the action I want to take really does meet my responsibilities, even though my responsible self tells me otherwise. My vice is that I can become overly judgmental and unrealistic. I must remember to think about the impact of a decision on the whole community. Sometimes individuals actually benefit by restraining autonomy for the good of the community. As I learn to consider other perspectives in my decision making process, I will live out the best of my ideals with compassion and care for others.Using the results from the aptitude competency exercise can help with my current career as well as in class. By focusing on customer needs and satisfaction; I can set high standards for quality and quantity; monitor and maintain quality and productivity, working in a systematic, methodical and orderly way, and consistently achieve project goals. By producing new ideas, approaches, or insights; I can create innovative products or designs , and produce a range of solutions to problems.