CHAPTER 3 -> Strategic Initiatives For Implementing Competitive Advantages

BUSINESS PROCESS RE ENGINEERING

Ok..for this week..our IT class had a presentation. We divided into 4 group. Every group had their own title. For my group I got business process re engineering or also known as BPR. My group including Miza,Husna,Zulaikha,Aishah and Zumira.

We had discuss about, How organization use BPR to improve their business?

Actually, what is BPR? hmmmm....ok read this first.

BPR is a standardized set of activities that accomplish a specific task such as processing customer's order. BPR more to methods or activities that organization use in their business to improve the quality product. It also using the technology or IT as a tools to make the business more easy, faster,efficiency and effectiveness.

BPR will help organization to improve their business by:

1- shared database, making information available at many places

2- expert systems, allowing generalists to perform specialist tasks before this financial data will be done bu specialist skill.

3- wireless data communication and portable computers allowing field personnel to work office independent

4- automatic identification and tracking allowing things to tell where they are instead at requiring to be found.

As an example nowadays, the bank system like Maybank had provided online system to make any payments,billing,checking and else to their customer. It will spend more time,money and force. People will not trap in the traffic jam or long line in the caunter. The customers just need to click on the  www.maybank2u.com.my 

Therefore, the customer will satisfied with the system and will use the service repeatedly. The name of the company will more famous and more believable.

That's all for today..so far i can understand more about BPR and how organization use this to improve their business. So...for those who want to improve their business learn about BPR and implement the BPR function to earn more profit and success.

Thank you..s.u.l ^_^. bye2.. 

 

CHAPTER 2 CASE: Say 'Charge It' with your cell phone

OK...for this week we all learned about technology and our lecture give this assignment and the assignment is about smartphone. After read the article, we have to answer all the questions and u can see i had wrote down the questions and the answers below..actually it is not too difficult but we need to think creatively..:)

 QUESTIONS:

1. Do you view this technology as a potential threat to traditional telephone companies? If so what counter strategies could traditional telephone companies adopt to prepare for this technology?

2. Using Porter's Five Forces describe the barriers to entry for this new technology?

3. Which of Porter's three generic strategies is the new technology following?

4. Describe the value chain of the business of using cell phones as a payment method.

5. What types of regulatory issues might occur due to this type of technology?

ANSWERS:

1. Yes, i agree this technology as a potential threat to traditional telephone companies. Therefore, the counter strategies could traditional telephone companies adopt to prepare for this technology by using focused strategy. focused strategy normally target to a niche market. they only focus one group of user in their product. For example, M mobile in Malaysia just focus to calling and messaging. It not have many application in the systems compared to others mobile smartphones companies.  M mobile should maintain it strategies to compete with others mobile company because not all people like to using smartphones and perhaps they do not know how  to use the application in the smartphones. (like me...^^)so..whatever..:P

2. By using Porter's Five Force, the one of the barriers to entry for this new technology is buyer power. Nowadays, buyers has many choices to choose the best supplier to their product. They want their customer still and loyal use their product without change to the other product. For example, in blackberry smartphone using an application of IOS and Samsung were using an application of android. Therefore, the existence of the competitors cause barriers to them to improve and move aggressively to produce quality product. Then, customers should choose the best and quality product.
Second is supplier power. Supplier need to diversify their product to maintain and compete with other supplier.They want their customers be a loyal user with their product. We can see at Samsung company, they using an android application in their smartphones.
Third, the barrier in threat of substitute products and services happened when too many technology product exist at the market they want to be the best product among the customer.They want to be the best because they do not want their customer find another product and change their taste.
Fourth is threat of new entrants. Barriers for new entrants is how they want to introduce and attract their product to people. For instance, Motorola company launched its smartphone too. So, they want their customer know about the existence of the product. They need catch mind of people for realize that Motorola also able to produce smartphones.
Lastly, rivalry among existence competitors. When there are many of competitors in market that want to compete in their technology and product, they do not realize that they need to open their mind and think something new and more advance in the technology. Not only focus on gadget but another factors.      

3. The Porter's three generic strategies is the new technology following is differentiation. Differentiation will create competitive advantage by distinguish their products on one or more features to their customers. For example, an Apple products, they use Mac application, the identity logo is an apple shape, the colors colorful, the shapes interesting. It can be distinguish clearly with the others product like Nokia. Samsung, Blackberry and CSL.


4. The value chain of the business of using cell phones as a payment method :

5. The regulatory issues might occur due to this type of technology is fraud. the fraud can happen either to the customer side or supplier side. customer can be cheat by using other person credit card to make the payment. For example, children can use their parents credit card. For supplier side, they will make double charges without customer knowledge.

that's all. I finished my work!! bubye.s.u.l~ ^_^

CHAPTER 2 -> Porters 5 Forces Model

.The Porter's Five Forces tool is a simple but powerful tool for understanding where power lies in a business situation. This is useful, because it helps you understand both the strength of your current competitive position, and the strength of a position you're considering moving into.

With a clear understanding of where power lies, you can take fair advantage of a situation of strength, improve a situation of weakness, and avoid taking wrong steps. This makes it an important part of your planning toolkit.

Conventionally, the tool is used to identify whether new products, services or businesses have the potential to be profitable. However it can be very illuminating when used to understand the balance of power in other situations.

Understanding the Tool:

Five Forces Analysis assumes that there are five important forces that determine competitive power in a business situation. These are:

1. Supplier Power: Here you assess how easy it is for suppliers to drive up prices. This is driven by the number of suppliers of each key input, the uniqueness of their product or service, their strength and control over you, the cost of switching from one to another, and so on. The fewer the supplier choices you have, and the more you need suppliers' help, the more powerful your suppliers are.
2. Buyer Power: Here you ask yourself how easy it is for buyers to drive prices down. Again, this is driven by the number of buyers, the importance of each individual buyer to your business, the cost to them of switching from your products and services to those of someone else, and so on. If you deal with few, powerful buyers, then they are often able to dictate terms to you.
3. Competitive Rivalry: What is important here is the number and capability of your competitors. If you have many competitors, and they offer equally attractive products and services, then you'll most likely have little power in the situation, because suppliers and buyers will go elsewhere if they don't get a good deal from you. On the other hand, if no-one else can do what you do, then you can often have tremendous strength.
4. Threat of Substitution: This is affected by the ability of your customers to find a different way of doing what you do – for example, if you supply a unique software product that automates an important process, people may substitute by doing the process manually or by outsourcing it. If substitution is easy and substitution is viable, then this weakens your power.
5. Threat of New Entry: Power is also affected by the ability of people to enter your market. If it costs little in time or money to enter your market and compete effectively, if there are few economies of scale in place, or if you have little protection for your key technologies, then new competitors can quickly enter your market and weaken your position. If you have strong and durable barriers to entry, then you can preserve a favorable position and take fair advantage of it.

chapter 1 MGT 300

assalamualaikum for all the Muslims and hi for non Muslim..on 4 December 2012.. I've learned chapter 1 about Business Driven Technology. my lecture, Madam Intan Liana teaches us and explain about information technology or also known as IT.

IT is a very important thing in our life to make a connection with our network relation, family,friends and sometimes it can guide us to make a business and add knowledge. In IT..there are have an application called as MIS or management information systems, this application can help to solve any problems and make the task more effective and efficiency. for example touch n go system. this system use MIS application.

The important elements of MIS divided into 3. there are data,information and business intelligence, IT resources and IT cultures.

Data is a raw facts that show any kind of event or situation. before we made a conclusion or get a result, we must have a data as a prove and guideline to know something. for instance, if we want to make a business,we must collect the data about the customer demand, what the customers want? What the special characteristics of the product?

Next is information. after collect the data..we need to make an information to manipulated the data. perhaps it can transform as a statistics, graph, table or chart.  it can make more easier.

Business intelligence or called as think tank used to analyze data and information to support decision. For a company it can help to gain comprehensive knowledge of the factor affec the business.

Second element is IT resources. IT resources divided into three basic resources there are people, information and information technology.

Last element is IT cultures. Culture will influence people. how they use the IT? either more to positive or negative way. It also include the organizational information cultures....

1-information functional culture

2-information sharing culture

3-information inquiring culture

4-information discovery culture

so..in the conclusion...IT is the most important thing in the world. not only to make a connection but to making a business, sharing our experience, add knowledge and everything. 

OK..that's all for my summarize about chapter 1..i write what i understand about this chapter and thank you.^^s.u.s