Select one of the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) linkages that Margaret identified in the meeting, the one you believe will benefit the company the most and be the most feasible to implement.
Address the three points Margaret specified. Be succinct, but include strong support for your arguments. The Electronic Data Interchange System had been a great tool for “The Office Works”, one of the largest office supply retailers in the said case study and has been a real success. It has been forming linkages to the companies where they buy their products form and the companies that they sell their products to.It has been a huge breakthrough and now the company is planning to expand their EDI network, thus expanding their linkages to other firms. The President, Margaret Bennett, informed several executives and came up with several ideas.
After balancing all the ideas, I firmly believe that Wilson Pruitt, the CIO, that states about having similar relationship with hardware and software vendors will benefit the company the most and will be the most feasible to implement first since it is unnecessary to try everything at once and it should be better to focused and concentrate in one area.Wilson Pruitt’s application on establishing linkages with hardware and software vendors is of great deal for the fact that it is by the very nature of what they do, software and hardware manufacturers and vendors is on the cutting edge of technology, while offering secure and cost efficient solutions for their customers' needs. The company can send those requests for price quotations and they could respond back in proposals.These proposals can either be an avenue to a new focus to their investment in new products and services to offer with the aid of the latest technologies that the hardware and software vendors offer. And the fact the Electronic Data Interchange has very much something to do with the direct computer-to-computer transmissions among multiple firms of data, it is much better to engage with linkages among other firms who are much related with the advancement of technologies that can give advantages in today’s global network where technology is the pace and competitiveness.
Today’s networking wherein computer network or data network is very vital that is allows computers to exchange data, networked computing devices pass data to each other along data connections. The connections (network links) between nodes are established using either cable media or wireless media. The best-known computer network is the Internet. Which is a great help in expanding to the business world. Thus, it can only perform effectively and efficiently through computer hardware that only hardware vendors such as Huawei, Cisco and Motorola for example is.They support applications such as access to the World Wide Web, shared use of application and storage servers, printers, and fax machines, and use of email and instant messaging applications which are the very need for a company engaging in Electronic Commerce.
Although computer networks differ in the physical media that is used to transmit their signals, the communications protocols to organize network traffic, the network's size, topology and organizational intent.And only hardware vendors facilitates network computer devices that originate, route and terminate the data which include nodes, that can include hosts such as servers and personal computers, as well as networking hardware. Two devices are said to be networked when a device is able to exchange information with another device. And only through them that these two devices can be linked and both transfer data and information to one another, thus forming linkages in the Electronic Data Interchange System of the company.These new idea of forming linkages to the hardware and software vendors will also be the primary means of the company towards gaining competitive advantage especially in knowing the latest advancement of technology that is of great help in gaining leverage in the market place . Although the company has so many ways to achieve this, such as providing their products and services at a lower price that are better than those of competitors but they will also have to engage in using data and information of great use, that is according to the competitive advantage which the company might get upon applying this application to their Electronic Data Interchange System.
But, I am not only referring to competitive advantage alone, many other benefits can be used through this application, one of which is what Margaret has pinned point, the Request for Price Quotations which is a standard business process whose purpose is to invite suppliers into a bidding process to bid on specific products or services. Through this, they can attract more suppliers wherein they can get their supplies from and include latest products to their firms.But not only that, it is not only the hardware vendors but so do the software vendors that comprises companies specializing in making or selling software, designed for mass or niche markets. This typically applies for application-specific or embedded software, from other software producers such as the IBM and Hewlett-Packard.
This software vendors will be a good source of great applications that are needed for the company’s advancement. They can be a good source of marketing tools necessary to advertise and make the company’s product known o the public as possible.Through this, and the avenue of propagating various web sites and adverting them, there will surely be a great increase in the company’s income. They are also vital to be included because along with the hardware vendors because the hardware and the software typically require each other and neither can be realistically used without the other.
Thus, the exchange of data and information will be much of a convenience with these two present in the company wherein technology advancement is the pacing globally.When the company forms linkages with the hardware and software vendors, thus making them one of the linkages in the EDI System of the company many benefits will follow such as making electronic commerce easier, thus, uplifting the performance of the basic business operations of the firm, competitive advantage comes along, since, the products will be introduced in the niche market and the presence of competitors will be identified.The company can even broaden their customers especially those who considers purchasing at home through the use of computer programs by forming websites of the company promoting their products. They can also have latest updates regarding new products and form strategies to promote it.
Through these possible linkages, the company can also benefit from Software publishers that develop in house software addressing generic corporate needs such as accounting software, networking software, and marketing software which can be of great help in the advancement of the company towards competing globally to niche markets which considers technology as its basis. They can also be the means of developing concise strategic plans for the company especially when they tend to be the bridge towards exchanging valuable data and information regarding new developments.Certain kinds of data will be transferred back and forth such as requesting for price quotations and business proposals, latest trends on new products and services of hardware and software, the company can also get a better understanding of potential market size for new products and technologies, whether from our trend analysis or global forecasts, and they can also be a transfer of data that can make the company aware of the presence of any competitor existing in the market. One company together with this business partners will be efficient enough to excel in the business world.
And since they are linked together, they will have to transfer valuable information and data that will help each other. Such transfer will include, the transfer of information on the latest advancement in technology which can help the firm be updated, the transfer of data regarding on the latest products and services offered in the market, this an help the firm as they can benchmark their products offered to the market, improve it and be engage in proper competition which spices up the business world.It also includes the transfer of information with the latest software and hardware advancement and sometimes on new and various applications on business operations which includes new strategies, thus improving the making of strategic planning of the company. There are actually so many benefits that the company can get and these are only a few of them but I can assure that in a much bigger global scale his eve contributes to the growth of the company for it is not only the expansion of the Electronic Data Interchange linkages but it is like opening a new door of opportunities that the company can use in order to compete and excel globally as a strong company aided with EDI links.Although, I do understand that all of the ideas that are stated by other executive are of great help since they are mostly environmental elements that affects the company. Such as what John Burns, Chief Finance Officer, suggested regarding on forming linkages by using electronics to provide financial information on banks when they apply for loans, which is very precise since they also rely on financial institutions that provides and influences money resources that is available for the firm.
This might also be a good idea since exchanging of data and information between them will be more convenient and safer since when they will have such transfer of information it will only be between the company and the bank. They also pinned point on the idea of Barbara Salsa, Director of Human Resource, in exchanging information with employment agencies and college placement centers which will be of great source for human power and possible sources of improving man power in the company.When linkages are formed, the employment basis of the company will be easier and the hiring of new employees will be of great convenience too. Therefore, I believe that all of the ideas in forming linkages and including these firms in the Electronic Data Interchange System of the company will be very beneficial to them.
This is why the Chief Information Officer suggested forming these linkages since this will benefit more of the company that is so much engage in Electronic Commerce wherein exchange of data and information is very relevant.Since we are all know living in a computer era, wherein technology is the pace, and the exchange of information and data from one form to another is just within a click of a button, the company will have to rely of the hardware and software in the computers, which are the vital machines necessary for these operations. It sounds convenient since nowadays all the information is stored in the cloud and all in one you have all that you need.In order to acquire the transfer of data and information, only computer, through its hardware and software which are information resources that is engaged in information management is vitally needed. Say for example, in a company where e-commerce runs and competitive advantage is the riding-objective, in order to achieve these; they have to be linked with them, the vendors.
Such as the IBM company, in order to bring competitive advantage in.They have to acquire this in order to use the key element in the IOS, which is the data communications network that routes data and information between the company and its business partners. And with the aid of hardware and software vendors, they will also gain business intelligence, because along with achieving competitive advantage is the rise of business intelligence in the firm. Through this, they will have enough knowledge on how to run successfully in the competitive world of business.Not only that, they might also consider this as an avenue towards opening new information resources which is of great help in achieving an increase in revenue since these can also be a source of a marketing strategy towards forming a marketing tool in promoting their products and services to the market. Through this, the customers will be much aware of the company’s existence, although they have already established name in the business world, thus, acknowledging them as the nation’s largest office supply retailers but they can even make a name globally and expand their business operations to the various parts of the globe.
In a wider sense, and increase in the proportion in the world market is far not too impossible to happen due to the mere fact that they have entered the business world with the aid of e-commerce and various business partners that will not only help them with their business but will also uplift their confidence in performing excellently in the field of business.And because of this link also, there will be an internal and interorganizational efficiency in store for the company and its business partners wherein there will be various improvements in the firm’s own operations, thus enabling the firm to gather data faster, analyze it faster, and even make decisions faster. All will be very convenient to the company although many challenges will also arise but the thing is the benefits they can get is beyond unmeasureable. There will also be improvements that are gained by working with other firms and business partners.
These improvements enable firm to offer more products and services, serve more customer, shift certain work to suppliers or customers and gather environmental data more easily. These also allows an increase in the company’s suppliers and customers of their products and services offered and will be a great jump breakthrough of the company’s boom in the business. Not only that, they also have to adopt to the dynamic changes if they don’t want to get left behind with the trend that keeps the business going and alive nowadays.We can’t deny the fact that we have come to the age where the transfer of data is just a click of the button compared before wherein traditionally we have to do business manually. We have come to the age where convenience is there that serves as a benefit.
Therefore, the company can’t afford to be left behind and forming linkages through the Electronic Data Interchange in E-commerce. They have to have this in order to uplift the company in the field of information technology which greatly appears to be the business world of today’s generation.
