Assignment Internet Tools at Dirt Bikes Essay

Many organizations use the Internet and the Web technology to make their business more productive, efficient, and to cut cost. Developing a central information system or IS, is vital to organizing and storing information pertaining to all company processes. An IS will make the â€Å"six important business objectives: operational excellence; new products, services, and business models; customer and supplier intimacy; improved decision-making; competitive advantage; and survival† achievable. Laudon & Laudon, 2011) â€Å"Information systems and technologies are some of the most important tools available to managers for achieving higher levels of efficiency and productivity in business operations. † (Laudon & Laudon, 2011) A firewall is important to have to make a security barrier that ensures that the information within the company’s information systems safe from hackers and access by outside sources. A system’s firewall is just one of many ways a company can ensure the safety of their private information. All employees need to be linked in a way that will make information sharing and communication more efficient. Creating an intranet is one way to do this. Intranets allow the company’s sales and marketing, human resources, and manufacturing and production departments to have a private and protected network where they can communicate with each other. In order for this to happen, Dirt Bikes will have to invest in information technology (IT) that may seem like an unnecessary expense but will help ensure Dirt Bikes’ success in the future. Linking all of the company’s computers together in, addition to linking them to a local area network (LAN) will maximize efficiency. Implementing this software along with an intranet will allow the company’s management information system (MIS) to store, organize, and report on all company’s important and vital information. MIS allows management to develop a reporting schedule to monitor each department. With this tool, managers can identify any areas that need improvement or attention, track which promotional tactics produce the best results, and the effectiveness of advertising, to list a few benefits of a management information system. It also improves management’s ability to make executive decisions concerning their business process so that they can fulfill their business model and be profitable. Linking all employees by use of an intranet can cut the time needed to complete projects, make research and discovery (R&D) for new products and improvements easier, and monitoring the productivity of and communication between each of the company’s departments more productive. These actions alone will increase the organization and operational performance of all employees. A MIS will greatly improve this company’s overall performance and ability to be successful. With this type of system, they will be able to store all data needed for clients and keep their information safe and protected just as they do with the company information. It also organizes the information so it is easier to retrieve later. Another benefit of employing systems such as these is that they can track the sales of their products in different regions according to sales and marketing reports. They can adjust inventory, marketing, and advertising according to sales trends and demand within the industry. This is information a company needs to be successful and keep up with its competition in the industry. Using this technology will help Dirt Bikes achieve the improvement sales and profit that they desire. Wireless technology can enable them to use portable of devices whether it be a hand held or laptop so that employees can communicate while away from the workplace. This would allow them to stay in touch with their customers, suppliers, and employees from any location. This would offer the company improvement systems by making the employees able to do their jobs more effectively while away from their desks. Wireless Internet capability could be a benefit to them by allowing employees to access information, print, scan or fax from any location inside the building, and in some cases remotely from other locations as well. Wireless Internet devices can be costly but will pay for themselves in time. A website online would also be extremely beneficial to this company and will boost sales and revenue by opening up a new area of target customers. The impact of developing a company website can increase the workload of all divisions but will also product sales so communication and organization is imperative. This can be an important attribute to a growing company and provide a tremendous boost to employee productivity. The employees, and the company, will appreciate the convenience that comes with wireless devices. A website on the Internet will help boost sales and profit by increasing the company’s customer base that may not be local or able to go to the Dirt Bikes physical location. It is a useful tool the marketing division to advertise the company to a large array of potential customers. The website should provide the customer with information about the company and their product line. This is also a great way to utilize word-of-mouth advertising and cut costs for advertising. Offering online customers perks like direct shipping, or online only discount prices, can pull in additional customers that are not able to visit Dirt Bikes’ store. In addition, developing an interactive web page where customers can add comments is a good way to get feedback on customer service, products, and pricing. An online system linked to the central information system is also a great way to store and organize customer information. It will allow management to report on online sales of products and compare online versus store sales. These are just a few ways Dirt Bikes can boost sales, increase profit and cut cost of their communication within the company and to their customers. The situation that Dirt Bikes found themselves in can be remedied with technology and some new strategies to keep up with the competition in their industry. If this company does not keep up with the technology of the day, it is at risk of losing any competitive advantage it may have and face eventual failure. Making the expenditure for developing the type of systems that will store, organize, and secure company and customer data would be an immense benefit to this company. Keeping up with technology will improve decision-making, data tracking, and managing information much more effective and help this company fulfill its goals. It will help them anticipate and provide for the needs and wants of their customers in many demographic locations. It will also broaden the company’s customer base to include locations that were not accessible until utilization of the Internet and the World Wide Web. By making these adjustments and improving their business plan Dirt Bikes can re-enter the industry with renewed zest and instill fear in their competitors once again.