Case
Study, Stage 1: Business Environment Analysis
Before you begin this assignment, be
sure you have read the “ Haircuts Case Study” and be sure to take a look at
the “Walmart Example.”
Purpose of this Assignment
This assignment gives you the opportunity
to apply the concepts of the Porter Five Forces model to a specific business,
develop a strategic direction for Haircuts, and identify a process that
could be improved with the use of technology.
This assignment specifically addresses the following course outcomes to
enable you to:
- analyze business strategy to recognize how technology
solutions enable strategic outcomes - analyze internal and external business processes to
identify information systems requirements.
Business Environment Analysis for Haircuts
Haircuts has been in
business since 1995 and has seen an increase in competition
from a variety of competitors, as described in the Case Study. With the news that a Hair Cuttery is likely
to open only five miles away, Myra, the owner of Haircuts,is
concerned and has asked you to help her assess the impact on her business and
how she can deal with it. worried and is
looking to you to provide reassurance that the competition will not affect the
business. In addition, Myra has asked you
for assistance in developing a strategy for bringing Haircuts into the 21st
century and taking advantage of technology.
You
know that Michael Porter’s Five Forces Model is a useful tool for analyzing a
business, understanding the importance of the five competitive forces and
helping to develop a Generic Strategy.
Porter’s Model is also used to aid organizations facing the challenging
decisions of dealing with changes made by existing competitors, entering a new
industry or industry segment, or developing a strategy for dealing with new
competition. The Five Forces Model helps
determine the relative importance of the forces affecting competitive position
that could affect the future success of a business. The Five Forces are:
- Buyer Power
- Supplier power
- Threat of substitute products
or services - Threat of new entrants
- Rivalry among existing
competitors
The
Five Forces and the Generic Strategy are fully described and discussed in the readings
for Week 1, and the Business Model and Competitive Advantage are covered in Module
1. In order to analyze Haircuts’
current competitive position and develop a Generic Strategic direction, you
have decided to use the Five Forces Model to analyze Myra’s business.
Assignment
Using the class reading and
external resources (resources other than those provided in the class), write a
short paper 2-3 pages in length, not
including References page and cover sheet, responding to the bulleted items
below.Remember
to use the APA formatting rules and correctly cite and reference your sources
with APA format. Use the Grading Rubric to be sure you have covered everything. Submit your paper as a Microsoft Word
document, or a document that can be read using Word, with your last name
included in the filename.
Create a document that includes the
following:
- Brief
introduction providing the
background of the case, why you are writing and what is to come in your
paper. This should only be 3-5
sentences.
·
Perform a Porter’s Five Forces analysis for Haircuts, addressing each
force in one or two sentences and defining the force, its impact (Positive,
Negative or Neutral) on the business and whether it should affect Myra’s
strategy (Yes/No). Do not identify solutions or things that Myra
should do that would affect the factor. (The idea is to identify how the
different forces affect Haircuts and how much.) This provides you with a
view of the business that will allow you to select a Generic Strategy and a
Strategic Business Area on which to focus your efforts.
- Determine which
of Porter’s Three Generic Strategies
that you will use to improve Haircuts for the 21st century and
explain why you selected it, and tie it into the significant forces that
you have identified.
·
Using
your analysis of Haircuts Business Model (based on what you learned in
Module 1), identify an important Strategic
Business Area that needs to be improved.
The Strategic Business Area should be selected from the following:
o
Customers
o
Employees
o
Suppliers
o
Marketing
The Walmart Example
demonstrates use of this concept, so you should review it and make sure that
you are on the right track. Explain
why you have selected that Strategic Business Area and how improving it will
improve operation of the business, including how it relates to the Generic
Strategy you selected.
- Within the selected Strategic Business
Area, identify and select a single daily process that is within and supports the Strategic Business
Area that needs improvement. Note: A process is a set of activities or
steps that are used to accomplish a specific task. Some of the processes that Myra has
identified for improvement are: - Customer and Employee Scheduling
- Supply Ordering and Management
- Customer Information and Marketing
(In Stage 2 you will model the AS IS process and the TO BE
Process, and propose a technology solution to improve the process you identify
here, so select a process that is
appropriate for a technology solution.)
- At the end of
your report with your References enter the following headings and complete
the information using one concise phrase for each. You will be starting each subsequent
stage by including this information as a method to keep us focused on the
objectives.
GENERIC STRATEGY:
STRATEGIC BUSINESS AREA:
PROCESS TO BE IMPROVED:
In determining which process you
select for improvement, be sure to keep in mind the remaining projects within
this Case Study. You should review
Stages 2-5 to get an understanding of
the future projects that build on this initial stage and to aid you in
selecting a process (and later proposing a technology solution) that can
support the requirements of the follow-on assignments.
Do not start on Stage 2 until
you receive feedback on this Stage as the Process that you select is crucial and
your instructor may recommend that you change processes so that you can
successfully complete the case. You MUST incorporate the recommended
changes in all subsequent Stages.
The “right”
and “wrong” answers have to do with whether or not you correctly
incorporated the course concepts from the textbook and addressed all parts of
the assignment. You need to do some external research on at least one aspect of
the assignment – your choice – and incorporate it and cite/reference it in
APA format in your response. The specific strategic area you select
for a technology solution is not as important as that it makes sense in light
of the course content and the Case Study and is well supported with your
application of the course concepts and your external research. Use the
Rubric below to be sure you have covered all aspects.
Case
Study, Stage 2: Business Process Analysis and Technology Solution Proposal
Before you begin this assignment, be
sure you have read the “ Haircuts Case Study”, “ Haircuts Stage 1”
Project and the “Walmart Example.” You
will use the strategic business area and process that you selected in Stage 1; review
the feedback you received for any recommended changes to your Stage 1 project prior
to starting this assignment and be sure you have an appropriate “process”
identified.
Purpose of this Assignment
This assignment gives you the
opportunity to apply your analysis skills to model a business process. Modeling the process as it exists (and as it
will exist) will aid in the analysis, design, development and implementation of
the technology solution. This assignment also gives you the opportunity to
apply your knowledge of technology solutions to improve a business process.
This assignment specifically addresses the following course outcomes to enable
you to:
- analyze internal and external business processes to
identify information systems requirements. - identify and plan IT solutions that meet business
objectives.
Business Process Analysis for the UR Healthy Fitness
Center
In order to apply technology to a
process, the process must be thoroughly understood and models are used for this
purpose. The model also supports
business process analysis and redesign when the process is deemed to be
inefficient or ineffective. In addition,
models are used to design the “to-be” process that describes the desired end
state after the technology solution is developed.
For your
Stage 1 Project for the Case Study, you identified a strategic business area
for improvement of the Haircuts business, and youidentified a process that could be improved with the use of
technology. In this stage, you will
create a model of that process that will define in detail the steps in the
process as it is done today to aid in the analysis of the problem, and you will
create a model of the proposed new, improved process, and explain your proposed
IT solution to support that improved process.
The
proposed information technology solution should address the revised business
process and should be appropriate to Haircuts. The solution will be briefly described, and
an explanation given for why and how this proposed solution will improve the
business process. Be sure to read the
instructions for the remaining projects in this Case Study (Stages 3-5) to get
an understanding of the future projects that build on the proposed solution and
to help you in deciding upon your solution.
You want to propose a solution that can be used in the assignments that
follow this one, so be selective and choose an appropriate solution.
Assignment
For this assignment you will use the
process identified for improvement in your Stage 1 Project. There are 2 parts to this assignment.
Part 1: Business
Process Analysis – Models of the AS IS Process and the TO BE Process. The various course resources provided for
Week 2 illustrate several different methods of modeling business
processes. You may use any of the models
shown(or
follow the example provided in the Walmart Example), to analyze the process you identified for improvement,breaking it down into sequential
steps and modeling it. You may use
Microsoft Word, Excel or Power Point (or compatible software) or clearly
and professionally hand-draw your model and scan it into an electronic file format. Which model format you choose to use is not
as important as making sure you have included all the major steps in the
process and appropriately sequenced them. The process that you model must
be the one you identified in your Stage 1 Project(or the
one suggested by the instructor) and it needs to be appropriate to Haircuts. First, you will model the process as it is
currently performed at the shop; this is the AS IS Process. Then you will model the way that you expect
the new process to function after your proposed technology solution is
implemented; this is the TO BE Process.
Note: See Stage 1 for the
definition of a process and examples of processes at Haircuts.
Tools for
Creating the Models
The
following website has a more detailed description of Flow Charting and its uses:
http://web.archive.org/web/20130718234318/http://www.hci.com.au/Hcisite2/toolkit/flowchar.htm
To create a flow chart or process map in
Excel:
§ http://web.archive.org/web/20130619031235/http://www.breezetree.com/articles/how-to-flow-chart-in-excel.htm
§ http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/flowchart-simple-layout-TC001018440.aspx
§ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exFFCCr66LI [cc is ok, demo is self-explanatory]
To create
a flow chart in Word:
§ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hNGkxoM_ak
[closed
captions and transcripts are not
helpful, but demos are self-explanatory]
§ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkN0dekcsmw
[closed
captions are in German, but demo is helpful]
To create a flow
chart in PowerPoint:
§ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRplZxP6RFg
[closed
caption, but demo is self-explanatory]
Business Process Example: If
a grocery store had a need to reduce expenses and improve customer
satisfaction, a process needing improvement might be improving the inventory
process to ensure availability of products for customers as well as to reduce
cost related to spoiled inventory. The
model could include the steps necessary to record inventory information, update
inventory when merchandise is sold, place orders for additional inventory from
suppliers, etc.
Part 2: Technology
Solution Proposal. Using at
least one external resource(a source other than those provided in this
class), write a short paper 1-2 pages in length, not including References page
and cover sheet, responding to the bulleted items below. Remember to correctly cite and reference your sources using APA format. Use the Grading Rubric to be sure you have covered
everything.
Create a document that includes
the following:
- At
the end of your Stage 1 assignment, you listed the strategy, business area
and process selected. These should
be provided at the beginning of this paper to set the stage. Be sure to incorporate any recommended
changes, and show:
GENERIC STRATEGY:
STRATEGIC BUSINESS AREA:
PROCESS TO BE IMPROVED:
- Briefly explain the business process identified in
Stage 1 and why it could benefit from a technology solution. - Propose a specific information technology
solution, describing it in a few sentences. Note: It’s tempting to propose integrating
lots of new technology but focus on a single solution that would improve
the process you identified and modeled. - Next, briefly describe (in one to
three sentences each) the components of the IT infrastructure required for
your proposed IT solution, as they would be implemented at Haircuts. The components of the IT infrastructure
are described and explained in the Course Module 2, Solution
Building. They are:
§ services –the people or
organizations that run, support, and manage the other infrastructure
components; can be internal staff or external contractors or service providers. You should include who will run, support and
manage the infrastructure components for your proposed solution.
§ hardware –devices that perform
the input, storage, processing, and output functions. Include the major, important hardware components
needed to implement your proposed solution.
§ software –identify the type of
application software to be used; if you are proposing to use a software
package, provide the name of it.
§ telecommunications –identifywhat kind of telecommunications will
be needed for the solution, including local connectivity and internet access,
if appropriate, and whether it will be used for data, voice and/or video.
§ facilities –what facilities will
be needed to house the equipment and support staff; state whether the hardware
be housed at Haircuts or at another facility.
5. Explain
how the proposed technology solution will improve the process.
- Explain how the proposed
technology solution will support the selected Generic Strategy and the
selected Strategic Business Area.
|
Technology Solution Example: If a grocery store wanted to improve its inventory |
Submit your Part
1 and Part 2 paper with your last name included in the filename(s). If possible combine Part 1 and Part 2 into
one file; otherwise be sure each file is clearly labeled identifying the Part
of Stage 2 it represents.
Note: Your models will be evaluated
on whether they are applicable to the process identified, all major steps in
the AS-IS and TO-BE processes are included and correctly modeled, and they are
appropriate to the Haircuts business.
Your paper will be
evaluated on whether or not you correctly incorporated the course concepts and
addressed all parts of the questions. You need to do some external research on at least one
aspect of the assignment – your choice – and incorporate it and cite (and
reference) it in APA format in your response. What, exactly, you propose
as a technology solution will be evaluated as to whether it is appropriate for
Haircuts and could actually improve the process identified, and whether it
is fully thought-out and supported with application of course concepts and
research. Remember, this is an
information systems management course, and your solution must be an information
technology solution. Use the Rubric
below to be sure you have covered all aspects.
Case
Study, Stage 3: IT Considerations for Proposed Technology Solution
Before
you begin this assignment, be sure you have read the “ Haircuts Case Study,”
the Stage 1 and Stage 2 projects, the “Walmart Example” and the feedback
from previous assignments.
Purpose of this Assignment
This
assignment gives you the opportunity to apply your knowledge of the areas to be
considered in planning and implementing a technology solution. This assignment
specifically addresses the following course outcomes to enable you to:
- analyze
internal and external business processes to identify information systems
requirements - identify
and plan IT solutions that meet business objectives.
IT Considerations for Proposed
Technology Solution
For your Stage 2 Project, you proposed a
technology solution to improve a business process at the Haircuts business. In evaluating and implementing an IT
proposal, there are several areas that need to be considered. These considerations are listed in the table
provided below in this assignment.
Depending on the specific technology solution you proposed, some of the
considerations would be more important than others and some may not need
specific consideration for the initial implementation of your proposed solution. (If a consideration is not relevant for the
solution as described or for its implementation, but might be something for the
future, mark it “N/A”. If for instance
cloud computing is not in the solution being implemented, but may be considered
in the future it would be N/A and not required for the solution. Please note that even N/A items require an
explanation.) The responses that you
enter into the table for each consideration must be aligned to the one specific
solution you proposed and appropriate to the Haircuts business.
Assignment
Using the technology solution you
proposed in Stage 2, you should briefly explain it and then copy the table
below and complete the remaining two columns. For each area of consideration, you should
rank it as high, medium, low, or N/A (Not Applicable) in importance or
relevance at time of implementation (and not some time in the future) for the
specific technology solution you proposed for Haircuts. Then, provide a brief explanation, a minimum
of two sentences for each, to justify that ranking or the N/A. Do not try to create a reason if there is
none, but carefully analyze each consideration and determine whether it applies
and how. Explanations must provide
enough information to convey the reasoning behind the ranking. DO NOT
copy definitions into the table; your own words should demonstrate your
understanding of the concept as you provide your explanation for the
ranking. Use the Grading Rubric to be sure you have covered everything. Submit your paper with answers to parts 1 and
2 below as a Microsoft Word document (or in a Word compatible document) with
your last name included in the filename.
Part
1:Briefly explain your proposed
technology solution. Identify what the
solution is, what it is expected to do for Haircuts, and what major
hardware, software and communications components will be used, summarizing the
information you provided for Stage 2. Also,
please include the information that you provided at the end of Stage 1 (with
any modifications recommended by the professor) at the top of your paper:
Generic Strategy:
Strategic Business Area:
Process to be improved:
Part
2:
Table of IT Considerations. The
Areas for consideration are defined in the section “Concepts” which follows the
table of considerations below. An
example for one entry is also provided.
Click on the upper left corner of the table to copy it into your paper.
Case
Study, Stage 4: Executive Briefing on Business Benefits and Considerations of
Proposed Technology Solution
Before
you begin this assignment, be sure you have read the “ Haircuts Case Study,”
Case Study Staged Projects 1-3, the “Walmart Example,” and any feedback you
have received on your assignments.
Purpose of this Assignment
This assignment gives you the
opportunity to demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively with an
important stakeholder. This assignment
specifically addresses the following course outcomes to enable you to:
- analyze
business strategy to recognize how technology solutions enable strategic
outcomes
·
identify and plan IT solutions that meet
business objectives
Executive Briefing on Business Benefits and
Considerations
For your
Stage 2 Project, you proposed a technology solution to improve a business
process at Haircuts. In Stage 3 you
evaluated a list of IT considerations.
In this Stage 4 Project you are to prepare an Executive Briefing. You are to use Microsoft PowerPoint, or a
format that can be read in PowerPoint, to address how the solution you proposed
in Stage 2 could support and enhance the Haircuts business, explaining the
business benefits of the solution, and covering the considerations you
determined to be most important in Stage 3.
You will present this briefing to Myra Morningstar, the owner of
Haircuts to explain and provide the justification for her to implement your
technology solution. For purposes of this
exercise you do not need to focus on the cost of the proposed solution, but
rather focus on convincing her that it will improve the operation of Haircuts
and that you have addressed key issues.
Assignment
Using the
technology solution you proposed in Stage 2 and the considerations you analyzed
in Stage 3, along with any feedback on your assignments, you should prepare an
Executive Briefing that:
- Clearly identifies and describes the problem
area or process that needs to be improved - Briefly describes the technology solution (listing
or showing major components from Stage 2) - Addresses how the solution you propose could
support and enhance Haircuts, explaining the benefits of the
solution, - Identifies major risks associated with your proposed
solution, and - Addresses the considerations you determined to
be most important in Stage 3.
Remember that this presentation is
to be designed as an oral presentation to the Haircuts owner and should
not be designed to stand on its own, viewing just the slides, by a reader. Each slide should have a title and a limited
number of short bullet points. A presentation
should use key bullet points to highlight key factors, (or
what you want the audience to remember) and not include complete
paragraphs and/or detailed text. The bullet points in your presentation
will be supported by relevant details
in the Notes section of the slides, which contain the actual words you would
say to present each slide. Presentations with limited or no
“Notes” will receive much lower grades, because the bullets should not tell the
whole story.
While use of external resources
(resources other than those provided in the classroom) is not required, your
presentation may be strengthened by incorporating research. Remember to correctly cite and reference any sources. Any direct quotes should be indicated within
the slide text with appropriate quotation marks and an in-text citation (however
direct quotes should be short and used sparingly, if at all). Complete references for all sources should be
included in the corresponding Notes section. Paraphrased material can just be
referenced within the Notes section of the slides without an in-text citation
on the slide. This deviates from APA
style but keeps the slides more readable.
General Guidelines: Your
presentation format should be professional and use frames, illustrations, color
and/or style to make it interesting in appearance to keep your audience’s
attention. Use bullet points – 6-8 words per line;
4-7 lines per slide; Font – preferably Arial, Verdana or Calibri (sans serif)
size 24; use design templates such as those built into PowerPoint. Use graphics sparingly but to emphasize key
points and add interest. Proofread and
Spellcheck (including what you write in the Notes section)!
Use the
Grading Rubric to be sure you have covered everything. Submit your
presentation as a Microsoft PowerPoint (2003, 2007 or 2010) document (or a
presentation format that can be read using PowerPoint) with your last name
included in the filename.
Your presentation should
be at least 10 slides, to include:
·
A cover slide with a title, your name and date as a
minimum
·
1-2 slides that provide the purpose of the presentation and what
you will cover
·
1 slide that describes the problem area or process that needs
improvement, including, either on the slide or in the “Notes” (from the end of
Stage 1):
·
Generic Strategy:
·
Strategic Business
Area:
·
Process to be
improved:
·
1-2 slides that summarize the proposed solution and list or show
the major components
·
1-3 slides that explain the benefits and risks of the proposed
technology solution to Haircuts, telling how the solution supports the
business strategy and what quantifiable (and perhaps non-quantifiable) benefits
are expected and what risks there are in the solution and project.
·
4-6 slides on the most important considerations from the list in
Stage 3 and the impact on Haircuts – why you are addressing them, what they mean
to the Haircuts business, and what needs to be done about them.
·
Summary/conclusion slide
Concepts:
How to Excel at Briefing Senior
Executives:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:bOsAyAFilmAJ:http://www.melissalewis.com/articles/A-Briefings.pdf%2Bhttp://www.melissalewis.com/articles/A-Briefings.pdf&rls=com.microsoft%3Aen-us%3AIE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7GGLL_en&hl=en&ct=clnk
The Rule of Seven(scroll down to
article):
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:d1Ww-9teU0wJ:http://ezinearticles.com/%3FThe-Rule-of-Seven%26id%3D364277%2B%EF%82%A7+http://ezinearticles.com/%3FThe-Rule-of-Seven%26id%3D364277&rls=com.microsoft%3Aen-us%3AIE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7GGLL_en&hl=en&ct=clnk
