Strategic Review of Associated Business Consultants and their use of IT Free Essays

Introduction Over the years businesses have become extra reliant on technology and moreover throughout the current economic climate as there is a huge importance for a business to keep up to date technology. Competition is driving companies to become more efficient and effective through the purchases of IT developments. Gaining competitive advantage over rivals can play a major part in the use of information technology. We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Review of Associated Business Consultants and their use of IT or any similar topic only for you Order Now Based on the business structure, I have looked at the IT systems that are currently in place to see if there can be any alterations to help increase productivity and also business strategies. The following report goes through this. General Background The firm is a large sized business based on the fact that there are over twenty offices throughout the UK with 50 partners and also 350 support and administration staff. The firm provides business and financial information to clients, so it is vital to have a system that holds the relevant information and in one secure place. The current system consists of standard office software which includes basic word processing, access to spreadsheets and also a range of specialist software. Some IT provision has been inherited; therefore creating a wide range of systems between sites and has consequently meant communication has been limited to email. SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis of the competitive environment is used so that the business can identify its position in the market place and recognise potential future strategic options. Figure 1 – SWOT Analysis The strengths of the business include factors such as the firm expanding quickly as per the success in various consultancy projects. This has meant the need for work to be required overseas and is to become a huge benefit to the business. Other strengths are that the business holds many offices across the UK, which will also provide future prospects. The main weakness are that the business is running on a wide range of IT software and systems, meaning that all data will be scattered around the various sites and almost everything will be in a different format. These issues cause problems in terms of wanting or needing files that are saved on a different computer in another office. This also interferes with the lack of communication between sites. Communication can be shown in all different ways by means of voicemails, meetings, emails, and reports. In terms of this business, the current system has only allowed communication between sites to be via email. In a business of this size, poor communication can result in a lack of planning and also mistakes by employees that later cause complication to the business. This is a major problem as the ability to communicate is one of the biggest factors in business success and an essential part of a smoothly running business, for example business partners need to discuss future goals an d tactics. Another concern is the lack of corporate IT policies and procedures throughout the business, therefore adding to the communication problem. Policies procedures are required when there is a need for consistency in day-to-day working activities. These procedures allow employees to understand their roles and provide the ability to work to the same rules when dealing with activities that are of importance to the business, such as the acquisition of hardware and software. There are different IT policies that are needed within the business environment and would include IT Administration, IT Asset Management, IT Training and Support, IT Security and Disaster Recovery and Software Development. Despite the fact that these offer a firm background, they do not provide the employees with any formal training. While the strength of the business is growing, the opportunity for working overseas has become available, therefore creating many opportunities for future business and in turn more projects. Although the existing system has provided the ability to grow, it is hugely noticeable that due to the quick expansion, the IT system needs to be reliable and accessible in different offices, which the current system is not. Therefore, the current system is not providing the best resource, so is not allowing the business to give the best possible service. So the need for a decent system is an important part in the running of this business. Even though a new system is needed as a matter of urgency, there can be several threats that come about due to the transition from the old system to the new system. These problems can be anything from teething problems to the loss of important data, so planning is important. Another possible threat is the competitors, as they can use their IT systems to gain advantage. Competitive Advantage A competitive advantage is an advantage over competitors gained by offering consumers greater value, either by means of lower prices or by providing greater benefits and service that justifies higher prices. The most significant model for assessing the nature of competition in a business is Michael Porter’s Five Forces Model. It shows how a firm can use these forces to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage. According to Porter and the model below, there are five areas of the external environment that affect the profitability of the firm. These include supplier power, buyer power, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes and also Industry rivalry. These are used as an action plan to exploit the information system by investigating how IT might spawn new businesses. The business can use their IT systems to gain competitive advantage using Porter’s five forces to do this. Figure 2 – Porter’s Five Forces To gain advantage through the threat of new entrants, the business must raise the level of competition by means of providing a unique service that no new entrant can compete against, thereby reducing its appeal. To gain advantage through the threat of substitutes To gain advantage through bargaining power of suppliers, To gain advantage through bargaining power of customers, To gain advantage through Intensity of Rivalry Porter suggests that any firm can be profitable in any industry, it all depends on the strategy that the firm adopts. There are two significant strategies that any firm can follow to improve their profitability. The firms that fail are those that do not follow any strategy, or try to follow both. These firms get ‘stuck in the middle’. Low-cost Strategy The firm adopts a position trying to minimise all its expenses. It should set prices below other firms in the market. Ordinarily this would seriously constrain profit margins, but the second aspect of this is that the costs of providing the product are pushed down even further so even though the firm sells at a lower price it still makes more profit than other firms in the industry. Differentiation Strategy If the firm’s competitors are trying to undercut the prices of its products, there are two choices. Fight them in a price war to keep matching or undercutting their prices, or make the products different so that it doesn’t matter how low their prices go, there will still be some customers that prefer the goods that the firm produces. The price war has a tendency to reduce profits almost completely, so obviously a different product is the slightly more desirable method. This is why there are so many subtly different products on the supermarket shelves. PEST Analysis Also by using the PEST framework we can investigate many different factors in a firm’s macro environment that may be affected by a change in the way the business will be run following an upgrade in an Information System. Figure 3 – PEST Analysis Advantages of a New IT System As with any investment and also every business, many advantages and disadvantages need to be considered to establish the best way forward. The intention of a new system is to provide a structured framework and a practical approach, providing major increases in processing speed, cheaper memory and improved storage capacity. Other advantages and benefits of updating a system include: Better safety Improved service Competitive advantages Less errors Greater accuracy Higher-quality products Improved communications Increased efficiency Increased productivity More efficient administration Further opportunities Reduced labour requirements Reduced costs Superior financial decision making Superior control over operations Superior managerial decision makingAdded value to products (goods and services) Disadvantages of a New IT System However, every business must consider start-up costs when implementing an IT system. In addition to the cost of hardware and software, some technology dealers require businesses to purchase user licenses for each employee that will be operating the system. There are also other costs that need to be anticipated when introducing new software into a business; these can include the cost of training employees and maintenance costs and could therefore get expensive. Although the initial costs would be high, the possibility of greater competition is of a greater advantage. Other difficulties include business opportunities being missed, lack of integration of systems, and also priorities are not based on business needs. Some or all of these can occur when the firm does not have the means to plan and manage information systems strategically. Whilst the business works with data, a key concern is the security of the data, as the input of a new information system would enable the business to process more and more personal data. For instance, as more data is set up and the more information is exchanged, there becomes a greater risk that the information will be lost, corrupted or misused. Information technology systems are vulnerable to security breaches, mainly when they are accessible via the Internet. If the correct measures are not in place, this data could be lost or misused. The Data Protection Act says that: â€Å"Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.† Data Protection Act 1998 The statement above is taken from the Data Protection Act and is the seventh data protection principle. It means that you must have appropriate security to prevent the personal data held being accidentally or deliberately compromised. If data is not properly safeguarded, this can seriously damage a business’s reputation. To protect the business, it must make sure it has the right security, backed up by policies and procedures and also the use of reliable staff. Recommendations There are 50 partners and 350 support staff that require office software and a range of specialist software that include customer and project management packages. The business would help from a WAN (A wide area network), this is a computer network that covers a broad area and are all connected together. Their software packages could be held in a centralised place and customers details held on the central server so each employee has access to them and be synchronised, which creates a more secure system and better data integrity. A WAN could allow for an intranet for better communication purposes, overseas and internationally. Another advantage of a WAN is the allowance of being able to have remote access from where ever in the world, and due to the firm now achieving business overseas, this is essential. In addition to the WAN, the business would also benefit from the investment of up to date software in both word processing and spreadsheets, as these would help both the employees and also at managerial level. Offices these days try to keep up to date software as it helps the general running of day to day activities. Conclusion Short Term Goals In terms of short term goals, I recommend that all computers are updated immediately with the latest version of office software as this can be done easily with the right planning. I also recommend that the IT policies and procedures are written and implemented to start bringing all the offices and staff together to create one whole business across the various sites. Long Term Goals It is imperative that the long term goal of the business is to look into updating and combining their systems. In order to do this, a strategic plan must be put in place which looks into all aspects of combining systems throughout the business. This may include the advantages and disadvantages, costs and also problems that may come about in the process. Once an agreed time limit and plan has been agreed, work can be started to merge the office systems into one. Bibliography http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/data_protection/the_guide/principle_7.aspx http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A593345 How to cite Strategic Review of Associated Business Consultants and their use of IT, Essay examples

Stop and Search in London

Question: Discuss about a Report on Stop and Search in London? Answer: 1: Yes, Tinker can be stopped and searched while he was at the protest march. Section 44 of the Terrorism Act, 2000 gives authority to a police official to stop a pedestrian at a given area, at a specified place and conduct inquiry to search the pedestrian or anything that he carried. Subsection 3 of Section 44 is an exception to the rule stated in subsection 1 and 2. According to the subsection 3, authorisation may given only if the person who is giving authorisation thinks that it is necessary for the prevention of terrorism acts. 2: Yes, Tinker can be prevented from speaking at the forthcoming protest march. This is enumerated in Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, 2000. This section allows the police officials to detain people at the airport for questioning them. The person who is detained should answer the questions properly and provide documents that are demanded for. In such a scenario, if the police officials are suspicious of the person having terrorist orientation, then he may be prevented from speaking at the protest march[1]. 3: No, Tinker cannot be arrested for any known offence at this point of time. However, he may be detained for a reasonable period. He may be detained for a time that is reasonably needed to conduct an inquiry on any person near the place where the person is stopped from moving any further. The constable may also retain any article, which he is suspicious of in connection with terrorism. 4: The Home Secretary in the United Kingdom can approve detention of a person up to 7 days. The Terrorism Act was established to change anti terrorism legislation. It was enacted to address all kinds of terrorism and the threats people face with regard to terrorism. The Terrorism Act finally concluded that people who are suspicious of terrorist movement could be detained up to 48 hours after arrest. The detention may be extended for 14 more days if a judicial permission is obtained for such activity[2]. Reference List Parmar, A., 2011. Stop and search in London: counter-terrorist or counter-productive?.Policing and society,21(4), pp.369-382. Spaaij, R., 2010. The enigma of lone wolf terrorism: An assessment.Studies in Conflict Terrorism,33(9), pp.854-870. [1] Spaaij, R., 2010. The enigma of lone wolf terrorism: An assessment.Studies in Conflict Terrorism,33(9), pp.854-870. [2] Parmar, A., 2011. Stop and search in London: counter-terrorist or counter-productive?.Policing and society,21(4), pp.369-382.

How I Met Your Husband Essay Example

How I Met Your Husband Paper At a young age, women have a tendency to be naive and innocent. With that, the two factors create a vulnerable persona in a girl, and it compels a person to feel sympathy towards them. How I Met My Husband consists of a protagonist, Edie, who is also naive and innocent as well as humble and simple. These traits convince me to believe her to be a sympathetic character in the story. As a young, naive, gullible girl, I feel nothing short of pity for Edie. Her status as the hired girl influences the way I react to her as a reader also. When Edie meets Chris Waters, she becomes embarrassed and bashful once she reveals her true status, and all she wishes is for him to leave her alone. Since Edie is inexperienced with men, she does not know how to act properly in front of them. The fact that she does not know any better compels me to sympathize for her. I was feeling more sympathy for her when she allows herself to believe she had been more than Just another woman to Chris. We will write a custom essay sample on How I Met Your Husband specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on How I Met Your Husband specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on How I Met Your Husband specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Then, she is waiting days, which lead into months, before coming to the realization that no letter was ever going to come (peg 146). Any person can recall what it had been like to be wide-eyed when they had been younger. It can sometimes be amusing when you realize how naive you were. Sometimes, like Edie, it can be harsh to come to the realization of how naive our actions are. But we sympathize with ourselves and for others because of it.

The Description of Nature in Jack Dykinga Photographs

The Description of Nature in Jack Dykinga Photographs Jack Dykinga is a prominent photographer whose pictures of mountains, forests, and prairies continue to fascinate many people. His rich palette and ability to depict space is very difficult to recreate, but they produce a powerful impression on viewers. To examine his style, one can take a look at two of his photograph of Petrified Forest National Park and Sand Tank Mountains.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Description of Nature in Jack Dykinga’ Photographs specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Overall, I can say that Jack Dykinga has been able to portray the beauty of nature in Arizona. Moreover, his techniques should be considered by professional photographers who are interested in landscape. There are several aspects of these photographs that I would like to discuss, namely the interplay of light and shadow and structured space. These are the issues should be examined. There are several qualities of these p hotographs that make them almost unforgettable. One of them is structured space. For instance, one can look at his picture of Petrified Forest National Park1. There is horizontal divide that separates shaded and illuminated parts of the mountain. Overall, I say that such a moment is very difficult to capture and it is a skill of a great photographer. It is worth noting that this picture was taken at sunset and but the Moon is still visible. Moreover, this picture has a very rich palette. The viewer can see how grey color of the mountain is transformed into fiery orange and this image is unforgettable. In my opinion, this effect is difficult to produce because one has to occupy a certain position and use a certain type of camera. Overall, these qualities distinguish Jack Dykinga among others. Additionally, one can look at the way in which Jack Dykinga photographs Sand Tank Mountains2. There is one detail that attracts the attention of the viewer, in particular one can mention the con trast between bright and dull colors. Overall, the photographs of Jack Dykinga enjoy considerable popularity among people who like the landscapes of Arizona. It should be noted that Jack Dykinga is one of those photographers who has made the images of Arizona nature popular among many people (Browden, 1994).Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the whole, the works of this photographer are of great interest to me. While working on this project, I attempted to recreate some of the techniques used by Jack Dykinga. For example, I attempted to emulate his palette in which there is a divide between dark and bright colors. In my opinion, this effect is very difficult to achieve because a photographer should choose a certain angle and moment when one can see an interplay of light and shadow. This task is quite challenging. Furthermore, one has to choose the best moment at which one can capture the game of light and shadow. Certainly, I will try to develop my own style of photography. However, I do like Dykinga’s perception of nature and his ability to highlight the beauty of landscape. The pictures discussed in the paper show that that a photographer is not a mere observer of people or physical environment. This individual should be able to see how colors, shapes, and space can interact. Only in this way, one can create unique and unforgettable images. This is the main lesson that I learned from the works of Jack Dykinga. Appendixes Picture 1. Petrified Forest National Park Picture 2Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Description of Nature in Jack Dykinga’ Photographs specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Reference List Browden, C. (1994). Frog Mountain Blues. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. Footnotes 1 Picture 1 2 Picture 2

MGM465-0801A-05 Business Strategy - Phase 1 Individual Project 2 Essay

MGM465-0801A-05 Business Strategy - Phase 1 Individual Project 2 - Essay Example t question to consider is how to reconcile Ables need for building market share (long-term strategic business objective) with Waldens drive for year-to year quarterly increases in sales and pretax profit (short-term, corporate objective). Both of these are important to have, and they are not mutually exclusive. The company can hold both objectives in high priority provided that they all agree with each other to do so. However, Walden is demonstrating a lack of strategic management. Walden needs to consider strategic management as they move forward. According to Coulter, it is beneficial because â€Å"it gives a role to everyone in an organization to manage strategically, it helps the organization perform well, it helps the organization to effectively cope with the uncertainties in the external and internal environment, and it helps to coordinate various functions and activities† (2005). Strategic management is vital for the long-term success of any organization, and through implementing it, it is believed that the two blending organizations can come to a compromise and each get a great deal of what they are used to and what they want. The second challenge to consider is that Waldens success metrics of head count control, inventory management, inventory turnover, and day’s sales outstanding can be inhibitors to growth vitally needed by Able. It is possible to moderate these functional objectives and make them work for Able. This simply involves removing or raising the ceiling which currently inhibits this growth. For example, head count can still be controlled in larger numbers, inventory can still be managed when there is a lot more inventory to account for, and outstanding daily sales can still be recorded when the dollar figures are higher. Controlling objectives does not necessarily mean containing them. Able can still grow using the same basic framework of Walden’s success metrics, so long as Walden does not squash the growth being sought by Able

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 124

Summary - Essay Example The banker contradicts the peasant’s judgment on the state, he or she judges the government based on a future goal that it works towards realizing. Economics manipulates and dictate the political behavior. Administrations lose supporters in seasons of hard times while a massive gain of the supporters seen in good times. The two models involving both retrospective and prospective of the index of consumer sentiment as contradicting variables between economic conditions and approval, it is found out that the probable component adequately accounts for the presidential approval time series. The next article voting successfully addresses an average voter as one who falls far short of the prescriptions of classic autonomous hypothesis in terms of interest, facts, and participation in politics. The authors suggest a more realistic standard involving the citizens fulfilling their democratic duties by voting correctly. Five decades of behavioral research in political science reveals that only a tiny marginal of the citizens in any democracy live up to the lines and goals of democracy. Interests in politics become generally weak, political discussions limited and political knowledge is diminishing. The result leads to the majority of American citizens not participating actively in politics beyond voting. The determination of voters on their correct vote choices can be predicted reasonably well using the widely available survey data. The authors illustrate how the prediction can help in determining the proportion of the voters voting correctly, which they calculate at about 7 5 percent for the five US presidential elections between 1972 and 1988. The third article is a decisive study of voting in America and talks about the American voter. Michigan model is a theory formulated on voter choice. Based on all-inclusive studies of election study data in America, most voters cast their ballots

Karl Marx Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Karl Marx - Essay Example Though earlier works created by Marx seem to be advocating the scientific and technological development by taking it to be beneficial for the growth of human societies through his political ideology (156-7); nevertheless, his later works looks opposing the same partly because of the increase in exploitation of proletariat by bourgeoisie in the wake of industrial developments taking place in society (324). Somehow, instead of censuring the development, Marx aims to defy the evils the development had brought along with it. Since the political, social, economic, cultural and religious environment under which man is brought up and experiences the socialization process leaves an indelible imprints on his ideological thoughtfulness, the initial era cognitive development and thoughts keep on influencing his outlook and opinion on the one side, and regulating his actions and behavior on the other; the same is equally applied to the set of political and socioeconomic beliefs maintained by thi s distinguished philosopher and Father of Socialism i.e. Karl Marx (1817-1883). Born in the culturally divided Prussian state of Europe, Marx personally noticed the existence of the state of conflict between the social classes, which helped the young philosopher to examine the prevailing circumstances within the historical background of human societies. Instead of adopting the notion that the development of human societies was an outcome of the growth of the rule of law or man’s cognitive development, Marx declares it actually the result of material conditions of life (3). The improvement of material conditions of life, according to Marx, simply refers to the development of means of production actually, which play decisive role in enhancing the political and economic conditions as well as intellectual growth of the individuals and societies, which he has also described in his letter to Kreuznach (12). In addition to this, the latest modes of productions, Marx elucidates, not only increase the productivity to an imperative extent, but also pave the way towards the exploration of further avenues of productivity in the wake of the advent of technological advancements (153). Consequently, Marx’s initial years political ideology appears to be providing an unconditional support to the advent of industrial growth taking place within his social surroundings. Somehow, this great German thinker has aptly viewed the rapid flow of industrialization to be detrimental for the peace and stability of society in his later work(s). The claim was actually the outcome of the disadvantages the industrialization had introduced in society by allowing the domination of the investors as the owner of all production units in the Marx’s contemporary European societies. Since the proletariat used to work from dawn to dusk in the production activities of the industrial units, and hence maintained major share in income and profit generation, they certainly deserved the same proportion of share in profit volume (341). However, the lion’s share went to the producer/owner of the industry, according to Marx, without offering any benefits necessary for improving the condition of the workers altogether (376). Such a perturbed state of affairs not only invites disappointment of the workers, but also sense of alienation started haunting the minds of the workers,