Identification and discussion of Company’s structure
Information system and digital strategies can play a significant role in conducting the day to day activities of the organization. In this report, the information system of Coles will be discussed. The information system strategies are related to various strategies that can bring change in the business environment of the organization. If the proper implementation is taken into consideration then it can give enhancement in the competitive advantage of the company. The efficiency and the productivity level can be increased by taking into consideration proper information system.
By considering the recent scenario, it is evaluated that there is continuous change in the internal and external business environment. Coles is considered as one of the largest supermarkets in Australia. The organization should adopt the latest technology so that the activities can be conducted smoothly. The report gives emphasis on the product and services by giving focus on the information system of the Coles.
In the first phase of the report, the discussion will be made on the identification and discussion of the organization structure. The second phase of the report covers failure and implementation of the information system and at last, the conclusion will be discussed by considering Coles.
Coles is the largest Australian public retail organization that conducts the activities from the head office at Melbourne. The Wesfarmers acquired the company in 2007. The organization deals in selling the retail products to the consumers at fewer prices. The function of the company is related to the refrigerator, lightning and emission control. The organization is one of the successful companies that manage the range of energy saving initiatives. It is evaluated that the profits from the last few years are not according to the expectations. As an outcome, it is evaluated that the company is considering many strategic actions so that competitive advantage can be increased.
Coles Company was established in 2007. The company offers fresh vegetables, fruits, fuel and financial services. The organization serves 21 million consumers by taking into consideration online presence. The Employees who are working in the organization are approximately 102,000 with more than 2400 retail stores spread throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Coles is one of the largest supermarkets that have 480 outlets worldwide. The company delivers good quality products and services and gives focus on enhancing the satisfaction level of the customers. The main motive of the company is to present reliable products so that overall profitability can be enhanced. If the reliability is enhanced of the products, then it can give a positive outcome. The customers will avail more services and products if the satisfaction level of the customers is enhanced. In the recent scenario, it is seen that the online stores are established. The customer can easily access the products by log into the website at any time. They can easily order food, products when required. The food and delivery orders are offered by the drivers to the locations that are demanded by the customers.
Information System Strategy and the requirement of the strategy
The company was acquired by the Wesfarmers in 2007 and also adopted the latest technology so that the activities can be conducted effectively. The changes in the activities are brought by considering the latest technology. The company has also implemented technical changes by implementing cloud computing technology in the company. Cloud computing will help the company to operate the activities of the organization in a proper manner. There are many savings incurred by considering the cloud environment for test and training activities (Whittington, 2014).
Big data can also increase the efficiency of the overall business. The customer engagement is also essential for every organization, so attain profitability. Coles considers big data so that the consumer insight from the unstructured data that can be obtained. The company invested in enhancing the capabilities so that the store managers can take proper decisions. Correct decisions are also important to be considered so that the goal and objectives can be accomplished. The leaders and the managers will have to take reports, dashboard so that the information can be properly accessed (Boonstra, 2013).
The latest technology can be used by the stakeholders so that the products that are offered can be of good quality and also within a limited scope. The infrastructure can give outcome related to time connectivity and also it enhances the efficiency and speed of the process of decision making. Real-time connectivity plays an essential role to enhance the mobility of the objects within the company. BYOD program is taken into consideration so that the activities can be conducted smoothly. In this program the employees bring their own device to the company. The organization maintains many devices so that proper security can be maintained. The organization keeps focusing on the devices of the employees so that the activities that are conducted in a managed way (Karpovsky and Galliers, 2015).
In the recent scenario, the emphasis is given on focusing on the method of strategizing. By taking into consideration strategizing it is seen that it is a method of obtaining the data through both formal and informal system. The method of information system strategy can give change in the perception of the customers and also the direct impact is made on the interactions. The IT infrastructure has the capability so that the activities of the business can be modified in the company (Jarzabkowski and Kaplan, 2015).
In the recent scenario, many companies give focus on maintaining proper share in the digital marketing and also in the strategy of the supply chain. Digital marketing helps to promote the products in the competitive environment and also the overall sales of the company enhances. It is evaluated that proper supply chain is important for the organization so that the products can be available for the consumers (Chang, 2016).
By considering the recent scenario, it is evaluated that information system plays a significant role in creating a competitive environment in the company. The company takes into consideration the use of information system so that the requirement of new products can be developed. The Coles can conduct the activities and can expand the business operations in an effective manner (Pearlson et al., 2016). The information system is related to establish the relations with different partners so that the activities of the company can be enhanced in an effective manner. The information system is an important aspect that is related to the innovation strategy of the company. It is evaluated that there are many companies like Google, Microsoft who takes into consideration information system strategy to enhance innovation within the company. Google introduces various innovations that help to compete in the competitive market (Laudon, 2016).
It is evaluated that innovation assists the company to consider proper management so that the work can be done with the best quality. If proper innovation is seen in the organization, the quality is also maintained in a proper way. Information system also assists in the decision-making process as all the stakeholders connect by considering the common platform. It is essential to impose the deadlines on the activities so that people can feel motivated and complete the activities assigned to them on time (Henson and Garfield, 2015).
There are many organizations who give emphasis on maintaining e-commerce business model. The company has also developed product development and also to maintained the response of the market. Flip kart considered to venture into business areas and also to maintain many types of consumers without affecting the quality of the product. The company learning and knowledge also plays an essential part in the IT sector of the organization. If there is no proper learning it can be difficult for the company to adopt the changes in the market (Kerzner, 2013). The changes can be adopted by the organization if the employees are efficient towards the activities. To adopt the change in a proper manner is important, as it helps to accomplish the goals and objectives of an organization. So, the company should give focus on maintaining the quality in a proper way.
There are various problems that are required to be considered so that information system in the company can be easily implemented. It is important to persuade the top level management so that the significance of the information system can be maintained. The information system evaluates all the requirements and also the problems in the information system (Waas et al., 2014). If the plan is made in an effective manner, then it is important to approve the suggested system. The challenge is also related to the information strategy. There are many problems like internal communication system and also the ineffective management system that is essential to be considered, so that proper management can take place in the organization (Cresswell et al., 2013).
The challenge is also related to the human resource management. In this, the challenge is to involve the employees with the user’s education. The company also evaluates the difficulty to select the candidates who are eligible for the job. It is important to evaluate to analyze the ways which can identify the needs and demands of the customers. The employees who are working from a long time in the organization show less interest and also the technologies are not operated with proper efficiency. For enhancing the efficiency of the employees, it is important to have proper training. Training helps the employees to gain knowledge about the activities. If proper training is given to the employees, then it can be seen that the company can operate the activities in a proper manner. Training can assist the employees, to complete the task on time and also with good quality (Galliers and Leidner, 2014).
There is also telecommunication barrier that creates difficulty for an organization to conduct the activities in a proper manner. It is important to have proper knowledge of the up gradation of the technology so that the activities can be conducted smoothly. If the employees of the organization do not have proper knowledge then it can be evaluated that direct impact is given to the overall profitability of the company (Henfridsson and Lind, 2014).
There are many companies who fail to operate the information system in an effective manner. The reason for the failure is that the company exceeds the budget. So, it is important to implement information system in a proper manner. The company should give emphasis to understand the strategic change which is essential for every organization (Nour and Mouakket, 2013). If there is no proper understanding of the strategic information system then it can give negative impact on the performance of the company. The users who are resistance can also give negative impact on the acceptance of the potential users. There can also be the purpose that the users may not consider the system effective. If the user does not consider the process effective, then it is difficult for the company to sustain in the competitive environment (Arvidsson et al., 2014).
Coles take into consideration effective strategies so that the information system can be aligned to accomplish the goals and objectives of the organization. To minimize the negative impact there are many factors that should be considered. The company should focus on developing the relations with the top management and the employees who are working in the organization (Leonardi, 2015).There should be proper communication that helps to analyze the importance of the information system and also helps to solve the problems related to management. Communication helps the employees of the organization to share their views and ideas so that the activities that are conducted can be clarified. Clarification of the activities can give a positive impact on the overall activities and functions of the organization. If the activities are clear then employees can finish it on time and also in a proper manner (Beaven and Virtualagility, 2015).
Next challenge is concerned with the poor coordination and responsibility that is shared with the employees of the organization. If proper coordination is not there in the organization, then the results of the activities are negative. The employees can efficiently work if the responsibilities are shared properly. Coles should give focus on maintaining proper coordination between the employees so that the activities can accomplish the objective in a proper way. The employees of the organization need proper infrastructure so that the activities are conducted efficiently (Peppard and Ward, 2016). If the organization has proper infrastructure then it can be seen that interaction between the employees and senior manager will be increased.
The management should also give emphasis on maintaining the communication with the employees of the organization. By taking into consideration informal discussion and motivation speech the motivation level of the employees can be enhanced. If there is proper communication then it will give a positive impact on the overall performance of the organization. Performance of the employees plays an important role to present the overall image of the company in front of the customers. If the performance is not good of the employees, then the overall profitability can be affected. So, the image of the company can be enhanced if the activities that are operated give positive outcome (Qrunfleh and Tarafdar, 2014).
By taking into consideration the above section, it is seen that the major challenge that was found is related to the commitment level of the management towards the implementation of strategies in the organization. Proper strategies should be considered by the top management so that the functions can be supported in a proper manner (Cassidy, 2016).
Conclusion
By analyzing the report, it is concluded that information technology strategy is an essential part of the organization. The information technology strategy is a method of supporting the information technology infrastructure with the strategies of the business. Coles is one of the largest retail super markets and also second largest in Australia. It is evaluated that the company has adopted latest technologies that helped the employees to increase the overall efficiency and also to work efficiently towards the given task. To enhance the overall efficiency of the employees, it is important to offer proper infrastructure and the company focuses on the same strategy. If the infrastructure facility of the company is good, then motivation level can be increased in a proper manner.
The first phase of the report, give emphasis on the different challenges in the alignment of business and IT strategy of the company. To manage the management functions and also to motivate human resource is considered as an important task for every organization. For implementing the IT strategy it is seen that motivation level of human resource is one of the challenges that should be minimized. The management should consider the requirements for implementing IT infrastructure. It is essential to communicate the requirements of the infrastructure so that the help can be given to the lower and middle-level workers conducting the activities in the organization. In this report, the second phase discusses the recommendations that give a positive impact on the organization. Proper management should be there in every organization, so that activities can be conducted in a managed way and also the efficiency can be attained.
References
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