Discussion
Business intelligence is a method or a set of process that converts the raw data into meaningful information that is highly important for the business profitability for an organisation (Farrugia 2017). As a matter of fact, the business intelligence is comprised with a bunch of software and applications that help to convert the raw data into understandable information through the intelligence and knowledge. In this regard, the purpose of this report is to figure out the importance and influence of Business Intelligence (BI) in rendering profit and prosperity for the company. Therefore, the discussion incorporates the BHP Billiton Limited, Australia as a case study to understand the relevance and significance of BI in that company.
Organisation brief
BHP Billiton Limited, Australia presently known as BHP is associated with the multinational mining, metals and petroleum with the headquarters in Melbourne Australia (BHP, Our history 2018). As per the report of 2017 it can be identified that the BHP Ltd. is the largest mining company in the world on the basis of market capitalisation and is considered to the third largest company by revenue in Australia (BHP 2018). However, the global oil and gas industry is facing severe challenges regarding the incorporation of technologies for the benefits of the progress in the organisation (Larcher and Tarascon 2015). One of the major arguments was that due to the intense fluctuation in the oil and gas industry the companies are not willing to invest more in the establishment of new technologies (Raufflet, Cruz and Bres 2014). As a result of that the BHP Ltd. also faces the same obstacles in its organisational. Therefore, the company requires a better framework to incorporate the Business Intelligence framework in its operations management.
Scope and limitation of the topic
The purpose and theme of this topic is to figure out the possible opportunities for the IT professional to analyse the data regarding the business operations and information technology. In this regard, it can be argued that the role of the Business Intelligence is to convert the raw data into understandable and meaningful information in order to analyse the applications of the Information Technology used in BHP Ltd. and envisioned the future opportunities in this context.
However, there are some limitations regarding this topic. The Business Intelligence framework is multifaceted characteristics. The mechanism can also use by the business analyst, the owner of the Company or other business users. On the contrary, this article only deals with the impact of BI on data analysis. The other aspects are not discussed in this report which makes the discussion limited.
Organisation Brief
Business function
The business function in the form of the operation management and the communication network are directly related to the business intelligence of the BHP Ltd. In this regard, the business functions of the BHP Ltd. are identified as the operation management and the communication network. The operation model of the company is coupled with the integrated management system and the standard procedure of collaboration with the customers (Larson and Chang 2014). In addition to this, the internal competition for capital and the technological developments are also considered to be the key aspects of the Operation management of BHP Ltd (BHP, Our approach 2018).
With the development in the Oil and Gas market and the rapid expansion of BHP in the Australian market facilitates the necessity and importance of the communication networks. In this regard, the communication networks provide safety and security, improved operational efficiency in a great manner.
Business function for BI
In case of the business operations in BHP Ltd. it can be argued that the workplace and safety can be prevented with the implementation of the Business Intelligence. The role of the Business Intelligence is to create a better framework for the BHP Ltd. on the basis of providing flexible and robust service aware communication to ensure the safety of the data, physical assets, people and the environment (Wixom 2014). Those are the part of the Operational management. By implementing the BI it will be very easy for the BHP Ltd. to establish a better operational framework inside the BHP Ltd.
Besides this, it can also be argued that the role of the Business Intelligence can be seen in setting the organisational communication network. The purpose of this communication set up is to enhance the productivity and transparency in workplace activities by creating a strong communication network. in this regard, it can be argued that the role of Business Intelligence is closely intertwined with the incorporation of advanced and cutting age technologies (Rassenfoss., Whitfield and Jacobs 2014). Therefore, speed and flexibility are the essential criteria that the Business Intelligence provides. Moreover, the Business Intelligence in the form of artificial intelligence is used in the drilling and remote platform.
Existing use of BI
The BHP Ltd. introduces some business intelligence tool in their organisational framework to procure more production and better organisational activities. In this regard, the use of the artificial intelligence in the mining truck is considered to be a great move by the Company. As per the report of Yeomans (2017) it is a common phenomenon that the truck drivers often get asleep while driving 400 tonne mining trucks. It creates a fatal blow to the workplace health and safety measures as well as disrupts the operations. Therefore, the higher management decides to connect the route of the trucks with artificial intelligence. As a result of that despite the drivers are dozed off there will be no accidents and it will improve the mining safety. In fact, BHP Ltd. is using AI to automate the routing of vehicles in the mining sites of Western Australia.
Scope and Limitation of the Topic
On the other hand, business intelligence is also introduced in other operational activities as well. The use of advanced sensors and real time process control improve the quality and grade of the ores delivered to the plants. At the same time, the business intelligence is also played a crucial role in establishing environmental sustainability by reducing energy and water usage ().
Advantages of BI
There are several aspects regarding the advantages of Business Intelligence in BHP Ltd.. The BI tools are not only giving an advantageous position in the intense competitive market rather they also foster profit maximisation for the organisation (Rassenfoss, Whitfield and Jacobs 2014). In case of the BHP Ltd., it can be argued that the Information Technology tools are key factors that create a positive impact on the expansion of the BHP Ltd. profoundly. Moreover, the recent scenario of the Oil and Gas Industry is not so well. The environmental issues damage the image of the BHP Ltd. in a rapid manner. The Business Intelligence tools help to facilitate sustainability by reducing the energy and indiscriminate use of raw materials. Therefore, the BHP Ltd. must initiate a robust BI plan in order to retain its future. (Rassenfoss, Whitfield and Jacobs 2014)
Other possible use of BI
The data analyst process helps to render the raw data into meaningful structure and provides a fresh insight to sustain the business in future. Besides this, with the help of the BI method the owner of the company can get access to the overall scenario of the business environment of BHP Ltd. Moreover, it is also beneficial for the business users associated with BHP Ltd. because a strong communication network with reduction of expenses generates huge profit opportunities for the BHP Ltd. (Larson and Chang 2016)
Conclusion
In a conclusion it can be stated that the current market situation of the oil and gas business of BHP Ltd. is facing different challenges in the global as well as in the domestic market. In this context, the business intelligence can help the company to re-establish its business on a strong base and ensure the future progress of the company
References
BHP, 2018. Which technologies will boost mining safety and productivity?. [online] BHP. Available at: https://www.bhp.com/media-and-insights/prospects/2017/11/which-technologies-will-boost-mining-safety-and-productivity [Accessed 23 Aug. 2018].
Farrugia, C., 2017. Bringing business intelligence to bear on long-term HR planning (Bachelor’s thesis, University of Malta).
Larcher, D. and Tarascon, J.M., 2015. Towards greener and more sustainable batteries for electrical energy storage. Nature chemistry, 7(1), p.19.
Larson, D. and Chang, V., 2016. A review and future direction of agile, business intelligence, analytics and data science. International Journal of Information Management, 36(5), pp.700-710.
BHP, Our approach 2018. BHP | Our approach. [online] BHP. Available at: https://www.bhp.com/our-approach [Accessed 23 Aug. 2018].
BHP, Our history, 2018. Our history. [online] BHP. Available at: https://www.bhp.com/our-approach/our-history [Accessed 23 Aug. 2018].
Rassenfoss, S., Whitfield, S. and Jacobs, T., 2017. Unconventional Resources Technology Conference Highlights Shale as an International Business. Journal of Petroleum Technology, 69(09), pp.46-57.
Raufflet, E., Cruz, L.B. and Bres, L., 2014. An assessment of corporate social responsibility practices in the mining and oil and gas industries. Journal of Cleaner production, 84, pp.256-270.
Wixom, B., Ariyachandra, T., Douglas, D.E., Goul, M., Gupta, B., Iyer, L.S., Kulkarni, U.R., Mooney, J.G., Phillips-Wren, G.E. and Turetken, O., 2014. The current state of business intelligence in academia: The arrival of big data. CAIS, 34, p.1.
Yeomans, J. 2017. BHP Billiton to use special caps to monitor the brainwaves of sleepy drivers. The Telegraph. [online] Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/11/01/bhp-billiton-use-special-caps-monitor-brainwaves-sleepy-drivers/ [Accessed 23 Aug. 2018].
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