Understanding Woolworth’s Organizational Structure, System Acquisition Method, Sales Procedures, Control Problems, And Accounting Software Packages In Australia

Organizational Structure – Woolworths

Innovation and technological transformations have had an impact on a majority of business organizations and users all across the globe. One such sector that has seen a lot of impact with the transformations in technology is accounting. Australia is home to hundreds and thousands of industries and organizations that work in the area of accounting. With the invention of newer mechanisms and increase in the user demands, there are several providers that are providing the users with the customized accounting software and packages. The document covers the journey of the accounting software packages from the past till the present scenario.  Many of the accounting information systems and packages along with their vendors and details has also been covered in the document.

With the transformations in technology, one of the sectors that have immensely expanded is the e-commerce sector. Online shopping and online retailing of the products is quite common these days and one of the Australian organizations that is an online retailer of groceries is Woolworths Limited.

The organization has its own web site that has been set up to allow the users to view, select and purchase groceries and other household items from any locations. In order to provide excellent services to the users, there is a lot of workforce that is engaged with Woolworths in the organization such as technical and management resources along with operational and non-technical staff members (Woolworths, 2017).

In order to realize the business objectives and bring excellence in to the services, it is very essential that the integration of the departments and the collaboration of resources and team members are reflected in each and every business activity. However, this is the main issue that is prevailing with the Woolworth’s organizational culture and structure.

Also, with the lack of adequate integration there are also loopholes that are encountered in terms of streamlining of operations and information handling. Information security and privacy gets hampered because of this reason (Henderson, 2004).

The automated information system at Woolworths can be acquired through various means and mechanisms (Yang and Tamir, 2015). The method that shall however be selected shall be in accordance with the needs and requirements of Woolworths.

After analyzing the organizational situation at Woolworths along with its requirements, it can be inferred that the applicable system acquisition method in this case would be Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) package such that the adequate integration level may be achieved (Mallery, 2011). 

Sales process and activities are not made up of a single task or effort; however, there are multiple and a lot many parallel tasks that are involved with the sales process that is executed in a particular organization. The process that is followed by Woolworths in its sales activities is depicted with the flow chart above. There are four broad phases that are present in this particular case which consist of further tasks and sub-processes. Due to the presence of several parallel activities there are certain miscalculations and errors that are observed at some point or the other (Gulledge, 2002).

Due to the existence of numerous sales activities along with certain activities that run in parallel, there are various problems associated with control of the activities that is observed. Monitoring of the activities has come up as a major concern in front of the management as the manual monitoring and control is no longer possible due to the expansion in the structure and nature of activities (Mohapatra and Patnaik, 2011).

Because of the control and monitoring problems, there are also several deviations and frauds that are given shape by the mischievous entities. These frauds are usually in the form of internal threats that are executed by in-house employees for selfish motives.

Innovation and technological transformations have had an impact on a majority of business organizations and users all across the globe. One such sector that has seen a lot of impact with the transformations in technology is accounting. Australia is home to hundreds and thousands of industries and organizations that work in the area of accounting. With the invention of newer mechanisms and increase in the user demands, there are several providers that are providing the users with the customized accounting software and packages (Seethamraju, 2012).

With the change in technology, it is natural that the trends along with expectation of the customers will also experience a major shift. The case is the same with the accounting systems and related activities. Automation is mandatory in the accounting packages in the present times. The service providers are also working accordingly and making sure that the level of automation that is included in the accounting software and packages is kept high. Along with the usual accounting and bookkeeping activities, there are also advanced capabilities that are now being offered in the accounting packages such as those associated with reporting, data storage, file sharing and many more (James, 2016).

Accounting industry in Australia is one massive industry that performs local as well as global operations with the ability to handle Big Data (Afpbb, 2016). More than 11,500 companies with close to 132,000 resources are currently engaged with these industries. It is estimated that due to the massiveness of the industry and the demands of the users, the accounting industry in Australia can witness a growth rate of close of 6.5% in the current year (Bankwest, 2015). Automation is mandatory in the accounting packages in the present times. The service providers are also working accordingly and making sure that the level of automation that is included in the accounting software and packages is kept high. Along with the usual accounting and bookkeeping activities, there are also advanced capabilities that are now being offered in the accounting packages such as those associated with reporting, data storage, file sharing and many more

Intuit QuickBooks is a much in demand accounting package that is offered to the users of Australia and beyond. Automated accounting information systems and packages are much in demand and there is several customized software available in the market to cater the needs and demands of the users. These packages offer accounting, auditing, and bookkeeping, reporting, credit management along with numerous advanced functionalities to the customers at nominal rates. The unique features offered by this package are listed below.

• Organization can experience a great deal of cost-savings with this package
• Performance of the package does not deteriorate in any condition
• Data remains safe and secure with this package
• Ease of accessibility and availability is provided to the users of this particular package
• The package offers advanced security mechanisms and features which ensure that the information is not transferred in the hands of malevolent entities (Advisoryhq, 2015). 

System Acquisition Method – ERP

MYOB is a much in demand accounting package that is offered to the users of Australia and beyond. Automated accounting information systems and packages are much in demand and there is several customized software available in the market to cater the needs and demands of the users. These packages offer accounting, auditing, and bookkeeping, reporting, credit management along with numerous advanced functionalities to the customers at nominal rates. The unique features offered by this package are listed below.  

• Business analysts and system experts get the ability to view real-time view of the activities
• Integration with Point of Sale (PoS) transactions
• Network performance does not impact the performance of the package and its components
• The package meets all the legal and regulatory compliance
• The package allows the users to customize it as per their liking and there is also a great degree of personalization possible (Myob, 2016).

Reckon is a much in demand accounting package that is offered to the users of Australia and beyond. Automated accounting information systems and packages are much in demand and there is several customized software available in the market to cater the needs and demands of the users. These packages offer accounting, auditing, and bookkeeping, reporting, credit management along with numerous advanced functionalities to the customers at nominal rates. The unique features offered by this package are listed below.

• This package has a massive customer engagement in the market which makes sure that the investments and shares do not go through any loss or market risk
• Smooth navigation and enhanced user experience
• Advanced accounting activities are offered by this package which distinguishes it from the peers (Carey, 2015).

Saasu is a much in demand accounting package that is offered to the users of Australia and beyond. Automated accounting information systems and packages are much in demand and there is several customized software available in the market to cater the needs and demands of the users. These packages offer accounting, auditing, and bookkeeping, reporting, credit management along with numerous advanced functionalities to the customers at nominal rates. The unique features offered by this package are listed below.

• Customization in terms of the currency option, language option, color scheme and theme is provided with this package.
• Integration with the other systems that are executed in the organization and rest of the accounting systems is easy

Xero is a much in demand accounting package that is offered to the users of Australia and beyond. Automated accounting information systems and packages are much in demand and there is several customized software available in the market to cater the needs and demands of the users. These packages offer accounting, auditing, and bookkeeping, reporting, credit management along with numerous advanced functionalities to the customers at nominal rates. The unique features offered by this package are listed below.

• Level of automation is high which demands very less manual intervention
• Reconciliation, bookkeeping and auditing activities can be done with much ease.
• The package offers some of the essential non-functional qualities such as reliability, usability, performance and supportability.
• Quick and convenient integration (Miller, 2016). 

Cost of the packages (Advisoryhq, 2015)

• Due to the involvement of web and cloud computing components, these packages are exposed to a number of security risks and frauds along with a lot many cyber crimes.
• Hidden costs are also linked with these packages and the knowledge of these costs is provided to the customers only after the final payment is made. There is a cost required to avail certain add-ons (Crowder, 2016).
• Absence of system documentation and the required level of assistance and support also lead to the emergence of challenges for the users.
• Maintenance and absence of post-deployment support is also a major challenge that the users face.   

References

Advisoryhq.com, (2015) 5 Best Small Business Accounting Software in Australia. [online] AdvisoryHQ. Available at: https://www.advisoryhq.com/articles/5-best-small-business-accounting-software-in-australia/ [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017].

Afpbb, (2016) The Australian Accounting Industry. [online] Afpbb.net.au. Available at: https://www.afpbb.net.au/Resources/TheAustralianAccountingIndustry.aspx [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017].

Bankwest, (2015) Accounting Services Industry Report. 1st ed. [ebook] Bankwest. Available at: https://www.bankwest.com.au/cs/ContentServer%3Fpagename%3DFoundation/CS/Blob/Document%26id%3D1292539844555%26ext%3D.pdf+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=in [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017].

Carey, M. (2015) Cloud Accounting Overview 2015: MYOB Essentials vs Xero vs Intuit QuickBooks Online vs Reckon One – Digital First. [online] Digital First. Available at: https://www.digitalfirst.com/2015-overview-cloud-accounting-software/ [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017].

Crowder, C. (2016) [online] Techin.oureverydaylife.com. Available at: https://techin.oureverydaylife.com/disadvantages-accounting-software-1965.html [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017].

Gulledge, T. (2002). Business process management: public sector implications. Business Process Management Journal, 8(4), pp.364-376.

Henderson, L. (2004). Encoding and decoding communication competencies in project management ? an exploratory study. International Journal of Project Management, 22(6), pp.469-476.

James, D. (2016) 7 accounting packages for Australian small businesses compared: including MYOB, QuickBooks Online, Reckon, Xero. [online] BIT. Available at: https://www.bit.com.au/Review/344651,7-accounting-packages-for-australian-small-businesses-compared-including-myob-quickbooks-online-reckon-xero.aspx [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017].

Mallery, M. (2011). Project Management Portal (PMP) from the University of Washington Information Technology Wiki – https://wiki.cac.washington.edu/display/pmportal/Project+Management+Portal. Technical Services Quarterly, 28(3), pp.365-367.

Miller, K. (2016) Xero Review 2016 | Reviews, Ratings, Complaints, Comparisons. [online] Merchant Maverick. Available at: https://www.merchantmaverick.com/reviews/xero-review/ [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017].

Mohapatra, S. and Patnaik, A. (2011). Sustainability in HRIS implementation through effective project management. International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, 3(1), p.78.

Myob, (2016) Online Accounting Software for Businesses | MYOB. [online] Myob.com. Available at: https://www.myob.com/au/accounting-software/compare [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017].

Ryan, E. (2016) The Evolution of Accounting Software: Past, Present and Future|. [online] Gaaaccounting.com. Available at: https://www.gaaaccounting.com/the-evolution-of-accounting-software-past-present-and-future/ [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017].

Seethamraju, R. (2012). Business process management: a missing link in business education. Business Process Management Journal, 18(3), pp.532-547.

Woolworths, (2017). Woolworths Supermarket – Buy Groceries Online. [online] Woolworths Online. Available at: https://www.woolworths.com.au/ [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017].

Yang, Y. and Tamir, G. (2015). Offshore software project management: mapping project success factors. International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, 7(2), p.111.

Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:

Turnitin Report

Formatting

Title Page

Citation

Outline

Place an Order