IFSM 300 Final Assessment Exam

Student’s Name

Institution’s Name

Date

Questions:

  1. Analyze the Virginia’s Finest Meat Distributors business. This question has 2 parts.
  1. Discuss each of Porter's Five Forces in relationship to VFMD.

FORCE
List Porter's Five Forces / JUSTIFICATION of your selected impact
Minimum 3 good sentences that explain the impact of the force on VFDM to demonstrate understanding of the force.
Refer to specific details from the business in the case study to support your explanations. You must mention the case study to gain all points for your submission.
Suppliers bargaining power / VFMD gets its products from specific suppliers from Midwest who supply the business with boxed beef. Other meat products are sourced from local farms that are well supervised and managed, where no medicated feeds or drugs are used. Thus VFMD has specific suppliers for its products and thus, its suppliers have a higher bargaining power.
Buyers bargaining power / VFMD has a wide range of customers who depend highly on him for meat supply. However, there are a number of big box stores that sell to specialty restaurants and caterers, and Maine Avenue Butcher which is the main VFMD competitor. This gives buyer a higher bargaining power. However, VFMD offers unique after sale service that is not offered elsewhere, and thus reducing buyers bargaining power. Thus, buyer bargaining power can be considered moderate in this case
Threat of new entrants / The meat distribution industry in the region is dominated by two butcheries which include VFMD and Maine Avenue Butchers, which are both old traders in the business. The changing terms and prices in the livestock industry, which are the main source meat distribution raw material makes it hard for small butchery to operate. Thus the business faces low threat to new entrant
Threat of substitute products / VFMD provide variety of high quality meat products that include both wet and dry-aged beef, pork, poultry, and lamb. Similar products are also sold in big box stores, with its main competitor supplying both wet and dry-aged beef. This means that VFMD products are substitutable, though quality services provided in the business minimizes the substitution threat.
Rivalry among existing competitors / VFMD is experiencing competition from its main competitor Maine Avenue Butchers and also from large box stores who take considerable share in the market. However, Maine Avenue Butchers are considerable expensive, and both Main Avenue and big box stores do not offer exceptional services. Thus they are not strong rivals in this market. VFMD still has a higher market share.
  1. Identify which one of the forces should be the primary factor in the development of future business and their information technology strategy. Include the chosen force and your explanation of why you chose that force using information you’ve learned in this course and specifics from the case study in a minimum of 3well-written sentences. Your explanation must explicitly refer to the VFMD business in the case study.

The force that should be the primary factor in the future business development and its information technology strategy is customers bargaining power. The VFMD customers have a chance of purchasing similar products from other sellers in the market who sell similar products. The only thing that make them glued to VFMD is high quality, availability of varieties and unique after sale services. This means, improvement of the competitors’ quality and services would easily increase buyers bargaining power even further, making it hard for VFMD. In this regard, the VFMD has to employ measures that would reduce the bargaining power of its buyers to remain dominant in the market, and reduce the chances of being substituted by its buyers.

  1. Identify which of Porter's Generic Strategies is most appropriateto Virginia’s Finest Meat Distributors and explain why you selected it in light of your Five Forces Analysis.You must mention the case study to gain all points for your response.

The most appropriate porter’s generic strategy to employ in VFMD case is differentiation. VFMD has gained a great competitive advantage in the market for offering unique desirable services and products to its customers. This makes it different from similar suppliers in the market such as Maine Avenue Butcheries, and provides it with an opportunity to beat the big box stores that are growing in the market. Thus further differentiation in both products and services would provide the VFMD with a higher competitive advantage in the market making it more preferred by most consumers compared to its competitors (Management Technology Policy,n.d.).

3. Victor uses the three business processes listed below, and each of them could be improved using technology. Identify and explain how a type of information technology system solution could improve each one of the processes. Do not research a specific product (e.g., SalesForce) but do include the type of solution (e.g., CRM, SCM, etc.).

a. Purchasing meat products from suppliers. How could a technology solution improve this process?

The best technological solution to employ to improve meat products purchasing from suppliers is the supply chain management software (SCMS). This refers to software modules or tools employed in executing transactions in the supply chain, managing relationships with suppliers, and managing related business processes.

b. Creating and managing a schedule to deliver ordered products (standing orders and special orders) to the right customers each day. How could a technology solution improve this process?

The best technology solution to employ to improve creating and managing schedule to deliver ordered products is by use of supply chain management system integrated with customer management system. Most SCMS contain delivery scheduling programs that ease in order delivery process. CMS on the other hand contains all the required customers’ details and thus making it easy to identify the customers address and other fine customer details. The two will ensure that the right products are delivered to the right customers without any confusion or fail.

c. Managing inventory.How could a technology solution improve this process?

The best technology solution to employ to improve this process is the employment of inventory management software IMS. This is a computer founded system used for tracking levels of inventories, tracking deliveries, sales, and orders.

  1. Using the three business processes listed in question #3,identify one step in the process, and thenlist one input, one system processing action, and one output that would be part of that step in the process. Note: these 3 pieces need to relate to each other.

Process
Choose a step in the process listed and write it in the space provided / Input
Information/data item entered into the system as part of this process step
(input needed for the system) / Processing
Processing or action the system must perform for this process step
(what the system will do with the input) / Output
Information/data item displayed or printed out for the user in this process step
(what the system will output/display)
PURCHASING PRODUCTS - / Input the details of the product that needs to be purchased including its name, quantity, and the preferred supplier / Evaluation of its availability, and computation of the price based on the quantity / The cost of the product is output or a message saying the product is out of stock
SCHEDULING DELIVERIES TO CUSTOMERS -
Briefly describe the step in the process you selected: / Input details of the product to be delivered, customer’s details including destination, time and place of delivery / Evaluation of the truck and driver available to handle the delivery / Output the truck number and the driver’s name to handle the delivery
MANAGING INVENTORY -
Briefly describe the step in the process you selected: / Input the quantity of added stock on a specific product / Adding the existing stock to already existing stock / Output the total volume of the stock to the updated product
  1. Victor has decided to use technology to improve one of the business processes identified in question #4 above. Select one of the processes and analyze the IT requirements as they apply to that process using the table below.Type the name of the process you selected on the line below:

Business Process for Virginia’s Finest Meat Distributors
Type the name the business process that you selected from #4 here: Purchasing Order Process
IT
Requirement / Importance/
Relevance
High,Medium,
Low, or Not Applicable (N/A)
(each must have a ranking, including N/A) / Explanation for Ranking Including N/A
(Write a minimum of 3 good sentences for each.
  • Include why/how the IT requirement applies to the process you selected.
  • In your explanation, identify the data or type of data used, where applicable.
  • Specifically mention and relate your answer to the Case Study Virginia’s Finest Meat Distributors.

Usability / High / Every system needs to be user friendly to enhance effective application without errors. The VFMD need to place orders for the right items with the right quantity to ensure that they are able to serve their customers effectively. This must be guaranteed by ensuring the ordering system is easy to maneuver without any form of confusion that can result to purchasing errors. The system should also be error tolerant.
Data Completeness / High / Data completeness is very essential in ensuring that all the required information has been put into consideration before billing is done. This is important in ensuring all information regarding all the suppliers, their products, products quality, and prices are considered while selecting the product to purchase and the supplier to use. It ensures that the VFMD only obtains its products from reliable suppliers, and that they have minimized the operation cost by selecting the suppliers with the best prices possible (Bourgeois, 2014).
Database / High / The VFMD company database will store all the required information regarding suppliers, their products, and all other information required to enhance purchases. Thus the database needs to be highly secured, with access and modification being limited only to a few authorized personnel. The information stored in the database play a major role in enhancing purchase decision making and thus, it should be up to date, easily accessible, and with high ability to make analytical reports.
Reliability/ Availability / High / The system should be highly available to ensure that the VFMD is always usable for effective operation of the business. The system must have up to date information to enhance its reliability in making purchase decisions.
Security / High / The VFMD purchase order process will involve other sensitive task like order payment to enhance order processing on the suppliers’ side. In this regard, high level of security is required to prevent the use of system for fraud related activities. Only the authorized individual should be able to make purchase and to make online payments. The system will also need to be highly encrypted to ensure the VFMD bank account information is not exposed to any interested hacker (Rodriguez et al., 2007).

6. Using a cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution, list and briefly explain three specific quantifiable (measurable) business benefits. These should reflect measurablebenefits achieved by using a SaaS solution – not general benefits. Your explanation must explicitly refer to a SaaS solution and the VFMDbusiness in the case study.

a. Business Benefit #1 and explanation: It reduces cost of handling online business system

SaaS system will not require a high initial set-up cost compared to personal launching of the system. The hardware, utility, and technology cost will be highly saved. The VFMD will manage to run its system online without need for personnel to manage the system or high IT knowledge. They will also receive system maintenance and backup services from the SaaS provider and thus, making their online system operation cost extremely low.

b. Business Benefit #2 and explanation: Will increase the VFMD competitive advantage

The SaaS solution will provide advance features that will ease the business management process at a lower cost. It will offer highly flexible business environment, enhancing effective management of customers, workers, inventories, suppliers, and supply chain among others. This will enhance customers’ services, increasing their level of satisfaction and hence, increasing VFMD competitive advantage.

  1. Business Benefit #3 and explanation: Reducing business operation cost

The SaaS will ensure effective management of the VFMD database and all information required in the business. The SaaS will ensure ease of obtaining raw data, analyzed data and also well updated data than any manual system will ever manage. This will increase the ease of making decisions in the business and thus, reducing losses that emanate from slow decisions making or poor information analysis in decision making. This will play a great role in reducing business operation losses and time.

7.Victor has decided to implement a cloud-based SaaS solution to improve the process of shipping products to his customers. Identifyoneimportant activity that Victor would need to do during each of the following phases of the system development life cycle (SDLC) to implement his solution. Your answers should demonstrate an understanding of the phase of the SDLC and implementation of a SaaS solution. (An example answer is provided for the Programming phase—all other phases are applicable to this solution.) . Your explanation must explicitly refer to the VFMD business in the case study.

  1. Planning: Victor will need to identify the business objectives, problem, and all the resources the VFMD business has including trucks and drivers, as well as customers and their details
  1. Analysis and Design:Victor will need to identify the main system requirements based on the end users’ needs, this will guide victor in identifying all the modules required in the system to enhance the adoption of the most effective product shipping system for the VFMD business, as well as identification of other needed hardware and software on the business side to enhance internet connection.
  2. Programming: Since the system has already been developed by the SaaS vendor, Victor is not required to take any action regarding the Programming Phase.
  3. Configuration: This will depend on SaaS policies, Victor will be required to create VFMD account in the cloud, authenticate it, and make the necessary payments, before the SaaS vendor complete configuration on their side. The configuration will also include the internet configuration to enhance its availability to the machines to be used
  4. Testing: Victor will then be required to try to access the created VFMD cloud system using his own computer.
  5. Implementation and ContinuedUse: Victor will be required to download the shipping process cloud software and install it to his VFMD computer which should be connected to internet sources, login into the cloud and start uploading necessary data manually since the business never hard an online system initially. This should be followed by actual use of the system to schedule shipments.
  1. Victor would like to increase the profit margins on his products – increasing the volume on those products that yield higher profits. He wants to analyze the data he will be collecting in his new information system to help him do this.
  • Identify three questions that Victor would want answers to in order to determine ways to increase sales of the more profitable products.
  • Then, identify what information Victor would need to answer each question.
  • Finally, explain how that information and the answers to the questions would help Victorwith data-driven decision making.

For example, to solve a different problem: If Victor wanted to know when he could schedule his delivery trucks for maintenance, he might ask: On average, how many delivery trucks have been sent out each day of the week (over the past 6 months)? He would need to know this so he could figure out when his trucks are least in demand. Using this information, he might see that he makes very few deliveries on Sundays. But, his maintenance shop is not open on Sundays, so he would have to look at the next least busy day. If he found that Tuesdays generally require the next fewer delivery vehicles, he could schedule his trucks for maintenance on Tuesdays on a rotating cycle. Victor can then use that information to ensure his trucks are in good working order without impacting his ability to deliver the products to his customers.