Management Information In Pearson Education -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Management Information In Pearson Education? Answer: Introduction It is quite evident that the use of information technology in business has considerably made it easier to manage the different process running within an organization. With the advent of technology, use of information technology in business becomes necessary to a large extent. However, small and medium sized enterprises often face monetary difficulties in implementing information technology strategies. Similar is the case of Four Seasons Greenhouse nursery that is located in Colorado. The nursery uses manual registers for tracking and maintenance of data. However, the profits earned by the nursery were almost negligible. Implementation of POS on the other hand helped the owners in obtaining a robust functionality of managing the various processes running within the organization (Laudon Laudon, 2016). The report discusses the advantages and disadvantages of implementing the new point of sales in business. It gives an overview of the competitive advantage the new POS can bring to the b usiness. Contribution of POS and the risks associated with its implementation is discussed in the following paragraphs. The New POS system-Advantages/Disadvantages The new point of sales system is designed to automate the different functionalities of business such as, data input, tracking of inventory sales and so on. The advantages of the new POS system are as follows (Stadtle, 2015)- The major advantage of implementing the new POS system is that, the organization does not need to maintain the manual registers in tracking and maintaining the inventory items. This is an advantage to the organization as the manual data entry is subjected to human errors and incorrect data entry. This is one of the major reasons of the less profit, as there is no proper record of the inventory items and sales (refer to appendix 2). The new POS system provides robust functionality in data input, data tracking and distribution of data. This in turn helps in easy management of the vital business process (Diallo, Rodrigues Sene, 2012). The new POS system helps in accurate calculation of the inventory counts thus eliminating the guesswork about the orders. This in turn helps the business in operating on a leaner inventory unit. The accurate data estimation and easy management of the vital process enhances the decision making process. Timely reporting of all the tasks furthermore helps in proper management of all the business operations running within the organization. Proper knowledge about the product cost helps in accurate and profitable pricing of the products there by increasing the profitability of the organization. The new POS system further helps in controlling the employee schedule, which in turn helps in proper management of the labour expenses (Peppard Ward, 2016). However, there are certain disadvantages of implementing the POS as well. The disadvantages of the new point of sales system are as follows- With the numerous advantages offered by the point of sales system, one of the major constraints associated with the process is the cost of implementation of the system. An organization need to invest a considerable amount of money for implementation and maintenance of the system. There are certain security risks associated with the point of sales system that can risk an organizations private and confidential data. The employees and the staffs are need proper training in order to understand the operation of the new system. The system will require regular updates and maintenance. Competitive Advantage The competitive advantages that an organization achieve by implementing the new POS system are as follows- The major working principle of the POS system is compiling and integrating all the business operations in a single place. This helps in proper management of all the business operations running within an organization, which is a major competitive advantage of POS. The new system helps in proper product review and identification of the most profitable product, which was earlier not possible. This helps the organization in gaining a competitive advantage in the market by manufacturing and selling the most profitable goods (Coronel Morris, 2016). Proper management of the employee schedule and labour costs further adds to the list of competitive advantages. Detailed knowledge about the inventory items such as number of units sold, purchased or discarded gives a clear picture about the condition of the business, which further helps in its proper management. This gives the organization, a competitive advantage in the market. Centralized Database and its Advantages The advantages of having a centralized database are as follows- Centralized database decreases the security risks associated with data storage by enforcing a staunch control and monitoring of the system. In centralized database system, the stored data is managed centrally, which increases the consistency of data. Having a centralized database increases the operational efficiency of a business organization. Using a centralized database minimizes the cost of data storage by eliminating any redundancy in data management and associated costs. The data processing speed is high and centralized data helps n development of an accurate report of the activities that the organization or its employees are engaged in (Stair Reynolds, 2013). Data integrity is one of the major benefits of having a centralized database. Therefore, it can be said that implementation of POS will help in proper data tracking and managing of the financial transactions in the organization. POS in decision-making One of the major advantages of implementing the new point of sales system in business is that the system helps in the decision making process by providing all the data that are essential to evaluate before taking a business decision. Accurate estimation of the data and inventory sales helps in processing the business activities more effectively. Accurate estimation helps in taking proper decisions about the inventory items, such as the number of items to be purchased or discarded (Hall, 2012). Furthermore, the new POS system eliminates the need of manual tracking of all the business processes running within an organization. It is difficult to track manually all the information needed for proper decision-making as it might include erroneous or incomplete data entry. Apart from this, the new POS system helps in effective answering of the questions associated with the inventory items such as number of items purchased, sold or discarded. This enhances the decision-making process (Galliers Leidner, 2014). The information provided by the new POS system further helps in creating a solid infrastructure for easy management of the business operations within the entire organization. It helps in reviewing the labour expenses and the schedule of the employees to establish their responsibility within the organization more effectively (Pearlson et al., 2016). Telecommunication Options The telecommunication option available for implementation of POS system within the organization includes the use of LAN, WAN and MAN. The Local Area Network or LAN interconnects all different digital devices present within a limited area. Wide Area Network or WAN on the other hand is a telecommunication network that interconnects the digital devices over a wide geographical area (Zhang et al., 2012). MAN or Metropolitan Area Network however, spreads over a larger geographical area. LAN will not be suitable to implement in the POS system, as it will restrict the information flow within a small area. IT is therefore recommended to implement the POS system in WAN network (Barakah Ammad-uddin, 2012). Wireless technology will be suitable for consideration, as it will considerable reduce the hassle of wires and reduces the implementation cost as well. However, it is essential to establish a secure wireless channel in order to eliminate the risks associated with wireless networks. Associated Risks Since the POS system will be implemented in a wireless network, there are a number of risks associated with the storage and access of the data from the system. One of the major risks is the security risks. The attackers can target the confidential data stored within the system leading to data loss (Zissis Lekkas, 2012). Another major security risk associated with the implementation of POS is the privacy risk. The private data of an organization might be at risk due to a cyber attack into the system. Therefore, it is essential to use proper security system within the organization. Apart from this, there is a huge confidentiality risk associated with the POS system, as majority of the employees within the organization can access data (Al Ameen, Liu Kwak, 2012). Therefore, it is essential to enforce authorization levels to prevent unauthorised use and access of data. Conclusion Therefore, from the above discussion, it can be concluded that implementation of POS in Four Seasons has provided the nursery with many advantages, major one being the increase in sales and profits. The point of sales system has helped in eliminating the need of manual tracking and recording of data, thereby increasing the accuracy and correctness of the stored data into the system. The report points out certain disadvantage of the new POS system and discuses the competitive advantages it offers to an organization. The report further identifies the security risks associated with the system and recommends the network in which the system is to be implemented. The system allows the organization in leveraging business data and helps in gaining a competitive advantage in the market. The business reports can be processed with ease with the help of the new POS system. Recommendations It is recommended for an organization to thoroughly research the needs of POS in its business before its implementation. Proper security checks and installation of security essentials are needed to secure the data stored in the centralized database. 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