Assignment on

Case Analysis

Prepared for:
Mohammad Abdul Jabbar Lecturer Course Instructor: Management Information System Course No-505

Prepared By:
Ashraf Md. Abdullah MBA 13th Batch Student ID No. - 242 Strategic & International Management

Department of Management Studies Faculty of Business Studies University of Dhaka

Date of Submission: 12th January, 2012

Case 1: Virtual meetings: Smart Management Question 1: one consulting firm has predicted that video and web conferencing will make business travel extinct. Do you agree? Why or why not? Answer: I dont agree with this consulting firm. I think video and tele conferencing will reduce the business travel in some extent (according to the case it 20%) but not totally. Regular business meeting can be done by the video or teleconferencing, but where it is necessary to be present physically, there is no alternative. The buyer of the garments has to come & check the quality of garment product because he cant check the quality of the garments over camera. In near future unless 3D telepresence system or something revolutionary technology come up the business travel will not extinct. Question 2: what is the distinction between videoconferencing and telepresence? Answer: the distinction between videoconference and telepresence lie on the technology.
Telepresence picks up where video conferencing left off. Videoconferencing is the predecessor of telepresence. Telepresence is real time, full-high-definition, immersible sound and vision. tele presence is more technologically advanced than videoconference and thus more costly than videoconferencing.

Question 3: what are the ways in which videoconferencing provides value to a business? Would you consider it smart management? Explain your answer. Answer: videoconferencing is providing value in business in many ways. It hasReduced travel cost Improved communications and professional relationships Enabled Work remotely Reduced operation cost

Definitely its smart management. It is reducing the travel cost and time. That time can be used on some other productive activities. It enables to work remotely simply with a laptop and a internet connection. And by this it subsequently reduce the operation cost of the firm. So it s a smart management indeed.

Question 4: if you were in charge of a small business, would you choose to implement videoconferencing? What factors would you consider in your decision? Answer: If I were in charge of a small firm I would definitely choose to implement videoconferencing. It would reduce my cost and time. But implementing videoconferencing depends on the nature of my venture and also make sure its a profitable venture. The factors I would consider1. Nature of the venture 2. Nature on how the meeting is conducted 3. Necessity of setting up the system 4. Profitability

Case 2: UPS Competes Globally with Information Technology Question 1: What are the inputs, processing, and outputs of UPSs package tracking system? Answer: The inputs for the UPS are- package information, customer signature, pickup, delivery, time-card data, current location, and billing and customer clearance documentation. In the processing phase the data are transmitted to a central computer and stored for retrieval. Data are also reorganized so that they can be tracked by customer account, date, driver, and other criteria. The outputs include pickup and delivery times, location while en route, and package recipient. The outputs also include various reports, such as all packages for a specific account or a specific driver or route, as well as summary reports for management. Question 2: What technologies are used by UPS? How are these technologies related to UPSs business model and business objectives? Answer: Technologies include handheld computers (DIADs), barcode scanning systems, wired and wireless communications networks, desktop computers, UPSs central computer (large mainframe computers), and storage technology for the package delivery data.

Telecommunications for transmitting data, pagers, cellular phone networks, and many different pieces of UPS in-house package tracing software for tracking packages, calculating fees, maintaining customer accounts and managing logistics, as well as software to access the World Wide Web. UPSs strategy is to provide the best service and lowest rates and it has used the same strategy for over 90 years. One of the most noticeable aspects of technology applied by the company is the customers ability to track his/her package via the UPS Web site. However, technology also enables data to seamlessly flow throughout UPS and helps streamline the workflow at UPS. Thus, the technology described in the case enables UPS to be more competitive, efficient, and profitable. The result is an information system solution to the business challenge of providing a high level service with low prices as promised in the face of mounting competition. Question 3: What problems do UPSs information systems solve? What would happen if these

technologies were not available? Answer: Some problems UPSs information system solves relate directly to logistics and supply chain activities, not just for itself, but also for other companies. These services include supply chain design and management, freight forwarding, customs brokerage, mail services, multimodal transportation, and financial services, in addition to logistics services. Because of the advanced integration of its technology, UPS can provide these services cheaper and more efficient than most companies can create them in-house. Arguably, UPS might not be able to compete effectively without technology. If the technology were not available, then UPS would, as it has through most of its history, attempt to provide that information to its customers, but at higher prices. From the customers perspective, these technologies provide value because they help customers complete their tasks more efficiently. Customers view UPSs technology as value-added services as opposed to increasing the cost of sending packages.

Case 3: Is Second Life Ready for Business Question 1: How can Second Life provide value to businesses that use it? Answer: Second life may also serve as a new marketing tool. Second Life can provide value to businesses that use it by providing a low-cost birthing ground for new industries and transform businesses, commerce, marketing and learning much the way the Web has done. It can help facilitate internal communications and help companies recruit tech-savvy employees. Second Life provides businesses with tools for online conferencing, online collaboration, knowledge management, and prototyping. Companies can test new products using Second Lifes 3-D rendering programs. They can experiment with new marketing and advertising campaigns to see how people react. They can receive feedback on real-world products or services. Question 2: What kinds of businesses are most likely to benefit from a presence on Second Life? Why? Answer: Retail businesses that are already used to doing business online may have an easier time of establishing a viable presence on Second Life. They are used to advertising and marketing to customers online and have the systems built for taking orders, accepting payments, and shipping products. Other companies, like IBM, that have established online collaboration systems and online knowledge management systems will probably have an easier time using Second Life as another outlet for these activities. Question 3: Considering what you have learned about Second Life, how could you, as an individual, create a modest start-up business on the Grid? What goods would you sell? Why would this be a good choice of product? What, in simple terms, would your business plan be? Why would it work? Answer: One potential new business would be to sell furnishings for online spaces. People inherently want to furnish and decorate their private spaces. The products could be bought and sold. The start-up costs could be low since there arent any inventory costs. I can create the furnishers as theyre ordered. A business plan would include advertising ideas, marketing ideas, how to deliver the products, customer follow-up ideas, and financial planning.

Question 4: Visit eBay on the Web and see what Second Life items you can find listed for auction. How would you rate the activity surrounding these items? Are you surprised by what you see? Why or why not? Answer: Obviously the information for this question will fluctuate. As of this writing, eBay offered 211 items. They included how-to manuals for making money on Second Life, a guide to selling land, and selling linden dollars. Im surprised to realize how advanced and pervasive sites like Second Life have become. Question 5: What obstacles does Second Life have to overcome in order to become a mainstream business tool? Does it face fewer or more obstacles to become a mainstream educational tool? To what do you attribute the difference? Answer: Second Life needs to overcome the idea and perception that its just another game site. Other obstacles include ease-of-use, interoperability between pre-established business systems and Second Lifes proprietary system. It needs to create ways to import and export data between its system and external business systemsdont require data to be re-input into either system. Second Life faces more obstacles in trying to become a mainstream educational tool. Educators are inherently opposed to online, distance education because it supposedly lacks the face-to-face communication between teachers and students. However, as more education is carried online, Second Life has all the tools in place to make it easy to conduct classes, especially its online collaboration tools. Question 6: would you like to interview for a job using second life? Why or why not? Answer: I wont like to be interviewed fro a job using second life. Because it is just a game for me. My appearnce, speech, intellegence cant be shown through a avatar. So for job interview I would prefer one on one communications.