Chapter 9
The problem at Soma Bay
Throughout the case study, there are a lot of issues that the company faced over the years. The first problem was about when the Egyptian currency was devaluated (Case study reading material, n.d). In this time, a lot of political-related challenges caused a significant shift in the tourism industry. As a result, the revenue generated by the company reduced substantially. The cumulative occupancy rate also reduced significantly from a total of 50 per cent to 25 per cent. It invoked a significant problem for the company since it became difficult to cope in a highly competitive market with no consumers. Due to the international nature of the business, this political intrusion brought a lot of financial fluctuation in terms of foreign exchange.
Reasons for the ERP system
The main reason behind utilizing an ERP system in the business is to enable the organization to handle a large sum of data at the same time. Doing this increases the ability of the company to make decisions based on the available data from the ERP system. Besides, there will be no delays, even when departments are communicating or sharing information. ERP systems ensure proper monitoring of different business functions that keep a note of the impending costs of processes.
Challenges of this ERP system
The maintenance cost of this system is high as compared to the previous system. Additionally, there is resistance from employees to adapt to the changes quickly due to inflexibility. Since the company contains more than 80 separate modules, it becomes difficult to differentiate which processes need integration to the ERP system.
Will the system help the company?
The ERP system has a lot of benefits associated with it. As a result, it is accurate to say that it will be helpful to the company. The main reason is that it helps the company in achieving its organizational goal. It can be done through creating digital cash flow reports, management reports and generate performance trackers for the company. The system will help the company in coordinating activities for normalcy and convenience. As a result, decision making is aided through this.
Chapter 10
Was it a good idea to use social media?
Based on the numerous changes and adaptation of social media in different social and economic construct, it was a good idea to use it (Case study reading material, n.d). Social media, as a marketing tool, creates a branded analogy of the company through well designed and edited images. These create consumer loyalty through affiliations. Besides, social media enabled the company to gain feedback which is crucial in making decisions for company growth.
Management, organization and technical issues
One of the main problems was the saturation in the market, which made it hard for the company to survive in a highly competitive market. The organizational structure of the company changed as it made drastic expansion procedures. It became hard for the company to initiate different technological advancement for the company. The management wasted a lot of finances in certain expenditures that were unnecessary.
Actions were taken to mitigate bankruptcy
As the CEO of the company, various steps can be taken to ensure the company remains valuable and financially competent. The main work is to eliminate unnecessary expenses. For instance, advertisement and marketing should be done in a scope that does not command a one-time buyer notion. Also, I would initiate a conservative mechanism. It includes making credible budgeting mechanisms which are reasonable and in line with the economic state of the company. It means the organization should make a budget in line with what it can afford.
Chapter 11: Can cars drive themselves, and should they?
Benefits of automated automobiles
One of the main benefits is an enormous reduction in the number of accidents. Also, it lessens the number of traffic jams on the roads (Case study reading material, n.d). Utilizing autonomous vehicles helps in saving time since the car drives itself, making the driver have enough time to perform their tasks. Regarding parking, it relieves the driver from the hustle of looking for parking. Besides, it becomes easier to gain access to different automatic transportation services.
The disadvantage of automated automobiles
The most common problem among the all autonomous car is its expensive nature. Companies spend a lot of funds on researching and manufacturing these vehicles. As a result, consumer purchasing becomes costly, as well. Due to their adoption of AI technology, it means that they are prone to hacking and theft. Besides, its adoption leads to reduced job opportunities, especially for drivers. Since they use sensors, accidents can be exhibited, especially when this technology fails. The vehicle may find it hard to recognize and distinguish the type of object present on the roads.
Investing as the CEO in autonomous automobile
If I were the CEO, I would invest in the development and marketing of automated vehicles. The main reason behind this is because the world is undergoing a lot of technological changes. As a result, numerous research is still underway on AI and how it can be incorporated in various sectors. Automatic vehicles are not any different. They have a lot of advantages compared to the disadvantages. It means that soon, every industry will have an automatic vehicle. Investing in this sector is prone to bring a lot of returns due to the large number of people who embrace it.
Chapter 12: Anthem Benefits from More Business Intelligence
Problem with old human resource
Due to the nature of the company, there is a massive chunk of information from the clients which require processing (Case study reading material, n.d). The processing needs to be done at a speedy and accurate way for decision-making purposes. As a result, there is a problem in collecting, storing, managing, processing, retrieving and dissemination of information throughout the organization. Also, it wasn’t easy to relate to different departments performing different or similar activities.
The new People Data Central (PDC) portal
The adoption of PDC for business processes is crucial for the organization. It uses oracle, which is a highly valued web-based program for human capital management. The primary functioning involves incorporating various tools for talent and workforce management (“Anthem”, 2020). Since it is a cloud-based technology the PDC helps in storing a large amount of data through big data analytic, then processes it for meaningful information. Either way, it improves the data analytics at Anthem through query and analysis of the data. The data tabulated in this manner is used in by the human resource to make decisions that affect the organization.
How the PDC portal helps HR make better decisions
The purpose of HR is to coordinate the different business functions of the organization. It means that they are mandated with the task of making effective decisions which affect the growth and success of the company in general. PDC can perform scrutiny of information and do a thorough analysis of organizational details. The reports generated from this analysis is easy to understand since it gives a projection of the company’s performance. It helps in identifying the potential risks that Anthem might face, then prioritizing the existing resources. Through inclusion, PDC involves a platform where employees can input their decisions and opinions on some issues that affect them or the organization. Besides, useful feedback leads to better HR decisions.