Session 4: Assignment 1

Question:
Find one example of Internet marketing that you think is particularly effective and one example that is ineffective. Explain your reasons, for example, you can describe how well the effective example takes advantage of the Internet's properties (e.g. interactivity, personalization, greater hold on user's interest). For the ineffective ad, you may describe how you can improve on it.NOTE: You are free to use your own examples, or any of the examples I shared with you in class or in the class blog.


Answer:
http://www.tomleemusic.com/tlm/home/home.asp?lang=tc

Ineffective (Tom Lee)


The example I am going to use as ineffective internet marketing is the homepage from Tom Lee Music. I shall list the deficiency by point:-


Firstly the layouts are not user friendly. There is too much information contained in the first page. The web page should be divided into different sessions, with more distinct macros/ links so that the user can follow each category to get the information they need. information repeats itself even on the same screen. For example, we see top left corn of the screen, saying “Yamaha Asian beat” under category News Flash. Then on the right hand of the screen, we see this “Yamaha Asian beat” again under category “program”. More tidy and can hold onto the user’s interest.



Secondly information containing instruments is very limited.
Only size was provided. It is suggested that other information such as:-
1. Price;
2. Delivery;
3. Availability;
4. Link to the manufacturer;
5. Features.
So that customer can get a better idea of the potential commodity to be purchased.
Further, a function to provide “compare with other products” can also be inserted, so that the customer can get an easy comparison to enhance personalized experience. It would be even better, if a comment board can be placed for users to place their comments regarding this piano. This can enhance interactivity and comments from other users can give more independent advices to the potential buyer.

The online store can be better utilized then what they are now being used. For example, currently only books can be purchased though the online booking.



If the homepage allows people to purchase instruments online then it would save a lot of time for the retail shop keepers to save time of the customers and the shops. This concept has been widely adapted in other homepage such as http%3a/www.guitarbitz.com/.


Effective (Cathay Pacific)
http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_INTL/homepage

The example I am going to use as effective internet marketing is the homepage from Cathay Pacific.

CX has a much better internet layout, information is contained adequately, and tidily; It achieved a much better internet marketing effect as the potential customer can easily track the service to be used, such as internet air-ticket booking:-


Information can be easily selected by the potential customers to suit their needs (e.g. dates, destination, fare). This can save customer’s time, and gave a greater personalization to the purchasing experience.


Other than online booking for air tickets, CX’s homepage also contains other services such as other products offered by the company.
The items can be enlarged and the prices (both in HK$ & US$) can be seen clearly from the homepage.

Purchases online can be made and products are put into different categories for ease of convenience. Items are listed, and can be easily compared. Customers can make a convenient and informed decision in the purchasing experience.

People other than the actual customer can also enjoy good informative homepage. Destinations and time of the flights are updated constantly on the webpage, this aids people to get updated information regarding all the flights. This information are available worldwide and in different languages so they are customer friendly. CX has a FAQ session online, so people can obtain information other than those contained on the homepage.

Sessioin 5: Assignment One

Question:

Think of the small database we used in our lab exercise - Products and Suppliers. Briefly describe how this database observes any two of the four design principles outlined above.


Answer:
The relational database is the primary method for organizing and maintaining data today in information systems. It organizes data in two-dimensional tables with rows and columns called relations.
A database management system (DBMS) is a specific type of software for creating, storing, organizing, and accessing data from a database.

The small database we used in our lab exercise - Products and Suppliers.
This database observes the two design principles are:

• Provides the database management system (e.g. ACCESS) with the information it requires to join the information in the tables together as needed:

We selected the fields to be included in the report. From the Product table, we could choose Product Category, Product Name, Selling Price, Quantity on Hand and Reorder Level. While Company Name - this is the name of the supplier for that product can only be chosen from the Supplier table, we can merge the information from both Tables (i.e. Product and Supplier) into one database.

• Accommodates your data processing and reporting needs:

We grouped the report according to Product Category and sorted the data in each product category by Product Name in our lab exercise, but actually we can group the report so as to accommodate the data processing and reporting needs. Also we can choose the layout and page orientation for the report as we need.

Session 2: Assignment One Question

Question:

Answer the following questions after viewing the video:

Which departments within the company are integrated within the Order-to-Delivery process ?

The video shows Sales Department and Inventory Management Department within the company are integrated within the Order-to-Delivery process.

Which steps are included in the Order-to-Delivery process ?

The steps are included in the Order-to-Delivery process are as follow:

1. Sales Manager received order from client that want to deliver on the same day.
2. Access the Real Time data and make sure items are on stock and manage to deliver on the same day.
3. Create sales order
4. Once the order is ready, it will alert the Warehouse Manager and remind him the order needs to be deliver on the same day.
5. Once the Warehouse Manager received order from Sales Department, he will got the information details such as, items ordered, customer's shipment address...
6. Then the Warehouse Manager will click the pick and pack and get individual serial number
7. Delivery Notes will be printed and pack slip will be ready
8. Sales Department will be informed the packing shipment detail
9. Email will be sent to the customers with Complete Tracking Details.

What factors would you consider when deciding whether ERP is suitable or not for a small business ?

The factors that would be considered when deciding whether ERP is suitable or not for a small business as follow:

1. The cost of setting up the ERP system. If the revenue can't be covered the set-up cost, it is not worthy to install the system at early stage.
2. Since ERP is not custom-made system, the complexity of business to re-engineering some of its existing business processes will be considered. The less complex, the more likeliness to implement the system and vice versa.
3. The security features of the ERP. Since the system collect the data in one place. It may be risky of loss of sensitive data through breach of security.
4. The workflow and business process of the company needs to be considered in order to decide ERP is necessary.

Session 3: Assignment One Question

Questions:
This week we talked about Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as a process and as a software application. Based on the CRM concepts learned, answer the following questions:
List the customer data elements generated when a customer interacts with an airline by (a) making a reservation, (b) using frequent flyer miles, and (c) completing a flight. How does information from CRM improve these interactions ?
What are the benefits of integrating the sales, marketing and customer support function using a single software package and a centralized database ?

Answers:

(a) By making reservation, individual identification such as: name, year of birth, gender, language of communication, mailing address, job, email address, telephone number... will be generated, so can understand the customer profile better and plan the marketing strategy through market segmentation. Also, it is easy interfacing to reservation systems for capturing and updating traveller data

(b) Individual characteristics (pattern of flying, frequency of flying, purposes: business or leisure?, destinations...) and behavioural patterns of travellers will be generated through the frequent flyer miles. It can understand the customers' needs and expectation, such as about the pricing, favourite destination...Original and diversified Loyalty Schemes offered exclusively by airline or in collaboration with the business partners

(c) Through providing the services, airline can understand customers' satisfaction e.g. by filling the questionnaires; towards the inflight services entertainment, inflight service by crews, food and beverages... so can help airline to improve their hardware and software through such information.

With marketing and marketing communications providing context and helping to condition the marketplace for the sales people, and the sales department generating leads, closing deals, and providing the feedback necessary to focus marketing efforts where they will have the greatest return on investment. CRM software can also improve businesses client retention and relationships

Using one single data base can:

• Improved marketing effectiveness: with input from the sales teams and customer support data which leading to marketing initiatives that are more likely to reflect customer needs and are well- planned and coordinated with sales, reducing mistakes in expensive marketing pieces ·
  
• Improved sales effectiveness: with more focused marketing initiatives helping to increase the closing ratio and the average sale per customer, as well as to improve customer satisfaction.
  
• Enhanced employee satisfaction: as sales and marketing, employees who are involved in the entire process are likely to show higher levels of job satisfaction and potentially lower turnover.

My Info

Hi everyone, I'm Wendy Wong Wan Yin.
And my student ID: 10126306

Work hard!!! ^-^

Session 1: Assignment One Question

Question

Think of a business or organization that you admire, then describe two examples of how that business is supported by information systems. For example, do they use it for operational excellence? Or do they use it to create new products and services?

Answers

• Yielding better assurance, better service and safety issues in supply chain
  
  HP implemented the RFID system in its world’s biggest production plant in Brazil;
  By tagging the products it yields more accurate inventories from printer packaging to distribution plant in Tennessee and an inkjet cartridge packaging/distribution plant in Virginia.
  From manufacturing, product completion, packaging, distribution and reverse logistics to a service return facility for warranty repair o Plant workers tag each printer chassis –record not just the serial number, but also manufacturing test results, ink cartridge expiration dates and firmware revision dates.
  All resources, i.e. whereabouts of the products manufactured are just at the managers’ finger-tips
  In short, by implementing the RFID system, HP now better manage logistic of the supply system, avoiding duplication, enhancing greater resources allocation.
  Further, HP can track component authenticity, and achieved a great customer benefit, which is the 2nd Benefits
  
  
• Better customer experience at retail level
  
  By tagging with the system, HP gained benefits in execution at the retail site, making sure the product is on the shelf and not in the back room.
  “The system assures that when there is a store promotion is Friday morning to Sunday afternoon, the promotional boxes on the display shipper pallet can to be in the right place on the floor by Friday morning”,
  By tagging, HP can keep track of this and help stores execute properly, giving utmost customer experience at retail level. That is, Knowing
  o where the selected products,
  
  o when it can get to customers’ hand; and
  
  o Whether there are any stocks
  
  All these, in summary, these customer services enhancements are benefited from real-time visibility, accurate information collection which RFID system gives.