MIS Final

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10- 15 Analyze Walmart and Amazon.com using the competitive forces and value chain models.

In traditional model we can see that the prices of Amazon and Walmart are equal
inproviding lower prices to their customers, but I think Amazon has a bit inch because
itprovides free delivery. Also, Walmart customers has an inch in free of shopping
bylooking the items and purchase them. Both companies have equal number of
customers. In value chain model Amazon customers expect more quality of
productsbecause of the brand name of Amazon. Besides that, it provides 30 day returns
for theproducts and money back guarantee in 7-10 business days. But Walmart’s
efficiency isattracting customers right now because of the physical appearance of the
products. In asingle comparison, people who are interested in online shopping prefer
Amazon andpeople who like to purchase products with physical appearance.

10- 16 Compare Walmart and Amazon’s business models and business strategies.
Walmart has built its empire through 4,000-plus brick-and-mortar stores. It has
not been that involved inonline shopping but now it is being forced to increase its
Internet presence based on Amazon’s success. Amazon can concentrate all of
its corporate resources on its Web business because it doesn’t have tosupport
traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Amazon attracts new customers and keeps its
old ones by offering low-price shipping through its Primeannual subscription. Its
shipping costs are lower than Walmart’s ranging from $3 to $4 per
packagewhereas Walmart’s online shipping can run $5 to $7 per parcel. Although
Walmart has literally inventedefficient customer response systems that enable it
to maintain its low-cost leadership strategy for itsphysical stores, re-creating a
different or separate logistics supply chain is proving difficult andexpensive.
Walmart’s physical stores provide customers with instant gratification of their
purchases whereasAmazon customers must wait at least a day for their items to
arrive. Most purchases are shipped within aweek’s time.
QA: Name and describe four business trends and three technology trends shaping e-commerce
today

Four business trends


• Social Networking - used by companies to promote goods or services to a massive
online audience
• Online Advertising - Larger online audience will see the add when they open a site
rather than if the ad were in print.
• Online Newspapers -traditional newspapers have gone to offering online subscriptions
to their newspapers to reach the online audience.
• Online Entertainment Business Models - Netflix and other sites and apps like it are
making it possible for the public to have access to movies and TV shows instantly. E-
books are another example of being able to get your book right when you want it via the
Internet.

Three Technology trends


• Social - social networks (Facebook, Ebay, Pintrest) used in e-commerce
• Mobile - wireless devices used to conduct both business with consumer and other
businesses over the Internet.
• Local - provide services to consumers that are location-specific.
QA: list and describe the eight unique features
o Global reach - the technology reaches across national boundaries, around Earth
o Universal standards - one set of technology standards: Internet standards
o Richness - supports video, audio, and text messages
o Interactivity -The technology works through interaction with the user
o Information density
o Large increases in information density—the total amount and quality of information
available to all market participants
o Personalization/Customization - Technology permits modification of messages, goods
o Social technology -The technology promotes user content generation and social
networking

QA: define a digital market ans digital goods and describe their distinguishing features

• Digital market is a marketplace that is created by computer and communication technology to


link many buyers and sellers
• Distinguishing features:
• Decreased in when one party in a transaction has more information that is important for the
transaction than the other party
• Reduced the effort to find suitable products and the cost of participating in a market
• Delayed gratification: effects dependent on product
• Reduced merchants' costs of changing prices
• Increased the price of a product varies depending on the demand characteristics of the
customer or the supply situation of the seller
• Increased selling the same goods, or nearly the same goods, to different targeted groups at
different prices
• Increased market segmentation
• Switching costs: effects dependent on product
• Stronger network effects
• More the removal of organizations or business process layers responsible for intermediary
steps in a value chain.

o Digital goods - Goods that can be delivered over a digital network. For example: music tracks,
video, software, newspapers, books
• Distinguishing features
• Cost of producing first unit almost entire cost of product: marginal cost of producing 2nd unit is
about zero
• Costs of delivery over the Internet very low
• Marketing costs remain the same; pricing highly variable
• Industries with digital goods are undergoing revolutionary changes (publishers, record labels,
etc.)
QA: Name and describe the principle e-commerce models
Models -What Business I am in

Portal - home page, entry page to the web (page you start your internet with
E-tailer- sells stuff (Amazon.com)
Content provider- provide content you may be willing to buy
Transaction broker- connects parties together (Expedia, eBay)
Market creator -online mall (provide place other business can sell stuff at
Service provider- sell software or access to internet
Community provider- provide a place for people to hang out (Facebook)
QA: Name and describe the e-commerce revenue models

o Advertising - generates revenue by attracting a large audience of visitors who are exposed to
advertisements.
o Sales - generates revenue by selling goods, information, or services.
o Subscription - fees charged for access to some or all content.
o Free/Freemium - offer free basic content, but premium content is charged.
o Transaction fee - A fee charged for enabling or executing a transaction.
o Affiliate - Website sebds visitors to other websites in return for a referral fee or percentage of
sales revenue.
QA: explain how social networking and the "wisdom of crowds" help companies improve their
marketing.
Crowd sourcing - large numbers of people can make better decisions about topics and products than a
single person.
Prediction markets - peer-to-peer better markets on specific outcomes

the more people who comment on a product the better idea you have of the product.
QA: Define behavioral targeting and explain how it works as individual Web sites and on advertising
networks.
Behavioral targeting- tracking online behavior of individuals on thousands of web sites.

This takes information found in cookies to help customize a website to the customer as well as cater
advertisement to the customer as they go from one website to another.
11- 13 Analyze the knowledge management efforts atTCS using the knowledge management
value chain model. Which tools or activities were used for managing tacit knowledge and which
ones are used for explicit knowledge?
The knowledge management efforts at TCS can be divided into the following activities:

1. Knowledge Acquisition:
 Over the years, TCS had acquired a vast body of knowledge and experience in several fields
through on shore projects for its clients across the globe including GE insurance, GE Health,
Hewlett Packard, Prudential, Standard Chartered Bank etc.
 TCS regularly rotated people across various function and within other Tata Group Companies to
gain cross industry experience.
 Employees were also encouraged to be part of outside bodies like the IEEE, and go in for
certifications.

2. Knowledge Storage:
 TCS had developed various repositories and databases for knowledge storage such as Kbases,
Process Asset Libraries, KnowMax, and Ultimatix.

3. Knowledge Dissemination:
 Knowledge was disseminated using a variety of techniques such as:  
o Ultimatix a web based electronic knowledge management portal;
o Propel session: brought together employees with similar interest;
o Live Meeting and Knowledge Transition sessions at the project level;
o “Tip of the Day” email comprising technical, conceptual or human skills tips were shared
within the organization daily.

4. Knowledge Application:
 Employees could access the knowledge repository that raised on the corporate and branch servers
through the intranet.
 Students or anybody should visit the TCS website to explore the new capabilities developed by
TCS and how it relates to the knowledge they have accumulated over the years about the
customers, markets, systems development, and technologies.

Which tools or activities were used for managing tacit knowledge and which ones are used for explicit
knowledge
 Tools/activities to manage explicit knowledge
o KBases
o Process Asset Libraries
o KnowMax
o Ultimatix

 Tools/activities to manage tacit knowledge


o Redesign of development centers,
o Propel sessions,
o Knowledge Transition Sessions
o Communities of practice
11.14 Describe the growth of knowledge management systems at TCS? How have these systems
helped TCS in its business?

 The concept of knowledge management (KM) was introduced in TCS in 1995 and dedicated KM
team called “Corporate Groupware” was formed in 1998.
 This group launched the KM-pilot in mid-1999. At that time, KM in TCS covered nearly every
function, from quality assurance to HR management.
 The employees could access the knowledge repository that resided on the corporate and branch
servers through the intranet, with a browser front end or a Notes client.
 The knowledge repository, also called Kbases, contained a wide range of information about
processes, line of business, line of technology, and projects.
 The next step was to create Process Asset Libraries (PALs) which contained information related to
technology, processes, case studies for project leaders which were made available to all
development centers through the intranet.
 The same thing was done through the web-based electronic knowledge management portal library
and Kbases, which were hosted on the intranet, were merged with Ultimatix, which had sub-
portals for quality management system, software productivity improvement, training materials,
and tools information.
 TCS developed Knowmax, a knowledge management system, using Microsoft share point portal
server that gave TCS consultants access to nearly 40 years of experience and best practices
arranged by type of engagement, the technology in use, and customer requirements.
 It supported more than 60 knowledge assets and was accessible via Ultimatix to all TCS
associates. Any associate could contribute to the K-Bank and Knowledge officers were made
responsible for maintaining the quality of content.

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