´How can IT help with the need to expand staffing, production capacity, product delivery, marketing, new customers?
´How can IT help with managing all the existing and new data streams for the purposes of product management, vendor management, customer management, marketing, sales. ´Think in terms of Business Process Management, Production Management and Enterprise Resource tools to include Customer Relationship Management, Supply Chain Management (raw product, inventory control, packaging, vendors, delivery), Marketing/Sales (Social media, internet advertising, Search Engine Optimization). ´Think also in terms of Human Resource and Business Administration, Change Management, Records, Information and Data Management(databases, data marts), Infrastructure, Sourcing and so on. Final Presentation – Group
Assignment
Emma’s Garden
The Scenario- Emma’s Garden
You work in IT for a company called Emma’s Garden which is headquartered in
Wilmington, Delaware and has small regional offices and warehouses in
Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey.
You presently supply organically grown fruits and vegetables to upscale restaurants
located in urban areas between Philadelphia and Washington, D.C..
You provide your produce to100+ different businesses throughout the week.
Your suppliers-growers and farmers-are located in the eastern United States along
with Canada and Central America (Mexico, Belize, Honduras).
You also operate 5 of your own farms in Delaware and New Jersey and employ 30
full time staff to operate these facilities. Seasonal help is also employed.
You contract with D,B&T Deliveries, a refrigerated truck shipping company, to deliver
your product. D,B&T Deliveries currently has a fleet of 200 trucks.
The Scenario – Emma’s Garden
You are in negotiations to buy Bethany’s Orchards, a Southern New Jersey
based company that grows apples, peaches, grapes and pears. This company
employs a staff of 15 to include administrative staff and full-time farm
management workers. They maintain their production and accounting records
on Excel spreadsheets
You are also in merger discussions with Kelly’s Dairies, a regional milk, artisanal
cheese and yogurt supplier with 10 farms in the NJ/DE and Eastern PA area. The
company uses Quickbooks for Accounting and Payroll purposes. The company
employs 30 full time administrative and farm management staff.
Company HQ staff for Emma’s Garden presently consists of 40 people to
include HR, Accounting, Ag Production management, Sales/Marketing, Legal, IT
and Administration. A total of 50 employees staff the regional office and
warehouse facilities located in Southern NJ, PA and MD. The business is
presently managed by using an enterprise accounting tool.
The Scenario – Emma’s Garden
Grows!!
The Company’s Strategic Plan calls for expansion of product lines to include organic
dairy products and fruit/veg juices.
The plan includes product from vendors and that which we grow on our own farms
Customer base expansion is targeting small and mid sized universities in the NJ, DE
and Eastern PA region with the idea of marketing and selling present and expansion
product lines to these schools.
The company expects to work closely with its current delivery vendor on expanded
shipping and delivery capacity.
The goal is to have this expansion done within 5 years.
The budget for IT Improvements to support this expansion is $ 1.25 million US dollars.
The Assignment
So, what do you think?
Are these realistic goals? Can this expansion be accomplished within the designated time frame
and budget. How and where can IT help support this expansion? Can some IT related tasks be
outsourced – if so, which ones would qualify?
How can IT help with the need to expand staffing, production capacity, product delivery,
marketing, new customers?
How can IT help with managing all the existing and new data streams for the purposes of product
management, vendor management, customer management, marketing, sales.
Think in terms of Business Process Management, Production Management and Enterprise
Resource tools to include Customer Relationship Management, Supply Chain Management (raw
product, inventory control, packaging, vendors, delivery), Marketing/Sales (Social media, internet
advertising, Search Engine Optimization).
Think also in terms of Human Resource and Business Administration, Change Management,
Records, Information and Data Management(databases, data marts), Infrastructure, Sourcing
and so on.
The Assignment
Research and develop a presentation that shows the results of analyses of
the Company using Porter’s 5 Forces (low, medium and high threats) and
SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). Figure out where the
Company is now so that you can make realistic recommendations around
what it needs to do to achieve its goals – or whether the goals are realistic
from an IT standpoint
Based on the results of your SWOT and Porter’s 5 Forces analyses, come up
with technology-based recommendations that will assist the Company with
achieving its expansion goals. Include information regarding the cost of
implementation of each of your ideas. Remember that you are on a
budget.
The Assignment
Slide 1 – Cover page – Make sure you identify all the members of your group.
Slide 2-3 – Introduction – summarize the scenario – no in text cites are necessary here since I
made the companies up.
Series of slides that present your SWOT and Porter’s 5 Forces analyses. Cite in the text to
the resources that you use to support your thoughts.
Next series of slides present your recommendations and the costs associated with their
implementation. Cite in the text to any resources that you used to make your decisions.
Technology company product description pages are OK. All members of the group are
expected to contribute to the recommendations/solutions.
Conclusion Slide
References – make sure that you list ALL the resources that you used to develop your
presentation. PROFESSIONAL GRADE RESOURCES ARE A GOOD IDEA. You can use certain
Company websites as well.
Make sure that you identify the team members who contribute to the development of
EACH SLIDE.
The Assignment
There is no “Right” or “Wrong” answer to this scenario.
What counts is how well you research, support and communicate your analyses and
solutions within the scope of the assignment. Thinking critically is encouraged.
Imagination and creative thinking are also encouraged
Remember to cite to the resources that you use in your analyses and recommendations
both in the text and on the reference page of your presentation.
Remember to include cost information.
ONE MEMBER OF THE GROUP SUBMITS ON CANVAS.
Please remember to show who worked on the content of each slide by listing names on
the lower right corner.
I must be able to access the resources that you select. If you use books, submit copies of
the cover, copyright information and relevant pages along with your presentation.
All resources must line up with the content for which they are cited.