Megacorp’s IT Challenges and Solutions

Question 1

As a Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Megacorp plc it is the responsibility to manage the data base of the firm and maximise organisational excellence to handle the data and developing effective strategic planning for the organisation. The organisation Megacorp plc is one of the successful retail organisations which are efficient to expand their business internationally through 2000 stores across 25 countries. The organisation is successful to deliver quality products through online retail chain which further satisfies the customers in long run. However, in the recent years, the organisation faces challenges in managing their position in the retail market due to poor customer retention and lack of efficiency to strengthen their customer’s base.

The organisation also suffers from data management issues as it faced the difficulties with the data outrage and the sophisticated hacks in the data centres which further leads to data loss where the personal data of the customers have been lost through such hacks. The customer’s loyalty and trust are hampered for such incident and it is difficult for the organisation to retain the new customers as well as maintain the old customers due to mismanagement in their data centres and it leads to performance deterioration of the organisation in long run (Younas et al., 2019). In such situation, it is the responsibility of CIO to develop effective strategic planning for managing the information system and retain the existing customers by improving their database management system and delivering efficient customers services. Cloud computing is the major technical innovation for the organisation Megacorp plc to sustain in the market as well as develop effective Information Technology for running the business sustainably.

Cloud computing is the on demand availability of commuter system resources, especially the data storage and computer power without direct active management by the users. The data centres are available to manage by users over the internet. For example, the Google’s Gmail is the software through which the users can access the files and applications hosted by Google via internet (Kaliyamurthie and Parameswari, 2018). The employees and the managers must have effective access of the password and internet to utilise the application and manage the data and files efficiently. It is the application based software infrastructure that stores the data on remote serves which can be accessed through internet. The cloud computing software is hereby beneficial for the organisation Megacorp plc to manage their data base and avoid the issues of data hacking due to high protection and password protected software. It is different from the traditional data centres which further provides a scope to the organisations to manage their data centres and there are different services categories such as infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), software as a service (SaaS) and FaaS (functions as a service) which are effective for better data management system. The organisation would be able to manage their files and data with effective protection. For example, Google Drive is personal cloud storage from Google that lets the users to store and synchronise the digital content across the computers, laptops and mobile devices (Kaliyamurthie and Parameswari, 2018).

It is totally different from the traditional computing system. The traditional system is dedicated and cloud computing is a shared platform where the individual can access the data with effective password, traditional hardware procurement was necessary for traditional computing and cloud system in self service and it is automated process of managing the data efficiently (Butt et al., 2019). The cloud system is also efficient to develop integrated system and its cost is set by pay per use. It is beneficial for developing integrated business software and implementing the latest IT infrastructure to run the business in a systematic process (Younas et al., 2018). Cloud computing system is also advantageous for the business Megacorp plc to improve mobility and reliability, develop cost saving approach, maximise working collaboration, enhancing communication and improving automated process to run the business sustainably. The organisation Megacorp plc can retain the customers through developing cloud computing system where Megacorp plc can manage the customer’s data and restore it in a synchronised way, where the customer’s data will be protected under password protection system. There is delay in delay in Project Rainbow and a flagship development which further deteriorates the efficiency and speed of implementing the latest point-of-sales software in the retail stores of Megacorp plc. The project selected agile methodology which is beneficial for the company Megacorp plc in long run. The agile methodology at the workplace has to develop product quality, maximise customer satisfaction as well as faster ROI, increase project control and monitoring activities and reduce the risk of project failure (Younas et al., 2018). In this case, effective meeting is mandatory at the workplace in order to develop the agile methodology for implementing the latest point-of-sales software in the retail stores of Megacorp plc. The agile scrum meeting is one of the necessary meetings required in this case where the technical team members, software developers and the staff members helming the project are involved in the workplace for better performance and making the project successful (Kaliyamurthie and Parameswari, 2018). The organisation is able to arrange the technical meeting also and it is also necessary to have technical meeting for better understanding and execution of the agile method so that the technicians and software developer can develop the integrated system and point-of-sales software to manage the customer’s data through online database management system (Abrahams et al., 2017). It is also essential to implement information and Communication Technology (ICT) for enhancing internal communication and developing partnership working practice through increasing internal collaboration for better software development and achieving future organisational objective. Hence, the developing of cloud computing and choosing agile methodology for implementing the latest point-of-sales software in the retail stores of Megacorp plc would be beneficial for the retail firm to strengthen their customer’s base through appropriate customers data handling and database management. Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2000 is also effective law, where the citizens can access the information as they are having the right and freedom to access information. The customers can analyse the company data and review the website of the company to identify their employment policies and practice (Younas et al., 2018). The customers have the right to access the organisational website where the information such as about Megacorp plc, available products and services of the company, sustainable practice, purpose of Megacorp plc and its values as well as the organisational employment rules to understand the organisational strategic planning to sustain in the international retail market.

Question 2

Dulcamara is a fan of Opera music where it is one of the best music across the globe. Dulcamara hence tries to sell the recordings of famous arias to opera lovers all around the globe. It is one of the effective ways to start a new business with online ecommerce activities, where the online retail store can be ended through effective management of the business activities (Leong et al., 2016). Dulcamara can launch this new online retail store for seeking the famous arias to the opera lovers. In order to develop the business through an online store, there are suitable stores through which Dulcamara would be able to establish the ecommerce business successfully. First of all, Dulcamara needs to conduct market research for ecommerce business so that it is possible for him to understand the craze for the opera music and identify the niche market where Dulcamara can promote the recordings among the customers. After conducting the market research for identifying the niche market, Dulcamara also needs to analyse the ecommerce platform for launching the new online retail stores for selling the recordings of opera music. In this regard, analysing the business scope and deliverables in the business as well as identifying the major products and services will be helpful for Dulcamara to start up the new business through ecommerce activity. Dulcamara also needs to analyse the products and in this context, the major products are all the recordings of opera music and on the other hand, services are also clarified effectively by Dulcamara in order to serve the customers in a better way. Dulcamara must focus on delivering high quality services to the customers for creating values for them.

In addition to this, Dulcamara must focus on analysing the niche, market and target the customers, where the purchase intention of the buyers is high. In this context, Dulcamara needs to segment the customers into age, gender, income class and the personal preferences such as music lovers. In this regard, Dulcamara must target the age group from 18 years to 45 years where the purchase intension of the customers is high. As per the gender, both the male and female members are targeted for launching the new recording as well as old recordings of opera music. On the other hand, Dulcamara must target the medium and high income classes who can afford the recordings. Dulcamara hence needs to analyse the market condition and identify the potential customers for increasing the sales volume and retaining the customers for long run. In addition to this, arranging the cash for the business and launching the online retail is mandatory factor for starting the ecommerce business and in this regard Dulcamara must have strong capital so that he can invest in the business successfully (Shemi and Procter, 2018). Choosing the name of the organisation and investing in registering the online business are also necessary for Dulcamara to start up the online retail store for selling the recordings of Opera music. Finalising the ecommerce business plan and effective investment in the business is also necessary for Dulcamara to develop the retail store and make the business successful. In this regard, Dulcamara also needs to manage their copyright and intellectual property rights of the business by proper registering of the firm and it is possible for Dulcamara to protect their copyright successfully through effective documentation and registration of the online business. On the other hand, Dulcamara needs to arrange the products for the customers and in this regard it is mandatory to have quality recording with proper system and high quality sound effects so that it can attract the customers. On the other hand, the service efficiency is also mandatory factor for retaining the customers through the online retail activities and in this regard Dulcamara must focus on creating customers portal and manage their feedback through effective communication and collaboration (Varela et al., 2017). It is necessary for Dulcamara to interact with the customers and help them 24*7 to solve their queries and support them to choose the right recordings of opera music as per their choice and preferences.

In addition to this, the Dulcamara must focus on developing the online retail store with effective brand name and mission statement. The Dulcamara must create an innovative website for the business and promote the online retail store through the ecommerce activities. Dulcamara needs to design the website with simple features and clear content so that the customers can access the information about the retail store and identify the authenticity of the music recordings which is the main product base of Dulcamara. Moreover, Dulcamara must focus on arranging the suppliers who are efficient to distribute the products to the customers as per the market demand and the supply chain process must be developed efficiently and sustainably by developing strong bonding with the suppliers, giving them high return on investment and providing them suitable working culture at the organisation (Jeansson et al., 2017). Hence, the supply chain management and the online website of Dulcamara with proper brand name are necessary to start up the retail store to promote the organisational products and services. Dulcamara also focus on cloud computing system and create safe payment mode through debit and credit card facilities and applying the Data Protection Act 1998 to handle the customer’s data and information safely. Dulcamara needs to understand these strategies to open the online retail store for better management and starting up the new business through ecommerce activities where the main product of Dulcamara will be the music recordings of opera music and the target market is the music lovers.

Reference List

Abrahams, F., Subramanian, V., Ramesh, S.P., Sivakumar, G. and Thomas, L.E., International Business Machines Corp, 2017. Method and apparatus for enabling agile development of services in cloud computing and traditional environments. U.S. Patent 9,720,656.

Butt, S.A., Tariq, M.I., Jamal, T., Ali, A., Martinez, J.L.D. and De-La-Hoz-Franco, E., 2019. Predictive variables for agile development merging cloud computing services. IEEE Access, 7, pp.99273-99282.

Gregory, G.D., Ngo, L.V. and Karavdic, M., 2019. Developing e-commerce marketing capabilities and efficiencies for enhanced performance in business-to-business export ventures. Industrial Marketing Management, 78, pp.146-157.

Kaliyamurthie, K.P. and Parameswari, D., 2018. AGILE DEVELOPMENT WITH CLOUD. International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics, 119(12), pp.9937-9947.

Leong, C.M.L., Pan, S.L., Newell, S. and Cui, L., 2016. The Emergence of Self-Organizing E-Commerce Ecosystems in Remote Villages of China: A Tale of Digital Empowerment for Rural Development. MIS Q., 40(2), pp.475-484.

Varela, M.L.R., Araújo, A.F., Vieira, G.G., Manupati, V.K. and Manoj, K., 2017. Integrated framework based on critical success factors for e-Commerce. Journal of Information Systems Engineering & Management, 2(1), p.4.

Younas, M., Jawawi, D.N., Ghani, I., Fries, T. and Kazmi, R., 2018. Agile development in the cloud computing environment: A systematic review. Information and Software Technology, 103, pp.142-158.

Younas, M., Jawawi, D.N.A., Mahmood, A.K., Ahmad, M.N., Sarwar, M.U. and Idris, M.Y., 2019. Agile Software Development Using Cloud Computing: A Case Study. IEEE Access, 8, pp.4475-4484.