The role of technology in business success

The role of technology in business success Technologys recent evolution has created several opportunities for organizations to improve their performance and achieve their goals. Organizations have been trying to understand how technology will add value to their operations and how they can apply it to their advantage. This essay focuses on the importance of technology, as well as on challenges faced in managing technology and, most significantly, in aligning it with business strategy and leading the organization to business success. INTRODUCTION In recent decades, evolving technology has played a crucial role to business success and in fact, sometimes, even in business survival; it has been necessary for organizations to incorporate technology, in order to survive in an ever-changing environment and to increase their competitiveness (Pan et al, 2008). According to Sauer and Wilcocks (2003), technology is the most important influence in the evolution of the organization of the future. But why is technology important and what actions do the organizations have to take in order to improve their performance and to achieve their goals? IMPORTANCE OF TECHNOLOGY TO BUSINESS SUCCESS In a global market where information flows rapidly, it is strategically significant to manage technology that is able to transform products and services, operations and processes, companies and even competition (Porter and Millar, 2001). As Floyd (1997) argues, technology is important for two reasons; first, it is important to the success of every business activity, as a company is not able to deal with competition without use of technology. Secondly, it is technology-driven innovation that can lead an organization to long-term growth. In terms of business activities, organizations can benefit from technology by differentiating their products and services, reducing their operating costs, taking advantage of new opportunities and supporting change processes. As for technology assisted innovation, it seems that those organizations that do invest in technology and become innovative increase their market shares, financial figures and overall competitiveness. Having identified the importance of technology, managers should take actions of managing technology and adding value to their organizations. In this sense, contemporary organizations, and especially large corporations, invest huge capitals on the implementation of technology over the last decades, for example CRM and ERP systems. Information technology in most business areas facilitates the control of corporate activities, improves operations and helps in gaining the competitive advantage (Lollar et al, 2010). In industries, technology is a key component in order to meet market needs and customers expectations. In general, apart from achieving their goals, all the organizations need to focus on their customers needs. Leading companies in the market take initiatives by using technology to improve their operations, for example marketing and sales, as traditional approaches to these functions seem to be ineffective. As an example, the increasing power of the Internet (including social networking) has forced many companies to change their strategies with the aim of turning this power to their advantage (Bernoff and Lee, 2008). CHALLENGES IN MANAGING TECHNOLOGY Implementing technology in a complex business environment is challenging and requires a number of management tools and processes in order to incorporate changes that will occur (Phaal et al, 2005). Introducing a new technology should be combined with a strategic plan which involves a number of factors and challenges, as Haywood (1990) suggests; first, top management commitment to the technological plans is crucial. Secondly, the identification of appropriate technology and the selection of its source are two further challenged for organizations. Moreover, people within the company should be able to take advantage of new technology and become engaged with the aim of increasing value. Organizations should be organized and structured in a way that allows technological change and advancement. Last but not least, companies should be able to benefit from this change in order to become more competitive and achieve their short and long-term goals. The most significant of the aspects mentioned above is that technology initiatives should align with the overall business strategy; organizations should use technology according to business imperatives instead of technical criteria (Bensaou and Earl, 1998). There are multiple challenges in selecting and applying the most appropriate technology that will improve operational performance and utilize resources, people and their knowledge more efficiently. As Bensaou and Earl comment, there are several examples of organizations that either discovered that their technology did not support their business strategies or selected complex technological solutions, instead of simple ones that could be more effective. To conclude, it is necessary to take all the aspects of technology into account, so as to implement it in ways that will add value to the business. Managers who are responsible for technology should take initiatives and make the right choices, which reflect the organizations strategy and can lead to business success. ZARA CASE STUDY: LESS IS MORE Zara is one of the largest international fashion companies and part of one of the worlds largest distribution groups, Inditex. Zaras approach to technology is based on the principle of low IT investment that can deliver maximum value to the company. Despite being an information-intensive business with dynamic global operations and millions of customers, there is remarkably little information technology (MacAfee, 2004). Zara focuses on the human factor instead of technology, allowing people to make all the decisions; there are no CRM systems, no scheduling software and no ERP platforms involved in their operations; there are no intranets or online connections among stores, production units, distribution centers and the headquarters; computers are used in a limited and standardized manner. Despite all these facts, Zara has achieved better performance and higher profits than its competitors, thanks to its targeted technology strategy and alignment of the limited implemented technology w ith the companys flexible business plan. CONCLUSION Technology is one of the most crucial factors for business success. However, it is not the only factor; it should be an enabler for the organizations strategic plan. As a result, there is a need to find a balance between technology and business strategy, with the aim of addressing the organizations needs and achieving business goals.

Morality and People Essay

Due to recent occurrences in history, the U. S. has found itself in various situations where serious questions have arisen about the way that we treat our prisoners of war. The question has been posed: should we torture someone if it means that we will gain information that will protect a large number of people? A person with a utilitarian view might suggest that because the torture would bring about the right information that would save many people, it would be ok to torture someone. This view holds that any action is good if it is beneficial to the majority of the people involved in the question. Furthermore, a person who believes in Kantian duty-based ethics might say that the torturing of any individual would be wrong in any circumstance. A person with this type of view would answer this way because they believe that the result of the information being gathered from the torture would not justify the wrong act of torturing someone and that the act of torture is wrong because of the motive of the torturer. This is because a person who believes in Kantian duty-based ethics contends that right and wrong is not based upon the actions of the one performing the torture but rather the motive behind the action, which would appear to be good but in reality would be wrong because of the desire to hurt another person. In addition, a person who believes in virtue ethics would question the character of the people performing the torture and determine whither the action is right or wrong based on if the person had right or wrong motives. Lastly, a person who believes in Christian-principle based ethics would argue that it is always wrong to torture people in any situation. I believe that this theory is the strongest and most appropriate. Even thought the act of torturing someone in some cases could potentially help to protect a large number of people, the fact is its wrong. I don’t believe that we should fight evil with evil. Rather, I believe that there are many other options that we can take up in the fight against terror and evil that don’t involve compromising on our values.

The Benefits of Term Paper Writing Service Custom

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Magazine Advertising Critique - 2095 Words

MAGAZINE ADVERTISING CRITIQUE INTRODUCTION This is a magazine advertisement critique for ACUVUE 1 Day Moist contact lenses advertisement. The critique will based on whether this advertisement has all the important elements such as headline, copy, visual, typefaces, sizes, colours, signatures, and etcetera. Besides, this is to check the level of persuasiveness of this ad, whether it can call people to action, to buy the product immediately. Next, we want to see how effective the visual works with the copy and headline to assist each other in order to create people’s interest towards finding more about ACUVUE 1 Day Moist contact lenses. We want to analyse whether the message that this ad is trying to deliver is received by the customers.†¦show more content†¦Later, read the second phrase, it says, â€Å"Which is why I’m glad I got these ACUVUE contact lenses†, this relates to the first phrase which bring the understanding that active type of people need this product to stay active even when wearing contact lenses. The third line of the phrase explains why this active person feels comfortable using ACUVUE 1 Day Moist contact lenses, â€Å"They lock in moisture, which makes them so comfortable you can’t even feel them†. It explains that the contact lenses’ functions is to moisture our eyes so we do not feel dry even wearing it all day, compared to other contact lenses. Last line is, â€Å"Now I can have fun whenever I want, for as long as I want†, this confirms the previous statement about how comfortable that contact lenses. Simply by reading the copy, we can easily identify who is the target audience for this product and are we in the target group. From the copy we know the type of people who would want to purchase ACUVUE 1 Day Moist contact lenses, which is people who wants comfort while being active all day. At the bottom page of the advertisement, a brief explanation of how the contact lenses scientifically functions for the user. It provides more reasoning as to why people should have this ACUVUE 1 Day Moist contact lenses. It says that, ACUVUE is a brand with internationally recognized standards of UV protection. The copy also explains how thisShow MoreRelatedImpact Of Advertising On Female Identity Formation1592 Words   |  7 PagesImpacts of Advertising upon Female Identity Formation What does it mean to be beautiful? For the advertising industry, the standard of being beautiful is perfection. American culture is highly concerned with beauty. 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