The Four Steps Of Problem Solving Information Technology Essay

The Four Steps Of Problem Solving Information Technology Essay The initial problem that Mark Singleton was trying to resolve is the implementation of a CRM system to increase sales by raising the number of contacts relationship bankers were making and improving the tracking of these activities so that the bank could learn more from them. Also Singleton wanted a CRM system that places a great value on the person-to-person interactions between his relationship bankers and their customers and doesnt interfere with those interactions and diminishes the relationship bankers rapport with customers. In the problem-solving process which is especially valuable when we need to build new systems as a solution to a problem or set of problems the organization perceives it is facing. The problem in this case came from the management realization that the organization should take advantage of new opportunities to perform more effectively, but they didnt apply the four steps of problem solving. In the problem-solving process to system building, we would need to take the following four steps: (1) Define and understand the problem. (2) Develop alternative solutions. (3) Choose the best solution. (4) Implement the solution. Citizens National Bank CEO Mark Singleton achieved the first step with an outstanding performance in defining and understanding the problem for which they need to build a new system but he failed dramatically in applying the rest of the steps required by the problem-solving process to build a new system. Mr. Singleton did not devise, develop or try several alternative solutions before opting for a new CRM system to solve the problem of paper and manual work and replace it with a new information system to automate some of the bankers tasks. Because he did not develop alternative solutions, he couldnt choose the best solution which led to a failed implementation in the first solution. What was the business case for implementing a new system? What were some of the tangible benefits? What were some of the intangible benefits? Organizationally, Citizens National Bank of Texas is a private, full-service bank with headquarters in Waxahachie, Texas, and 200 employees that has operated independently since 1868. Citizens National Bank relies on personal, retail, and commercial customers and serves businesses and consumers in Ellis County and other nearby counties, primarily in communities with populations of 25,000 or less. Citizen National bank operates heavily manual and count on paper system in which sometimes a salesperson that left Citizens National could take records of customer interaction with him or her, leaving the bank with no information to maintain the relationship. The paper system also created too much information for Singleton and his branch managers to process effectively. So that the old paper system cannot support the large number of new customers and the annual grow at a rate of 12 percent. A major part of Citizen Nationals strategy for continuing growth was to implement customer relationship management (CRM) software. The CRM strategy targeted the banks two main contact points with customers: the banks call center and its sales force. The objectives of a solution for Citizens National Bank would be to reduce the amount of time, effort, and errors in the tracking of activities made by relationship bankers and to increase sales by raising the number of contacts relationship bankers were making and improving the tracking of these activities so that the bank could learn more from them. Tangible Benefits Increased productivity: Using a CRM system will enable relationship bankers to improve their tracking activities with customers, which in turn increase their productivity and give them ability to serve more customers. Lower operational costs: using electronic records will substantially reduce papers used and result in cost saving. Reduced workforce: this is will be the result of increasing bankers productivity to serve more customers, which in turn will considerably reduce the workforce required to handle the projected increase in sales. Reduced rate of growth in expenses Reduced facility costs: due to paper reduction, and workforce reduction. Intangible Benefits Improved organizational planning and flexibility: because the paper system created too much information for Singleton and his branch managers to process effectively. The CRM system will give them efficient information to make effective decisions. Improved decision making: having accurate information under executives and managers control will dramatically enhance the decision making. Improved operations: The CRM system will enable the bank to approve credit and loan applications more quickly. Improved asset utilization and improved resource control. More information available in a timely manner. Enhanced employee goodwill: because under the old paper system, a salesperson that left Citizens National could take records of customer interaction with him or her, leaving the bank with no information to maintain the relationship. Increased job satisfaction among employees. Higher client satisfaction: nothing will satisfy the customers more than getting a quick approvals and smooth transactions. Better corporate image: this is will result automatically from an increase in job satisfaction among employees and a higher client satisfaction. Why didnt the implementation of the Siebel CRM solution work out for Citizens National? What were the biggest factors? How would you classify these factors in terms of organization, technology, and people issues? I believe that the implementation of the Siebel CRM solution didnt work out for Citizens National because it was not the best solution that applies or fits into the defined problem; it didnt work out because it was not a result of a thorough selection that went through precise evaluation for multiple alternatives or solutions. The implementation failed for many factors, I will classify these factors in terms of organization, technology, and people issues Organization: the approach of Citizens National toward nearly all business functions, from tracking customer leads to generating reports about them, was very basic. The Siebel software was simply too rich in features. From the start, Citizens National had trouble getting the software to fit its rather straightforward, basic customer-lead tracking and reporting needs. With Siebel, we were spending way too much time turning off capabilities that we didnt need, Singleton explains. An example of functionality that didnt fit Citizens Nationals business model was Siebels capability for setting up customer support cases. While some large corporations may want to set up a support case with detailed complaint-tracking and resolution functions, the small bank had no use for it. Service complaints that come in to Citizens National are handled on the spot by its call center. For service inquiries that require a follow-up, such as a customer asking about the reordering of checks, the call-center representative schedules an activity by sending an e-mail to the employee who handles check orders. (Bartholomew, 2007) People: Employees found the software to be too complicated. They were surprised to learn, for example, that the system did not automatically generate potential business opportunities for customers on their records. Furthermore, bankers were not able to view multiple relationships between a customer and the bank on the same screen. The extra navigation was confusing and inefficient. The relationship bankers were the key employees; the system was intended to be of value to them, and, in turn, provide value to the bank. However, they found no incentive in the Siebel environment because their compensation was based on sales, and sales had become harder to make. Another issue was Siebels complexity. Citizens Nationals bankers found the system difficult to navigate. For instance, the banking representatives couldnt understand why an opportunity to make a loan to a particular customer wasnt listed under the customers record. You have to assign that opportunity to that person, explains Doug Furney, president and CEO of The Small Business Solution. If you dont make those relationships when entering the data, the opportunity wont appear under that customers record. Not everyone easily grasped this concept. (Bartholomew, 2007) Furney says the way the screens were laid out in Siebel, Citizens bankers had to flip back and forth between the various screens to identify different relationships that customers had with the bank. Understanding these relationships in the system was very confusing to their bankers, he says. As a result, the banks top sales representatives, who werent eager to change the way they did their work to fit the needs of the software, found Siebels learning curve too steep to negotiate. Citizens Nationals 16 relationship bankers never got over the ease-of-use problems that Siebel presented, Furney says. (Bartholomew, 2007) Deloittes Davis says that the Siebel implementation at Citizens National may have indeed failed because of a lack of buy-in from those expected to use it most-the relationship bankers. If the people using the system dont know whats in it for them and dont see the value of using it, then it will not work the way the company expected, Davis says. (Bartholomew, 2007) Technology: Citizens National experienced compatibility issues between the database formats in Siebel and those used by the banks core banking application, developed by Kirchman. As a result, the two systems had difficulty exchanging information properly. The bank was forced to spend a significant amount of time fixing such compatibility issues, which negatively impacted its ability to serve customers. Citizens National also had to deal with a raft of customization issues, often stemming from the differences between databases. Furney worked to integrate Siebel with Citizens Nationals core banking application. The bank uses banking software from Kirchman, whose vertical systems are used by numerous small and medium-size banks to process and track customers deposits, loans and trust accounts. Trying to get these two systems to talk was a challenge, he says. (Bartholomew, 2007) One basic difference was the way the core banking application set up its customer data fields. The Kirchman system did not have individual fields for both the customers first and last names, choosing instead to include the full name in a single field. By contrast, in Siebel, the customers first and last name each had a data field. Thats the kind of thing we ran into when we tried to marry data from these two different systems, Furney says. This kind of integration takes time, and customers dont realize how much time is required. (Bartholomew, 2007) Was QuickBase a better solution for Citizens National? If so, why? What factors suggest that the bank ended up with the right approach and the right choice of product? In my perspective, QuickBase was the best alternative solution that meets the requirements of Citizens National Bank for a new IT system that is an easy to use, capable of doing some tracking activities, and store the interactions between relationship bankers and their customers and doesnt interfere with those interactions and diminish the relationship bankers rapport with customers. QuickBase was designed for organizing, tracking, and sharing information among team members in the workplace while encouraging progress by notifying workers via automated e-mails of updated files, new task assignments, and approaching deadlines. Because QuickBase was not programmed as a specific business application, businesses could modify its database structure to meet specific business functions. One reason some small and medium-size companies, as well as groups within larger ones, are adopting QuickBase is its flexibility. Intended not just for customer management, QuickBase-which is actually more of an easily modified database than a full-fledged business application-can be harnessed for other business tasks. For example, Procter Gamble uses the system to track technology projects. Because its easy to use, runs online via any browser and doesnt require an I.T. professional to set up, the hosted application is finding its way into all kinds of businesses. (Bartholomew, 2007) There are many factors suggest that the bank ended up with the right approach and the right choice of product, some of these factors are: The Citizens National staffs were able to make changes to QuickBase themselves, so the costs of ownership and maintenance fees were much lower. QuickBase offered Citizens National flexibility that it did not have previously. Because the system was Web-based, the relationship bankers were able to use it anywhere that they had access to a browser. Relationship bankers and management received daily updated access to all interactions and transactions, enabling them to track business in a way that was never possible previously. For the first time, Citizens National was able to completely track sales opportunities and, as Singleton said, where we lost business, so we know where we need to make those extra 10 or 15 sales calls. Also central to the success of QuickBase at Citizens National was Furneys ability to integrate the system with the Kirchman core banking application. Furney configured QuickBase to upload new account information to the core system every night via an XML interface. For example, a banking representative can click on a commercial customers file and immediate see all the contacts that have been made with that customer by bank staff, any actions that were taken on the customers behalf, and the end result. Citizens National bank representatives use it to check on customers to see if there has been a follow-up call to a contact, whether a voice-mail message was left with the customer, who the salesperson was and the status of the contact. Its been an invaluable tool for us to keep track of our customers, Singleton adds. (Bartholomew, 2007) 5. Based on this case study, what kind of organization do you think would benefit from using the Siebel CRM package? Give an example of such an organization and justify your choice. You may use the Web to research your answer, including Oracles Web site. 6. Could Citizens National have made a better choice of software for its CRM system the first time around? Explain your answer.

HR function

Hrs manager is also responsible or the management of HRS to assist the company to reach their target. Moreover, HRS manager shares duties with line manager and HRS professionals. Line manager also seeks the guidance from HRS manager for selecting employee, training for staff, promoting staff and taking disciplinary action HRS outsourcing (HRS) is a process to hire external HRS professionals to help with HRS issues. The main point of HRS is to decide which needs to be out sourced and which needs to be kept. Mainly HRS focus on routine transaction oriented processes and clerical work.Yet, the strategic HRS management Is still taken care by HRS manager. HRS outsourcing is processed In these ways: Business process outsourcing, Discrete services and multiprocessing services. HRS shared service centre Is a expertise centre which helps to take the routine transaction and activities for the company in one place. HRS shared services centre offer another option for HRS outsourcing and offer th e same saving cost and services. Less professional will be needed while the shared services centre is used, in which can help the company to save a lot of cost.Also the most useful function to use hared service centre is to arrange payroll, relocate and support for recruitment, training and development, planning and retain the professional. Professional Employer Organization is organization to rent people to other business. PEP manage the administrative needs of employees and PEP will pay for the staffs salary and other compensation, benefits. PEP has the power to lease, release, and discipline and reassign the employee. However, the company can still have enough control so that they can run their own business.PEP Is benefit for staff because they offer the staff a to of organization so they usually have economies of scale that allow them of have a wider selection of benefits at a cheaper cost and they have a huge number of employee in the pool. Line manager involved in individual d epartment and mainly in charge of their own section. Nowadays, the line manager is involving many tradition al work of HRS manager and is performing their duties as well. For instance, all the recruitment and selection process, performance evaluation, developing of employee have been transferred to be done by the line managers partially.Intercontinental Hong Kong Is a five star hotel In Hong Kong, the service standard Is a very Important factor In the hotel industry. HRS Is responsible to process the recruitment and selecting of the employee, also they are the first one to screen the Interviewee for Individual department In order to make sure every Interviewee Is up to standard and then to be selected by the line manager or department head. HRS quantify interviewee for individual department they can save time for any not necessary interview and can hire a suitable person in a short time.In order to maintain a high standard in a hotel, training is a must for the staff. HRS is one for the department responsible for this. They hold different training for different department timely. For example, for the restaurant they invite some professionals to have a talk or wine tasting to the Food and Beverage staff to enhance and keep updating their knowledge. For the front desk, HRS chooses Some special comment card from guest then share with the staff and also ask that complimented staff to share the tips and how to please the guest.Other than the training and recruitment, Rewards is a significant recognition to the staff. In every quarter, HRS holds a reward presentation to all the staff who is complimented at least one time by the guest. They can get, for example a certificate to thank the great performance to the staff by management, a bottle of wine and Food and beverage coupon in the hotel restaurant, in which depends on the number of compliments. This action is to show the recognition to the staff and let them know the management really care and thank their amazing performance.HRS is also a tool for the staff to share their comment to the management. HRS holds a meeting is called † Direct Line â€Å"that individual can choose their representative to attend this meeting, in which they staff can have a direct conversation to the General Manager and reflect their opinion. This action allows staff to communicate with the senior management directly and let them know the management do care their thought and opinion. After all, HRS tries their very best to enhance the staff loyalty to the hotel and take place the training to make them competitive.

Video Games Are A Good Thing For Children - 993 Words

The act of video games for children had been a controversy in today s society for a very long time. One half of the argument believes video games are a positive act and the other half of the argument believes that video games are a negative act. Both parties have significant data backing up their own personal beliefs. There has been many studies done around the topic of children playing video games trying to conclude which side of the argument is correct which is very hard to do. Some of the studies prove that video games are a good thing for children, and some studies prove that video games are a bad thing for children. Although both sides have their own personal believes and studies, video games are a positive act for children because it benefits one s cognitive skills, health, and social life. Video games have been known to specialize in increasing cognitive skills in children. In an article titled The Benefits of Playing Video Games, written by Isabel Granic, Adam Lobel, and Rutg er Engels, it addressed that video games promote a wide range of cognitive skills which particular comes from first person shooters (Granic, Lobel, Engels). Without a doubt, for people who do not like video games, especially do not like first person shooters. First person shooters are always the first thing to blame when there is a major crisis evolved around the younger generation. Although first person shooters are violent in nature and are a very debatable topic, first person shootersShow MoreRelatedVideo Games : A Good Thing For Children991 Words   |  4 PagesVideo Games The act of video games for children have been a controversy in today s society for a very long time. One half of the argument believes video games is a positive act and the other half of the argument believes that video games is a negative act. Both parties have significant data backing up their own personal believes. There has been many studies done around the topic of children playing video games trying to conclude which side of the argument is correct which is very hard to do. SomeRead MoreThe Addiction Of Video Games951 Words   |  4 PagesAddiction to Video Games A few months ago, my son asked for a tablet which we bought it for his birthday. It was a good idea back then, since he never had one before and it was his birthday. My only thought was to make my son happy in rewards of his good work at school, but later it become a problem. I was scared of seeing my son playing video games! I started noticing that he was acting different. And many times he wanted to be playing these video games while we were eating or visiting relativesRead MoreVideo Games And Its Effects947 Words   |  4 Pagesmonths ago, my son asked for a tablet which we bought it for his birthday. It was a good idea back then, since he never had one before and it was his birthday. My only thought was to make my son happy in rewards of his good work at school, but later it become a problem. I was scared of seeing my son playing video games! I started noticing that he was acting different. And many times he wanted to be playing these video games while we were eating or visiti ng relatives. This situation was very uncomfortableRead MoreVideo Games Do Not Contribute to Youth Violence Essay870 Words   |  4 PagesVideo games are not the cause of youth violence. There are many factors that have to be lined up to cause a child to be violent. For instance Many kids that become violent have had a rough life. They may have been poor, bullied, have alcoholic parents, neglected, or dont have parents at all (kids health). Over the years games have helped kids adapt to things in the world to better help their futures (washington post). Studies prove that video games can help children learn new mechanics (washingtonRead MoreThe Dangers Of Video Games1342 Words   |  6 PagesPlaying video games has become a popular activity for people of all ages (Cunningham). Video games have become very sophisticated and realistic. Video games are dangerous for children and teenagers, when video games were first made available to consumers and brought into homes it was to serve the purpose of entertainment. Video games could be dangerous but they could also be very educational. This research paper will explore the history, controversial aspect, people involved and possibleRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Video Games On Children1394 Words   |  6 Pagesbe for dating, video games, or even politics, people are still impacted by new media in numerous ways. Being that the new media are digital, it’s very easy for people to stay connected with society through their smart phones. You can access pretty much whatever you want right from the palm of your hand in a matter of seconds. With all the new media, there can be some positive and some negative aspects. For instance, think about the effects of video games on children. The video game industry is veryRead MoreVideo Games: More Beneficial Than We Thought Essay1693 Words   |  7 Pagestoday’s world one thing you don’t hear everyday is learning is fun. For some it can be, but many children aren’t that excited to learn. What if there was a way to make learning fun for kids? Well there is, its called gamification. Gamifiction is the process of using game thinking and game mechanics to engage audiences according to Gabe Zichermann an educational gaming expert. Though its been said that video games cause laziness and violence in kids, we now know that video games can be a significantRead MoreVideo Games : Video Game Violence1502 Words   |  7 Pages2013 Video Game Violence The evolution of video games has taken a drastic change since the 1970’s when video games were first introduced. Since then every decade video games have become more violent in nature with strong language and realistic to suit society today. Craig Anderson states that with more violence in video games they would sell better than games with less violence (Anderson, Gentile, and Beckley pg.5). Violent video games really became popular when the first person shooter games wereRead MoreVideo Games are our Downfall Essay1404 Words   |  6 PagesVideo Games are our Downfall People say so much is wrong with our generation, but no one knows what causes all the problems; they do not know whether or not it is a national, government related or just the family-oriented problems. Whether it is lack of discipline or bad parenting, it may be both of those things. But, it just can not be the problem it has to be a cluster of problems. The biggest problem in the cluster is video games. They offer a great escape from reality and are very entertainingRead MoreThe Effects Of Video Games On Children1548 Words   |  7 PagesVideo Games Introduction Today video games are a staple in most households. It is pretty amazing to know that the first creation of games date all the way back to the 1900s. They were not originally invented to make a profit, but to give patients something to do while waiting in the lobby of an office. One inventor had a simple idea of using the monitor not just as a television set, but as a way to play games. College students were just playing around with equipment and happened upon something great

Persuasive Essay About Technology - 1164 Words

Regina Freitas Persuasive Final Essay English 103 July 12, 2017 Technology Technology has grown tremendously over the years. The word technology does not allude to any huge innovation that you would find in motion pictures or T.V appears, however ones you find in your everyday life. For instance, consider cell phones, the Internet, portable workstations and so forth. These are things that are difficult to envision without in our day by day life. At the end of the day, just in twenty years, things in the rundown above have totally liquefied into our day by day lives. In Public Access that mention that technology utilizes first begun as a method for unwinding in the home, it has now formed into an inquisitive inclination that has†¦show more content†¦In NCBIA they mention that both of these inactive exercises have turned out to be exceptionally mainstream all through all ages as normal past time. Another exceptionally regular negative effect of intemperate electronic utilize is stressed eyes. Since many individuals, today work with PCs, the expande d measure of time spent gazing at a PC screen can cause two or three physical burdens (NCBIA). The principle issue with utilizing a brilliantly lit PC screen for work is the measure of concentrate one is putting on the screen. Rest is another piece of our lives that is adversely affected by abuse of innovation. Numerous grown-ups today have heard that it is not beneficial to utilize electronic gadgets inside an hour prior to bed; in any case, 95% of grown-ups still keep on squeezing in technology time before going to rest. (NCBIA) The light produced from these gadgets diverts from the circadian mood and can push your rest time back. Studies have demonstrated this does influence the nature of rest, as well as it influences the whole after day. The blue light transmitted from cell phones is implied to diminish the measure of melatonin created, bringing about a low nature of rest. The mental impacts of innovation utilize have been connected to both positive and negativeShow MoreRelatedDavid Suzukis a Planet for the Taking953 Words   |  4 Pages In the essay A Planet for the Taking, David Suzuki describes Canadians odd appreciation for this great natural bounty we call our own. He is an internationally acclaimed scientist who is concerned about the welfare of Canada. Suzukis intended audience is the Canadian population that does not realize the grave danger they are instilling upon themselves by haphazardly taking our resources without looking at the subsequent repercussions of their actions. The essay is persuasive and informativeRead Moreminimum wage1601 Words   |  7 Pagesneed to look at the reasons for minimum wage. We must look at the amount of time the current minimum wage has been in effect. The affect on the economy needs to be well...Premium 892 Words 4 Pages Persuasive Research on Minimum Wage ï » ¿Lee Prutsman Sarah Hannaway Expository 200 April 1, 2013 All About the Dollar Many Americans have very different beliefs on how our country should be ran, and one of the most important and most frequently asked questions ties along with money. Our dollar allows us toRead More3 Inherited Behaviors Essay1581 Words   |  7 PagesEssay on Three inherited Behaviors of E-tailing Communication 470 Michael Zarvos September, 5, 2012 By: Aisha Syed E-commerce or Electronic Commerce has become a part of our everyday lives. The growth of World Wide Web is growing, more and more each day. Businesses practicallyRead MoreA Brief Note On The Dual Enrollment English1248 Words   |  5 PagesSmarthinking help me edit better, but it was also very helpful to have another person’s opinion on my essays. Having a random tutor was perfect because I do not like having my friends read my writing. Overall, without revising my editing process, all of the other writing skills I have learned this year would not have shown in my essays. In addition to learning how to become a better editor, I also learned about APA format this year. At first it was pretty frustrating because I was so used to using MLA formatRead MorePersonal Essay : Course Reflection992 Words   |  4 Pagesfrom what I can write about. I can pick any topic and write it anyway I want. Writing was hard for me when I had to write about a topic I wasn’t an expert in. Maybe because I just wasn’t completely motivated by the topic. During English 101 I wrote a personal essay, informative essay, persuasive essay, and a textual analysis essay that made me really improve on my writing skills. The first essay I wrote for this class was a personal essay. The assignment was to write about a personal experienceRead MoreThe Assessment Of An Assessment1340 Words   |  6 Pagesto use persuasive techniques to convince an audience. Your campaign ad should be accompanied with a written explanation of the persuasive techniques you used in your ad. Learning Goals and Standards This performance assessment assesses the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standard that states, â€Å"Students write persuasive texts to influence the attitudes or actions of a specific audience on specific issues. Students are expected to write an argumentative essay (e.g., evaluative essays, proposals)Read MoreWhat Is Public Relations ( Pr )?1492 Words   |  6 Pageseven other fields, meaning that with the evolution and development of the society, science, technology and media, the definition of PR is changing as well. Nowadays, the prevalence of information age and the rise of the new media age may become key factors of defining what is PR and how PR is applied. Shirley Harrison who is a famous person in the history of PR, she claims that â€Å"Public relations is a persuasive activity, undertaken to change people’s views or to get them to do something (2000, p.4)Read MoreCritical Analysis: Social Media Essay1292 Words   |  6 PagesAnthony Moye ENGL 101 Sec. 5 Fall 2012 They Say / I Say Essay 1 Critical Analysis: Social Media Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and even MySpace, because we are here to change the world so â€Å"follow† me. I have read the writings of Malcolm Gladwell and Dennis Baron to analyze and write about. They have both presented different points and ideas on the significance of social media and how it has affected our world past and present. Gladwell’s essay, â€Å"Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted†Read MoreWhen an author writes a piece of work, they go through several drafts before they feel that their1300 Words   |  6 Pageswriter is grammar. I tend to misuse commas a lot, which on my essays were labeled â€Å"comma splices.† In the first few essays that I wrote, I had a few of these comma splices. For example in my summary essay I wrote, â€Å"Julie spent two years in Indonesia studying and performing, she had become one of the family in the village where she stayed.† That comma should not have been put there. I had the same comma splice problem in my critique essay. I wrote, â€Å"She partook in an experimental problem that onlyRead MoreDoes Technology Affect Us As Human Beings?930 Words   |  4 PagesThe idea of how technology is affecting us as human beings is a largely argued topic nowadays. For example, a professor of science, technology, and society at MIT University named Sherry Turkle seems to claim that all this digital communication we have access to now is not such a good thing. Turkle has a sample of an essay of hers in the book, They Say, I Say. The name of the essay is â€Å"No Need to Call,† and Sherry Turkle s claims could be implied by this quote from her essay, â€Å"subscribing to a new