Develop a SWOT analysis of the current situation at OmegaCo

Dear freelancer, revise/update the attached paper according to the feedback. Write directly in the Portfolio document. Be sure to work on everything the teacher asked for, he is very strict about following his words to the letter. New sources can be added as long as they are academic. Everything that is added please do it in another color (like red, green or blue).

Requirements: 4 pages

Assessment Information/Brief 2022/23

Your task

You are a technical consultant and have been sent by ZetaCo to review OmegaCo’s operations and information management processes and ways of working. This review takes the form of a report that includes the different tasks shown below with mark weightings against each one.

Feedback – 954079

Task 1: Develop a SWOT analysis of the current situation at OmegaCo (10 marks).

Your analysis should be substantiated with relevant market/economic data and sources

Otherwise it is well, ultimately your observations and opinions.

Task 2: Based on your SWOT analysis, discuss how a more effective and efficient management of capacity, quality and both suppliers and customers could help ZetaCo meet its new performance objectives (40 marks)

you could have included a polar chart/diagram in this section showing the performance objectives – quality, speed, dependability, flexibility, and cost. And compared actual performance with required performance.

Even better that you have compared actual performance with required performance.

some relevant concepts/ideas/approaches are included in this element, however, often there is scope for further discussion around these – more focus may have enabled you to do this.

Better use of tools such as the 4Vs and 5 Performance Objectives would have enhanced this.

Further support from academic sources (not just web sources), particularly when discussing concepts such as lean and TQM would further support and inform this aspect of your work.

Lots of issues with integration of theory and quality of analysis and discussion. You are making declarative statements without any justification and supporting source-based references. It should be clear to the reader, about the source of a particular theory, position/supposition, conclusion, statement that you make. If you are from industry and new to academic coursework, you may not appreciate that you must support your analysis with citations from credible sources.

Task 3: Select one of the process areas from part 2 (e.g., capacity, quality, supplier or customer management) and, using Business Process Model (BPM) techniques, develop and present two BPM models that show how these could be improved by capturing the existing and the proposed business processes (20 marks).

You have not included any BPM illustrations.

As per the task, two were expected, the current state and a proposed/future state.

There are no BPMs present in this section – this is the main requirement of this task and the brief/webinar advised on this.

Task 4: Conduct research into a suitable Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software solution and develop an evaluation table, which shows a set of evaluation characteristics and the analysis of two commercial/off-the-shelf products and two Open-Source Software alternatives (20 marks).

Your comparison of open source technical solutions could be better. You could have developed and applied a more discrete scoring and ranking scale and system. This with a visible and easy to understand and interpret key/definition/legend for the client to understand the scoring and ranking would have allowed her to understand the options available which could be different types of solutions but brought together by a consultant into relevance to the client’s business and anticipated strategic direction.

This is similar to when we plot a graph, we put values on the axis otherwise all the profiles can look the same as one another. Or a risk register where something can be high/medium/low but that is just too subjective from person to person and company to company.

Consider this level of detail the next time you do a comparison of multiple different options within a table. Its easy when you understand the options to not look at it from the clients perspective sufficiently to appreciate they need this to be able to make a fully informed comparison and decision.

A wider range of sources would have improved the table.

A strange effort where you have a significant amount of content that was not needed and instead you should have focused on the table which is what you were asked to do

At present, if I was the client I would be thoroughly disappointed with receiving this table as an output of research and analysis.

Also, the table should not be in the appendix, you were advised to put it in the main body.

Task 5: Select one Industry 4.0 technology and discuss the benefits of implementing this into OmegaCo (10 marks).

IoT is a very broad technology which could indeed provide solutions to help improve OmegaCo’s performance.

More specifics were needed to provide depth to areas that were proposed – for example, how could IoT impact OmegaCo

Some support is provided from relevant citations.

Presentation

Presentation is good. But you should have broken this down in to clear subsections.

Referencing

A poorly constructed reference list that is NOT Harvard.

Insufficient number of citations and references for a report this long. This is an academic assignment and requires academic integration.

Many of your sources are random garbage blogsites, everyone was advised on what is ok and what is not. Future assignments and dissertation will see you failed for using these sources instead of academic ones.

Grading Matrix (indicative results)

 

 

 

 

Assessment Portfolio

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

 

 

 

 

Executive Summary

This report studies the business environment of handmade juice manufacturer OmegaCo and analyzes the company’s recent acquisition by ZetaCo. The report begins by assessing the company’s strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats through the SWOT analysis. It then assesses how the management of capacity, customers, suppliers, and quality can enhance the newly acquired business. The report then evaluates the strength of two Business Processing Model techniques, that is the Gantt chart and the flowchart, and how these can further be used to leverage business strengths. An assessment of an appropriate Enterprise Resource Planning software to further consolidate business operations is then undertaken. The report finishes with a recommendation of how Industry 4.0 can be leveraged to further strengthen the business and this can be done through the Internet of Things. The report therefore gives a comprehensive view of how efficiency can be improved in OmegaCo to ensure that the business continues to deliver the best service to customers.

 

 

Introduction

As a small handmade juice manufacturer, OmegaCo is faced with several strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in its business conduct. The weaknesses and threats impact how the business provides services to customers, and the company’s acquisition by ZetaCo needs for the further leveraging of opportunities and strengths into meeting business objectives. This will be done through the use of quality, customer, supplier, and capacity management. Business Process Models such as the Gantt chart and the flowchart can further be used to improve efficiency and business effectiveness, with the Enterprise Resource Planning software further consolidating business processes. The business can then use the Internet of Things as an Industry 4.0 technology that will further enhance its business.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

Amongst its strengths is the high-quality juice that the business creates and this means that the organization has made to create a unique proposition for itself in the business. This is supported by the fact that the fruit juice is handmade, which further creates a competitive advantage for the business as there is a human element to the manufacturing process. In addition, the company has managed to acquire a strong brand image and this is important as it allows the business to market its products easily. In addition, the business has been able to create positive, long-standing relationships with several small retailers and cafes, allowing for continual business support from these customers.

Weaknesses

There are however weaknesses that are inherent in the company and these include the lack of visibility when it comes to future orders. The lack of visibility thus affects long-term planning within the business as it becomes difficult to predict the rate at which customers will need new products or not. This is compounded by a long lead time for any deliveries that customers need, with customers having the ability to cancel orders at any point in the two-week lead period. This leads to a failure to predict the supply and demand of the juice as the company will not know whether to produce more stock or not, leading to either an underestimation or overestimation of delivery. The company also relies heavily on local suppliers, and these suppliers are limited, making the supply chain difficult to predict.

Opportunities

The external environment allows for several opportunities that the company can optimize to better leverage its business. While OmegaCo. is largely dependent on the local market, it has the opportunity to expand into global markets and thus provide its products to a greater market than it has previously patronized. There is also potential for digital transformation which will allow the business to further leverage its operations and communications and thus provide the best service to customers.

Threats

The external environment also poses significant threats to the company. Unforeseen natural events such as the COVID-19 pandemic may impact the company’s ability to provide services as these may affect both demand and supply and may also hurt the supply chain, leading to disruptions in service delivery by suppliers. Factors such as inflation affect customers’ disposable incomes and therefore lead to poor estimation of demand. The landscape in which OmegaCo also operates is highly competitive and this means that the business has to continually find ways through which to maintain its competitive advantage and thus continue to please customers.

Performance Objectives

The SWOT Analysis, while giving several insights into the state of the company, also helps in the evaluation of how the efficient and effective management of internal and external resources will allow ZetaCo, the company that acquired OmegaCo, to meet its performance objectives.

Capacity Management

Capacity management refers to a business’s ability to maximize its existing and potential activities as a means of ensuring that there is the optimal utilization of resources. Capacity management entails using resources such as information technology, planning, and information to ensure that all resources are oriented toward meeting organizational goals (ArcView, 4). In using capacity management, ZetaCo will have to improve production planning and link production to the correct schedule so that the lead time is reduced and there is timely delivery of services. This will thus help to ensure that enough product is manufactured and therefore delivered to the customer in time.

There will also be a need to implement manufacturing within OmegaCo. Lean manufacturing has become one of the greatest components of production for large companies as it allows organizations to maximize production through the minimization of waste. This then helps in reducing production times and allows the organization to also save on unnecessary costs through waste minimization. Another core aspect of capacity management that ZetaCo will need to optimize is the use of technology within the business system. OmegaCo relies on orders that come through the phone and this can impact the business as there are various other channels such as email and social media through which new and tech-savvy customers can be attracted. If ZetaCo thus invests in technology and automates its business, there will be an increase in production and thus an improvement in efficiency, which will in turn lead to the meeting of set performance objectives.

Quality Management

There is also a need for ZetaCo to put in place effective quality management strategies that will ensure the meeting of performance objectives in OmegaCo. Quality management entails the process of ensuring that all services and goods produced by a company are of the best quality and there is no compromise in the service delivered. The objective of quality management is to ensure that the customer is satisfied by the product or service on offer and this is enhanced through the use of processes such as quality planning, quality improvement, quality control, and quality assurance.

In OmegaCo, therefore, ZetaCo will need to enhance quality management by ensuring the establishment of strict quality control measures at every stage of the juice production process. This will help to ensure that the juice that is produced is of the most excellent quality as it has to pass several tests. These tests have to be rigorous and timely scheduled at each step and there have to be strict inspection processes that ensure consistent product quality (ArcView, 2). The business also has to adopt continuous improvement initiatives and these will be aimed at addressing any issues in quality that will arise. All these steps will be necessary in enhancing customer satisfaction thus allowing the business to retain existing customers while attracting new customers.

Supplier Management

Supplier management is also important in the acquired business and this is due to the fragmented relationship that OmegaCo had with its existing suppliers. Supplier management allows a business to structure its supplier program as a means of improving its impact on the buyer’s business. There are several aspects to supplier management and these have to be taken into consideration by ZetaCo as it builds better relationships with customers. These aspects include contracts that are watertight and which parties to the contract are willing to uphold. They also include working with suppliers collaboratively to find means of developing new processes for supplying services. There is also a need to ensure that the supplier is compliant with all regulations as directed by the regulatory authority and this will further strengthen the supplier-buyer relationship.

In addition, ZetaCo will have to find a way of diversifying OmegaCo.’s supplier base. This will be important in reducing the company’s dependence on a small number of local suppliers. The company will thus have to seek suppliers outside its state and even across country lines as a means of ensuring that the best supplies are delivered at the right time. There will also be a need to establish relationships that are long-term with suppliers. This will work simultaneously with suppliers who provide the best quality of service and who are reliable. There will also be a need to implement tools that enhance supply chain visibility and these will be essential in monitoring the performance of suppliers and in ensuring the timely delivery of materials by the supplier.

Customer Management

Customer management is also integral in the meeting of performance objectives within the company. This is because the company will be reliant on customers to continually purchase its products for it to remain a going concern. Customer management entails analyzing how a business administers interactions with its customers and this is done through data analyzing communicational materials through social media, emails, and web traffic amongst other channels to interpret what customers want and how best the business will be able to meet the needs of the customer. This will help the business to improve its relationships with customers, retain customers, and drive for the growth of sales.

For ZetaCo, customer management will entail enhancing communication channels with customers as a means of gaining better visibility of future orders. This means that the company will not overly rely on only phone of customer communication, through the phone, but will optimize other methods of reaching the customer, with social media being one of the greatest tools through which customer data can be reliably analyzed. There will also be a need to implement a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to track the preferences of customers and thus be able to anticipate them correctly and meet them timeously. ZetaCo may also provide rewards and incentives to its various customers as a means of fostering long-term and beneficial relationships (Lucas Jr. and Goh, 48). Through these different management systems, ZetaCo will be able to reduce costs while improving customer satisfaction, while positioning OmegaCo within the global market.

Business Process Model

Supplier management within OmegaCo can be further enhanced through the use of Business Process Models (BPM). The existing business practice in supplier management within the company has been a manual order placement system that highlights cash on delivery for the company. There has also been a lack of coordination and visibility with suppliers. In addition, the business has continually used reactive and ad-hoc supplier performance management and this has affected the business’s relationships with its suppliers.

In improving relationships with suppliers through the BPM model, the company can use flowcharts which are one of the techniques of the model. Flowcharts involve the explanation of complex processes in simpler ways. They help illustrate the steps in which a process moves sequentially, starting from the input stage right to the output stage. As such, the flow chart will be useful for the business in supplier management when there is the implementation of an automated order management system that allows for real-time order tracking and allows the business and the suppliers to know what is needed and when it is needed. This will be followed by the establishment of a supplier portal that will allow for better collaboration and communication. Supplier scorecards will also need to be developed and these will be matched with the performance metrics of individual suppliers and help in rewarding top-performing suppliers. These processes will thus be implemented into the flow chart and allow for the easier and sequential movement of orders.

Another BPM technique that will be used by the business will be the Gantt Charts. Gantt Charts will be used to show the supplier management process in a time series rather than the steps taken. As such, the chart will label orders made by the customer, quotations and invoicing, delivery, and payment according to the time that each is expected to take rather than as individual steps. The Gantt chart will therefore be more concerned with scheduling delivery times thus removing the uncertainty of delivery and allowing the company to effectively track progress from its suppliers. This will be important in OmegaCo where there are several inefficiencies in the manual process used by the business, with the Gantt chart removing inconsistencies in lead time deliveries and ensuring a smoother ordering platform. Both the Gantt chart and the flowchart will thus help in improving communication between OmegaCo. and its suppliers, but will also improve the coordination of company-supplier needs and thus enhance the performance management of the organization (Basahel and Irani, 13). There will also be improved resource utilization within the organization.

Enterprise Resource Planning

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is another important aspect to consider in ensuring that OmegaCo undertakes its operations effectively and can leverage its various processes to meet its performance objectives. ERP entails the management and integration of a business’s most important parts through the use of software and allowing for the creation of a connection between core business components such as planning, inventory, human resources, finance, sales, and marketing amongst others. When purchasing this software, therefore, there is a need for OmegaCo to ensure that the software meets their resource needs, and is fully functional to cater for production, quality, capacity, supplier, and customer management. The software should also be scalable, allowing the business to continue using it as it scales into global markets. It should also integrate easily with existing systems and other data sources. The software should also be user-friendly, allowing for ease of use among employees. It should also not be too costly for the business, with costs covering ownership of the software together with other ancillary costs such as licensing, implementation, and maintenance costs.

OmegaCo can choose to use commercial/off-the-shelf ERP solutions and two of these options that it can use include SAP ERP and Oracle ERP Cloud. SAP ERP is one of the most used ERP software by several businesses and this is because of its comprehensive functionality in various business areas. It is highly functional, matching organizational needs in finance, procurement, HR, inventory management, and production planning. It is also scalable allowing businesses to grow without worrying about how the volume of their business will be carried. It can also integrate with other systems such as CRM and business intelligence, thus allowing for seamless data flows. However, it is a costly ERP, and there will be a need to determine if it fits the needs of the company. Oracle ERP is another software, and this one is cloud-based, meaning that users can access data from it anywhere. It is also highly customizable allowing users to tailor it to their business processes. In addition, it has a high level of security measures that include user access controls, data encryption, and backup capabilities. It is also user-friendly thus making it suitable for businesses that are using ERP software for the first time.

The two open-source software alternatives that the business can use are Odoo and ERPNext. Odoo operates with a modular structure and allows users and organizations to select only the modules that they require. It is a flexible software that allows for ease of integration and is also easily scalable. ERPNext, on the other hand, is designed for small enterprises and is easy to implement without the need for extensive IT support. It is cheaper than several options in the market. It also offers a user-friendly interface and experience thus supporting workflows that are fed into it. It, however, is not scalable and may face troubles when integrated with other systems.

The best ERP model that the business can thus use is the Oracle ERP Cloud as it is cloud-based and will allow the business to use it in real-time.

Industry 4.0

One suitable Industry 4.0 that OmegaCo can implement as a means of meeting its performance objectives is implementing the Internet of Things (IoT) into the business. IoT refers to the use of technological devices that have the appropriate processing ability and software to connect and exchange information with other technological devices through the use of the internet. IoT will allow a business to exchange information with its customers and suppliers across a very wide realm.

There are several benefits of using IoT within the business. OmegaCo will benefit from real-time monitoring of its business. This will include the use of devices to track various business parameters including inventory levels and currency fluctuations which will allow the business to make proactive decisions depending on any changes in the environment, thus further allowing for business efficiency and effectiveness. The use of IoT will also enhance predictive maintenance and this will be done through the use of sensors that will detect any equipment failures in the production process way before these failures become apparent. Predictive maintenance will also allow the business to predict the magnitude and severity of any risks before they arise thus allowing the business to put in place risk management measures to curb the risks. All this will enable the business to minimize downtimes while improving business efficiency.

IoT will also be central to OmegaCo as it will allow for supply chain optimization. This will be important in allowing the company to track products as they move through the supply chain, thus improving the visibility of products and reducing lead delivery times. Customer experience will also be enhanced through IoT with enabled devices providing individualized and interactive customer experiences, thus tailoring the delivery of service to the needs of the customer. Through IoT, the business will also be able to make data-driven insights and these will be targeted into the production process, allowing for insights into what customers prefer, and the trends within the market, thus allowing the business to make data-driven decisions while striving for continual improvement. Implementing IoT will therefore enable OmegaCo to leverage its advanced technology to optimize its operations, improve efficiency, and thus enhance the experience of the customer.

Conclusion

OmegaCo has faced several challenges in the last few years and these have been as a result of the organization’s internal and external factors. The company’s SWOT analysis reveals that the organization has been affected by several internal challenges amongst them poor order visibility, poor supply chain, increased competition, and decreased demand due to the pandemic. However, as the company has been acquired by ZetaCo, there is a need for the new company to find ways through which to leverage supply, customer, quality, and capacity management to be able to provide a better service. This can be done through the use of BPM models such as flowcharts and Gantt charts and the use of an effective ERP system. The business can also use IoT to further strengthen itself and thus meet performance goals.

 

 

Works Cited

Arc View Associates. Strategic Systems Integration Planning. Arc View Associates, LLC. 2009

Basahel, Abdullah, and Zahir Irani. Evaluation of Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) Techniques: Driver Perspective. European and Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems, 2009

Lucas Jr., Henry, and Jie Mein Goh. Disruptive Technology: How Kodak Missed the Digital

Photography Revolution. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, vol. 18, (2009), pp. 46–55

 

 

APPENDICES

Table 1: ERP Evaluation Table

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