Managing Information Technology Globally - Essay Example

Dell was the first of its competitors to think of online business and thought leads best. It offers customer service for configuring dell products and with technical support view the Internet the same as it was once on telephones which reduce its cost price and increased its revenues. Dell successfully made a network not only with customers but also with distributors and suppliers through e-commerce. Its sale automated functioning enhances the business strategies and Dell in its e-commerce establishment started serving with e-business solutions. E-business solutions were to offer customers the solution for their business by converting their business in the virtual world as did by Dell. Though, Dell earned its revenues, more with the selling hardware devices and giving online customer services, in addition to, providing e-solutions to small organizations, incorporation with other software companies.

1. Characterize the distribution of decision-making responsibility at Zara, when it comes to how Zara's products are designed, allocated, and distributed? How does this pattern of decision-making contrast with decision-making in traditional, hierarchical organizations? (IT at Zera)

Zara is responsible for its products for sale, and though developed a high-tech e-commerce site for its online business. For customer view and decision-making Zara, in its website, divides its major two products home accessories and fashion trimmings in two different directions. Zara serves with the online shopping services for home accessories however tends the customer to visit for fashion superfluities to its store by displaying a number of grouped varieties of its trends. Despite, giving the option of viewing the website in different languages, customers cannot reach Zara’s product until and unless they are using a high bandwidth Internet as it uses a flash interface. This affects Zara’s customer making. Zara’s made it easy for the customer to communicate through the link customer service, where frequent answering of questions is provided. Moreover, for direct contact complete addresses and for customer convenience locations for their different outlets are also offered. Though, doing business through Internet, Zara gained the advantage to serve the world and make a big network for its products rather than serving its product to only a few customers nearby its physical locality.

3. Early in the case, the claim is made that the founder and chairman (Ortega) and the CEO (Castellano) shared the "belief that computers were critically important in enabling the kind of business that they wanted to build." On the other hand, see footnotes 9 and 11 on page 8 of the case. How do you reconcile this statement about the chairman's and CEO's beliefs with the statistics shown in these footnotes plus other information the case gives you about specific IT investments in the firm? In light of your consideration of Questions (2d) and (2e), how well does the existing IT infrastructure meet the information requirements of the firm? (IT at Zera)

Chairman Ortega and the CEO Castellano has a belief that computers were critically important in enabling the kind of business that they wanted to build is true to the fact that in this time when computers are home to home and technology is moving so fast that products come to their doorstep in few time on ordering their favorites after a few search on the internet sitting back home. Now, no one likes to bear the extreme hot or cold seasons by moving around and wasting time shopping from mart to mart or shop to shop. They prefer shopping online and paying off amounts through credit cards. Changing with time is more appropriate for business enhancement rather than using new technologies after a time when it becomes a necessity rather than a need and acquires more complexity to indulge different branches at on-site on Internet.