DISCUSSION TOPIC 1:

Yes I do agree that the advantage that leading-edge retailers such as Dell and Wal-Mart
have over their competition isn’t technology: it’s their management.

Management organizes the factors of production, organizes resources & integrates them
to achieve goals. Management has ability to utilize all physical & human resources
productively & in best combination which reduces costs as we can see in the day to day
operations of Wal-Mart. Management has ability to develop competitive strength by using
strategic information systems, for example Dell which gained competitive advantage &
expanded the operations & profits.

Though IT plays an important role in a firm’s development but it is time constraint. IT

systems do not guarantee long lasting competitive advantage as they can be replaced &
become outdated in a fast pace. Technology today which is considered innovative
becomes common place. Though both Dell & Wal-Mart create strategic advantage by
maintaining their technology, designing information system & maintaining relationship
with customers, suppliers & business partners. But all this requires excellent
management. Thus we can say that the advantage they have over their competition is their
management.

Dell is able to sustain a competitive advantage over competitors in the computer industry
because of an extremely efficient supply chain and distribution systems.

DISCUSSION TOPIC 2

Selecting hardware and software is important for management decision because it affects
production quality and quantity and they cost a lot of money. When the computer
hardware and software are unlikely to occur in the impact of an organization’s
performance, the differentiation of IT assets is essential to the organization’s operations
and ultimate success. Although, before the selection, management must ensure that the IT
assets that they got is exactly what the organization wants. A suitable example is the fact
that it is better for a new firm to invest in cloud computing which is because it is cheaper
to invest in cloud computing than traditional computing software. Even though cloud
computing is exposed to potential hackers and lack security issues a small startup
organization can still have only half of their data stored in the cloud, and the others in the
book shelf.

When working with faulty hardware, like used computers with spoilt monitors and
keyboards, can make delay in work output. Instead of computers assisting the employees
become more efficient, they can be the cause of making the organization not to meet the
target of, or spending over the budget. Taking care of platform and infrastructure change,
as organizations move forward they tend to be fast in developing their infrastructure to
maintain their business efficiency and performance. Also a company is meant to know
what hardware and software specifications and operating system that is important to run
their software efficiently and which software is most important in order to manage the
company’s data and communicate within and outside of the company.

1. Management, organization and technology factors should be considered when

selecting computer hardware and software in terms of when the company is large smaller
firms can manage with a simple spreadsheet, most will need more specific software to
manage their company. They should consider their business strategy and the market’s
demand for the services –how they will be approaching their goals, and how necessary it
is that they invest in information systems. They should also consider which departments
will be needing what kind of software, and if the cost will be reasonable. They should
also consider competing companies –if customers prefer another company because of the
certain software service that the company uses. For example, some people might prefer a
certain product over another because of the availability of an application they can use
online or even offline –like those that can be seen in the Android Market.

Management factors:

 Quality:
 Price:
 Service after the sale:

Organization Factors:

They should consider their business strategy and the market’s demand for the services –
how they will be approaching their goals, and how necessary it is that they invest in
information systems.

Technology Factors:
 They should also consider which departments will be needing what kind of
software, and if the cost will be reasonable. They should also consider competing
companies –if customers prefer another company because of the certain software
service that the company uses.