Can you do the attached assignment

Before you begin this assignment, be sure you have read the “UMUC Haircuts Case Study” and be sure to take a look at the “Walmart Example.”

Purpose of this Assignment This assignment gives you the opportunity to apply the concepts of the Porter Five Forces model to a specific business, develop a strategic direction for UMUC Haircuts, and identify a process that could be improved with the use of technology. This assignment specifically addresses the following course outcomes to enable you to: · analyze business strategy to recognize how technology solutions enable strategic outcomes · analyze internal and external business processes to identify information systems requirements. analyze business strategy to recognize how technology solutions enable strategic outcomes analyze internal and external business processes to identify information systems requirements

Overview of Business Environment Analysis for UMUC Haircuts

UMUC Haircuts has been in business since 1995 and has seen an increase in competition from a variety of competitors, as described in the Case Study. With the news that a Hair Cuttery is likely to open only five miles away, Myra, the owner of UMUC Haircuts, is concerned and has asked you to help her assess the impact on her business and how she can deal with it. Myra is worried and is looking to you to provide reassurance that the competition will not affect the business. In addition, Myra has asked you for assistance in developing a strategy for bringing UMUC Haircuts into the 21^st century and taking advantage of technology. You will analyze her business environment using the Five Forces Analysis, identify a Strategy for Competitive Advantage, and select a business process that can be improved through the use of technology.

Five Forces Analysis:

You know that Michael Porter’s Five Forces Model is a useful tool for analyzing a business. The Model is used to help understand the importance of the five competitive forces and determine a strategy to develop and maintain a competitive advantage. The Five Forces are described and discussed in Chapter 1 of the textbook. They are:

• Buyer Power
• Supplier power
• Threat of substitute products or services
• Threat of new entrants
• Rivalry among existing competitors

A further discussion and examples of the five forces are included in the Reading for Week 1 titled “Porter’s Five Forces.”
Strategy for Competitive Advantage:

Once you have provided the five force analysis to UMUC Haircuts as a foundation for success, you will select and apply a single strategy for competitive advantage. As outlined in chapter one of your textbook, the strategies are:

Strategy	Description
Cost leadership	Produce product/service at the lowest cost in the industry.
Differentiation	Offer different products, services, or product features.
Niche	Select a narrow-scope segment (market niche) and be the best in quality, speed, or cost in that segment.
Growth	Increase market share, acquire more customers, or sell more types of products.
Alliance	Work with business partners in partnerships, alliances, joint ventures, or virtual companies.
Innovation	Introduce new products/services; put new features in existing products/services; develop new ways to produce products/services.
Operational effectiveness	Improve the manner in which internal business processes are executed so that the firm performs similar activities better than rivals.
Customer orientation	Concentrate on customer satisfaction.
Time	Treat time as a resource, then manage it and use it to the firm’s advantage. NOTE:although this is included in the textbook, it should not be used as a strategy for the organization in the Case Study.
Entry barriers	Create barriers to entry. By introducing innovative products or using IT to provide exceptional service, companies can create entry barriers to discourage new entrants.
Customer or supplier lock-in	Encourage customers or suppliers to stay with you rather than going to competitors. Reduce customers’ bargaining power by locking them in.
Increase switching costs	Discourage customers or suppliers from going to competitors for economic reasons.

Business Process:

The final step in this assignment is to select a single business process within UMUC Haircuts business to improve using a technology solution. You only identify the process in this paper. You will continue to develop this solution in future stages of your case study.Some of the processes that Myra has identified for improvement using technology are:

. Customer and Employee Scheduling	.Inventory Management
.Collecting Customer Information	.Supply Ordering

Assignment: UMUC Haircuts Stage 1:Create a document that includes:

I. Introduction:

Brief introduction providing the background of the case, why you are writing and what is to come in your paper. This should only be 3-5 sentences.

II. Five Forces Analysis:

Perform a Porter’s Five Forces analysis for UMUC Haircuts, addressing each of the five forces in two or three sentences. For each of the five forces, your analysis should include:

· Definition of the force and what it means to UMUC Haircuts

· Assessment of the force’s impact (Positive, Negative or Neutral) on the business

· A statement as to whether it should affect Myra’s strategy for a competitive advantage (yes or no).

[Note] Do not identify solutions or things that Myra should do to address the forces’ impact. (The idea is to identify a measurement of the impact and if the force will affect UMUC Haircuts’ Strategy for Competitive Advantage.)

III. Strategy for Competitive Advantage:

• Determine which of the Strategies for Competitive Advantage you will use to improve UMUC Haircuts for the 21st century and
• Explain why you selected the strategy
• Relate your selected strategy back to each of Porter’s five forces discussing the impact of your strategy based on your measurement of the force (positive, negative, or neutral).

IV. Business Process:

• Identify and select a single daily process that needs improvement using technology.
• Explain how the process to be improved is related to and supports the Strategy for Competitive Advantage you selected above.
• Explain generally how a technology solution could potentially help improve the process. (Do not provide a specific solution at this time.)

V. Statement of Direction:

At the end of your report, before the reference section, enter the following headings and complete the information using one concise phrase for each. You will be starting each subsequent stage by including this information as a method to keep us focused on the case study objectives and learning outcomes.

STRATEGY FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE:

PROCESS TO BE IMPROVED:

VI. References:

Provide at least one external resource in your paper on an area of your choice. An external resource is a resourceother than those provided in the class or text book. Incorporate a properly formatted APA citation in the text of your document. Then, place an APA style resource on a reference page at the end of your document.

Additional Instructions:

Formatting: Stage One Business Environment Analysis submission.

For academic writing, the writer is expected to write in the third person. In third person, the writer avoids the pronouns I, we, my, and ours. The third person is used to make the writing more objective by taking the individual, the “self,” out of the writing. This method is very helpful for academic writing, a form in which facts, not opinion, drive the tone of the text. Writing in the third person allows the writer to come across as unbiased and thus more informed.

· Write a short concise paper: 2-3 double spaced pages of content.

· Use at least one external resources with APA formatted citation and reference

· Include a title page and a reference page.

· Compare your work to the rubric to be sure you have met content and quality criteria.

· Submit your paper as a Word document, or a document that can be read in Word.

· Your submission should include your last name first in the filename:Lastname_firstname_Stage_1

Additional Information:

The Business Process:In determining which process you select for improvement, be sure to keep in mind the remaining projects within this Case Study. You should review Stages 2-5 to get an understanding of the future projects that build on this initial stage and to aid you in selecting a process (and later proposing a specific technology solution to improve that process) that can support the requirements of the follow-on assignments.

Looking ahead to Stage 2: You will elaborate on theone process for improvement identified in Stage 1. Your paper will identify a specific technology solution to improve the business process you will be focusing on for the case study. In Stage Two, you will model (diagram) the AS IS process you have selected to improve for UMUC Haircuts, indicating the steps in the process as they currently exist. You will also create a second model that demonstrates the steps in the process once the specific technology solution is applied (TO BE). Select a process to improve that is appropriate for a technology solution.

Do not start on Stage 2 until you receive feedback on this Stage. The process that you select is crucial and your instructor may recommend that you change your process or strategy so that you can successfully complete the case. You MUST incorporate the recommended changes in all subsequent Stages.

The “right” and “wrong” answers have to do with whether or not you correctly incorporated the course vocabulary and concepts from the textbook to support your choices, and that you address all parts of the assignment. The specific process you select for a technology solution is not as important as that it makes sense in light of the course content.

GRADING RUBRIC:

ISFM-300 Case Study, Stage 1 Rubric: Business Environment Analysis
Criteria	90-100% Far Above Standards	80-89% Above Standards	70-79% Meets Standards	60-69% Below Standards	< 60% Well Below Standards	Possible Points
Five Forces Analysis	41-45 Points Analysis covers all 5 forces, defining them and their impact on the business in the case study (Positive, Negative or Neutral) and whether it should affect your strategy (Yes/No); and strongly demon-strates understand-ing of course vocabulary and concepts, analysis and critical thinking.	36-40 Points Analysis covers all 5 forces, defining them and their impact on the business in the case study (Positive, Negative or Neutral) and whether it should affect your strategy (Yes/No); and demonstrates understanding of course vocabulary and concepts, analysis and critical thinking.	31-35 Points Analysis covers all 5 forces, defining them and their impact on the business in the case study (Positive, Negative or Neutral) and whether it should affect your strategy (Yes/No). Minimal use of course concepts and vocabulary.	27-30 Points Analysis covers 1-4 forces, and/or lacks definitions and/or strategy; and may be lacking in demonstra-tion of understand-ing of course concepts, analysis, and/or critical thinking.	0-26 Points Analysis not included, or does not address many of the 5 forces.	45

UMUC Haircuts Case Study

In 1995, UMUC Haircuts was opened by Myra Morningstar in a strip mall near the College campus. UMUC Haircuts started as a barbershop with one chair. Over the years, Myra has expanded her business to include hair styling for both men and women. Her business has grown to three barber chairs, three hair styling stations, and a shampoo station. In response to her customers’ requests, Myra would like tofurther expand her business by adding two stations for manicures. The small gift shop next door to her has recently come up for sale, and she is thinking about acquiring that area for manicures.

When UMUC Haircuts first opened, it was the only barbershop within a ten-mile radius. It was one of the first businesses to open in the strip mall where it is located, and the number of customers has increased each year. Over the years a couple of other barbershops have opened around the area, and there is news that a Hair Cuttery (offering men’s and women’s haircuts and styling only) will open about 5 miles away. In the shopping center across the street, an expensive spa has now opened where hair styling is offered along with manicures. Just around the corner from UMUC Haircuts is a home with a sign offering manicures.

While UMUC Haircuts continues to grow and profits are increasing, Myra is sure that she could improve her operation in the areas of scheduling, supply ordering, inventory management, collecting customer information, and marketing.

Customer and Employee Scheduling: Currently, Myra takes appointments by phone and accepts walk-in customers on an as-available basis. If there is a vacancy in the schedule, she is happy to have a walk-in customer for that time slot. As her business has expanded, Myra has found that keeping track of which employees will be working at any particular day and time, and matching that with customer appointments has become almost unmanageable. Until recently, she has been comfortable with allowing staff to decide what days and times they want to work, and most of them are part-time. So far, little effort has been made to find a substitute if one of her employees cannot come to work. Now, Myra has recognized that she is turning away a significant number of walk-in customers, and at other times, her staff is not busy at all. It seems to Myra that she is very busy on Saturdays, and that Mondays are slow days, but she has no real data to use to make a schedule for her employees. She would like you to help her improve her process for scheduling staff and customers.

Inventory Management:Now that she has employed four part-time barbers, six part-time stylists, and two part-time shampoo girls, and is contemplating adding at least two manicurists, Myra is also concerned about maintaining an adequate stock of supplies. It has become difficult for her to keep track of what supplies have been used and what needs to be ordered. She knows that if she runs out of shampoo or hair spray, for example, that she will not be able to serve her customers. She makes notes to herself and sticks them on her office message board to remind herself to place orders, but she only knows to do so when one of the employees tells her that the last container of a product has been taken from the supply cabinet. Many times, the shop is very busy and either the employee forgets to tell her, or she forgets to make a note. Myra is happy her business is growing, but the chaos of making sure there are adequate supplies is creating a great deal of stress for her.

Supply Ordering: Even if Myra successfully keeps track of the supplies that have been used, she really does not have time to place orders to her suppliers. Over time, she has noticed that the prices she is paying seem to be going up quickly, but she has no way check to see if she could order supplies at a lower cost. She is wondering if she could save money by finding lower-cost suppliers, suppliers who offer free shipping, or suppliers who sell in bulk. It has become apparent that UMUC Haircuts needs an improved supply ordering process.

Customer Information: There are some regular customers who come to UMUC Haircuts, and Myra recognizes them, but often cannot recall their preferences. Several of these customers have called requesting appointments with their favorite barber or stylist, and, while Myra knows this is important to them, she cannot assure the customers that it will be possible. Many of her barbershop customers come in every two weeks, while most of her customers who want a haircut and style are more likely to visit a few times a year. Myra would like to know in which category each of her customers fall. She is also seeking your help in finding a better way to document the process of maintaining customer preferences and personal information.

Marketing: Myra would also like to contact her customers and keep them coming back, but currently she has no way to do that. She would also like to make sure when she contacts each customer that she is doing so appropriately. She would also like to provide special offers such as coupons around the time of their birthday, believing that these types of marketing efforts would increase her repeat business and her profits.She would also like to reach more new customers, especially as she expands her business. UMUC Haircuts uses very little marketing except word-of-mouth, and essentially still operates the same as it did in 2000 when Myra opened her one-chair barbershop.

UMUC Haircuts is a for-profit business and must cover its variable costs, fund future improvements and produce a reasonable profit for the owners. Myra would like to expand into the gift shop area next door, and improve her current management practices. She also believes that she could actually increase her profits if she did a better job of marketing in combination with better scheduling and management of her supplies.

UMUC Haircuts currently uses no technology. There is not even a computer in the back office. Myra has hired you to help her with determining how she could apply information technology to help her manage her growing operation. Throughout this course you will assist Myra with analyzing her business and applying a technology-related solution to improve the operation of UMUC Haircuts. Your advice will be based on the business practices discussed in the class and the assigned from course materials to help her increase revenue, keep the business running, and bring the business into the 21st century. You will select one area that is in need of improvement and that can be improved through the use of technology. You are not expected to solve all of the problems identified or address all improvements that could be made at UMUC Haircuts.

Note 1: You will be looking for a technology solution. While installing a tea and coffee bar may attract new customers, it is not a technology solution.

Note 2: As you approach the assignments, you will find it helpful to think about your own experiences with a barbershop or styling salon. Making a trip to a local barbershop or salon may help you think about the processes, challenges, and opportunities.

Identify and explain the next steps in implementing the solution (Stage 5)

Purpose of this Assignment This case study specifically addresses the following course outcomes to enable you to: · analyze business strategy to recognize how technology solutions enable strategic outcomes · analyze internal and external business processes to identify information systems requirements · identify and plan IT solutions that meet business objectives analyze business strategy to recognize how technology solutions enable strategic outcomes analyze internal and external business processes to identify information systems requirements

The case study and assignments address the Course Outcomes to enable you to:

STAGED ASSIGNMENTS
There are five staged assignments which use the Case Study and are designed to follow the relevant course topics in the class schedule.The weight of the assignments is shown in the Course Syllabus. The due dates are shown with the Assignments.Upon completion of these assignments, you will have performed an array of activities to demonstrate your ability to apply the course content to a “real world situation” to:

· Analyze the business environment and identify a process for improvement –

o Stage 1 Project: Business Environment Analysis (Word document with analysis)

· Propose andmodel an appropriate technology solution to improve the selected business process

o Stage 2 Project: Business Process Models and Technology-Supported Solution Proposal (Word document with proposed solution and AS IS and TO BE process diagrams)

· Evaluate various IT considerations of the proposed technology solution

o Stage 3 Project: Template for IT Considerations (Word table)

· Communicate your solution and the IT considerations to stakeholders using a presentation format

o Stage 4 Project: Executive Briefing Presentation (PowerPoint Presentation on proposed solution)

· Evaluate what it would take to implement your solution

o Stage 5 Project: Outline of Next Steps (Word document outline with next steps)

Course Learning Outcomes: These assignments are designed to help you identify how to effectively analyze and interpret information to improve the business. This is an opportunity for you to apply course concepts, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills and think like a business professional. When you are writing a paper or developing a presentation, write in third person, preparing your document as if it is going to the owner, Myra Morningstar, whom you want to impress with your knowledge and abilities.

Writing Expectations:For academic writing, the writer is expected to write in the third person. In third person, the writer avoids the pronouns I, we, my, and our. The third person is used to make the writing more objective by taking the individual, the “self,” out of the writing. This method is very helpful for academic writing, a form in which facts, not opinion, drive the tone of the text. Writing in the third person allows the writer to come across as unbiased and thus more informed.

Do more than just going through the mechanics of pulling together information — think about what you are doing, why you’re doing it, whether it make sense, whether the information seems realistic, and what the results show. Support your recommendations with course concepts, vocabulary,and your research.

Resources: Several of the assignments require external research, using sources other than the materials provided in the classroom. It is important that you identify relevant, timely resources that specifically support the points or information you provide in your assignments. You should read the source and assimilate the information first, and then put it into your own words and incorporate it into the flow of your writing (with an appropriate in-text APA citation and a list of references at the end of your paper). Direct quotes should be used very sparingly—only when the author’s own words uniquely present a concept that would be lost if paraphrased by you.

Evaluation: The grading rubric is included with each assignment. Review the rubric to ensure all aspects of the assignment have been addressed.

Example: Be sure to read and refer to the “Walmart Example” posted in the classroom to help you understand what is expected for each of the assignments.

Format: One of the prerequisites for this course is that you have a fundamental working knowledge of word processing and presentation software. Detailed instructions for each Staged Project, 1 through 5, are posted in the designated area of the classroom. You must prepare each assignment in the indicated format (i.e., table, outline, report, double-spaced, presentation or other specified format) and submit it by the date indicated in the schedule. No credit will be given for late assignments or thosesubmitted in file formats other than those stated in the assignment instructions.

Software Expectations: Because these assignments require you to use Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, or produce documents that can be read using those products (as indicated in the instructions), you may need to “brush up” on your familiarity with these or use functions that perhaps are new to you. Therefore, do not wait until the last minute to begin an activity. You should read through all the assignments in advance to ensure you (1) understand what is expected, and (2) allow enough time to effectively create the information being requested.

There is a significant amount of information available to you to assist in developing your skills in using the Microsoft Office Products. MS Word and PowerPoint, or their equivalents, are required for these exercises. Do not hesitate to use the on-line help and wizard tools built into the MS Office applications for help as you work with the software tools. There are also other web sites, such as HYPERLINK “http://www.ehow.com/” “_blank” www.eHow.com, and HYPERLINK “http://www.microsoft.com” “_blank” www.microsoft.com that provide tips. Even YouTube has some useful videos demonstrating various techniques.

If you use software tools other than Microsoft, it is your responsibility to ensure that the documents you submit can be read, and retain their formatting, when they are read and reviewed using the Microsoft Office suite.

Walmart Example

We will use Walmart as an example to illustrate the various course concepts. The examples provided in this document are to assist you in understanding the concepts and applying them to the class assignments, which consist of a case study and a five-staged project. The examples are provided for illustrative purposes only, and may not precisely conform to the specific directions given in the class assignments.

Business Analysis (Stage 1)

Applying Porter’s Five Forces Analysis

The Five Forces are explained in the reading assignments for Week 1. Below is an example showing the application of the Five Forces analysis to Walmart.

We know that Walmart’s objective is everyday low prices, which is their competitive advantage. When we look at the Five Forces model as applied to Walmart, we can determine that the Buyer Power of their customers is high because patrons have many other choices. However, customers expect and demand the lowest prices from Walmart, and they are willing to overlook, but not ignore, other factors like customer service, store location, and atmosphere.

Walmart’s Suppliers have little power because of the sheer size of Walmart, and because being a Walmart supplier can provide huge sales potential. The suppliers must do what Walmart wants regarding business processes and technical requirements. They will also be pressured for lower prices, which may cause the suppliers to move production to lower priced labor markets.

The threat of substitute products means that customers can go elsewhere for the same or substitute items. There could be some threat here only because of web based stores as they may be able to have lower prices because of low overhead.

Threat of new entrants in the Brick and Mortar Store area is low, because of the costs involved in building stores and the infrastructure to support the business processes. The threat of new entrants in the Internet market would be high, because of the low costs involved and the potential to specialize in different areas with especially low prices.

Rivalry between competitors at a store level would be high and could be affected by the breadth of products and quality of customer service or even the cleanliness and appearance of the store. On a company level, Walmart’s Sales are $418 Billion and Target, their closest competitor’s has annual sales of $67 Billion, so while it may seem there is a large rivalry, the size of Walmart limits the threat.

For new entrants to compete with the Supplier:

If we look at the Five Forces Model from a Walmart Supplier’s perspective, we see that the Buyer Power that Walmart exerts is very high, because they will switch suppliers or eliminate the product if the pricing and process are not what they want.

The Supplier Power of the Supplier’s Supplier is low, because if they do not adhere to economic processes and furnish their products at low prices the Walmart Supplier cannot meet the requirements of Walmart.

Threat of new entrants will be high, because in this case we are not talking about new startup companies, but rather companies that want to enter the competition for sales to Walmart or foreign affiliates of US companies that can supply the same items at a lower price. These would be existing companies who can supply products the same or similar to the ones that the Supplier provides. School supplies, clothing, shoes and healthcare products are good examples.

Threat of substitute products is high because of Walmart’s concentration on price; low cost domestic and foreign substitutes would provide a significant concern.

Rivalry to be a Walmart Supplier would be high with similar companies because of the size of the potential sales and the limited shelf space. Faster service, better processes, lower prices or higher quality would be areas where the rivalry would take place.

Porter’s Generic Strategies

The Generic Strategies are explained in the readings assigned for Week 1 of the class. If we look at the figure below, we can see that the Generic Strategy for Walmart is in the upper left quadrant, Broad Market and Low Cost, and these make sense given that Walmart offers a wide range of products at relatively low cost.

Generic Strategies

	Low Cost		High Cost

	Broad Market
		Narrow Market

The broad market will bring in the largest number of buyers, which would have the effect of lowering buyer power. The Low Cost indicates that many things could affect Walmart’s costs, but their biggest Cost is for the goods that they sell and therefore the Suppliers are important and Walmart uses their size to decrease the Supplier power. The Generic Strategy identified makes sense.

Strategy for Competitive Advantage

Process Improvement

Walmart may have begun by using Cost Leadership as it Strategy for Competitive Advantage, but we will look at Walmart today. The analysis above indicate that two areas of highest concern for Walmart would be

• Supplier-related activities, like Supply Chain Management (SCM), supplier training, supplier selection, and supplier facilitation, that would reduce Walmart’s costs; and
• Customer-related activities, like easy payment, easy return of merchandise, hours of operation, web purchasing with free delivery to the nearest store, and stocking the items wanted in the community, that would increase the number of customers and retain the ones they have.

Focusing on either of these areas would address the analysis using the Five Forces and help achieve the Generic Strategy of Broad Market/Low Cost.

For purposes of this Example, we have chosen Customer Orientation as the Strategy for Competitive Advantage. Note that the textbook defines Customer Orientation as a strategy that will “Concentrate on customer satisfaction.” Some of the Customer-related processes would be in-store purchase processing, in-store and online payment process, returned item process, and customer Internet sale pickup.

Note that neither the Five Forces Analysis nor the table of Strategies for Competitive Advantage mentions IT or computer systems. IT is not a strategy; the initial focus is on improving the business processes, which may or may not have anything to do with IT.

If Walmart decided to improve its business processes to increase profits, it would begin with the processes related to the identified Strategy for Competitive Advantage (Customer Orientation). Each process that needs to be improved would have its own team. Walmart would then assemble a team of individuals from different areas that are involved in the process, and are familiar with the current process. The next step is for the team to document the As-Is process, its objective, its inputs and outputs, and the steps in the process. This is usually done with some kind of a process diagram or model, or written step-by-step description of the how the process works. The Customer-oriented process we have selected is the item return process. We believe that improvements in how customers return unwanted items to the store can have a significant impact on customer satisfaction.

For this Walmart Example, the following would be included in each subsequent Staged assignment:

STRATEGY FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: Customer Orientation

PROCESS TO BE IMPROVED: Item Return Process

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