Its Use To Gain Competitive Advantage Information Technology Essay

Apple founded the computer company in 1976, in the last decade; Apple Company offers a wide range of products which cover from Apple I to MP3, hand phone. In 2001, Apple broke the barrier with the I-Pod, eventually becoming the dominant market leader in music players. As well, Apple joined the phone industry in 2007 with the I-Phone, which has also been widely successful. Apple makes a big contribution to the world and plays an important leader role in the IT industry. Apple is the global company which exports and imports the products and services, like Singapore, China, and HK and so on to access the overseas market.

For these various products, Apple targets different groups of people. Such as I-Phone and I-Touch targets the young people; new technology of laptop and computer target business person. So for the various customers, Apple Company does the business through the information technology.

The first, Apple set up his own website: www.apple.com. The company uses the e-commerce to do business. The advantages of website and the advantages for Apple as following and look through the figure 1 below:

Source: http://www.brs-inc.com/models/model1.asp

Consumers enable search products and services online before making purchases. The website allows products and services to be displayed in front of people without going to market in person and renew in time to fit customer’s needs and wants. Being found on the Internet will give you an advantage over your competition when they call you instead of the competition.

Be able to conduct business when it is convenient for your clients whether it be during the day or in the middle of the night. Your shops will never actually close and run 24 hours. Your customers can shop whenever they are free when you choose an e-commerce website.

Customer enables to compare products and find out which suits them best. They just click the mouse then can go through all the products whatever they want. They also can compare with other competitor’s products. See which one has higher value with lower price; which one has high quality; which one has more advantage than others and so on. E-commerce business can make your competitor’s customers swift to your products directly.

Website becomes a resource of information for the public; consumers can gain the information from website without leaving home. By supplying helpful tips and articles that are relevant to your industry, you will give visitors a reason to come back to your website, so we should set up the powerful website to attract the consumers.

Payment can be done electronically. Customer can order online with clicking the mouse, and make a payment via net, master card, visa or even cash etc to make the transaction successfully. Only a few seconds. Low risk of money changing and save a lot of time.

E-commerce company that don’t need to rent the space or office, do not need to pay the electronic, water bill, do not need to buy the furniture, in addition do need to hire a lot of employees and so on so that can save a large amount of money and reduce expenses to expand the business.

E-commerce business refers to the customers directly buy your products from the manufacturers without the middlemen. E-commerce provides the lowest price products for the customers without transaction fee or transportation fess in order to attract more price sensitive consumers to buy and repeat business, repeat profit.

Website business with detailed catalog which is the graphic pieces that are used by business to present and clarity their products and services. With an electronic catalog ordering system, the category headings are meaningful to customers, clear heading lead customers to find and also enter what they want directly with clicking the mouse and do not need to waste time with only a few seconds.

The Apple Company does the transaction through the Internet. Nowadays not only Apple Company, more and more companies also use the information technology (IT) to do business, it is more convenient, profitable, immediate, and high-tech than normal type of business in the past.

2. (i) What is an emerging technology? Explain why understanding these emerging technologies may be important to organization? (5 marks)

Emerging technology refers to technology that is considered innovative it is still developing in capability/capacity. [1] 

Emerging Technologies are developing technologies often found in the information technology fields. It includes developments in voice recognition software, digital television, interactive television, broadband, wireless Internet, e-commerce software, information technology, man-machine communication, on-demand printing, Bluetooth and video conferencing. This type of new technology will alter the business and social environment. [2] 

Emerging technology has a drastic impact on society and business. It plays a very significant role in our life. Due to the new technology developing, business has been able to advance in such ways that associates can communicate across the whole world without ever leaving their respective offices, or even do business at home. Like APPLE Company can send and gain information immediately without wasting much time; download important documents from internet; increase the productivity to fit the customers’ needs and wants; bring transparency and credibility electronic payment so that make the security payment; do not need to hire so many workers and managers instead of high technology; do transaction such as booking or ordering via the internet; get the fast response; reduce the expenses; oversea business even you are in different regions, and a large number of other things. Consider how emerging technology has impacted business in the following ways [3] :

Web conferencing

As the technology developed at rapid speed every day, more and more companies can communicate all over the world through the internet. Web conferencing is really important and effective for every business areas. Web conferencing provides a chance for business men to hold group meeting or training in real time via the net. Make business save a large amount of money and time while increasing productivity. Most time it will be used in the oversea business.

Tele conferencing

Tele conferencing is a popular choice for holding meetings, conferences, or others for small business especially local companies. Basically, tele-conferencing is a phone call in which more than two parties involved.

Emerging technology has had a dramatic increase on communication in the workplace. Emerging technology can provide more high and good quality products and service for consumers, make the goal of global transaction achieve. Every business should take advantage of this high tech to do their business and make them successful.

(ii) Identify in detail at least two emerging technologies you have researched from the internet and other sources like journals and periodicals. Explain their likely impact on our lives in the future. (25 marks)

As the economics and technology developed, emerging technology comes out with many types in different areas. New technology comes one by one. It is a part of our life from now. Such as nanotechnology which is very popular and powerful in the world; it is used in many areas like hospital, manufacture etc; also including sixth senses technology. Firstly, I will talk about the NANOTECHNOLOGY in the society.

Nanotechnology is an expected future manufacturing technology that will make most products lighter, stronger, cleaner, less expensive and more abstract. It is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale.

Nanotechnology is not a product like a microchip or an automobile. It is a process that uses the unique properties of materials at the 1-100 nanometer scale to develop new products. Nanotechnology seems be very small product. Nanotechnology has the potential to deeply impact our lives that will benefit at large.

Big reduction in heating bills, nano-fluids could increase efficiency instead of using a more powerful pump so that can save energy and provide major environmental benefits.

Safer surgery, because during critical surgery, nano-fluids could be used to cool the brain so it requires less oxygen and thereby enhance the patient’s change of survival and reduce the risk of brain damage and less painful. They could also be used to produce a higher temperature around tumours to kill cancerous cells without affecting nearby healthy cells;

The fluids could open the door to the next generation of miniaturized computers, rapid heat dissipation.

According to the survey, around 2010, workers will build relationship with systems of nanostructures, directing large numbers of complex components to specified ends. One application could involve the guided self-assembly of Nanoelectronic components into three-dimensional circuits and whole devices. Medicine could employ such systems to improve the tissue compatibility of implants, or to create scaffolds for tissue regeneration, or perhaps even to build artificial organs. [4] 

After 2015-2020, the field will expand to include molecular Nanosystems–heterogeneous networks in which molecules and supramolecular structures serve as distinct devices. The proteins inside cells work together this way, but whereas biological systems are water-based and markely temperature-sensitive, these molecular nanosystems will be able to operate in a far wider range of environments and should be much faster. Computers and robots could be reduced to extraordinarily small sizes. Medical applications might be as ambitious as new types of genetic therapies and antiaging treatments. New interfaces linking people directly to electronics could change telecommunications. [5] 

Over time, nanotechnology should benefit every industrial sector and health care field. It also can help the environment through more efficient use of resources and better methods of pollution control. Nanotechnology will have an impact of this magnitude.

Next, I will move to another emerging technology– Sixth Sense Technology.

3. Explain at least three challenges faced by managers in a typical IT department. You are also required to suggest possible approaches to meet these challenges.

(30 marks)