Bu1410 Week 6 Final Exam And Course Review Lab 611 Play Arou

Bu1410 Week 6 Final Exam And Course Reviewlab 611play Around Again T

Play Around Again Toys, a division of Play Around Toys Inc., specializes in selling previously used toys on consignment. The business model involves customers bringing in their used toys, agreeing to a 45 percent commission upon sale. The company relies on local newspaper and website advertising, along with word-of-mouth, to attract repeat customers. The staff determines pricing based on customer-provided information (original cost, age, history), combined with experience and current resale values, with all items subject to scheduled markdowns. Consignment contracts last for 90 days, and the manual process involves detailed record-keeping for each item and customer interaction. The company faces significant issues with limited customer data, resulting in challenges in customer retention, inventory management, and marketing effectiveness. Items frequently remain unsold beyond their 90-day contract, leading the company to incur losses on unsold inventory. Management also struggles to identify the most effective advertising channels, impacting marketing ROI.

Paper For Above instruction

The core problem faced by Play Around Again Toys is the absence of an automated customer and inventory database system, which constrains its ability to efficiently manage customer relationships, track inventory lifecycle, and analyze marketing effectiveness. This deficiency directly impacts the company’s financial performance and operational efficiency. Without proper customer data, the business cannot facilitate targeted marketing, loyalty programs, or repeat sales efforts. Furthermore, manual inventory management leads to extended shelf life of items, increased storage costs, and difficulty in assessing sales performance by advertising method. These issues culminate in higher absorption costs, potential revenue loss, and difficulty making informed business decisions.

The primary business impact occurs through increased operational costs, reduced profitability, and diminished customer loyalty. The inability to identify which advertising channels generate the most revenue hampers effective marketing resource allocation. The prolonged shelf time of consigned items incurs additional holding costs and potential losses when items must be purchased back if unsold after 90 days. Moreover, the manual record-keeping system is prone to errors, inefficiencies, and delays in updating inventory status and customer information, which further exacerbates inventory mismanagement and customer retention challenges.

To address these issues, a comprehensive customer and inventory database system is essential. The proposed solution involves designing and implementing a relational database that consolidates customer information, transaction history, inventory details, and advertising sources. The objectives of this solution are to improve data accuracy, enhance customer relationship management, optimize inventory turnover, and enable detailed marketing analysis. The database would automate manual processes, reduce errors, and facilitate real-time data access, thereby supporting informed business decisions and operational efficiency. Feasibility considerations include the availability of affordable database software, the company's capacity to allocate initial resources for system development, and staff training needs. Given the manageable scale of the business, developing this database is a practical and cost-effective approach.

The solution should address several key information requirements:1. Customer details (name, contact information, purchase history, preferences). 2. Inventory data (item ID, description, entry date, sale status, markdown history). 3. Transaction records (consignment agreements, sale dates, commissions). 4. Advertising channels and effectiveness metrics. 5. Contract lifespan and renewal/removal triggers. 6. Notifications for items exceeding 90-day contract. 7. Reporting modules for sales analysis, inventory aging, and advertising ROI. 8. User access controls for data security.

The schedule for building the database involves the following phases:

• Week 1-2: Needs assessment and requirement gathering, involving interviews with staff to identify critical data points.
• Week 3-4: Design of the database schema, defining tables, relationships, and data standards.
• Week 5-6: Development of the database using appropriate software (e.g., MS Access, MySQL), including creation of tables, forms, and initial data entry templates.
• Week 7: Testing the system with sample data, troubleshooting errors, and refining functionalities.
• Week 8: Staff training on database use, data entry procedures, and reporting features.
• Week 9: Deployment of the system, ongoing support, and schedule for periodic maintenance and updates.

Implementing this database will improve operational efficiency, reduce manual errors, and provide actionable insights for marketing and inventory management, ultimately enhancing profitability and customer satisfaction at Play Around Again Toys.

References

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