Business Case Scenario CMGT 445 Assignments 297495

Business Case Scenario CMGT/445 Version CMGT/445 Assignments The Brewt

The Brewton Business Scenario will be utilized throughout the course for both individual and learning team assignments. Brewton Enterprises, Inc. is a clothing retail company located in Eugene, Oregon, offering a range of products primarily targeting teens and young adults. The company has four satellite offices—Los Angeles, New York, Houston, and Atlanta—serving as distribution centers, in addition to its headquarters in Eugene. The organization employs 240 staff members across its locations, including warehouse managers, administrative staff, HR representatives, sales and customer service coordinators, shipping and receiving personnel, and facilities maintenance teams. Each location stocks the full product range, managing inventory and order fulfillment. The headquarters also handles functions like human resources, purchasing, sales and marketing, accounting, systems, and operations.

Mark Brewton, the founder, seeks to implement a comprehensive Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to streamline processes, control expenses, and better manage inventory levels, which are currently inaccurate. The existing system environment consists of standalone applications—purchasing, accounting, payroll, personnel tracking—that don’t share files, causing data mismatches requiring manual correction. Most applications reside on individual desktops, with HR and Inventory systems hosted centrally. The online order processing system functions separately, with daily data transfers for fulfillment. The selected ERP software includes modules supporting CRM, Purchasing, HR, Accounting, Supply Chain Management (inventory, receiving, and shipping), and analytics. These modules operate independently but share a common database structure.

Key stakeholders include CEO Mark Brewton, CFO Barbara Scharer, COO William Hunter, Sales and Advertising Director Jennifer Morales, HR Director Roger Tomlinson, IT Director Mike Benson, systems staff (Gary Holmes, Nancy Davis, Jim Travis), and others. Mark expects the system’s installation and integration to occur within one year, aiming to improve data integrity, reporting, inventory management, and operational efficiency. Concerns exist regarding staff bandwidth, infrastructure needs, training, and contingency planning, especially since the company lacks a formal disaster recovery or business continuity plan. The project requires careful planning to ensure minimal disruption and effective adoption of the new ERP system.

Paper For Above instruction

The implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system at Brewton Enterprises represents a strategic effort to transform its existing fragmented software landscape into a cohesive, integrated platform that enhances operational efficiency, data accuracy, and decision-making capabilities. This complex initiative involves evaluating current processes, aligning stakeholders’ expectations, planning infrastructure upgrades, and managing organizational change.

Understanding the Business Context: Brewton’s current environment comprises various standalone software applications across departments such as purchasing, accounting, HR, and inventory management. These systems, operating on individual desktops or central servers, create data silos and inaccuracies, which complicate reporting and decision-making. The decentralized inventory tracking, coupled with manual data reconciliation, hampers the company’s ability to maintain accurate stock levels, affecting customer satisfaction and profitability. The online order processing, maintained separately, adds another layer of complexity, with daily data transfers prone to errors.

Goals and Objectives of ERP Implementation: The primary objective is to replace disparate systems with an integrated ERP solution permitting seamless data flow and real-time information access. It aims to improve inventory accuracy, streamline procurement, enhance financial reporting, and support growth strategies. Mark Brewton expects the system to control costs, optimize inventory levels across all locations, and facilitate faster, data-driven decision-making.

Stakeholder Engagement and Change Management: Successful ERP deployment hinges on stakeholder buy-in. Leadership, including Mark Brewton, CFO Barbara Scharer, COO William Hunter, and others, must be aligned on project objectives. Communicating the benefits, addressing concerns—such as staff reorganization and technological adaptation—is essential. Training programs tailored to various roles can foster user acceptance and minimize resistance, which is often a significant barrier in technology transformations.

Technical Considerations and Infrastructure: The current IT infrastructure faces challenges such as the absence of a disaster recovery plan and potential hardware upgrades to support the new ERP environment. The existing staff, including Mike Benson, Gary Holmes, Nancy Davis, and Jim Travis, need clear roles and responsibilities during implementation. For instance, Jim Travis may require additional servers or storage capacity; Gary Holmes needs to prepare for system support; Nancy Davis’s web content management might remain unaffected, but integration points could influence her workflow.

Implementation Strategy and Timeline: The goal is to complete installation, process development, testing, and user training within approximately one year. A phased approach could involve initial planning, infrastructure upgrades, data migration, module deployment, training, and testing. Pilot testing in select locations can uncover issues early, allowing adjustments before full deployment.

Risk Management and Contingency Planning: Addressing risks such as data migration errors, user resistance, technical failures, and infrastructure inadequacies is critical. Developing a disaster recovery and business continuity plan is vital to protect against disruptions like natural disasters, cyberattacks, or hardware failures. Regular back-ups, security protocols, and alternative operational procedures should be established.

Expected Outcomes and Benefits: Once implemented, the ERP system will provide accurate, real-time inventory data, reduce manual data reconciliation activities, improve financial insights, and enable efficient management across all locations. Enhanced reporting capabilities will facilitate strategic planning, and standardized business processes will improve overall productivity. Ultimately, the ERP system aims to support Brewton’s growth and adaptability in a competitive retail environment.

Conclusion: Implementing a comprehensive ERP system at Brewton Enterprises is a complex but strategic initiative crucial for addressing current operational challenges. Success depends on careful planning, stakeholder engagement, infrastructure readiness, and proactive risk management. With these elements in place, Brewton can realize significant efficiencies, better inventory control, and improved decision-making, supporting its long-term growth objectives.

References

  • Davenport, T. H. (1998). Putting the enterprise into the enterprise system. Harvard Business Review, 76(4), 121-131.
  • Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (2020). Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm. Pearson.
  • O’Leary, D. E. (2000). Enterprise Resource Planning Systems: Systems, Life Cycle, Electronic Commerce, and Risk. Cambridge University Press.
  • Hitt, L. M., Wu, D. J., & Zhou, X. (2002). Investment in Enterprise Resource Planning: Business impact and its measurement. Journal of Management Information Systems, 19(1), 71-98.
  • Marcus, A., & Thanaraj, T. (2021). ERP implementation challenges in small and medium enterprises. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 34(2), 456-473.
  • Shang, S., Wan, T., & Su, C. (2016). Critical Success Factors for Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation. International Journal of Information Systems and Social Change, 7(3), 55-71.
  • Somers, T. M., & Nelson, K. (2001). The Impact of Critical Success Factors across the Stages of Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation. Proceedings of the 34th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.
  • Huang, S. M., & Kuwata, Y. (2004). Identifying critical success factors of ERP systems. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 104(6), 529-543.
  • Bradford, M., & Florin, J. (2003). Examining the relationship between CRM implementation and customer satisfaction. Journal of Marketing, 67(4), 75-85.
  • Holland, P., & Light, B. (1999). A critical success factors model for ERP implementation. IEEE Software, 16(3), 30-37.

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