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Review The Case Studies Links After This Activity Case Study 11

Review The Case Studies: ( links after this activity ) · Case Study 11-1: ERP at John Hopkins · Case Study 11-2: CRM at Starbucks · Answer: What is it important to understand building EIS? · Post a narrative summary/answer (no more than 500 words) to this Discussion board

Case Study 11-1: Maryland’s largest private employer, Johns Hopkins Institutions (JHI), has more than 45,000 full-time staff members at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System, Johns Hopkins University, and several other hospitals and institutions. To improve data quality and reporting, JHI decided to use a centralized ERP system instead of several different business applications that were not fully integrated. Getting an overall view of JHI’s operations and performance was difficult with these different applications.

JHI faced technical challenges in adopting an ERP system. To overcome these challenges, it chose BearingPoint’s SAP applications with IBM Power 570 servers as the hardware platform. JHI also decided to use server clusters to make the system more fault tolerant, and it installed a storage area network (SAN) for high performance. The ERP system now provides a centralized method of gathering information for the entire organization.

1. What was the main reason for using an ERP system at JHI?

2. How did the ERP system that JHI adopted help address technical challenges?

3. What did the ERP system achieve at JHI?

Case Study 11-2: With more than 27,000 retail stores spread out through 70 countries, Starbucks uses a CRM system called My Starbucks Idea, which is powered by Salesforce.

The system, which includes an interactive forum, gives the Starbucks community an online presence and allows the company to collect feedback from its customers. It also integrates the company’s physical stores with social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

On the system’s Web site (customers offer ideas, make comments, and cast votes on issues arranged into three major categories: product ideas, experience ideas, and involvement ideas. The system enables Starbucks to receive a steady stream of feedback and ideas from its customers and at the same time strengthens the bond with its customers which help the bottom line.

As of the first quarter of 2016, the system had collected more than 227,000 ideas, and many of them have already been implemented by Starbucks. My Starbucks Idea is the Starbucks crowdsourcing success story.

1. What is My Starbucks Idea?

2. What has the Starbucks CRM achieved? How does it help the bottom line?

3. Which software platform is behind the Starbucks CRM system?

4. Is My Starbucks Idea a typical crowdsourcing project? Discuss.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

The integration of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems has become integral to the strategic management and operational efficiency of large organizations. The case studies of Johns Hopkins Institutions (JHI) and Starbucks exemplify how these systems facilitate data centralization, enhance customer engagement, and provide competitive advantages through technological innovation. Understanding the building blocks of Executive Information Systems (EIS) is essential for leveraging these technologies effectively to support strategic decision-making.

In the case of JHI, the primary motivation for adopting an ERP system was to consolidate disparate data sources and improve organizational oversight. Prior to the ERP implementation, JHI faced significant challenges due to siloed applications that hindered comprehensive data analysis and reporting. The choice of SAP applications hosted on IBM Power 570 servers, complemented by server clusters and a Storage Area Network (SAN), was strategic in addressing technical challenges. These choices ensured high availability, fault tolerance, and high-performance data processing. The ERP system provided a centralized platform that integrated various operational functions, enabling accurate, consistent, and timely data reporting across the organization. This significantly improved decision-making processes and operational oversight.

The ERP system helped mitigate technical challenges through modular integration, scalable infrastructure, and fault-tolerant architecture. The use of server clusters guaranteed system availability even during hardware failures, while SAN allowed rapid data access and scalability. These technologies created a robust, reliable environment capable of handling high-volume data processing, ultimately resulting in improved operational efficiency and data quality. The implementation of ERP at JHI achieved consistency in reporting, streamlined operations, and facilitated strategic planning, which are essential features of a comprehensive EIS. Moreover, the centralized data repository empowered management with real-time insights, fostering agility and responsiveness in healthcare delivery.

Similarly, Starbucks' implementation of the CRM system, My Starbucks Idea, underscores the importance of customer engagement in contemporary business strategy. Powered by Salesforce, this social media-integrated platform allows Starbucks to facilitate crowdsourcing—gathering customer ideas, feedback, and suggestions publicly via online forums and social media platforms. The system's core value lies in its ability to create a continuous feedback loop, fostering stronger customer relationships, and driving product and service innovation. The system's success is evident, having gathered over 227,000 ideas by 2016, many of which have been implemented. Not only does this enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty, but it also directly impacts the bottom line by aligning offerings with customer preferences.

The underlying software platform, Salesforce, provides a flexible, cloud-based environment that supports collaborative customer interaction, data collection, and analysis. It exemplifies how cloud CRM solutions enable organizations to centralize customer insights, personalize marketing, and improve service delivery. The crowdsourcing aspect of My Starbucks Idea, however, is somewhat unique. Unlike traditional crowdsourcing projects that often focus on open innovation or external collaborations, Starbucks’ platform is primarily aimed at customer engagement and co-creation within a brand community, making it a strategic rather than purely open innovation endeavor.

Understanding the building blocks of EIS in these contexts involves recognizing how integrated data environments, enabled by ERP and CRM, provide strategic insights that inform leadership decisions. These systems enhance data accessibility, support real-time analysis, and foster innovation through customer engagement. Consequently, organizations that effectively leverage these technologies can achieve significant competitive advantages by responding swiftly to operational challenges and evolving customer preferences. The case studies demonstrate that a well-implemented EIS is crucial in translating operational data into strategic intelligence, thereby ensuring organizational agility and market responsiveness.

References

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