Respond to two Student discussion answers

1. What opportunities are being missed when each little area (scheduling, supply management, marketing, and others) has its own “stove piped” data?  (Provide some examples.)  

   "Stove piped data" is when related data is stored in separate and isolated systems.  There are many informational opportunities that are being missed by stove piping the data.  One example of such an opportunity is by keeping scheduling data and marketing data separate, you won't be able to see if there is a trend between how your marketing and customer response and turnout.  Or vice versa, what are the customers requesting?  What marketing could you do to accommodate those loyal and returning customers?

1. What benefits will the UMUC Haircuts business realize if you implement an enterprise-wide system?  Identify how Myra as the manager will benefit from having additional information available. 

   By implementing an enterprise-wide system Myra stands to reap many benefits.  One such benefit I mentioned in the answer of the previous question.  She would be able to combine the data for more helpful information.  It would increase the trends she would be able to identify.  She would have more complete data and not so fragmented.

1. What types of decisions that she makes as the manager would be improved if she had all this information in one place?

   If all the information was in one place, she'd be able to monitor scheduling of her employees based on skill set to accommodate trends in customer requests.  She could make sure certain supplies are always stocked to accommodate customer trends as well as maybe not order as much of other things that aren't as popular.  She would also be able to see based on the schedules of her employees if she needed to add more stylist, or even cut back.

1. Would it make the most sense to start with a CRM, an SCM or an ERP system for UMUC Haircuts and why.  Keep in mind that additional systems and functionality could come later. 

   In my opinion, it makes more sense to start with a CRM, as this is a very customer based business.  Everything else can come later, but data completeness on customers seems to be the more important factor for UMUC Haircuts.

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1. What opportunities are being missed when each little area (scheduling, supply management, marketing, and others) has its own “stove piped” data?  (Provide some examples.)  "Stove piped" data refers to looking at individual sets of data without contextualization. When you are seeking to overhaul any type of business and the processes therein, it is important to see how data works together or not to meet the end result. For example, if you look just at employee scheduling without any other data points, you may not see how employee scheduling may have an effect on supply management or other operating costs. If you look at supply management individually, you may not see how it has an effect on advertising--just as an example. It is important to look at data individually as well as in context in order to get a bigger picture of how a business is functioning and what needs to be done to improve it. 
2. What benefits will the UMUC Haircuts business realize if you implement an enterprise-wide system?  Identify how Myra as the manager will benefit from having additional information available.  If UMUC Haircuts implements an enterprise-wide system, it would allow Myra to have information about suppliers, vendors, customers, etc. all at her fingertips. Global Text Project (n.d.) writes, " External relationships provide access to additional information and nancial resources, which ideally results in increased protability and success." 
3. What types of decisions that she makes as the manager would be improved if she had all this information in one place? Myra would be able to determine which suppliers she would want to use in order to balance operating costs at her business. 
4. Would it make the most sense to start with a CRM, an SCM or an ERP system for UMUC Haircuts and why.  Keep in mind that additional systems and functionality could come later. It would make the most sense for UMUC Haircuts to start with a CRM as their business is so heavily reliant on its customers. CRM focuses on customer relationships to improve retention, loyalty, and overall profitability. Since Myra wants to improve the process of customer appointments, it would make sense for her to start with a CRM as this process deals with customer relationships. If she would turn her attention to products and services, then an SCM may be valuable in the future.