Unit 1-2

Activity #4: Submission          FINAL PROJECT COHESION CASE OVERVIEW  Throughout this course you will own and operate The Broadway Cafe taking advantage of business practices discussed in this text to increase profits, keep the business running, and bring the cafe into the 21st century. Each week, you will focus on a different part of the information systems that the business will use. You will apply managerial business decision-making skills performing a vast array of activities including:    •Using technology to gain a competitive advantage •Building an e-business strategy •Creating an online community for collaboration •Deploying a wireless network for customers •Using CRM to implement marketing campaigns and sales strategies •Dealing with different ethical and information security dilemmas •Project management activities for implementing solutions •Understanding how technology is used throughout a business by all the different functional areas     You have recently inherited your grandfather’s coffee shop, The Broadway Cafe, which is conveniently located in downtown (your city). The cafe offers many kinds of specialized coffees, teas, a full-service bakery, and homemade sandwiches, soups, and salads. Your grandfather first opened The Broadway Cafe in 1952, and it was a local hotspot for many years.     Unfortunately, business has been steadily declining over the last five years. Although your grandfather was an expert at running the coffee shop, it is outdated. There are no computers in the store, and all ordering takes place manually. Your grandfather had a terrific memory and knew all his customers by name, but unfortunately, none of this information is located anywhere in the store. The family recipes for the baked goods and soups are also stored in your grandfather’s memory. Inventory is tracked in a notepad, along with employee payroll, and marketing coupons. The Cafe does not have a Web site, uses very little marketing except word-of-mouth, and essentially still operates the same as it did in 1952.     Overview of Project for Unit 1     To survive and thrive, an organization must create a competitive advantage. A competitive advantage is a product or service that an organization’s customers place a greater value on than similar offerings from a competitor. Unfortunately, competitive advantages are typically temporary because competitors often seek ways to duplicate the competitive advantage. In turn, organizations must develop a strategy based on a new competitive advantage.     When an organization is the first to market with a competitive advantage, it gains a first-mover advantage. The first-mover advantage occurs when an organization can significantly impact its market share by being first to market with a competitive advantage. As organizations develop their competitive advantages, they must pay close attention to their competition through environmental scanning. Environmental scanning is the acquisition and analysis of events and trends in the environment external to an organization. Information technology has the opportunity to play an important role in environmental scanning.      Business Dilemma     The Broadway Cafe has been in business since 1952 and has never had a single competitor in the neighborhood. One of your employees has heard a rumor that Starbucks might be opening a store a few blocks away. Your staff is worried and is looking to you to provide reassurance that the competition will not affect your business.       PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS:     Each week you will submit your response to the business situation presented. Use an APA formatted paper with a Title page and a References page. Your paper should be double-spaced and written in Times New Roman size 12 font. The paper will be written in an essay format. Do not use a question and answer format.       Making Business Decisions I     Michael Porter’s Five Forces Model is a useful tool to aid organizations facing the challenging decision of entering a new industry or industry segment. The Five Forces Model helps determine the relative attractiveness of an industry and includes:    •Buyer Power •Supplier power •Threat of substitute products or services •Threat of new entrants •Rivalry among existing competitors     For this part of the project you will write a paper in which you will:    •Perform a detailed Porter’s Five Forces analysis for The Broadway Cafe. •Be sure to highlight entry barriers, switching costs, and substitute products. •Determine which of Porter’s Three Generic strategies you will use as you rebuild The Broadway Cafe for the 21st century.