Changing Business using Top-down Strategy - Exercise

This exercise is worth a total of 5 points. To receive full credit, you will need to prepare a report that describes the problems and various options, and that documents your recommendations regarding how these problems can best be resolved. Once you have completed your answer, you will submit your answer.

As in the previous exercises, you are the eBusiness architect for Dt-Groceries.com, an online grocery store.

You have the same information as before:
The business employs 60 employees, has 15 delivery trucks, and currently operates in a single location, delivering five days a week, averaging 50 deliveries per day. Half of its business comes from online orders. The online ordering system has been operational for about two months. The company has a working eBusiness model, but wishes to expand, and has asked you to redesign their eBusiness architecture.

Assume that you have been working on the solution for some time now and you have identified that, despite the existing eBusiness activities, there is a skills shortage as well as some relevant problems in several areas of the enterprise.

1. The technicians who built the existing solutions have used outdated technology and are not up-to-date with the latest software tools
2. The marketing team has not been taking advantage of the opportunities to attract new customers to the eBusiness site
3. The order processing is completely manual and is struggling to cope with the relatively small increase in business that the existing site has brought

You are now preparing a report to the executive regarding how these problems can best be resolved.

Based on what you know, your task will be to do the following:

1. Describe to the executive what the problems are and what the likely impact of them will be on the eBusiness solution.
2. For each of the problems, explain what the options are and the suitability of each option.
3. Document your recommendations in a brief supporting text for your selection; your entire report should be no more than 500 words.

This is a hypothetical scenario, and there is therefore limited information on which you can develop your report. Feel free to invent additional data to help give your report a more realistic feel. Because the executive will probably not be as receptive to a negative report on his or her company, tact and diplomacy are important. However, you must get your points across. You should assume that you will not meet with the executive in person, and that your report alone needs to persuade him or her to accept your proposals.
The purpose of this exercise is to evaluate how well you have understood the risks and the changes needed within an enterprise and how well you can communicate this understanding to others.

Enter your answer into the text box below. Click the Submit button to submit your answer.