Online Assignment – Your Homework

Help Partner

(We’re faster than your deadlines)

www.onlineassignment.net

homework@onlineassignment.net

Subject: Management

Topic: Business Integration & Evaluation

Business Integration and Evaluation

Successful businesses are those that are managed

with an integrated strategy, conduct regular self-

assessments using both qualitative and quantitative

techniques, provide solid leadership, and incorporate

state-of-the-art information management systems.

The purpose of this section is to provide an overview

of the essential business management functions. The

section begins with a pre-test and concludes with a

post-test. The written activities require you to

analyze and examine several essential business

integration and evaluation functions using a practical case-based scenario.

Assignment

The owners of XYZ Construction, Inc. realize that

they need to modernize their technology and

information management system within the company

in order to make the company more attractive for its

IPO.

Additionally, the owners see a value in using

quantitative techniques to measure customer

satisfaction, service quality, Equal Employment

Opportunity (EEO) workforce compliance, and new

market evaluation.

Specifically, the company owners want you to

describe, discuss, and analyze the steps needed to

plan, implement, evaluate, and control new

technology that will help them transform from a

privately-held regional company to a publicly-owned

international company.

The owners also desire information regarding

techniques, processes, and procedures associated

with quantitatively measuring and evaluating several

key business functions. For this fifth written

assignment your requirement is to develop a paper

where you describe, discuss, and analyze the

aforementioned topics identified by the owners of

XYZ Construction, Inc.

Within the paper, you must describe, discuss, and

analyze the following information management and

quantitative techniques/statistics relative to this

horizontal construction company:

1. Planning for Technology

2. Implementing a Technology System or

Change

3. Technology Evaluation and Control

4. Descriptive statistics that you will obtain and

use in tabular, graphical, and numeric formats

for construction company management

5. Hypotheses testing that could be used to

better quantify such key business operations

including employee morale and culture, quality,

customer satisfaction, and new market

evaluation

Length: 2000 words or more

SOLUTION

Business Integration and Evaluation

Construction is typecast as fragmented, inefficient and

geographically dispersed industry. The solution that is being

suggested for this industry is integration of the business functions

using IT solutions like enterprise systems. The uniqueness of each

construction company makes it difficult to standardize a single

system in all construction firms. Being project based and having

plethora of clients having varied requirements also makes it

important for these firms to customize their systems to suit these

difficult conditions. Most construction companies depend

heavily on ability of the managers to access up-to-date

information. With time straining projects, highly sophisticated

information systems allow time, cost and quality efficiencies. The

increasing access to information has intensified competition.

Information technology is playing an important role in shaping the

industry with modifying the entry barriers and competitive

advantages.

Planning for Technology

Information Technology can be applied to various functions of the

construction company, the major areas could be highlighted as:

• Information of cost management can predict events and event

chains. Prediction models supporting ERP systems help

construction companies optimize with great accuracy costs in

the future.

• Scheduling, project specification, designing, cost

management; etc can be done in real time with updated

information. This can be achieved using well set information

systems.

• Minor modification in detailing of project constituents can

change the complete acceptability of the project. With

systematic input systems, these modifications can be done

and immediate results extracted to provide multiple options

for the clients. Since the decision time taken by clients is

narrow, this requires companies to be not only proactive but

responsive also.

• Fund management, especially in contingency, situations is

decisive for the success of organizations. One needs to be

able to hedge changes in costs in the future and incorporate

the same in project management.

Developing an integrated information system requires it to qualify

for functionality of an enterprise system when the functions being

covered under the system. This system should lead to cost benefits

of the system. In order to implement an integrated information

system restructuring may be required to be done in the

organization. There could appear several implementation hurdles

of the system. Organizations need to acknowledge the factors

influencing the operational efficiency of the system. There should

be prudence in making choice of implementation strategy for the

company along with the choice of information system model for

the firm.

Integration of business systems involves the major stakeholders in

the organization. While planning and implementing the business

integration process, these individuals/ organizations need to be

involved because they will work as profit centers in themselves, if

not directly, indirectly. These stakeholders would include

suppliers/subcontractors, employees, customers and investors. The

integration of information between suppliers and subcontractors

and the firm can lead to cost effectiveness and timely response to

customers. The employees when become knowledge heavy and

information centric, deliver effectively to the clients along with

adding value to the form by elongated services, new ideas, product

innovations, etc. This will also lead to increase customer

satisfaction and positive attitude to service quality.

Implementation and Evaluation of Technology System

While implementing technology system in horizontal organizations

like construction firms, soft factors need to be implemented and

assessed. The factors that need to be understood and evaluated

include service quality, customer satisfaction, equal employee

opportunity and new market evaluation. During a business

integration process, the underline is to develop a system that

enhances results in the form of flourishing business. Putting things

one after the other, the following propositions can be suggested:

P01: Effective cost management benefits can be forwarded to

customers in the form of enhanced services or reduced pricing thus

leading to increased customer satisfaction.

P02: Increased competency as a result of availability of all

information leads to increased employee efficiency. This can be

mapped by the change in perception of service quality.

P03: With the implementation of technology in business

integration, the construction firm can customize its offerings to the

clients. This will lead to repeat contracts and referrals.

P04: New market can be developed due to increased efficiency and

responsiveness of the firm received due to integration with its

stakeholders.

Jiang et al. (2002, pg. 145); Jiang et al. (2000, pg145) and

Kettinger and Lee (1994, pg. 737) in their respective studies report

that service quality is an important determinant of user satisfaction.

1. Jiang, James J.; Klein, Gary; Carr, Christopher L.. (2002).

Measuring Infdormation System Quality: SERVQUAL from

the Other Side. MIS Quarterly, Jun2002, Vol. 26 Issue 2,

p145-166, 22p

2. Jiang, James J.; Klein, Gary; Crampton, Suzanne M (2002).

A Note on SERQUAL Relaiability and Validity in

Information System Service Quality Measurement. Decision

Sciences, Summer2000, Vol. 31 Issue 3, p725-744, 20p

3. Kettinger, W. J., and Lee, C. C. (1994). Perceived Service

Quality and User Satisfaction with the Information Services

Function. Decision Sciences (25:6), pp. 737-766.

The application of SERVQUAL for measuring customer

satisfaction is the most commonly used measure. Developed by

Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1988, pg.41), this model has

been accepted as a useful instrument across industries including

services, finances and manufacturing (Jiang et al. 2002, pg. 145;

Jiang et al. 2000, pg.725; Kettinger and Lee 1994, pg. 737;

Kettinger and Lee 1997, pg. 223; Pitt et al. 1995, pg.173; Pitt et al.

1997, pg. 209). SERVPERF is a direct measure of the perception

of performance is similar to SERVQUAL differing only in the fact

that it is based on user perceptions. It helps gauge the discrepancy

between expected and perceived service quality.

Customer satisfaction is a much talked about concept these days.

Woodruff (1997, pg.1997) suggests that customer satisfaction is an

effective way to differentiate themselves from competitors and

gain competitive advantage. Kärnä et al. (2009, pg 387) has

pointed out several advantages of customer satisfaction for

organizations, improvement of communication between parties and

enabling mutual agreement; recognition of the demand of

improvement in the process; better understanding of the problems;

evaluation of progress towards the goal; and monitoring and

reporting accomplished results and changes.

4. Jiang, James J.; Klein, Gary; Carr, Christopher L.. (2002).

Measuring Infdormation System Quality: SERVQUAL from

the Other Side. MIS Quarterly, Jun2002, Vol. 26 Issue 2,

p145-166, 22p

5. Jiang, James J.; Klein, Gary; Crampton, Suzanne M (2002).

A Note on SERQUAL Relaiability and Validity in

Information System Service Quality Measurement. Decision

Sciences, Summer2000, Vol. 31 Issue 3, p725-744, 20p

6. Kärnä, Sami, Juha-Matti Junnonen, Veli-Matti Sorvala

(2009). Classifying and clustering construction projects by

customer satisfaction. Facilities, 2009 Vol. 27, Iss. 9/10; pg.

387

7. Kettinger, W. J., and Lee, C. C. (1994). Perceived Service

Quality and User Satisfaction with the Information Services

Function. Decision Sciences (25:6), pp. 737-766.

8. Kettinger, W. J., and Lee, C. C. (1997). Pragmatic

Perspectives on the Measurement of Information Systems

Service Quality. MIS Quarterly (21:2), pp.223-240.

9. Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., and Berry, L. L. (1985). A

Conceptual Model of Service Quality and Its Implications for

Future Research. Journal of Marketing (49), pp. 41-50.

10. Pitt, L. F., Watson, R. T., and Kavan, C. B. (1995).

Service Quality: A Measure of Information Systems

Effectiveness. MIS Quarterly (19:2), pp. 173-187.

11. Pitt, L. F., Watson, R. T., and Kavan, C. B. (1997).

Measuring Information Systems Service Quality: Concerns

for a Complete Canvas. MIS Quarterly (21:2), pp. 209-221.

12. Woodruff, R.B. (1997). Customer value: the next

source for competitive advantage. Journal of the Academy of

Marketing Sciences, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 139-53.

For a construction based firm, customer satisfaction refers to

customer orientation. Application of technology should be done

to integrate quality, schedule and costs. In construction, the

relationship between client and contractor constitutes a

multilevel complex in which parties operate simultaneously and

collaborate with in-groups of networks. Therefore, customer

satisfaction in construction should be understood as a

relationship-specific rather than a transaction-specific construct

(Homburg and Rudolph, 2000, pg. 15).

Kärnä et al. (2009, pg 387) in their study have cited the use of

variables of RALA project variables. These include:

• Contractual work quality

• Management and implementation of agreed quality assurance

procedures

• Functionality of handover material and maintenance manual

handover

• Quality of assignment material and maintenance manual

• Degree of completion at handover inspection

• Repair of defects and deficiencies noticed during handover

inspection

• Adherence to schedule in accordance with common

agreements schedule

• Cleanliness and order on site

• Management of work safety on site safety

• Management of environmental issues and related know-how

on site environment

• Tending to official obligations official

• Supplier’s personnel’s capacity to co-operation co-opera

• Access to supplier’s employees access

• Quality of overall service level

• Information flow on site

• Agreeing on changes

• Skill of supplier’s work supervisors

• Tending to notices of defect

• Tending to site supervision duties

• Skill of supplier’s workers

• Commitment of supplier’s employees to set goals

• Conformity of supplier’s subcontracting to contract

Equal employee opportunity in case of construction companies

would apply to various functions like at the time of recruitment,

job profiles, compensation, training and development.

13. Homburg, C. and Rudolph, B. (2000). Customer

satisfaction in industrial markets: dimensional and multiple

role issues. Journal of Business Research, Vol. 52, pp. 15-33.

14. Kärnä, Sami, Juha-Matti Junnonen, Veli-Matti Sorvala

(2009). Classifying and clustering construction projects by

customer satisfaction. Facilities, 2009 Vol. 27, Iss. 9/10; pg.

387

Organizations, especially the ones moving to become public

limited companies, stand a liability to offer to their employees all

the opportunities in the organization at equal levels. The most

important contexts for this firm would be;

• Equal opportunity to both men and women

• Health and safety issues

• Appropriate compensation

• Developing and training employees as per client requirement

• Compensation in line with the work requirements

• Enhancing the quality of life of workers

For the purpose of construction company, technology application

needs to be implemented in al the above mentioned areas.

Evaluation Parameters

In a quality driven construction organization, the following are

principal reasons why measurement is needed and why it plays a

key role in quality and productivity improvement. Love and Hold

(2000, pg. 408) suggest that measurement helps:

- ensure that customer requirements have been met (and

if not, why not);

- enable establishment of achievable business objectives

and monitors compliance thereto;

- provide standards for business comparisons;

- provide transparency and a scoreboard for individuals

to monitor their own performance;

- identify quality problems and those requiring priority

attention;

- give an indication of the costs of poor quality;

- justify the use of resources; and

- provide feedback for driving the improvement effort.

The measurement parameters would provide data on the following

variables:

A. Service quality: measured on a 5 point likert scale where 1 lies

for strongly disagree, 3 as neutral and 5 as strongly agree.

Statements developed to incorporate the following factors

1. Perception towards service attributes

2. Perception towards reliability of construction companies

3. Perception towards responsiveness of the firm

4. Perception towards assurance given by the construction firm

5. Perception towards the firm being emphatic

15. Love, Peter E.D., Gary D. Holt. Construction business

performance measurement: the SPM alternative. Business

Process Management Journal. Bradford: 2000 Vol. 6, Iss. 5;

pg. 408

Tabulation

Mean

score of

percepti

on

Mean

score of

percepti

on

Mean score

of

perception

towards

Mean

score of

percepti

on

Mean

score of

percepti

on

towards

service

attribute

s

towards

reliabili

ty

responsive

ness of the

firm

towards

assuran

ce

towards

the firm

being

emphati

c

Small

custom

ers

Mid

size

custom

ers

Large

custom

ers

B. Customer satisfaction: measured again on a 5 point likert scale,

where

1 2 3 4 5

Highly dissatisfied dissatisfied neutral satisfied

highly satisfied

Measured on statements incorporating satisfaction towards

following factors:

- Product/Project assortment

- Price efficiency

- Timely delivery

- Resource efficiency

- Service package

- After sales services

- Online support

C. Performance parameter: Data is also collected on probability

to repeat the firm for future projects; recommend the firm to other

customers; offer constructive suggestions for improvement. This

data was collected on a 10 pint continuum scale where 1 stands for

never and 10 stands for definitely yes.

Cross Tabulation:

Mean

score of

perception

towards

service

attributes

Mean

score of

perception

towards

reliability

Mean score of

perception

towards

responsiveness

of the firm

Mean

score of

perception

towards

assurance

Mean

score of

perception

towards

the firm

being

emphatic

Product/Project

assortment

Price

efficiency

Timely

delivery

Resource

efficiency

Service

package

After sales

services

Online support

Cross Tabulation:

Mean

score of

perception

towards

service

attributes

Mean

score of

perception

towards

reliability

Mean score of

perception

towards

responsiveness

of the firm

Mean

score of

perception

towards

assurance

Mean

score of

perception

towards

the firm

being

emphatic

Repeat purchase

Recommendation

Constructive

feedback

D. Employee perception: Data to be collected from employees on

a 5 point likert scale of satisfaction and dissatisfaction on

statements incorporating following factors:

- Equal opportunity to perform

- Opportunity for improvement of skills

- Competitive compensation

- Constructive personal development

- Responsiveness to employee needs

- Empathetic policy system

Cross tabulation:

Mean

score

of

percept

ion

toward

s

service

Mean

score

of

percept

ion

toward

s

reliabil

Mean

score of

perception

towards

responsive

ness of the

firm

Mean

score

of

percept

ion

toward

s

assuran

Mean

score

of

percept

ion

toward

s the

firm

attribut

es

ity ce being

emphat

ic

Equal

opportunit

y to

perform

Opportunit

y for

improveme

nt of skills

Competitiv

e

compensati

on

Constructi

ve personal

developme

nt

Responsive

ness to

employee

needs

Empathetic

policy

system

E. New market development: Data also needs to be collected on

increase in sales from current customers and sales from new

customers

Cross tabulation:

Increase in

sales from

current

customers

Sales from

new customers

Repeat purchase

Recommendation

Constructive feedback

Hypothesis:

H01: There is a significant relationship between the size of the

customer and perception towards service quality

HO2: There is a significant positive correlation between perception

towards service quality and customer satisfaction

H03: There is a significant impact of perception towards service

quality and performance measures.

HO4: There is a significant relationship between Employee attitude

and perception towards service quality

H05: There is a significant impact of performance measures on

increase in sales among current customers and new customers.

White (2007, pg.18) asserts that as IT gets integrated into

construction companies, but the key differentiator for construction

companies that use it intelligently. Samaranayake (2009, pg. 2009)

concludes in his study on business process integration that business

process improvements must be made at two levels, improvements

in business process modeling and improved process functionalities.

His proposed business intelligence framework results in process

integration, automation and optimization which provide

streamlined transactions beyond process integration. When applied

to the construction firm, it is suggested that while developing a

business integration model, information technology being the core,

to incorporate systematic enhancements of the system as a whole

while aiming at increase in soft assets of the firm. This will not

only increase the immediate sales of the firm but also create a

positive image of the firm in the market hence creating a platform

for the launch of its IPO.

16. Samaranyake, Premarante (2009). Business process

integration, automation, and optimization in ERP; Integrated

approach using enhanced process models. Business Process

Management Journal. Bradford. Vol15, Iss 4; Pg 504.

17. White, Mark (2007). Information Technology: A

Mandatory Role in Construction Project Management. Cost

Engineering. Morgantown. Nov,Vol. 49, Iss. 11; pg. 18, 2

pgs

Thank You Online Assignment – Your Homework Help

Partner

(We’re faster than your deadlines)

www.onlineassignment.net

homework@onlineassignment.net

Live Chat : Available 24*7