Biology Forums - Study Force

Don’s Lumber Company: The prices of lumber and other building materials are constantly changing. When a customer inquires about the price on pre-finished wood flooring, sales representatives consult a manual price sheet and then call the supplier for the most recent price. The supplier in turn uses a manual price sheet, which has been updated each day. Often the supplier must call back Don’s sales reps because the company does not have the newest pricing information immediately on hand. Assess the business impact of this situation, describe how this process could be improved with information technology, and identify the decisions that would have to be made to implement a solution. Who would make those decisions?

Manually updating price sheets leads to slower sales processes, pricing errors if sales reps are using outdated information, and customer dissatisfaction due to delays in obtaining information. By putting the data online using an extranet and updating it as necessary, sales reps consult the most current information immediately. That leads to faster sales and more satisfied customers. Necessary decisions include how much information to make available online, who will have access to it, and how to keep the information secure. Senior management would likely make these decisions.