This is Assignment 1 for Unit 21 Business Process Modelling. It meets all the Distinction Criteria allowing for an overall Distinction Grade.
This unit has 2 Assignments, please check out my profile for Assignment 2 for this unit.
Criteria Covered
D1 Evaluate the effectiveness of technologie...
Unit 21 - Assignment 1
Business modelling tools
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Introduction
For this report we have been asked to discuss how technology can be used to support a
businesses aims as well as different types of business processes and how they help an
organisation meet their needs. I will also be providing an explanation how businesses can
and have used technology to support their business processes and the impact it has had.
In the past century technology has seen massive changes and has become far more
developed. This has led it to become far more mainstream than anyone could have
imagined/predicted. Nowadays technology is used in all sorts of sectors from medical to
waste disposal and many businesses and organisations have adapted and integrated
technology into their foundation. The most famous and well known example of a business
shifting from a physical store to a primarily online service would be netflix. In the mid 2000s
when technology was at a rise and bagan spreading to the masses as stated on the digital
revolution wiki “ the digital revolution spread to the masses in the developing world in the
2000s” netflix saw an opportunity and leapt at the change to become a streaming service
rather than a rental service. At the time netflix received criticism for their decision from
competitors and consumers alike but as we know it was a huge success and netflix has
become one of the worlds biggest streaming services and their competitors either went
bankrupt or are no way near as successful as them. It isn't only Netflix but businesses in the
retail sector have used technology to their advantage. Stores such as asda, sainsbury and
more have begun to offer home delivery services for your groceries rather than you having to
come to a physical store and spending more time than needed customers can order what
they need and have it delivered in a fixed time slot. Payments are becoming less and less
cash oriented and people have begun getting more comfortable with paying through online
payments. From a consumer point of view they no longer have to carry cash around and can
make safe payments that are recorded in case of fraud or refunds. Consumers are sent an
invoice which is proof of the transaction.
Business processes
A business's processes can depend on an organisation's size and purpose; not all
organisations will have the same business processes. Businesses are typically split into two
categories : sole trader and partnership and then can be further split to be either a PLC
(Public limited company) or LTD (Private limited company). A sole trader is the exclusive
owner of the business and is entitled to all the profits after lax but is also liable for all the
losses. A partnership is an arrangement where 2 or more people (up to 50) agree to perform
trade or business to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership can be
individuals, businesses, government etc. As started before the business processes will
depend on the organisation/business itself some business processes include customer
service, sales and marketing, IT technician support and more. I will be discussing what these
processes are and the impact they have on a business and how it supports their needs.
, Customer service is a business process that focuses on helping the business develop its
brand image. In order for a business to truly utilise customer service they first must be aware
of their aims and objectives and the services they intend to provide. The way customer
service is carried out will depend on the organisation itself for example a sole trader will have
to carry out customer service themselves while a bigger organisation may have an entire
department devoted to customer service. Bigger organisations that have departments
dedicated to customer service will have their employees use technology to fulfil their
customers needs. Examples of this could be dealing with orders such as tracking them or
even cancelling them and helping the customer get a refund other organisations such as
tech companies can use remote access to assist their customers if they have any issues.
Customer service if done correctly can impact a businesses reputation significantly for
customers find a certain businesses staff to be helpful and welcoming they would feel more
than happy to shop from them but if customer services is severely lacking and the customer
begins question why they are even bothering to shop or do business with your organisation
is where a real problem emerges as said customer can begin to boycott your businesses
and through reviews and social media word can spread leading to your organisation having
a very bad reputation. Customer service is highly important as you're basically trying to
sweet talk someone to buy your product or a product from you rather than their competitor.
Prices, deals and other factors are also relevant but if you can't even connect or assist a
customer then why should they do business with you even if you do have the best deals or
lowest price. Customer services can also be considered to be an asset in a sense and is
highly valued by consumers and employers alike. Customer service may also be part of the
marketing team. A good example of this would be calling up your broadband company.
When you call them up to fix an issue they always try to sell you something else or try to
promote a deal or offer they currently have and this is quite an effective way of reaching out
to your customers. Although it can be annoying if done in moderation and correctly it is
possible to increase revenue as you are selling more items or services to an already existing
customer that probably would have stuck with the current package they have.
Another business process would be sales and marketing which is the primary stream of
revenue for the business and aids a business in growing its public image and its net worth.
Sales and marketing are interlinked with one another and the performance of one can
determine the performance of the other. For example as sales increase and the revenue of
the business increases more money can be put into marketing and for a small business/sole
trader they can go from leaflet or ads in the new paper to social media adverts which is a
huge leap as they can present themselves and allow themselves to be known by more
people as leaflets and ads in the paper are no way near as effective as they used to be
especially now where most people are glued to their phones and devices. However if there is
a drop in sales that means that the businesses revenue will decrease meaning the business
will have less money to spend on marketing further leading to a poor sales/marketing
campaign and if the marketing isn't as good as it should be sales will further decrease. Both
sales and marketing are deeply connected and can have a knock on effect on one another if
one succeeds and does good the other will benefit and if one does bad then the other will
have a negative impact. Sales and marketing helps the business regardless of size achieve
its aims and objectives as in order for a business to progress, expand and move forward
money is required. For smaller businesses such as sole trader the revenue they receive from
sales will mostly be put back into the business in hopes the business will grow its brand
image and reputation while a bigger business should have already achieved this so they
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