The Real Time Locating System

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Introduction on company that is used

Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational corporation headquartered in Seoul. Samsung Electronics is also involved in the hardware manufacturer industry and is recognized as the world��s largest mobile phone and television manufacturer along with the second largest semiconductor chip makers in the world.

Samsung Electronics is the core supplier for many big organizations and has been achieving remarkable growing sales as a supplier alongside with its strong home appliances positioning especially in TV market. Despite of its remarkable success history in the home appliances, the recent introducing of Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets has also leaded the company to acquire most of the smartphone market shares as well.

Top 10 supply trends

RTLS, RFID, remote management, connectivity, advance wireless, speech recitation, affordable printing, 2D barcode, digital imaging, and security.

RTLS- Real-time locating system

The real time locating system is an application on identifying and tracking the location of objects or people in real time. The RTLS is attached on objects or worn by people. It is mostly used as a tracking or tracing device. This system incudes speed direction and spatial orientation.

RFID

RFID means Radio-Frequency Identification. It refers to small electronic devices that have small chips good with internet connection. The chips typically are able to carry 2,000 bytes of data or less. It devices serves the same purpose as a bar code or magnetic strip of a credit or even an ATM card. It provides unique identification for that object, just as a bar code. The RFID must be scanned to send and receive information encoded in the code.

Connectivity

There are many different forms of wireless connectivity like, Bluetooth, wireless local area networking and cellular wide area wireless networks for voice and data communication. This connectivity are needed to not only make transferring files faster and easier but also for better communication. These trends are not new as technology is still improving. Many different companies from different places due to the technology improvements and strong opponents, have to make sure all their products are updated and have some minimum specifications before a person will consider that product. Like a computer now, we would first look out for specifically one with a wireless local area network and for voice and data communications some also look out for Bluetooth.

Speech Recognition

Speech recognition helps productivity by reducing the need for users to look at a device display and to use a keyboard or other device that requires physical. Speech synthesis, recognition capability can be easily found or download software packages different. The simplified integration has been made possible by the development of terminal emulation based speech recognition technology.

Samsung Electronics Current Market and IT position

Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul. There are roughly 80 subsidiaries under the Samsung Group; primarily well-known are Samsung Electronics, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung Engineering, Samsung C&T, Samsung SDS and others. For this assignment purpose, core information technology fields of the Samsung Group, which is one of world��s largest technology companies; Samsung Electronics Co.

SWOT Analysis on Samsung Electronics

For an organization to be present in the competitive market is not a simple task. The organization may need to face different kinds of internal and external factors. SWOT analysis can be adopted by managers to analyze the overview of current company situations and addressing these challenges with the new business objectives. Hence, SWOT analysis is chosen to study the company��s current market and analyze its current IT position.

Strengths Weaknesses

? Strong Samsung��s brand awareness.

? Attractive and creative design.

? Self-reliant on hardware.

? Strong cash flow from its sales. ? Strong competition in diversified field.

? Mass market compare to niche market.

Opportunity Threat

? Knowledge sharing with partnership organization.

? Heavily emphasize on R&D to bring future technology.

? Wide market in electronics. ? Cheaper cost from Chinese makers.

? No proprietary software and rely on success of Android.

? Court fight and patent infringement with Apple.

Porter��s Five Forces Analysis

Besides SWOT analysis, Michael Porter has stated the five forces that can have a great influence for a business. These forces consist of the following business entities and factors.

Michael porter 5 forces

Power to the buyers

Buyers�� power refers to the force of customer that greatly impacts the market sales of a producing firm. Under the brand awareness of Samsung Electronics and its quality products, there are large based of loyal customers. This gave Samsung Electronics a good opportunity to improve its products and services by radical changes without further consideration. Therefore, Samsung Electronics can forecast and produce innovative product for its consumer. In facts, this offers Samsung Electronics a competitive advantage and position that allows the company to control the direction of the future electronics markets and trends. However, Samsung Electronics should also beware of the strong competition from its rivals. Hence, the Samsung Electronics might be losing its customers based as consumers may find better substitute products from its rivals which may be offering the same services but with lower costs. For this case, the buyer power is medium.

Supplier Power

This force defines the important of supplier that can influence the operation of a firm as the suppliers are the foundation of supplying raw materials and labor components to the firm. In this case, Samsung Electronics is said to have more bargained power in the manufacturer industry because they are many organizations rely on Samsung Electronics services for their production. For this case, the supplier power is low.

Threat of Substitute Products

Substitute products refer to products that are produced by other companies which pose as a threat to substitute the particular company��s product in the market. The low cost Chinese producers are seems to be threats in the dominant of Samsung��s product in China market with cheaper price especially in the rural markets. This can cause the product of Samsung Electronics can be substituted by its rival anytime in the China market. For this case, the threat of substitute product is medium.

Degree of rivalry

Degree of rivalry highlights the intensity of rivalry among the firms varies across markets. There is a strong competition in the electronics market as the products and services provided by Samsung Electronics and its rivals are likely similar. As there are more similar products are introduced into the market, the market sales may become elastic as the consumers have more options to compare and select the similar product. The rivalry between Samsung��s smartphone and Apple��s iPhone even directed to a court fight due to the patent infringement. Besides it, Samsung Electronics should also beware from other competitors include Sony, LG, Panasonic which tends to dominant the market shares and eliminate the Samsung��s products from the electronics market.

Barriers to entry

This force emphasizes more on the issues and legal requirements for entering a new market. By facts and theories, it is believed that there are no barriers for Samsung to enter a new market under the Samsung brand awareness. However, due to the current economic climate, Samsung Electronics has to introduce some innovative products along with excellent design, quality and cost effectiveness electronics devices in order to achieve remarkable sales in new market. For examples, Samsung Electronics has just introduced a Samsung Galaxy Camera, which combined the best features of Android��s smartphone and digital camera in the goal to exploring and dominates the camera markets.

For Samsung there are three different methods available to get the new information systems on other companies this helps the company to develop and produce newer and better technology. Selected methods for Samsung Electronics must meet main within criteria in term of economic, technical, operational, organizational and even possible popularity. Each of the different methods will then be further discussed to get more details and lesser ��problems�� that uses later may complaint about.

Development Points

Economic It is expensive, but Samsung Electronics has a strong cash flow from its recent growth of market shares. It would not be an issue for Samsung Electronics as long as the new information system can benefit the company in future and uses that use their products.

Technical There are no issues that Samsung Electronics development team and R&D departments can deliver a new information systems or business solution with their world class skills and knowledge. Besides it, one of the Samsung Group Subsidiaries, Samsung Data System, which is known as one of the world��s professional IT service providers firm, is able to give full technical supports to Samsung Electronics development teams with no doubts.

Organizational The bespoke solution can be developed in order to address the business needs more accurately as the employees know the system weaknesses and requirements better.

Operational It is likely the new information system can be integrated into the organization daily operation since the proposed system requirements can be designed and tested among them.

Off-the-shelf software purchasing is another method that refers to a pre-written information system that can be directly purchased and used by one or more organization. The packages provided are usually available and compatible to several hardware platforms from personal computers to mainframes. These kinds of software are usually providing broad ranges of functionality to suit wide range of different businesses but may not offer sufficient features (Hardcastle, 2008). It is lower cost compare to bespoke development in term of same functionality aspects and is less software bugs. Lastly, the software purchased from supplier is possible to be configured and integrated with different suppliers�� modules for the organization purposes.

Purchase of, off-the-shelf package

Economic This is usually cheapest among the acquisition methods in term of same system functionality.

Technical Samsung Electronics have been implementing off-the-shelf package. For instance, SAP enterprise solution from its vendor. Samsung Electronics employees deal no issues in learning the new technology.

Organizational The off-the-shelf software is written to be compatible in most of the hardware requirements and ensure the functionality is acceptable by most of the organization for their business purposes. The only concern for Samsung Electronics is to ensure that the purchased solution conforms to its requirements.

Operational The off-the-shelf package is written to meet wide range of organization business needs; it may not suitable for Samsung Electronics to fully address its business needs. In special case, Samsung Electronics might have to change its business processes to fit in with the software.

End-user-developed software refers to software that is developed by non-IS professionals, most probably the business users. End-user-developed software is more limited in scope and the software produced is more specific for individual or departmental use. These types of software can normally be avoided from the mistranslation of system requirements as the business users who develop it are normally the end-users of the system. However, poor system development knowledge of developers might lead the software to consequences of software bugs, as well as little or no design, testing and documentation.

End-user development

Economic End-user development is cheaper than bespoke solution but is more suitable for developing personal or departmental applications.

Technical Samsung Electronic employees have been provided with training so that they are more capable of leading the project development.

Organizational The end-user developed information systems are more suitable for personal or departmental use. Local considerations will be prioritized instead of company-wide considerations.

Operational The proposed solution might not be reaching the expectation as the suggested improvement will be more concentrating on local considerations instead of company-wide considerations.

Acquisition Method for Samsung Electronics

Traditionally, Samsung Electronics has adopted in-house bespoke approach on its SCM development and off-the-shelf purchased approach for its ERP and CRM system. These two approached are more familiar to Samsung Electronics instead of end-user development. However, after conducting the feasibility criteria studies in addressing the future business needs of Samsung Electronics, bespoke development is chosen. This is chosen because Samsung Electronics is acquiring all the resources needed for the bespoke development and is willing to contribute a great effort in future business needs ahead from its competitors. This can be seen from Samsung Electronics that the company has been concentrating in the supply chain management as it is Samsung Electronics core strategic resource. As a big hardware manufacturer, Samsung has developed a Supply Chain Management system (SCM) with its own technology and methodology approach to reduce the inventory and also increase the convergence of marketing and production. With the success implementation in the supply chain management, it may be a good challenge and opportunity for Samsung Electronics to adopt it on developing new information systems as well.

Furthermore, Samsung Electronics has invested a huge amount of fund in the R&D department. It is mainly to strive for getting more patents and preparation for future technology. It offers the development team to develop a new information system by using the latest technology through in-house bespoke development. For instances, technology such as Cloud Computing, mobile-based system and in-memory computing may conduct the business in a different or perhaps more efficiency way. Samsung Electronics may use the concept and technology of Cloud Computing to mainly share their information quicker. Moreover, there might be a case of which groups of multinational organizations in the related business field may require the same information systems requirements but the individually may realize it would be expensive to develop. This can be seen from joint venture of Samsung Electronics with SONY to come out S-LCD. This avoid the Samsung Electronics has to rely on purchasing the information systems and technologies from vendors. Similarity, it makes the maintenance easier to be conducted in future instead of leasing it from vendors. All these things could only happen if Samsung Electronics is conducting the bespoke development.

Apart from it, if there is a portion of a project in term of technical requirement or technology those Samsung Electronics business teams are not good in handling it, the company can request the assist from another Samsung Group subsidiary, Samsung Data System, which is known as one of the world��s professional IT service providers firm, and the company is able to give full technical supports to Samsung Electronics development teams with no doubts. Technical requirements mentioned could be small SAP component to address new business requirements in the company��s SAP ERP software. These in-house bespoke developments can also prevent the leaking of confidential information to vendors.

In conclusion, bespoke development will be the essential acquisition method for Samsung Electronics if the company is desired to address more specific needs in its business and willing to achieve a competitive advantage in leading and dominant in the manufacturer industry as well as the technology field with the implementation of latest technology in conducting the business ahead from its competitors.

Recently Samsung��s memory division was responsible for 70% of the profit but overcapacity has led to an industry wide decline. Undaunted however, Samsung, which often makes big investments during downturns so that it can increase its market share and make bigger profits when the industry cycle picks up, is raising its capital investment in this division. As peers cut back this is a bold move that signals a strong confidence in the eventual upturn of the memory market. With a brand value now greater than Sony, it is clear that Samsung��s strategy of delivering high quality products with an emphasis on design is paying off and the company is confident of its future performance. Time and again Samsung has proved it is able to look into the future and create what��s just around the corner for the rest of us.