Business Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Intelligence - Essay Example Additionally, the applications of business intelligence contain the tasks of query and reporting, decision support systems, statistical analysis, online analytical processing (OLAP), forecasting, and data mining (Webopedia, 2011) and (Rossetti, 2006). This paper provides the answers of questions like that why or why not business intelligence is critical for organizations? This paper will outline the issues and challenges that organizations can face in implementing BI. This paper will also discuss the difference between knowledge management and BI. Business Intelligence: A tool for organization’s survival Business intelligence tools have become one of the most important organizations’ resources. Additionally, these tools are utilized in data mining and operations. In this scenario, operational business intelligence is utilized to run the business activities more competently and achieve maximum return on investment. Thus, business intelligence methods and tools facilitate the organizations in making efficient use of assets, cutting costs, and making use of all the business prospects. On the other hand, in data mining, business intelligence is used to leverage enormous quantities of data for determining the best performance areas or out-of-the-box investigations. This kind of solutions could be easy or complex, however depending on the BI tool utilized. In addition, business intelligence tools help the organizations to gain a competitive edge because of their dashboard capabilities. Moreover, an organization must recognize that BI is not simply a charting or visual display of data. However, they can be helpful when an organization wants to incorporates data from numerous sources (D'Souza, 2011). Challenges in implementing business intelligence While adopting BI technology for their business an organization can face following challenges: (Computerworld Custom Publishing, 2003) and (MAIA Intelligence Blog, 2011) Failure to distinguish BI systems and pr ojects as cross-organizational company initiatives, as well as considering them different from distinctive standalone solutions. Unengaged company sponsors (or sponsors who take pleasure in small or no authority in the corporation). Engaged or reluctant business representatives. Lack of capable as well as existing staff, or sub-optimal staff use No software release idea (having no enhanced and improved iterative development technique). No use of WBS (work breakdown structure) and no methodology for application of the new BI technology. No company analysis or unavailability of standardization actions for the BI technology application. No approval of the influence of dirty data on business productivity. Not recognizing the need and utilization of meta-data. Extra dependence on disparate techniques and tools BI is difference from Knowledge Management Normally, knowledge management is referred as a methodical procedure of discovering, selecting, classifying distilling and presenting dat a and information in a form that is easy to understand for an employee and lies in a precise area of interest. Additionally, the specific knowledge management tasks facilitate organizations to pay their attention on storing, acquiring and utilizing knowledge for similar things such as problem solving, strategic planning, dynamic learning and decision making (Herschel, 2008). In addition, bus

Mandatory Soft Body Armor Safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mandatory Soft Body Armor Safety - Essay Example Organizational theory gives a conceptual framework on how organizations should be structured and how people will be integrated into it for effective performance. The basic objective of a theory is to explain the nature of organization and help to predict how it would behave under various circumstances (Tosi p 6). OT analyzes the structure and process of the organization by describing the effects of different variables on the behavior of people of the organization. It therefore gives a theoretical basis for managers to be able to predict the behavior and therefore design the organization to influence their behavior to meet the goals of the organization. A highly centralized and formalized (mechanistic bureaucracies) type of organization would be best suitable when various tasks to be performed is well-understood, unchanging and how to best execute is clearly spelt out. On the other extreme there may be organizations which do a high level of non-routine tasks (research), where there is no well defined or right way of doing defined, but has to be done through innovation and intuition. These may require highly decentralized organizational struct ures with empowered teams with powers suitably delegated. Contingency theory gives insight to managers on design of organization when facing different situations. Management decision making at various levels be it corporate strategy level decision making (how to design organizational process), functional level such as marketing (how to align operations with its strategy), IT and communications (how to design information systems) and Human Resources (how to fix compensation structure, training) will all need a conceptual understanding of organizational theory. Decision making on organizational structure and design, be it for the entire organization or for specific functional areas, can be made better, if concept of organizational theory is well understood. Organizational Behavior Organizational Behavior is concerned about the individual in the organization within the context of an organization. Human capital is an important resource in the organization and a manager has to get the best from it he needs to understand human behavior in organisations. Concepts of individual personality, traits, and abilities will help management in their decisions at the time of recruitment, promotion and making career development plans for its employees. It will help management decide on the best fit for various positions. Enlightened managers understand that an employee, very often, perceives management action affecting him as something quite different from what management intended it to be. An appreciation of one of the concepts of OB, perception, will help a manager to understand such situations better and come out with better decisions. Attitudes can significantly influence the behavior of person at work. Management is constantly worried about attitudes of its workers towards its policies and decision making on pay, compensation and rewards. Positive employee attitude is a