Criteria Need to Consider Specify the Structure and Features of New System

Explain about the Architecture Technology for Accounting Statement Analysis.

In current, business organizations face numerous serious issues in order to operate their businesses in an effective way. Moreover, in order to resolve the major issues related to the business, each and every organization is focusing on the technologies.  In today’s technological era, business organizations are adopting as well as implementing technologies to perform their   business activities, to improve their efficiency, and to achieve competitive advantages in an effective way.  This research paper is helpful to express the importance and roles of the technologies for the success of the business organizations. Additionally, the paper would also be helpful to demonstrate that how new technologies may be beneficial for the business organizations in order to perform all the business functions in an accurate manner. Furthermore, the paper would also be beneficial to present the criteria that the business organization should consider to specify the structure and features of a new system.

It is well-known that the business organization should adopt and implement information system as per the needs and requirements of the business. Along with this, in order to accomplish the desired outcomes, the structure as well as features of the information system must be as per the criteria of the business. On the basis of the given case study, it should be noted down that, Citizen’s Gas Company (CGC) should implement an effective and appropriate information system in order to accomplish the long-term goals and objectives of the business in an effective way (Bidgoli, 2011). Apart from this, CGC must consider pre-determined criteria in order to specify the structure as well as features of new information before implementing the information system. The criterion CGC must consider to state the structure and features of new system is described as below:

 Market Research: The CGC must consider market research as an important criterion in order to signify the structure and features of new system for the proper implementation of the system. The main reason behind it is that the market research would be helpful to gather all the required data and information related to the demand and supply of the product/service. Along with this, a proper market research would also be helpful to represent the data that may have an impact on the demand and supply of the product/service (Reiff-Marganiec, and  Ryan, 2005). In this way, with the help of market research, CGC would be able to isolate all the factors that have negative impact on the demand as well as supply of the gas. In this way, by considering this criterion into new system, the firm would be able to state the required quantity of the gas in the three revenue classes in an appropriate way.

Market Research

Cost/Benefit Analysis: The CGC must also consider cost/benefit analysis as important criteria of the new system. It is because of the cost/benefit analysis plays a significant role to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of available alternatives that may be beneficial to affirm the transactions, activities, and functional requirements of a business in an effective and a proper manner (Besnard, Gacek, and Jones, 2006). In addition to this, with the help of cost/beneficial analysis the firm would be able to come to a decision  that whether it firm should proceed with a decision or not. In this way, the cost/benefit analysis would be helpful to represent the benefits that the firm can achieve and costs that are related to the implementation of the system.

Supportability: Supportability is one major criterion that the firm must consider in order to specify the structure as well as features of new system. It is because of the proper implementation of a new system total depends on the support of the people of an organization. For case, it all the management and employees of a business organization would be able to understand the system then they would be able to provide support and comprehend all the important functions of the system to perform all the business activities in an effective and an accurate manner (Donnellan, Helfert, Kenneally, VanderMeer, Rothenberger, and Winter, 2015). Moreover, if all the workers of the firm would be able to support the new system then they would also of able to perform their roles and responsibilities in a timely manner.

Apart from this, if the employees of the firm would not be able to understand and support the system then it would be risky for the success as well as growth of the organization. In this situation, the new system may create complexities for the firm and consequently; it may influence the efficiency and performance of the firm in a negative way. In this way, supportability is an important criterion that CGC must consider to detail the structure and features of new system. All the employees of the firm would be able to understand the system and perform all the activities accordingly (Glinz and Heymans, 2009). This criterion would be helpful to improve the accuracy level of the system and also improve the performance of the employees in an effective and an appropriate manner.

Data Processing Environment: Data processing environment is also an important criterion that needs to consider in specify the structure and features of a new system. It is because of it plays a major role to collect as well as manipulate data in order to turn out meaningful information in a systematic way (Architecture Technology Corpor. 2013). Along with this, data planning process also important to collect, use, and restore available information to improve the performance and efficiency of the system in an effective and an appropriate manner. The below given diagram is helpful to demonstrate that how a data processing process is helpful to  process the data and to provide useful information to the business organization on the basis of the available data.

Cost/Benefit Analysis

Turnaround: Quick turnaround is also a key criterion that must be considered in order to specify the structure and features of   new system of CGC. Turnaround plays a significant role in order to be acquainted with the actual quantity of the product/service. The turnaround report provided by the new system would be helpful in order to offer directions and guidance to the degree of automation and to reduce the complexity of the business. Moreover, with the help of turnaround report, the system would be able to perform multi-functions and to do appropriate planning for the success and growth of the organization (Ryan, Meyer, and Ehrich, 2004). In this way, the quick turnaround would be beneficial to provide accurate results and to fulfill the requirements of the organizations in an effective and a timely manner. In this way, the turnover criteria into the new system of the firm would be valuable to improve the accuracy, efficiency, performance, and to reduce the complexities, and data input requirements in a significant way.

 Accuracy & Frequency: Accuracy and frequency is also important criteria that CGC must consider to denote the structure with features of new system. The main reason behind it is that accuracy would be helpful to decide the required level of detail, quality of the data, and intricacy of the system in an appropriate and an accurate manner. On the other hand, with the help of this criterion, the firm would also be able to fulfill the demand and supply of the product/service as per the requirements and to reduce the barriers in order to improve the performance of the organization and system (Butler, Jones, Romanovsky, and Troubitsyna, 2006). Apart from this, frequency will play a significant role to recommend the essential directions and guidelines in order to improve the level of automation and to decrease the level of complexity of the system.

On the basis of the above discussion, it can be sad that, these all are the most important criteria that CGC must consider to specify the features and structures of the new system. These all the criteria would be helpful to reduce the deficiency and to improve the efficiency of the organization in an effective and a significant way. Moreover, by considering these criteria, CGC would be able to fulfill demand and supply related to the gas and to fulfill the needs of three revenue classes as per their demands as well as requirements (Pidduck, Mylopoulos, Woo, and Ozsu, 2003). In this way, CGC have to consider the above discussed criteria to improve the performance, to reduce the barriers, and to fulfill the needs & requirements of its customers, to improve the satisfaction level in, and to operate the business in long-run in an effective manner.

Supportability

On the basis of the given case scenario, it should be noted down that, CGC is facing a lot of problems to operate its business activities. Moreover, the planning efforts of CGC were incapable to control the supply during the gas year and also to present the information that was essential to establish long-term contracts. The firm was unable to estimate the actual demand for gas. Consequently, it reduced the sales and also increased supply of the gas. 

Moreover, CGC decides to design and implement an information system to reduce these problems and to evaluate gas supply and demand in an effective and an appropriate manner. On the other hand, to provide adequate planning capability, the firm must incorporate some important data into the new system (Glaeser, 2013). These data are described as below:

Customers: CGC should include data related to customers into its new system to offer adequate planning capability. The main reason behind it is that, with the help of this, the firm would be able to recognize the actual numbers of customers (Sofroniou, 2009). Moreover, if the system will incorporate the data related to customers then it would be able to project the customers and to divide the customers into the categories on the basis of the usage of the products/services. In addition to this, data related to customers is important for the success of the organization. The main reason behind it is that a customer base plays a significant role in order to recognize the growth factors and prospective of an organization. For that reason, the firm must incorporate data related to the customers into the new system to facilitate the customers and to fulfill the requirements of the customers in an effective and a significant manner (Tou, 2012).

Weather: The organization must incorporate data related to weather into new system in order to provide adequate planning capability. The main reason behind it is that weather is an important factor that may influence the supply and demand of a product/ service. Along with this, data related to weather would be advantageous to be acquainted with the seasonal demand of the products and services in a proper way.   For case, on the basis of the given case scenario, it should be noted down that, gas usage of CGC’s customers associated with the weather (Kroenke, Bunker, and Wilson, 2013). In this way, it can be said that, the data related to weather must be incorporated into the system in order to estimate the actual demand and to project the seasonal requirements for gas in an effective and an accurate manner.  

Data Processing Environment

Sales Forecast: The firm must incorporate sales forecasts data into the new system in order to provide adequate planning capability. It is because of sales forecast data of a firm is essential to project the sales of the firm in upcoming years. In addition to this, sales forecast data also play a significant role in order to find out the growth rate and to estimate the future sales of a product/service (Satzinger, Jackson, and Burd, 2011). Moreover, sales forecast data are important because of these data are essential to predict the sales, to determine the annual growth rates, and to project the sales in future time period in an accurate manner. Consequently, CGC must include sales forecast data into its new system to provide adequate planning competence to the organization.

Demand of the Product/Service: The firm must integrate data related to the demand of the product or service into the new system to provide adequate planning capability. The main reason behind it is that these types of data would be helpful to estimate the demand of the product or service and to supply the product/service accordingly (Gelinas, Dull, and Wheeler, 2014). In this way, data related to the demand of the product/service ought to be incorporated to reduce the depletions and to fulfill the requirements of the customers in a proper manner.

Contract: CGC should incorporate data related to the contract into its new system to provide adequate planning capability. On the basis of the given scenario, it should be noted down that, the company was obliged to pay for the gas volume that was specified in the contract, as opposed to the amount used. In this way, by considering the data related to the contract, the firm would be able to estimate the amount of the gas that was used in previous year and also be proficient to pay accordingly (Pablos, and Patricia, 2015). Apart from this, these types of data would also be helpful to   denote the term & conditions, volumes, unit costs, and payment conditions between   the firm and suppliers. In this way, data related to supplier contract would also be favorable to improve the effectiveness of the organization.

Storage Capacity: In order to provide adequate planning capability, CGC must incorporate data related to storage field capacity into the new system.  It is because of these types of data would be beneficial to store and supply the gas as per the requirements of the customers (Stephens and Meyers, 2013).

Turnaround

Customer Rate Structure: To provide adequate planning capability, CGC must include data related to customer rate structure into the new system of the firm. Moreover, the customer rate structure data is important because of these types of data play a major role to provide monthly rate information of the revenue class level (residential, commercial, and industrial classes) in an accurate and an appropriate way (Taranath, 2009). In this way, by including these data, the system would be proficient to offer periodic rate changes appropriately.

Priority System: CGC should include a priority system into new system to provide adequate planning capability. It is because of a priority system would be valuable to fulfill the emergency needs and requirements of the firm in a pre-determined time period (Parsons and Oja, 2014).

Conclusion

On the basis of the above discussion, it can be concluded that, CGC must consider all the above discussed criteria to specify the structure and features of new system. Moreover, the firm must incorporate all the above discussed data into new system to provide adequate planning capability for the success and growth of the organization. In this way, the new system of the CGC would be able to determine the demand & supply for gas, to complete the needs of the customers, and to fulfill the requirements of the firm in an appropriate manner.

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