Рефераты. Business at work

Management Information is data stored electronically for use by business

executives at all levels to support their decision making. This type of

information is typically historical, and needs human interpretation before

a decision is made. Tesco is planning to introduce a new system, called

Data Warehouse, which will give much greater analysis and flexibility, and

will further enhance the ability of managers to make informed decisions.

The sections below describe Tesco’s current Management Information

environment, and the planned Data Warehouse, broken down into four topics:

Business use, Technology, Data and Analytical tools.

A) Business use

Current Management Information

Access to summarised data at pre-defined levels

Most decisions made at a macro (e.g. regional level)

Planned Data Warehouse

Access to in-depth information for informed decisions

Decision made at micro level, e.g. in store

Use of balanced score carding for suppliers, stores, etc. with supporting

details

Use shopper behaviour to influence new lines, promotions, and product

ranging.

B) Technology

Current Management Information

Mainframe, text-based reporting and analysis

Downloaded to local PCs for in-depth analysis and graphics

Planned Data Warehouse

Specialised hardware and software to manage data (the 'Information

Warehouse')

Information from the Information Warehouse to be accessible from anywhere

within Tesco and available also to designated outside users, e.g.

suppliers, agencies

Cost of computer hardware and software is "scaleable", i.e. Tesco can add

processing power and storage capacity at reasonable cost and in manageable

chunks to keep pace with the information needs

Dedicated NCR machine and peripherals.

C) Data

Over 10 million customers, over 60,000 products and 586 stores

Current Management Information

Data held on mainframe, PC or on paper

Internal data analysed using SAR reports and MAS analysis tool (see below)

External data received by EDI or on paper

Planned Data Warehouse

Data collected from Tesco operational systems and external sources, and

stored centrally to provide one consistent source of information

Data is stored on customer behaviour, product performance, branch

performance supplier performance, depot performance

Data held at lowest level to enable ad hoc groupings,

e.g. salt sales in stores by the seaside last Easter.

D) Analytical tools

Current Management Information

Mainframe based

FOCUS - report generator

SAR - report viewer

MAS - Tesco-written multi-dimensional analysis tool

PC Lotus suite - spreadsheet and database applications

Planned Data Warehouse

A simple interface with the information using the score card concept, with

top level measures and capability to "drill" to the level of information

required to support decisions

IT populate the Information Warehouse and users control their reporting

requirements

Logical access to information, with user choice of level, groupings,

stores, products, measures, and other parameters

ICT systems used in store operations.

IT is essential to the running of a modern store. It is used for planning,

monitoring and auditing store operations. In fact, the logistics of running

a major store would be severely hampered without IT, and the expansion to

Superstores and Hypermarkets would have been difficult without modern IT

developments.

Tesco stores vary greatly in size, from small Express stores covering 2,500

square feet to giant hypermarkets covering 120,000 square feet. The product

range depends on the size of the store, and varies from 2,000 lines in a

small store up to about 40,000 lines in the biggest. Computerised Store

Merchandising and Planning systems ensure that Tesco get the right products

to the right store, and get the right amount of space on each shelf within

a store. This allows Tesco to get optimum sales for the space allocated to

the product, and gives the customer the most appropriate range of products.

A store can monitor what has been sold through the scanning operation at

the checkout. The introduction of barcodes and scanners not only allows

items to be checked out more easily, but it provides information that is

constantly fed back to the store's computer for the monitoring of sales,

both in terms of stock depletion and money taken.

Barcodes and scanners provide several benefits to company’s customers:

As purchases are no longer entered manually into a cash register, accurate

pricing is guaranteed.

The scanning till is faster, reducing the time for which customers have to

queue by about 15%.

Produce is now weighed at checkouts, removing the need to queue twice (once

for weighing and once at the checkout) as used to happen.

Improved promotions may be offered, such as Multisavers.

The customer gets an itemised till receipt giving details of the product

purchased, price, weight (if weighed), total cost and method of payment. It

also shows the store telephone number, plus details which will trace the

sale quickly if a customer has an enquiry.

Tesco benefits as much as the customer from the new systems. Notably:

Improved transaction accuracy: operator error is removed; fraud is limited

as there is no opportunity to enter a lower price on the keyboard.

Improved customer service - customers are important!

Improved productivity. There is no need to label each item with its price,

which can now be displayed on the shelf edge near to the product. Removing

separate weighing stations removes the need for a manned point in the

produce department; customers move through the checkout faster.

Selective promotions can be initiated.

Stock levels can be reduced as the exact quantity held is always known and

re-ordering can be made more accurate

Wastage of perishable goods is reduced, as they too can be ordered more

accurately.

Monitoring sales analysis and the effectiveness of promotions provides

valuable information for Tesco buyers and also the company's suppliers.

Every product has a unique number, the European Article Number or EAN.

This number is allocated to each product by the Article Number Association,

which oversees the operation of the numbers for all businesses in the UK.

The number can be found below the bar code. The bar code is a

representation of that number in a binary form that can be read by a

scanner. The scanner uses a laser and measures the difference in reflection

to the laser of the bars and spaces.

The EAN and barcodes normally consist of 13 digits, although there may be

only eight on smaller products. The first two digits are a national code,

representing the marketing country. The next five digits identify the

supplier of the product and the following five identify the product itself.

The final figure is a "check digit" based on the other twelve numbers,

which allows the computer to validate the code.

The introduction of IT in shopping has been matched by banks. This has

resulted in new developments in payment. The simplest of these is that

cheque details can be printed out by the till, based on the information

used to produce the receipt. Credit card vouchers can be printed similarly,

and credit card details read electronically from the card.

A further advance has come with Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale

(EFTPOS). This allows Tesco to transfer money from a customer's bank

account or credit card account automatically. Two developments that have

come from this are the debit card and "cashback".

Debit cards are a means of purchasing without cash or a cheque. Unlike

cheques, there is no limit to the amount a customer can spend with a debit

card as the transaction is automatically checked at the customer's bank

and, providing there are sufficient funds in the customer's bank account,

the payment is then guaranteed to Tesco. Unlike credit cards, the customer

pays at the time of the sale.

The facility to give customers up to Ј50 in cash also comes from being able

to check the customer's bank or credit card account, and has proved a

popular innovation with customers, who are saved the necessity of a trip to

a bank or cashpoint.

Within a store there are two crucial systems that enable Tesco to sell

products. These are the front-end system, called ProgreSS, and the

replenishment system, SBO.

The ProgreSS system holds pricing details of the 60,000 different products

that Tesco sells, their description, and details of any special offers on

them. It records details about each sale, not just the amount of each item

sold, but whether the price has been reduced, the amount of money tendered

and the change given. It also controls Clubcard processing, registering the

points earned on the card. Whilst the system manages the main grocery

tills, it also has the ability to be aligned to specific business

functions. So different "personalities" are used within the garage,

pharmacy, hot chicken counter and pizza areas.

The system is also used to control the back office and cash areas. During a

normal day's operation the system will transmit batches of information to

the mainframe systems at Head Office. This is primarily sales data, but

also includes details on reduction sales and Clubcard details, together

with daily totals and so on. In return it receives price changes, and new

and delisted product information.

The ProgreSS system runs on an RS6000 machine.

The stock replenishment system is called Sales Based Ordering (SBO). As its

name implies, it orders new stock on the basis of what has been sold. It

also manages in-store stock control and the central ranging and ordering

process.

Whilst there are some 60,000 products sold by Tesco, even the biggest

hypermarket will stock only about 40,000 of them. Some Express stores will

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