TLIP4005: ASDA's Workplace Information Management System Analysis

This report analyzes ASDA's information management system, focusing on knowledge levels within the organization and how they can be improved through data collection, information sharing, and continuous improvement processes like Kaizen and Six Sigma. It evaluates ASDA's current electronic data capturing (EDC) system, highlighting its strengths such as efficient data accessibility and cost-effectiveness, and weaknesses including high implementation costs and security concerns. The report concludes with recommendations for improvement, emphasizing the importance of information technology in a globalized economy and the need for ASDA to address challenges related to employee adoption of new technologies and data security.

TLIP4005- Manage
Workplace Information

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
PART 1............................................................................................................................................3
Explaining the levels of knowledge in ASDA and how it can be improved...............................3
PART 2............................................................................................................................................6
Evaluating information management system of ASDA..............................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Management Information System utilizes technology, people and business procedures to
record and process data in order to generate useful information so that manager can make useful
decisions. The present report is based on ASDA Ltd. a UK retail company which deals in online
shopping, groceries and clothing delivered at doorsteps. Study will outline levels of knowledge
within an organization and how it can be improved. Further, report will highlight current
management system, its strengths and weaknesses along with its improvements.
PART 1
Explaining levels of knowledge in ASDA and how it can be improved
In today's time, knowledge is the key to success for any organization. An employee with
good knowledge and experience can be very fruitful and beneficial for company because he will
continuously focus on improving the performance of company with his innovative ideas (Ingrao
and et.al., 2021). ASDA should always try to improve the knowledge base of personnel by
building capabilities, etc.
Data collection
It means collecting relevant information from employees of the organization such as
creating surveys, feedbacks, focus groups, etc. Annual surveys are conducted to collect data
about the services that are provided by business entity. ASDA can build an open spaces also for
encouraging collaboration and communication. For instance, setting up coffee stations that will
bring workers together, and they will interact with each other to share useful information. Instead
of having formal conference meeting, company can go for less formal and more casual meetings
with smaller tables and chairs to have more healthy and friendly conversations.
Collecting data can also be done through user forums and collective methods. Such
information should be stored in proper manner so that all employees have access to it.
Organization can also motivate employees to share their knowledge and expertise with others by
rewarding team members such as appreciation post or email, making announcement for their
good work, small prizes like water bottles, coffee mug, t-shirts, etc. (Harahap, 2020). It will
encourage them to perform better and share vital information with others. Sometimes, ASDA can
also schedule off-site meeting in new cafe nearby to change bring refreshing space for meetings
so that employees are motivated, relaxed and can have conversation in informal ways.

Information sharing and management
Sharing information in an organization is important to increase operational efficiency and
performance of it. With so much advancement in technology, information sharing in ASDA have
become easier and feasible. It is an activity through which ideas, opinions, facts & documents are
shared using user forums. In addition to this, company maintains a centralized system though
which knowledge and information can be shared with other employees.
User forums are means of connection and interaction among employees through which
expert ideas by experienced personnel of technical, organizational and other related backgrounds
are shared (Toepfer and et.al., 2019). Any queries or questions can be posted on forums and
responses can be generated on any particular subject by the subject experts. Centralized system
can be build for information sharing where employees can easily participate and contribute to
knowledge department. It can be done through writing articles or how to perform certain tasks,
duties and other important work. Experts can provide comments or smart hacks to do work
quickly and efficiently. It helps in improving overall performance of ASDA because there is no
delay in performing tasks. Projects can be completed on time and in effective manner.
For sharing information among employees, firm can make use of private network i.e.
Intranet as a medium to exchange data between employees (Jermsittiparsert and Rungsrisawat,
2019). It is a secure system for information sharing which encourages communication & instils
corporate culture among workers. Staff members can easily have access to data such as links,
applications, forms, files, databases or records of ASDA. Now-a-days, modern intranets uses
social media apps which connects to company applications known as employee experience
platforms.
Information Systems
It is a system through which all the vital data is collected, stored, processed and shared
among employees so that they are able to work cohesively in order to achieve company goals
efficiently on time. Different departments and employees need different information to manage
financial accounts, to manage operations, to assist human resources, to reach out to customer
through social media marketing, etc. Without proper information systems, there can be issues of
wrong information floating in organization, confusing instructions, no collaboration between
personnel, etc.

Information system brings transparency & clarity in ASDA with the help of cloud based
solution. When accurate and correct data is flowing to all departments, it becomes easier for
management to take decisions quickly and effectually (Gaol, Rahayu and Matsuo, 2020). It also
helps in creating reports which are easy to understand and presentable in the form of graphs,
tables and pictures which is beneficial for high level management. There are various tools of
information system which are easy to use and visible to all teams. These tools and applications
are Documentum (a filesystem to store all documents easily), Screen Cloud (which helps in
creating content and slides to display information), Geckoboard (which creates dashboards from
data sources like Google analytics or FB), etc. All these apps uses cloud-based services through
which data can be updated easily without any problems.
Continuous Improvement Processes
Company uses continuous improvement processes for striving perfection in every task
they perform. A suitable environment is needed to have continuous improvement system and
manage corporate culture. These processes include Kaizen or Six Sigma which serves the two
purpose of company, one is of bringing innovativeness in employees and secondly, adding
information to knowledge base. Continuous improvement can also be achieved by Lean
management which means adopting Plan-Do-Check-Act model by planning or establishing
objectives, executing them, comparing it with pre-determined goals and aiming to perform better
further.
Kaizen approach literally means 'a procedure of making bad points better' where main
objective is attaining the potential, breaking status quo, and pushing limits. In addition to this,
Six Sigma is also used internally which follows structured and logical approach to reduce
variations in processes and results in consistent outcomes. It follows DMAIC (define, measure,
analyse, improve and control) model that is a continuous circular chain of improvement to
enhance efficiency of ASDA. It uses cause & effect diagrams, flowcharts, pareto diagrams,
scatter diagrams, histograms, etc. to identify relationship between two elements, draw conclusion
and recommend ideas to improve it (Nabila and Rochmoeljati, 2020). Six sigma is a top-down
approach, that is, top management should be committed to bring positive changes in organization
along with all other stakeholders and personnel.

PART 2
Evaluating information management system of ASDA
1. Current system followed by ASDA
Internet usage is growing at a very fast pace which has a significant impact on retail
industry especially ASDA. Now-a-days, increasing no. of people are resorting to online services.
Company has started recording and maintaining databases about individual customers to know
their transaction history, spending power and techniques to market products to different class of
people.
ASDA uses Electronic Data Capturing system to record, process and create reports on
customer transaction. It is used to connect with existing customers and offering them special
offers, occasional greetings & festive souvenirs in order to retain them and get repeat business
from them. EDI tracks customer information and feedbacks by instantly solving their issues in
shorter duration. ASDA makes use of RedEye's web analytics technology to record all customer
information. This technology maintains data about sales report, availability of deliveries & non-
performing stores. It is used to identify efficacy of new stores & consumer data to help
management in taking major decisions. It makes automated e-mail and sends target messages to
consumers based on their shopping styles (Rosa and et.al., 2019). Data quality is superior which
aids managers at strategic, operational and tactical level for taking decisions related to
marketing, pricing & promotions.
Here, data is initially recorded on paper and then transferred to system and saved in eCRF
(electronic case report form). These forms reduce the requirement to recreate forms again and
enhances data standards. The system manages easy communication among data managers and
coordinators which have auto-generated queries and are resolved instantly. This data can further
be exported to carry out patient data which is easily accessible.
EDC system is a user-friendly system and controlled platform to facilitate easy
cooperation among employees and also for making quick communication (Ginestra and et.al.,
2019). The system has set data limits to capture data so that there is no human error. Electronic
data system assures compulsory regulations for protecting data and other important information.
The system is simple enough to use and does not involve any technical knowledge to operate it.
2. Strengths and weakness of current system

Weaknesses:
 The system is very expensive to afford and implement, and if employees are not trained
enough to access this system, company can face severe losses. The cost to install system
including other software updates and maintenance is quite high to be managed by
company. In case of poor internet connectivity or frequent power cuts, information
cannot be accessed which again proves to be a drawback of system.
 ASDA employees initially used paperwork to record all relevant information, however,
now resists new technology of EDC. It is very difficulty for company to convince their
employees to accept the change.
 In this type of system, there are ethical issues and fraudulent practices such as data
hacking or phishing. All private information about customers can be misused by hackers
and can be made public which affects customer loyalty (Semerádová and Weinlich,
2019). Sometimes, information can also be hacked by competitors in order to have
customer data. They can use ASDA's customer database and connect with them and
informing about their products. Many a time, customers are reluctant to provide personal information on online sites
because of security concerns, or they provide incorrect information to the websites.
Therefore, businesses are not able to take right decisions based on wrong information.
Strengths:
 Data provided by EDC is easily located and accessible by users, and they have ability to
create data sheets to identify any discrepancy in real time. System has capability to
examine any errors and correct them as soon as possible. Study monitors is beneficial in
EDC because workflow speed is enhanced & virtual monitors help in analysing subject
and event statuses live.
 Less time is taken with EDC which has a direct impact on overall study cost (Nayak and
Narayan, 2019). The data is collected electronically which can be easily transferred to
different employees according to the requirement. This saves time and also reduces delay
in paper based studies.
 In the long run, electronic data capturing proves to be cost effective as compared to paper
based work. It also reduces printing and shipping cost which is not there in EDC. Most of

the procedure are automated which facilitates data capture, thereby, bringing the costs
down.
 Information stored in this system is clear and correct because it is possible to conduct
audit of study processes using computer only. Therefore, any discrepancies can be
identified and necessary actions can be taken.
 In addition to this, EDC insures quality of collected data by tools such as Auto checks
which identifies any mistakes during recording data, remote monitoring which observes
data in every CRF and create query, numerical data validation to identify & fix uncertain
data. The data stored in EDC ensures that it is in safe hands, that is, it is stored on protected
servers. All the information is kept confidential because only a limited no. of users can
view the information and such data is logged with password security.
3. Recommendations for improvement
In globalized economy, working without information technology is very difficult task.
Company like ASDA have e-business in which there are customers from all over the world.
Therefore, EDC helps business in keeping a systematic record of all customers and tracking their
shopping habits in order to increase revenue and satisfy consumers completely. ASDA must
avoid mistakes in adopting EDC system by monitoring the following points:
 First of all, it is easy to watch a demonstration of how the system works then actually
working on it. Company cannot absorb all the information required to understand the
system completely (E-Business Systems (Analysis of capturing customer data in Tesco
and ASDA), 2021). Therefore, employees of ASDA needs full experience, confidence and
time to make effective use of such system and take advantage of it. It is necessary to
provide relevant training to employees across all functional areas which will reduce risks
and mistakes.
 Information technology is inevitable from business in today's world, and now companies
are making extensive use of internet to solicit information about customers and make
decisions accordingly. So, ASDA should take necessary measures to protect the privacy
of data from hackers. Security of information should be increased by allowing only
limited user to have access to information. Network monitoring like 'sniffers' should be

used to detect any improper use of data. Along with this, combination of strong
passwords and pins should be used.
 Customers should be motivated to fill the google forms and surveys so that necessary
information can be generated. Due to security reasons, customers do not trust to fill it or
fill wrong information which results in wrong conclusions. Therefore, it is recommended
to encourage them to provide right information so that there needs and demands can be
fulfilled.
 It can also be recommended to prepare a contingency plan to ensure data safety and
reliability. Having a second plan will not affect the normal business operations and
thereby, performance of ASDA will not be hampered.
 Employees resist change from normal routing of recording to EDC. ASDA should take
necessary actions by motivating and encouraging employees to embrace the change for
their own benefits. It will bring business in future and will make their work easier by
automating the work.
 Computer virus and worms also destroys the vital information, sometimes, it can be lost.
All the contents of hard disks, computer memory, and other storage devices can be
destroyed (Bag, Ghadge and Tiwari, 2019). Such information should be protected by
installing firewall and other soft-wares so that important data is secured in reliable data
storage.
 Employees assigned the task of recording the data must be efficient and focused. They
must make sure that all filled are accurately filled without any mistakes. Incomplete
information will not draw useful conclusions and will lead to bad decisions.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that management information system of
ASDA helps business to record vital information about customers in their databases and
analysing it for making proper decisions. It can be articulated that information is first collected
through user forums and then information is shared among different employees. Another
conclusive point can be that information system can be continuously improved with the
application of Kaizen & six sigma. Further, it was summarized that ASDA uses EDC for
recording customer data which is safe & reliable.

REFERENCES
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Online
E-Business Systems (Analysis of capturing customer data in Tesco and ASDA). 2021. [Online].
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