INF60010: Critical Analysis of Automation in VCI - Swinburne

This essay critically examines the role of automation within Virtual Child International (VCI), a park offering virtual world experiences for children. While VCI has implemented automation processes, the essay argues that automation is not the sole solution for achieving success. The analysis highlights issues with VCI's user interface design, security, and pricing, suggesting that these shortcomings hinder the company's overall performance. The essay proposes alternative solutions, such as incorporating manual payment methods to broaden customer reach and investing in a skilled maintenance department to support technology implementations like Agile development and cloud technology. It emphasizes that a balanced approach, combining automation with human elements and strategic alternatives, is crucial for VCI to enhance its operations and gain a competitive edge.

AUTOMATION IN VIRTUAL CHILD INTERNATIONAL (VCI) CASE 1
Automation is not necessarily the only solution for the Virtual Child International (VCI)
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Introduction
Many businesses are employing various methodologies and processes in their operations with the
aim of achieving excellent results. It is among the methods used by multiple organizations to
gain a competitive edge over their rivals. Automation in businesses denotes the use of computers
as well as other automated machinery in their processes (Chui, Manyika, and Miremadi, 2015).
Automation in itself has various advantages and disadvantages that it confers to the organization.
As such, every firm should understand and determine its operations and hence, weigh the
benefits of automating its activities. Virtual Child International (VCI), is a park that children can
spend time after school as it offers what is commonly known as a virtual world to them. VCI has
employed several automation processes in its operations. However, this paper shows that
automation is not the only solution for the VCI in its search for success.
Automation at the VCI Park
First, the VCI Park engages an outside firm known as the Credit Agency that checks the credit
information of the clients. Once, the approval is guaranteed, the status of the client is updated

AUTOMATION IN VIRTUAL CHILD INTERNATIONAL (VCI) CASE 2
from pending to active. It then follows the validation process of their entrance pass any time they
enter the firm’s premises through their web page. The VCI Park is typically an online firm that
helps children with their homework and also offers distance learning classes for the members.
They have as well automated various guardian, parent, or client’s services such as; means in
which they can view their daily or monthly charges, member activities, and their communication
with the employees (park rangers).
Automation plays a significant role in the success of any organization. Automation systems
usually incorporate quality verification and checks in a firm (Jones, 2010). The statistical process
control as well is enhanced leading to better production, record keeping, and computation
techniques. The economies of the firm as well are improved. The automation process in VCI,
however, is not up to standard and this causes a lot of problems within the company. For
instance, their user interface design is not advanced while the privacy and security settings for
the whole system is not secure nor is it user-friendly (Ratha, Connell, and Bolle, 2001). The
customer’s information is not protected due to these challenges. As such, any person can obtain
the information they want regarding any client without any restrictions. The current pricing and
training programs as well are not customized, and therefore, many loopholes are created. It is
essential, therefore, for the organization to try out other solutions that can propel the firm
forward apart from automation alone.
Other solutions for VCI Park
VCI members are required to use automated methods for making payment. Use of checks, credit
cards, and so on sometimes brings payment problems especially in the determination of the
outstanding charges. As such, it would be prudent for the company to employ manual payment
methods that could rectify some of these inconveniences that result from online payments

AUTOMATION IN VIRTUAL CHILD INTERNATIONAL (VCI) CASE 3
(Wong, 2000). Also, the manual payment would enlarge the range of the VCI customers as it
would take into consideration guardians and parents who are not used to the technology use. It is
crucial to understand that technology or automation in business is not everything, but it has its
limits. Not all activities or tasks can be automated in an organization and, therefore, there always
remains a part of the human labor.
For VCI to adopt other technology solutions such as the Agile development system and cloud
technology, it has to invest in the development of highly skilled maintenance department (Mircea
and Andreescu, 2010). For the automation system that is adopted by the VCI to work effectively
and efficiently, the management has to implement mechanisms that will lead to the creation of a
skilled maintenance solution department. Otherwise, the whole process of registration, payment,
invoicing, and computation will come to a halt if the implemented methods are not maintained.
Therefore, the VCI management has to come up quickly with a solution regarding automation
process for them to enhance their performance. Modeling is essential in an organization has it
streamlines business processes through realigning its activities and optimization of flow of the
information (Singh, 2012).
Conclusion
Automation is a process that has become popular in several businesses in the modern world.
Many people argue that the pros of automation outweigh the cons and, hence, this makes the
technique more popular. However, it is crucial for an organization to implement automation-
oriented strategic alternatives that will enhance the overall performance of the firm. Since the
VCI Park is a new company, it has to engage more in finding new solutions that will work hand-
in-hand with the automated systems that are already in place.

AUTOMATION IN VIRTUAL CHILD INTERNATIONAL (VCI) CASE 4
References
Chui, M., Manyika, J. and Miremadi, M., 2015. Four fundamentals of workplace automation.
McKinsey Quarterly, 29(3), pp.1-9.
Jones, J.E., Cummins-Allison Corp, 2010. Automated payment system and method. U.S. Patent
7,647,275.
Mircea, M. and Andreescu, A.I., 2010, June. Agile systems development for the management of
service-oriented organizations. In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on
Computer Systems and Technologies and Workshop for Ph.D. Students in Computing on
International Conference on Computer Systems and Technologies (pp. 341-346). ACM.
Ratha, N.K., Connell, J.H. and Bolle, R.M., 2001. Enhancing security and privacy in biometrics-
based authentication systems. IBM Systems Journal, 40(3), pp.614-634.
Singh, P.K., 2012. Management of business processes can help an organization achieve
competitive advantage. International Management Review, 8(2), p.19.
Wong, C. W., 2000. Integrated business-to-business Web commerce and business automation
system. U.S. Patent 6,115,690.