Analyzing Information Systems and Employee Productivity in Firms

This report examines the significant impact of information systems on employee productivity within a business context. It begins by highlighting the benefits of technology in enhancing communication, customer relationships, and marketing strategies, using T.J. Maxx as a case study to illustrate the advantages of e-commerce. The report then delves into how information systems facilitate easier marketing, reduce costs, and empower employees by flattening hierarchical structures. Furthermore, it discusses the importance of adapting to technological changes, the potential challenges employees may face, and the need for firms to support their workforce during these transitions. The conclusion emphasizes the crucial role of employees in driving technological advancements and the imperative for firms to embrace innovation to stay competitive. The report underscores the necessity of employee training, adaptation, and innovation in the face of evolving information systems, advocating for a proactive approach to technological integration to maximize productivity and success.

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Information System and Employees
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INSTITUTION

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Information system and employees
Technology has been of great help in any firm which has the motive of outdoing the competitors.
However, there are many factors to be considered when introducing an information system, and
it includes accessing the impact of the system in the productivity of the employees in the firm.
The firm must keenly analyze on the benefits of the system on efficiency and productivity. When
a firm introduces a new information system, it increases the productivity of every employee in
the firm through several ways, they no longer depend on the olden methods of communication
and hence communication is greatly boosted by the system. T. J Maxx is the giant off-price
clothing retailer with over 1000 stores across USA, it was latecomer into the online selling of its
products (Frey & Osborne, 2017). The importance of the system on increasing the productivity
of employees is a discussed below.
First, information system increases the customer relationship intimacy. According to the story of
T.J Maxx, information system has been of great help to the business. It has experienced
tremendous sales since the introduction of online marketing through its online technology called
e-commerce. E-commerce has been of great help to the business of T.J Maxx since it was
introduced through online sources such as Overstock.com, and sites such as Gilt Groupe. The
ecommerce created means whereby the stores could interact with customers online through the
information system and therefore the customers can access whatever they may want in the store’s
inventory. E-commerce give a firm opportunity to advertise and show a potential customer a
product he/ she could not access due to distance or any other inconveniences could have
hindered them. Through E-commerce the products of a firm reaches a customer any place in the
country and the payment method is enhanced to ease transaction problems in the stores. It has

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expanded a lot of businesses in the country and therefore created stiff competition among the
retailors countrywide (Laudon & Traver, 2016).
Secondly, information systems have created an ease in marketing and identifying potential
buyers and suppliers of products. Employees in a firm were facing a lot of challenges in
marketing the firm’s products in the market places but thanks to information systems, they
managed to ease the marketing through online marketing and therefore reducing the cost, fatigue
and hence production cost. According to the transaction cost theory, firms are on a verge to
reduce cost of production as low as possible and therefore they ensure that transaction cost is
reduced and market involvement. Information systems has there cut all the costs of physical
movement of goods from the firms to the market while looking for potential buyers, and hence it
has made a huge step in marketing, the employees are relieved of the heavy work they used to
have before (Chen et al., 2019, July).
Thirdly, information systems have reduced the hierarchical order in firms and therefore the low-
level employees feel empowered. Information system has reduced the process that the employees
in the lowest levels of a firm could follow in order to give and be solved their grievances, this is
because an employee can directly communicate to the manager in the highest level through the
information system. Information system enhances smooth decision making in a firm because the
employees in the lower levels in the firm receive information which they are required to act upon
instantly and without any supervision. This enhances efficiency in managing of employees in a
firm (Hultin et al., 2017). The firm as a result may choose to eliminate all middle level managers
and give broader domain to the higher management level thus reducing the number of levels in
the hierarchy in the firm.

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Fourth impact of information systems is that they all work to satisfy the customer. There have
been several technologies in the IT sector which enhance the shipping of products to the
customers (Msallam et al., 2019). Traditionally, all customers were expected to go for products
in the stores or retailers but due to the improved technologies, there have been a shift in
paradigm and the customers have easy access to whatever they want through online shopping
techs.
As the Information systems are being introduced into a firm, the employees face difficulties in
adapting to it but because they have got little or no chance and ability to resist, they just find
means to suit into the shift in the ways of operation. However, every firm has the responsibility
to guard the interests of its employees and some have been seen taking a step on training their
employees on how they are expected to adapt to the introduction of information systems. It is a
very tough move but due to the competition in the market, managers cannot afford to prefer
hurting their employees to losing their control in the market, they will definitely have to adapt
the information systems for their firms (Li et al., 2019).
As an executive, I will use all means to ensure that most employees, if not all, agree to the
changes through introduction of information systems to the firm. This will be easily sorted by
actually educating the on the benefits the information system brings to the firm and how these
benefits are applicable to them. On top of that, all the employees should know that as the firm
grows and increases the benefits of the information system, there is a significant increase in wage
of its employees and hence the earlier they accept the changes, the better they earn from them.
Employees in firms are constantly facing changes inside the firms due to introduction of
information systems which are always threat to some of their jobs. Some of the employees who
worked in firms as messengers are facing retrenchment due to constant introduction of effective

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methods of communication in firms (Waldman-Brown, 2020). Through trade unions, employees
have been protesting against the introduction of technologies which may replace them but there
have been a change in minds to many on how they could cope with the shift in information
technologies. Many employees have ended up changing their courses to suit the changes in the
firm. They are always advised to engage in meaningful decisions so that they may be helped by
the changing information technology, hence finding them aware of it. These changes have forced
the employees to be innovative and inventive so that they may maintain their relevance in the
firms (Bessen et al., 2019).
Increased value of productivity in a firm is a big achievement to all the employees in a firm, all
are the reason for success of every technique and technology in the firm and therefore they
should all be proud of the success achieved (DeLone & McLean, 2016). Technology cannot run
itself, however, employees are the most crucial players in the tech industry, they are the drivers
in the firm and thus, they should always remain focused on how to improve the information
systems rather than criticizing them. Some employees who may not cope with the shift in
technology are unlucky and they will have to step down and their services will be terminated in
the firm, they will be replaced by the information system. Information system may sometimes be
challenging to a firm while implementing for the first time but this should never hinder it from
succeeding, there is no chance for failing and all resources should be put together for this. The
secret to winning ahead of other competitors of a firm is to always give a try to newer tech in the
industry and therefore all employees should always be creative and innovative. The most
aggressive and adaptive firm always come out the winner and thus the employees are equally
relied upon (Yi & Yan, 2018).

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