World University: Enhancing Business Processes with IT Management

This report analyzes the IT management issues within World University, an online educational institution. It begins with an executive summary and table of contents, followed by an introduction detailing the university's business model, including its online platform and global reach. The report then examines decisions made by senior management, such as the customer loyalty scheme and mandatory purchases. Two key business processes are proposed for enhancement: incorporating proper marketing strategies and identifying and managing risks. The role of social media in promoting the university is also discussed, highlighting its potential for marketing, student interaction, and gathering feedback. The report concludes with recommendations for improving existing business processes to increase student engagement, improve public image, and maintain a competitive advantage. References are provided for further reading.

Running head: IT MANAGEMENT ISSUES
IT Management Issues
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to analyse the business model of World University and
recommended certain modifications in the existing business process of the organization. The
University provides the students with a benefit of enrolling into an online course where the
students can wish to graduate from any universities across the globe. The report proposes some
enhancement in the business model and discusses how social media can help in achieving the
business goals of the organization. The report concludes with certain recommendations to
improve the existing business processes.

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Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................3
1. Decisions of Senior Management....................................................................................3
2. Two Business Processes for enhancing the existing model............................................4
3. Role of social media in promoting the model..................................................................6
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................8
Recommendations................................................................................................................9
References..........................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
A group of private institutions around the world has come together in development of
World University. This University is a fully online university where lecturers teach online from
any place around the world. This University offers a number of courses to the students around
the world and the students can sign in from any point of time for studying in world University.
The University offers different courses and can furthermore choose from which country they
graduate from. This is one of the exclusive features that are offered by World University. The
student who has studied his entire degree from Australia can choose to graduate from the World
University USA. This scenario gives an example of the excellent use of information technology
or ICT services. Efficient use of the information technology resources is seen in World
University. One of the main reasons of the popularity of World University is that it provides a
cost effective solution to the students across the world. This is possible since the lectures are
imparted online and therefore, the World University does not have to maintain any infrastructure
cost (Jolliffe, Ritter & Stevens, 2012). The report discusses the business process or solution that
can possibly enhance the business process model of World University. Since World University is
mainly based on an online platform, the social media can play a very important role in promoting
this model. The report discusses the possible ways in which the social media can help in
promoting the business model of World University.
1. Decisions of Senior Management
In order to promote the World University and to increase the business profits of the
organization, a customer loyalty scheme has been proposed. The customer loyalty scheme is
called Study Together. In this scheme, the students who will be introducing another student to

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study in the world university will be rewarded based in the course the student is enrolled to.
Apart from this, the University makes use of different agents to sell its offerings to the
employers. A well maintained business process of the organization approves any new application
in less than 5 minutes. The payment for the courses is to be made via credit card or Paypal and
cannot be refunded.
Purchase of e-books and laptops is a part of the course and this purchase can be made
online. Any student who is interested in studying in World University cannot opt out of these
purchases. The laptop purchased by the students is pre configured with the required software and
this laptop is sent out to all the students. Students have to make use of that laptop only in order to
receive services from World University. Since the laptop is pre configured with the required
applications, it becomes easier from the students to operate those laptops.
These are the current business processes associated with the World University. However,
this business model needs certain enhancements or amendments in order to increase the profit of
the organization and to reach out to a greater number of students. The suitable business processes
or solution that can possibly enhance the business model of the business of World University is
discussed in the following section.
2. Two Business Processes for enhancing the existing model
With the growing business opportunities along with the increase in competition in the
market, it is essential for World University to strengthen the business process in order to attract
more students to take admission in World Universities. For that the University needs to redesign
or modify the process of providing educational services to the students (Veletsianos & Navarrete,
2012). The offers to the students must be more attractive and the quality of the education should

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be enhanced as well. The organizational goal of World University is to provide modernized
educational service to the students across the world. The enhancement of the existing business
processes is therefore necessary. The two business processes that can be use to enhance the
business process model of World University are as follows-
Marketing is one the important business processes that is needed to be incorporated in
business model of World University. Proper marketing can help in increasing the students’
engagement with the University, thereby increasing the market price and the competitive
advantage in the market. However, in order to develop proper marketing strategies, it is
necessary for the university to incorporate proper compliance in the existing business process
and the teaching style of the University (Croxton, 2014). The compliance that is mainly needed
for the University to incorporate in the legal audit of the different business processes associated
with the business of World University. The legal audit will ensure that the different practises,
rules, regulations and legislation requirements are properly defined in the business processes of
the organization.
Another important criterion associated with the modification of the business processes by
proper marketing strategy is to build a positive reputation of the University. This can be achieved
by hiring experienced professionals who can handle the students in an efficient way even
working in an online platform. The success and flourishing of a particular business largely
depends on public image of the organization The World University should be look to it that no
illegal business processes is running within the organization (Shen et al., 2013). Furthermore, the
administration should be very careful about the fact that no student is wrongly charged or
overcharged for the courses they are engaged to (Kupczynski et al., 2012). This would not only
develop a good public image of the organization but will also abide by the different legal

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requirements of the business. The marketing strategy for the business will be successful only in
the World University manages to maintain a good public image of the organization. One of the
significant benefits of this business process is that, with an effective marketing, the organization
will be able to attract more students for taking up the courses in World University. With a good
image of the University, the students will feel secure to engage in the educational services
provided by the World University (Yuan, Powell & Olivier, 2014).
In order to improve the competitive advantage in the market, one of the recommended
business processes is identification and proper management of the risks associated with the
existing business process of the organization. Incorporation of proper administration is
recommended for the organization. Proper administration is lacking in the current business
processes of the organization and therefore, there are high changes of different risks including
operational risk and technical risk. Risk administration is essential as it will help in removing the
different business loopholes and drawbacks of the current business processes (Wang, Shannon &
Ross, 2013). This will enhance the business output of the organization as well. The hiring of the
employees should be strictly on basis of the experience and the degree so that the students get the
best services from the organization. This will increase the engagement of the students with the
World University.
These are the two recommendations for suitable business solution that will be employed
in order to enhance the existing business process model of World University. The following
section discusses the role of social media in promoting the suggested business model and the
business operation of World University.
3. Role of social media in promoting the model

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The business model and the business of World University can be widely promoted and
marketed with the help of social media. This can be precisely done by making use of the social
media platform in order to target and reach a greater number of audiences. Social media is a
platform of computer mediated technology that facilitates creation, storage and sharing of the
data with the people across the world (Veletsianos & Navarrete, 2012). Social media is a
platform that enables a user in creating and sharing the content with the help of social
networking. There are around 3 billion social media users in the world and therefore, this
platform can easily increase the customers’ reach in any business (Castronovo & Huang, 2012).
Therefore, World University can largely be benefitted with the use of social media in promoting
and marketing their business.
This can be achieved by properly designing a marketing campaign in form of
advertisements in the social media (Berthon et al., 2012). Social media will provide a direct
platform of interaction with the target audience of the organization (Scott, 2015). The customer
reach can be estimated by the number of followers in the social media. Furthermore, the
important information associated with World University can be conveyed to the students and the
target audiences by sending out updates in the social media profiles of World University along
with well structure advertisements. Promoted tweets in twitter can help spreading the business
process of World University in a more efficient way.
Social media can furthermore be used to receive honest reviews and feedbacks from the
students and the people who are interested in engaging with the services offered by the World
University. These reviews can be incorporated in the website of the organization so that the
students who wish to engage with the services offered the University get a clear idea of the
different business processes of the organization (Van Der Aalst, La & Santoro, 2016). This will

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also infuse a transparency in the existing business processes of World University. Furthermore,
the feedbacks obtained from the students and the target audience can help in bringing the needed
modifications in the existing structure and the business processes of World University
(Thackeray, Neiger & Keller, 2012). The new business process can be designed according to the
needs of the customers and their feedback. This is one of the significant advantages of using
social media in promoting a particular business.
Since the use of social media makes it easier to provide and receive the feedbacks, it is
easier to resolve the queries of the target audiences. Social media being an interactive platform
will enable the authorities to resolve the queries of the audience much faster. Furthermore, it will
provide the students a platform to raise their queries which can be resolved in no time. The
marketing of the business process of World University and the opportunities that can be provided
to the students of World University will be easier by making use of social media in the business
of the organization.
The ethical data mining and mining of certain necessary information from the social
media can help in finding the information of the students who can take an admission in the
University thus improving the business process of World University (He, Zha & Li, 2013). Apart
from this, the use of the different social media tools in marketing and advertising the business of
the organization is cost effective solution as well. Since setting up of a social media page does
not incurs huge infrastructure cost.
Therefore, it is seen that social media plays a huge role in marketing the business model
of World University in an efficient manner.
Conclusion

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The report discusses the modification in the business processes that is needed in World
University in order to expand its business. The use of proper marketing and administration
strategy is needed in order to enhance the business process and the business model of World
University. The report further discusses the use of social media in promoting, advertising and
marketing the business model of World University. The use of social media is recommended
since it can help in promoting the objectives, goals and business of World University is a much
lower cost and will considerably increase the customers’ reach as well.
Recommendations
The recommendations for improving the business process of the World University are as
follows-
1. Although the purchase of laptop is an important business need for the organization, this
scheme can be made optional; that is if a student wishes to use his/her own laptop, she can do it.
2. An e-book library can be created with a monthly subscription charge that can help the
students in accessing the required contents anytime anywhere.

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References
Berthon, P. R., Pitt, L. F., Plangger, K., & Shapiro, D. (2012). Marketing meets Web 2.0, social
media, and creative consumers: Implications for international marketing
strategy. Business horizons, 55(3), 261-271.
Castronovo, C., & Huang, L. (2012). Social media in an alternative marketing communication
model. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 6(1), 117.
Croxton, R. A. (2014). The role of interactivity in student satisfaction and persistence in online
learning. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 10(2), 314.
He, W., Zha, S., & Li, L. (2013). Social media competitive analysis and text mining: A case
study in the pizza industry. International Journal of Information Management, 33(3),
464-472.
Jolliffe, A., Ritter, J., & Stevens, D. (2012). The online learning handbook: Developing and
using web-based learning. Routledge.
Kupczynski, L., Mundy, M. A., Goswami, J., & Meling, V. (2012). Cooperative Learning in
Distance Learning: A Mixed Methods Study. Online Submission, 5(2), 81-90.
Scott, D. M. (2015). The new rules of marketing and PR: How to use social media, online video,
mobile applications, blogs, news releases, and viral marketing to reach buyers directly.
John Wiley & Sons.
Shen, D., Cho, M. H., Tsai, C. L., & Marra, R. (2013). Unpacking online learning experiences:
Online learning self-efficacy and learning satisfaction. The Internet and Higher
Education, 19, 10-17.

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Thackeray, R., Neiger, B. L., & Keller, H. (2012). Integrating social media and social marketing:
a four-step process. Health promotion practice, 13(2), 165-168.
Van Der Aalst, W. M., La Rosa, M., & Santoro, F. M. (2016). Business process management.
Veletsianos, G., & Navarrete, C. (2012). Online social networks as formal learning
environments: Learner experiences and activities. The International Review of Research
in Open and Distributed Learning, 13(1), 144-166.
Wang, C. H., Shannon, D. M., & Ross, M. E. (2013). Students’ characteristics, self-regulated
learning, technology self-efficacy, and course outcomes in online learning. Distance
Education, 34(3), 302-323.
Yuan, L., Powell, S., & Olivier, B. (2014). Beyond MOOCs: Sustainable online learning in
institutions. Cetis. White paper. Recuperado de http://publications. cetis. ac. uk/2014/898.