Course Project
Course Project Week 3
Shimere Alexander
MIS535
Managerial Applications of Information Technology
Professor Wayne Freer
January 27, 2013
Subject of Course Project
The purpose of this course project is to address the ongoing issues surrounding my companies, REI (Recreation Equipment Inc.,) inventory management issue and to see if we can find a software program better suited to the companies needs. The goal is to find products quickly and efficiently. Customer satisfaction is key to driving sales and profit in any company. As a result a software upgrade is certainly needed in order to compete with other companies in the same industry.
Name of the Company REI is a privately held corporation that is run by it’s members. In fact it is considered to be one of the largest consumer co-op’s in the United States. It rely’s on the members to drive profits each year and allows them the chance to both vote and serve on the board of directors. REI does not report to shareholders and since it’s founding in 1938 has never done so. Sale’s exceed $1 billion dollars each year and due to that ongoing success the company can pay dividends to the members of the company each march. Also, contributing to the success of the company. Inventory management is extremely important as you can imagine in order to keep the members happy. REI makes it a point to track down items even if that means calling other stores around the country. The reason for this is pricing and member loyalty. “While the Anderson’s(original founders of REI) originally established the co-op structure in order to secure reduced prices for its members, REI today models itself instead as a full-service retailer, with a web site, including order-on-the-web and free delivery to a nearby store, rather than as a low-price retailer. “(wikipedia)
Business Problem Statement The issue that I would like to address based on the retail business of
Shimere Alexander
MIS535
Managerial Applications of Information Technology
Professor Wayne Freer
January 27, 2013
Subject of Course Project
The purpose of this course project is to address the ongoing issues surrounding my companies, REI (Recreation Equipment Inc.,) inventory management issue and to see if we can find a software program better suited to the companies needs. The goal is to find products quickly and efficiently. Customer satisfaction is key to driving sales and profit in any company. As a result a software upgrade is certainly needed in order to compete with other companies in the same industry.
Name of the Company REI is a privately held corporation that is run by it’s members. In fact it is considered to be one of the largest consumer co-op’s in the United States. It rely’s on the members to drive profits each year and allows them the chance to both vote and serve on the board of directors. REI does not report to shareholders and since it’s founding in 1938 has never done so. Sale’s exceed $1 billion dollars each year and due to that ongoing success the company can pay dividends to the members of the company each march. Also, contributing to the success of the company. Inventory management is extremely important as you can imagine in order to keep the members happy. REI makes it a point to track down items even if that means calling other stores around the country. The reason for this is pricing and member loyalty. “While the Anderson’s(original founders of REI) originally established the co-op structure in order to secure reduced prices for its members, REI today models itself instead as a full-service retailer, with a web site, including order-on-the-web and free delivery to a nearby store, rather than as a low-price retailer. “(wikipedia)
Business Problem Statement The issue that I would like to address based on the retail business of