Business Process

A process is a set of actions completed to achieve a specific objective. A business process is a set of actions completed to achieve a specific objective for the business, such as to complete a sales transaction, hire a new employee, or deliver a finished product to the customer.

Management Dimension  

Management’s role is to continually make sense of challenges or opportunities in order to adapt and respond to the global environment. For example, the rapid proliferation of mobile devices has led to an increased preference for on-demand business models. Moreover, there is an increased consumer demand for low prices and high-quality service. To respond to these challenges, managers must develop an appropriate information technology and organizational strategy, allocate human and financial resources, and exercise responsible leadership. For example, Carvana appeals to technology-savvy consumers by allowing them to buy, sell, or trade-in used cars in an “online-only” format through its website, thereby completely changing the automobile-buying experience. This approach allows consumers to bypass the usual negotiation process involved in financing and purchasing vehicles from a traditional dealership. Purchased vehicles can be picked up at one of its car vending machines (Figure 1.4) or scheduled for next day delivery.

Information Technology Dimension  

Information technology plays a powerful role in helping organizations achieve their strategic business objectives, streamline operations, and redesign themselves. As previously mentioned, information technologies consist of all of the various hardware, mobile devices, and software that organizations use to achieve their strategic business objectives. The specific information technology components include the following: (1) computer hardware and mobile devices; (2) software; (3) data management technologies; and (4) networking and telecommunications technologies.    

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