GREAT ZIMBABWE UNIVERSITY

MUNHUMUTAPA SCHOOL OF COMMERCE

DEPARTMENT OF LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORT

NAME : ALFRED GWETE

REG NUMBER : M202609
MODULE TITLE. : ICT IN TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS
MODULE CODE : HLT 223
CONTACT DETAILS : 0782881427
LECTURER : MR CHIDYA
LEVEL : 2 SEMESTER 2
EMAIL. : [email protected]

QUESTION
With reference to a manufacturing organisation of your choice and from strategic
supply chain view point, examine the economic motive for products or service design
clearly showing the impact of ICT to organisational operations.
A manufacturing organisation is an organisation that uses components, parts or raw
materials to make a finished good.For example Bakers inn when it comes to
bakeries.The goods produced or manufactured can be sold directly to retailers or
consumers.Manufacturing organisations such as Bakers inn have an economic motive
for product or service design.Product design is the process designers use to blend their
user needs with business goals to convert ideas into physical and usable objects to
help brands make consistently successful products.Service design is the coordination
of people,communication and material components to create quality services.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is defined as a diverse set of

technological tools and resources used to transmit,store,create,share or exchange
information.ICT is a blanket term encompassing all the technologies and services
involved in computing,data management,telecommunication provision and the
internet.The technological tools and resources include computers,the internet,line
broeadcas technologies,automated machines and telephony.ICT plays a significant
role to organisational operations both manufacturing and non-manufacturing
organisations and in the product or service design.

With reference to an organisation such as Bakers inn and from a supply chain strategic
point of view , the economic motive for product design is to make the product
appealing to the audience or to the customers.Product design can be creating a new
product design (creating a different idea and a new prototype that has never existed
before) or making design modifications the product that already exist.To lure
customers we can make use of ICT tools such as computers and machines to design a
new product or make additions to products that are already in the market so as to meet
the standards and keep up with what is needed by customers who are at the end of the
supply chain.

Moving on,In the organisational operations of Bakers Inn the use of ICT is of
paramount importance because it can make design and manufacturing more
robust.Product designs are made using ICT tools such as computers and also the
manyfacturing of bread can be done so easy and quick by using automated baking
machines.Technology had improved the production of bread and has resulted in huge
profits to firms in every industry.Bakers inn has rebranded its products through the
use of ICT tools , it now has new papers for bread with new designsFrom a strategic
supply chain point of view this improves the supply chain because more of bread will
be demanded by supermarkets and retailers because of the demand from people.

Moreso,Product design helps organisations to target new market segments therefore

increasing market share.ICTs are useful to Bakers inn’s operations when targeting
new market segments, products can be designed targeting different markets basing on
geographical location and disposable income of people near that market,for example
Bakers inn will be targeting locations such as borrowdale, it has to introduce new
products or rebrand the old product to meet the needs and demands of customers from
that location.Market research can be made through the use of ICT tools so as to
identify new markets and know the demand of the consumers and specifications they
expect from the product.Service desing comes in to ensure quality and value to the
customers in the new market and therefore as a result the Bakers inn will gain market
share through the use of ICT in product designing and service design.

Bakers inn as a bread manufacturing company or organisation through product design

and service design it has the economic motive of being relevant and innovative.The
use of ICTs helps Bakers inn to be innovative through the use of the internet to find
out what is in style so as to lure customers in every way , through persuasive
advertising on social media platforms.The use of ICTs helps the company in product
and seevice design to stay relevant because it helps in improving value and quality of
a product.It is through innovative use of ICT that organisations can attain and
maintain high performance levels.

Also ,ICT plays an important role to oganisational activities of Bakers inn when
sourcing as it improves efficiency and speed.Sourcing is a subset of procurement . It
focuses on evaluating the market, selecting the most favorable suppliers, and
negotiating with them.The use of ICT has a positive impact on the supply chain of
Bakers inn as it helps in improving efficiency when sourcing, amd also it makes
sourcing easy when dealing with companies overseas.Through the use of
ERP(Enterprise Resource Planning) ICT has proven to be significant in managing
procurement processes and supply chain operations.Enterprise resource
planning (ERP) refers to a type of software that organizations use to manage day-to-
day business activities such as accounting, procurement, project management, risk
management and compliance, and supply chain operations.

An ERP system is one of the most valuable business management assets, and it's
also key to a successful product design and launch.With the data and insights it
provides, an ERP solution can help Bakers inn to get its product to the market faster
and with greater confidence in the concept and cost.All information related to the
product design,development and launch are reported into the ERP and can be
leveraged to make the best decisions for product or service design.Program managers
are able to spend their time identifying solutions through the use of ICT tools like
ERP instead of putting hours of clerical work into pulling the information they need
from emails, files and conversations.

Furthermore, In the era of covid-19 pandemic, all physical supply chains have been
broken however soft supply chains (such as data, software, and financial supply
chain) are at the top. It shows that how the ICT is important in general. Connecting
and sharing the real time information across the Supply Chains and their respective
stakeholders is essential but this is a big challenge. Therefore in the organisational
operations of Bakers inn,Information and Communication technology (ICT) play an
awesome role to integrate and streamline the supply chains and supply chain
management as a whole in times of natural disasters.
From a strategic supply chain point of view, the economic motive behind product and
service design is responsiveness.The use of ICT in the operations on Bakers inn a
bread manufacturing company allows it to promptly respond to customers' needs and
to other changes in the dynamic business environment.Information and
Communication Technology plays a huge role in product or service design as it
ensures value and quality to products ,it allows the supply chain of Bakers inn to be
responsive to customers changes and business environment .

ICT has revolutionized organisational operations of manufacturing organisations

such as Bakers inn.ICT has made the flow of information to be quick through the use
of softwares and integrated systems.The flow of information allows product design
and service design to take place.If information is poor it may lead to organisational
losses such as losing customers,missing opportunities and making incorrect
decisions, product design and service design relies on information therefore new
markets will not be exploited and also quality and value will not be added to the
product so as to lure customers.
The economic motive for products and service design is that , business can make
instant changes to design, for example colours or textures before the product is
officially launched .Bakers inn can make any changes on their product designs or
packages basing on customer preferences and likes before officially launching
them.The customers are the kings in the market and to the operations of any
organisation and through the use of ICTs in product and service design their needs
can be met since businesses are able to make instant changes in their production.
Refrences
1.Design in ICT by G Gemser
2.The impact of Information and Communication Technology by Y Nui (2010)
3.Dezdar, S., & Ainin, S. (2011a). Examining ERP implementation success from a project
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4. Molla, A., & Licker, P. S. (2005). E-Commerce adoption in developing countries: a model and
instrument. Information & Management, 42(6): 877-899
5. Abdullahi,H.(2013).The Role of ICT in business and management. Journal of educational and
Social research.
6. Aralu, U. O. (2015): Influence of Information and Communication Technology on Digital
Divide – Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology, Volume 15, Issue 3, Year 2015.
7. Aralu, U. O. (2015): Influence of Information and Communication Technology on Digital
Divide – Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology, Volume 15, Issue 3, Year 2015.
8. Baruah, T. D. (2012). Effectiveness of Social Media as a Tool for Communication & its
Potential for Technologically Enabled Connections: A Micro-Level Study. –International Journal
of Scientific & Research Publications, Volume 2, Issue 5, May 2012.