Running the business from the palm of your hand Essay

Running the business from the palm of your hand - Essay Example In this context the mobile digital platform is gaining significance nowadays. Now people are using their mobile as a means not only to call, chat or message, but to carry out their business functions as well since mobile is one thing they always carry with them. With the introduction of Mobile OS like iPhone OS, Android, Windows OS people are developing apps which caters to everyday needs right from their home to business. Hence application making companies like GP Apps, IndiaNIC, Grapple, SourceBits etc are coming out with apps which cater to everyday business needs. Mobile application is software developed to serve a specific need of individuals, business organization etc. Business Functions are basically operations that need to be carried out by an organization. Like for a Software company the key operations are writing codes, testing, maintenance etc. For a Bank it is accepting deposits, giving loans etc. In TCHO Chocolate, which creates unique flavors of chocolate uses iPhone applications that helps his business process function smoothly. It enables the owner Timothy Childs to remotely control the Flavor Machine, control the time, temperatures, and turn on and off whenever he needs. Through the app Childs can remotely view several video cameras and thus know the status of the factory. General Electric Mobile has their own Mobile center of excellence which develops apps which caters to their business needs. For GE’s Sales and marketing personnel it acts as a great boon as they can share business information and presentation with their colleagues and customers. They also use Transformer Monitoring app which manages their gas turbine inventory and electric transformers in the whole world. Along with it their PDS Movement planner helps monitor railway tracks and diagnose the locomotives. In Dow Corning, the employees use a Roambi Visualizer app which helps them to view the business data including sales figures, their trends and projections in real time basis and analyze them. Their Analytics App for iPhone monitors the Web site traffic along with the online sales for their XIAMETER brand. Using these executives monitors globally what contents are useful for them. Sunbelt Rentals uses Mobile SalesPro app which integrates several databases and systems for the sal es team. Hence this helps the sales team to stay up breast with the latest information on rental rates and availability of equipment. Answer 2 Operational efficiency is the ratio between the input that a business needs and the output which a business delivers. Inputs can be people, money or time. Outputs are new customers, money, innovation, speed, customer loyalty etc. (Kenneth, 2010, p.81). There are several reasons as to why a business should invest in information systems. 1. Operational excellence: Information helps managers to achieve higher levels of productivity and efficiency in business operations. For example Wal-Mart uses a RetailLink system, which links their suppliers to all Wal-Mart's stores. When a customer purchases an item, the supplier knows that he has to ship a