Club_It_Part_1

Club IT - Part One Club IT is a new and happening nighttime hotspot that has just completed extensive renovations. Although the new interior of the club makes an entertaining environment, the owners think that the club’s information management system could still use an upgrade. Club IT’s owners Lisa Tejada and Ruben Keys have hired an intern to analyze the club’s current information technology resources and recommend changes. Club IT’s mission is “We, Ruben and Lisa, offer you live music, DJ’s, dance space, and refreshments that suit your lifestyle. You are our friends, and we seek to build a community that meets regularly at Club IT” (Wiley, 2007, p. about Club IT). The featured music focuses on hip-hop, techno, electronica and live music that varies in genre from month to month. The targeted clientele is twenty-something’s that like to party and dance. Club IT’s interior has about 6000 square feet that includes a 600 square foot dance floor, seating for 220, a short order kitchen, and a bar with four pour stations. Club IT also sells its branded merchandise that includes t-shirts, baseball caps, shot glasses, and glass mugs. Club members receive a 10% discount off all merchandise. Club IT’s information resources include their website, an employee intranet, business computers for maintaining inventory and business records, in-house network that ties all of the order stations to the main server, and the DJ booth with MP3 capability. Club IT’s information technology (IT) department maintains all of the equipment and network capabilities. The IT department manages and provides technical support for all of Club IT’s electronics and computer systems. At Club IT, the product is not just the food and drink that we provide but the way we provide it. Customer service is the most important function of the club once the people walk through the front door. As stated in the club mission statement, the owners want to “build a community that meets regularly at Club IT.” The best way to keep customers coming back is to ensure that every time they leave, they are already planning their next night out with their friends in the Club IT community. To maintain a competitive edge over the other nightclubs in the area, Club IT must develop a competitive advantage strategy that will make them stand out as the preferred club to frequent. According to Michael Porter, the five main strategies for achieving competitive advantage are cost leadership, differentiation, innovation, operational effectiveness, and customer-orientation. Club IT’s strategy is to focus on customer orientation and concentrate on making and keeping its customers happy. The focus on customer satisfaction means that each customer must believe he or she has a personal one-on-one relationship with the staff member servicing him or her at the club. To achieve success in this strategy, Club IT must expand its information technology department and bring new IT systems into the organization. Club IT is not just another nightclub; it is a community of people who maintain memberships at the club. Club IT has already started the personalization of their business by having members of the club instead of customers. The next step in focusing on individuals is to expand the way that members receive information about upcoming events, specials, and member benefits. Expanding Club IT’s market share via the web and multimedia devices such as smartphones and blackberries is an innovative but complicated idea. Many hurdles exist to cross before launching the new website and marketing campaign. Cost is always considered at the beginning of any new business venture and can limit or ruin the plan if not managed properly. The first step in the process is to develop the marketing concept. Lisa and Ruben want to begin a website that allows their targeted clientele to see the inside of what goes on at Club IT and what additional benefits they can receive as Club IT members. After securing funding and laying out the project plan, the new IT department can construct the website and prepare to launch it online. Before the website launch, Club IT distributes written advertisements via newspapers, local trade magazines, and in-house newsletters at the club. Building hype around the launch of the new program and allowing potential visitors to see the benefits of club membership is crucial to a successful website. Those who sign up as members can receive updates on new bands, food and drink specials and upcoming special venue events. By personalizing what information each member wants to receive and how he or she wants to receive it adds a personal touch that builds the customer-client relationship. Club IT’s plan to launch its marketing and membership benefits plan is a good example of customer orientation strategy and will benefit the owners of the club by allowing contact with Club IT members and future customers even when the club is not open for business. The Internet never closes so venturing into e-commerce and advertising is a reasonably cheap and efficient means to reach a company’s targeted market. References Rainer, R. K., & Turban, E. (2008). Introduction to Information Systems (2nd ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Wiley, J. (2007). Rainer, Turban: Introduction to Information Systems: Supporting and Transforming Business, 2nd Edition. Retrieved from http://bcs.wiley.com/he-bcs/Books'action=resource&bcsId=4176&itemId=0470169001&resourceId=12379