Shirley AinooThe following were my observations after watching t.docx

Shirley Ainoo
The following were my observations after watching the barn-
raising scene from the movie Witness.
Working for a common good - The Amish community were
committed to the common good that reached beyond private
interests, transcended sectarian commitments, and offered
human solidarity.
Carefully planned, defined purpose, and assigned roles - The
clearly defined purpose and assigned roles allowed the team to
focus its energies on specific aspect of the project and helped to
limit crossover into other aspects controlled by a different
agenda. This kept the project running smoothly with each team
member working on a specific task that contributed to the larger
project goal.
The team understood what it needed to accomplish and had the
resources/tools needed to be successful. According to research,
failing to provide adequate tools to complete a project can bog
down on an organization's team progress as members must
gather information and determine which strategies work the best
through a trial-and-error process (Anderson & Bell, 2014).
Empowered team members – There was more involvement from
empowered team members that lead to a more efficient team
productivity because members were contributing to the project
work at full capacity.
Good Leadership – There were effective communicators who
commanded the attention of their audience and made sure their
messages got across.
Great team success!
(Costello, 2011)
Reference:
Anderson, T. D., & Bell III, T. J. (2014). Incorporating project
management tools and techniques to manage student team
projects and the influence of leadership styles. ACET Journal of
Computer Education & Research, 1-14

Costello, R. (2011, October 6). Amish barn raising (as depicted
in the film “Witness”) [Video file]. Retrieved from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCXCeV5RbHghttps://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=hCXCeV5RbHg
Keith Molinary
The Amish are extremely hard workers and know how to work
as a team. In the video, one of the first things you notice is the
fact that the whole community comes together to accomplish the
mission with one goal in mind. Each member of the team has
their specific roles and communicates effectively. Both the
men, women and children had a part to play to raise the barn
and because they knew exactly what they were supposed to do,
there was no confusion or arguments that could delay the
process. The video also depicted what it was like to have a new
person join the group. At first the team did not see the
newcomer as actually being part of the team because they did
not know how he would contribute or because his identity was
not established (LearningPoint, 2011). The new person to the
barn raising was accepted once he acquired “the knowledge,
behavior, and attitudes needed to participate fully as a member
of that team” which gave a good example of socialization
(What-when-how). The barn raising was successful for the
reasons mentioned above, but also because the group trusted one
another to do their part.
LearningPoint. (2011). Team member identity: Building the
foundation for a strong team. Retrieved from
http://learningpointinc.com/team-member-identity-building-the-
foundation-for-a-strong-team/
what-when-how. (n.d.). Managing relationships in virtual team
socialization (information science). Retrieved from http://what-
when-how.com/information-science-and-technology/managing-
relationships-in-virtual-team-socialization-information-science/
Nicole Tuitt
After watching this video, it was clear that the community came
together to build a barn. Each member within the community

relied on each other to accomplish the shared goal of building a
barn. This is an example of cohesion existing within this team.
A cohesive group member will act as one unit and are attached
to each other (Saylor, n.d.). An example of unity from this team
occurred when the men had to raise the top of the barn at the
same time. According to LearningPoint (2011), team member
identity is an important component is role clarification and
expectations, which all contributes to the team’s success. Roles
were clearly defined within the team and every member
appeared to know what was expected of them. Men had the role
of doing the hard work and women made the lunches as well as
quilts for the men. The children took on similar roles as well.
The young girls provided the workers with drinks and the young
boys were able to use the tools to help the men with the
building process (Costello, 2011). Based on this video, each
member seemed to trust one another based on how they all
worked well together. Studies have shown trust has had a
significant effect on the performance of a team (Peters &
Karren, 2009). One of the group members let an outside member
join their team and no on one the team questioned the actions of
this member. The team members welcomed the new member
once they joined the group and seemed to trust the judgement of
the team member.
References:
Aceepting member- outsidCostello, R. (2011, October 6). amish
barn raising (as depicted in the film “Witness”) [Video file].
Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCXCeV5RbHg
LearningPoint. (2011). Team member identity: Building the
foundation for a strong team. Retrieved from
http://learningpointinc.com/team-member-identity-building-the-
foundation-for-a-strong-team/
Peters, L., & Karren, R.J. (2009). An examination of the roles
of trust and functional diversity on virtual team performance
ratings. Group & Organization Management, 34(4), 479-504.
doi:10.1177/1059601107312170

Saylor. (n.d.). Chapter 9. Managing groups and teams. Retrieved
from http://saylor.org/site/wp-
content/uploads/2011/06/BUS208-6.2.pdf
Running head: REDESIGNING ABACUS INC 1
REDESIGNING ABACUS INC 3
ABC Abacus Project
Student’s Name
Colorado Technical University
Abstract
ABC Abacus Inc is an Information Technology Company which
operates under a Business to Business (b2b) model with its
primary objective being to design and sell software to academic
institutions. In its initial days, the firm was the industry leader
in terms of innovation and customer satisfaction. In the recent
past, however, the firm has recorded a slowdown of profits, a
problem which is partly attributed to its outdated software
architecture. This paper explores the firm’s current systems to
identify the shortfalls that are leading to this slowdown. Based
on the identified shortfalls, the paper recommends several
courses of action that could be implemented to help the
company maximize its competitive advantage against the
backdrop of the stiffening competition in the industry. To
achieve the mentioned objectives, the author of the report

quantitatively gathered data regarding the firm’s current
systems. The quantitative approach of data collection involved
use of observations and online surveys. After carefully
analyzing the data, it became evident that the company’s
business model was outdated and ineffective and needed to be
redesigned. In that regard, the report has outlined the courses of
action that the executives of the firm need to initiate to restore
the company to its initial position.
Table of Contents
Abstract 2
Introduction 4
Background about the Organisation 4
Methodology 5
Data Collection Procedures 5
Observations...........................................................................
................6
Online
Surveys...................................................................................
....7
Data Analysis 11
Checking Data Normality 11
RESULTS 12
As is
Model………………………………………………...……...…12
Issues with the
Process…………………………………………….....13
Recommendations for
Improvement……………………………………………………..14

Recommendations
Explained…………………………………………………….14
Evidence to support the
Recommendations………………………………….…..16
Bring Your Own Device
(BYOD)……………………………...……16
Business Process
Reengineering…………………………………..…17
Benefits accruing from the
Recommendations……………………….………….19
Implementation
Challenges………………………………………………………20
Conclusion……………………………………………………………
…….…………….21
References 24
ABC Abacus Project
Introduction
Abacus Inc is one of the leading educational software vendors
in the US. During its initial days in the industry, the company
was highly profitable and recorded high number of returning
customers. As time went by, however, the firm relaxed on its
innovation endeavors and it is currently struggling with
diminishing profits. The decline in profits comes in the
backdrop of the changing customer needs and the growing
demand for educational software (Dumas et al. 2013). The
decline in profits has largely been attributed by lack of
innovation and the reluctance by the firm to redesign its current
business model. In the recent past, customers have complained
about poor services by the firm which may negatively affect its
overall profitability in the long run. This underscores the need
for the firm to redesign its business model to retain its
competitive advantage. This report was prepared to inform the
company’s executives about the possible courses of action that
they can take to restore the firm to its initial position. The
report was prepared based on the challenges identified by the

author using quantitative approaches- observation and online
surveys.
Background about the Organization
Abacus Inc. is a private limited company which was
incorporated in 1983 with its primary objective being to design
and sell educational software. The company’s headquarters are
located in San Diego, California but has several other branches
within the country (Abacus Technology Corporation, 2017).
Initially, the company’s operations were limited to San Diego,
but today, the firm operates in several other cities across the
US. The company’s rapid growth has been largely facilitated by
mergers and acquisition whereby the company keeps on
partnering with other technology firms to expand its reach and
to reduce competition (Abacus Technology Corporation, 2017).
In addition to mergers and acquisition, the company was
initially innovative and kept on improving customer experience.
However, today the company seems to have relaxed its
innovation strategies and it now faces several challenges
emanating from the changing needs of customers as well as the
rising demand for educational software. As it currently stands,
the company’s current business model does not support the
changing customer needs neither does it support the rise in
demand for software. This underscores the need to redesign the
firm’s business model to ensure that it does not lose its market
share to the rivals.
Methodology
The purpose of this project was to uncover the possible ways in
which firms in the software industry could maximize their
market shares by increasing their efficiency. This objective was
achieved by analyzing the challenges facing ABC Abacus Inc
which is a firm operating in the software industry. The analysis
was achieved by quantitatively collecting data pertaining to the
challenges currently facing the firm through observations and
online surveys. Based on the identified challenges, a set of
recommendations were developed to remedy the problems.
Data Collection Procedures

To accurately paint a picture of the current situation in the
company and to develop appropriate recommendations, the
author of this paper gathered quantitative data pertaining to the
problem. The research was based on the following research
questions:
a) What are the immediate problems facing ABC Abacus Inc?
b) What can Abacus Inc do to mitigate the problem to retain its
competitive advantage?
c) What are the benefits that will accrue to the company as a
result of implementing the recommended changers?
The quantitative approaches used to collect the data were
observation and online surveys. The approaches were in line
with the quantitative method which entails collecting data and
analyzing it statistically (Brannen, 2017).
Observations
One of the methods that were used to collect data
regarding the company was observation in which the author of
this work visited the company’s premises during the usual
working hours. The author resolved to use this tool after
obtaining written consent from one of the executives. The
consent document is shown in figure 1 below. The choice of this
tool for this study was informed by the fact that it would allow
the researcher to obtain first-hand information regarding the
current situation. Additionally, the tool would facilitate
collection of additional data that could not otherwise be
collected using interviews and online surveys due to possible
reluctance by the participants to disclose certain information.
The observation went on for 14 days. During the first two days
of the study, the author was oriented into the company. The
orientation process involved detailed introductions to the
overall organization culture as well as its missions and visions.
Additionally, the author was introduced to the departmental
heads who were friendly and ready to facilitate the research.
Still on the orientation, the author was also introduced to the
firm’s business model and the software it designs.
During the subsequent days, the author visited each of the 6

departments and observed as the employees performed their
tasks. The author’s main focus was on the engineering
department where they spent about 6 days observing as the
customers orders were being executed. Another department that
got the author’s attention is the sales department in which he
spent 5 days. The other 2 days were spent on other departments,
such as, the accounting and the procuring departments. During
the observations, the author could interact with the staffs to
ascertain whether the observations were right. Each material
observation was recorded on a note book and formed the basis
for designing the online surveys that would later be used
alongside the observations.
Figure 1: Consent Document from Abacus to Conduct Research
Online Surveys
In addition to observations, the author also utilized online
surveys to collect additional data regarding the topic under
consideration. Two types of surveys were used to collect data
from the participants based on the target group. Survey 1 was
meant to collect data from employees while survey 2 was used
to collect data from experts in the software industry. The survey
documents that were used to solicit data from the employees
were prepared based on the findings from the observations. As
noted previously in this paper observations preceded the online
surveys which imply that the author had gained substantial
knowledge regarding the challenges facing the firm. Therefore,
the author deemed it appropriate to base the questions on the
challenges observed. The survey document used to collect data
from the experts was designed in such a way that it contained
questions which targeted at collecting expert opinion about the
possible ways to fix the problems observed in the company.
To ensure that the participants gave correct information, the
author created survey guides and distributed them to the
participants a week prior to the actual study. The guides
contained information regarding the objectives of the study as

well as clear guidelines on how to answer the questions. The
guides were distributed to the participants through their
respective email addresses. After the elapse of the 1 week, the
survey documents were then sent to the participants via mail.
Each employee survey document contained 10 closed-ended
questions and 10 open-ended questions which targeted on
collecting data regarding the topic of the study (Figure 2, 3, 4
below). Those for the experts, on the other hand, contained 10
open ended questions (Figure 5 below). The participants were
allowed 3 days in which they had to answer all the questions
and send back the survey documents to the researcher.
Figure 2: Part 1 of Employee Survey
Figure 3: Part 1 of the Employee Survey
Figure 4: Part 2 of the Employee Survey
Figure 5: Expert Survey Document
Data Analysis
Given that this was a quantitative study, the data obtained was
analyzed using regression analysis tool. The tool was used to
investigate the relationships between the poor performance of
the firm and its outdated business model. Additionally, the tool
enabled the author to measure the relationship between the poor
performance of the firm and its failure to offer post installation
support and maintenance services. In addition to the regression
analysis tool, the author used the SPSS software to analyze data
regarding the problems facing the firm and the possible
approaches to remedy the shortfalls as proposed by the experts.
To facilitate this analysis, all similar responses were identified
and grouped. The next step involved assigning each group a
special code which would then be input to the computer for
analysis.
Checking of Data Normality

Data normality refers to the extent to which the data collected
from the sample population is representative of the real
situation on the ground. Research indicates that about 50% of
the published research findings have at least one error hence the
need to conduct normality checks on the collected data (Teddlie
& Tashakkori, 2009). The connection between the data and
erroneous findings may be explained from the point of view that
the parametric tests (correlation, regression, t tests, and analysis
of variance) are based on the presumption that all the tested
data is taken from a sample population that is normally
distributed. However, this is not always the case, and hence,
researchers need to check data normality using the available
techniques. There are different methods for checking data
normality that are available for researchers. However, for the
purposes of this research, the data normality tests were
conducted using the SPSS software. The use of the software to
conduct data normality tests was informed by the view that it
provides reliable results regarding the checks and saves much
time compared to manual checks (Cohen et al. 2015). Based on
the results from the software, the data was deemed normal
because the black line formed a bell-shaped curve as illustrated
in the figure below:
Figure 6: Data Normality Graph
Results
As is Model
Based on the data obtained from observations and online
surveys, the organization faces several issues that limit its
productivity and profitability. As the author observed, the
company has 6 departments which are sales, procurement,
accounting, engineering, marketing, and human resource. The
departments are headed by qualified departmental heads that are
recruited by the HR department. Although the firm has an
established IT infrastructure, interdepartmental communication
is rarely present. Communication is mostly manual with each
department communicating with the other departments

manually. The organization has several computers in its head
office with each department having almost equal number of
computers. However, the firm lacks a well established network
which hinders computerized inter-departmental communication.
Typically, the order execution process starts when a customer
places an order with the sales department. This department
records the order details and passes the same to the engineering
department for execution. After execution, the order is sent
back to the accounting department for billing. After the
payment, the customer receives his or her order from the
marketing department. The customers never participate in the
engineering process and they are never allowed to customize the
software.
Issues with the Process
As it currently stands the software that the company sells
to its customers is uniform which implies that it provides no
room for the procuring institutions to customize their software
based on their specific needs. It is important to note that
institutions vary by size and they have unique needs (Harrison,
2015). Therefore, it is important for the firm to allow its
customers to customize the software to align with their personal
needs. Therefore, one of the major setbacks facing the firm is
lack of a customer-centered model which would facilitate
customization of its software.
The other shortfall that the company faces is lack of a proper
after sales service strategy to provide IT support after the sale
of the software. Generally, the institutions that buy the software
may not have the right skills on the appropriate usage of the
software. The customers may require professional assistance to
appropriately use the software. Additionally, the buying
institutions may need continuous support and maintenance. This
underscores the need for the company to employ enough
competent staffs to train the customers on the appropriate use of
the software.
The other issue that was noted through observations and
the online surveys was that the company’s software could not be

installed on a mobile phone. The software only operated on
computers apparently due to its large size and features. This is
a major limitation because most people prefer using their
mobile phones to access internet services as opposed to personal
computers. The company would benefit greatly by designing a
version of the same software that is mobile phone –supported to
increase its accessibility and ease of use.
Recommendations for Improvement
Based on the results described above, the author developed
several recommendations which could be used to enhance the
company’s performance in the long run. The recommendations
are listed hereafter:
· Business Process Re-engineering
· Introduction of Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD)
· Create a sound communication system within the firm
· Allow Software Customisation
· Recruit a special group of engineers to provide continuous
support and maintenance for customers
· Create a continuous training program for the employees
Recommendations Explained
One of the recommendations for organization improvement is
overhaul process re-engineering. As indicated previously in this
paper, the software which the company sells to its customers is
never customized which implies that customers buy software
with similar features irrespective of their sizes. This is
problematic because each institution has its own individual
needs which underscore the need for the company to allow the
customers to dictate the features that they need in the
customized software. By adopting the idea of Business Process
Re-engineering (BPR), the firm may easily resolve this issue
which may lead to high customer satisfaction. By definition,
BPR refers to “an approach to change management in which the
related tasks required to obtain a specific business outcome are
radically redesigned” (Harrison, 2015; p. 23). In the
contemporary business environment, Business Process Re-
engineering (BPR) has revolutionized the software industry.

Currently, many software companies focus on redesigning and
rethinking the ways work should be done better to ensure that
the mission of the organization is achieved as well as to reduce
the costs of operation and minimize process redundancies. The
process of redesigning how work is done by the organization
basically form what is referred to as business process
reengineering (BPR), business transformation, business process
change management or business process redesign. BPR starts
with an intensive assessment of the strategic goals, mission, and
customer needs of the organization. BPR in ABC abacus should
specifically target changing the way the software are engineered
as well as allow customers to participate in the engineering
process.
The other proposed course of action is the implementation of
the concept of Bring Your Own Devise (BYOD) within the
organization to enhance communication amongst the employees
and also to retain the best talents. BYOD involves allowing
employees to access an organization’s network using their own
portable devices (Hayes & Kotwica, 2013). According to
Burroughs (2014), one of the reasons why firms should embrace
BYOD is that it leads to increased productivity for the
concerned organization. This gain comes as a result of the
motivation that employees exhibit when using their favorite
mobile devices as opposed to specific firm-imposed devices.
Additionally, the mobile devices allow the employees to use
devices which they are usually conversant with which leads to
faster processing of data and requests (Disterer & Kleiner,
2013). Based on the evidence analyzed above, it would be
important for ABC to adopt this important concept to ensure
that communication within the firm is enhanced. BYOD will
also make information more accessible to the employees as and
when it is needed. Under the proposed arrangement, the firm
will be required to recruit qualified personnel who will be
required to oversee the process of providing support to the
customers. These employees need to have access to information
to successfully execute their mandate with ease.

Next, the company needs to recruit a team of experts who would
be charged with the responsibility of offering support and
maintenance of the software on behalf of the customers. Hoch et
al. (2000) argues that companies in the software industry that
give post installation support and maintenance services tend to
outsmart the rivals because customers tend to achieve high
levels of satisfaction. As it currently stands, ABC Abacus does
not offer such services which make the software unattractive to
the clients. Given that the company’s major clients are
educational institutions, there needs to be 24/7 support because
the clients may not have the technical knowhow to fix problems
when they arise. Additionally, the clients may not possess the
right skills to independently manage the software without
proper training. The company should take the responsibility of
training the customers about the operations of the software to
ensure that they leap maximum benefits.
Evidence to support the Recommendations
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
In the recent past, the topic of BYOD has attracted numerous
researchers who seek to unravel the benefits accruing from the
concept. Consequently, a wide body of literature has developed
regarding the subject. Afreen (2014) argues that the concept of
BYOD has in the recent past gained much applicability in the
contemporary organizations. One of the reasons why BYOB has
attracted the attention of most organizations is that it facilitates
flexibility of workers and also leads to longer working hours
(Hayes & Kotwica, 2013). This argument is grounded on the
fact that employees carry home with them their portable devices
which ensures that they communicate with other employees
from their homes. Such communication leads to data sharing at
the employees’ convenience.
French, Guo & Shim (2014) found that organizations that had
embraced BYOD attracted and retained the best talents. In the
recent past, organizations all over the globe have recorded an
increase in the number of youthful employees who are very
attracted to new technology. Allowing them to use their favorite

devices inside and outside the workplace increases their job
satisfaction leading to low staff turnover (Hayes& Kotwica,
2013). An example of an organization that has successfully used
BYOD to attract and retain young employees is Sap. Through its
SAP’s BYOD program, the firm has reported an increase in the
number of youthful employees especially in its Australian and
New Zealand branches which has resulted in enhanced
productivity (French et al. 2014). However, in as much as
organizations need to embrace BYOB, they need to formulate
appropriate security policies to ensure that the infrastructure
remains safe (Keyes, 2013). This view is informed by the fact
that allowing employees to access the organization’s network
using their own devices may predispose the firm to various
security risk which include loss of company data in case a
device is lost or stolen, inappropriate use of the network, and
external attacks among others (Hayes& Kotwica, 2013).
Business Process Reengineering
Traditionally, when creating information systems of companies,
developers based their endeavors on data (Harrison, 2015). As a
result, the approaches they used to model systems were oriented
towards describing data on the realities of the real world and
their interrelations, but not on the behavior of these entities.
Because reengineering is process-oriented, not data-driven,
traditional approaches have proven inadequate (Harmon &
Trends, 2010). The object-oriented approach is the only
approach so far that allows to describe both data about entities
and their behavior. In addition, it provides the creation of
transparent, easily modifiable business models and information
systems that allow the reuse of individual components. CASE-
technologies were used in reengineering practically from the
moment of its appearance. However, their orientation toward the
developers of information systems has led to the fact that now
they are beginning to be combined with other modern
technologies - first of all, with object-oriented technologies
(Harmon, 2003).Simulation modeling provides not only the
most profound representation of models for non-programmers,

but also the most complete means of analyzing such models.
Models are created in the form of flow diagrams, which
represent the main working procedures used in the company,
describes their behavior, as well as information and material
flows between them. However, the construction of real
simulation models is a laborious process, and their detailed
analysis, which goes beyond simple collection of statistics by
time and cost, often requires special training from the user. To
describe the working procedures, additional programming may
be necessary (Harmon & Trends, 2010).To overcome these
difficulties, today they begin to use the methods of knowledge
engineering. Although reengineering is applicable in virtually
all industries, software industry reap the most benefits from
process reengineering concepts.
The experience of reengineering shows that a truly successful
and innovative introduction of information technology is a
unique creative process: managers and IT professionals, when
they get acquainted with IT methods, make discoveries about
the possibilities of using them in their particular business
(Harmon, 2003). At the same time, the creation of high-quality
information systems requires the participation of IT
professionals. There is a problem of finding a common language
that stands in the way of integration of modern modeling
technologies and the development of complex systems: object-
oriented methods, CASE-technologies, knowledge engineering,
simulation processes and rapid application development
methods RAD (Rapid Application Development) (Snider, da
Silveira & Balakrishnan, 2009).
Software vendors can improve their services by adopting an
integrated approach to support reengineering of their services
(Mao & Zhang, 2008). An integrated approach to support of
reengineering can be found on the example of one of the
promising tools BPR - the system ReThink (Harmon & Trends,
2010), developed by Gensym (USA). This system combines the
capabilities of key modern information technologies: a
graphical object-oriented language for describing models and

projects, animation and simulation tools for reconstructed
processes, methods of artificial intelligence for the full and
adequate presentation of expert knowledge about processes. All
this has opened access to direct modeling and reconstruction of
business processes to a new group of users - managers.
Benefits accruing from the Recommendations
One of the benefits that may accrue to the firm as a result
of implementing the above strategies is increased customer
satisfaction and enhanced competitive advantage. According to
Sageer, Rafat & Agarwal (2012), customer satisfaction refers to
the measure of how well a product or service meets the
customers’ needs. Competitive advantage, on the other hand,
refers to a measure of how well a company’s goods or services
perform in the market. Both customer satisfaction and
competitive advantage are achieved by offering high quality
goods and services at an affordable price. A firm must,
therefore, strive to make its products valuable, rare, non
substitutable, and expensive to imitate (Dahlgaard, Khanji &
Kristensen, 2008). In regard, to ABC Abacus, the company will
achieve customer satisfaction by allowing the customers to
customize the software to align with their individual needs.
Additionally, the availability of support and maintenance
services will ensure that the customers do not experience
difficulties when using the software for their educational
endeavors. This will ultimately result in high customer
satisfaction and high competitive advantage. Additionally, it
will result in better reviews by the customers which will in turn
lead to the flow of new customers and increased customer
loyalty.
The other benefit accruing to the firm as a result of
implementing the recommendations is possible attraction and
retention of the best talents. This view is premised on the fact
that once the company implements the BYOD concept, the
employees will be in position to bring in their own devises into
the firm. Additionally, the firm is set to introduce a continuous
training program for the entire workforce. According to Goetsch

& Davis (2014), employees are more concerned about job
security which underscores the need for firms to guarantee them
of their job security. By offering developmental programs, such
as, the proposed continuous training, the firm will have
achieved employees’ job satisfaction in part. This assertion is
grounded on the view that the employees will feel more secure
having undertaken additional job based training. In addition to
the job satisfaction achieved through the developmental
programs, the BYOD concept will ensure that younger
employees feel comfortable working in the firm. Evidence
suggests that young employees may be more productive
compared to the older ones (Goetsch & Davis, 2014). The
introduction of BYOD will attract younger employees which
will, in turn, lead to increased productivity of the firm.
Lastly, the firm will achieve efficiency and low lead times in
the long run. Efficiency would be achieved from the fact that
the employees would receive additional training about the
business processes. Additionally, through the BYOD strategy,
the employees would be in a position to access useful data as
and when they need it. This will increase their overall
performance which will reduce customer complaints in the long
run.
Implementation Challenges
However, in as much as there are benefits that will accrue to the
firm as a result of executing the recommendations given above,
there are issues that may limit their successful implementation.
One of the challenges that the firm may face in the process of
implementing the recommendations is lack of the right
infrastructure. ABC Abacus Inc’s computers, for instance, are
not as modern as it would be expected. The computers have
moderate configurations and minimal access to the Internet.
Given that one of the recommendations entail the introduction
of the BYOD concept, it would be advisable for the company to
procure modern computers and replace the existing ones. In
addition to replacing the current computers, the company would
face security challenges which could either be internal or

external. This challenge would be compounded by the fact that
the company would allow the employees to access the
company’s network using their own devices. Giving the
employees such freedom would predispose the firm to the risk
of security breaches. In that regard, the firm might have to
invest a substantial amount of money on securing its
infrastructure. Additionally, it will have to train the employees
about the best practices to ensure that the infrastructure is safe.
The other issue that may limit the successful implementation of
the recommendations is employee resistance. According to
Cartwright & Pappas (2008), employees are reluctant to accept
changes in business processes for fear of losing their jobs and
the assumption that the changes might complicate their work. In
the past, several companies have faced resistance from
employees as they tried to implement changes into their
business processes. ABC Abacus may also find itself in the
midst of similar problems because the employees may not easily
accept the changes. As the author observed during the research,
majority of the employees of the company are above 40 years
and they may feel that the introduction of the BYOD concept is
a threat to their jobs. Additionally, the employees may feel that
the introduction of customisation and after sales maintenance
will complicate their work. The mentioned misconceptions
would ultimately result in resistance which would derail the
process of implementing the recommendations. To avert such
resistance, the company need to train the entire workforce about
the benefits accruing to the firm as a result of the changes. The
employees should be advised that the changes will benefit the
entire firm and not a single individual. In addition, the company
should establish a proper internal communication system within
the firm to ensure that the employees’ concerns are
communicated to the management as they arise.
Conclusion
ABC Abacus Inc is a software vending company which was
established in 1983. The company’s primary objective is to
create and market educational software with its main customers

being the learning institutions located in the US. Since its
establishment, the company remained innovative and acquired a
considerable market share in the software industry. However,
based on its recent financial statements, it is evident that the
firm is losing its market share to its rivals. The loss in market
share has been greatly attributed to its inability to seal the gaps
in customer satisfaction. Its outdated business model has
specifically led to the decline in the company’s profits. In an
attempt to remedy the situation, this project was undertaken
with a view to uncover the real causes of the declining profits.
To understand the challenges affecting the firm, the author
of this report used a quantitative approach to gather the relevant
data from the firm. This approach involved use of observations
and online surveys to collect data regarding the problem at
hand. The first tool, observation, entailed visiting the firm
during the official working hours to directly observe the
workers as they executed their duties. The other tool, online
surveys, involved collecting data using surveys which were
distributed to the participants through their respective email
addresses. The surveys were prepared in two different forms.
The first type of the surveys targeted the employees and the
main objective was to collect data regarding the challenges
facing the firm. The other type of survey, on the other hand,
targeted gathering data concerning the possible courses of
action that the firm can undertake to remedy the problems.
The result of the study revealed that the most pertinent cause of
the declining profits was the firm’s outdated business model.
Under the current model, the firm does not allow the customers
to customize their software. Consequently, the buyer
institutions end up acquiring software that does not meet their
specific needs. The other cause of the diminished profits was
the firm’s lack of a proper customer training program and lack
of post installation support services. To remedy the identified
problems, this report has recommended the following courses of
action: business process re-engineering, introduction of Bring
Your Own Devices (BYOD), creation of a sound communication

system within the firm, allowing software customisation,
recruitment of a special group of engineers to provide
continuous support and maintenance for customers, and
introduction of a continuous training program for the
employees. The listed recommendations are described in details
in the body of the paper.
References
Abacus Technology Corporation (2017). Abacus Technology
Corporation. Retrieved 3rd August 2018 from
http://www.abacustech.com/
Afreen, R. (2014). Bring your own device (BYOD) in higher
education: opportunities and challenges. International Journal of
Emerging Trends & Technology in Computer Science, 3(1),
233-236.
Brannen, J. (2017). Mixing methods: Qualitative and

quantitative research. Routledge.Burroughs, A., (2014). How to
successfully implement new software systems in your company.
Retrieved 15th August from
http://www.sbnonline.com/article/how-to-successfully-
implement-new-software-systems-in-your-company/
Cartwright, S., & Pappas, C. (2008). Emotional intelligence, its
measurement and implications for the workplace. International
Journal of Management Reviews, 10(2), 149-171.
Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S.
(2013). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the
behavioral sciences. Routledge.
Dahlgaard, J. J., Khanji, G. K., & Kristensen, K.
(2008). Fundamentals of total quality management. Routledge.
Disterer, G., & Kleiner, C. (2013). BYOD bring your own
device. Procedia Technology, 9, 43-53.
Dumas, M., La Rosa, M., Mendling, J., & Reijers, H. A.
(2013). Fundamentals of business process management (Vol. 1,
p. 2). Heidelberg: Springer.
French, A. M., Guo, C., & Shim, J. P. (2014). Current Status,
Issues, and Future of Bring Your Own Device
(BYOD). CAIS, 35, 10.
Goetsch, D. L., & Davis, S. B. (2014). Quality management for
organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson.
Harmon, P. (2003). Business process change: a manager's guide
to improving, redesigning, and automating processes. Morgan
Kaufmann.
Harmon, P., & Trends, B. P. (2010). Business process change: A
guide for business managers and BPM and Six Sigma
professionals. Elsevier.
Harrison, A. (2015). Business Process Redesign. Wiley
Encyclopedia of Management, 1-3.
Hayes, B., & Kotwica, K. (2013). Bring your own device
(BYOD) to work: Trend report. Newnes.
Hoch, D. J., Roeding, C., Lindner, S. K., & Purkert, G.
(2000). Secrets of software success (pp. 23-40). Boston:
Harvard Business School Press.

Keyes, J. (2013). Bring your own devices (BYOD) survival
guide. CRC press.
Sageer, A., Rafat, S., & Agarwal, P. (2012). Identification of
variables affecting employee satisfaction and their impact on
the organization. IOSR Journal of business and
management, 5(1), 32-39.
Snider, B., da Silveira, G. J., & Balakrishnan, J. (2009). ERP
implementation at SMEs: analysis of five Canadian
cases. International Journal of Operations & Production
Management, 29(1), 4-29.
Teddlie, C., & Tashakkori, A. (Eds.). (2009). Foundations of
mixed methods research: Integrating quantitative and qualitative
approaches in the social and behavioral sciences. Sage
Publications Inc.

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