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INFOSYS.110 BUSINESS SYSTEMS:

DELIVERABLE 2: BUSINESS SECTION
2014

Name Robert Lim Yock
NetID rlim796
Group Number: 155
Website Link: http://infosys1102014fcgroup155.blogspot.co.nz/
Tutorial Details
Tutor: Day: Time:
Mira Lee Tuesday 2pm
Time Spent on
Assignment:
30 hours Word Count: 1645

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SOFTWARE TO END ALL ERRORS
INTRODUCTION
A major problem facing the world today is medical errors in hospitals. Bad hospital care
leads to around the death of around 180,000 patients, and is estimated to be a third highest
cause of death in America, behind cancer and heart disease

(Anderson & Townsend, 2010).
These errors often stem from overworked nurses without sufficient training about correct
medicine procedures. Also, mistakes as simple as a misplaced decimal point can have fatal
consequences (Chilton, 2006). Our business has created a software solution that streamlines
the medical application process to prevent these causes and therefore medical errors
from happening.
3. BUSINESS SECTION
3.1 Vision
Providing patient supervisors with innovative, customer-focused software solutions to
eliminate medical errors worldwide.
3.2 Industry Analysis: Medicine Distribution Systems Industry
Industry: Medicine Distribution Systems Industry. Our business operates in the medicine
distribution systems industry, which is the link between the medical supplies and the
patient.
Force: High/Low: Justification:
Buyer power: Low The medicine distribution systems industry is very
small, and while other companies exist (such as
Epicor) our business is the only one to offer this
specific software which caters more to getting the
right medicine to the patient. Buyer power is

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therefore low as customers have little choice.
Supplier power: Low Supplies needed for a software company such as
computers can be sourced from a wide range of
companies, who would all offer low prices to beat
their competition. Possible suppliers include
Hewlett & Packard, Toshiba, Dell, etc.
Threat of new entrants: High There are very little entry barriers to enter this
industry as the supplies can be easily sourced.
Also, it is quite easy for other software companies
to emulate our software and offer a similar
product.
Threat of substitutes: High There are several other methods that have a
similar outcome to our software such as manual
instructions by the doctor or having a medication
chart which the nurses check.
Rivalry among existing
competitors:
Low Because the insustry is so small and the
companies within it, such as Epicor, offer slightly
differing products (Epicor, 2013) there is very
little rivalry amongst existing competitors.
Overall attractiveness of the industry: The industry is moderately attractive. Because it is
such a small industry, each company has its own niche within it, therefore having low rivalry
and buyer power. This company, for example, focuses on the patient aspect of medication
distribution. However, if the industry became very profitable, the ease in which new
entrants can come into the industry (as the supplies needed for a software company are
easy to obtain) makes the long-term attractiveness of the industry lesser.

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3.3 Customers and Thei r Needs
Our products main customer is hospitals. The product is designed specifically for a hospital
room environment, with the patient supervisors in mind. A secondary customer would be
private practictioners or GPs who supervise patients. The main needs of the customer is a
simple system that will make it easier for nurses to obtain and administer the correct
medication to the patient. This will lessen the workload of the nurses, which is one of the
biggest causes of medication errors.

(Anderson & Towsend, 2010)
3.4 The Product and Service
The product our business provides is a software system that can be installed on monitors by
the patients bed. This system streamlines the medication application process. The doctor or
head supervisor can input the medication details of each patient (on a centralised
computer), which will be automatically be checked against the pre-installed database for
errors such as a misplaced decimal place or clashes with other medication. When it comes
for the nurses to apply medicine, the information about dosage amount, time and
administering process will be displayed immediately on the screen, simplifying the process
and minimizing the margin of error.
3.5 Suppliers and Partners
The first supplier our company needs is a computer supplier, who will provide the
computers on which our developers will design and create the software. Because software
development can be done on any computer, it can be sourced from a range of companies
such as Dell or Hewlett & Packard. The second supplier our company needs is an electrical
company as all of the development and manufacturing of this product requires a large
amount of electricity to power the computers.
One partner our company would have is with a monitor manufacturing company, such as
Samsung, who can provide the hardware on which our software would be installed on. By
partnering with them we could optimise our software for a particular monitor and share
profits. A second partner would be with the governments medical research department.
Our software uses a deep database which would be constantly updated. By partnering with

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the research department they can provide us with reliable and in-depth information while
we can provide them with constant statistics as medication is used in our software (with our
customers permission).
3.6 Strategy: Focused Low-Cost
Our company is focused on a very narrow portion of the market, which is specifically
hospitals. Other customers likes GPs may benefit from the product but the product
development is focused on use in hospital wards. Prices will be at a relatively low price as
our product, although unique within the industry, will need to be kept at a low cost for our
customer to see it as a viable alternative to existing substitutes.
The overall strategy is therefore Focused Low-Cost
3.7 Value Chain Activity: Research and Development
The most important value chain activity for this business is Research and Development
Research and development is the key value chain for this business. Without this stage our
product cannot be up to the standard needed for our customer to use it compared to other
substitutes. Thorough research has to be taken place to find out where the main problems
lie in terms of medical errors, and this has to be translated into the finished process by
finding solutions for it within the development process. The software has to be easy to use
and well tested, as it cannot fail within a hospital environment.
3.8 Business Processes
3.8.1. CUSTOMER SERVI CE PROCESS
One of the main business processes of this company is the customer service process. This
process begins when the customer receives the product and their information is logged into
a database. The customer retainment system will automatically notify our company to ask
the customer for feedback. This feedback is then sent to the research and development
department, and with the help of a complaints analysis system, possible updates to the
product are made and sent to the customer. The main goal of this process is to provide the
customer with cutting-edge software that they are happy with.

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START
Customer
receives product
Customer details
stored in
database
After set period
(e.g. monthly)
customer
contacted
Receive
feedback from
customer
Send feedback
to research &
development
Update product
according to
feedback
received
Send product
updates to
customer
END
Customer Retainment System
Complaints analysis system
Research and Development Department


3.8.2. SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Another main business process is the software development process. This process begins
with the research and development department as the research and design the software.

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Using a department management system, the R&D department works together with the
manufacturing department to create the initial product. This is then tested for errors and
modified several times until an error-free product is created.
START
Research
product
(industry
analysis)
Plan and design
software
Create first
version of the
product
Test Product
Make necessary
modifications
Repeat testing
and modifying if
neccesary
END
Research and Development Department
Department Management System
(Research and Development
Department, Manufacturing
Department)


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3.9 Functionalities
3.9.1. CUSTOMER SERVI CE PROCESS
Store and update data on a database
Send update to customer
3.9.2. SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Identify industry trends
Test products for errors
3.10 Systems

3.10. 1. CUSTOMER RETAI NMENT SYSTEM Maintaining customers is key to developing a
strong relationship with a customer. This is important to uphold our vision of customer-
focused software as by retaining customers the business can better understand how to
cater the software to the customer. This system has a key part of the customer service
process as stores and updates customer data, and in doing so alerts the company to when a
customer should be contacted. This communication is key to receiving the feedback and
making use of it.
3.10. 2. COMPLAINTS ANALYSIS SYSTEM The complaints analysis system is another key part
of the customer service process. It is also very relevant to the customer-focused part of the
companys vision. The complaints analysis system runs through all the feedback received
from the customers, and identifies the most common complaints so the research and
development department can plan modifications to the product, which are then sent to the
customer. This ensures that customers are happy and able to use the product,
differentiating the product from competitors and substitutes.
3.10. 3. DEPARTMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - The departmental management system is
key to the process of software development. This system provides a way for departments
to communicate and work together. In this case, the research and development department
provides the manufacturing department with research on industry trends, as well as a
design for the manufacturing department to follow. This system also allows the two
departments to work together on testing and modifying , ensuring the product is innovative
and usable by the customer, fulfilling the companys vision.

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3.11. Summary Table: Value Chain to Systems

Value Chain
Activity
Processes Functionalities Specific Information
System(s)
Broad Information
System(s)

Research
and
Development
1. Customer
Service
Process
1. Store and update data on a database

2. Send update to customer

Customer Retainment
System

Complaints analysis system
Customer Relationship
Management System

Decision Support System
2. Software
Development
Process
1. Identify industry trends

2. Test products for errors
Departmental Management
System



Collaboration System



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CONCLUSION
Our company has one goal in mind eliminating medical errors worldwide. Distribution
systems have been identified as one of the best ways to help prevent the causes of medical
errors (Paparella, 2008). Our company is dedicated constantly developing its distribution
system software to cater to hospitals and to prevent the causes of medical errors such as
work overload and miscommunications. Information systems are a integral part of the
company achieving its goals. Systems such as the complaints analysis system ensure that the
product is constantly kept up-to-date and the departmental management system allows
different departments to integrate their work seamlessly to create a well designed and
manufactured product.

REFERENCES

1. Anderson, P. Townsend, T. Medication Errors: Dont let them happen to you.
American Nurse Today, 5(3). Retrieved from
http://www.americannursetoday.com/article.aspx?id=6356&fid=6276

2. Allen, M. (2013). How Many Die From Medical Mistakes In U.S. Hospitals? Retrieved
from http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/09/20/224507654/how-many-die-
from-medical-mistakes-in-u-s-hospitals

3. Chilton, L. (2006). Medication Error Prevention for Healthcare Providers. Retrieved
from http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/550273

4. Epicor. (2013). Distribution Software for Medical Supply Distributors. Retrieved from
http://www.epicor.com/Industries/Distribution/Pages/Medical-Supply-Distribution-
Software.aspx

5. Paparella, S. (2008, April). Medication Distribution Systems: An Interdisciplinary
Conundrum. Paper presented at the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Chicago,
United States of America.