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The list of implementations required in a system can go on and on. In this paper we are going to determine what database and/or database communication systems will be the cost efficient to employ as a marketing assistant for a consumer electronics company in charge of setting up the companies trade show.
As a marketing assistant in charge of setting up my companies trade show booth the first thing I would do, after determining what equipment and displays are to be used in the trade show, is set up a departmental color coded/ employee ID number label tracking system comprised of a combination of the manufacturer serial numbers, model numbers from each piece of equipment along with a detailed description of each piece including cost. I would create a department identification number that ill identify the department to which each item must be returned.
I would personally create the departmental color coded tracking system label which will contain, as previously stated, manufacturer model/serial numbers, departmental identification number & handling employee identification number. Separate labels will be created to identify the shipping company handling each item, cost of shipping, cost of each item including a breakdown of the cost of each component of the item, insurance on each item and component of each item, number of pieces being shipped, cost of the entire shipping container.
I would also like to number each shipping container and include an in-house packaging label detailing each item contained in the shipping container if multiple items are packaged in on shipping container by doing this I will know if a container or item from the container is missing when doing the quick check-in of containers upon arrival at the final destination.
Tracking the shipping company with the database will provide me with information that could be useful in the future such as how long it takes the shipping company to kick-up items to be shipped, how long it takes items to reach their destination, whether or not the items arrived in excellent condition, how often items are damaged or lost by the shipping company, how long it takes for items to be re-shipped if lost, the cost to ship items (single, bulk, large packages, etc. ).
If shipping is done with multiple companies a report can be printed detailing the information compiled in the database and utilized to determine which shipping company would be the most efficiently reliable (delivering items in excellent condition in a timely manner), cost effective and the best to employ for the company. Show Booth Project Management). Spreadsheets would seem to be more cost effective but that is determined based on the time and effort that must be put into inputting, maintaining, distributing information along with additional necessary updates and the number of people requiring access to the information.
Now using a spreadsheets on a day to day by a small business with no more than five to ten authorized personnel requiring access to the data would possibly be efficient and cost effective as opposed to a large corporation in the trade show industry. A small business in the trade show industry would be to track employees, equipment plus components, booth components, packing and shipping, cost on a single spreadsheet in an information storing capacity.
The small business owner can even easily email the spreadsheet to authorized personnel with the necessary updates however, information can be lost, viruses can attach to the spreadsheet and a subset management file can be created of data which poses a security breach during the transfer of the spreadsheet. In my opinion and experience, a database would be the best working system to use or my trade show organizing project as it is a (according to Kerosene , 2012, p. 01) “self-describing collection of integrated records” that will allow anyone working on the trade show to access it to monitor and track equipment, booth components, stats, shipments & handlers. Some may prefer a spreadsheet but I feel that a spreadsheet would not be the most effective or efficient way to manage the project as only one person would have access to the information, anyone else working on the trade show would need to duplicate the spreadsheet & all involved would have to maintain insistent communication in order to assure that each has accurate information in the possession.
Also, information maintained on the spreadsheet would have to be transferred when creating reports for future trade show research, whereas, a database can be created to generate reports on a vast range of information for the immediate and future trade show and business ventures.
The information collected and maintained in the trade show database will be useful for other departments of the company such as accounting departments and upper management, I feel the best database to use would be an enterprise database engendering more than likely the trade show would be conducted by the sales department but communication/information transfer with other departments will be necessary.
An enterprise database can be designed to manage/plan operations of the company on all levels, provide multi-user functions and RADIUS server authentication for the security required for business use. Personal databases even if accessed by a small group of people ( 15 to 20 no more than 100) would reduce the likeliness of misuse or inputting inaccurate information but will increase the possibility of security breaches.
Hiring a carrier can be simplified with a decisions support system (ADS). An organized database will assist in having all the information necessary to track the company The information acquired about the shipping company in the database is valuable in the respect of it will be useful in documenting the shipment history of the shipping carrier, thus creating a record that will aid in selecting the best carrier to employ for the shipping needs of the trade show department of the company.
The departmental color coded/ employee ID number label tracking system comprised f a combination of the manufacturer serial numbers, model numbers from each piece of equipment along with a detailed description of each piece, departmental identification number, handling employee identification number, shipping company identification number and ADS database (decision support system database) will decrease the chances of equipment and booth components being misplaced when it reaches the drop off location.
Equipment or booth components arriving damaged or not arriving at all can be tracked back to the shipping company or employee to last manned it so charges can be forwarded to the appropriate party. Another thing to consider when setting up my database would be the trade show set up team. This would entail tracking which employee will be handling and responsible for the each booth component, piece of equipment, set-up and trade show hours.
Assignment/tracking of responsibility, breaking down the details of that responsibility entrusted to and trade show work hours of each team member can be tedious, however, it can also be simplified by utilizing a ADS database (Decision Support System). Along with plugging in the tracking information of equipment and booth components, trade show staff members identifying information, equipment/booth component assignment, trade show set-up details and trade show staff member work hours can be input as well.
Information regarding the trade show staff members can be password protected and accessed by authorized personnel. In conclusion, as a marketing assistant for a consumer electronics company in charge of setting up our trade show. I would most definitely use an enterprise database/ADS (Decision Support System) as opposed to an excel spreadsheet.
The advantages of using an enterprise database/ADS (Decision Support System) overwhelming outweighs the advantages of an Excel Spreadsheet by reducing the likely-hood of security breaches, improving the efficient manner in which data is viewed/ shared with authorized personnel, providing multiple tracking capabilities, providing additional report generating functions, documenting a number of aspects in the companies tradesman history, storing information that can be used to improve the financial success of the company also aiding me in doing my Job more effectively and efficiently.
I decline on the spreadsheet as a trade show set-up project management tool primarily because it would be less efficient and effective considering the vast amount of information that needs to be input, the large quantity of equipment and components to be tracked, the security issues in staff member information employing a spreadsheet would impose not to mention the problems with accuracy and possibility of transferring large amounts of data to authorized members of management.