Question

Your PPT presentation should cover at least the following topics: QAD Enterprise Applications

• What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) relative to your ERP vendor? Use information / data / graphs from your online research to justify your answers.

• Provide the following information on your assigned ERP system:
  • What Modules (finance, sales, procurement, manufacturing etc) does the software provide?
  • What are the costs or how does the software compare cost wise with other systems?
  • What industries is this ERP system typically used in?
  • What are the size of the companies that typically use this system?
  • What ratings are given to this software system?
  • Is this ERP software system an on premise or cloud based system?
  • What platforms (Mac OS, Windows, Linux) is this ERP software system compatible with?
  • Other interesting information – example - well-known companies that use it
  • Customer reviews
  • Implementation ease/ stories of companies’ experiences, etc.

Answer 1

Strengths of QAD Inc.

• Successful track record in mergers & acquisitions integrating complementary companies. In the last few years, it has effectively absorbed a range of technology firms to streamline its processes and create a stable supply chain.
• Better Returns on Capital Spending – QAD Inc. is fairly successful in introducing construction ventures and achieving strong capital spending returns by creating construction revenue sources.
• Highly trained labor force by effective educational programs and research. QAD Inc. spends tremendous amounts in its workplace recruitment and growth culminating in a workforce that is not just highly qualified but also inspired to do more.
• Reputable suppliers – It has a deep base of reputable raw material manufacturer thereby allowing the business to solve any bottlenecks in the supply chain.
• A powerful group of dealers – It has developed a culture among distributors and dealers where dealers not only endorse the goods of the business but also invest in educating the selling staff to demonstrate to the consumer how he/she can gain the full benefits from the products.
• Solid delivery network-QAD Inc. has developed a robust distribution network over the years that can cover much of its future market.
• Action automation added quality stability to QAD Inc. products and allowed the company to scale up and down depending on market demand conditions.
• Superb Results in Emerging Markets – QAD Inc. has developed the experience to reach and render progress in emerging markets. The expansion has helped the company create new income sources and diversify the impact of the economic downturn in the industries in which they work.

Weakness of QAD Inc.

• The high turnover rate in the workplace – QAD Inc. has a higher retention rate relative to many companies in the sector and will invest far more in recruitment and staff growth relative to its rivals.
• Financial preparation is not being carried out correctly and effectively. The current asset ratio and liquid asset levels indicate the company will use the cash more effectively than it actually does.
• I want to invest more in emerging technologies. With the size of growth and multiple geographies that the business is planning to grow into, QAD Inc. has to invest more resources into infrastructure and automate the processes around the board. For now, infrastructure spending is not online with the company's dream.
• The advertising promotion has left much to be desired. Although if the company is a commercial success, its positioning and specific selling point is not well established and can lead to competitors' attacks in this market.
• The layout of the company is consistent only with the present business model, thereby reducing the growth of neighboring product segments.
• Relative to the competition, days inventory is strong – allowing the organization to raise more money to spend in the market. This will have an impact on QAD Inc's long-term success. The company was unable to overcome the obstacles posed by the segment's new entrants and lost substantial market share in the categories of niches. To combat these obstacles, QAD Inc. will create an internal engagement system directly from the selling staff on the field.

Opportunities for QAD Inc.

• Reducing freight costs due to reduced import rates will also minimize the costs of QAD Inc.'s goods, thereby presenting the firm with an opportunity to either improve its competitiveness or pass on the benefits to consumers in order to increase market share.
• The key competencies of a company will be a winner in a related area with other goods. It can be a comparable case-GE healthcare work that helped it build improved oil drilling equipment.
• Low inflation rate – The low inflation level gives more financial stability, providing lending to QAD Inc. consumers at lower interest rates.
• Business growth would dilute the advantage of the company and allow QAD Inc. to improve its profitability as opposed to other rivals.
• Digital portal and clients – The company has spent large amounts of money on the web network in the past few years. This investment opened up a new avenue of revenue for QAD Inc. In the next few years, the company will be able to take advantage of this opportunity by properly understanding its clients and by leveraging big data analytics to meet their needs.
• The new product gives QAD Inc. an opportunity to pursue competitive sales strategies in the modern industry. It will help the company to retain its existing customers with better service, which will draw new customers through other value-oriented proposals.
• Current regulations on the economy – The latest incentives would create a fair playing field for all business participants. It represents a tremendous chance for QAD Inc. to bring home its innovative technological superiority and to capture market share in the emerging drug segment.
• After years of stagnation and sluggish growth rate in the sector, global upswing and rise in consumer purchases are an incentive for QAD Inc. to attract new clients and raise its market share.

Threats QAD Inc.

• No daily supply of new goods – the company has produced several goods over the years but these are also the reaction of other players to the production. Firstly, there is no daily availability of new goods resulting in high and small fluctuations in the number of transactions over time.
• Liability rules in different countries are different, so with changes in regulations in those jurisdictions, QAD Inc. can be subject to multiple liability lawsuits.
• In the medium to long term, new technology introduced by the rival or market disruptor may pose a significant challenge to the industry.
• Growing wage rates, especially trends such as $15 an hour and rising markets in China, will lead to extreme pressure on QAD Inc's competitiveness. The growing trend of isolationism in the American economy will lead to similar reactions from other governments affecting foreign profits negatively.
• Changing customer purchasing behavior from the online platform may pose a challenge to the current supply chain paradigm powered by physical infrastructure.
• Since the organization operates in various countries, it is exposed to currency volatility, especially in view of the unpredictable political environment in various worldwide markets.
• New environmental laws may pose a challenge to some current commodity categories under the Paris Agreement (2016).

The modules that are included are:

• Sales
• Vendor management
• Operations
• Billing
• HRIS

The company is charging a premium over other vendors because of the all in one solution and ease of implementation.

Typically in Service industries like Hotel, Food, and Beverage, Restaurants, Manufacturing, Automobile industries.

The typical size of the customer is from 500 to 10000 employees.

A rating of 4.2 out of 5 is given by the customer on the website.