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Sysco Case

Decent Essays

Business Intelligence Software at SYSCO
1. Why did SYSCO decide to address only two questions with its new BI software and how does that approach compare to the “best practices” in the companion reading “Secrets to managing business analytics projects”?
SYSCO decided to address initially only two questions in order to facilitate the learning process of the software by using just a limited and straightforward array of its features. In this way, the 100 operating companies and 45,000 employees would become comfortable with the software’s functionalities, and aware of the innovative power of BI. This approach can be compared with the practice “working with commitment”. Indeed, “setting the right expectations at the beginning and managing them …show more content…

In detail, a strong resistance will come from some of the operating companies that already have “their own small-scale business intelligence applications in place”. These companies may not see any valid reason or advantage to switch and implement a new software system. Furthermore, another obstacle that SYSCO might confront will be the objection from the existing managers and IT experts averse and incapable of using a new software with different functions. Moreover, the forthcoming implementation time of the BI software proposed by the Assistant Vice President of Technology and Applications Twila Day might raise doubts and concerns among management as well as …show more content…

Forecasting analytics will enable SYSCO to make appropriate upfront decisions and monitor customers as well as the industry. Extraction and data mining are also useful tools that will positively affect SYSCO’s decision-making process. Lastly, consulting support and employees’ training will facilitate the implementation of the new software in the company. For all these reasons, the use of BI at SYSCO can create a competitive advantage of the company in the industry. However, this competitive advantage depends on the competition – do the competitors use a similar software or by chance the same and do they already have a strong position in the market? Outperforming for example “U.S Food Service”, SYSCO’s main competitor, might be arduous if that company relies on a similar software and already has an eminent role in the

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