Recommandations and Conclusion

 VI. Problems and Recommendations

Problems during the manufacturing process (Yueyang Hu, Ruini Weng)

In the RFID intelligent monitoring system used in the OSM manufacturing process, the following problems may occur.

a) The reason for the error rate or poor quality of some products in the manufacturing process of OSM may be: misidentification of the RFID monitoring system. Due to technical limitations, for example, it may be affected by factors such as light, weather conditions, object occlusion, etc., resulting in false alarms or misjudgments; Electronic tags used for image recognition may not accurately identify complex scenes or specific objects.

b) The cost and maintenance cost of RFID intelligent monitoring system is high, which includes the reason of completely dependent on power and network. Also, Intelligent monitoring systems require a stable power supply and reliable network connectivity. In the event of a power outage or network failure, the system may not function properly or provide real-time monitoring.

c) Privacy concerns: Smart surveillance systems involve monitoring individuals, employees, and public places, which can raise privacy concerns.

Recommendations for manufacturing process: (Yueyang Hu, Ruini Weng)

a)   In order to improve the quality of products in the manufacturing process, reduce the failure rate and improve competitiveness, we suggest OSM to update and improve the RFID intelligent monitoring system to reduce misidentification. Improving the monitoring system can also reduce the waste of raw materials, reduce the waste of production costs, and support OSM's low-cost business strategy.    

    This may include the use of more advanced image processing techniques, depth learning algorithms, or other advanced pattern recognition methods to improve the accuracy and stability of the system. Also, the monitoring system should be continuously monitored and evaluated to detect misidentified issues and take corrective action in a timely manner. This can include regular system checks, data analysis, and feedback loops to understand the system's performance and make improvements. Optimize OSM company's internal data sets: The accuracy of an intelligent monitoring system relies heavily on the data sets used for training and testing. Ensure that the dataset is diverse and extensive, including a variety of different scenes, lighting conditions, weather conditions, and more. Accuracy can be improved by increasing the sample of real-world scenes. 

    In addition, manual intervention is important. In some cases, an intelligent monitoring system may require human intervention to correct misidentification. For example, when the system gives an incorrect alarm, the operator can verify and confirm to avoid false positives. By combining the double confirmation of artificial intelligence and human operators, the probability of misidentification can be reduced.

b)   In order to reduce the cost and maintenance cost of RFID monitoring system especially in the situation of power outage, we recommend that OSM should consider using multiple energy supply options and installing a distributed energy system, such as solar panels or wind turbines. Also, installing backup power equipment, such as UPS (uninterruptible power supply) or generator is advisable.          Saving overhead on this system can greatly reduce the upfront production cost for OSM, improve profits, and gain competitiveness.

c)   For privacy concerns that may arise from intelligent surveillance systems, we recommend that OSM clearly and openly explain the existence, purpose, scope, and use of the surveillance system to the employees (individuals or organizations) being monitored. Ensure that informed consent is obtained from the individual.  Second, where possible, remove or obscurely identify sensitive information that identifies an individual, and only retain necessary non-personally identifiable information. 

Adopt appropriate data protection measures, including data encryption, access control, authentication, and secure transmission, to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of monitored data. 

In addition, have clear data storage periods and access control policies. Retain only necessary data and restrict access to monitoring data to authorized personnel only. Appropriate cybersecurity measures such as firewalls and password protection can also be put in place.

Problems during the marketing process (Yueyang Hu)

a) In the QR code Marketing system, OSM finds that it has two problems. First, the excessive use of QR codes and the lack of specificity that led to customers getting bored with them. Secondly, the lack of mobile optimization, the landing page loading slowly, not adapting to the mobile screen, and users may be disappointed and may no longer engage.

b) In the Social Media Marketing information system of OSM, for TikTok marketing, OSM finds that it is difficult to control the attitude of TikTok users, and it may receive many bad reviews from buyers as well as malicious comments from competing merchants. In OSM's model of using social media WeChat for WeChat business marketing, due to the low entry threshold, everyone can operate on the platform, resulting in a lack of professional knowledge and experience in some sales, and consumers' trust in WeChat business is relatively low. Second, the after-sales service is unstable. Due to the lack of fixed working hours and possible difficulties in inventory management, some WeChat sales may not be able to provide good after-sales support in time.

Recommendations for marketing process: (Yueyang Hu)

a)   For the QR code Marketing system, to better lock in customers and buyers so that gain competitiveness, OSM should improve the experience of QR code scanning for customers. QR code marketing is a good cost-save marketing method, which support OSM’s low cost strategy. 

    Make sure that the use of QR codes behind each product is targeted, for example, the specific page that QR code scanners arrive at is different for different products, instead of all of them arrive at the same homepage. The QR code should clearly state what the user can get after scanning it and encourage them to take further action. Secondly, improving and enhancing the company's QR code system to make it mobile-friendly, redesigning the results page, and improving loading speed. Only when the scanning experience becomes better can achieve the goal of lock in customers.

b)   For TikTok marketing system, to earn competitiveness among so many merchants, we recommend that OSM should enhance the online service, establish alliances as well as enhance products. 

    For reducing the bad reviews, for example, companies are expected to issue compensation policies, such as free returns and exchanges within seven days of receiving the goods if they are not satisfied or provide vouchers. 

    Companies should provide multi-channel contact information on the TikTok homepage, such as numbers, WeChat, email, etc., to ensure that consumers can easily get in touch with the after-sales service team. It can also use the interactive features on the TikTok platform to build a user community, encourage users to share their experiences, ask questions, and respond in a timely manner to interact with other users. This helps to increase user engagement and loyalty. 

    In addition, enhance the products itself is important. Always pay attention to the needs of users and improve the shortcomings of products. In the face of malicious comments from competing merchants, OSM is expected to turn enemies into friends and establish cooperation and alliances with them to help each other grow together. For example, launch a co-branded product, or a discount event where the two are purchased together. Recommending each other's products on each other's pages and posts, and learning from each other's strengths, turning each other's private customers into two shared customers.

c)   Maintain the business model of WeChat business, because it allows OSM to "open stores at 0 cost" across the country. However, to be more competitive, for WeChat business information system, we recommend OSM enhance services, create a new service and differentiate services by raising the entry threshold and train members. For example, develop the company's internal professional certificate, WeChat sales need to obtain this certificate through training by experienced employees on WeChat, improve professional and service capabilities, which save the cost. In addition, unique product selection: choose products with unique characteristics or specialization, which are different from other WeChat businesses. This can include featured products, limited-edition items, etc. Understand customer needs and provide personalized advice and support to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. You can also interact and communicate with your customers by setting up user group chats. Encourage customers to share their experiences, evaluate products, and provide exclusive benefits and rewards. For the problem of inactive response from WeChat sales and lack of after-sales service, the company should issue corresponding penalty policies and set fixed working hours. OSM can use their ESN “Enterprise WeChat” to set up check-in and check-out options for WeChat sales to oversee this. All of these moves will not only better lock in customers, but also keep costs low and help OSM gain market competitiveness.

Problems in IS system (Muxuan Zhang)

For OSM's information system, we found that OSM did not use VPN to increase the privacy within the system. The fact that a VPN encrypts business data before it is transferred is one of its key benefits. Employees can easily connect their PCs and mobile devices to the company network while they work in corporate premises. Employees who work remotely, however, have to use the public Internet to connect to the internal network, making their traffic vulnerable to in-transit attacks and other methods of monitoring private information. 

Recommendations for IS: (Muxuan Zhang)

We recommend that OSM choose a VPN suitable for their company. With remote access virtual private networks (VPNs) such as Cisco AnyConnect and Pulse Secure, staff members may safely connect from off-site to the company network. Site-to-Site VPNs safely connect many office sites or data centers across the internet; Cisco Meraki and Fortinet are two examples of this technology in action. Mobile VPNs are designed specifically for mobile devices, such as NordVPN and ExpressVPN, guaranteeing safe connections even on the go. Cloud VPNs securely link on-premises networks to cloud infrastructure (AWS VPN, Azure VPN Gateway, Google Cloud VPN). When taken as a whole, these VPNs offer advantages including data encryption, privacy, security from cyberattacks, and adherence to data protection laws.

VII. Conclusion (Muxuan Zhang)

    Through this project, we analyzed OSM's business strategy, the information system during structural process and dynamic process that support its strategy, and made some suggestions for the corresponding parts. OSM adopts a low-cost focus approach to maintain the company's profitability. OSM uses RFID intelligence monitoring system in manufacturing process, while QR Code information system and social media information system (Tiktok and Wechat) in marketing process. However, both of them have some problems, so we proposed some recommendations to optimize them and help OSM get better competitiveness. For example, establish alliance and enhance service on Tiktok to lock in customers, etc. Additionally, within the company, OSM uses Enterprise WeChat as ESN to ensure efficient communication among employees. 

    We also introduced the hardware used by OSM: ZStack Cube and Phytium chips, and the open source software used by OSM: Anodoo. In addition, OSM also uses new technologies like robots to build a "5G factory". However, we found that OSM's information system is not private, so we recommend that OSM use a VPN to protect information security.

    Through the development of this project, we have gained a thorough understanding of how OSM's current information systems support business strategy and how it should continue to optimize information systems to promote business strategy in the future, as well as how to facilitate effective decision-making, enhance data management, and promote organizational success.This hands-on experience provides valuable insight into the dry theoretical concepts covered throughout the course. As we conclude this project, we recognize the importance of MIS in solving real-world challenges, optimizing processes, and ensuring strategic alignment with organizational goals. Going forward, the knowledge and skills gained during this course project will undoubtedly prove invaluable in our future endeavors in the business and technology fields.

    Finally, thanks for Mr. Yang, the manager of OSM, for taking the trouble to solve our questions and accept our interview. In particular, thank every member of the group for their down-to-earth and diligent dedication during this semester.