Executive Summary
This report is an analysis of the content management system that is virtually used in different areas within organizations, institutions and companies. The report gives an in-depth analysis of the capability of the system both in strategic and operational aspects, including a brief history of their emergence and as to why they have become very central in most organizations. It also highlights these aspects while critically looking into the system’s potential capability in an economic area, while discussing how it is beneficial in various ways. This is discussed in the literature review section of the report where an analysis is made based on the research findings, and a conclusion of the above subject.
Introduction
The wide use of information systems has been a game changer in various fronts around the globe. This is because information systems have changed the way businesses, organizations and companies operate, and as well have benefited an organization in various ways. While they are used in one or more areas, information systems such as the content management system plays a crucial role in enhancing operations within a given sector in that they result to efficiency within that particular area. As they are becoming a game changer in the operations of a company, they are critically important in the strategic direction and operational capability of companies (Mauthe 2004), as they dictate on whether service delivery, attainment of goals and the vision of companies will be met.
Background information
A content management system is a web-based application system that uses extensive database system to support organizational data (Shelly et al, 2010). It is usually programmed, configured and implemented on the web to perform various functions depending on the need of the organization.
In many instances, they are dynamic in nature in that they can be enhanced or the content can be changed within the shortest time through a central back-office module. This gives the administrator the capability to publish content based on user needs as well as the power to change the functionalities from the back-office module. In order to deliver such functionalities, the content management system is designed to handle data intensive applications that can run simultaneously, comprising of a collection system, management system and a publishing system (Zhu 2010).This gives it the ability to accommodate simultaneous user requests since the modules are separated hence enabling the system to handle both incoming and outgoing traffic.
In addition to these, a content management system has the ability to support workflow within the application itself, given the in-built features and application modules which are integrated within the system. This makes it to have the ability to accommodate many users in a collaborative environment, mainly in the front end section. One of the areas that such a system has been used tremendously is in the economic area. In this, the system has brought a lot of significance both strategically and operationally, given that it can be accessed over the web while at the same time encourages collaboration among users in an economic area.
Particularly within the economic area, the content management system has been used in trade, where different parties and users such as traders, customers, suppliers and wholesalers can be able to collaborate within the trade chain in order to enhance operational efficiency while conducting trade. This is an element that is clearly depicted in the 21st century as a result of the emergence and growth of various content management systems.
Literature review
There are significances of implementing a content management system within an organizational setup. This is because they come with both strategic and operational significances. In the example of trade, many organizations use content management systems to manage their online presence as well as integrate to other third party service providers systems to enhance operations, collaborate and achieve their strategic roles. According to Asprey and Middleton (2003), a web content management system is an integral part in businesses as it helps bring about automation by integrating various systems which are very central in enterprise development.
This is especially seen in the strategic aspect where businesses deploy their content management systems that can be accessed around the globe. This can completely change the operational strategy in that trade can occur across the globe since customers, suppliers and other third party service providers can collaborate and simultaneously exchange information and services, rather than depend on the domestic market alone. In deploying such a strategy, an organization will likely achieve its strategic goal in terms of linking to other markets, growing volumes of trade and market share as well (Fischer 2012). For instance, Amazon uses a content management system to trade across the globe where the services and products being sold are displayed through the content management system. In this, the company is able to customize its content, change products given the dynamic state of the site. Other than helping an organization to achieve a strategic advantage of being able to link into other markets, content management systems also provide a strategic role of enabling people to be able to share and access information, which is a key tool in service delivery.
According to Misty (2016), the success of an organization will depend in its ability to share information across various segments with third party providers and customers. In many corporate environments, information gathering and sharing is a strategic tool for achieving strategic advantage especially when information being gathered pertains to market intelligence. This would benefit an organization especially when a hybrid content management system has been implemented.
This is because it would act as a tool of information sharing and collaboration. In this, business organizations are able to share and disseminate information from various markets, which would help them align their objectives given the needs of the customers. In this method, a content management system would be customized to collect market intelligence from customers which would then be analyzed by the management hence tailor their requests in their product offerings.
In addition to this, a content management system can help organizations to form strategic partnerships across the globe, which can also be used as a business re-engineering tool given the needs of this 21st century business landscape. In this, as seen in businesses such as Amazon which have linked their systems with other third party service providers such as PayPal, are able to achieve a strategic advantage of being able to accept payments across the globe. In such linkages and partnerships, businesses would be able to achieve a strategic advantage by being able to add new services as a result of an integrated content management system spanning across the boundaries. This is the norm, particularly in this 21st century where online strategies play an important role in most businesses.
As it is becoming clear on the importance of web content management systems in the operations of organizations, institutions and companies, the system is able to place an organization in a competitive advantage compared to its competitors. This has particularly been observed in many, given the dynamic nature of the 21st century workforce. According to Bidgoli (2006), this mostly occurs through group collaboration where organizations with a dedicated number of employees can remotely work for an organization from any location, hence bringing about mobility (Graham 2016).
In this, the web content management system is configured in the form of an extranet that allows for external logins hence giving employees or other remote workers the capability of logging from remote locations. On the other hand, as such systems can be deployed over the web, they also come with the operational element in that they enhance operational efficiency in a number of ways.
According to Mathis and Jackson (2012), the most vivid area where web content management systems have enhanced operations is in the human resource management. Human resource management, as an important tool that organizations use to recruit and manage its employees has heavily relied on web content management systems to automate the search process for potential candidates. In this, a web based platform configured with capabilities of enabling a candidate to search and apply for jobs in the online environment is becoming a norm in most recruiting firms and other organizations. This enhances operational efficiency of such organizations as it tends to minimize costs associated with paper based applications. In this, an organization can also filter the applications based on some pre-configured system attributes
which helps it to filter out unwanted applications, through the use of an online screening tool such as questionnaires. On the other hand, web content management systems can be a game changer as they enhance customer interaction within an organization. In most cases, organizations can be re-engineered in a way that it transforms the customer experience element, within an operational point of view where it would help the organization to respond to customer queries within the shortest possible time. According to Blashki and Isaias (2014), the model of using a web content management system to enhance user experience is common, with many organizations adopting the model in order to appease to its customers, an operational strategy mainly used by many web-based organizations to attract and retain its customers.
Conclusion
Web content management system is becoming an indispensible tool in the 21st century, given the myriad of advantages, in both strategic and operational point of view. This system is used in virtually all areas with trade being the most vivid area in the economical point of view. The system has increased the operational efficiency and strategic intent given that it supports automation, an aspect that resonates with efficiency in modern business environments. In addition to this, the system plays a big role towards establishing strategic linkages which has helped organizations to compete favourably in a market characterised by intense competition. It is therefore clear that web content management systems can benefit an organization in a number of ways, and hence its use should be encouraged, especially in this 21st century where business operations have gone to the web.
References
Asprey, L., & Middleton, M. (2003). Integrative document & content management: strategies for exploiting enterprise knowledge. Hershey Pa, Idea Group Pub. http://www.books24x7.com/marc.asp?isbn=1591400554.
Bidgoli, H. (2006). Handbook of information security . Volume 1, Volume 1. Hoboken, N.J., John Wiley. http://site.ebrary.com/id/10308281.
Blashki, K., & Isaias, P. (2013). Emerging research and trends in interactivity and the human-computer interface. http://librarytitles.ebrary.com/id/10773826.
Fischer, L. (2012). Delivering the customer-centric organization: real-world business process management. Lighthouse, Fl, fsi.
Graham, C. (2016). Strategic Management and Leadership for Systems Development in Virtual Spaces. Hershey, IGI Global. http://public.eblib.com/choice/PublicFullRecord.aspx?p=4448138.
Mauthe, A., & Thomas, P. J. (2004). Professional content management systems: handling digital media assets. Chichester, John Wiley & Sons.
Misty, V. (2016). Enhanced Discovering Computers 2017. Cengage Learning. http://lib.myilibrary.com?id=911728.
Mathis, R. L., & Jackson, J. H. (2012). Human resource management: essential perspectives. Mason, Ohio, South-Western.
Shelly, G. B., Vermaat, M., Quasney, J. J., Sebok, S. L., & Freund, S. M. (2010). Discovering computers 2010: living in a digital world : complete. Boston, MA, Course Technology, Cengage Learning.
Zhu, W.-D. J. (2010). Federated content management accessing content from disparate repositories with IBM Content federation services and IBM Content integrator. [Place of publication not identified], Vervante. http://proquest.safaribooksonline.com/640.