Posted by Buzz on January 28, 2009
It is really quite funny just how dependent we have become on our technology. Really, just imagine all of the things we take for granted now that did not even exist maybe twenty years ago. Can you even image not having a camera built into your cell phone which has an internet browser? I would be lost without text messaging! Oh my God: I would actually have to talk to people!
A perfect example of the technological dependency came up at my work just the other day. I work at a major retailer of auto parts and accessories. You have probably heard of AutoZone since we are the biggest chain of these stores in the USA. Anyway, it was business as usual when all of a sudden all of our computers went to what I affectionately refer to as “the blue screen of death.”
Well as you can see, without the computers we don’t have the use of the barcode scanners. In fact, the entire retail point of sale software collapse sent us spinning back to the Stone Age. We actually had to do everything by hand. We hand wrote receipts. We calculated tax using a calculator. We even had to use the old fashioned credit card thing with the carbon paper! I tell you it was crazy!
Technorati Tags: AutoZone, barcode scanners, retail point of sale software
Posted by Spaycial on January 23, 2009
I’ve worked for companies who seem to think the less money they put into their business, the more is left over for them. Although this is a common attitude in many industries and among many managers, it can often come back to bite you in the behind.
Basically, there are some things you just can’t skimp on, and those are the things that have a direct bearing on the quality of your final product. For instance, for a power plant to cut corners on the quality of the flow meters they use could have serious impacts on energy output, or even the likelihood of a dangerous accident at the plant. That’s why it is so important for a power plant to use a high quality brand of flow controller.
The example of offices and the equipment they use isn’t quite as dramatic, but it is still pertinent. If you haven’t updated your office printers in ten years, chances are your employees are wasting a lot of time waiting for things to print — and that wasted time costs you far more money than the price tag on a few new printers. Same thing goes for computers — faster and more capable computer save you time and money in the long run.
Of course, profit margins are important, too. It takes a truly skilled business owner or manager to achieve the delicate balance between too much spending and too little!
Technorati Tags: flow controller, flow meters, office printers, power plant, profit margins