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Chapter 1 Information Systems in Global Business Today 39
INTERACTIVE SESSION: MANAGEMENT
RUNNING THE BUSINESS FROM THE PALM OF YOUR HAND
Can you run your company from the palm of your force, from customer service, to design, to quality
hand? Perhaps not entirely, but there are many control, with iPhones. Many have iPads as well.
functions today that can be performed using an Using handhelds to run the business is not lim-
iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, or other mobile handheld ited to small companies. General Electric (GE) is
device. one of the world’s largest companies, producing
The BlackBerry used to be the favorite mobile aircraft engines, locomotives and other transporta-
handheld for business because it was optimized tion equipment, kitchen and laundry appliances,
for e-mail and messaging, with strong security lighting, electric distribution and control equip-
and tools for accessing internal corporate sys- ment, generators and turbines, and medical imag-
tems. Now that’s changing. Companies large ing equipment. GE is also a leading provider of
and small are starting to deploy Apple’s iPhone financial services, aviation, clean energy, media,
and iPad as well as Android mobile devices to and health care technology. This giant multina-
conduct more of their work. They are enhanc- tional was an early adopter of mobile technology.
ing their security systems so that mobile users GE employees use their iPads to access e-mail,
can remotely accessing proprietary corporate contacts, documents, and electronic presentations.
resources with confidence. GE’s Mobile Center of Excellence has developed
For some, these handhelds have become indis- dozens of iPhone and iPad applications, including
pensible. Eric Jackson is a champion kayaker who industry-specific diagnostic and monitoring tools
spends half of each year following competitions and business intelligence tools that help decision
and events throughout North America. He’s also makers find patterns and trends in large volumes
president of Jackson Kayak, the leading whitewater of data. The company’s Transformer Monitoring
kayak manufacturer. It’s essential that he partici- app helps manage gas turbine inventory and
pate in athletic events, monitor industry trends in electronic transformers throughout the world,
the field, and meet directly with dealers and cus- with the ability to zoom in from a global map to a
tomers. Jackson’s strong customer focus has helped specific transformer and read all of the key perfor-
the company expand successfully worldwide, with mance indicators. A PDS Movement Planner lets
distributors on six continents. With the iPhone and service personnel monitor railway tracks and obtain
iPad, Jackson claims he can run the entire 120-per- diagnostic information on locomotives.
son company from afar. With operations in 60 countries, Dow Corning
Jackson’s Wi-Fi-equipped RV connects wirelessly offers more than 7,000 products and services
to the company headquarters in Sparta, Tennessee. for consumer and industrial applications, from
When Jackson’s not on Wi-Fi, he uses his iPad 3G cel- adhesives to lubricants, delivered as fluids, solids,
lular connection. The iPad gives him instant access gels, and powders. The Roambi Visualizer app
to his entire operation, so he can analyze customer lets Dow Corning executives use their iPhones
data, refresh Web site content, or approve new to quickly view and analyze real-time data from
designs. Jackson’s iPad includes calendars, e-mail, their core corporate system, including sales fig-
contact management, and the ability to create and ures, trends, and projections. It presents managers
edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations—all with simple, intuitive dashboards of complex data.
the tools this executive needs to communicate with According to Executive Vice President and Chief
the home office, dealers, and customers. Financial Officer Don Sheets, in 15 seconds he can
Back at the shop, Jackson Kayak’s managers and get a sense of whether there’s a financial perfor-
employees find iPad and iPhone equally invaluable. mance issue he needs to get involved with.
In the factory, Chief Operations Officer John Ratliff Dow Corning’s Analytics App for the iPhone
can compare Jackson Kayak’s manufacturing equip- monitors Web site traffic and online sales for the
ment side-by-side with images of replacement parts company’s XIAMETER brand of standard silicone
on the iPad to make sure he’s getting the correct products. Analytics App interfaces with Google
pieces. The iPhone and iPad have become so indis- Analytics. When Dow Corning rolls out XIAMETER
pensable that the company outfitted its entire work- Web sites across the globe, executives can monitor
MIS_13_Ch_01_Global.indd 39 1/17/2013 2:24:22 PM
