RMIT International University Vietnam
Bachelor of Commerce Program
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BUSM2359
Information Management
RMIT Vietnam – City Campus
Assignment 1: Assessing the Information
Needs of an Organization
G2_A1_s3123954
NGO BA TUNG
S3123954
S3123954@rmit.edu.vn
JAIME CALBERTO
Assignment due date:
29th July, 2007
Date of Submission:
29th July, 2007
Late Submission Approval:
Number of pages including this one:
(Please number your pages like this: page 1 of
7, page 2 of 7, etc)
Word Count:
(Main Content)
None
11 pages
1846 words
Page 1 of 11
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
BUSM2359
VIET GAMING COMPANY
INFORMATION AUDIT
NGO BA TUNG – s3123954
Page 2 of 11
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 4
COMPANY PROFILE ..................................................................................................... 4
The Business .................................................................................................................. 4
Organizational Structure ............................................................................................. 4
Strategies and Future Plan ........................................................................................... 4
VGC’S INFORMATION SYSTEM ................................................................................ 5
Environmental Factors ................................................................................................. 5
Information Flows ......................................................................................................... 6
Information Audit Mapping ........................................................................................ 6
PROBLEMS AND RECOMMENDATIONS............................................................... 10
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 10
REFERENCE .................................................................................................................. 11
Page 3 of 11
INTRODUCTION
Viet Gaming Company is one of the first online providers as well as the leaders in this
area in Vietnam. After a period of operating, it is time to look at the whole company and
fix all the problems. As considering carefully, a new information system is required
which include more effective information flows as well as it can be used in the most
efficient way to help the manager in making decisions.
COMPANY PROFILE
The Business
Established in 1997 by Nguyen Minh Van, Viet Gaming Company (VGC) was one of the
first local companies to provide licensed online game for Vietnam. After 10 years
operating, VGC can now be seen as one of the leaders in this area with various types of
multiplayer games and online games and, also, they have won a number of contracts to be
co-publisher and developer of new games in a near future. The company mission is to be
a premier online game provider in Vietnam and SE Asia.
In order to satisfy the growing market of online games as well as strengthen the position
against the competitors, VGC has looked for a partnership with Vietnam
Datacommunications Company (VDC). By doing this way, VGC had had an opportunity
to update its information and communications system as well as rearrange its strategies to
ready for future changes.
VGC’s headquarter is located in Ho Chi Minh City where they are having agreements to
run through Internet Coffee Shops. The company is also in service through Internet shops
in other provinces.
Organizational Structure
At the moment, VGC has the total of 245 employees working in 5 different departments
including Marketing and Sales, Financial Operations, Software Development and
Technical Support (SDTS), Production and Distribution. Each department is under
control of a vice director who then have to report to the Managing Director later.
Strategies and Future Plan
VGC is looking for more partners outside Vietnam in order to cooperate as a distribution
network which can be considered as a strategy of the company to do business
internationally. This strategy will help VGC to become the leading game developer in
overseas market in the future. Besides, the company does not forget to take care of their
domestic business with the new information audit.
Page 4 of 11
VGC’S INFORMATION SYSTEM
Environmental Factors
Customers
As it is the rule, VGC have to collect information of their customers in order to serve
them better than anyone else. For example, VGC needs to know the average age of the
customers coming into a Internet Coffee Shop as well as what is the trend for online
games this season such as real-time strategy (Vo Lam Truyen Ky) or cartoon character
(Boom).
Employees
This is also an important factor that VGC should consider when running their business.
Recording information of employees will make later course of action done smoothly. For
example, recording worked hours or good ideas of an employee will make it clearly
easier to promote him later and also increase the company productivity.
Competitors
The competitors of VGC could be other online game providers who are always trying to
launch their new and new products to gain as much market share as they can. These
companies have the motivation of reaching the leading position in the market, therefore,
it will be much better if we know what they are try to launch, at what price and whether it
have what we do not have.
Government
Understanding the rules and law is also a key for VGC to be successful on their business.
Violent and sexual games are two examples that a game provider will not be allowed to
release. Therefore, the more VGC study and understand about the rules, the easier for
them to be successful in this area.
Economic
Vietnam economy has grown rapidly in recent years especially it has come along with the
growth of online games. Vietnamese today are putting more money in entertainment and
online games have a large part of it. Therefore, knowing the income of the target
marketing as well as other related economic information is essential for VGC to reach to
the customers.
Technology
As a partner of the economy, the computing technology in Vietnam has seen a growth in
recent years and became a key element for online game providers to do their business.
Today, with wirefire in the coffee shops and ADSL in internet shops, online games are at
their peak of development. VGC will need to collect information of those distributors
such as which café has wirefire/internet shop has the fastest connection, how many
customers coming into the shop in 3 hours, etc. in order to gain the strongest distribution
system.
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Information Flows
VGC has a number of databases in which information would be generated and accessible
within the company. The information flow is running from the lowest level to the highest
level of the company; that it starts with the collection from the staff to the vice director of
each department and, finally, generated in the reports to the Managing Director who will
later make decisions based on what information he had.
Internal Data
Employees (worked
hours, age, etc.)
Customers (contracts,
preferences, etc.)
Financial figures
Product data




DEPARTMENTS








Vice Directors




Analyzing
Editing
Planning
Giving
recommendations
External Data
Market research
Competitor reports
Government legislative
Archive
Technology innovation
Reports
Documents
Files
MANAGING
DIRECTOR




Experience
Ideas
Knowledge
Expertise
Viet Gaming Company
Information Audit Mapping
Page 6 of 11
Information Source
Customer database
Product / Service
contracts
Software
development /
Suggestions
Generator
Internal /
External
Internal



Production staff
Sales officers
SDTS staff



Customers
Sales officers
Production staff
Internal /
External


SDTS staff
Software
engineers
Customers
Internal /
External

Format of the Source

User
Electric
database
Hardcopy
documentation



VGC website
Contracts /
Agreements





VGC website
Email
Phone
Forum






Purpose
Storing customer
information to:
 Retain
relationship or
informing new
product release.
 Forecast new
trend through
customer
preferences
Production
 Understanding
vice director
customer needs or
demand
Customers
 Recording sales
Marketing
volume of a
and Sales
customer in order
vice director
to predict future
sales or draw a
promotion
program
Customers
 Evaluating
product (games
SDTS vice
release for
director
testing)
Production
 Receiving
vice director
feedbacks and
suggestions from
customers
VGC whole
company
Page 7 of 11
Technical support /
FAQs



Distribution system



Marketing programs /
Market research
reports


Customers
Software
engineers
Technical support
team
Internal /
External
Distribution
department
Internet Coffee
Shops
Internet shops
Internal /
External
Media advertising
team
Marketing staff
Internal /
External









VGC website
Email
Phone
Forum



Hardcopy
documentation
(contracts,
reports)
Online database

Posters /
Brochures
Newspaper /
Magazines
TV / Radio





Customers
SDTS vice
director
Production
vice director

Distribution
vice director
Internet
Coffee Shop
owners
Internet
shop owners

Customers
Marketing
vice director
VGC whole
company


Evaluating the
adaptability of the
product (Is it
friendly with the
customers?)
Making
expansion
versions (of a
game) based on
the large amount
of asked
demanding
Understanding
and evaluating
status of the
distribution
system (Is our
games played the
most by the
customers coming
into the internet
shops? Is it a
good way to
distribute our
games?)
Understanding
the market in
order to set
competitive price
or draw
Page 8 of 11

Internet

Financial reports


Operation reports


Financial vice
director
Financial staff
Internal
Department vice
directors
Staff, employees,
engineers, etc.
Internal



Hardcopy
documentation
(income
statement,
budget, balance
sheet, etc.)
Meetings
Hardcopy
documentation
(performance
reports)

Managing
Director





Managing
Director
Department
vice
directors

successful
promotion
programs.
Making
relationships with
new customers
and partners
Cost forecasting
Price strategy
planning
Profit reporting
Managing
company
(coordinating and
controlling
effectively and
efficiently)
Page 9 of 11
PROBLEMS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The market for online games has grown quickly over the last 5 years; however, VGC was
not able to keep up with the demand due to the under-developed information system. This
was truly a big problem since the company had lost a considerable income for the
unadaptiveness. The probable cause of this could be the lack of investment in marketing
and sales area where they act as a representative for the company. For example, due to
the little money they have, marketing department might not be able to do a proper market
research and, therefore, unable to give an accurate forecast of demand. In order to, reduce
this loss, VGC should reduce their over-investment in software and development of their
products and put more money to improve their marketing function.
Another problem came from the hard culture in the company which had created some
difficulty in sharing the information. Certainly, this problem is so serious that the
Managing Director should take a look at it. Based on the information from operational
reports which would be generated by vice directors and all the staff within the company
or holding a meeting himself, the Managing Director can easier solve this problem with
his knowledge on organizational behavior. The key here is just how to let him know in
the fastest way.
There was an issue that the company records and the customer information had been kept
in separate departments where access is controlled and limited. The problem had not only
caused data duplication but also high fence to access the information. The first difficulty
is very dangerous which could lead to mistake and out-of-date decisions from the
Managing Director who would be easily confused of two different information of only
one event. The other difficulty will reduce the chance that people access the information
and also reduce the number of them which would lately lead to the lack of information
within the company. The solution for this problem is creating a customer database where
all the information of the customer will be stored and can be accessible by both the
customers and the whole VGC Company.
Another problem came from “no” systems between VGC and the Internet Coffee Shops
which had had the company difficult in collecting and using distribution information.
Clearly, this problem would cause VGC the lack of information and therefore, unable to
manage their distribution system properly. A solution for this problem might be an
electric or online database that stores all the information such as transactions, game
played hours, time and volume, etc. that both VGC and the Internet Coffee Shops can
access into and retrieve.
CONCLUSION
In order to reduce the risks and problems, VGC needs to build an information system
where the information flows fastest to right destination where it is required. By doing this
way, not only the Managing Director is given much help in his decisions but also the
departments within the company will be coordinated more effectively and efficiently.
Page 10 of 11
VGC is among the leaders of the area and with this way of organizing, where
communications and information are all arranged orderly, it is certain that they will be
the best in a very near future.
REFERENCE
Black Board – RMIT University Vietnam, 2007, ‘BUSM2359 Course Documents:
Lecture Presentations: Information Audit’, viewed on 25th July 2007, <http://bbsgvn.rmit.edu.vn/@@5ab544a6dc5582adb365faa1980df39c/courses/1/BUSM2359/conte
nt/_57723_1/BUSM2359_Topic_3.ppt>
Black Board – RMIT University Vietnam, 2007, ‘BUSM2359 IM 2007B Assessment
Guide: Viet Gaming Company’, viewed on 25th July 2007, <http://bbsgvn.rmit.edu.vn/courses/1/BUSM2359/content/_57343_1/BUSM2359_IM_2007B_Asse
ssment_Guide.pdf>
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