RIORDAN MANUFACTURING: SALES AND MARKETING 1 Riordan Manufacturing : Business Systems Team B Business Systems II BSA 502 Analyze the current business systems of Riordan Manufacturing, Inc., focusing on its Sales and Marketing and Human Resources departments. Discuss the existing systems in each area, identify challenges, and provide detailed recommendations for improvement. Your analysis should include: 1. An overview of the current Sales and Marketing systems, including how historical sales data and customer relationship management (CRM) are managed. 2. A critical evaluation of the existing Human Resources Information System (HRIS), highlighting its limitations and areas needing enhancement. 3. Comprehensive recommendations for upgrading both systems, emphasizing the integration of modern technologies (e.g., CRM solutions and SAP HRSS with virtual cloud storage) to enhance operational efficiency and strategic decision - making. Your paper should be well - structured, demonstrating a deep understanding of business systems integration and the strategic role of Sales, Marketing, and HR in organizational growth. Word Count Requirement: 2,000 - 2,500 words. Introduction Riordan Manufacturing, Inc. is a plastics manufacturer whose products are used in the sports, medical , the Government and several other key industries . As a company that has been in business since 1991 . Over time Riordan has been able to establish a solid foundation for the company, product line, processes and procedures. This paper will discuss its current business systems to include sales and marketing, human resources, operations and logistics and legal departments and provide recommendations on how the existing systems can be improved. Riordan Manufacturing: Sales and Marketing . Its s ales and marketing systems depend on today’s standards of integrated information management. Riordan is computerizing its sales and marketing systems to handle their customers more efficiently. It is also working on ways to best consolidate customer data to provide better value to the customers. Existing Sales and Marketing System Riordan Manufacturing , Inc. is a rising organization. Updating the current s ales and marketing system is a must for any organization and is needed in order to grow and increase revenue. T he sales and marketing for a business is the part of the business that is accountable for finding clients, making sales and generating revenue. This is the one part of any business that creates a cash flow. Riordan Manufacturing, Inc. is focused on consolidating their customer information, departmental databases and other historical and modern day records to operate more efficiently and better serve its customers. The firm has historical records in many disparate databases, as well as in paper files, microfiche, and various filing cabinets (Riordan, 2012), as well as in into a Customer Relationship Management ( CRM ) system. Riordan has a three - part sales plan for 2006 comprised of the following three strategies. The first is “Strategic sales objectives with corresponding financial goals and roll - out schedules. Through this strategy, the sales team plans to work with existing customers before their RFPs are released in an effort to have their customers surround their final project with Riordan products to fulfill their needs. The second strategy is using the four P’s of sales and marketing; product - by expanding their product line according to their customer’s needs , pricing – by not increasing price to customers and facilitating discounts application to customers by sales managers , promotions – by implementing sales team promotions and incentives to sell and customer promotions to buy, and placement – by performing a market study to determine the best industries and geographical locations for promoting their products. The third part of the marketing strategy is to strengthen customer relationships with existing customers through a customer relationship management program (CRM). One way presented is to provide a variety of resources for customers in an effort to connect with them. Presently Riordan Manufacturing Inc. ’s Sales and Marketing systems are ( A pollo Group, Inc., 2012 ) :  Historical Sales  Files of Past Marketing Research, Marketing Plans, and Design Awards  Sales Database  Production records  Profit and Loss Statements by Item Group  Marketing Budget  Marketing Budget Anticipated Results  Customer List  Sales Chart  Product Catalog The historical sales information , which was first recorded manually via paper and pencil, is now entered and tracked electronically. Over the past several years, the Riordan has managed to import and manage the following historical sales electronically:  Dates including order, delivery, and payment dates by order.  Unit and dollar volume of each product including plastic bottles, fans, hea rt valves, medical stents, and custom plastic parts rolled up to be examined by product group and customer.  Sales by customer to include price paid, cost, margin, and discount given. (Riordan, 2012) The ability to pull historical sales data is very impor tant, as it w ould allow Riordan to evaluate past, current, and future cost and sales activities to learn from past knowledge and make better informed decisions for the organization. Riordan does not have any other standard systems or operating procedures to track and maintain the records within the other departments. The different departments that make up Riordan all track their records in v arious forms and fashion. The s ales team methods varies from paper and pencil to the use of sales managem ent software such as ACT. The p roduction department maintains records by shifts then categorized produ ct group and year where as the m arketing methods maintain records by profit and loss record item and group. Although the methods and process may work within each individual department, it is not ideal for the company as a whole. The company must implement a standardized systematic solution to keep track of all past, current, and future vital records. Recommendations Riordan Manufacturing, Inc. has already established it’s self as a major manufacturing company in the world. This has brought in lots of customers around the world; this includes Government contractors to major customers in various forms. The need to have sales data that is up to that date requires a dedicated team and software that will support all of this. A record of all sales must be kept in order to keep sales up and not sky rocketing. It is vital that Riordan realizes the potential they currently have in order to leverage their expertise for manufacturing by bringing their sales tools up - to - date. A competitive advantage maybe gained by Riordan by establishing a system that will integrate hardware and software with their existing systems. CRM are designed to manage business functions and strengthen the ties between business owners and their customers in a more convenient and practical way. CRM is very attractive alternative, less expensive, less labor and time consuming and can help the Riordan organization to reduce administrative overhead and provide accurate customer bids, track customer discounts and expand value added services to customers. Riordan will be able to increase and forecast revenues due to these advantages; creating an efficient set of standards for the marketing and sales group allowing for increased productivity and customer satisfaction . Riordan Manufacturing: Human Resources The Human Resources (HR) department of a company is an essential part of the business. This is the department that acts as the heart of the business pumping the talent or blood throughout the different systems or organs of the company. With an effective and efficient HR department in place, a company can achieve great things. This section will discuss the existing HR systems within Riordan Manufacturing, Inc. and will also present recommendations for changes in the existing system. Understanding Human Resources The role of the Human Resources department has evolved over the years. Traditionally, the HR department was responsible for the hiring and firing of employees – period. An article written by William King talks about five major functions HR management plays in business, namely 1. handing compensation and rewards; 2. recruitment; 3. performance management; 4. point of contact; and 5. employee expectations (King, 2007). The content of this article still holds true to today’s market. Today’s HR departments are ensuring that they can provide competitive compensation and benefits packages to attract ideal candidates. Companies are empowering their HR departments to work harder and smarter in order to create a strong front in their workforce. HR departments are designed to protect the company’s investment in the people hired by working hard in recruiting the right candidates for open positions, matching them to the appropriate managers or supervisors so that there is a great fit between the two. HR departments are using a vast amount of assessment tools like personality tests, performance management reviews and goal setting in order to best place their employees in the right position. The right position should be a position that is not just to the company’s profitability and advantage but also fulfilling to the employee’s experience. Riordan Manufacturing – Existing Human Resources System Riordan Manufacturing is currently using an HRIS system that was installed in 1992 as part of a package system the financial department is using. The system uses data retrieved from specialized forms and a subsystem of excel spreadsheets. The forms are used by managers and the employee relation specialists. The forms used by managers include employees’ personal information, pay rate, tax information, date hired, seniority date, vacation time, and organizational information. The employee relations specialist also uses forms to track information about employee complaints, employee grievances, and employee harassment claims. When changes need to be made to any of the previous mentioned information, the appropriate form is filled out and sent to the payroll clerk, who is in charge of entering and maintaining the data for that part of the HRIS system. Managers are also responsible for tracking family