Mashaweer (Page 67)


1-12 What Kinds of applications are described in this case? What business functions do they support?

    The applications described in this case are: PDA, centralized application and SCADA. The business functions that the case supports: Manufacturing and production, finance and accounting and human resources.

I. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system

ERP is integrated enterprise-wide standard information systems that automate all aspect of an organization’s business process.

When their business growing bigger, they wanted to get an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to help in managing the business, however, they found the quotations are too high. As a result, they started their own information technology company, Innov8 (innovate), and they created their customized ERP system, and they then connected to their customized PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) through a cloud computing system that was made by LinkDotNet and Mobinil. It allows each rider (the worker) receives tasks one at a time on their PDA, which also includes a GPS to provide them with the correct directions. The GPS function can also monitors the rider’s location to ensure that they are working well.

II. CISCO

When they wanted to provide a better customer service, they started to invest in an innovative contact center and using CISCO. This application supports up to 300IP phones, having a reporting module and a good recording system which made it much easier for the company to track its received calls and work on any problems that its customer service agents might face.

III. Mashaweer Server

It is one of the software components developed by Innov8. It is a centralized application that manages the elements as below:

- Orders (placement, editing, pricing, review, tracking, and reports)

- Routes management and optimization

- Clients (management, reports, discounts)

- Packages tracking

- Contracts

- The call center

- Satellite offices

- Representatives

- Cash transactions and expenses tracking for representatives and satellite offices

- Asset tracking of vehicles, PDAs, and mobile printers

- Management reports

IV. Application Program Interface (API)

The application is used to interpret the data and presents you with the information you wanted in a readable way. API is playing an important role to integrate Mashaweer ordering system with third parties. This application allows third parties, for instances delivery company to automate their delivery system and integrate Mashaweer into their existing CRM / dispatching systems and it opens a great opportunity for their business expansion.

V. Mashaweer PDA application

This application is being installed on all the PDA of the riders and it manages the elements as below:

- Order items progress tracking

- Collection of order fees and other costs, against a printed invoice

- Package handling (barcode scanning and destinations)

- Messaging

- Cash and expenses tracking

- Synchronizing data periodically and at the beginning of each shift

VI. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)

SCADA system is a system of software and hardware elements that allows industrial organizations to control industrial processes locally or at remote locations, to monitor, gather, and process real-time data and so on. SCADA system will be used in the Mashaweer headquarters to monitor all of the live orders and measure the traffic in case of rush hours and so it allows the riders to prevent using the wrong road and react to it before depart.

Major Business Functions:

I.    Manufacturing and Production: Providing services to the customers by running errands on behalf. The personal service is the product that they provide and they are providing the services depending on the uses of information technology to receive the orders.

II.    Sales and Marketing: Providing good customer service to their customer by delivering the correct goods and services on time by depending on the information shown on the PDA. As well, can keep in touch with the customer for after sales service to build better relationship with the customer.

III.    Finance and Accounting: Managing the company’s financial assets and maintaining the company’s financial records to ensure that the company is always financially healthy with the transaction record in the customised ERP.

IV.    Human Resources: Attracting, recruit, develop and maintain the high quality company’s human capital. Ensure that the workers are working happily with the company and providing the best services to the customers. 

1-13 What are the benefits from equipping their riders with PDAs?

    Through this technology Mashaweer decreases the amount of errors due to the fact that the messenger is tied to an automated process where he receives his tasks through the PDA handheld. And also to manages the following:

1. Tracking the order items progress.

2. Track the collecting of order fees.

3. Messaging the riders.

4. Track the cash and expenses.

5. Synchronizing data periodically and at the beginning of each shift.

    By providing technology application and system by which enabling its riders to receive information associated with customers’ location /or orders’ destination, it allows customers to obtain their orders in the appropriate and timely manner.
    As a result of efficient and satisfying services, it induces at high level of customers’ satisfaction and eventually great profit generation by Mashaweer.


1-14 Was it a good decision to expand the business to Cairo? What are the implications of information Systems?

Yes it was a good decision to expand the business to Cairo since the succeed in Alexandria.

I. Indeed, it was a good decision for Mashaweer to expand its business to Cairo. Apparently, using Alexandria as comparison, Mashaweer can be considered to attain success without facing lots of obstacles in Cairo as compared to when it was first entered Alexandria.

II. While it took Mashaweer a certain time before it able to spread awareness of its services and stimulate the use of its services by customers (prior to low usage of technology system in Alexandria), Mashaweer had easily penetrated into Cairo market where it able to generate tremendous profit prior to first-mover advantage.

III. As a result, the decision of business expansion by entering into Cairo market can be perceived to be right and appropriate, especially for the sake of business profitability.

The implications:

I. Mashaweer heavily depends on technological advances that occur every day and depends on the tools so it benefit from the advancements and prices reductions that continuously take place. As a result Mashaweers total costs will be decrease, enabling it to decrease its prices and further improve its quality to become even more convenient for a large number of people.

II. Based on the case study, it can be seen that the availability of Mashaweer services in Cairo has changed daily activities of Cairo citizens. Rather than delivering products /or items personally, which consume lots of times (due to traffic) and may be dangerous (due to the time), the citizens of Cairo are discovered to have preferred using Mashaweer services through Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). This in turn, resulting in circumstances where technology usage is becoming common and important in the life Cairo citizens.


1-15 Do you think that Mashaweer will be able to accomplish their future strategy and sustain its market share?

    Yes, Mashaweer will be able to accomplish their future strategy and sustain its market for below reasons:
    Mashaweer is an online supermarket that will enable people to do their grocery shopping through Mashaweers website and get it delivered by its representatives within 30 minutes of placing the order. Mashaweers call center is expected to make up an important revenue stream for the company in the near future, as the company starts introducing marketing campaigns. Using the technology they have invested in building their infrastructure, Mashaweer now has the potential to easily enter and penetrate other markets in different regions as a very low initiation cost.

Mashaweer’s future strategy as follows:

I. Mashaweer Supermarket: to provide online supermarket service that enable people to shop online through their website and get it delivered by its representatives within 30 minutes of placing the order. Variety of products will be displayed on the website. Mashaweer is hoping to reach an average of 4000 orders daily in return for a delivery charge of 5 Egyptian pounds per order.

II. Call Centre: Expected to make up important revenue stream for the company as it starts introducing marketing campaigns. As well, Mashaweer is planning to expand the call centre to include other companies other than Mashaweer.

III. Geographical Expansion: Using the technology they invested, they could enter and penetrate the other markets easily. They plan to expand to other regions within Egypt, and as well to other countries within the Middle East. In October 2013, they will open their first franchise in Beirut, Lebanon. They also wanted to expand their company to several countries in the Gulf.


1-16 Do you think in near future, the competition between Mashaweer and Wassaly will be aggressive? Why?

    No. the competition between Mashaweer and Wassaly will not be aggressive as Mashaweer is the only company of its kind in Egypt that operates on this scale. However, there is a company called Wassaly that was established in Cairo after Mashaweers success in Alexandria. 

Wassaly cannot compete with Mashaweer because they have following advantages:

•  Database of thousands of loyal clients.

• Self-investment is manageable.

• Highly qualified and carefully selected riders.

• Delivery sector in the Egypt.

• Various revenue streams.

• Being the owner of the IT company 



Comments