External/Internal Factors
MGT/330-Management: Theory, Practice, and Application
External/Internal Factors
The only constant in the high-velocity world of express shipping is change. FedEx and its competitors wage an unrelenting battle to offer customers more delivery options, at lower cost, with greater convenience and reliability. The boom in e-business, home shopping networks, and mail-order catalogs for manufacturing has created exciting new opportunities for FedEx. No longer just an overnight package shipper, FedEx is a full-service logistics provider, planning the flow of goods and information between customers, retailers, and suppliers.
Fueling the company's growth and success has been the development of strategic information systems that enable FedEx to provide better-quality service to its customers. The FedEx Information Technology Division (ITD) supports all computer-based functions of the company, including all customer computer use, such as ordering FedEx services and tracking delivery status. Sharon Sirrell, a senior development support analyst, is a certified facilitator of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People training, used extensively within ITD. "Technology is constantly evolving, and we must be able to deliver the latest technology that will improve the efficiency of our delivery services. The 7 Habits training gives our people greater capacity to deal with rapid change and to be proactive in harnessing technological advances.", Sirrell, who started out as a volunteer facilitator within ITD in 1993 teaching the 7 Habits once a quarter, says benefits of the training extend to improved communication among individuals and interdependent teams, as well as strengthened human relationships. The 7 Habits are: be proactive, ...