Aacsb Writing Assignment

AACSB Integration and Writing Assessment Assignment

GEB 4980

Professor Arthur Rubens

Kirsten Langdon

Business Management

814860709

Throughout history we have experienced continuous shifts and changes in our business environment, starting most notably with the Industrial Revolution. Around 1850 industrial business interests began to shift to the chemical, petroleum, electric and automotive industries, and what is considered to be the second Industrial Revolution began. This revolution is specifically marked by the transfer of technological and economic leadership from Britain to the United States and Germany. During this period, the majority of assets within an organization were held in property, plants and equipment; and traditional financial accounting system measures, such as return on investment and earnings per share, provided a more than adequate valuing of a company and it’s assets.

Thanks to even further advances in technology and the evolution of globalization, our generation has entered the information era. In this new era, the business environment has evolved into a fast paced and rapidly changing environment; relying heavily on knowledge, innovation and technology. This change of pace has increased and intensified the consumer’s demands, needs, wants and expectations, along with creating higher levels of complexity and uncertainty within industries.

Today’s business owners and managers face intense competitive pressure to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. This entails continuously providing consumers with new and innovative products and services that are better, faster and cheaper than their competitors. In order to compete and succeed, organizations are challenged to create more value for their customers such as reduced delivery time, customization and flexibility. In order to obtain an added value, companies often invest large amounts of money into information systems and information technologies to simplify supply chains or...