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INFOSYS.110 BUSINESS SYSTEMS:

DELIVERABLE 2: BUSINESS SECTION
2014

Name Nicholas Fury
NetID Nfur347
Group Number: 293
Website Link: http://infosys1102014s1group293.blogspot.co.nz/
Tutorial Details
Tutor: Day: Time:
Khusbu Thursday 12pm
Time Spent on
Assignment:
10 hours Word Count: 1565

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SMART CANE BUSINESS PLAN
INTRODUCTION
All overall the world visually impaired people struggle to navigate their day to day lives
restricting their access to the area around them, 55% of blind or visually impaired people
travel routes unfamiliar to them less than once a week and 40% suffer head level accidents
at least once a month. The smart cane wishes to help these people struggling by using GPS,
Bluetooth, Proximity sensors and infrared technology to create a walking cane that can give
the user directions and warn them about upcoming obstacles to help them access new
places and navigate their way there.
3. BUSINESS SECTION
3.1 Vision
To provide blind and visually impaired people with a safe and easy way to navigate their day
to day lives.
3.2 Industry Analysis:
Industry: Electronic travel aids for the blind industry.
Force: High/Low: Justification:
Buyer power: Low Although there are other products in the same
industry none of them other the same full
comprehensive aid as the smart cane. Other
products are very expensive and offer a lower
level of aid for the blind and visually impaired.
(Yen, 2005)
Supplier power: High Suppliers of electrical components have a lot of
power as there are so many choices for them

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when selling their products. Because there will
not be mass production of the smart cane. Orders
from the supplier will be smaller and are less
likely to be able to negotiate a good deal with
suppliers.
Threat of new entrants: Low The cost of producing products in the electronic
visual aids industry is quite high the blind aid
system created by Carnegie Mellon University
cost $1,127 to make (Mau, Melchior, Makatchev
and Steinfeld, 2008). This means that anyone
wanting to enter the industry would need large
amounts of capita to be successful.
Threat of substitutes: High Blind or visually impaired people do have other
options when wishing to travel such as a white
cane, guide dog or personal assistance by another
person. 90% of blind people cannot travel alone,
of the 10% that can 7% use a white cane and 3%
can use a guide dog (Mau, Melchior, Matakchev
and Steinfeld, 2008). Meaning there is a real
opening on the market for a product such as the
smart cane that allows independent travel.
Rivalry among existing
competitors:
Low With most of the existing products on the market
costing large amounts of money up to $2,500
(Yen, 2008). There is a low rivalry among
competitors for an affordable product to suit a
large range of customers.

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Overall attractiveness of the industry: This is a fairly attractive industry due to the low
buyer power, the fact that there is a low risk of new entrants and little rivalry among
existing competitors and although there is a high risk of substitute products none offer the
same advantages to the user as the smart cane.
3.3 Customers and Thei r Needs
40% of blind people suffer a head level accident at least once a month, 30% of blind people
suffer falls at least once a month, 23% of head level accidents carried some medical
consequences of which 60% required assistance by medical professionals and 26% of head
level accidents affected the persons confidence to travel alone (Manduchi and Kurniawan
2011). All of these factors cause Blind people not be access the world around them. Our
vision is to provide blind and visually impaired people with a safe and easy way to navigate
their day to day lives Meaning we need to provide them with a way to avoid these
accidents so that they will be able to access the world around them. We will provide this
with the Smart Cane.
3.4 The Product and Service
How will the product solve the problem, the GPS system will allow blind or visually impaired
people to navigate areas or reach places that are unusual or unfamiliar to them. 55% of
blind or visually impaired people travel unfamiliar routes to them less than once a week
(Manduchi and Kurniawan 2011). Restricting their access to the area around them. The GPS
will help with this as it will allow the user to search a destination and receive concise and
easy on the go directions on how to get there. Once on their way towards the destination
the sensor stick will allow the user to avoid hazards and obstacles through voice warnings
and vibrations. The warnings about upcoming obstacles or hazards will reduce the amount
of head level and fall accidents which affect blind or visually impaired people from travelling
alone and reduce the medical costs related to these accidents. Regular canes can be useful
but don't give a full representation of the environment the user is travelling through. Guide
dogs are useful but are not always available, are costly to maintain and take a long period of
time to learn to use. Our system will be easy to learn to use will give a better representation
of surroundings that existing canes and will also have the added benefit of GPS navigation.

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3.5 Suppliers and Partners
A supplier for the technology used in the sensor of the cane will be www.digikey.co.nz they
can provide the proximity sensors and infrared technology needed. The supplier for the
Bluetooth headsets would be www.globalsources.com they have a large range of different
headsets available and we would be able to select the perfect one to use with the blind or
visually impaired.
3.6 Strategy: Focused Low Cost
The smart cane is aimed at the focused market of blind and or visually impaired individuals
who require assistance for day to day travel. Causing it to be narrow market.
The cost strategy is low cost this is so that the smart cane will be available to as many who
need it as possible this means that the smart canes introduction to the market will able to
affect as many people as possible.
The overall strategy is therefore Focused Low Cost
3.7 Value Chain Activity: Manufacturing the product
The most important value chain activity for this business is Manufacturing the product
I have chosen this because for the smart cane to really give blind and visually impaired
people and easy way to navigate their lives it has to be made extremely with no flaws and
be of very high quality while also remaining affordable enough for widespread use. These
can both be done by manufacturing a high quality product and doing so efficiently to reduce
costs
3.8 Business Processes
3.8.1. PRODUCT CREATI ON PROCESS

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This is an important process because it is essential in creating a high quality product this
involves sourcing the parts for the product from the suppliers mentioned above and
intergrading them efficiently to minimize manufacturing costs so that the smart cane can be
sold at an affordable price as mentioned in the strategy.


3.8.2. QUALI TY TESTING PROCESS To ensure that the smart cane is a quality product that is
going to work well and truly better the life of its user it must be put through a quality testing
process to ensure that all the parts are working well and it is overall a well-functioning
product.


Start
Place an order for
materials.
Receive materials
from supplier.
Combine materials to
create smart cane
system.
Finished product sent
to inventory
warehouse ready to
be shipped.
Check new materials as
they arrive to ensure the
work.
As each component is added
to the smart cane make sure
the system works properly.
Test the end product once it
is finished to ensure the
system works before sendig
to the inventory warehouse

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3.9 Functionalities
3.9.1. PRODUCT CREATI ON PROCESS
Creates the end smart cane product.
Keeps the smart cane at a low manufacturing price.
3.9.2. QUALI TY TESTING PROCESS
Makes sure that the smart cane works properly.
Makes sure that faulty parts arent used in manufacturing.
3.10 Systems

3.10. 1. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM An inventory management system is a very
important part of the company. It allows the company to keep track of the amount of smart
cane systems that they currently have in the inventory warehouse allowing them to keep
track of their production rates and how fast they turn over inventory.
3.10. 2. MATERI AL ORDERING SYSTEM- The material ordering system will allow all the parts
needed for a smart cane system to be ordered all the same time rather than having to place
individual orders for each part of the smart cane. This will reduce the time taken to place
orders and in turn create the smart cane making the product creation process more efficient
and reducing costs.
3.10. 3. SUPPLIER RESEARCH SYSTEM This system will group data that has been collected
about suppliers including price and quality of products to produce data on which suppliers
are better to use which offer lower prices that means the smart cane system can be produce
at a low manufacturing costs but also have high quality materials to ensure the system
works

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3.11. Summary Table: Value Chain to Systems

Value Chain
Activity
Processes Functionalities Specific Information
System(s)
Broad Information
System(s)

Manufacturing
the product.
1. Product
creation
process
1. Creates the end smart cane product.

2. Keeps the smart cane at a low
manufacturing price.
Inventory management
system.

Material ordering system
Transaction processing
system

Supply chain management
system
2. Quality
testing
process.
1. Make sure the smart cane works properly.

2. Makes sure that faulty parts arent used in
manufacturing.
Material ordering system


Supplier research system
Supply chain management
system

Decision support system

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CONCLUSION
The smart cane aims to help visually impaired and blind people navigate their daily lives by
providing them with a means to travel independently and access the world around them.
This will be made possible through the use of information systems that will support the
business processes allowing the company to use the focused low cost strategy to make
smart canes readily available to those that need them.

REFERENCES

1. Yen, D. Currently available electronic travel aids for the blind. ( 2005). Retrieved
from http://www.noogenesis.com/eta/current.html

2. Borenstein, J., & Ulrich, I (1997). The guide cane A computerized Travel Aid for the
Active Guidance of Blind Pedestrians. Retreived from
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~iwan/papers/guidecane.pdf

3. Mau, S., & Melchoir, N., & Makatchev, M., & Steinfeld, A (2008). Blindaid: An
Electronic Travel Aid for the Blind. Retreived from
https://www.ri.cmu.edu/pub_files/pub4/mau_sandra_2008_1/mau_sandra_2008_1
.pdf

4. Manduchi, R., & Kurniawan, S ( 2011). Mobility- Related Accidents Experienced by
People with Visual Impairmant. Retreived from
http://users.soe.ucsc.edu/~manduchi/papers/MobilityAccidents.pdf

5. Yen, D. Electronic Travel Aids for the Blind. (1996). Retrieved from
http://www.tsbvi.edu/orientation-a-mobility/1974-electronic-travel-aids-for-the-
blind?device=desktop