Aviation Flight School Start Up

Business Proposal

Mission Statement

Vision Statement

Proposed Products and Services

Competitive Advantage

Organizational Structure

Expected revenues

Market Industry Position

Relevant Competitors

Role of Information Systems

Information Systems Structure

People resources

Hardware Resources

Software Resources

Data resources

Network Resource

Ecommerce

Eagle Flight School and Shop will be a flight school for future pilots and a store where pilots and students can purchase everything from clothing (apparel) to flight bags to headsets. The Flight School will provide classes that will allow students to acquire a pilot's license in accordance with government rules associated with the minimum number of flight hours and the government approved curriculum. The mission of Eagle flight school is to provide pilots with the proper instruction as it pertains to all aspects of air travel and to provide both students and professionals with the equipment needed to carry out their duties as pilots. The flight school will provide a variety of training scenarios including virtual flight simulation, lectures/classroom instruction and experience flying actual aircraft. In addition to the Flight School aspect of the company, the pilot store will also be an important part of the business. The store will allow students and pilots to purchase uniform and aviation accessories. The store merchandise will also be internet accessible. Our company will have many competitive advantages because we are not just a flight training school with aircraft to rent and train in, but also an online company where anyone from around the U.S. can purchase products. Information Systems technology will be vitally important to ensuring that the proper type of network is developed. In addition the ecommerce aspect of the business will require a great deal of technology skill and savvy. The information systems structure chosen for this business will be instrumental in ensuring that the company will be successful and accomplish its goal and objectives while carrying out the vision to be an international leader in the development of proficient pilots through comprehensive instruction and the lead the industry in providing pilots and students with the products and supplies that are essential to aviation.

Introduction

Starting a business can be an arduous task, however, it can also be an exciting a rewarding endeavor. The purpose of this discussion is to explore a business proposal for a new flight school and store and the manner in which information systems will be critical to the development of the business. The research will focus on several aspects of the proposed business including the Proposed Products and Services, Information Systems Structure and the role of ecommerce.

Eagle Flight School and Shop

Eagle Flight School and Shop will be a flight school for future pilots and a store where pilots and students can purchase everything from clothing (apparel) to flight bags to headsets. Our company will be based in a physical location at an airport of course, but will also have a small warehouse located at a satellite facility. The purpose of the warehouse will be to feed our main source of income and revenue through the sale of apparel and products from our online store on the internet.

Mission Statement

The mission of Eagle flight school is to provide pilots with the proper instruction as it pertains to all aspects of air travel and to provide both students and professionals with the equipment needed to carry out their duties as pilots.

Vision Statement

To be an international leader in the development of proficient pilots through comprehensive instruction and the lead the industry in providing pilots and students with the products and supplies that are essential to aviation.

Goals and Objectives

The goals of and objectives of Eagle flight are to ensure that all students and practicing pilots have the instruction and information needed to safely and efficiently fly aircraft. The company aims to achieve this by recruiting and retaining the top instructors in the aviation field. These instructors will possess hours of in flight experience and assist students in developing exceptional flying skills. In addition the company desires to expose students to all the safety measures that must be adhered to so that safe flights can be guaranteed. The primary objective of the flight school is to develop pilots who are equipped to handle aircraft and any situation that might arise during a flight.

Proposed Products and Services

The Flight School will provide classes that will allow students to acquire a pilot's license in accordance with government rules associated with the minimum number of flight hours and the government approved curriculum. Students will have the choice of whether to attain a commercial pilot's license or a license that allows the piloting of small air craft. The school will also provide licensure and instruction for those who want to become helicopter pilots. Regardless of the type of licensure being sought, there will be both lectured and textbook instruction in addition to virtual instruction. Of the students will also have to complete a number of hours in the actual aircraft they will be licensed to fly. Once the program is completed the potential pilots will have to take the nationwide standard tests so that they can receive the appropriate licensure.

In addition to the Flight School aspect of the company, the pilot store will also be significant part of the business. The store will allow students and pilots to purchase uniforms, accessories. One of the most important aspects of the store will be its internet accessibility. That is, not only will the store be a brick and mortar facility but pilots and students will have the ability to purchase products online. The store will also provide information such as travel updates and it will allow pilots to plan trips and arrange the best routes so that they can get to their destinations quickly and safely. The store will also provide pilots with information about the weather and temperatures at their destinations so that they can plan accordingly.

Competitive Advantage

Our company will have many competitive advantages because we are not just a flight training school with aircraft to rent and train in, but also an online company where anyone from around the U.S. can purchase products. The company intends to utilize the internet and ecommerce in a manner that will give it a competitive advantage over similar stores that do not have an internet presence.

Organizational structure

The company will utilize an organizational structure consistent with the one depicted on the left. At the bottom of the structure are entry level positions and positions related to accounting marketing and human resources. The next section includes the legal department and mangers. This level of the organization also receives decisions from the upper levels of the organization which is inclusive of the President and Vice President.

Expected revenues

During the first two years of operating the revenues are expected to be between $200,0000 and $350,000 during the first year with most of the revenue coming from the flight school.

Market/industry position

Since Eagle Flight is a new company the market position may not be that significant for the first few years that the company is in operation. However after five years the company expects to be in the top twenty five percent of similar companies in the flight/aviation instruction industry. It is also suspected that the pilot store will gain a significant portion of the market within the first five years of operation.

Relevant competitors

Competitors in this field are inclusive of regions flight and aviation schools that offer similar programs. In addition all regional and national pilot stores that have a presence on the internet are also a threat to Eagle Flight.

Role of Information Systems

Information Systems will play an integral role in assuring our business success and we shall implement state of the art software for purchasing products, setting up training sessions, to tracking orders electronically. Although the company will offer pilot training, our main source of income is projected to be through our online internet venture. Therefore, an information technology team will be created to ensure everything from our website to inventory tracking is in order. Eagle Flight School and Shop will be a source for everything aviation and pilots!

Information Systems Structure

In an effort to properly implement the information systems needed to carry out the business the following information systems structure will be implemented:

1. People resources: the company aims to employ IT professionals that have the training and experience to handle the virtual training systems (flight simulators) that will be utilized by the school and the ecommerce programs that will be necessary to run the online aspect of the company. The IT professionals will be responsible for maintaining the hardware and software systems present at the company. They must also stay abreast of the new and dynamic software and hardware products that are coming to the market and implement such products where needed and necessary. The critical success factors (CSF) associated with this particular process involves

The use of skilled people to develop and maintain an information systems structure that allows the company to carry out its goals and objectives successfully.

IT professionals will have the capacity and authority to determine what aspects of the system need improvement, therefore there will be constant improvements to the system.

Through their expertise IT professionals will also have the ability to assist mangers in making information systems decisions that are conducive to creating the optimal management environment for the company while also increasing revenues.

2. Hardware resources- the hardware necessary to ensure that Eagle flight runs efficiently will be inclusive of desktop computers which will be used to store customer and school databases, maintain inventories and record daily sales. IT professionals will also be given laptops to ensure that they can gain access to the company's network even when they are absent from the actual facility. The network will also be an integral part of the company's hardware and will require installation and upkeep. Other hardware devices will include peripheral devices such as printers, copiers and cash registers. The hardware resources will allow the company to store massive amounts of information that will allow it to easily access customer and student information. In addition the inventory system will aloe the company to reach out to suppliers when inventory is running low or the sales records show that certain products are not selling well. Overall the hardware is the conduit through which the business will have the capacity to run smoothly. The critical success factors (CSF) associated with this particular process involves

The hardware will be of a quantity and quality that will ensure that the information stored will be safe and reliable so that students and customers alike will have good experiences with the company.

The various forms of hardware will guarantee that IT professionals have the proper access to the company's network even when they are away from the buildings that house desktops and other hardware.

The hardware possesses the technology that is essential to ensuring proper management of the company involving both the school and the store.

3. Software resources- the computers that the company purchases will have various forms of software that are consistent with the aforementioned processes. That is inventory software such as IntelliTrack WMS Warehouse Management Software will be utilized. IntelliTrack WMS Warehouse Management Software "provides the basic functions for warehouse operations, including physical inventory, shipping, receiving, and picking, as well as management features such as queries, reporting and barcode labeling. WMS Professional includes advanced features like space management, user defined directed put-away and picks, batched order management, replenishment and cross-docking warning ("IntelliTrack Warehouse Management System" (WMS)." This particular software was chosen to track inventory because it will provide the company with all of the insight needed to properly manage inventory.

Additional software will be utilized to handle the personal information of students. Student information will also include the classes that have been completed, the courses that still need to be completed, grades and comments from instructors. Billing information will also be available for students as an aspect of the software. The critical success factors (CSF) associated with this particular process involves

The inventory software is essential to keeping an accurate account of the current products that are available for purchase. While also providing insight into products that need to be ordered or discontinued. Having access to this type of sales information will allow the company to predict what customers desire while also eliminating the products that are not popular. This will assist the company greatly in becoming a leader in the industry.

Inventory software will also allow the company to maintain an excellent relationship with suppliers which will ensure that they get the best contracts as it relates to the amount they pay for products sold in stores.

The software will also be essential to assisting students in keeping track of their academic records. The software allows for convenient access to this information.

4. Data resources- this aspect of the information system structure will be automated. It is important to understand that, "The data resource encompasses all its representation of each and every single data available to an organization. This means that even those non-automated data such as bulks of paper files in individual desks of each staff, confidential paper data hidden in steel cabinets, sales receipts, invoices and all other transaction paper documents constitute the Data Resource. It cannot be denied that despite the digitalization of all business processes, papers still play a large part in business operations ("Data Resources")." With this understood adopting an automated system for data resources in the context of Eagle Flight. An automated system provides the most comprehensive system for ensuring that the data resources are managed in a way that is conducive to ensuring that the company can accurately and effective handle and disseminate the information that it has at its disposal. The critical success factors (CSF) associated with this particular process include the following:

Data will be centrally located and because it is automated it will be easily accessible.

The data can be utilized to make the company more efficient and effective as it pertains to both customers and students.

Having the data readily available will allow the company to make informed decisions concerning management and any changes that need to occur within the context of company operations.

5. Network resources. Implementing the most efficient network tools is vitally important to the type of business that is being developed. The company will need to have a reliable interoffice network that has the capacity to operate various interfaces including ecommerce, student data bases and customer databases. The router used for such operations must be dependable and network must be made as stable as possible. Another major issue is the security of the network. The company's computers will contain sensitive information about students and store customers including names, addresses, grades and credit card information. With this understood the appropriate safety measures associated with network security must be taken into consideration. The company will implement a wireless sensor network. According to Bhatnagar et al., (2010)."

"A wireless sensor network is a network of simple sensing devices; which are capable of sensing some changes of incidents/parameters and communicating with other devices, over a specific geographic area for some specific purposes like target tracking, surveillance, environmental monitoring etc. Since sensor nodes are tightly constrained in processing ability, storage capacity and energy, routing and data aggregation in WSN are very challenging due to inherent characteristics. Therefore, sensor network need to become autonomous and exhibit responsiveness and adaptability to evolution changes in real time, without explicit user or administrator action (Bhatnagar et al., 2010, 2453)."

6. Since this type of network is so open and holds a great deal of vulnerable information serious security measures must be taken. As such the company will adapt an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) (Onat & Miri, 2005). This system will assist in ensuring that the network can remains secure. Security is of the utmost importance to ensure that the private information of customers and students are not exposed. Additionally this security system is important because it ensures that the company will be able to maintain a competitive advantage. If the company fails to properly secure the network competitors could easily gain access to the company information The critical success factors (CSF) associated with this particular process include the following:

The ability to effectively review and evaluate all aspects of the business quickly and efficiently.

The absence of excessive wires and cords that can be an aesthetically unpleasing and a hazard to workers.

Enhances the ability of managers and decision makers to gather information quickly so that decisions can be made in a timely manner.

Ecommerce

An extremely important aspect of Eagle flight is the store that will cater to the needs of pilots and students. The store will be unique in that it will have a physical location as well as an online location. The internet store will present many challenges because the products in the online store will be available to people throughout the United States which means that issues related to shipping and timely delivery of products is a major issue. The aforementioned inventory processes will also be effective in maintaining an effective environment for the internet transactions that will take place. In addition the ecommerce website will strive to be trustworthy and provide customers with satisfactory service. Kim (2009) explains that