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The hierarchical structure of LSB can be described by the following four level scheme:
Owners;
Top managers (sales manager, managing director, shop director, production manager) and designers;
Employees (production, administration, warehouse, sales, marketing, EDP); and
Skilled personnel.
The choice of positioning designers at the top managers' level depends on their importance, related to the kind of product offered (high quality and originality as a distinguishing mark).
From the organizational point of view, LSB shows a rigid functional structure, with a clear-cut division of roles and tasks even within the same function. Nevertheless, there are some exceptions (like the Purchasing Manager or the Time Study Engineer) whose role will be analyzed in detail.
From the technological point of view, it is interesting to underline two issues. The first is the coexistence of two separate networks both based on Microsoft Windows NT™ operating system: one for the CAD department and the other for the rest of the firm.
The second peculiarity is that all the software applications used within LSB have been developed by the Chief Information Officer (CIO) using the COBOL programming language. These applications run only under the Open VMS™ operating system (an operating system quite popular in the 80s, very different from the operating systems currently used because it has no graphical user interface).
The ICT tools supporting LSB information system can be summarized in the following way:
Production, Accounting, Salary and Wages, shops (seat), Sales, Time Study Department
CAD Department
Hardware:
Stand alone network with a dedicated server (WinNT)
5 workstations
3 cutting machines (FC4/CAM)
Shops
Hardware: assembled PC's
Operating System: MS-DOS
Software: BASIC application for sales management
Sales agents
Hardware: notebook
Operating System: MS-DOS
Software: BASIC application for order entry
Total amount: 28 PC's + 15 terminals (Open VMS only).
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