National Timber Merchants in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE features a large selection of building supplies, including timber, fencing and decking, moldings, hardwood flooring, sheet materials, windows, doors, ironmongery, and other materials. The prices of building materials are constantly changing. When a customer inquires about the price on fixtures, fittings, hangings, and other items, sales representatives consult manual price sheet and then call the supplier for the most recent price. The supplier in turn uses a manual price sheet, which has been updated each day. Often, the supplier must call back National's sales reps because the company does not have the newest pricing information immediately on hand.
1. Assess the business impact of this situation, describe how this process could be improved with information technology, and identify the decisions that would have to be made to implement a solution.