Cloud-Based Computing: Providing an Advantage to a Small New Zealand Wine Business

Oliver and Charlotte Martin (names disguised at their request) were both employed full time and leading very busy lives when they purchased their small, wine-celebration business located in New Zealand. The Martins desired to play pivotal managerial roles in their new wine business while remaining in their current jobs, but soon realized that they had become over-committed and needed to outsource the accounting of their wine business to a seasoned professional. The Martins wondered whether investing in new information technology, specifically cloud-based accounting and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, could help them become more efficient and effective as their winery operations grew. This case examines the risks and rewards of implementing cloud-based software programs. It also illustrates the linkages between the fields of marketing and management accounting, as the software programs highlighted in the case study have the ability to be integrated with each other.