Expert systems do what they imply; they attempt to mimic experts. Expert systems are decision making software that can make decisions similar to an expert in a field. The expert in the field transfers their expertise to the computer so that it can make specialized and informed decisions. This especially works when the problems are specific or in a specific area.
For the transfer to be successful, four activities must occur:
-acquisition
-representation
-inferencing
-transfer
Expert systems have increased quality, increased output and productivity, reliability, decreased decision making time, and decreased downtime. These are just a few of the benefits that a company can have from expert systems.
Below is the website of a company that is making headway in the expert system field. It is their website and it outlines the benefits of you or your company. One of the benefits is that it helps streamline businesses and create better communication with customers. This could be very beneficial to a buisness and help them to better achieve their goals.
http://www.expertsystem.net/
After navigating the website, I would highly recommend this product because of the ease of use and the added benefits to a company.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Decision Making Process
Effective decision making is vital to the success of an organization. The proper execution of the decision making process can make the difference between a good company and an excellent company. There are three phases that the decision maker must go through; intelligence, design, and choice.
Intelligence occurs when a problem is identified and classified. The search and scanning of procedures also occurs, as well as data collection. This stage is essentially examination of the problem and the options.
The design phase occurs when the criteria is set for the choice, you search for alternatives, and you predict and measure outcomes.
The choice phase consists of a solution. Sensitivity analysis is performed and the selection of the best alternatives is made. The plan for implementation is then made.
The process can be a success or failure, depending on the criteria and the desired outcome of the decision.
Decision making is important for businesses and people. Individuals and businesses make decisions every day although this process isn't always as in depth. This process is important especially for businesses when they have a decision that has a great deal of time or capital involved.
Below is an article on decision making. The article shows the importance for fundamental and sound decision making.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Putnam-revamps-stock-funds-business/story.aspx?guid=%7B5F26C079-B0A1-4D33-9DDF-A142362064A5%7D
Intelligence occurs when a problem is identified and classified. The search and scanning of procedures also occurs, as well as data collection. This stage is essentially examination of the problem and the options.
The design phase occurs when the criteria is set for the choice, you search for alternatives, and you predict and measure outcomes.
The choice phase consists of a solution. Sensitivity analysis is performed and the selection of the best alternatives is made. The plan for implementation is then made.
The process can be a success or failure, depending on the criteria and the desired outcome of the decision.
Decision making is important for businesses and people. Individuals and businesses make decisions every day although this process isn't always as in depth. This process is important especially for businesses when they have a decision that has a great deal of time or capital involved.
Below is an article on decision making. The article shows the importance for fundamental and sound decision making.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Putnam-revamps-stock-funds-business/story.aspx?guid=%7B5F26C079-B0A1-4D33-9DDF-A142362064A5%7D
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Roles of People in Knowledge Management
One of the vital elements for successfully managing a knowledge warehouse is having a full-time staff. The staff goes through information, examines, filters, catalogues, and stores knowledge so that it is very accessible and easy to find when people need it. The staff is also beneficial because they can help people search for information or send them exactly where they need to go to get the information they need (i.e. environmental scanning). The staff is also capable of gathering individuals with common knowledge to filter through the information and find out what is important. The main problems that occur with knowledge management happen because of issues with people. It is important that many people are involved so that there are more people to help prevent and catch problems. The most vital people that should be involved in knowledge management are the chief knowledge officer, the CEO, managers of the organization, leaders of the communities of practice, KMS developers, and KMS staff. Each of these members play an important role in knowledge management whether it is development, management, or use. KMS cannot be successful without the effort of all the members.
It is important for cultural receptivity to happen with respect to knowledge management. It is important to make sure that all members of the organization are on-board for the use of knowledge management because it requires a great deal of team work. Most companies have a chief knowledge officer (CKO) that “maximize the firm’s knowledge assets, design, and implement knowledge management strategies.” According to the book, the chief officer must do the following:
· Set strategic priorities for knowledge management
· Establish a knowledge repository of best practices
· Gain a commitment from senior executives to support a learning environment
· Teach information seekers how to ask better and smarter questions
· Establish a process for managing intellectual assets
· Obtain customer satisfaction information in near real time
· Globalize knowledge management
It is important that the CKO make an environment that facilitates knowledge management and sharing. This change should be fully supported by all top managers in the organization. It is also important for the CEO to make knowledge management a priority. Again, it is very important that the whole organization support.
Communities of practice are “groups of people in an organization with a common professional interest.” These communities are vital to the organization that is committed and serious about knowledge management.
It is also important that the organization have a full-time staff to manage the knowledge. Consulting firms can also be hired for this purpose.
It is important for cultural receptivity to happen with respect to knowledge management. It is important to make sure that all members of the organization are on-board for the use of knowledge management because it requires a great deal of team work. Most companies have a chief knowledge officer (CKO) that “maximize the firm’s knowledge assets, design, and implement knowledge management strategies.” According to the book, the chief officer must do the following:
· Set strategic priorities for knowledge management
· Establish a knowledge repository of best practices
· Gain a commitment from senior executives to support a learning environment
· Teach information seekers how to ask better and smarter questions
· Establish a process for managing intellectual assets
· Obtain customer satisfaction information in near real time
· Globalize knowledge management
It is important that the CKO make an environment that facilitates knowledge management and sharing. This change should be fully supported by all top managers in the organization. It is also important for the CEO to make knowledge management a priority. Again, it is very important that the whole organization support.
Communities of practice are “groups of people in an organization with a common professional interest.” These communities are vital to the organization that is committed and serious about knowledge management.
It is also important that the organization have a full-time staff to manage the knowledge. Consulting firms can also be hired for this purpose.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Managerial Issues in Interorganizational and Global Information Systems
1. Facilitating Global Trade – One of the most important issues in facilitating global trade is making sure that language barriers and language translation is effective and efficient. While borders are disappearing, translations are vital to the success of an organization. For example, if the translation on a web page is wrong then consumers are less likely to purchase your products. Global trade has dramatically increased as a result of the internet and trade agreements like NAFTA and the European Union. It is important to know the legal and tax issues of the foreign companies that you do business with. It is also possible that leaders in efficiency can give advice to developing countries.
2. Selecting a System – There are various retailers that sell IOS infrastructure so companies have options and can tailor the options to their needs.
3. Partners’ Collaboration – Collaboration and understanding is key for an IOS because there are at least two organization involved. If your partners do not cooperate, then it is likely that your processes will fail. As a company, it is important to persuade your partners that the relationship is beneficial for both parties.
4. New Infrastructure – New infrastructures for companies can be very expensive and hard to make work for many companies, especially if they are small. It is difficult to gauge whether to wait and see how the new infrastructures do in the market or whether to follow your bigger competitors. This is an issue that should be carefully and strategically reviewed by management.
5. Globalization – The issue of going global can be solved based on the IT systems that would be necessary for a company to have in order to be successful. It may be expensive and require a great deal of work so a company should look at all of the possible problems and alternatives before making the decision to go global. Potential problems include language barriers, currency differences, tax and legal requirements, and cultural differences.
6. Using exchanges, hubs, and other services – The Internet is a good way to facilitate exchanges. A third party is a very good option for many companies. Doing that can save a great deal of money but there is the potential loss of control.
7. Partner and Supplier Relationship Management – One of the most common ways to do business today is through partnerships. With the trend in outsourcing becoming even more popular, this results in more partners for companies. It is common even with companies such as Microsoft.
2. Selecting a System – There are various retailers that sell IOS infrastructure so companies have options and can tailor the options to their needs.
3. Partners’ Collaboration – Collaboration and understanding is key for an IOS because there are at least two organization involved. If your partners do not cooperate, then it is likely that your processes will fail. As a company, it is important to persuade your partners that the relationship is beneficial for both parties.
4. New Infrastructure – New infrastructures for companies can be very expensive and hard to make work for many companies, especially if they are small. It is difficult to gauge whether to wait and see how the new infrastructures do in the market or whether to follow your bigger competitors. This is an issue that should be carefully and strategically reviewed by management.
5. Globalization – The issue of going global can be solved based on the IT systems that would be necessary for a company to have in order to be successful. It may be expensive and require a great deal of work so a company should look at all of the possible problems and alternatives before making the decision to go global. Potential problems include language barriers, currency differences, tax and legal requirements, and cultural differences.
6. Using exchanges, hubs, and other services – The Internet is a good way to facilitate exchanges. A third party is a very good option for many companies. Doing that can save a great deal of money but there is the potential loss of control.
7. Partner and Supplier Relationship Management – One of the most common ways to do business today is through partnerships. With the trend in outsourcing becoming even more popular, this results in more partners for companies. It is common even with companies such as Microsoft.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Product Life Cycle Management
Product life cycle management is a business strategy that enables manufacturers to control and share product-related data as part of product design and development efforts and to support supply chain operations. This is very important for companies in today’s culture. PLM allows companies to centralize their management of all the products’ data.
There are four phases of the product life cycle;
· Conceive
· Design
· Realize
· Service
Each of these phases has different technologies that go along with it and that must be implemented at each stage. Stage one is when a company plans and designs their PLC. Stage two sets in stone what the company wants to do. The company develops and tests the product before releasing it to the market. The third stage occurs when the company manufactures, markets, and sells their product to their consumers. And the final stage occurs when the company maintains the product, does repairs, and the product is eventually phased out.
There are several different companies that offer PLM tools such as IBM, SAP, EDS, Matrix, and PTC. Many of these models allow record keeping, billing, and document tracking. Each company can pick a model that will be the most beneficial for their structure and their needs.
PLM can have a significant impact on several areas of a company. It can benefit cycle timing, design changes, and productivity. It is also a big jump for a company. Integrating different processes within an organization can be time consuming, difficult, and expensive but the benefits outweigh the negatives. The main goal is to move information through an organization as quickly as possible to reduce the time it takes to get a product to the market and to increase profitability.
One of the main problems that many companies are facing is that they are trying to get products to the market too fast and there are many problems that have occurred as a result. Companies are trying to get their products to the market and are not making sure that the second step of their PLM is complete. As a result, this is costing them a great deal of money. An article relating to this is pasted below.
http://www.industryweek.com/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=17441&SectionID=2
There are four phases of the product life cycle;
· Conceive
· Design
· Realize
· Service
Each of these phases has different technologies that go along with it and that must be implemented at each stage. Stage one is when a company plans and designs their PLC. Stage two sets in stone what the company wants to do. The company develops and tests the product before releasing it to the market. The third stage occurs when the company manufactures, markets, and sells their product to their consumers. And the final stage occurs when the company maintains the product, does repairs, and the product is eventually phased out.
There are several different companies that offer PLM tools such as IBM, SAP, EDS, Matrix, and PTC. Many of these models allow record keeping, billing, and document tracking. Each company can pick a model that will be the most beneficial for their structure and their needs.
PLM can have a significant impact on several areas of a company. It can benefit cycle timing, design changes, and productivity. It is also a big jump for a company. Integrating different processes within an organization can be time consuming, difficult, and expensive but the benefits outweigh the negatives. The main goal is to move information through an organization as quickly as possible to reduce the time it takes to get a product to the market and to increase profitability.
One of the main problems that many companies are facing is that they are trying to get products to the market too fast and there are many problems that have occurred as a result. Companies are trying to get their products to the market and are not making sure that the second step of their PLM is complete. As a result, this is costing them a great deal of money. An article relating to this is pasted below.
http://www.industryweek.com/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=17441&SectionID=2
Monday, September 29, 2008
Ethical and Legal Issues in E-Business
It is difficult in today’s society to be fully protected when doing business on the web. It is often said that ethical standards are very behind the technology. It is difficult to have standards and laws when the technology is new.
One of the main problems faced on the internet today is privacy. It is important if you are in charge of a company and you sell a product online that you have protection for your customers. If you want to keep your customers and keep them coming back to your site, help keep their information private. The workplace has become a place where privacy has become very lacking. Many employers are monitoring emails sent by their workers and they have programs to track what they do on the web. This is a difficult situation because as long as you get your work done, should it matter? There are some things that are inappropriate for work but as long as surfing the web isn’t done in excess it shouldn’t be a problem. Many employees do like the “big brother” mentality that their employers have taken. This will continue to be a huge problem the more tech-savvy our society becomes.
Web tracking is another ethical issue in e-business. This happens when a company uses log files to track a visitor’s activity on the internet and how they use a site. “Cookies” help track the movement and are identifiable if you revisit a site. Many consumers are now installing programs that help block cookies which give the consumer more privacy. There are programs that remove spyware so that you don’t receive pop-ups and advertisements when you visit a site.
Losing workers to machines has become a problem. Is it ethical to just let these workers go or is there an obligation as an employer to help them be retrained. This is going to become an even bigger issue as the world becomes more dependent on technology. Technology has benefits but it is also important to take care of people.
Intermediation and disintermediation are also two issue that e-business has encountered. Intermediation offers two types of services; matching and providing information and value-added services. Both of these types of services can be partially or fully automated which leads to job loss. Disintermediation occurs when companies matched and provided information and since their service is fully automated, the company can be eliminated. Reintermediation occurs when companies that provide information and value-added service are thriving because there is skill and expertise involved in their work. An example of disintermediation is Black & Decker and Wal Mart. Wal Mart informed B&D that if they began to sell their products online, then they would no longer carry the products in the stores.
The internet is a vulnerable place for crime to happen. It has become easy for scams to happen between two parties because you cannot see/touch what you are buying. This makes it easier for fraud to occur and unfortunately, it is becoming more common. There are several things that buyers and sellers can do to protect themselves from scams. Buyers should make sure they are buying from a reliable site, be wary of offers that are too good to be true, examine return policies, and make sure that you know your rights as a buyer. As a seller, it is important to have protection against buyers who won’t pay or that pay with bad checks. Sellers also have trademark protection and need to make sure that their name and slogans are protected. A controversial issue that some sellers have faced is illegal downloading. Many companies have faced this issue with customers illegally taking their merchandise without paying. This has been a very big problem with the music industry and many companies have begun to take legal action.
I found an interesting article about 10 ways to maintain your privacy at work. Many companies are not only monitoring internet usage but they also have security videos and some are tracking outgoing phone numbers. These are very serious issues and it is important to know the policies of a company before you accept a job. Attached below is the link to this article. Feel free to comment on the subject!
http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/careerbytes/CBArticle.aspx?articleID=490&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=44cc0d19efa74764a23d39cbd81b97ee-276027016-RP-4&ns_siteid=ns_us_g_privacy%20at%20work
One of the main problems faced on the internet today is privacy. It is important if you are in charge of a company and you sell a product online that you have protection for your customers. If you want to keep your customers and keep them coming back to your site, help keep their information private. The workplace has become a place where privacy has become very lacking. Many employers are monitoring emails sent by their workers and they have programs to track what they do on the web. This is a difficult situation because as long as you get your work done, should it matter? There are some things that are inappropriate for work but as long as surfing the web isn’t done in excess it shouldn’t be a problem. Many employees do like the “big brother” mentality that their employers have taken. This will continue to be a huge problem the more tech-savvy our society becomes.
Web tracking is another ethical issue in e-business. This happens when a company uses log files to track a visitor’s activity on the internet and how they use a site. “Cookies” help track the movement and are identifiable if you revisit a site. Many consumers are now installing programs that help block cookies which give the consumer more privacy. There are programs that remove spyware so that you don’t receive pop-ups and advertisements when you visit a site.
Losing workers to machines has become a problem. Is it ethical to just let these workers go or is there an obligation as an employer to help them be retrained. This is going to become an even bigger issue as the world becomes more dependent on technology. Technology has benefits but it is also important to take care of people.
Intermediation and disintermediation are also two issue that e-business has encountered. Intermediation offers two types of services; matching and providing information and value-added services. Both of these types of services can be partially or fully automated which leads to job loss. Disintermediation occurs when companies matched and provided information and since their service is fully automated, the company can be eliminated. Reintermediation occurs when companies that provide information and value-added service are thriving because there is skill and expertise involved in their work. An example of disintermediation is Black & Decker and Wal Mart. Wal Mart informed B&D that if they began to sell their products online, then they would no longer carry the products in the stores.
The internet is a vulnerable place for crime to happen. It has become easy for scams to happen between two parties because you cannot see/touch what you are buying. This makes it easier for fraud to occur and unfortunately, it is becoming more common. There are several things that buyers and sellers can do to protect themselves from scams. Buyers should make sure they are buying from a reliable site, be wary of offers that are too good to be true, examine return policies, and make sure that you know your rights as a buyer. As a seller, it is important to have protection against buyers who won’t pay or that pay with bad checks. Sellers also have trademark protection and need to make sure that their name and slogans are protected. A controversial issue that some sellers have faced is illegal downloading. Many companies have faced this issue with customers illegally taking their merchandise without paying. This has been a very big problem with the music industry and many companies have begun to take legal action.
I found an interesting article about 10 ways to maintain your privacy at work. Many companies are not only monitoring internet usage but they also have security videos and some are tracking outgoing phone numbers. These are very serious issues and it is important to know the policies of a company before you accept a job. Attached below is the link to this article. Feel free to comment on the subject!
http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/careerbytes/CBArticle.aspx?articleID=490&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=44cc0d19efa74764a23d39cbd81b97ee-276027016-RP-4&ns_siteid=ns_us_g_privacy%20at%20work
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Social Networks & Getting a Job - Is it Fair??
A social network is defined as a place where people create their own space, or homepage on which they write blogs, post pictures, videos, or music, share ideas, and link to other Web locations they find interesting. Blogging has become a popular tool for people to express themselves and put their ideas out there. Most people put a variety of thoughts and feelings such as how they feel about life, their friends, their employers, or pretty much any emotion that they are having. One of the most popular social networks is Facebook. Members put up information such as their school, work, and any personal information that they so choose. It is also possible to share pictures and to write to your friends. This is a great way to stay connected with your friends and family. While these forms of communication are changing how people interact, they are also causing some trouble. Many companies are now looking on your personal networks and using any “wrongs” about you during the screening process.
According to the article Employers Use Social Nets to Weed Out Applicants Gone Wild
by Chris Maxcer on TechNewsWorld.com, “there’s a 20% chance that your next employer is reading, judging, and possibly rejecting your professional persona based on the private one you tout online.” This is very scary thought. It would be difficult for anyone to get a job if any mistake or wild thing you’ve ever done is being observed and scrutinized by someone else. For the most part, how someone is in their private life and someone behaves at work are not related. Most people do not act at work the way they would having a drink with their friends.
The website states the 41 % of potential job candidates have information posted about drinking or drugs and 40 % have provocative or inappropriate photos or information. Those statistics are very high. Having things like this can prevent employers from hiring you. From the employer side, this is an excellent way to weed out and have some differentiation between your potential applicants. Most employers would rather have an employee who is not wild and seems responsible.
This is unfair for on the applicant side though. If you choose to do certain things, legal things, in your personal life and you do not bring that to work, it should not have an effect on your potential as an employee. What a person chooses to do in their personal time is their business as long as it does not interfere with their work life. There have also been many cases where employees from certain companies have had their own personal blogs. They have talked about their work, good and bad, but not mentioned names. Many of them have been fired for the content that is on their blog even if they are not linked back to a particular company. To me, I feel that this is very unfair. If you are online bashing your employer, that is one issue but if the company name is anonymous, it should not matter. Many people are solving this problem themselves by making sure their blogs and profiles are clean and employer friendly. It is also important to make your security settings stronger so that employers are not able to see your information.
Social networks have also been very beneficial for keeping employees in contact with each other. Employers are now using these sites for recruiting and communication with potential employees. This is a quick and efficient way to connect with your potential employees on their level. Even though there are downsides to having social networks, the benefits highly outweigh them. The trend is moving towards having more and more social networks. The way we communicate is only going to further evolve as we become more reliant on technology.
The following link is for the article that I found and it is very helpful. Take a look, it is very interesting. Let me know any thoughts.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/64505.html
According to the article Employers Use Social Nets to Weed Out Applicants Gone Wild
by Chris Maxcer on TechNewsWorld.com, “there’s a 20% chance that your next employer is reading, judging, and possibly rejecting your professional persona based on the private one you tout online.” This is very scary thought. It would be difficult for anyone to get a job if any mistake or wild thing you’ve ever done is being observed and scrutinized by someone else. For the most part, how someone is in their private life and someone behaves at work are not related. Most people do not act at work the way they would having a drink with their friends.
The website states the 41 % of potential job candidates have information posted about drinking or drugs and 40 % have provocative or inappropriate photos or information. Those statistics are very high. Having things like this can prevent employers from hiring you. From the employer side, this is an excellent way to weed out and have some differentiation between your potential applicants. Most employers would rather have an employee who is not wild and seems responsible.
This is unfair for on the applicant side though. If you choose to do certain things, legal things, in your personal life and you do not bring that to work, it should not have an effect on your potential as an employee. What a person chooses to do in their personal time is their business as long as it does not interfere with their work life. There have also been many cases where employees from certain companies have had their own personal blogs. They have talked about their work, good and bad, but not mentioned names. Many of them have been fired for the content that is on their blog even if they are not linked back to a particular company. To me, I feel that this is very unfair. If you are online bashing your employer, that is one issue but if the company name is anonymous, it should not matter. Many people are solving this problem themselves by making sure their blogs and profiles are clean and employer friendly. It is also important to make your security settings stronger so that employers are not able to see your information.
Social networks have also been very beneficial for keeping employees in contact with each other. Employers are now using these sites for recruiting and communication with potential employees. This is a quick and efficient way to connect with your potential employees on their level. Even though there are downsides to having social networks, the benefits highly outweigh them. The trend is moving towards having more and more social networks. The way we communicate is only going to further evolve as we become more reliant on technology.
The following link is for the article that I found and it is very helpful. Take a look, it is very interesting. Let me know any thoughts.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/64505.html
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Data Mining
Data mining is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as "the automatic extraction of useful, often previously unknown information from large databases or data sets." This means that a company can pay for access to your personal information and use it to market information or products to you. It is very useful for companies because they can get useful and valuable information about their customers. It is not always good for the customer though. Many consumers do not like being bombarded with advertisements and promotion.
Data mining becomes troubling when it becomes intrusive. This has become an issue with pharmaceutical companies obtaining information on physicians and patients. Many companies are paying for information from doctors and from pharmacists to better target customers and to observe what drugs physicians are prescribing. There is a fine line between being helpful and becoming intrusive.
As a result, state law makers in West Virginia are investing the data mining that is occurring by pharmaceutical companies. There is talk that the state is going to make laws to control or eliminate certain types of data mining. For more on this topic, there is a link for the article below.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1539273/pharmaceutical_data_mining_focus_of_inquiry/
Data mining becomes troubling when it becomes intrusive. This has become an issue with pharmaceutical companies obtaining information on physicians and patients. Many companies are paying for information from doctors and from pharmacists to better target customers and to observe what drugs physicians are prescribing. There is a fine line between being helpful and becoming intrusive.
As a result, state law makers in West Virginia are investing the data mining that is occurring by pharmaceutical companies. There is talk that the state is going to make laws to control or eliminate certain types of data mining. For more on this topic, there is a link for the article below.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1539273/pharmaceutical_data_mining_focus_of_inquiry/
Monday, September 8, 2008
2.2
1. What were the major reasons the company had to use SOA?
IT is an ever changing world and if a company does not stay on top of changes, then the company will become obsolete. This was the case for TruCredit. In order to keep their competitive advantage, they needed to improve their current applications. TruCredit was in the business of making and selling products and services that were credit-based. They had to act quickly or they were going to lose ground to the competition. To combat this problem, the company adopted SOA (service-oriented architecture) which operates on the idea of reusing and reconnecting existing IT applications. Utilizing this has several benefits for companies. Saving companies’ time and money are two of the main drivers that would cause a company to adopt SOA. TruCredit had to use SOA because to keep their competitive advantage, they needed to make response time to their applications faster. They also needed to be more efficient in the response time of applications. Most application development took longer than the company needed. They needed a quick fix to stay on top.
2. In what ways did they gain competitive advantage by using SOA?
TruCredit gained a competitive advantage by using SOA. They combined and reused their existing services which allowed them to create new applications. This allowed them to save money and time because they did not have to build new software. This sped up the software process which allowed them to stay competitive while obtaining the software necessary to be successful. TruCredit was also able to collect and analyze data from multiple sources very fast. This gave them an edge of their competition. SOA enabled them to be a leader within their industry. They were able to get ahead and they are now very prevalent within the industry.
3. What specific “services” can you identify in a business like this?
TruCredit is offering several services to its customers. They have consumer credit reports, credit scores, and other various financial services. These services are offered on their website and on websites of their business associates. Their products are available directly through TruCredit or through their partners.
4. Why is it so important to serve 50,000 simultaneous users?
When there are 50,000 users depending on you, it is very important to have an effective server that works when your customers need it to work. If customers could not access the information that they needed or wanted at a specific time, they would complain to their company. If enough complaints came in, the companies would drop TruCredit and they would lose their advantage in the market. Being able to support their users is vital to their success.
5. Classify this application using the material in Section 2.2
TruCredit would be classified as an integrated support system because it is comprised of two or more support systems. Their integrated functions make them more useful which is exactly what TruCredit did when they adopted SOA.
IT is an ever changing world and if a company does not stay on top of changes, then the company will become obsolete. This was the case for TruCredit. In order to keep their competitive advantage, they needed to improve their current applications. TruCredit was in the business of making and selling products and services that were credit-based. They had to act quickly or they were going to lose ground to the competition. To combat this problem, the company adopted SOA (service-oriented architecture) which operates on the idea of reusing and reconnecting existing IT applications. Utilizing this has several benefits for companies. Saving companies’ time and money are two of the main drivers that would cause a company to adopt SOA. TruCredit had to use SOA because to keep their competitive advantage, they needed to make response time to their applications faster. They also needed to be more efficient in the response time of applications. Most application development took longer than the company needed. They needed a quick fix to stay on top.
2. In what ways did they gain competitive advantage by using SOA?
TruCredit gained a competitive advantage by using SOA. They combined and reused their existing services which allowed them to create new applications. This allowed them to save money and time because they did not have to build new software. This sped up the software process which allowed them to stay competitive while obtaining the software necessary to be successful. TruCredit was also able to collect and analyze data from multiple sources very fast. This gave them an edge of their competition. SOA enabled them to be a leader within their industry. They were able to get ahead and they are now very prevalent within the industry.
3. What specific “services” can you identify in a business like this?
TruCredit is offering several services to its customers. They have consumer credit reports, credit scores, and other various financial services. These services are offered on their website and on websites of their business associates. Their products are available directly through TruCredit or through their partners.
4. Why is it so important to serve 50,000 simultaneous users?
When there are 50,000 users depending on you, it is very important to have an effective server that works when your customers need it to work. If customers could not access the information that they needed or wanted at a specific time, they would complain to their company. If enough complaints came in, the companies would drop TruCredit and they would lose their advantage in the market. Being able to support their users is vital to their success.
5. Classify this application using the material in Section 2.2
TruCredit would be classified as an integrated support system because it is comprised of two or more support systems. Their integrated functions make them more useful which is exactly what TruCredit did when they adopted SOA.
2.1
FedEx
Mission Statement: “FedEx will produce superior financial returns for shareowners by providing high value-added supply chain, transportation, business and related information services through focused operating companies. Customer requirements will be met in the highest quality manner appropriate to each market segment served. FedEx will strive to develop mutually rewarding relationships with its employees, partners and suppliers. Safety will be the first consideration in all operations. Corporate activities will be conducted to the highest ethical and professional standards.”
FedEx has five goals that the company will use to help further growth:
· Grow core package business
· Grow internationally
· Grow our supply chain capabilities
· Grow through e-commerce & technology
· Grow through new services & alliances
Mission Statement: “Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.
As a first step to fulfilling that mission, Google's founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin developed a new approach to online search that took root in a Stanford University dorm room and quickly spread to information seekers around the globe. Google is now widely recognized as the world's largest search engine -- an easy-to-use free service that usually returns relevant results in a fraction of a second.
When you visit www.google.com or one of the dozens of other Google domains, you'll be able to find information in many different languages; check stock quotes, maps, and news headlines; lookup phonebook listings for every city in the United States; search billions of images and peruse the world's largest archive of Usenet messages -- more than 1 billion posts dating back to 1981.
We also provide ways to access all this information without making a special trip to the Google homepage. The Google Toolbar enables you to conduct a Google search from anywhere on the web. And for those times when you're away from your PC altogether, Google can be used from a number of wireless platforms including WAP and i-mode phones.
Google's utility and ease of use have made it one of the world's best known brands almost entirely through word of mouth from satisfied users. As a business, Google generates revenue by providing advertisers with the opportunity to deliver measurable, cost-effective online advertising that is relevant to the information displayed on any given page. This makes the advertising useful to you as well as to the advertiser placing it. We believe you should know when someone has paid to put a message in front of you, so we always distinguish ads from the search results or other content on a page. We don't sell placement in the search results themselves, or allow people to pay for a higher ranking there.
Thousands of advertisers use our Google AdWords program to promote their products and services on the web with targeted advertising, and we believe AdWords is the largest program of its kind. In addition, thousands of web site managers take advantage of our Google AdSense program to deliver ads relevant to the content on their sites, improving their ability to generate revenue and enhancing the experience for their users.”
Google also has a philosophy and several rules that the company believes to be true and that they strive to live by that make up their goals.
Philosophy: Never settle for the best
"The perfect search engine," says Google co-founder Larry Page, "would understand exactly what you mean and give back exactly what you want." Given the state of search technology today, that's a far-reaching vision requiring research, development and innovation to realize. Google is committed to blazing that trail. Though acknowledged as the world's leading search technology company, Google's goal is to provide a much higher level of service to all those who seek information, whether they're at a desk in Boston, driving through Bonn, or strolling in Bangkok.
To that end, Google has persistently pursued innovation and pushed the limits of existing technology to provide a fast, accurate and easy-to-use search service that can be accessed from anywhere. To fully understand Google, it's helpful to understand all the ways in which the company has helped to redefine how individuals, businesses and technologists view the Internet.
Goals/Vision:
· Focus on the user and all else will follow
· It's best to do one thing really, really well
· Fast is better than slow
· Democracy on the web works
· You don't need to be at your desk to need an answer
· You can make money without doing evil
· There's always more information out there
· The need for information crosses all borders
· You can be serious without a suit
· Great just isn't good enough
The goals and mission statement of a company should be intertwined in every aspect of the business. It should guide how business is done and help influence decisions that are made. From an operational standpoint, the day-to-day business activities should be influenced by the mission statement and goals. A company should look to these to make sure that they are treating their customers and their employees in a way that upholds the purpose of the company. For example, FedEx feels that “customer requirements will be met in the highest quality manner appropriate.” FedEx strives for good customer service and good treatment of their employees. These objectives are achieved by making sure that all management and employees are in-line with the mission and goals of the organization. Everyday operations are done properly because of the shared vision and mission of the organization.
It is important that managers understand the value and importance of a mission statement and the strategic goals of the organization. Mangers lead members of an organization and if they do not clearly understand what is important, then their ineptness will trickle through the rest of the organization and affect things such as the operation aspects of the company. Managers must truly understand the purpose of an organization to be affective in their job. If managers do not follow the mission or goals, the purpose of the company will change. The focus will no longer be on what the corporation was enacted to do. This change would be felt in every part of the organization, all the way to the customer. For example, there is a certain standard of work and a certain attitude that consumers expect from Google. If one or two managers within the organization choose not to place emphasis on the mission or goals, it is likely customers would be dissatisfied with the type of service they are receiving from Google. This could ultimately result in loss of customers, productivity, and morale within the company.
The strategic goals of a company govern how they overall want to be perceived and how they want to run their business. Strategic goals are long term and more broad. The strategic goals of a company are essentially their mission statement. A mission statement is defined as summary describing the aims, values, and overall plan of an organization. This is the same thing as the strategic goals of an organization. It is important that an organization has a strong mission statement and strategic goals since these very goals guide the long term actions of the organization.
It is important that IT systems support the operational, managerial, and strategic goals of an organization. IT systems should support all three areas and help make the organization as cohesive and effective as possible. For example, communication and collaboration systems support all employees. This would help to keep employees connected and in the know. Having knowledgeable employees makes your organization more effective. It helps all employees stay in contact with each other and makes work more efficient. This is just one example of the various types of IT systems that benefit these three activities. There are many more that help make organizations effective and successful.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
GO-Tags
People are always looking for new ways to make their lives easier and more convenient. It is no secret that America is a culture that is obsessed with making our lives fast and quick. Every aspect of our life is done fast, especially things that have to do with food. This is where GO-Tags come in. This new technology allows a small chip to be treated like a credit card and paying is done immediately. You can buy food or drinks in one second. Credit cards are fast but this could make them obsolete. I found this article very interesting. It is amazing to think of where our culture will go from here. We are now taking convenience to a whole new level.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_36/b4098058931873.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_best+of+the+magazine
Let me know your thoughts!
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_36/b4098058931873.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_best+of+the+magazine
Let me know your thoughts!
Monday, September 1, 2008
IT – Does it Matter?
There is no doubt that IT is integral part of our daily lives. Almost everything done in our daily life is some way affected by IT. Businesses are now plagued with the issue of whether IT has strategic importance to the functioning and survival of their business. Will IT continue on and improve or will there be something even better that comes along and keeps the world working?In the article, “IT Doesn’t Matter,” by Nicholas Carr, one the main points made by the author is that IT is a commodity and a necessity that businesses must now have to survive and compete but it is no longer a strategic advantage. In order for IT to be truly effective and cost efficient, the technology needs to be shared. IT is infrastructural technology which means that it is not an advantage that a certain company has, it is a technology that can be shared and used by many. It is impossible to say that IT doesn’t matter. The way we live our lives would be drastically altered and changed if we did not use IT but there are downsides.
Benefits
If you think back not long ago, it took days to get in touch with a person across the world and even across the nation. Connecting with people was much more difficult and now you can keep in touch with someone with the touch of a button. Information exchange was slow and by the time the information reached its receiver, it could already be obsolete. Today, there are no physical limitations on the exchange of information. A person can be on the other side of the world and receive information as fast as someone one city over from you. The benefit of this cannot be discredited. The effectiveness of businesses has increased because of this. Employees can work from home or from exotic locales and still produce the same results. Businesses now no longer have to operate in large, crowded cities. They can move to a rural location and business can continue as usual. Time and money are also saved by IT. Information is available for companies to make quick and effective decisions that are going to save them time and money. IT makes business practices more accurate. There are certain tedious activities that a computer can do instead of a person and it eliminates human error. The connectivity to the entire world cannot be ignored. If the IT systems of the world stopped working, it is quite possible that most of the world would stop working. So many processes are reliant on IT that it is unlikely that we could now survive without them.
Disadvantages
There are several downsides to being reliant on IT. Most IT, especially in the early stages, is very expensive. Many companies have to update the way they do business just to survive and that means investing in new technology. Imagine if you went into a store and they only accepted a check or cash. Not many people would frequent the store or make purchases. Surviving in today’s marketplace is much more difficult and expensive. Price is also a factor when something goes wrong. Computer systems can be very costly to fix and what happens to a small business owner when their entire system shuts down? The price of IT has and will continue to drop but it still may be more than some businesses can handle. Security is also a major issue with IT. If not managed right, IT can malfunction and important and valuable data can be lost or compromised. With the increase in technology comes and increase in theft and crime. How is that a benefit? According to the article, many companies are now losing ground because they have spent so much time and money developing resources that they are going out of business because they are losing their competitive edge.
The benefits of IT obviously out way any disadvantages that also accompany it. There is no way to survive in the business world without it. The main thing to remember now is that IT is no longer an advantage, it’s a necessity. If businesses treat IT that way and think of what they really need, they will be better off. An excellent point made by Carr was that “The key to success, for the vast majority of companies, is no longer to seek advantage aggressively but to manage costs and risks meticulously.” It is now important for companies to use IT to their advantage and to survive.
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