Chapter 7: E-Commerce: Applications and Issues

Discuss the five online services of business-to-consumer electronic commerce, provide a specific example of each service, and state how you have used or would use each service.

Electronic banking, also known as cyberbanking, involves conducting various banking activities from home, at a place of business, or on the road instead of at a physical bank location. Online securities trading involve buying and selling securities over the web. Online job matching over the web offers a promising environment for job seekers and
for companies searching for hard-to-find employees. Thousands of companies and government agencies advertise available positions, accept resumes, and take applications via the internet. The Internet is an ideal place to plan, explore, and arrange almost any trip economically. Online travel services allow you to purchase airline tickets, reserve hotel rooms, and rent cars. Most sites also offer a fare-tracker feature that sends you e-mail messages about low-cost flights. Online advertising over the web makes the advertising process media-rich, dynamic, and interactive.
We leave the examples to you.

Describe the three business models for business-to-business electronic commerce, and provide a specific example of each model.

          In the sell-side marketplace model, organizations attempt to sell their products or service to other organizations electronically from their own private c-marketplace website and/or from a third-party website. Sellers such as Dell Computer (www.dellauction.com) use sell- side auctions extensively. In addition to auctions from their own websites, organizations can use third-party auction sites, such as eBay, to liquidate items. The buy-side marketplace is a model in which organizations attempt to buy needed
products or services from other organizations electronically. E-marketplaces, in which there are many sellers and many buyers, arc called public exchanges, or just exchanges. Public exchanges are open to all business organizations. They frequently arc owned and operated by a third party. There are three basic types of public exchanges: vertical, horizontal, and functional. Vertical exchanges connect buyers and sellers in a given industry (e.g., www.plcifiticsnet.com in the plastics industry). Horizontal exchanges connect buyers and sellers across many industries (e.g., Worldbid. com, www.worldhid.com). In functional exchanges, needed services such as temporary help or extra office space arc traded on an "as-needed" basis (e.g., Employease, www. employeaw.com).

Chapter 6: Networks

Define the term computer network, and compare and contrast the two major types of networks.
A computer network is a system that connects, computers via communications media so that data and information can be transmitted among them. The two major types of networks are local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs). LANs encompass a limited geographic area and usually are composed of one communications medium. In contrast, WANs encompass a broad geographical area and usually are composed of multiple communications media.
 Describe the differences among the three types of wire line communications media, and discuss the main advantages and disadvantages of each type.
Twisted-pair wire, the most prevalent form of communications wiring, consists of strands of copper wire twisted in pairs. It is relatively inexpensive to purchase, widely available, and easy to work with. However, it is relatively slow for transmitting data, it is subject to interference from other electrical sources, and it can easily be tapped by unintended receivers. Coaxial cable consists of insulated copper wire. It is much less susceptible to electrical interference than is twisted-pair wire, and it can carry much more data. However, coaxial cable is more expensive and more difficult to work with than twisted-pair wire. It is also somewhat inflexible

 Differentiate between the Internet and the World Wide Web, and describe the most common methods for accessing the Internet.
The internet is a global network of computer networks, using a common communications protocol. TCP/IP. The World Wide Web is a system that stores, retrieves, formats, and displays information accessible through a browser.
Methods for connecting to the Internet include dial-up, DSL, cable modem, satellite, wireless, and fiber to the home.  Identify six major categories of network applications, provide an example of each, and explain how that application supports business functions.
• Discovery involves browsing and information retrieval, and provides users the ability to view information in databases, download it, and/or process it. Discovery tools include search engines, directories, and portals. Discovery tools enable business users to efficiently find needed information.
• Network provide fast, inexpensive communications, via e-mail, call centers, chat rooms, voice communications, and blogs. Communications tools provide business users with a seamless interface among team members, colleagues, business partners and customers.
• Collaboration refers to mutual efforts by two or more entities (individuals, groups, or companies) who work together to accomplish tasks. Collaboration is enabled by workflow system. Collaboration tools enable business users to collaborate with colleagues, business partners, and customers. 

Chapter 5: Managing Knowledge and Data

Identify three common challenges in managing data. And describe one way organizations can address each challenge using data governance.
Three common challenges in managing delta are:
• Data are scattered throughout organizations and are collected by many individuals using vinous methods and devices. These data are frequently stored in numerous servers and locations and in different computing systems, databases, formats, and human and computer languages.
• Data come from multiple sources.
• Information system that support particular business processes imposes unique requirements on data, which results in repetition and conflicts across an organization.

One strategy for implementing data governance is master data management. Master data management provides companies with the ability to store, maintain, exchange, and synchronize a consistent, accurate, and timely "single version of the truth" for the company's core master data. Master data management consistently manages data gathered from across an organization, data from multiple sources, and data across business processes in an organization.

 Name six problems that can be minimized by using the database approach.
The database approach minimizes the following problems: data redundancy, data isolation, data inconsistency, data security, data integrity, and data independence.
Demonstrate how to interpret relationships depicted in an entity- relationship diagram.
See Figures 53 and 5.4 for a demonstration of interpreting relationships in an ER diagram.

Discuss at least one main advantage and one main disadvantage of relational databases.
Relation database enable people to compare information quickly by row or column. In addition, users can retrieve items by finding the point of intersection of a particular row and column. However, large-scale relational databases can be composed of many interrelated tables, making the overall design complex with slow search and access times.

Chapter 4: Information Security

The five factors that contribute to the increasing vulnerability of information resources:

·       Today's interconnected, wirelessly networked business environment.  Example: the internet

·       Smaller, faster, cheaper computer and storage device.    Example: netbook, thumb drives, ipads

·       Decreasing skills necessary to be a computer hacker.      

Example: information system hacking programs circulating on the internet.

·       Information organized crime taking over cybercrime.  

 Example: organized crime has formed transnational cybercrime cartels.

·       Lack of management support.

 Define the three risk mitigation strategies, and provide an example of
each one in the context of owning a home.

The three risk mitigation strategies are:
     Risk acceptance, where the organization accepts the potential risk, continues operating with no controls, and absorbs any damages that occur. If you own a home, you may decide not to insure it. Thus, you are practicing risk acceptance. Clearly, this is a bad idea. Risk limitation, where the organization limits the risk by implementing controls that minimize the impact of threats. As a homeowner, you practice risk limitation by putting in
an alarm system or cutting down weak trees near your house. Risk transference, where the organization transfers the risk by using other means to compensate for the loss, such as by purchasing insurance. The vast majority of homeowners practice risk transference by purchasing insurance on their houses and other possessions. 

CHAPTER 3: Ethics and Privacy

Define ethics, list and describe the three fundamental tenets of ethics. and describe the four categories of ethical issues related to information technology.

Ethics refers to the principles of right and wrong that individuals use to make choices that guide their behavior.
Fundamental tenets of ethics include responsibility, accountability, and liability. Responsibility means that you accept the consequences of your decisions and actions. Accountability refers to determining who is responsible for actions that were taken. Liability is a legal concept that gives individuals the right to recover th e damages done to them by other individuals, organizations, or systems. The major ethical issues related to IT are privacy, accuracy, property (including intellectual property), and access to information. Privacy may be violated when data are held in databases or transmitted over networks. Privacy policies that address issues of data collection, data accuracy, and data confidentiality can help organizations avoid legal problems.

Identify three places that store personal data, and for each one, discuss at least one personal threat to the privacy of the data stored there.

Privacy is the right to be left alone and to be free of unreasonable personal intrusions. Threats to privacy include advances in information technologies, electronic surveillance personal information in databases, Internet bulletin boards, newsgroups, and social networking sites. 71hc privacy threat in Internet bulletin boards, newsgroups, and social networking sites is that you insight post too much personal information that many unknown people can see.

CHAPTER 2: Information Systems and the Modern Organization

- Business Process:

A collection of related activities that produce a product or a service of value to the organization, its business partners, and/or its customers..

- Business Process Reengineering and Business Process Management:

*Business Process Reengineering (BPR):

a radical redesign of a business process that improves Its efficiency and effectiveness, often by beginning with a “clean sheet.”

Business Process Management (BPM):

A management technique that includes methods and tools to support the design, analysis, implementation, management, and optimization of business processes.

  

BPM and BPR can be considered as complimentary to each other rather than as a substitute. They both contribute to the value addition of the organization. Just the point to be noted here is that when BPR is done, even the mission and vision of the company could be redesigned and reconsidered. Therefore the deep change organizations go through could be sometime uncomfortable and very risky. It even shakes the prevailing culture in the company. On the contrary BPM is very flexible in nature and it concentrates one or more process at a time, mostly automating and making them simple. It is neither risky nor too expensive to implement.

Both of them have their own benefits and shortcomings. BPM contributes directly to the customer satisfaction by immediately working on it whereas BPR studies the organization process from the start and removes the processes which are barriers to the organizational growth. When the processes become very slow and is not able to fetch the desired result BPR comes in the scene.

n Business Process: a collection of related activities that produce a product or a service of value to the organization, its business partners, and/or its customers.

n One functional area

n Cross-functional

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) a radical redesign of a business process that improves Its efficiency and effectiveness, often by beginning with a “clean sheet.”

Business Process Management (BPM) a management technique that includes methods and tools to support the design, analysis, implementation, management, and optimization of business processes.

Strategic Systems

·       increase market share and/or profits

·       better negotiate with suppliers

·       prevent competitors from entering their markets.

Customer Focus

Retaining current customers and attracting new ones

Make-to-Order and mass customization

producing customized products and services

Reebok                                                         

Dell

E-business and E-commerce

Buying and selling products and services electronically.     

 E-business is a broader concept than e-commerce.

B2C , C2C, B2B

Competitive Advantage and Strategic Information Systems

þ Cost Strategy

Example: Using computer-aided manufacturing systems to lower production costs

                creating web sites for electronic commerce to lower marketing costs

þ Differentiation Strategy

Example: Providing fast and complete customer support services via the Internet

þ Innovation Strategy

Example : Introduce unique product/service that include IS compo net     Customer- orientation Strategy : concentrate on making customers happy 

http://bpmgeek.com/blog/business-process-management-vs-business-process-reengineering

CHAPTER 1: The Modern Organization Functioning in a Global Environment

- Information Systems versus Information Technology

* Information Technology (IT) is all forms of technology (tool) used to create, store, exchange and use information.

* Information Systems (IS) is the combination of technology (the “what”), people (the “who”) and process (the “how”) that organization uses to produce and manage information.

- The Informed User:

A person knowledgeable about information systems and information technology.

- Digital nomad:

Someone who uses information technologies.

- Managing Information Resources:

*Traditional Functions of MIS Department

Example: manage data center.

*Consultative Functions of MIS Department

Example: create business alliances.

- Overview of Computer-Based Information Systems:

Data > Information > Knowledge

- Data:

Elementary description of things, events, activities and transactions that are recorded, classified and stored but are not organized to convey any specific meaning.

- Information:

Data that is organized and structured within a context, and provides meaning .

- Knowledge:

information organized and processed to convey understanding, experience, accumulated learning and expertise as they apply to a current problem or activity.

       

http://www.knowledge-management-tools.net/