W4P1 T4.3 IS

Businesses use numerous information systems to perform different procedures. Information Systems used in business refer to a business application of computer systems. The system consists of several components including databases, application programs, networks, hardware, personnel, infrastructure and machine procedures that substitute manual procedures. These systems consist of computer systems that do the processing to produce information needed by the business for different purposes. Information Systems have organization, management and technology elements [1].

Businesses can employ different information systems depending on the intended purpose. In most cases, businesses use their own Business Information Model (BIM) for defining the key business functions of the business. Some of the common information systems include Transaction Processing Systems, Decision Support Systems and Management Information Systems. All these systems may have different functionality, but their key role in business includes collecting, processing, storing, analyzing and disseminating information needed for a given purpose. Information Systems perform both primary functions and Support functions of the business. Primary functions include product design, product manufacture, product marketing and sell, and product distribution. Support functions include business planning, human resource management, finance management, operations management and information management among others. Information systems consist of machine instructions that instruct computers about how to accomplish scheduled activities.

Operations management lies in the heart of every business and, therefore, the role of Information system in operations management is critical. Businesses employ Information Systems that apply to business research, production control, product development and product manufacturing. The daily work of Information Systems in terms of operations management involves an interactive processing of transactions such as updating customer files, inventory files and the business’ master file. Information systems help the business to locate and contract prospective customers, to process customer’s orders and provide customer support service.

Information Systems such as DSS use information from other Information Systems to support non-routine decision making for the management of the organization. They provide materials for analyzing the solution to a problem [2]. DSS uses models to analyze data and focuses on how to extract and analyze information from large amounts of data from other systems. Information systems that support decision making provide the business with administrative functionalities that enable managers to monitor and control the business. Businesses that have in-house data processing functions use Information Systems to provide structure for database managers, programmers and data administrators to coordinate on business projects.

Information systems also function as finance and accounting systems for business. They support financial assets management, financial records management and capitalization of the business. This helps the business management team to establish long-term investment goals as well as providing a broad forecast for the financial performance of the business. Information Systems also help management to oversee and control financial resources.

In human resource management, Information Systems support activities that attract, develop and maintain the work force of the organization. Information systems help the senior management to identify manpower requirements such as skill and education level needed to meet long-term business plans. Information Systems help managers to track, recruit, monitor, allocate and compensate employees depending on the information provided by a DSS. HR Information Systems reflect the flow of workforce through the organization [3].

Businesses use Information Systems to achieve operational excellence, develop products and services, achieve customer intimacy and improve decision making processes. Information systems provide businesses with easy procedures that reduce manual work, promote competitive advantage and ensure survival of the business.

References

[1] http://www.mahmoudyoussef.com/aagsb/mba/mis/Lectures-2-and-3-Questions.pdf

[2] http://www.angelfire.com/rebellion2/jsmith/case_2.html

[3] http://www.umsl.edu/~joshik/msis480/chapt12.htm

Electronic Business (e-business)

Electronic Business (e-business)

Electronic Business is the use of computer technology and related technologies in the day to day running of a business. This also features the provision of services in the internet (e-service). Electronic business involves the interaction of the business with its customers, suppliers, other organizations and other stake holders. These interactions are basically centered on the provision of goods and services. E-business facilitates effective interactions within and outside the business through interconnected data handling setups [2].

E-business is carried out in the internet, Web, internal or external computer connections. The entire process of purchasing and sale of goods and services is conducted through these platforms [1]. Information dissemination and sharing can be facilitated by E-business. Electronic business can be applied in the internal affairs of the business through managing customer relations, personnel, documents and the management of the business possessions. Communication is another important area where electronic business comes in handy. It includes the use of e-mail, Web-telecommunication and information control systems among others. The interaction of the business with other businesses and customers applies E-business in marketing (online marketing), setting online shops and a supply chain that is web based and managed [3].

Electronic business has developed over time to overcome some hindrances. The issue of information confidentiality and prevention of access of business data by unauthorized persons has been addressed [3]. Data encryption and enabling firewalls are solutions to this concern. Firewalls are also used to prevent unauthorized data alterations so as to promote data integrity and secure storage.

Another pressing issue is genuineness. One can be easily duped through this business because of lack of physical presence of parties involved in the transaction. However, this hurdle is being addressed through Virtual Private Network (VPN) to ensure only allowed persons access business information. Another way to solve this menace is by the use of credit cards, PINs, passwords and electronic signatures. This way, evidence as well as identity can be verified when conducting electronic business [2].

Among the businesses that embraced electronic business in the recent past, Dell Computers and IBM reported increased sales with increasingly more people able to access the internet. More and more businesses are embracing e-business by the day due to the efficiency in offers [1].

Electronic business has revolutionized business operations in nearly all sectors of the economy. Developed countries have almost made everything online. Booking of tickets in airports can be done online, manufacturing industries now run their operations using computerized machine and the military has embraced technology in their activities.

References

[1] Aziz, H. (2006). ‘Business to business Electronic Commerce’ retrieved from

http://www.slideshare.net/hazman

[2] Business Canada (2010). ‘Electronic Business in the Canadian Industries’ retrieved

from <http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/dir-ect.nsf/eng/h_uw00348.html

[3] Westfall E. (2010). ‘Privacy: Electronic Information and the Individual’. S. Clara University, retrieved from

http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci761640,00.html

Apps & Services

Apps and Services
List of Applications

1. Marketo Application is gives a software that is used to enable automation of marketing. Its features include kits to assess success of marketing, cheat sheets and book club. These applications are essential in online marketing success.

2. Facebook is a social network platform that can be used by an organization for communication. Its features include photo storage ability, document sharing ability among others. Facebook can be used to pass information to the public.

3. The Google computer engine enables internet users to access information in the internet easily and faster. Users doing research in the internet find Google useful to find information.

4. Amazon kindle application enables users to download and read eBooks and magazines. This application has made it possible to read documents and other materials without having to buy the hard copies.

5. Microsoft Office 365 includes features like calendars, email, file sharing and online conferencing among others. This application has improved business management. It is faster and easy to use. Once purchased, it can be used for a long period which lowers the cost of business.

6. Mendix application contains features such as rich app interface, workflow, domains models etc. Companies like insurance organizations use Mendix to make entries of new customer businesses.

7. Eucalyptus uses Eucalyptus EC2 Interface. It enables interaction of Cloud services between customers and service providers.

8. Force.com is a platform used for social and mobile enterprise applications. It enables businesses to adopt technology. It is fast and reliable.

The use of these applications and many more others has enables businesses to increase productivity. This is because the use of computers enables users to avoid mistakes and errors. This increases efficiency. These software applications are used in various business departments. Communication has been greatly improved as a component of business management. Marketing has been made easy too. Through the internet, the customer base is broadened to even international level.

https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?OBJID=841281000000003023&STANDALONE=true&ZDB_THEME_NAME=blue&DATATYPESYMBOL=false&REMTOOLBAR=true&SEARCHBOX=true&SHOWHIDEOPT=true

W3P2 T3.8 Super Store

W3P2 T3.8

I added a new chart – Average Sales-VB

1. Click on New – New Chart View

2. On Graph Tab I dragged the date to the X-axis and Sales to the Y-axis

3. Generate Chart

4. Changed the chart view to a bar chart

https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?OBJID=841281000000005153&STANDALONE=true&ZDB_THEME_NAME=blue&REMTOOLBAR=true&INCLUDETITLE=true&INCLUDEDESC=true

Blogs

Cloud computing has also found a way and revolutionized the social interaction from simple texts to full multimedia content as people share their experiences. A blog is colloquial for a Web Log which is essentially a website in which people share experiences and discuss common interest topics with the view of information or sheer random expressions [1] .It is interesting to see how blogging has been revolutionized by cloud computing as the blogging sites incorporate cloud computing capabilities to make it possible to store large files in the cloud space. The modern day blogging website has the functionality of the users uploading even video tapings of experiences that they feel should be interesting. Most of the video and audio contents are often screened by moderators before being published but nonetheless it is an interesting thing to see people sharing high definition video files over the blogging website.

To make this possible, there has to be a temporary storage for the cache of the audio or video file and cloud computing makes it possible to provide that caching memory required to make the playing of videos and music continuous and possible without having to be saved on local directories first. Music and videos have become more accessible than ever before and the cloud computing architecture allows musicians to distribute their songs through subscription based services or online radio stations [2]. In general, cloud computing has also made entertainment experience better. To borrow a few tips from the first point above about cloud computing, the blogging website designers have come up with an ingenious way of incorporating cloud applications into the blogging websites too. To illustrate how designers of websites for blogging make use of Rich Internet Applications to enhance the blogging experience, the modern day blogging websites feature fully functional video editors and picture editors for people who may be having slow connectivity to trim the videos or change them to a format that takes up little space [3]. As if that is not enough , some blogging websites have video capture software that automatically detect the web camera on the user’s PC and allows the use to capture real-time videos and podcast them real time; as would be the case of somebody taking a tour of a game park then comes across an interesting natural experience. The rise in mobile computing has also pushed designers to accommodate mobile devices like tablet PCs and smartphones [4]. This means a person could be on a road trip and literally broadcast the experiences real time en route through a smartphone .Podcasting is also an important aspect that cloud computing has made possible owing to the large sizes of audio and video podcasts that have to be made available to users.

[1] http://www.problogger.net/archives/2005/02/05/what-is-a-blog/

[2] http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2011/03/14/the-future-of-cloud-based-music-streaming/

[3] http://www.koozai.com/blog/social-media/video-marketing/top-free-online-video-editing-software-8878/.

[4] http://www.examiner.com/article/quickbooks-the-cloud-compitable-with-smartphones-and-tablets

Cloud Computing

One of the interesting aspects of cloud computing is the facilitation of rich internet applications .Cloud computing has made it possible for powerful applications that are web- deliverable applications like Photoshop express, Google Docs, and Xcerion to graduate from the conventional notion of an online library to an a mature computing platform that makes the online experience with the applications no different from the desktop clients of these powerful [1]. It is because of cloud computing that individuals and companies no longer have to keep track of installation DVDs and license serial numbers in case commercial software becomes unstable. The experience with web-based productivity applications has over time become so seamless the online platform can arguably substitute the desktop environment. This comes as good news for business professionals as well as IT experts who are constantly on the move. Cloud computing has made it possible for any sophisticated IT expert to travel light without a laptop or a cache of application DVDs because a person can check into an internet café with the minimum requirement being any web browser for business as usual. These web –based applications, as mentioned before, feature the complexity and functionality that is found in their desktop counterparts and never need a local install [2]. This mobility that comes with web-based applications is an interesting aspect of cloud computing. To give an example, the SkyDrive® by Microsoft or Google Drive® by Google allow users to create and modify sophisticated documents and spreadsheets as well as database files online without the hassle of locally installing an office software. The good thing about web-based applications is the interoperability as the programming languages for these applications make them as interoperable as possible with the only requirement being a web browser and other miscellaneous hardware requirements. The Rich Internet Applications have made it possible to view videos and listen to high quality music online. An example is the sophisticated online video player used by the You Tube website. Online Entertainment and media are also areas where cloud computing has played a critical role [3].The fact that videos and music can be listened to online rather than downloading them first the listening on a locally installed media player is an important capability of cloud computing. These are all made possible through contents streaming whereby large media files are transferred over the internet such that the voice or video plays continuously as it is being downloaded.

[1] www.capgemini.com/ctoblog/2010/11/rich_internet_applications_the/.

[2] http://www.tripwiremagazine.com/2011/04/12-excellent-cloud-computing-operating-systems.html

[3] http://www.frost.com/sublib/display-market-insight-top.do?id=232686044

DB Lab

https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?OBJID=841281000000002024&STANDALONE=true&ZDB_THEME_NAME=blue&DATATYPESYMBOL=false&REMTOOLBAR=true&SEARCHBOX=true&SHOWHIDEOPT=true

This was kinda tricky but i think I did it right
Steps:
1. Create a new database/table in zoho
2. Add columns for product, cost, revenue, profit and profit margin
3. Format columns
4. enter formulas for profit & profit margin
5. Publish database
6. copy to blog & forums