Foundations of Business Computing - Web-Based Collaboration - Assignment Example

FOUNDATION OF BUSINESS COMPUTING Student name: Student No.: Date of Submission: Student Declaration: I certify that this assignment is my own work, based on my personal study and/or research, and that I have acknowledged all material and sources used in the preparation of this assignment whether they be books, articles, reports, lecture notes, and any other kind of document, electronic or personal communication. I also certify that the assignment has not previously been submitted for assessment in any other course or at any other time in this course, unless by negotiation and that I have not copied in part or whole or otherwise plagiarised the work of other students and / or persons. I have read the CQU policy on plagiarism and understand its implication. I can produce a hard copy of this assignment within 24 hours if requested. Table of Contents 1.Describe the reasons why organisations are choosing to out-source business activities. 2 Reference List 7 1. Describe the reasons why organisations are choosing to out-source business activities. One of the major reasons why organisations outsource is to lower labor and operational costs[Fla12]. Other reasons can be summarized as follows: Expanding and gaining access to new market areas due to the fact that goods or services are taken closer to the end users. That is, reducing time to market. Organisations outsource so that they can concentrate on their core business processes/activities. Compensating for specific skills or capabilities they may be lacking. Organisations increase their revenue potential through outsourcing. When organisations outsource, they realize a key benefit of freeing up internal resources. Organisations are also in a position to mitigate risks through outsourcing[Fla12]. Outsourcing enables organisations to have access to world class capabilities (Valacich & Schneider, 2012). 2. Define and contrast technology, information technology and information system. Technology can be described as purposefully applying information in the production, utilization and design of goods and services as well as organizing human activities. Information technology is used to refer to the all the things which are related to computing technology that include software, networking, hardware, internet and all the individuals who work with these technologies[Tec12]. Information system can be simply referred to as a business application of the computer technology (Valacich & Schneider, 2012). That is, a combination of software, hardware, infrastructure and skilled professionals organized to facilitate control, planning, decision making and coordination in a business organization[Tec12]. Information system is made up of application procedures, databases, machine and manual procedures, and the computer systems that perform processing. 3. Describe why databases have become so important to modern organisations. Databases play a very crucial role in modern organizations. There are several advantages of using databases that include the following: An organization is able to monitor the progress of its operations in an easier manner, thus, a quick response can be made if a problem is noticed[Fer10]. Helps in utilization of information as well as simplifying information search within an organization Assists in arranging the organization’s data such as employees’ details, products list, consumer biodata, among others[Fer10]. Helps organization members to access data easily, that is, through databases members are able to acquire and manipulate organization data in an easier manner. Through the priority assigned to them, they are able to add or delete data easily (Valacich & Schneider, 2012). Provides data security through the access control measures applied in databases Since consumer data can be maintained well within an organization database, organizations can use such data to determine their marketing operations[Fer10]. Databases help in avoiding data redundancy (Valacich & Schneider, 2012). Improves data sharing as one database can be used by multiple users Improves data consistency 4. List and define three technical knowledge and/or skills core competencies. Technical knowledge and skills core competencies include hardware, software and networking (Valacich & Schneider, 2012). Hardware can be simply be defined as an equipment or machinery. Examples of hardware include CPU, tapes disk drives, modem, cables, monitors, keyboard etc. Software can be described as instructions for the computer. That is, a series of instructions that assists in performing particular tasks within a computer. Software provides hardware with processing instructions. Networking can be described as a way of interconnecting all client and server stations together with the supporting software and hardware[Mar06]. It assists computers in sharing information and services. 5. View the four sites suggested by Valacich: • www.informationweek.com; • www.computerworld.com; • www.cio.com; and • www.newsfactor.com; Then write a paragraph on which technologies and issues seem to be current (‘hot’) at the moment, and which seem to be most important to business managers, according to each of these sites. The four sites offer a number of issues which are very critical to business managers. For instance, in newsfactor.com, there is an article advising businesses that use cloud computing to store their data to always ensure that they encrypt it themselves before entrusting it to their cloud service provider. Another article in informationweek.com is urging corporates to adopt Open Source Hardware information technologies as this will be the next big thing where early adopters will reap business benefits. In computerworld.com, there is an article discussing how SAP has started offering mobile device management on Amazon’s cloud. This service will benefit enterprises that do not want to implement their own device management infrastructure in-house. In cio.com, there is an article informing how IT outsourcing contracts and negotiations will continue to get more complex due to issues such as pricing models, contract structure, service levels and global sourcing. 6. List and contrast three challenges of operating in the digital world. Challenges of operating in the digital world include (Valacich & Schneider, 2012): Governmental challenges Geo-economic challenges Demographic challenges, and Cultural challenges Governmental challenges include the political system of a given region, governmental regulations, and individual problem and internet access (Valacich & Schneider, 2012). Geo-economic challenges are those that are related to time zone of a given region and its infrastructural development. It is not possible to have real time meetings across continents due to different time zones, although, it is possible to work around the clock. Some regions have poor infrastructures such as electricity, roads, and communication services, thus making posing a big problem to operations in the digital world (Valacich & Schneider, 2012). Demographic challenges involve how workers are skilled as well as their cost of operation. Due to economic and technological disparities, some regions have well skilled personnel as compared to others and their operational cost is also different [Did08]. Cultural challenges are related to the different beliefs, language, habits and customs globally. For instance, language barrier is a major challenge to operations in digital world. 7. What are four major types of Information Systems and how do organisations use them for competitive advantage? The four major types of information systems include (Valacich & Schneider, 2012): Transaction Processing Systems (TPS) Management Information Systems (MIS) Decision Support Systems (DSS), and Expert Systems (ES) or Executive Support Systems (ESS) TPS are used to handle business activities efficiently and accurately. Example of TPS include billing systems, production and purchasing systems, stock control systems, etc[Tut12]. A MIS is generally deals with the internal sources of information. It normally takes data from TPS and summarizes it to produce a number of management reports. These reports are used by the operational supervisors and middle management to carry out their activities within an organization. DSS are used by the management to help them make decisions in situations where the outcomes of those decisions are not known (Valacich & Schneider, 2012). ESS helps the senior management team of an organization make strategic decisions. It assists in gathering, analyzing and summarizing the key external and internal information used in the organization[Tut12]. 8. Compare and contrast information accuracy, information privacy and information property. Information privacy is involves the personal information we are not willing to reveal to others over the internet or any other means. Examples of personal information that we normally want to keep private include medical history, social security number, credit card pin number, bank account pin number, family history etc. (Valacich & Schneider, 2012). Identity theft is one of the serious information crime connected with information privacy. Such information crimes can be prevented by the use of biometrics in which someone has to reveal his identity through body’s unique sections such as finger prints. Information accuracy refers to the act of giving information which has undisputed credibility or genuineness[Jes00]. That is, giving the correct information. Incorrect information can be misleading and it can as well cause a lot of harm. For instance, misleading information in a hospital situation may cause fatalities. Information property has been a controversial issue for many years since information is not physical. Describing something which is not physical is own is a big problem and that is why there is a controversial issue as to who owns information about individuals. People are making a lot of money by selling other peoples information and this has become a big business nowadays. 9. What type of government regulations might be regarded by some as potential inhibitors to ecommerce and why? Name an example of such a government regulation either in Australia or overseas. Some of the government regulations which can be termed as inhibitors to ecommerce is imposing new and unnecessary bureaucratic procedures, regulations, or tariffs and taxes on internet business. Each government imposes its own regulations thus making it difficult to trade online globally. Governments keep establishing the technical standards for interoperability on the internet making it very difficult for companies or individuals to trade online. Marketplace should establish the technical standards for interoperability on the internet but not the government. Another factor that inhibits ecommerce is that business laws provided by the governments especially in developing countries do not support ecommerce, and more still many governments do no provide adequate legal protection for internet purchases. An example of a legal system that does not support ecommerce is that of Egypt. Malaysian business laws are not in favor of ecommerce (Addo Theophilus et al., 2003). 10. Explain why it is necessary to conduct a ‘risk analysis’ as a first step in creating an information systems security plan. Risk analysis is performed as the first step in creating an information system security plan so that you as a developer can identify the threats and vulnerabilities that might cause a risk to the information system you are creating. Risk analysis is the first and key stage in addressing risks because it helps in understanding risk itself and how it might occur. It also identify potential costs which might incurred if these risks occur as well as identifying suitable measures to minimizing the chances a risk occurring[FDI99]. Therefore, it is very important to perform risk analysis before you begin creating your information system security plan because it will direct you in your preparation of the security having known the expected risks. 11. What are the advantages and disadvantages of Web-based collaboration tools? Advantages of web-based collaboration tools include[NSt10]: People within different geographical locations are easily connected through these tools Allow people to share ideas through online discussions Helps in cloud backup/storage, making the files saved on the cloud to be accessed from anywhere in the globe provided there is a network connection Allow easy distribution of information Allow people to communicate for free e.g. Skype computer to computer call Helps in troubleshooting remote computers Can be used in video conferencing as well as hosting online meetings Disadvantages of web-based collaboration tools include[NSt10]: Security issues and vandalism Some tools do not allow importing and exporting files Doing full teleconferencing, the telephone part cost money 12. How can data mining and visualization be used to gain business intelligence and improve decision making? Data mining and visualization helps in gaining business intelligence as well as improving decision making by assisting users of these tools (mostly managers) gain a faster access to critical insight of the data presented to them. Information visualization and data mining are the key issues to getting faster access to business intelligence because they facilitate in assessing multidimensional qualitative and quantitative information. Visualization in particular harnesses the perceptual capabilities of business managers to provide visual insight of data provided to them, thus, enhancing business intelligence[Jay09]. Data mining is a key tool in decision making, therefore, information visualization in data mining will have a direct impact on decision making process. 13. Four major ethical issues in computing have been identified as Property, Privacy, Access and Accuracy. In January 2011, the MegaUpload web site was shut down, and owners and senior managers of the company arrested. Review the news breaks on this issue and discuss what impact you think this case has on the four major ethical issues. How has this closure impacted the various potential users of MegaUpload? What do you think the future holds for other file sharing websites? The MegaUpload case will have a direct impact on the four major ethical issues in computing. For instance, it will ensure that cloud services providers protect the privacy of their customers by securely encrypting their data because they will be in fear of being sued if expose other people’s private information. It will also have an impact on information property because file sharing websites will not share someone’s information without an authority from them. That is, copyright infringement will be prevented. Accessibility of information will be limited because file sharing websites will not allow people to have access to information which they do not have authority to share. Accuracy will also be impacted in that people will only be allowed to share what is genuinely correct. Users of MegaUpload will be greatly affected by this case because they may not have access to the files they had stored there. Their privacy will also be infringed because the FBI investigators will go through these files while searching for more evidence to be used in the case, thus, having access to users information without their authority. Some users may also face some charges if they had shared what is not theirs. Since their IP addresses had been stored by MegaUpload, it would be very easy to track them. Other file sharing websites will have to limit their services because charges made to MegaUpload can also apply to them[Mar12]. This will significantly affect their operation. Reference List Fla12: , (Flatworld Solutions Pvt. Ltd, 2012), Tec12: , (TechTerms, 2012), Fer10: , (Supardi, 2010), Mar06: , (Rouse, 2006), Did08: , (Lamouche, 2008), Tut12: , (Tutor2u, 2012), Jes00: , (Litman, 2000), FDI99: , (FDIC, 1999), NSt10: , (Reiswig, 2010), Jay09: , (Ranjan, 2009), Mar12: , (Brinkmann, 2012), Read More