IS111 Midterm Internet Activity

1. As a student, how did information technology and computer devices affect your daily activities? 

 Information technology and computer devices has a big effect in my daily activities nowadays like when i am going to make my assignment that requires searching for the answer in the library before i really do go to the library to get some answers but now i will just turn on my computer then search for the answers in the internet and whenever i do my chores in the house i play music using my computer devices so that i can be relaxed and will not feel exhausted in doing my chores and of course if i study i will make sure that the music is playing so that i can be relaxed too and so that i cant focus in studying  technology really makes our lives easier.

2. What are computing devices that are specifically designed for your field of study? Write a brief description. Give at least 3.

•  Laptop - A laptop is a portable personal computer with a clam shell form factor, suitable for mobile use. laptop is very useful computing device because unlike computer laptop can be brought anywhere you want to go so that you can do your homework or any other internet and computer related activities anywhere.

• Cellphone - A mobile phone (also known as a cellular phone, cell phone, hand phone, or simply a phone) is a phone that can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link while moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile phone operator, allowing access to the public telephone network. By contrast, a cordless telephone is used only within the short range of a single, private base station. having a cellphone makes your life easier you can contact anyone in any place.

• Tablet Computer - A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a mobile computer with display, circuitry and battery in a single unit. Tablets are equipped with sensors, including cameras, microphone, acceleration and touchscreen, with finger or stylus gestures replacing computer mouse and keyboard. Tablets may include physical buttons, e.g., to control basic features such as speaker volume and power and ports for network communications and to charge the battery. An on-screen, pop-up virtual keyboard is usually used for typing. Tablets are typically larger than smart phones or personal digital assistants at 7 inches (18 cm) or larger, measured diagonally.

3. Which would you rather have—a net book or a tablet computer? Why?

I will choose tablet over net book because tablets are easy to bring it is more lighter than net book and i think tablet is fun to bring with because it has many features that a net book didn't have for example it has camera, it can also be used as a mobile gadget, and it has phone games that is very fun to play and also net book cant be use as mobile gadget and needs to have internet to make use of it and to have fun using it that is why i choose tablet over net book.

          4. If cost were not an issue, describe the characteristics of your ideal computer. What would you use it for?
I want to have the most expensive and the fastest computer in the world then i will upgrade every parts of it and i will paint make it very clean and shiny every single day. I will use it for my computer activities in my course then for heavy computer games and heavy files i choose to have this kind of computer so that it cant withstand anything that i will put on it and it will always be the same and even virus will not attempt to go to my computer because its so cool and it is being protected by a very good system that i will put in in my computer

5. Why do you think that a computer course (subject) is required in every programs (courses) in higher education (college)?
Because technology is everywhere and 1 and i think the most important and most useful technology is computer having a computer subject and learning how to use it is very important in the future because i think our future world will be all about technology and we people must have knowledge about them so that we can leave easier as the time past by and maybe we cant use it now but for sure it will be useful in the future when the world will have technology as the main source of anything that is why learning computer is very important in college.

6. Have you encountered a difficulty in using computers? Write your experience. What intervention you did to solve that problem?
Yes, when computer is having virus some virus really cant be taken out it will destroy your computer and it will need to be fixed to work again, next is when i am downloading something it just do not  work maybe because its not properly downloaded or maybe my computers capacity cant handle the weight of that thing i downloaded but when i am in that situation i always ask of course the internet or Google or just ask someone like my brother to what am i gonna do if there is a problem in downloading and in viruses problem.

               

             

IS 112 Blog Activity, Factors Affecting Competitive Advantage The Five-Forces Model:

The five-forces model:

Rivalry among existing competitors - It is the nature of competition that firms will strive for advantage over their rivals. As such, rivalry is typically the strongest of the five competitive forces in any given industry. It can be defined as the competition that goes on between firms as they try to increase their market share. For example, this can be viewed as the competition that the cooperative faces when members look elsewhere to gin their cotton, sell their products or purchase their supplies. Due to the nature of agricultural commodities, this rivalry usually focuses on price competition, with firms attempting to provide the lowest price possible for farm inputs and the highest price possible for farm outputs.

Threat of new entrants - A major force shaping competition within an industry is the threat of new entrants. The threat of new entrants is a function of both barriers to entry and the reaction from existing competitors. There are several types of entry barriers:

Economies of scale. Economies of scale act as barrier to entry by requiring the entrant to come on large scale, risking strong reaction from existing competitors, or alternatively to come in on a small scale accepting a cost disadvantage. Economies of scale refer to the decline in unit costs of a product or service (or an operation, or a function that goes into producing a product or service).

Product differentiation. Product differentiation creates a barrier to entry by forcing entrants to incur expenditure to overcome existing customer loyalties. New entrants must spend a great deal of money and time to overcome this barrier.

Capital requirements. The capital costs of getting established in an industry can be so large as to discourage all but the largest companies.

Cost advantages independent of scale. Existing firms may have cost advantages not available to potential entrants regardless of the entrant's size. These advantages can include access to the best and cheapest raw materials, possession of patents and proprietary technological know-how, the benefits of learning and experience curve effects, having built and equipped plants years earlier at lower costs, favorable locations, and lower borrowing costs.

Switching costs. Switching costs refer to the one-time costs that buyers of the industry's outputs incur if they switch from one company's products to another's. To overcome the switching cost barrier, new entrants may have to offer buyers a bigger price cut or extra quality or service. All this can mean lower profit margins for new entrants.

Access to distribution channels. Access to distribution channels can be a barrier to entry because of the new entrants's need to obtain distribution for its product. A new entrant may have to persuade the distribution channels to accept its product by providing extra incentives which reduce profits.

Governmental and legal barriers. Government agencies can limit or even bar entry by requiring licenses and permits. National governments commonly use tariffs and trade restrictions (anti dumping rules, local content requirements, and quotas) to raise entry barriers for foreign firms.

The effectiveness of all these barriers to entry in excluding potential entrants depends upon the entrants' expectation as to possible retaliation by established firms. Retaliation against a new entrant may take the form of aggressive price-cutting, increased advertising, or a variety of legal man oeuvres.

Threat of substitute products and services - A substitute is a product that performs the same or similar function as another product. Microeconomics teaches that the more substitutes a product has, the demand for the product becomes more elastic. Elastic demand means increased consumer price sensitivity which equates to less certainty of profits. For example, public-transportation is a substitute for driving a car, and e-mail is a substitute for writing letters.  Conditions that increase the threat of substitutes are:


An attractive price of substitutes: The price of substitutes acts as a ceiling to the price of the subject product. An attractive price of a substitute acts inhibits an industry from reaching its profit potential.

Increased quality of substitutes: If the quality of a substitute is high, there is increased pressure to increase the quality of the subject product. For example, products such as Netflix and Hulu have introduced video on demand services offered through the internet. Cable and internet companies have answered back by introducing fiber optic networks to not only compete in the video on demand space, but offer incredible picture quality not yet available to the new technologies.

Low switching costs to consumers: Switching costs to consumers can come in the form of monetary costs (transferring cell phone service: termination and initiation fees) or lifestyle switching costs (switching from driving a car to public transportation). Monetary costs effectively increase the price of the substitute products whereas lifestyle costs are more subjective and difficult to identify. In either case, the easier and less costly it is to switch to a substitute, the higher threat of that substitute.      

Bargaining power of buyers - buyer bargaining power refers to the pressure consumers can exert on businesses to get them to provide higher quality products, better customer service, and lower prices. When analyzing the bargaining power of buyers, the industry analysis is being conducted from the perspective of the seller. According to Porter’s 5 forces industry analysis framework, buyer power is one of the forces that shape the competitive structure of an industry.

The idea is that the bargaining power of buyers in an industry affects the competitive environment for the seller and influences the seller’s ability to achieve profitability. Strong buyers can pressure sellers to lower prices, improve product quality, and offer more and better services. All of these things represent costs to the seller. A strong buyer can make an industry more competitive and decrease profit potential for the seller. On the other hand, a weak buyer, one who is at the mercy of the seller in terms of quality and price, makes an industry less competitive and increases profit potential for the seller. The concept of buyer power Porter created has had a lasting effect in market theory.

Bargaining power of suppliers - The more powerful a seller is relative to the buyer, the more influence the seller has. This influence can be used to reduce the profits of the buyer through more advantageous pricing, limiting quality of the product or service, or shifting some costs onto the buyer (e.g. shipping costs). Suppliers are powerful if:

Suppliers are concentrated or differentiated: If there are only a few suppliers (or one) in the market, the suppliers will have more leverage because of the lack of available alternatives.

Significant costs involved in switching suppliers: Customers are less likely to switch suppliers if there are large costs associated with switching. For example, professional video editors are less likely switch from one system (Final Cut Pro) to another (Adobe Premier Pro) because of the costs associated with purchasing new hardware.

Suppliers can forward integrate: If a supplier has the power to or threatens to forward integrate, the buyer may be forced to accept influence from the supplier.

IS112 Blog Activity, Post 1: Types of Information Systems

1. Office Information Systems

 An office information system, or OIS (pronounced oh-eye-ess), is an information system that uses hardware, software and networks to enhance work flow and facilitate communications among employees.  Win an office information system, also described as office automation; employees perform tasks electronically using computers and other electronic devices, instead of manually.  With an office information system, for example, a registration department might post the class schedule on the Internet and e-mail students when the schedule is updated.  In a manual system, the registration department would photocopy the schedule and mail it to each student’s house.

An office information system supports a range of business office activities such as creating and distributing graphics and/or documents, sending messages, scheduling, and accounting.  All levels of users from executive management to nonmanagement employees utilize and benefit from the features of an OIS.

The software an office information system uses to support these activities include word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentation graphics, e-mail, Web browsers, Web page authoring, personal information management, and groupware.  Office information systems use communications technology such as voice mail, facsimile (fax), videoconferencing, and electronic data interchange (EDI) for the electronic exchange of text, graphics, audio, and video.  An office information system also uses a variety of hardware, including computers equipped with modems, video cameras, speakers, and microphones; scanners; and fax machines.

2. Transaction Processing Systems

A transaction processing system (TPS) is an information system that captures and processes data generated during an organization’s day-to-day transactions.  A transaction is a business activity such as a deposit, payment, order or reservation.

Clerical staff typically perform the activities associated with transaction processing, which include the following:

1.                   Recording a business activity such as a student’s registration, a customer’s order, an employee’s timecard or a client’s payment.

2.                   Confirming an action or triggering a response, such as printing a student’s schedule, sending a thank-you note to a customer, generating an employee’s paycheck or issuing a receipt to a client.

3.                   Maintaining data, which involves adding new data, changing existing data, or removing unwanted data.

Transaction processing systems were among the first computerized systems developed to process business data – a function originally called data processing.  Usually, the TPS computerized an existing manual system to allow for faster processing, reduced clerical costs and improved customer service.

The first transaction processing systems usually used batch processing.  With batch processing, transaction data is collected over a period of time and all transactions are processed later, as a group.  As computers became more powerful, system developers built online transaction processing systems.  With online transaction processing (OLTP) the computer processes transactions as they are entered.  When you register for classes, your school probably uses OLTP.  The registration administrative assistant  enters your desired schedule and the computer immediately prints your statement of classes.  The invoices, however, often are printed using batch processing, meaning all student invoices are printed and mailed at a later date.

Today, most transaction processing systems use online transaction processing.  Some routine processing tasks such as calculating paychecks or printing invoices, however, are performed more effectively on a batch basis.  For these activities, many organizations still use batch processing techniques.

3. Management Information Systems

While computers were ideal for routine transaction processing, managers soon realized that the computers’ capability of performing rapid calculations and data comparisons could produce meaningful information for management.  Management information systems thus evolved out of transaction processing systems.  Amanagement information system, or MIS (pronounced em-eye-ess), is an information system that generates accurate, timely and organized information so managers and other users can make decisions, solve problems, supervise activities, and track progress.  Because it generates reports on a regular basis, a management information system sometimes is called a management reporting system (MRS).

Management information systems often are integrated with transaction processing systems.  To process a sales order, for example, the transaction processing system records the sale, updates the customer’s account balance, and makes a deduction from inventory.  Using this information, the related management information system can produce reports that recap daily sales activities; list customers with past due account balances; graph slow or fast selling products; and highlight inventory items that need reordering.  A management information system focuses on generating information that management and other users need to perform their jobs.

An MIS generates three basic types of information:  detailed, summary and exception.  Detailed information  typically confirms transaction processing activities.  A Detailed Order Report is an example of a detail report.  Summary information consolidates data into a format that an individual can review quickly and easily.  To help synopsize information, a summary report typically contains totals, tables, or graphs.  An Inventory Summary Report is an example of a summary report.

Exception information filters data to report information that is outside of a normal condition.  These conditions, called the exception criteria, define the range of what is considered normal activity or status.  An example of an exception report is an Inventory Exception Report is an Inventory Exception Report that notifies the purchasing department of items it needs to reorder.  Exception reports help managers save time because they do not have to search through a detailed report for exceptions.  Instead, an exception report brings exceptions to the manager’s attention in an easily identifiable form.  Exception reports thus help them focus on situations that require immediate decisions or actions.

4. Decision Support Systems

Transaction processing and management information systems provide information on a regular basis.  Frequently, however, users need information not provided in these reports to help them make decisions.  A sales manager, for example, might need to determine how high to set yearly sales quotas based on increased sales and lowered product costs.  Decision support systems help provide information to support such decisions.

A decision support system (DSS) is an information system designed to help users reach a decision when a decision-making situation arises.  A variety of DSSs exist to help with a range of decisions. 

A decision support system uses data from internal and/or external sources.

Internal sources of data might include sales, manufacturing, inventory, or financial data from an organization’s database.  Data from external sources could include interest rates, population trends, and costs of new housing construction or raw material pricing.  Users of a DSS, often managers, can manipulate the data used in the DSS to help with decisions.

Some decision support systems include query language, statistical analysis capabilities, spreadsheets, and graphics that help you extract data and evaluate the results.  Some decision support systems also include capabilities that allow you to create a model of the factors affecting a decision.  A simple model for determining the best product price, for example, would include factors for the expected sales volume at each price level.  With the model, you can ask what-if questions by changing one or more of the factors and viewing the projected results.  Many people use application software packages to perform DSS functions.  Using spreadsheet software, for example, you can complete simple modeling tasks or what-if scenarios.

A special type of DSS, called an executive information system (EIS), is designed to support the information needs of executive management.  Information in an EIS is presented in charts and tables that show trends, ratios, and other managerial statistics.  Because executives usually focus on strategic issues, EISs rely on external data sources such as the Dow Jones News/Retrieval service or the Internet.  These external data sources can provide current information on interest rates, commodity prices, and other leading economic indicators.

To store all the necessary decision-making data, DSSs or EISs often use extremely large databases, called data warehouses.  A data warehouse stores and manages the data required to analyze historical and current business circumstances.

5. Expert Systems

An expert system  is an information system that captures and stores the knowledge of human experts and then imitates human reasoning and decision-making processes for those who have less expertise.  Expert systems are composed of two main components:  a knowledge base and inference rules.  A knowledge base is the combined subject knowledge and experiences of the human experts.  The inference rules are a set of logical judgments applied to the knowledge base each time a user describes a situation to the expert system.

Although expert systems can help decision-making at any level in an organization, nonmanagement employees are the primary users who utilize them to help with job-related decisions.  Expert systems also successfully have resolved such diverse problems as diagnosing illnesses, searching for oil and making soup.

Expert systems are one part of an exciting branch of computer science called artificial intelligence.  Artificial intelligence (AI) is the application of human intelligence to computers.  AI technology can sense your actions and, based on logical assumptions and prior experience, will take the appropriate action to complete the task.  AI has a variety of capabilities, including speech recognition, logical reasoning, and creative responses.

Experts predict that AI eventually will be incorporated into most computer systems and many individual software applications.  Many word processing programs already include speech recognition.

Integrated Information Systems

With today’s sophisticated hardware, software and communications technologies, it often is difficult to classify a system as belonging uniquely to one of the five information system types discussed.  Much of today’s application software supports transaction processing and generates management information.  Other applications provide transaction processing, management information, and decision support.  Although expert systems still operate primarily as separate systems, organizations increasingly are consolidating their information needs into a single, integrated information system.

IS111 Pirates of the Silicon Valley Reflection

IS111 Pirates of the Silicon Valley Reflection

1.) What are the factors that contributed to the success and failure of Steve Jobs as a founder of Apple Inc.? The first thing that comes out in my mind about Steve Jobs success in Apple Inc. is his friend Steve Wozniak this man single-handedly invented the Apple 1 computer after Wozniak showed it to Jobs, who suggested that they sell it, they and Ronald Wayne formed Apple Computer in the garage of Jobs`s parents in order to sell it. We all know that Steve Jobs was an American entrepreneur, marketer, and inventor, who was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. Steve Jobs is widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution and for his influential career in the computer and consumer electronics fields, transforming “one industry after another, from computers and smart phones to music and movies.” Steve Jobs was perceived as a demanding perfectionist, who always aspired to position his businesses and their products at the forefront of the information technology industry, by foreseeing and setting innovation and style trends. Jobs's aggressive and demanding personality has been widely publicized. In 1993 Jobs made Fortune's list of America's Toughest Bosses in regard to his leadership at NeXT. Apple's third co-founder Wayne explained that Job's personality was very cold. He recounted the times Jobs was ruthless, including one occasion in which Jobs asked Wayne to convince a friend to sell his company for Apple's benefit

2.) How do you see yourself as a founder of a computer or software company? I will make sure to that my company will be growing as years go by and I will make sure that all of my employees will be well treated I will treat them as family of mine so that they will enjoy working in my company and do their best in their respective task in the company. I think I can see myself as a good and effective founder of a computer or software company because I love computers, I love exploring it and I love learning new things about computer and software’s. As a founder of a computer and software company I will take care of my company very well so that and treat all employees equally and respect them so that I can be the owner for a long period of time and make it one of the best computer or software company in the whole wide world and become one of the richest and wealthiest person in the world like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. So that I can give my family a better living and my future children`s a company that they will own so that they will have a wonderful and wealthy life that every single parents dream of for their children’s.


3.) Whom do you think is an effective founder/head of the company? Bill Gates or Steve Jobs? We all know that Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are two of the best founder/head of a company but In my opinion and i think the effective founder/head of a company is Bill Gates i think he proves that he is a wiser and effective founder/head of a company than Steve Jobs it is because Bill Gates is one of the richest and wealthiest man alive in the world Bill Gates intelligence and brilliance in heading company are exceptional he lower his pride to join Steve Jobs in apple to steal their ideas and works so that he can just improve it on his company he didn't need to work and make it. It makes his responsibilities in his company easier and that is the reason why he improves and grow his company well and fast. But i think the most effective thing that Bill Gates does is that he is not too cruel to his employees i think that is very important if you want to keep your company together and make your company bigger. I think if Steve Jobs didn't do such being a cruel boss in his company and if he didn't trust Bill Gates to join his company he maybe the one who is sitting as one of the richest and wealthiest man in the world also he maybe the wiser and the best effective founder/head of a company not Bill Gates.


4.) Would you take the same career path as Steve Jobs took? Why or why not? No, because i want to be the richest and the wealthiest man in the world. And i don't want to be cruel on my employees if i have the chance to be a boss in a company i don't want to be hated by any people around me i don't want to be boastful about my success because i know God will not be happy about it. But maybe if Steve Jobs didn't do such things in his career we will never have this iPhone's,super advance computer, iMac, iPods, and tablets. But for me i just don't want to be the kind of person who will do every single cruel thing to be successful i will do my best and all i got to be successful person but not in that way i will stay humble and stay good even if things are starting to get very hard i will never dream to be a successful person and be a cruel and bad person as well and if i have the chance to have the brilliance and intelligence of Steve Jobs i will make use of it different way i will do the same thing he did to make apple the best computer/software company but i will treat my employees well and respect them for what they did for my company.


5.) What is your over all reflection/reaction about the movie? For me the movie is one of the best movies i ever seen in my life maybe because its about computer companies i love computer so maybe that is the reason why and because the story is very interesting and it has i very inspiring content because we all know Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are so famous because they are the reasons behind the popular iPhone and Super Advance Computers but when we see all of their hard works in the start of their careers its very inspiring they started as a normal person who wants to create something that can be useful for all the people and make all peoples life easier. In the end they made it to the top they are now one of the most well known people in the world and one of the richest and wealthiest people in the world. I consider Bill Gates and Steve Jobs as my inspiration to reach my dreams and goals in life because i want to be like them they do everything and they do their best to reach their goals and dreams in life they sacrifice a lot for their dreams and goals they are very versatile person in terms of working hard for each of their company.