CH1

Term project: group 3 to 4 classmates in each team.

use Google sites to create a web site for your team (follow instructions on p. 66); done
by Sept 20 (Mon); add access right to colinlai100@gmail.com
answer the review questions #1, #2 (p.65) in your created web site
you will be using your created web site throughout the course for additional
assignment
1. How are information systems transforming business and what is
their relationship to globalization?
E-mail, online conferencing, and cell phones have become essential tools
for conducting business. Information systems are the foundation of fastpaced supply chains. The internet allows many businesses to buy, sell,
advertise, and solicit customer feedback online. Organizations are trying to
become more competitive and efficient by digitally enabling their core
business processes and evolving into digital firms. The Internet has
stimulated globalization by dramatically reducing the costs of producing,
buying, and selling goods on a global scale. New information system trends
include the emerging mobile digital platform, online software as a service,
and cloud computing.
Describe how information systems have changed the way businesses
operate and their products and services.
Increase in wireless technology use, Web sites
Shifts in media and advertising
New federal security and accounting laws
Identify three major new information system trends.
Information system: Three activities produce information organizations
need
Input: Captures raw data from organization or external environment
Processing: Converts raw data into meaningful form
Output: Transfers processed information to people or activities that use
it

Describe the characteristics of a digital firm.

In the emerging, fully digital firm
Significant business relationships are digitally enabled and mediated
Core business processes are accomplished through digital networks
Key corporate assets are managed digitally

Digital firms offer greater flexibility in organization and

management
Time shifting, space shifting

 Describe the challenges and opportunities of globalization in a flattened

world.
Globalization opportunities
Internet has drastically reduced costs of operating on global scale
Presents both challenges and opportunities
2. Why are information systems so essential for running and
managing a business today?
Operational excellence:
Information systems are a foundation for conducting business today.
In many industries, survival and the ability to achieve strategic business
goals are difficult without extensive use of information technology.
Businesses today use information systems to achieve six major objectives:
operational excellence; new products, services, and business models;
customer/ supplier intimacy; improved decision making; competitive
advantage; and day-to-day survival.
Improvement of efficiency to attain higher profitability
New products, services, and business models:
Enabled by technology
Customer and supplier intimacy:
Serving customers raises revenues and profits
Better communication with suppliers lowers costs
Improved decision making
More accurate data leads to better decisions
Competitive advantage
Delivering better performance
Charging less for superior products
Responding to customers and suppliers in real timeSurvival
Information technologies as necessity of business
May be:
Industry-level changes.
Governmental regulations requiring record-keeping
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CH2
Chapter 2 p.100
1.
How do systems serve the various levels of management in a business?
System serving operational management are transaction processing
systems(TPS), such as payroll or order processing, that track the flow of the
daily routine transactions necessary to conduct business Management
information system(MIS) and decision-support system(DSS) support middle
management decisions that are unique and rapidly changing using advanced
analytical models and data analysis capabilities. Executive support systems

(ESS) support senior management by providing data that are often in the
form of graphs and charts delivered via portals using many sources of
internal and external information.
Describe the characteristics of TPS and role they play in a business.
Transaction processing systems
Perform and record daily routine transactions necessary to conduct
business
Examples: sales order entry, payroll, shipping
Allow managers to monitor status of operations and relations with
external environment
Serve operational levels
Serve predefined, structured goals and decision making
Describe the characteristics of MIS and explain how MIS differ from TPS
and from DSS.
Management information systems
Serve middle management
Provide reports on firms current performance, based on data from TPS
Provide answers to routine questions with predefined procedure for
answering them
Typically have little analytic capability
DSS use internal information from TPS and MIS, they often bring in
information from external sources, such as current stock prices or product
prices of competitors. These systems use a variety of models to analyze
data, or they condense large amounts of data into a form in which decision
makers can analyze them. DSS are designed so that users can work with
them directly; these systems explicitly include user-friendly software.
Describe the characteristics of DSS and explain how DSS differ from ESS.
Decision support systems
Serve middle management
Support nonroutine decision making
Example: What is impact on production schedule if December sales
doubled?
Often use external information as well from TPS and MIS
Model driven DSS
Voyage-estimating systems
Data driven DSS
Intrawests marketing analysis systems
Describe the relationship between TPS, MIS, DSS, and ESS.
Relationship of systems to one another
TPS: Major source of data for other systems
ESS: Recipient of data from lower-level systems
Data may be exchanged between systems
In reality, most businesses systems only loosely integrated

2.
What is the difference between e-business, e-commerce, and egovernment?
E-business (electronic business) refers to the use of digital technology and
the Internet to execute a firms business processes. It includes internal
business processes and processes for coordination with suppliers and other
external entities. E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the part of ebusiness dealing with the purchase and sale of goods and services over the
Internet, including support activities such as marketing and customer
support. E-government refers to the application of the internet and
networking technologies to digitally enable government and public sector
agencies relationships with citizens, businesses, and other governmental
bodies.
l Distinguish between e-business and e-commerce.
E-business (Electronic business):
Use of digital technology and Internet to execute major business
processes in the enterprise
Includes e-commerce (electronic commerce):
Buying and selling of goods over Internet
Define and describe e-government.
E-government:
The application of Internet and networking technologies to digitally enable
government and public sector agencies relationships with citizens,
businesses, and other arms of government
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CH3
Chapter3
Read the article on (link available on Bb):
http://www.itpro.co.uk/621181/q-a-mark-kingdon-on-second-life-for-business
On your Google web site:
Each team member describe a possible use of Second Life to do business or conduct
business activities for Macao organizations. Please indicate your name on top of the
article and the date the article was posted/ last updated.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
NEME: P0801397 Water Teng
I think the CTM net a possible use of second life to do business in Macao.
That is because CTM net is the only NETWORK suppiler in Macao. And it has own web
page to serve their client and sell their serverice.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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CH4
Chapter 4
Finish reading the chapter
Read review summary in textbook
Be able to describe the key terms
Complete online assessment for this chapter within 2 weeks (deadline posted on Bb)
Team project
Each team member creates a simple Blog as described on p. 180 of textbook
post your names and links on your project web site
post at least 2 comments to your team members blog
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CH5

Chapter 5
Complete online assessment for this chapter within 2 weeks (deadline posted on Bb)
On your constructed Google site:
answer case study question #1, #2, #3, #4 (SaaS) on p. 221
answer review question #5 on p. 229
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Answer case study question
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the software-as-a-service model?
advatages will inevitably lead to ' the end of software', or, more appropriately, a new
future of software, SaaS model will supplan the current model and become the new
paradigm.

2. What are some of the challenges facing Salesforce as it continues its growth? How
well it be able to meet those challenges?
Salesforce faces significant challenges as it continues to grow and refine its business.
First challenge comes from increased cmpetition, both from traditional industry leader
and new challengers hoping to replicate Salesforce's success.
3. What kinds of businesses could benefit from seitching to Salesforce and why?
4. What factors would you take into account in deciding whether to use saleforce.com
for your business?
Reveiw Question
1. What are the challenges of managing IT infrastructure and management solutions?
Major challenges include dealing with platform and infrastructure change,
infrastructure management and governance, and making wise infrastructure
investments. Solution guidelines include using a competitiver forces model to determine
how much to spend on IT infrastructure and where to make strategic infrastructure
investments, and establishing the total cost of ownership (TCO) of information
technology assts. The total cost of owning technology resources includes not only the
original cost of computer hardware and software buty also costs for hardware and
sotware upgrades, maintenance, technical support, and training.
l Name and describe the management challenges posed by IT infrastructure.
Competitive forces model for IT infrastructure investment
Market demand for firms services
Firms business strategy
Firms IT strategy, infrastructure, and cost
Information technology assessment
Competitor firm services
Competitor firm IT infrastructure investments
l Explain how using a competitive forces model and calculating the total cost of
ownership (TCO) of technology assets help firms make good infrastructure investments.
Total Cost of Ownership of Technology Assets
TCO model: Used to analyze direct and indirect costs of systems
Hardware, software account for only about 20% of TCO
Other costs include: Installation, training, support, maintenance, infrastructure,
downtime, space and energy
TCO can be reduced through greater centralization and standardization of hardware
and software resources

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CH7
Chatper 7
Finish reading the chapter
Read review summary in textbook
Be able to describe the key terms
Complete online assessment for this chapter within 2 weeks (deadline posted on Bb)