Final Flashcards
1
Q
Compare and contrast the two major types of networks
A
LAN (local area networks): limited geographical area and composed of one communications medium
WAN (wide area networks): broad geographical area and composed of multiple communication medias
2
Q
Twisted-pair wire
A
most prevalent form of communications wiring, consists of strands of copper wire twisted in pairs, inexpensive, widely available, easy to work with , slow to transfer data, subject to interference, easily tapped by unintended recipients
3
Q
coaxial cable
A
insulated copper wire, much less susceptible to interference and can carry more data, more expensive and harder to deal with than twisted pari wire
4
Q
fibre-optic cables
A
consists of thousands of very thin filaments of glass fibers that transmits info by way of pulses of light from lasers. smaller than tradition cables also transmit more data, often used as a backbone for a network
5
Q
Describe the most common methods for accessing the Internet
A
dial-up, DSL, cable modem, satellite, wireless, and fibre to the home.
6
Q
impact that discovery network applications have had on business and everyday life
A
Discovery involves browsing and information retrieval, and provides users the ability to view information in databases, download it, and process it. Discovery tools include search engines and portals. Discovery tools enable business users to efficiently find needed information.
7
Q
Explain the impact that communication network applications have had on business and everyday life.
A
Networks provide fast, inexpensive communications, through email, call centres, chat rooms, voice communications, and blogs. Communications tools provide business users with a seamless interface among team members, colleagues, business partners, and customers
8
Q
Telecommuting
A
the process whereby knowledge workers are able to work anywhere and any time. Telecommuting provides flexibility for employees, with many benefits and some drawbacks.
9
Q
Explain the impact that collaboration network applications have had on business and everyday life
A
Collaboration refers to mutual efforts by two or more entities (individuals, groups, or companies) that work together to accomplish tasks. Collaboration is enabled by workflow systems. Collaboration tools enable business users to collaborate with colleagues, business partners, and customers
10
Q
Explain the impact that educational network applications have had on business and everyday life. (E learning and virtual universities)
A
E-learning refers to learning supported by the Web. Distance learning refers to any learning situation in which teachers and students do not meet face to face. E-learning provides tools for business users to facilitate their lifelong learning aspirations.
Virtual universities are online universities in which students take classes on the Internet at home or an offsite location. Virtual universities make it possible for students to obtain degrees while working full time, thus increasing their value to their firms
11
Q
Affinity portal
A
A website that offers a single point of entry to an entire community of affiliated interests
12
Q
Backbone networks
A
High-speed central networks to which multiple smaller networks (e.g., LANs and smaller WANs) connect.
13
Q
Bandwidth
A
The transmission capacity of a network, stated in bits per second.
broadband
14
Q
Broadcast media (wireless media)
A
Communications channels that use electromagnetic media (the “airwaves”) to transmit data
15
Q
Cable media (wireline media)
A
Communications channels that use physical wires or cables to transmit data and information.
16
Q
Browsers
A
Software applications through which users primarily access the Web.
17
Q
client/server computing
A
Form of distributed processing in which some machines (servers) perform computing functions for end-user PCs (clients).
18
Q
Computer network
A
A system that connects computers and other devices through communications media so that data and information can be transmitted among them.
19
Q
Crowdsourcing
A
A process in which an organization outsources a task to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call.
20
Q
Distributed processing
A
Network architecture that divides processing work between or among two or more computers that are linked together in a network.
21
Q
Enterprise network
A
An organization’s network, which is composed of interconnected multiple LANs and WANs
22
Q
File server
A
A computer that contains various software and data files for a local area network as well as the network operating system
23
Q
business to business electric commerce
A
the sellers and the buyers are businesses.
24
Q
business to consumer electric commerce
A
the sellers are organizations and the buyers are individuals
25
consumer to consumer electric commerce
an individual sells products or services to other individuals.
26
Business to employee electric commerce
an organization uses EC internally to provide information and services to its employees.
27
E-government electric commerce
the use of Internet technology in general and e-commerce in particular to deliver information and public services to citizens (called government-to-citizen or G2C EC) and business partners and suppliers (called government-to-business or G2B EC)
28
Mobile commerce
e-commerce that is conducted entirely in a wireless environment.
29
Social commerce
the delivery of electronic commerce activities and transactions through social computing.
30
Conversational commerce
electronic commerce using messaging and chat apps to offer a daily choice, often personalized, of a meal, product, or service.
31
Fintech
an industry composed of companies that use technology to compete in the marketplace with traditional financial institutions and intermediaries in the delivery of financial services, which include banking, insurance, real estate, and investing.
32
Online securities training
involves buying and selling securities over the web
33
Sell-side marketplace
organizations attempt to sell their products or services to other organizations electronically from their own private e-marketplace website or from a third-party website
34
buy-side marketplace
organizations attempt to buy needed products or services from other organizations electronically
35
e-marketplaces (public exchanges)
Public exchanges are open to all business organizations. They are frequently 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. Horizontal exchanges connect buyers and sellers across many industries. In functional exchanges, needed services such as temporary help or extra office space are traded on an as-needed basis
36
Multi channeling
A process in which a company integrates its online and offline channels.
public exchanges (or exchanges)
37
Three main types of wireless transmission media
Microwave transmission
Satellite transmission
Radio transmission
38
Microwave transmission
used for high-volume, long-distance, line-of-sight communication. One advantage is the high volume. A disadvantage is that microwave transmissions are susceptible to environmental interference during severe weather such as heavy rain and snowstorms.
39
Satellite transmission
make use of communication satellites, and they receive and transmit data through line-of-sight. One advantage is that the enormous footprint—the area of Earth’s surface reached by a satellite’s transmission—overcomes the limitations of microwave data relay stations. Like microwaves, satellite transmissions are susceptible to environmental interference during severe weather.
40
Radio transmission
use radio-wave frequencies to send data directly between transmitters and receivers. An advantage is that radio waves travel easily through normal office walls. A disadvantage is that radio transmissions are susceptible to snooping by anyone who has similar equipment that operates on the same frequency.
41
Short-range wireless network
simplify the task of connecting one device to another, eliminating wires, and enabling people to move around while they use the devices. In general, short-range wireless networks have a range of 30 m (100 ft) or less. Short-range wireless networks include Bluetooth, ultra-wideband, and near-field communications. A business application of ultra-wideband is the PLUS Real-Time Location System from Time Domain. Using PLUS, an organization can locate multiple people and assets simultaneously.
42
Medium-range wireless network
include Wi-Fi networks. Wi-Fi provides fast and easy Internet or intranet broadband access from public hotspots located at airports, hotels, Internet cafés, universities, conference centres, offices, and homes
43
wide-area wireless network
connect users to the Internet over geographically dispersed territory. They include cellular telephones and wireless broadband. Cellular telephones provide two-way radio communications over a cellular network of base stations with seamless handoffs. Wireless broadband has a wireless access range of up to 50 km (30 miles) and a data transfer rate of up to 75 Mbps. WiMAX can provide long-distance broadband wireless access to rural areas and remote business locations.
44
Five major-m commerce applications
location-based
mobile finance applications
intrabusiness applications
accessing information
telemetry
45
location-based services
provide information specific to a location.
46
mobile finance applications
include banking, wireless payments and micropayments, money transfers, wireless wallets, and bill payment services. The bottom line for mobile financial applications is to make it more convenient for customers to transact business regardless of where they are or what time it is.
47
intrabusiness applications
consist of m-commerce applications that are used within organizations. Companies can use non-voice mobile services to assist in dispatch functions—that is, to assign jobs to mobile employees, along with detailed information about the job.
48
accessing information
mobile portals and voice portals are designed to aggregate and deliver content in a form that will work within the limited space available on mobile devices. These portals provide information anywhere and any time to users.
49
telemetry
is the wireless transmission and receipt of data gathered from remote sensors. Company technicians can use telemetry to identify maintenance problems in equipment. Car manufacturers use telemetry applications for remote vehicle diagnosis and preventive maintenance
50
Internet of things
is a system in which any object, natural or manmade, has a unique identity (using IPv6) and the ability to send and receive information over a network (i.e., the Internet) without human interaction.
51
Tag
a keyword or term that describes a piece of information (e.g., a blog, a picture, an article, or a video clip).
52
Really simple syndication (RSS)
allows you to receive the information you want (customized information), when you want it, without having to surf thousands of websites.
53
examples of web 2.0 tools
blog, mashup, social networking, tag, RSS
54
Social commerce
refers to the delivery of electronic commerce activities and transactions through social computing.
55
benefits of social commerce to customers
there is better and faster vendors’ response to complaints; customers can assist other customers; customers’ expectations can be met more fully and quickly; and customers can easily search, link, chat, and buy while staying in the social network’s page.
56
Benefits of social commerce to vendors
can test new products and ideas quickly and inexpensively; learn much about their customers; identify problems quickly and alleviate anger; learn from customers’ experiences with rapid feedback; increase sales when customers discuss products positively on social networking sites; create better marketing campaigns and brand awareness; use low-cost user-generated content, for example, in marketing campaigns; get free advertising through viral marketing; and identify influential brand advocates and reward them.
57
risks of social computing
information security concerns; invasion of privacy; violation of intellectual property and copyright; employees’ reluctance to participate; data leakage of personal information or corporate strategic information; poor or biased quality of users’ generated content; and cyberbullying/cyberstalking and employee harassment.
58
Social shopping
a method of electronic commerce that takes all of the key aspects of social networks—friends, groups, voting, comments, discussions, reviews, and others—and focuses them on shopping.
Methods for shopping socially include what other shoppers say; group shopping; shopping communities and clubs; social marketplaces and direct sales; and peer-to-peer shopping
59
Describe how social computing improves customer service.
Customers are now incredibly empowered. Companies are closely monitoring social computing not only because they are mindful of the negative comments posted by social network members but also because they see an opportunity to involve customers proactively to reduce problems by improved customer service.
Empowered customers know how to use the wisdom and power of crowds and communities to their benefit. These customers choose how they interact with companies and brands, and they have elevated expectations. They are actively involved with businesses, not just as purchasers but also as advocates and influencers. As a result, businesses must respond to customers quickly and accurately. Fortunately, social computing provides many opportunities for businesses to do just that, thereby giving businesses the opportunity to turn disgruntled customers into champions for the firm.
60
Discuss different ways in which human resource managers make use of social computing.
Recruiting: Both recruiters and job seekers are moving to online social networks as new recruiting platforms. Enterprise recruiters are scanning online social networks, blogs, and other social resources to identify and find information about potential employees. If job seekers are online and active, there is a good chance that they will be seen by recruiters. In addition, on social networks, there are many passive job seekers—people who are employed but would take a better job if it appeared. So, it is important that both active and passive job seekers maintain profiles online that truly reflect them.
Onboarding: The use of social media to help new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviours to become effective members of the organization.
Employee development: HR managers are using social tools to build relationships with employees. As HR managers learn more about employees, they can help them become more engaged and excited about their work.
61
Explain the purpose of transaction processing systems.
TPSs monitor, store, collect, and process data generated from all business transactions. These data provide the inputs into the organization’s database.
62
Explain the types of support that information systems can provide for each functional area of the organization.
The major business functional areas are production/operations management, marketing, accounting/finance, and human resources management.
63
Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
integrate the planning, management, and use of all of the organization’s resources. The major objective of ERP systems is to tightly integrate the functional areas of the organization. This integration enables information to flow seamlessly across the various functional areas.
64
Benefits of ERP
Because ERP systems integrate organizational resources, they make organizations more flexible, agile, and adaptive. The organizations can, therefore, react quickly to changing business conditions and capitalize on new business opportunities.
ERP systems provide essential information on business performance across functional areas. This information significantly improves managers’ ability to make better, more timely decisions.
ERP systems integrate organizational resources, resulting in significant improvements in the quality of customer service, production, and distribution.
65
Drawbacks of ERP
The business processes in ERP software are often predefined by the best practices that the ERP vendor has developed. As a result, companies may need to change existing business processes to fit the predefined business processes of the software. For companies with well-established procedures, this requirement can be a huge problem.
ERP systems can be extremely complex, expensive, and time consuming to implement. In fact, the costs and risks of failure in implementing a new ERP system are substantial
66
Describe the three main business processes supported by ERP systems.
The procurement process originates in the warehouse department (need to buy) and ends in the accounting department (send payment).
The fulfillment process originates in the sales department (customer request to buy) and ends in the accounting department (receive payment).
The production process originates and ends in the warehouse department (need to produce and reception of finished goods), but involves the production department as well.
We leave the details of the steps in each of these processes up to you
67
ad hoc or (on demand) reports
Nonroutine reports that often contain special information that is not included in routine reports.
68
batch processing
Transaction processing system (TPS) that processes data in batches at fixed periodic intervals
69
enterprise application integration (EAI)
A system that integrates existing systems by providing layers of software that connect applications together.
70
Enterprise resource planning system (ERP)
Information systems that take a business process view of the overall organization to integrate the planning, management, and use of all of an organization’s resources, employing a common software platform and database.
71
ERP II system
Interorganizational ERP systems that provide web-enabled links among key business systems (e.g., inventory and production) of a company and its customers, suppliers, distributors, and others.
72
Functional area information systems (FAIS)
Systems that provide information to managers (usually mid-level) in the functional areas to better support managerial tasks of planning, organizing, and controlling operations.
73
Online transaction processing (OLTP)
Transaction processing system (TPS) that processes data after transactions occur, frequently in real time.
74
Procurement process
A cross-functional business process that originates when a company needs to acquire goods or services from external sources, and it concludes when the company receives and pays for them
75
Customer relationship management (CRM)
an organizational strategy that is customer focused and customer driven. That is, organizations concentrate on assessing customers’ requirements for products and services and then on providing high-quality, responsive services. CRM functions include acquiring new customers, retaining existing customers, and growing relationships with existing customers
76
Collaborative CRM
n organizational CRM strategy in which data consolidation and the 360º view of the customer enable the organization’s functional areas to readily share information about customers. The functions of collaborative CRM include integrating communications between the organization and its customers in all aspects of marketing, sales, and customer support processes, and enabling customers to provide direct feedback to the organization.
77
Describe how businesses might use applications of each of the two major components of operational CRM systems.
Operational CRM systems support the front-office business processes that interact directly with customers (i.e., sales, marketing, and service). The two major components of operational CRM systems are customer-facing applications and customer-touching applications.
Customer-facing CRM applications include customer service and support, salesforce automation, marketing, and campaign management. Customer-touching applications include search and comparison capabilities, technical and other information and services, customized products and services, personalized web pages, FAQs, email and automated response, and loyalty programs.
78
Mobile CRM systems
nteractive systems through which communications related to sales, marketing, and customer service activities are conducted through a mobile medium for the purpose of building and maintaining customer relationships between an organization and its customers. Advantages of mobile CRM systems include convenience for customers and the chance to build a truly personal relationship with customers. A drawback could be difficulty in maintaining customer expectations; that is, the company must be extremely responsive to customer needs in a mobile, near-real-time environment.
79
On-demand CRM systems
those hosted by an external vendor in the vendor’s data centre. Advantages of on-demand CRM systems include lower costs and a need for employees to know only how to access and use the software. Drawbacks include possibly unreliable vendors, difficulty in modifying the software, and difficulty in integrating vendor-hosted CRM software with the organization’s existing software
80
Open source CRM systems
those whose source code is available to developers and users. The benefits of open-source CRM systems include favourable pricing, a wide variety of applications, easy customization, rapid updates and bug (software error) fixes, and extensive free support information. The major drawback of open-source CRM systems is quality control
81
Social CRM
the use of social media technology and services to enable organizations to engage their customers in a collaborative conversation to provide mutually beneficial value in a trusted and transparent manner.
82
real time CRM
means that organizations are able to respond to customer product searches, requests, complaints, comments, ratings, reviews, and recommendations in near real-time, 24/7/365.
83
Supply chain
the flow of materials, information, money, and services from raw material suppliers, through factories and warehouses, to the end customers. A supply chain involves three segments: upstream, where sourcing or procurement from external suppliers occurs; internal, where packaging, assembly, or manufacturing takes place; and downstream, where distribution takes place, frequently by external distributors.
84
three flows in the supply chain
material flows, which are the physical products, raw materials, supplies, and so forth; information flows, which consist of data related to demand, shipments, orders, returns, and schedules, as well as changes in any of these data; and financial flows, which involve money transfers, payments, credit card information and authorization, payment schedules, e-payments, and credit-related data.
85
Two major challenges in setting accurate inventory levels throughout a supply chain
the demand forecast and the bullwhip effect. Demand for a product can be influenced by numerous factors such as competition, prices, weather conditions, technological developments, economic conditions, and customers’ general confidence. The bullwhip effect refers to erratic shifts in orders up and down the supply chain.
86
Solution to supply chain problem
building inventories as insurance against supply chain uncertainties. Another solution is the just-in-time (JIT) inventory system, which delivers the precise number of parts, called work-in-process inventory, to be assembled into a finished product at precisely the right time. The third possible solution is vendor-managed inventory (VMI), which occurs when the vendor, rather than the retailer, manages the entire inventory process for a particular product or group of products
87
electronic data interchange (EDI)
is a communication standard that enables the electronic transfer of routine documents, such as purchasing orders, between business partners.
88
Extranets
networks that link business partners over the Internet by providing them access to certain areas of each other’s corporate intranets. The main goal of extranets is to foster collaboration among business partners.
89
corportate portals
offer a single point of access through a web browser to critical business information in an organization. In the context of business-to-business supply chain management, these portals enable companies and their suppliers to collaborate very closely.
90
three major technologies that support supply chain management.
EDI, extranets, corporate portals
91
analytical crm system
A CRM system that analyzes customer behaviour and perceptions in order to provide actionable business intelligence
92
pull model
A business model in which the production process begins with a customer order and companies make only what customers want, a process closely aligned with mass customization.
93
push model
A business model in which the production process begins with a forecast, which predicts the products that customers will want as well as the quantity of each product. The company then produces the number of products in the forecast, typically by using mass production, and sells, or “pushes,” those products to consumers
94
Use a decision-support framework to demonstrate how technology supports managerial decision making at each phase of the decision-making process.
When making a decision, either organizational or personal, the decision maker goes through a three-step process: intelligence, design, and choice. When the choice is made, the decision is implemented. In general, it is difficult to state which information systems support specific decision makers in an organization. Modern information systems, particularly business analytics systems, are available to support everyone in an organization
95
Describe each phase of the business analytics process.
Business analytics is the process of developing actionable decisions or recommendations for actions based on insights generated from historical data. The phases in the business analytics process are shown in Figure 12.3 and include data management, descriptive analytics (with associated analytics tools and statistics procedures), predictive analytics (with associated analytics tools and statistical procedures), prescriptive analytics (with associated analytics tools and statistical procedures), and presentation tools. The results of the business analytics process are actionable business decisions
96
Provide a definition and an example for descriptive analytics
Descriptive analytics summarizes what has happened in the past and allows decision makers to learn from past behaviours. We leave the example to you
97
Provide a definition and an example for predictive analytics.
Predictive analytics examines recent and historical data in order to detect patterns and predict future outcomes and trends. We leave the example to you.
98
Provide a definition and an example for prescriptive analytics.
Prescriptive analytics goes beyond descriptive and predictive models by recommending one or more courses of action and identifying the likely outcome of each decision. We leave the example to you.
99
Describe two examples of presentation tools.
A dashboard provides easy access to timely information and direct access to management reports. It is user-friendly, it is supported by graphics, and, most importantly, it enables managers to examine exception reports and drill down into detailed data.
A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer-based system for capturing, integrating, manipulating, and displaying data using digitized maps. Its most distinguishing characteristic is that every record or digital object has an identified geographical location.
100
Discuss the 4 different cost–benefit analyses that companies must take into account when formulating an IT strategic plan
the net present value
return on investment
where will the application run?
business case approach
101
net present value
converts future values of benefits to their present-value equivalent by discounting them at the organization’s cost of funds. They can then compare the present value of the future benefits with the cost required to achieve those benefits to determine whether the benefits exceed the costs
102
return on investment
measures management’s effectiveness in generating profits with its available assets. ROI is calculated by dividing net income attributable to a project by the average assets invested in the project. ROI is a percentage, and the higher the percentage return, the better
103
Breakeven analysis
determines the point at which the cumulative dollar value of the benefits from a project equals the investment made in the project
104
business case approach
system developers write a business case to justify funding one or more specific applications or projects
105
discuss the four business decisions that companies must make when they acquire new applications
How much computer code does the company want to write?
How will the company pay for the application?
Where will the application run?
Where will the application originate?
106
six processes involved in the systems development life cycle.
Systems investigation: Addresses the business problem (or business opportunity) by means of the feasibility study. The main task in the systems investigation stage is the feasibility study.
Systems analysis: Examines the business problem that the organization plans to solve with an information system. Its main purpose is to gather information about the existing system to determine the requirements for the new system. The end product of this stage, known as the “deliverable,” is a set of system requirements.
Systems design: Describes how the system will resolve the business problem. The deliverable is the set of technical system specifications.
Programming and testing: Programming translates the design specifications into computer code; testing checks to see whether the computer code will produce the expected and desired results and detects errors, or bugs, in the computer code. A deliverable is the new application.
Implementation: The process of converting from the old system to the new system through three major conversion strategies: direct, pilot, and phased. A deliverable is a properly working application.
Operation and maintenance: Types of maintenance include debugging, updating, and adding new functions when needed.
107
Describe alternative development methods that augment these methods.
Joint application design is a group-based tool for collecting user requirements and creating system designs.
Rapid application development is a systems development method that can combine JAD, prototyping, and ICASE tools to rapidly produce a high-quality system.
Agile development is a software development methodology that delivers functionality in rapid iterations, which are usually measured in weeks.
End-user development refers to an organization’s end users developing their own applications with little or no formal assistance from the IT department.
108
Describe alternative development tools that augment these methods.
The prototyping approach defines an initial list of user requirements, builds a model of the system, and then improves the system in several iterations based on users’ feedback.
Integrated computer-aided software engineering combines upper CASE tools (automate systems investigation, analysis, and design) and lower CASE tools (programming, testing, operation, and maintenance).
Component-based development uses standard components to build applications. Components are reusable applications that generally have one specific function, such as a shopping cart, user authentication, or a catalogue.
Object-oriented development begins with the aspects of the real world that must be modelled to perform that task. Systems developers identify the objects in the new system. Each object represents a tangible, real-world entity such as a customer, bank account, student, or course. Objects have properties or data values. Objects also contain the operations that can be performed on their properties.
109
agile development
A software development methodology that delivers functionality in rapid iterations, measured in weeks, requiring frequent communication, development, testing, and delivery.
110
application service provider (ASP)
An agent or vendor that assembles the software needed by enterprises and packages them with outsourced development, operations, maintenance, and other services.
111
computer-aided software engineering (CASE)
A development approach that uses specialized tools to automate many of the tasks in the SDLC. Upper CASE tools automate the early stages of the SDLC and lower CASE tools automate the later stages
112
containers
A method of developing applications that run independently of the base operating system of the server
113
direct conversion
Implementation process in which the old system is cut off and the new system is turned on at a certain point in time
114
integrated CASE (ICASE) tools
CASE tools that provide links between upper CASE and lower CASE tools.
115
joint application design (JAD)
A group-based tool for collecting user requirements and creating system designs
116
lower (CASE) tools
Tools used to automate later stages in the SDLC (programming, testing, operation, and maintenance)
117
3 kinds of conversions
parallel conversion: Implementation process in which the old and new systems operate simultaneously for a time
phased conversion: Implementation process that introduces components of the new system in stages, until the entire new system is operational.
pilot conversion: Implementation process that introduces the new system in one part of the organization on a trial basis. When the new system is working properly, it is introduced in other parts of the organization
118
scope creep
Adding functions to an information system after the project has begun
119
software-as-a-service (Saas)
A method of delivering software in which a vendor hosts the applications and provides them as a service to customers over a network, typically the Internet
120
SDLC system development life cycle
Traditional structured framework, used for large IT projects, that consists of sequential processes by which information systems are developed
121
upper CASE tools
Tools that are used to automate the early stages of the SDLC (systems investigation, analysis, and design).
122
technical specialists
Experts on a certain type of technology, such as databases or telecommunications.
