Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Article Ch. 15: Global Strategy

This article discusses how important it is for companies to choose the right strategies from the very beginning. Down the road it may make or break the company. When a company decides to choose to go into the global market it is imperative to have the correct strategy in place.

Case Study: Offshore Outsourcing: Good, Bad, or Does not make a difference?

1. No, I don’t think outsourcing created an ethical dilemma because this concept is the way the business sector has evolved into.
2. No, I don’t think is should be restricted because when firms make the decision to outsource that normally means that they have decided upon outsourcing because it will fit with that particular companies business direction.
3. The outsourcing of jobs can create new one in the United States because new white collar jobs will continue to open.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Article Ch.14 : Agile Processes Go Lean

A company named Allscripts purchased the rights to a medical practices management and billing system from a third party company. Allscripts launched a project to test, debug and enhance the system to fit into its business lines. Unfortunately developers at the company hit a roadblock. The requirements for the system were unclear, continually changing and not based on a solid understanding of the product. At this point the company turned to agile development. This is a methodology based on iterative development and team collaboration. The agile development breaks big projects down into smaller segments and allows software features and plans to be adjusted as development projects progress. The agile approach was created out of the need to build software faster and at a higher quality level.
Companies that have successfully implemented this method have found themselves using the lean principle. His had helped a lot of companies solve many cultural and organizational problems tied to software development. The lean approach challenges traditional techniques and replaces them with ones that reduce waste and increase value for the customer.
In the past traditional development approaches have led to a confrontational relationship with the business partner or customer. The agile method turns this relationship into a collaborative one that requires a close working relationship with the customer.
They found organizations that take advantage of both agile development and lean approaches together have seen benefits such as, reduced costs, improved time to market and higher quality.

West, A (2009) Agile Processes Go Lean: Lean approaches make it more likely agile development can deliver on its promise. Information Week: April 27, 2009, 32.

Case Study Ch. 13: Business Process Re-Design at the small business administration

What was wrong with the existing computer system (ALCS) and why did SBA decide to replace it?

A majority of their process was paper based and the only system they had in place was ALCS. This system was outdated, unreliable and did not comply with the current IT security requirements. ALCS was a tracking system that handled all of the details of a loan. SBA decided to replace his system because it didn’t meet the companies IT requirements. SBA needed a loan control system.

What was the purpose of re-organizing the ODA and centralizing IT in a single office, and centralizing other functions like the call center in a single office?

SBA had organized its agencies into regional areas. They had established four agencies throughout the country that had different IT infrastructures. Each center was a duplicate of the other. In the past files were mailed across the country several times and paperwork was lost, data was entered incorrectly or multiple times. SBA wasted a lot of time trying to send paperwork back and forth, and re-directing victims based on their region. SBA realized that this was inefficient and decided to centralize each process to one area in order to have better control of the process and be more effective and efficient.

In what other ways could the agency use information systems to improve the process of loan application, approval, and maintenance?

SBA can develop a system that allows the victims to apply online. This would save the company a lot of time and money because the company wouldn’t have to set up centers at various disaster locations. It was also reduce the time it takes to process the application because they would receive the application as soon as the victim submits it online. Through this system they can grant approvals and also have the ability to trace the progress of each application.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Chapter 12 Article: Search and SaaS Unite for IT Management

Conry-Murray, A (2009) Search and SaaS Unite for IT Management. Information Week, 30.

A new start up by the name of Paglo is combining the search with software as a service to make IT management easier to set up and use. The product they offer is called Pagalo Crawler. The software can be downloaded and installed by an IT team. The crawler discovers the network and connected assets and then reports this information to Pagalo’s data center. An IT administrator can access this information from a Web browser. Pagalo also has a search capability that allows someone to query an index and search what software is installed in the PC or how much free disk space is available on the server. The software can also be used to monitor vital statistics, such as system memory, CPU usage and asset inventory.
This related to chapter twelve because they discuss DSS which is utilized to help collect current or historical data from various applications or groups into centralized data to simplify management reporting and assist management with business decisions. Pagalo is an example of a decision support system that can be used as a centralized area to collect all of the data within a company.

Chapter 12 Case Study: Does Compstat reduce crime?

1.What management, organizational, and technology factors make CompStat effective?
They have structured their organization to have officers report to a commander and a commander reports to the police headquarters. The commander is responsible for reducing the crime that goes on within the district they oversee. This is an effective way to make sure that they are doing their job because they are held accountable if the crime goes up. The commander is responsible for deploying their officers to the appropriate areas within their district based on the crime map provided by CompStat. CompStat assists the commander to properly manage their officers effectively and efficiently so that as a team they can reduce crime. These combined efforts make CompStat an effective tool that police departments can use to fulfill their goal.
2.Can police departments effectively combat crime without the CompStat system? Explain your answer.
No, I don’t think they can effectively combat crime without CompStat. CompStat collects and tracks crime complaints, arrests, crime patterns and police activities. This provides valuable information that would be hard to capture from paper. CompStat can determine what area within a district has an increased amount of activity. The police department can view this on the map and send more officers to patrol this area. Police officers are sent to the proper areas rather than sending officers to an area that has very little crime activity. CompStat is a guide that the police department can use so that they can patrol the neighborhoods more effectively.

Chapter 10 Case Study: The Allure of MySpace

1. How do businesses benefit from Myspace? How do Myspace members benefit?
Businesses benefit from Myspace because they can advertise and also retrieve information from these users so that they can target and better serve their market. The businesses can advertise to a particular set of individuals who fit their target market. They can also retrieve their potential user’s age, location, martial status, language, gender, etc. to analyze what types of individuals may be interested in their products. Myspace members benefit from Myspace because they can network with millions of people who also utilize the service. They can do job searches, blog, play games and e-mail.
2. Does Myspace create an ethical dilemma? Why or why not?
Myspace does not create an ethical dilemma because all of its users subscribe by choice and therefore consent to the sites agreement.
3. Do parent and schools’ objections to Myspace have any merit? Should a site like Myspace be allowed to operate? Why or why not?
I do believe parents and school objections should be valued. They object Myspace because they are trying to protect children from being hurt by individuals who misuse this site. Although some people object this site, I believe that Myspace should be allowed to operate. There are a lot more positive aspects to this networking site than negative ones. Myspace is listening to the concerns and doing the best they can to protect individuals who could be a target to sexual predators. It is also the parents responsibility and not Myspace’s responsibility to protect and watch their children.

Chapter 10 Article: SAP’s Smartphone Plan Goes through Sybase

Weir, M.H. (2009) Should SAP’s Smartphone Plan Goes Through Sybase Information Week, 22.

SAP is using Sybase to make it easier for employees who carry smart phones so that they can have access to SAP applications. Both companies are working together to integrate Sybase transaction management and other mobile middleware with SAP software such as CRM and human resources. SAP indicates that this will improve its NetWeaver Mobile development environment which will broaden their mobile applications. The software is supposed to launch later on this year.
This article relates to chapter ten because SAP is developing software so that employees have access to these enterprise systems. The chapter discusses limited access from websites because not all phone have 3G networks. This definitely limits the customer because if they need access to information that exceeds the devices capacity they will be unable to view the data they need. Although most phone have 3G network access and avoid this problem, many can’t access SAP applications which may be essential for an individual who frequently travels on business trips. This software they are developing would allow these employees to access SAP applications efficiently and lessen the times they have to take out their laptop which may be an inconvenience when traveling.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Chapter 7: Monitoring Employees in Networks: Unethical or Good Business?

1. Should managers monitor employee email and internet usage? Why or why not?

Yes, I do think they should monitor employee email or internet usage because it can impact the company’s success. Many employees take advantage of the internet accessibility at work and spend more time on the internet than deems necessary. Although it can be looked at as “big brother,” the company pays their employees to do work and provides these services because they are necessary for the work environment. The company needs to do what is best for its success and if they need to monitor their employees than they have every right to do so.

2. Describe an effective e-mail and Web use policy for a company?

An effective e-mail and Web use policy for a company would comprise of a detailed description of what employees are allowed and prohibited from doing while at work. This policy should allow employees at least 30 minutes a day for personal use. The company can also provide certain computers designated for personal use that their employees can have access to so that when off company time they can use these computers. This may prevent the company from being vulnerable to viruses and hackers because they can be connected to different networks/servers.. The policy can also allow employees to use the internet and e-mail for personal use when on lunch, break or off company time. It is important for the firm to make the work place comfortable and prevent it from feeling like they have no rights. This is why I feel the firm should try to accommodate personal e-mail and internet usage because some employees have very little time and emergencies may arise where they need to use these services.

Article Chapter 8: Finjan Stops Malware at the Gateway

George, R. (2009). Finjan Stops Malware At The Gateway. Information Week, March 16, 2009, 42-43

Firewalls and virus engines are increasingly useless as hackers, spyware developers and crimeware groups figure out how to avoid enterprise IT shops. Finajan is trying to tackle this problem by developing SP-6100 a midrange secure gateway appliance. This allows real-time behavioral analysis to thwart spyware developers who have figured out the inner workings of traditional URL filters and spyware engines. The Sp-6100 run on IBM server hardware and takes URL and signature-based protection to the next level by actually executing the code of the site you’re visiting in a sandbox in real time.
For example, a site may be deemed safe by a traditional URL filter, but a detailed behavioral check by Finjan might reveal an attempt to write to our registry. Finajan also has the ability to scan for and block sites that are attempting to exploit specific Windows or Internet Explorer vulnerabilities.
I chose this article because it related to chapter eight and is a security feature that can be purchased by a firm in order to protect itself from malware. I also chose this article because it describes a new appliance that can be used in sync with McAfee, Kaspersky, Sophos and Websense which are signature based URL and virus filters. I have McAfee and my laptop was infected with several viruses. So this is an indication that firewalls and virus engines are becoming useless and there is a need for better security appliances that users can subscribe too.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Ch. 6 Article: Should the President have the Power to Unplug?

Hoover, N.J. (2008) Should The President Have the Power to Unplug? Information Week, 19.

The U.S. government is considering significant changes to federal cybersecurity regulations. The bill would give the president explicit power to turn off computer networks in the interest of national security. The bill and related legislation came after the Defense Department said it spent $100 million in just six months fighting cyberattacks. The White House nears the completion of a national cybersecurity review. The major attack on the Internet’s root DNS servers, are targeted at federal networks, which would make it necessary for the president to order a shutdown of significant networks. Some attacks have been addressed by blocking certain IP’s. Unfortunately this doesn’t always address all cyberattacks.
This article relates to this chapter because it relates to data mining. The U.S. government uses some type of data mining to view what goes on in the cyber world. The book addressed the issue that data mining encounters privacy issues. The government needs to have business intelligence so that it can protect the U.S. citizens but this can also become intrusive. It is difficult to have the right balance because people have different perspectives on this issue.

Chapter 5: Case Study Thermos vs. ResortCom

Compare Thermo’s experience with an application software provider with the experience of ResortCom.

Thermo’s had an easier time implementing the software whereas ResortCom came across some problems which delayed the implementation of its CRM system.

Why do you think Thermos had an easier time with a hosted software service than ResortCom? What management, organization and technology factors account for the difference?

Thermos moved to a hosted on-demand service provided by Oracle Corporation. They used Oracle E-Business, Oracle Warehouse Management, Oracle Order Management and Oracle Financials. The implementation process went smoothly because Thermos decided to use the services Oracle provided and adopted Oracles business process. They didn’t change the on-demand service to make it work with their current business process. As a result Thermos didn’t have any problems implemented Oracle and were able to see improvement within the Business.
ResortCom International’s experience with an application service provider didn’t go so well. They decided to use a hosted on-demand CRM system from RightNow Technologies. Although it appeared that this CRM system met most of their needs the system implementation process did not go smoothly. This was a result of ResortCom International’s request for automated features within the system. RightNow Technologies had to customize the software so that it met ResortCom International’s needs which became problematic.

If your company was considering using an application service provider, what management, organization, and technology factors should be addressed when making your decision?

If my company was considering the use of a service provider I would address the following:
i. Look into renting vs. buying IT assets
ii. Market demand for the firms services (inventory the services the company currently provides, survey the groups to see if the services you currently offer are meeting the needs of each group)
iii. Analyze the company’s business strategy and try to asses what new services and capabilities may be required.
iv. Asses what technology competitors offer to customers, suppliers and employees.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Article: As Satyam Seeks Buyer, Customers Seek Exit: Fraud Fallout

This article was from the magazine Information Week: Paul McDougall. As Satyam Seeks Buyer, Customers Seek Exit. Information Week, Issue 1,223 , pg 24.

This article discusses the scandal that Satyam is currently undergoing due to the companies Chairman Ramalinga Raju unethical behavior. Ramalinga admitted to falsifying the company's cash position by as much as one billion dollars. They also overstated their quarterly earning and revenue. The company is also under investigation for submitting fake employee numbers and other data.
Satyam is an Indian IT outsourcer that provides services to some U.S. companies such as: Selective Insurance Group, SanDisk, Caterpillar and State Farm. They provide IT staff requirements for these companies that need IT project assistance such as the buildout of an ERP system. Due to the scandal they are facing some of their current customers are unhappy with their services because Satyam has not been able to complete projects due to their financial difficulty. The companies I briefly mentioned that currently have contracts with this company are looking to terminate their contracts.
The company is seeking new ownership in hope of distancing themselves from the scandal. They are looking for an investor to take a 51% stake in the company. Some of the interested investors are: Larsen & Turbo and IBM.
This article relates to our topic which will be discussed this week which is on Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems. The company Satyam is in trouble right now because upper management made unethical decisions. As a result they have not only affected the company but their customers as well. The companies which relied and trusted them as a company were lied to and now their projects are not complete and the companies are in a bind with Satyam which can't deliver what they promised. The book discusses some recent cases that demonstrate failed ethical judgement by senior management. The repercussions of these decisions affected a lot of people who trusted these companies.
When establishing a company you design monitoring policies in order to prevent what Satyam is currently undergoing. Although this is supposed protect the integrity of the company it doesn't control the acts that human beings take. Information systems can be used to track a lot of things within a company but one thing it can't do is control human behaviors.

Case Study Ch. 3: Blockbuster vs. Netflix

1. What is Blockbuster's business model? How successful has it been?

Blockbuster has divided its core capabilities into two divisions. The first division focuses on the online target customer and the second division focuses on the "in -store" customer. Their decision to keep the two as its own entity has benefited the company because they require different distribution channels. Although Blockbuster entered the online business knowing that Netflix had a large amount of the market share they have successfully acquired some of the market share in a short period of time. Blockbuster is in a good position because it can target both online and offline customers. Their ability to get online customers to visit their rental stores will also increase their share in the rental industry.

2. What industry and technology forces have challenged that business model? What problems have they created?

The industry and technology forces that have challenged Blockbuster's business model are the companies that have entered the industry, such as Movielink and CinemaNow. Another force that has affected the company is the change in technology. Their target customer has the ability to purchase movies using a cable company. This has created some problems within the rental industry because their market share is affected when customers have the ability to rent through their cable company. Another major problem that may arise in the near future due to the different forms that movies are being viewed. Their is discussion that DVDs may become obsolete and if this occurs Blockbuster needs to have the infrastructure in place to make the right changes.

5. Do you think Blockbuster or Netflix will succeed in the future? Explain your answer.

I believe both companies will succeed if they are capable of keeping up with the change in technology. They need to have the ability to foresee and plan for the changes that will take place as the technology continues to advance. In order for both companies to succeed they need to focus in their core capabilities and invest the time and money to keep that market share.

A little bit about me ...

Hi my name is Rosali Garcia and I currently reside in Camarillo. I work for a Biotechnology company called Life Technologies (formerly Invitrogen). I work in the Tissue Culture department and work with Hybridoma and cancer cell lines. This is my last quarter :) and I will graduate this Spring with a dual Master's degree in Biotechnology and Business Administration. I enjoy working out and spending time with my family and friends!