1.       Explain the business benefits of using wireless technology.

Success of wireless technology has resulted in a unique opportunity for innovation and creativity in technology, marketing, and business strategy. Universal accesses to information and applications- People are mobile ad have more access to information than ever before. Automation of business processes- Wireless technologies have the ability to centralize critical information and eliminate redundant processes. User convenience, timelessness and ability to conduct business 24/7, 365 days a year- through wireless tools and wireless solutions such as blackberry RIM or iPhone device, they can access their information anywhere, anytime  

2.       Describe the business benefits associated with VoIP

VOIP enables phone calls, faxes, voice mail, e-mail and Web conferences over digital networks. It saves money in three ways; VOIP runs over the existing computer network, calls over the internet do not attract Telecommunications charges and customers can port their numbers between carriers

3.       Compare LANs and WANs

Local area networks (LANs) connect computers that reside in a single geographic location on the premises of the company that operates the LAN whereas wide area networks (WANs) – connect computers at different geographic sites.

4.       Describe RFID and how it can be used to help make a supply chain more effective.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) are tags that use radio waves to transmit data. RFID is heavily used in Inventory tracking, they will eventually replace barcodes. There are two types of RFID; passive RFID and Active RFID. Passive RFID has no internal power and can pick up the very faint signal from an antenna. It can power up just enough to transmit data back to antenna and can also store small amount of EPROM data. These can be mass produced at very low cost. Active RFID have power and transmit much stronger and accurate data.
RDIS can be used to help make a supply chain more effective, for example RFID’s have automated the ticketing process in travelling. And in Social Retailing when a consumer tries on a garment, the RFID tells the LCD in the change room to show the garment being worn by a celebrity.

5.       Identify the advantages and disadvantage of deploying mobile technology

Week 7- Databases

1. List, describe, and provide an example of each of the five characteristics of high quality information.

- Accuracy- are all the values correct? eg is the name spelled correctly

- Completeness- Are any of the values missing? eg is the address complete, including street, city, state and postcode

- Consistency- is aggregate or summary information in agreement with detailed information? eg do all total feields equal the true total of the indivual feilds

- Uniqueness- is each transaction, entity and event represented only once in the information? eg are there aby duplicated customers

- Timeliness- is the information current with respect to the business requirements? eg is information updated weekly, daily, or hourly

2. Define the relationship between a database and a database management system.

3. Describe the advantages an organisation can gain by using a database.

Increased flexibilty- databases tend to mirror business structures, and a good database can handle changes quickly and easily, jsut as any good business needs to be able to handle changes quickly and easily

Increased scalability and performance-some organisations must be able to support hundreds or thousands of online users who all want to access information.

Reduced information redundancy - one primary goal of a database is to eliminate information redundancy by recording each peice of information in only one place in the database. This saves space, makes performing information updates easier and improves information quality.

Increased information security- information is an organisation asset that must be protected

4. Define the fundamental concepts of the relational database model.

 Entity- an entity in the realtional database model is a person, place, tihng, transaction or event about which information is stored.

Attributes- also called feilds, or columns, are characterstics or propertiess of an entity class

Keys and relationships- primary key- is a feild that uniquely identifies a given entity in a table

                                      - foreign key- in the relational database model is a primary key of one table that appears as an attribute in another table and acts to provide a logical relationship between the two tables.

5. Describe the benefits of a data-driven website.

6. Describe the roles and purposes of data warehouses and data marts in an organisation

Development - allows the website owner to make changes at any time, all without having to rely on a developer or knowing HTML programming. A well structured, data-driven website enables updating with little or no information or no training.

Future expandability- having a data driven website enables the site to grow faster than would be possible with a static site

Minimising Human Error- A well desgined, data-driven website will have 'error trapping' mechanisms to ensure that required information is filled out correctly and that content is entered and displayed in its correct format.

Cutting production costs- convenient and cuts costs, and updates take fraction of time they would with static site

More efficient- system keep track of templates, so users do not have to

Improved Stability- content is never lost, even if your programmer is.

 A Data warehouse is a logicall colelction of information, gathered from many differnt operational databases, that supports business analysis activities and decision-making tasks. The primary purpose of a data warehous is to aggregate information throughout an organisation into a single repository for decision-making purposes

A database is the heart of an organisation, it stores key business information like;

- sales data- cutomer, sales, contacts

- inventory data- orders, stocks, delivery

- student data- names, addresses, grades

All businesses use a database of some type. Effective managers know the value of extracting of important data.

A database management system is a group of programs that manipulate the database, and provide an interface between the database and its users and other application programs

Week 5 - Ethics and Security

1. Explain the ethical issues surrounding information technology.

 Ethics are the principles and standards that guide our behaviour towards other people. 

2. Describe a situation involving technology that is ethical but illegal.

Making two copies of a software package you purchased and selling a copy to your friend

3. Describe and explain one of the computer use policies that a company might employ

 An ethical computer use policy contains general priniciples to guide computer user behaviour. For example, the ethical computer use policy might explicitly state that users should refrain from playing computer gmes during work hours.

4. What are the 5 main technology security risks?

1. Human error

2. Natural Disasters

3. Technical failures

4. Deliberate acts

5. Management failure

5. Outline one way to reduce each risk.

 For deliberate acts a business can put in system audits to track down maliciouse activity.

6. What is a disaster recovery plan, what strategies might a firm employ?

Disaster recovery is the process of regaining access to computer systems and data after a disaster has taken place. All firms should have a comprehensive disaster recovery plan. This plan lists things like a communication plan, alternative sites, hot or warm site for business continuity and location of backup data

       Privacy is a major ethical issue, and a right to privacy is the law. Privacy is the right to be left alone when you want to be, to have control over your own possesions, and not to be observed without your consent.

      Confidentiality is the assurance that messages and information are available only to those who are authorised to view them.

Week 4- Chapter 3 Questions

1.       Why has the web grown so dramatically?

-     The microcomputer revolution made it possible for an average person to own a computer

-     Advancements in networking hardware, software and media made it possible for business PCs to be inexpensively connected to larger networks

-     Browser software such as Microsoft’s internet explorer gave computer users an easy-to-use interface to find, download and display web pages

-     The speed, convenience and low cost of email have made it an indispensible tool for business and personal communications

-    Basic web pages are easy to create and extremely flexible

2.       What is Web 2.0, how does it differ from 1.0?

Web 2.0 is referred to as the Live Web. Users can collaborate and build their own content. Businesses are using Web 2.0 to enable access to critical business application for employees and customers. e.g. – travellers can share experiences about their experiences; they can recommend or warn others.

It differs from web 1.0 as it is a transformative force that is propelling companies across all industries towards a new way of doing business. Those who act on the web 2.0 opportunity stand to gain an early mover advantage in their markets.

3.       How could a web 2.0 technology be used in business?

Web 2.0 can be used in business when:

-     CEO’s use Blogs to enhance communication, builds trust, supplement press releases and talk from the heart. A content rich blog can enhance the positive image of the company.

-    RSS Feed provide website statistics to managers in real time.

-   RSS could also update potential customers with product updates and company news

4.       What is eBusiness, how does it differ from eCommerce?

e-Business  is the conducting of business on the Internet including, not only buying and selling, but also serving customers and collaborating with business partners where as ecommerce is the buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet.

5.       What is pure and partial eCommerce

In traditional commerce all three dimensions are physical. Purely physical organisations are referred to as bricks-and-mortar organisations. In Pure EC all dimensions are digital. Companies engaged only in EC are considered viral (or pure-play) organisations; all other combinations that include a mix of digital and physical dimensions are considered partial EC.

6.       List and describe the various eBusiness models?

B2B-business to business applies to businesses buying from and selling to each other over the internet

B2C-business to consumer applies to any business that sells its products or servies to consumers over the internet.

C2B-Conumer to business applies to any consumer that sells a product or service to a business over the internet

C2C-consumer to business applies to sites primarily offering goods and services to assist consumers interacting with each other over the internet.

7.       List and describe the major B2B models
-     Sell-side-b2b- A Web-based niche marketplace in which one company sells to many business buyers from e-catalogs or auctions, frequently over an extranet
-     Buy-side b2b- A corporate-based acquisition site that uses reverse auctions, negotiations, group purchasing, or any other e-procurement method

8.       Outline 2 opportunities and 2 challenges faced by companies doing business online

Two opportunities faced by companies doing business online are the high accessibility and increased consumer loyalty of online businesses. Businesses can operate 24/7 36 days a year, and additional channels for contacting, responding to and accessing customers help contribute to customer loyalty.  Protecting consumers would be a challenge, as consumers must be protected against unsolicited goods and communication, illegal or harmful goods, insufficient information about their goods, invasion of privacy and cyber fraud. Another challenge would be the increasing liability as e business exposes suppliers to unknown liabilities because internet commerce law is vaguely defined and differs from country to country.