Coming to a Close

Didn't get a chance to create a post for last class (Tuesday) as I was sick and couldn't make it. I will make up for it in this one. Rather than reviewing today's lecture, I would like to talk about this semester and what I have gained from this class.

It's difficult to find anyone within my generation who is terrible with computers--we are exposed to advancing technology every day. But, upon beginning this class, I realized my utter lack of knowledge of IS and IT. Intro to info systems taught me valuable information..some of which I probably won't refer back to..and some that will most likely place me ahead of others in the workplace.

I recently began working for a comprehensive financial planning comany, and I work a great deal with servers and databases. Although we don't use Access, I have been able to pick up on these systems quickly because of my experience utilizing databases in this class. My boss has been asking my opinion on data organization and I have been able to show him neat options in excel..he thinks I'm very knowledgable--I can't complain.

I  know I will never be a "techie" type person--I lack both the natural ability and the desire to fully enjoy it. I do, however, appreciate your instruction of this class, as I was able to keep up with what was going on. I'm certainly not the best at it (as we can see..test scores in the B range ha ha..) but I learned valuable information I know I won't obtain elsewhere, and remained up-to-date with what was going on in the technology world with the tech news reports. Now I can mingle with my dad's Microsoft buddies back home in Seattle this summer and have at least SOME sort of idea of what I'm talking about.

So, to conclude, I'd like to thank you for making a topic that I thought I'd never understand fun and engaging for me. I'm happy I've been able to keep up. See you at the final!!!

AI - A Pressing Need?

This morning, we discussed whether a problem or crisis would be necessary in order to utilize artificial intelligence. I find that many people would believe this to be the case, but in my opinion, I think that a "need" is a sufficient enough reason to implement and utilize artificial intelligence. A company can certainly benefit from using AI to make its operations more efficient, even if they are already successful and fully functioning without problem. In my studies in entrepreneurship it is repeatedly said that entrepreneurs are those who either find a solution to a problem, or solve an industry need in advance. This is in line with artificial intelligence, as both cases can apply to either solving a crisis, or simply solving a perceived need in advance.

First the Worst, Second the Best

It is clear that being a "second mover" is beneficial, as you can execute your plan by example of the first mover, thus making modifications to what the first mover has already tried/done. Are there any disadvantages of being a second mover? Could the second mover make changes to the first mover's products or services that are unnecessary and not accepted well by the public? It would also be interesting to look at the success rates of first movers compared to second movers, in regards to whether the second mover sees more success in their products/services.

Google - The Mind Reader

Today I gave a tech news report about the Google CEO having a vision of the future that the search engine would give people answers without them searching -- if they like a certain cuisine, Google would notify their phone of sueggested restaurants around the area they are near. Clearly the individual would have to program the things they like into their phone or Google, or Google would pick up on common searches and make assumptions based on that. It does make me concerned that eventually businesses will pay to have their name shown for certain categories, thus making the results less genuine and tailored to the individual's preferences..so I definitely do not think this is a matter of making things convenient for Google users, but just another way for Google to capitalize off of marketing.

Holiday Season - Boom or Bust

In the final case reviewed for chapter 7, we discussed strategies companies might use if they had no information on the recipients of gift cards -- and how that would affect demand and supply of products. My original notion was to ask the purchasers of the cards who they intended on gifting them to, however you noted that many people purchase them without a particular person in mind, but rather to purchase them for the holiday season and gift them as one sees fit. I think that by asking a person who they are purchasing a gift card for - regardless, would assist in predicting demand for certain product. Not everyone will know who they are purchasing for, but often times a good amount of people come to purchase a card for a specific someone. A combination of keeping track of this information in a digital system and good forecasting software would be the best option for this situation.

Digital Health

It's becoming a commonly accepted thing that we can do anything on the web - buy groceries, shop, meet significant others..the possibilities are endless. This is why videoconferencing as a means of medical service does not surprise me. Over-the-phone nurse hotlines have been around for years. I think that having checkups over videoconferencing is very efficient and on a more impacting level can help some individuals have medical access that would otherwise be unavailable to them. One of my chief concerns would be that some people might resort to using that when they are in need of desperate hands-on medical attention. However I do know that I personally have made a trip to the doctors office to receive a prescription for something that I already knew I needed - regardless of the doctor's visit (i.e. strep throat..or cough syrup). In cases like this, videoconferencing my doc would have been ideal. It could also prove beneficial in cases where someone is in a critical condition and needs assistance of someone. For example, a medic over the phone could give someone verbal instructions over the phone for performing CPR, but if it were on-screen, it could potentially be much more effective. Overall I think this is a concept that will be widely accepted in a few years..we will just have to wait and see what else the future has in store.

Database Dreamin'

The use of Microsoft Access for database purposes saves a lot of time and makes for an organized compilation of information. While completing the in-class Access exercises as well as the homework, I came to wonder how tedious entering information would be for a database administrator at a company with a long list of clients - it becomes frustrating enough to enter 10 people's info. I began to ponder the idea that one day, companies/people will have an ID that is universal and used everywhere, so that by the scan of a barcode or swipe of a card, all of their information can be both stored and retrieved in a "universal" database. This could pose a problem though..as some information for one purpose may not be relevant or pertain to the next database, not to mention confidentiality issues. Either way, I think it could be something that would save us even more time. More robots to do the work we are too lazy to do ourselves!

D A T A

While speaking of data mining, I had some ideas of the importance of it that were not discussed in class. One additional benefit of data mining is to better predict consumer behavior - this could include the items that appear to be more popular to consumers at a given time period, and determine other products that may be purchased as complementary goods in addition to the original product. Another benefit is a tradeoff. Although data mining is expensive, a company could save time and money on utilizing less employees to determine and analyze these trends, and instead replace them with data programs. Lastly, a company could order items that are better sellers, and less of what does not sell as much. This would up their turnover and most probably boost sales.

Integration Flop!

In cases when IT integration isn't smooth, it was suggested to have employees of the acquired company remain in it for a couple of years until the databases have been combined successfully and information has been derived from each employee. But how can one expect employees to stay with the acquiring company if they are unhappy? In these cases, I would assume there are some financial incentives to make people stay. It makes me wonder if there are other ways that the company can contractually revive that information upon acquisition.

Another topic I wanted to discuss in this blog was the tech news report I read this morning regarding the use of body scanning in public places as a means of detecting individuals carrying bombs and other explosives. I think that it can be a good way of keeping events and transportation stations safe, but it can clearly backfire and cause some unrest among the public. I don't have much confidence that we will have any sort of privacy in the future as technology improves.

Interconnection

In the second case of chapter 4, we discussed the important elements in the success of projects relying on extensive use of XML within organizations. One element mentioned included data sharing and interoperability, reading multiple databases because they are all using the same format. Such accessibility makes me wonder about the use of XML on a broader level. What if governments stored information in databases with the intention to have its data exclusive to just that specific government and members involved? Would the extensive use of XML make it easier for others to access this information?

From Diagnosis to Prevention

Case 1 of chapter 3 spoke about grid processing, and in class we reviewed the benefits and uses of utilizing such technology. One use that struck me as crucial to today is the diagnosis of cancer and how grid processing can identify cancerous tissue early on. It makes me wonder if using this regularly to monitor human cells can play a role in eradicating cancer by detecting any abnormalities in their early stages, or even before they occur. We also identified the use of grid technology to be beneficial in any case with large amounts of data. It's a stretch, but it makes me wonder if there is any way to apply this to economics and forecasting in regards to financial planning on the national level. By the way - are we supposed to be posting after every class session or just once a week? 

[IT]'s a doozie

Today in lecture we learned about the individual who made a publication in the HBR stating that IT is pointless, and that technology can be bought. To an extent, he is right. You can buy technology and even hire the people who can manage the IT of your company as well! But then again, you can hire people to do anything for you - calculate your financials, do your administrative work, do your strategic planning..the list goes on and on. But what good does it do to buy all of these things when you yourself do not have any understanding of their workings? How can you determine if your company is functioning properly and how will you know how to move forward and remain successful if you are unaware of the components that go into keeping it running? I think if IS/IT isn't our "forte", it is still helpful to understand it to remain both competitive and knowledgeable in the business workplace in the future.

An Interconnected World

While reviewing Case 2, Jet Blue & the VA, the importance of high interconnection became very apparent to me. I had never considered the idea that utilizing multiple data would ensure that other components are correct - somewhat of a self check system. This case also displayed to me the importance of developing an IT system for "meltdown" situations. Simply relying on everything to function properly is neither efficient not effective, and developing a disaster program after the fact is pointless and too late. I enjoy reviewing these cases as they apply real-life situations to the material that is lectured

Day 2 - Getting into the swing of things

Day 2 of Info Systems was good, and I'm glad we are supposed to "pretend" that we understand until we actually do. When taking calculus in high school, my teacher would always say "get on the calculus bus!" And every day she would let us know if we were walking to the bus stop, if we were at the bus stop, or if we were actually boarding. I think I'm still waiting for the IS bus to arrive.

I enjoyed learning about the differences of E-Commerce and E-Business, the Internet and the Worldwide Web, as well as IS and IT. I seem to have always these sets of terms synonymously, so it was interesting to hear which factors contributed to each. Another thing I found valuable was the importance of having both efficiency and effectiveness, but noting that if it has to be one over the other, it makes more sense to be effective rather than efficient. That's all for my second review..looking forward to the rest of the semester!

Ringing in Spring

Walking into Beckman room 206A I asked myself, "what is info systems?" I found that during the first lecture, it's quite relavent to my life. Familiar with technology at a surface level, I think this class will expose me to an array of information that will be pertinent to my career path as an entrepreneur in the future. Do I think it will be a breeze? No. In fact it may be a "Tuggle juggle", but I look forward to learning where IS can assist me and be utilized within business.