IS 301 - Ch 9, 11, 12, 13

Business Application Planning

...Process begins after the strategic phase of business/IT planning has occurred. it includes the evaluation of proposals made by the IT management of a company for using information technology to accomplish the strategic business priorities developed earlier in the planning process.

Clicks-and-bricks strategy

A business model that combines both a bricks-and-mortar approach and an online presence. E-business managers must answer this question: Should we integrate our e-commerce virtual business operations with our traditional physical business operations or keep them separate?

Documentation

A collection of documents or information that describes a computer program, information system, or required data processing operations. Developing good user ~ is an important part of the implementation process.

Information Technology Architecture

A conceptual blueprint that specifies the components and interrelationships of a company's technology infrastructure, data resources, applications architecture, and IT organization.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS)

A malicious attack on a computer system by using a wide distribution of computers to simultaneously and continuously send requests to a single computer or website thus making legitimate requests almost impossible to accomodate. Denial of service assaults via the Internet depend on three layers of networked computer systems: (1) the victim's Web site, (2) the victim's Internet service provider (ISP), and (3) the sites of "zombie" or slave computers that the cyber-criminals commandeered.

Feasibility Study

A preliminary study that investigates the information needs of end users and the objectives, constraints, basic resource requirements, cost/benefits, and feasibility of proposed projects.

Search engine optimation

A process by which a website can advance the likelihood that it will be listed for a particular website query. It's considered a subset of search engine marketing, and it focuses on improving the number and/or quality of visitors to a Web site over "natural" (also called "organic" or "algorithmic" search engine) listings. The term can also refer to search engine optimizers, an industry of consultants who carry out optimization projects on behalf of clients.

Systems Approach

A systematic process of problem solving that defines problems and opportunities in a systems context. Data are gathered describing the problem or opportunity, and alternative solutions are identified and evaluated. Then the best solution is selected and implemented, and its success is evaluated.

Examples of Human Factors Feasibility

Acceptance of employees. Management support. Customer and supplier acceptance. Staff developers have necessary skills.

Electronic payment systems

Alternative cash or credit payment methods using various electronic technologies to pay for products and services in electronic commerce.

Business Ethics

An area of philosophy concerned with developing ethical principles and promoting ethical behavior and practices int he accomplishment of business tasks and decision making.

Organizational Analysis

An important first step in systems analysis. How can people improve an information system if they know very little about the organizational environment in which that system is located? They can't. That's why the members of a development team have to know something about the organization, its management structure, its people, its business activities, the environmental systems it must deal with, and its current information systems.

Catalog

B2B may offer an electronic catalog shopping and ordering site for products from many suppliers in an industry.

Example of Technical Feasibility

Capability, reliability, and availability of Web store hardware, software, and management services.

E-business Architecture Planning

Combines contemporary strategic planning methods (for example, SWOT analysis and alternative planning scenarios) with more recent business modeling and application development methodologies (for example, component-based development).

Fault- tolerant

Computers that have multiple central processors, peripherals, and system software and that are able to continue operations even if there is a major hardware or software failure.

Firewall

Computers, communications processors, and software that protect computer networks from intrusion by screening all network traffic and serving as a safe transfer point for access to and from other networks.

Data Conversion

Converting data into new data formats required by a new business application and its software and databases. Also includes correcting incorrect data, filtering out unwanted data, and consolidating data into new databases and other data subsets. One of the most important implementation activities required when installing new software.

Strategic Planning

Deals with the development of an organization's mission, goals, strategies, and policies. Corporations may begin the process by developing a shared vision using a variety of techniques, including team building, scenario modeling, and consensus-creating exercises.

Computer Crime

Defined by the Association of Information technology Professionals (AITP) as including (1) the unauthorized use, access, modification, and destruction of hardware, software, data, or network resources; (2) the unauthorized release of information; (3) the unauthorized copying of software; (4) denying an end user access to his or her own hardware, software, data, or network resources; and (5) using or conspiring to use computer or network resources to obtain information or tangible property illegally.

User Interface Design

Designing the interactions between end users and computer systems, including input/output methods and the conversion of data between human-readable and machine-readable forms.

Intangible Costs

Difficult to quantify; they include the loss of customer goodwill or employee morale caused by errors and disruptions arising from installation of a new system.

Backup Files

Duplicate files of data or programs; another important security measure. Files that have been copied and stored via a backup process to protect against damage or loss of the original file.

End-user Involvement

Even more important is ~ in organizational changes and in the development of new information systems.

Tangible Benefits

Favorable results, such as the decrease in payroll costs caused by a reduction in personnel or a decrease in inventory carrying costs caused by reduction in inventory.

Intangible benefits

Harder to estimate. Such benefits as better customer service or faster and more accurate information for management fall into this category.

Scenario approach to planning

Has gained in popularity as a less formal, but more realistic, strategic planning methodology for use by business professionals. In the scenario approach, teams of managers and other planners participate in what management author Peter Senge calls microworld, or virtual world, exercises.

Example of Operational Feasibility

How well a proposed e-commerce system fits the company's plans for developing Web-based sales, marketing, and financial systems.

Cost/benefit Analysis

Identifying the advantages of benefits and the disadvantages or costs of a proposed solution. The assessment of economic feasibility typically involves the preparation of a ~.

Examples of Intangible Benefits

Improved Information availability. Improved abilities in analysis. Improved customer service. Improved employee morale. Improved management decision making. Improved competitive position. Improved business image. More timely and accurate information. OLAP and data mining. More timely service response. Elimination of burdensome job tasks. Better information and decision analysis. Systems that lock in customers. Progressive image as perceived by customers, suppliers, and investors.

Hacking

In computerese, the obsessive use of computers or the unauthorized access and use of networked computer systems.

Business-to-consumer

In this form of e-commerce, businesses must develop attractive electronic marketplaces to sell products and services to consumers. For example, many companies offer e-commerce Web sites that provide virtual storefronts and multimedia catalogs, interactive order processing, secure electronic payment systems, and online customer support.

Examples of Tangible Benefits

Increase in sales or profits. Decrease in information processing costs. Decrease in operating costs. Decrease in required investment. Increased operational efficiency. Development of IT-based products. Elimination of unnecessary documents. Reduction in inventory carrying costs. Decrease in inventory investment required. Less spoilage, waste, and idle time.

Spamming

Indiscriminate sending of unsolicited e-mail messages (spam) to many Internet users. ~ is the favorite tactic of mass mailers of unsolicited advertisements, or junk e-mail. ~ has also been used by cyber-criminals to spread computer viruses or infiltrate many computer systems.

e-commerce marketplaces

Internet, intranet, and extranet Web sites and portals hosted by individual companies, consortiums of organizations, or third-party intermediaries providing electronic catalog, exchange, and auction markets to unite buyers and sellers to accomplish e-commerce transactions.

Planning for Competitive Advantage

Is especially important in today's competitive business arena and complex information technology environment. So, strategic business/IT planning involves an evaluation of the potential benefits and risks a company faces when using IT-based strategies and technologies for competitive advantage.

SWOT Analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats)

Is used to evaluate the impact that each possible strategic opportunity can have on a company and its use of information technology. A company's strengths are its core competencies and resources in which it is one of the market or industry leaders. Weaknesses are areas of substandard business performance compared to others in the industry or market segments. Opportunities are the potential for new business markets or innovative breakthroughs that might greatly expand present markets. Threats are the potential for business and market losses posed by the actions of competitors and other competitive forces, changes in government policies, disruptive new technologies, and so on.

Human Factors Feasibility

It is one thing to assess the degree to which a proposed system can work and quite another to evaluate whether the system will work. This assessment focuses on the most important components of a successful system implementation: the managers and end users.

Business Model

It's a conceptual framework that expresses the underlying economic logic and system that prove how a business can deliver value to customers at an appropriate cost and make money. It answers vital questions about the fundamental components of a business, such as: Who are our customers? What do our customers value? How much will it cost to deliver that value to our customers? How do we make money in this business? It specifies what value to offer customers , which customers should receive this value, which products and services will be supplied, and what the price will be. It also specifies how the business will organize and operate to have the capability to provide this value and sustain any advantage from providing this value to its customers.

Implementation

It's doing what you planned to do. You can view ~ as a process that carries out the plan for changes in business/IT strategies and applications that were developed in the planning process.

e-commerce channel

It's the marketing or sales channel created by a company to conduct and manage its chosen e-commerce activities. How this channel is integrated with a company's traditional sales channels (e.g., retail/wholesale outlets, catalog sales, and direct sales) is a major consideration in developing its e-commerce strategy.

Project Management

Managing the accomplishment of an information system development project according to a specific project plan, so a project is completed on time, is within its budget, and meets its design objectives.

Change Management

Managing the process of implementing major changes in information technology, business processes, organizational structures, and job assignments to reduce the risks and costs of change and optimize its benefits.

Portals

Many B2B portals provide several types of marketplaces.

System Testing

May involve testing and debugging software, testing Web site performance, and testing new hardware. An important part of testing is the review of prototypes of displays, reports, and other output.

Exchange

May serve as an exchange for buying and selling via a bid-ask process or at negotiated prices.

Information System Controls

Methods and devices that attempt to ensure the accuracy, validity, and propriety of information system activities.

Disaster Recovery

Methods for ensuring that an organization recovers from natural and human-caused disasters that have affected its computer-based operations.

Postimplementation Review

Monitoring and evaluating the results of an implemented solution or system. Process to ensure that newly implemented systems meet the business objectives established for them.

Examples of Legal and Political Feasibility

No patent or copyright violations. Software licensing for developer side only. No governmental restrictions. No changes to existing reporting authority.

Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

One method of using the systems approach to develop information system solutions, and the most prevalent one in organization systems analysis and design, can be viewed as a multistep, iterative process.

End-user Resistance

One of the keys to solving problems of ~ to new information technologies is proper education and training.

Computer monitoring

One of the most explosive ethical issues concerning workplace privacy and the quality of working conditions in business. Using computers to monitor the behavior and productivity of workers on the job and in the workplace.

Logical Model

One of the primary activities that occur during the analysis phase is the construction of a ~ of the current system. The ~ can be thought of as a blueprint of the current system that displays only what the current system does without regard for how it does it. By constructing and analyzing a ~ of the current system, a systems analyst can more easily understand the various processes, functions, and data associated with the system without getting bogged down with all the issues surrounding the hardware or the software.

Business/IT Planning

Process, which focuses on discovering innovative approaches to satisfying a company's customer value and business value goals. This planning process leads to development of strategies and business models for new e-business and e-commerce platforms, processes, products, and services. Then a company can develop IT strategies and an IT architecture that supports building and implementing its newly planned business applications.

Computer Virus or Worm

Program code that copies its destructive program routines into the computer systems of anyone who accesses computer systems that have used the program, or anyone who uses copies of data or programs taken from such computers. This spreads the destruction of data and programs among many computer users. Technically, a virus will not run unaided but must be inserted into another program, whereas a worm is a distinct program that can run unaided.

Security Management

Protecting the accuracy, integrity, and safety of the processes and resources of an inter-networked e-business enterprise against computer crime, accidental or malicious destruction, and natural disasters, using security measures such as encryption, firewalls, antivirus software, fault tolerant computers, and security monitors.

Systems Thinking

Recognizing systems, subsystems, componenets of systems, and system interrelationships system by providing a variety of support services. Examples are system utilities and performance monitors.

e-commerce processes

Required for the successful operation and management of e-commerce activities. This figure outlines the nine key components of an e-commerce process architecture that is the foundation of the e-commerce initiatives of many companies today. You should recognize that many of these components may also be used in internal, noncommerce e-business applications. An example would be an intranet-based human resource system used by a company's employees, which might use all b ut the catalog management and product payment processes.

Examples of Economic Feasibility

Saving in labor costs. Increased sales revenue. Decreased investment in inventory. Increased profits. Acceptable return on investment.

Biometric Security

Security measures provided by computer devices that measure physical traits that make each individual unique, such as voice verification, fingerprints, hand geometry, signature dynamics, keystroke analysis, retina scanning, face recognition, and genetic pattern analysis. Biometric control devices use special-purpose sensors to measure and digitize a biometric profile of a person's fingerprints, voice, or other physical trait.

Intellectual Property Theft

Software is not the only property that is subject to computer-based piracy. Other ~ occurs in the form of infringements of copyrighted material, such as music, videos, images, articles, books, and other written works, which most courts have deemed illegal.

Antivirus Software

Software specifically intended to protect a particular machine on network from the intrusion of software-based viruses.

Adware

Software that pushes advertising to a particular machine. It is usually not considered to be malicious, as it is often incorporated with a useful piece of software desired by a user. Software that while purporting to serve some useful function and often fulfilling that function, also allows Internet advertisers to display advertisements as banners and pop-up ads without the consent of the computer user. Proper ~ represents a viable, albeit sometimes irritating, revenue model for many software companies that allows you to get products for free and, when used correctly, does not pose any significant privacy threat.

Content and catalog management

Software that works with the profiling to personalize the content of Web pages seen by individual users. For example, Travelocity.com uses OnDisplay content manager software to push personalized promotional information about other travel opportunities to users while they are involved in an online travel-related transaction.

Event notification

Software that works with workflow management software to monitor all e-commerce processes and record all relevant events, including unexpected changes or problem situations. Then it works with user-profiling software to notify all involved stakeholders automatically of important transaction events using appropriate user-preferred methods of electronic messaging, such as e-mail, newsgroup, pager, and fax communications. This notification includes a company's management, who then can monitor their employees' responsiveness to e-commerce events and customer and supplier feedback.

Spyware

Special class of adware that can collect information about the user of its host computer and send it over the Internet to its owner. Any software that employs users' Internet connection in the background without their knowledge or explicit permission. ~ programs collect specific information about you, ranging from general demographics like name, address, and Internet surfing habits to credit card, Social Security number, user names, passwords, or other personal information. It is important to understand that not all adware programs are ~. ~ is and should be considered a clear threat to your privacy.

System security monitors

Specialized system software packages that provide security of a network.

Cyber Law

Term used to describe laws intended to regulate activities over the Internet or via the use of electronic data communications. ~ encompasses a wide variety of legal and political issues related to the Internet and other communications technologies, including intellectual property, privacy, freedom of expression, and jurisdiction.

Electronic commerce

The buying and selling, marketing and servicing, and delivery and payment of products, services, and information over the Internet, intranets, extranets, and other networks, between an inter-networked enterprise and its prospects, customers, suppliers, and other business partners. Includes business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), and consumer-to-consumer (C2C) e-commerce.

Tangible Costs

The costs of hardware and software, employee salaries, and other quantifiable costs needed to develop and implement an IS solution.

Electronic funds transfer (EFT)

The development of baking and payment systems that transfer funds electronically instead of using cash or paper documents such as checks. For example, banking networks support teller terminals at all bank offices and automated teller machines (ATMs) at locations throughout the world. Banks, credit card companies, and other businesses may support pay-by-phone services. Very popular also are Web-based payment services, such as PayPal and BillPoint for cash transfers, and CheckFree and Paytrust for automatic bill payment, that enable the customers of banks and other bill payment services to use the Internet to pay bills electronically. In addition, most point-of-sale terminals in retail stores are networked to bank EFT systems, which makes it possible for you to use a credit card or debit card to pay instantly for gas, groceries, or other purchases at participating retail outlets.

Consumer-to-consumer

The huge success of online auctions like eBay, where consumers (as well as businesses) can buy from and sell to one another in an auction process at an auction Web site, makes this e-commerce model an important e-commerce business strategy. Electronic personal advertising of products or services to buy or sell by consumers at electronic newspaper sites, consumer e-commerce portals, or personal Web sites is also an important form of this model.

Functional Requirements

The information system capabilities required to meet the information needs of end users. Also called system requirements. ~ are end-user information requirements that are not tied to the hardware, software, network, data, and people resources that end users presently use or might use in the new system.

Systems Analysis and Design (SA&D)

The overall process by which information systems are designed and implemented within organizations.

Flaming

The practice of sending extremely critical, derogatory, and often vulgar e-mail messages (flame mail) or newsgroup postings to other users on the Internet or online services. ~ is especially prevalent on some of the Internet's special-interest newsgroups.

Audit Trail

The presence of media and procedures that allow a transaction to be traced through all stages of information processing, beginning with its appearance on a source document and ending with its transformation into information in a final output document.

Implementation Process

The process and activities associated with installing a software application and preparing it for actual use.

Conversion

The process in which the hardware, software, people, network, and data resources of an old information system must be converted to the requirements of a new information system. this usually involves a parallel, phased, pilot, or plunge conversion process from the old to the new system.

Prototyping

The rapid development and testing of working models, or prototypes, of new applications in an interactive, iterative process that can be used by both IS specialists and business professionals. As a development tool, makes the development process faster and easier, especially for projects where end-user requirements are hard to define. It has also opened up the application development process to end users because it simplifies and accelerates systems design.

Ergonomics

The science and technology emphasizing the safety, comfort, and ease of use of human-operated machines such as computers. The goal of ergonomics is to produce systems that are user-friendly: safe, comfortable, and easy to use. Also called human factors engineering.

Systems Implementation

The stage of systems development in which hardware and software are acquired, developed, and installed; the system is tested and documented; people are trained to operate and use the system; and an organization converts to the use of a newly develped system.

Operational feasibility

The willingness and ability of management, employees, customers, and suppliers to operate, use, and support a proposed system.

Unauthorized Use

The ~ of computer systems and networks can be called time and resource theft. A common example is unauthorized use of company-owned computer networks by employees. This use may range from doing private consulting or personal finances to playing video games to unauthorized use of the Internet on company networks.

Infomediaries

Third-party market-maker companies that serve as intermediaries to bring buyers and sellers together by developing and hosting electronic catalog, exchange, and auction markets to accomplish e-commerce transactions. Companies that serve as intermediaries in e-business and e-commerce transactions. Examples are Ariba, Commerce One, and VerticalNet, to name a few successful companies. All provide e-commerce marketpalce software products and services to power business Web portals for e-commerce transactions.

Legal and Political Feasibility

This category of assessment is often overlooked during the early stages of project initiation and analysis. The ~ of a proposed project includes a thorough analysis of any potential legal ramifications resulting from the construction and implementation of the new system. Such legal issues include copyright or patent infringements, violation of existing antitrust laws (such as in the antitrust suit brought against Microsoft Corporation over Windows and Internet Explorer by the U.S. Department in 1998), foreign trade restrictions, or any existing contractual obligations of the organization.

Business-to-business

This category of e-commerce involves both e-business marketplaces and direct market links between businesses. For example, many companies offer secure Internet or extranet e-commerce catalog Web sites for their business customers and suppliers. Also, its portals provide auction and exchange marketplaces for businesses.

Organizational Planning

This fundamental planning process consists of (1) team building, modeling, and consensus; (2) evaluating what an organization has accomplished and the resources they have acquired; (3) analyzing their business, economic, political, and societal environments; (4) anticipating and evaluating the impact of future developments; (5) building a shared vision and deciding on what goals they want to achieve; and (6) deciding which actions to take to achieve their goals.

Debug

To detect, locate, and remove errors from a program or malfunctions from a computer.

Encryption

To scramble data or convert them, prior to transmission, to a secret code that masks the meaning of the data to unauthorized recipients. Similar to enciphering. It has become an important way to protect data and other computer network resources, especially on the Internet, intranets, and extranets. Passwords, messages, files, and other data can be transmitted in scrambled form and unscrambled by computer systems for authorized users only.

Password

Typically, a multilevel ~ system is used for security management. ~ should be changed frequently and consist of unusual combinations of upper and lowercase letters and numbers.

Software Privacy

Unauthorized copying of software. Major form of software theft.

Computer matching

Using computers to screen and match data about individual characteristics provided by a variety of computer-based information systems and data-bases to identify individuals for business, government, or other purposes. Computer profiling and mistakes in the ~ of personal data are other controversial threats to privacy. A more recent threat is the unauthorized matching and sale of information about you collected from Internet Web sites and newsgroups you visit. You are then subjected to a barrage of unsolicited promotional material and sales contacts as well as having your privacy violated.

Auction

Very popular are electronic auction Web sites for B2B auctions of products and services. A B2B trading system that offers exchange, auction, and reverse auction (where sellers bid for the business of a buyer) electronic markets.

Societal solutions

We can use information technologies to solve human and social problems through ~ such as medical diagnosis, computer-assisted instruction, governmental program planning, environmental quality control, and law enforcement. For example, computers can help diagnose an illness, prescribe necessary treatment, and monitor the progress of hospital patients.

Economic feasibility

Whether expected cost savings, increased revenue, increased profits, and reductions in required investment exceed the costs of developing and operating a proposed system.

Ethical Foundations

Whether or not you have managerial responsibilities, you should accept the ethical responsibilities that come with your work activities. As a manager or business professional, it will be your responsibility to make decisions about business activities and the use of information technologies that may have an ethical dimension that must be considered.

Technical Feasibility

Whether reliable hardware and software capable of meeting the needs of a proposed system can be acquired or developed by an organization in the required time.