Chapter 11: Building Information Systems and Managing Projects
Monday, 9 December 2013
1) What were some of the problems with DST system' old software development environment?
I think they were some many software problem, such a soften manual and time-consuming. For example, the development group had used a mixture of tools, processes, and source code control system without any repository for code or a standardized developer tool set .Different group used different tools for software.
Next, the problem is the managers were hard to determine how the resources were being allocated, which also the employees were working on certain projects and status of specific assets.
Another problem was that the DST struggled to update its most important product, AWD, in a timely fashion. For example, its typical development schedule was to release a new version once every two years , but competitors were releasing version faster.These were all the problems with the DST Systems' old software development environment.
2) How did Scrum development help solve some of those problems?
Scrum helped to development the company because its agile software, and make progress in a series of sprints. For example, at the start of a sprint, team members commit to delivering some number of features that were listed on a project’s product backlog. At the end of the sprint, a sprint review allows the team to demonstrate the new functionality to the product owner and other interested stakeholders who provide feedback that could influence the next sprint.
Next, the Scrum relies on self-organization.The Scrum is exists software development tools and experienced strong results. The company accelerated its software development cycle from 24 to 6 months and developer productivity increased 20 percents. What the scrum development pretty much acted like was the coach for the team. This is how the scrum development helped solve some of these problems.
3. What other adjustments did DST make to be able to use Scrum more effectively in its software projects? What management, organization and technology issues had to be addressed?
CollabNet specializes in software designed to work well with agile software development methods such as Scrum. DST also adapted Collabnet's subversion product to help with the management control of changes to project documents, programs, and other information stored as computer files. DST adaption of Collabnet because their product is so fast in only 10 weeks and DST developers now do all of their work within this ALM platform.
The management issue being addressed was production being slowed down. The organization issue was the lack of organization so processes were breaking down. Finally, the technology issue being addressed was the problems occuring with the software so production was taking a major hit.
Chapter 10: Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge Interactive session: Technology (Albassami’s Job Is Not Feasible Without IT)
1) What systems are described here? What valuable information do they provide?
Sybase Adaptive server with the SQL Anywhere is used by the communications among the headquarters and the client’s branches. The system provided the braches have the most recent version of client list, trucks’availability, and new shipping contracts which allow the customer deal with the Albassami at any branch on any time.The database of the shipping agreement is sent to HQ on every 30 minutes from every braches. After that, the HQ sent an aggregated version of the database from all branches back to every branch. The received database from HQ then it is created a receipt entry on the system upon arrival of the trucks and then an Short Message Service communication (SMS) is created and sent to the customer, who will then go to the destination branch to receive the item.
2) What value did the the IT/ IS investments add to Albassami?
The Albassamiinvested on the Sybase Adaptive server allows the braches create the shipping agreement then it is sent to the headquarters (HQ). From this Information Technology (IT), it allows the Albassami to decrease the communication period of the HQ and the branches and improve on the reliability of information transfer among the HQ and all branches that covering more than 45 locations. The system records the client’s data and holds maintenance information with linking with vehicle maintenance centers helps to enhance company performance and achieve better customer service.The system also allow the top management reviews and access on the productivity of each branch, so that the can allocate the proper budget according to the accurate identification of needs for different regions. In additional, it allow better audit and performance monitoring on all drivers’ behavior by using the output of the vehicles’ tracking information so that resulted inadequate employees’ appraisals and consequently loyal staff. The IT improves on the company’s performance and the customer satisfaction on the service provided which can increase in the future business relationship among the customers.
3) How did Implementing the Shipping Information System address needs and information requirements of Albassami?
The IT helps in collecting the database of each branch then sent out to the HQ in every 30 minutes, hence it reduce the period of creating of shipping contracts from any branch with customer. It allows the HQ to monitor the shipping contracts over 45 locations in live time so that can make better decisions on increasing the shipping numbers and shipping layouts for each location.
With the help of the Sybase Adaptive server with the SQL Anywhere, Albassami can obtain the database from the branches to HQ in 30 minutes and monitoring the performance of the output by the vehicles’ tracking information so that it allow the top management to analysis the needs of Albassami by alocate proper amount of budget on the needs of every regions the covering more than 45 locations.
The output of the vehicles’ tracking information allowsAlbassami to appraise on the employees’ performance so that they can reward to the hardworking employees and a warning letter is given to the low performance workers (even could not pass the lowest monthly target).
Chapter 9: Social Commerce Creates New Customer Relationship.
Sunday, 8 December 2013
1. 1. Assess the people, organization, and technology issues for using media to engage with customers.
Companies are rolling out ads that capitalize on the social media features of Facebook to achieve greater visibility. Levi’s was one of the first national brands to use Facebook and Twitter to allow consumers to socialize and share their purchases with friends. Ben and Jerry’s contracted with Facebook to run a promotion in tandem with an ice cream give away at their physical store. Rosseta Stone has used Facebook’s targeting capabilities to determine which types of people respond to the various ads it has created. Many companies are running online ads that focus less on pitching their products than on promoting their Facebook pages and Twitter account. Even if the Facebook or Twitter posting in ads show brands apologizing about missteps or customer complaints, advertisers may still benefit.
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using social media for advertising, brand building, market research, and customer service?
The advantage is become powerful tools to engaging customers. Location based business like gourmet food trucks can tweet their current location to royal follower and fans. Appointment-based business can easily tweet or post cancellation and unexpected openings. And companies of all sizes have opportunity to shape the perception of their brands and to solidity relationships with their customers. The disadvantage are the results can be unpredictable, and not always beneficial.
3.Should all companies use Facebook and Twitter for customer service and advertising? Why or why not? What kinds of companies are best suited to use these platforms?
Companies should use Facebook and Twitter for customer and advertising. Because nowadays people use the technology to communicate such as friends, buy something, online banking and others. The best suited companies to use these platforms are clothes, gadgets and cosmetics.
Chapter 8: Achieving Operational Excellence and customer Intimacy : Enterprise Application
1.What types of companies are mostly like to adopt cloud-based CRM software services? Why? What companies might not be well- suited for this type of software?
The traditional enterprise software vendors like Oracle are using their well-established position to grad a share of the cloud-based application market; newcomers like Right Now, Compier and Sugar CRM have found success using some different tactics. Because most companies that are interested in cloud computing are small or midsize and lack the know-how or financial resources to successfully build and maintain ERP and CRM applications in-house. However, the large companies have made the switch to cloud. Company officials were hoping to eliminate maintenance and administrative costs, but not at the expense of a storage system that meets their requirements, were never out of service, and worked perfectly
.
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using cloud-based enterprise applications?
-The cloud- based advantages as it attempted to merge information from different sources and many smaller companies have taken advantage of a new type of cloud computing. For example, cloud-based applications can merge customer 25 disparate sources and applications into a single system.
-Disadvantages are the company officials were hoping to eliminate maintenance and administrative costs, but not at the expense of storage system that met the requirements, was never out of service and worked perfectly and they will cost a lot of money from enterprise
.
3. What people, organizations and technology issues should be addressed in deciding whether to use a conventional CRM system versus a cloud-based version?
-Nikon found that not only Right Now had the capability to implement that system, but also it had an array of other useful services.
-When Nikon discovered that if could combine outbound e-mail, contact management and customer records into a single in Right Now’s cloud, it made the move, expecting to receive a solid return on investment.
-However, more customers found the information they need on the Web, call response times dropped by 50 percent, and incoming e-mail dropped by 70 per cent.
-While Nikon still hosts its SAP ERP system internally due its complexity, Nikon switched it entire CRM system to Right Now companies that manage their CRM application with a cloud infrastructure have no guarantees that their data will be available at all times, or even that the provider will still exists in the future.
Chapter 6: Telecommunication, The Internet, and Wireless Technology INTERACTIVE SESSION : PEOPLE
Monitoring Employees on Network: Unethical or Good Business?
1. Should managers monitor employee e-mail and Internet usage? Why or why not?
- Managers should monitor employee e-mail and Internet usage because managers worry about the loss of time and employee productivity when employees are focusing on personal rather than companies business.
- Too much time on personal business translates into lost revenue.
- Some employees may even be billing time they spend pursuing personal interests online to clients, thus overcharging them.
- It can also clog the company’s network so that legitimate business work cannot be performed.
- Management in many firms fear that racists, sexually explicit or other potentially offensive material accessed or traded by their employees could result in adverse publicity and even lawsuits for the firm.
- Companies also fear leakage of confidential information and trade secrets through e-mail or social networks.
2. Describe an effective e-mail and Web use policy for a company.
- The effective e-mail and Web use policy for a company is companies should write corporate policies on employee e-mail and Internet use.
- The policies should include explicit ground rules that state, by position or level, under what circumstances employee can use company facilities for e-mail, blogging or Web surfing.
- The policies should also inform employees whether these activities are monitored and explain why.
Chapter 5
Saturday, 2 November 2013
Question
1
Explain
the role of the database in SAP’s three-tier-system.
There was a need for a
flexible and robust IT infrastructure with business excellence and capabilities
that could help management better forecast and plan. Lego implemented a SAP’s business
suite which is based on a flexible three-tier client-server.
Three Tier Systems
·
The First Tier (Presentation Layer)
This
is software component with a client interface browser type Graphic User
Interface (GUI). The graphic user interface is between SAP system and the user.
It gets the user input, sends it to application server for processing receives
data, formats and output it. The presentation layer resides on a user’s PC,
desktop or mobile device.
·
The Second Tier (Application Layer)
This
is where SAP software runs. It contains of at least one or more application
server which offers the services to users and a manage server responsible for
communication between the application servers. In the system, it receives and
process clients request. In turn these application servers send the processed
requests to the database system. The application layer is scalable as the
organization grows larger and more users are added.
·
The Third Tier (Database Layer)
This
consists of a central database system which consists of the database and DBMS
(Data Base Management System), it receives the processed clients request from
the second server to the database system which consists of one or more
relational database, these rational database contain the tablets that store
data on LEGO’s products, daily operations, the supply chain and thousands of
employees. The information is then stored and retrieved from the data base
system and sent back. A few database systems which you may find with SAP in
different implementation are Oracle, Microsoft SQL server, IBM and etc.
Question 2
Explain why Distributed
Architectures are flexible?
A
distributed architecture system consists of multiple autonomous computers that
communicate through a computer network. The computers interact with each other
in order to achieve a common goal. Basically, this group of computers would
each hold a specific software subset of the global aggregate operating system.
Distributed computing is a field of computer science that studies distributed
systems. They create an enterprise
architecture that copes with complexities of change in a company.
Distributed
programming typically falls into one of several basic architectures or
categories: client–server, 3-tier architecture, n-tier architecture, distributed
objects, loose coupling, or tight coupling. Distributed architecture enables
authorized personnel to have direct access to the database system from the
company’s various locations, including those in Europe, North America and Asia.
Distributed
architecture such as SAP’s business suites supports databases from different
vendors including those offered by Oracle, Microsoft, MySQL and others. They
are optimal for medium to high performance business environments. Complex
application rules can be easily implemented on the application server by
authorized personnel.
Separating
the application into multiple layers makes it easier to implement re-usable
components. A single component in the business layer, for example, may be
accessed by multiple components in the presentation layer or even by several
different presentation layers (such as desktop and the web) at the same time.
Question 3
Identify some of the business
intelligence features include in SAP’s business software suite.
Business
Intelligence (BI)
Tools
for consolidating, analyzing, and providing access to vast amounts of data to
help users make better business decisions
“SAP
software offered the best combination of standardized processes, yet with the
ability to respond flexibly to the changing demands of the toy industry,”
comments Esben Viskum.
“The
SAP landscape supports all our business processes, such as finance, logistics
and sales, and the long-term roadmap is to implement SAP Product Lifecycle
Management, integrated with SAP Warehouse Management. As the company grows and
rolls out the ‘cookbook’ to new geographies, we will add SAP ERP Human Capital
Management to the portfolio, too.
Question 4
What are the main advantages and
disadvantages of having multiple databases in a distributed architecture?
Explain.
The advantages are:
·
Fault tolerance
A
fault tolerance is a setup or configuration that prevents a computer or network
device from failing in the event of an unexpected problem or error such as,
power failure, power surge, data loss, system overload, virus etc. By LEGO
having multiple databases data can still obtained from other servers during
interruption from one of the data base. This enables the business to save time,
retrieve loss data and their daily operations will not be drastically affected.
·
Improved Scalability
Ability
of a business to expand to meet its business needs. Unlike a single-database
system, in which the amount of data that can be stored depends on the
limitations of one host and database, a distributed-database system is easily
scalable and, therefore, supports growth in LEGO. SAP supports an unlimited
number of users as well as data base, application servers and a variety of
hardware configurations. It enables an organization to start small and add
additional databases or applications or hardware. This would allow to
organization to effectively and efficiently add to the network when its needs
to expand.
·
Distribution of workload
Enables
administrators to distribute the load on various servers, a business function
such as logistics can be can be routed to a particular server for load
balancing ( division of its activities and processes between computer networks
so that it doesn’t get overwhelmed). Open system: from SAP encourages plug and
play with hardware from different vendors e.g. Microsoft oracle, used which
leads to more competition and lowers cost. This means that the system can
connect with other vendor therefore it is flexible.
The disadvantages are:
·
Security issues
It
is more vulnerable to external attacks than single databases and the
possibilities of abuse is more possible in multiple databases than a single
database as single databases have more control of information. To reduce the
chances of unauthorized users accessing sensitive information, Lego would need
a control system for example, not all information should be available to all
level of the organization.
·
Data quality and integrity
Since
the database is accessible to users remotely, adequate controls are needed to
control users updating data and to control data quality especially as the
organization grows. With increased number of users accessing data directly,
there are enormous opportunities for users to damage the data. Unless there are
suitable controls, the data quality may be compromised. The integrity of the
information is also relevant since a large number of users could be using the
database simultaneously, technical safeguards are necessary to ensure that the
data remains correct during operations and business decisions. The main threat
to data integrity comes from several different users attempting to update the
same data at the same time. The database therefore needs to be protected
against inadvertent changes by the users.
·
Cost of maintaining multiple databases
in a distributed architecture
Single
databases are usually designed to run a number of well-defined, pre-planned
processes because they are often adjusted to run efficiently for the processes
that they were designed for. Multiple data bases are costly to maintain as each
server requires a separate operating system. The cost of protecting and
securing the servers, upgrades, backups will be expensive and Lego would have
to weigh the benefits of using multiple database over the costs of
implementations , restructuring the organization , the as well as maintenance
costs.
