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CCT 355: E-Business Technologies

CCT 355: E-Business Technologies. Class 2: Foundational concerns of business information systems. Administration. Assignment of presentation topics/dates will be next week

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CCT 355: E-Business Technologies

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  1. CCT 355: E-Business Technologies Class 2: Foundational concerns of business information systems

  2. Administration • Assignment of presentation topics/dates will be next week • Dates/topics can be switched by mutual agreement – but *not* moved all to the end (e.g., if you have an early October date, you can trade with a mid-November, but not move to mid-November unilaterally) • Looks at specific technologies beginning next week – first, a foundation

  3. Business? Information? Systems? • What we will talk about as “business” • What is information? • What are systems?

  4. Relation to Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom • What is data? • Information? • Knowledge? • Wisdom?

  5. What is an information system, then? • IT transmits data - but data alone is rather pointless • IT helps structure data into information, which has more semantic value • While knowledge is mostly human domain, IT increasingly supports knowledge communities and decision support • Limitations of IT to knowledge – e.g., level of trust in automated decision support? • IT alone doesn’t work – information systems are social, political systems as well • Relation to wisdom?

  6. IT and Automation • IT does best at scheduled, simple repetitive tasks (examples?) • Increases efficiency, reduces human error • Implemented for years in manufacturing and logistics management - but increasingly common in knowledge work • http://raceagainstthemachine.com/ • Examples?

  7. Competitive Advantage of IT? • IT can increase speed and lower cost of distribution and production of information • IT and the productivity paradox - for years, the above was true, but return on investment (ROI) was stagnant or even negative - why? • Paradox solved - IT now trends positive ROI - why?

  8. Does IT Matter? • http://www.nicholasgcarr.com/articles/matter.html - a summary of commentary on Nicolas Carr’s provocative piece • When everyone uses IT as part of doing business, IT ceases to be a source of competitive advantage • NOT using IT is a source of competitive disadvantage – but that’s not necessarily what IT professionals promise!

  9. Input Process Output (IPO) Model • Data is provided, computer transforms it, transformed data is returned • Output data usually then become inputs for other processes = feedback loops • Garbage in, garbage out (GIGO) - badly formatted inputs break processes, wrong inputs generate incorrect results • What’s garbage? Depends on the problem.

  10. A Balance… • IT alone doesn’t do much - it must be implemented intelligently by intelligent people • People, business process, technology, end objectives, market dynamics, partners and competitors, ethical concerns, legal concerns - all interact to determine success or failure of implementation • IS systems (e.g., ERP, CRM, TPS, SCM, etc.) blend – create information ecology usually as robust as weakest link • Right balance? Well, that’s where knowledge and wisdom come in.

  11. Cui bono? • Literal translation: who benefits? • Figurative: to what good purpose? • Both excellent questions in any technology implementation • Technology has potential to shape/be shaped by existing social structures in an organization • Critical perspective essential to not fall victim to hype

  12. Enterprise Software and Social Media • Traditional enterprise software not particularly social or open • “Enterprise 2.0” – learning lessons from social media/Web 2.0 and applying to business contexts

  13. SLATES • http://andrewmcafee.org/ • McAfee sees promise in social media/web 2.0 technologies to break impasse and barriers of early IT systems

  14. SLATES • Search • Links • Authoring • Tags • Extensions • Signals

  15. Enterprise Information systems and FSOSS • Traditional enterprise systems – proprietary, closed, difficult and expensive to administer • A move to free software/open source solutions? • http://fsoss.senecac.on.ca/2012/ • Why FS/OS? • Why *not* use FS/OS?

  16. Recurring case studies • (Cornell) FSAE • SLATE/SLATE 2 • Cases help contextualize information problems • Questions of transferability – what works in one context may or may not work in similar • Sometimes, may or may not work the year later!

  17. On networking • Mehria’s presentation from 2011

  18. Telling a story… • What is a case study? • What is a good case study narrative? • What information pieces may NOT be effective? • Consider transferability and audience in writing up your interview • DO NOT just do an interview dump – that’s not analytical at all – narrative is your telling of a story, not theirs. Dump notes, they get the mark, not you. • But DO use “in vivo” quotations – people speaking from their own voice is very effective in making your point

  19. Next week • A look at ERP solutions and their implementation issues • And a look at FSOSS solutions

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