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I think that the most important aspect of technology in the workforce is the fact that it is constantly changing and is changing more and more rapidly as time goes on. Every day, there are new technologies that are making previous ones obsolete. I think that this is a big concern for businesses because they are going to have to stay up to date with all of the newest technology. For example, a few years ago, not all storeowners had the ability to swipe your credit or debit card and you could only use cash. Recently, the “chip” was invented and businesses that had just gotten machines to swipe credit and debit cards now have to throw those away and get new ones that have the chip function. This is just one example of how technology is changing too quickly for some to keep up with.

I believe some of the most important aspects of technology in the workforce is how it enables us to do our jobs better overall. Primarily, I will focus on the topics of security and efficiency. In terms of security, MIS and technological advancement allows for information to be harder to access and breach. For example, I work at a wealth management firm and in order to access clients’ account information, one most have multiple log in credentials as well as a live fob that updates momentarily and each fob is linked specifically with a certain person. Without this information and fob, it is nearly impossible to breach information. Next, for efficiency, with tools and platforms like CRMs and SCM, we are able to better our relationships within the company and outside with our customers. Jobs can done quicker, more effectively, and allow us to overall form a stronger bond within and outside.

I think the most important aspect of technology in the workforce is the increasing demand placed on business employees and leaders to understand how to utilize it to improve performance. Those who do not understand how to leverage the technology available to their firms, for example, will now be at a huge disadvantage, and so will those who do not know how to communicate their needs in technological terms. So I think a key element to shape my future outlook will be to keep up with technological advances by reading relevant articles on the subject regularly, staying curious, and continuously decoding how these rapid changes may impact the industry I am in, and how to adopt these advances to stay ahead in my particular field.

After spending the last few weeks learning all about MIS, from the basics to the systems utilized, I believe that the most important tool for workplace efficiency is adaptability. In a tech-heavy world that is constantly changing, it is important to be able to grasp all new trends and apply them to your work place. In addition to adaptability, it is also important to be technologically savvy, not in the way that you are a pro at all things tech, but more-so where you must have a strong grasp of tech at an intermediate level. As tech trends progress and become more and more complex, it is important to have a strong foundational eduction in order to be progressive in today’s business world.

After spending the last few weeks learning about MIS. I found that its going to be important to keep up with the changing technology. Since new things come out every year that could help better a company. I also liked the learn it homework. I thought it was cool we could see that people were visiting out site and where they were both around the country and the world. Yes, I think that utilize technology in the workforce to be efficient and effective. Right now at my job we have a new technology to help clients find their correct shade of makeup, it takes the guessing work out of trying to match a client to a shade of foundation. I think everything that we learned with passed semester will help me both at my current job and in future ones as well.

After spending the last 6 weeks learning about how business professionals utilize technology in the workforce to be efficient and effective, I think the most important aspect is connectivity. There are so many different platforms, systems, applications, etc., and it is incredibly important that everything fits together. For example, as CRM and SCM systems are both crucial in increasing profits, it is important to implement both to increase revenues and reduce costs, while simplifying the process. With all of the different systems, it would be easy to focus on one and not the rest, but they are all important, and they all need to function together. Technology must be up-to-date and interconnected.

My biggest take away from the class is definitely the pieces with SCM and Artificial Intelligence. For starters it’s the part of the class that I struggled the most with so I would like to better myself and learn it even better. I will have a new found appreciation for the systems my work puts in place to make everything run more smoothly. It’s easy to take a CRM or ERP for granted. I will definitely also like to use swim lanes more. The key elements that I will take away are being prepared and doing your hardest. It’s a basic fundamental but one that’s easily forgotten. It’s the key to success.

My biggest takeaway from this class is the understanding of how technology is being used in the workforce, and how much technology’s role in the workforce and in society is going to continually grow throughout our lifetimes. I think the most important aspect of technology in the workplace can be with organization, as well as automating tedious tasks that a human would take hours doing, but a computer software can do in minutes. I can take the knowledge i gained about technology and its use in the workforce to help better prepare for any situation that may arise in business. I learned to have a more technological outlook in which I can make sure i don’t waste time or money on any business tasks that some sort of technology can do faster and more efficiently.

A decision tree could be used to help businesses find out which products in their company are the most profitable among consumers . The decision tree can answer questions on whether age plays a factor, or socioeconomic status. Will a product be more popular among one race or another? Cultures and Values? These questions can determine product profitability as well as how the company should target, place, and market certain products. The most important key component is choosing predictors that will influence the most positive (least error) outcome.
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A decision tree can be used to get better estimates on what type of people are more likely to purchase store brand types of comestibles. Some good variables to use in this decision tree could be the income and whether or not the individual has children.

A decision tree could be used to understand the chance a person would buy a certain product from a business. One needs to collect data by getting information from previous customers and observe on what they buy. On picking the right predictor variable, one should pick the variable that creates the least amount of mistakes, or error.

The questions would be should we write off an account payable or invoice. The decision tree could break down the factors or predictors that would help the business in knowing whether they should still expect payment or write it off and move on. To select the predictors you would want to use information that directly relates to repayment like how long has the account been past due, have they not paid in the past, how large is the balance, etc.

1. Where should a hospital devote resources to prevent Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs)? The data I would collect are patient ID, diagnosis, procedure, equipment used, HAI acquired (Y/N), Type of HAI, if acquired.
2. I would advise to think first of the most direct variables related to the business problem at hand. If HAI’s are your business problem, you could choose the patient’s age, however HAI’s affect patients across all ages-therefore age is likely not a direct cause of HAIs. Instead focus on the process inputs like the procedure and equipment which are more likely to have a direct impact on the patient’s likelihood of contracting an HAI.

One business question we could answer is whether or not a person would eat at a new vegan restaurant. We could use factors such as gender, age, income, martial status, lifestyle, kids, etc. Some advice on choosing the right predictors is to chose the ones that are statistically significant. Basically, chose the relevant predictors that make a difference in the output. If a factor, such a person’s first name, has no effect on whether he or she will eat at the restaurant, then it shouldn’t be included in the decision tree.

Use decision tree to decide whether to deliver gym advertisements to people’s e-mail. We may use the data about their salary, age, height, weight and their work time, etc. In my opinion, salary is the first factor to be considered to be the predictors.
When we chose predictors, we should think about what factors can divide different groups significantly and properly.

(1) A possible business question that can be answered through a decision tree could be whether a company wants to expand by opening up a new business location. The predictor variables that I think would be needed are: how is the economy looking for the location you are interested in (that city perhaps), population in the location in which your business is interested, the demand for your product in that location, and what business competition would look like in that area.

(2) I think these predictors would be a good start for the decision tree but it would ultimately depend on more specific parameters depending on the business and where they aspire to reach as far as their goals are. I think the advice necessary for this situation would be to narrow down the specifics for that individual business and their market environment.

I would think a good example of using decision trees would be helping a school district decide if there needed to be more public school added to a particular district.
Business questions: Do more public schools (K-12) need to be added to the school district of Philadelphia County?

Possible predictors/variables wold be: Census data: household income, household members, ages of each; proximity to a public school for the household; proximity to private schools for the household; availability of bus routes (public/private) among others.

I would advise the collector of data to avoid obtaining information irrelevant to the analysis. Things such as SSN, Name and other personal information are irrelevant to this analysis. Also to canvas the designated area as completely as possible, using the most up to date census information. Outdated data will skew the results as population keeps growing and census screen are done only every 10 or so years.

A decision tree could be used when asked: Should I send my advertisement via email/
The data I would use is age, income, phone carrier with details ( could be null).
I would use age because many elderly would rather receive an advertisement through the mail. Income is important to decide whether they have the capability to check their email daily. Phone carrier details are important to see whether they can check their email regularly on the go.

To pick the right predictors you should split them until you get one statistically significant outcome.

A decision tree could be used to find which city someone should move to. The data needed for this could be job type, income, level of education, age, married, and number of children. To select the best predictor you should keep splitting until the data is together and the data is not so different from one another.

The most important skills that I have discovered in my internship are good communication skills and an ability to adapt. Good communication skills, especially in a technical environment, are essential to explaining what issues need to be resolved quickly. An ability to adapt to new technology and applications is also important because there are dozens upon dozens of servers and technology within Prudential is constantly being updated and changed. The people that I have discovered are those who share the cubicles next to me, behind me, and diagonal from me. These individuals I definitely want on my side because they have a plethora of knowledge, know the inns and outs of the company, and invite me to lunch every time that they are in the office. I have always needed good communication skills, however, working at Prudential has shown me that there are many parts moving toward the same goal and that you need to work as a team to move forward in any capacity.

Hey Andrew,

Your post reminded me the time of my past year internship. I also did not know anything from excel and was afraid of not having the opportunity to learn it. I gladly thank my past internship where I learned a lot about excel and how to make macros and add-ins functions. I agree on what you said about we being starters of an conversation because I realize that when we start the dialogue with others, we are more likely to be able to step out of our comfort zone and have a more flexibility for networking.

The most important skills that I have discovered in my internship are good communication and troubleshooting skills. Being able to communicate effectively is important as an intern. You need to be a good listener because you are doing a lot of that early on in your internship (such as a full week of training). A technical skill that I realized was important is being able to troubleshoot. From my previous job, I was able to develop that skill and it has helped me tremendously. I definitely have more than one person that I want on my side. I definitely want the second year associate that I will be visiting client sites through out this internship and the mentor I have been given for this internship. They are key figures because I will be working with them quite frequently and I will be asking for their feedback on my work throughout the next seven weeks.

The most important skill that I became proficient with is time management. I knew this was important, but never really knew how to implement it when having an internship. With each passing week and project handed to me, I learned to manage school work around my internship and vice versa. Along with this, I also found time to maintain a social life as well which can arguably be equally important. Besides the boss, keeping a well-rounded relationship with all my co-workers was the best opportunity. I showed no favoritism to any one person and got along with everyone well.

Hi Andrew! Learning Excel can be tricky, even if we have had basic exposure to it in coursework. One thing that I have found useful is Excel shortcuts. I use this site: https://www.computerhope.com/shortcut/excel.htm for shortcuts; soon you won’t even have to look at it because it will become second nature. If you would like an additional resource, I can send it to you as well!

The most important skill is to adapting to the softwares they use and also communication. In my department Global Data Operations, my coworkers use a variety of statistic softwares such as JMP, Minitab, and Spotfire. These statistic softwares are similar to the software R/RStudio which we used in MIS 2502 if I remember correctly. Initially when I was introduced to these softwares the transition was not as hard because I somewhat have a sense of how to use it such as creating charts and making it spit out descriptive statistics. Communication is key everywhere, if you are having problems it is best to address it or else no one will be able to help you. There are definitely a few people who I want on my side because I am doing similar work to them therefore, I want to build a good connection with them and learn as much as possible. Everyone here I met so far is willing to help me and I am grateful to work with them because coming in as an intern, I will not know everything.

For my position there are several different skills that you need to succeed as a media buyer, or as a member of the marketing team. The most important skill is being able to read data and make intelligent decisions based on the hard numbers and not based on “feeling”. The objective for each marketing campaign is to generate a positive ROI and this can be accomplished by isolated specific factors that will determine proftiability. There are tools that help us with this and this is what I focus on in my day to day operations. Everything that I do is focused on generating a postive return on investment per campaign so It’s paramount that I can efficiently react based on the campaign metrics. Some of the metrics that I look for are watching the spend of the campaign versus the earnings. The way the paid advertising industry works is that every time a user clicks an ad the advertiser is charged a dollar amount. My main job is to generate more money per click they we pay per click. These metrics are called CPC = cost per click and EPC = earnings per click. If your earnings per click are higher than your cost per click you are in profit and can then scale your campaign our to generate as much profit as possible.

The person that I like to ally myself with is the CEO because he is very flexible and supportive, he gives me goals and allows access to anything I need to reach those goals. Another individual that’s very helpful has been the main coder who overlooks some of my websites and just makes sure everything is running smoothly as the position does tend to be very technical in certain instances.

I’ve learned that one skill I absolutely need is the ability to ask good questions and get explanations that make sense to me. A lot of times, I’ll ask a question about something technical or specific to my team, and the person who answers my questions won’t realize that their explanation is full of jargon and terms I’ve never heard before – often making me more confused than before. At first, I’d just nod my head and pretend to understand. But now I am learning to try to restate what they said and ask more questions until I understand what they are saying.
One person I definitely want on my side is my “cube neighbor”. He’s a scrum master for Group IT, and though he’s only been at the company for 2 years, everyone seems to know him. I want him on my side, not only for his networking ability and many connections, but also because of his knowledge of agile and his ability to explain difficult topics.