Information Systems in Organizations

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2058740/british-man-charged-with-hacking-nasa-and-us-military-computers.html

1) Most Americans give information to the government and, for the most part, they think that it is secure and there will not be a chance to have that information hacked.  And given that the United States has gained more access to their citizen’s personal information and data, do you think that this person being able to hack into the government systems is reason for concern and why?

2) Certain hackers like Edward Snowden feel that they are doing the ethical thing by exposing the government to the people and that the citizens have a right to this information.  Do you think that this is true or false?  Why?

3) In the article, this man faced up to 5 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.  Do you think that these punishments are stern enough?  Do you think that the punishments should be based on the magnitude of the breach?

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9247637/Rimini_Street_diversifies_with_cloud_services_for_Workday_Salesforce.com

Independent Oracle and SAP support provider Rimini Street will now offer integration services for customers who want to adopt SaaS (software-as-a-service) offerings from the likes of Salesforce.com and Workday.

IT environments are set to “transform” from monolithic software suites to ones that include specialized applications as well as a mix of on-premises and cloud-based software, Rimini said in a statement.

After reading this article:

1. Is Rimini Street more focused on system effectiveness or system efficiency based on the integration services now being offered? Why?

2. Which argument do you believe Rimini Street is making in this business case (Faith, Fear, or Fact)? Why?

3. What form of Software conversion strategy is Rimini Street using in this example (Parallel, Direct, Phased, or Pilot (Single location)?Why?

https://meetings.webex.com/collabs/files/playRecording?encryptedDocID=1_3E8D24E14CCD0280F2DDCF59BC4B7C314BA4F82E3B97D53412E8F8A09FE296AD7B88BA13BC4163BC23C2B21BDEF815A8_84941ADEC63AA1344B0DA67681560BEABED5C8F0

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/business/electronic-records-systems-have-not-reduced-health-costs-report-says.html?_r=3&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=1&adxnnlx=1397523804-8TV77riVELzoYaIb6Mc5nQ

The conversion to electronic health records has failed so far to produce the hoped-for savings in health care costs and has had mixed results, at best, in improving efficiency and patient care, according to a new analysis by the influential RAND Corporation.

Optimistic predictions by RAND in 2005 helped drive explosive growth in the electronic records industry and encouraged the federal government to give billions of dollars in financial incentives to hospitals and doctors that put the systems in place.

Questions:
1. If you were recommending one of these systems for a healthcare facility would you use the original RAND study in your cost benefit analysis knowing it had been paid for by companies that provide these systems?
2. If you were senior management at a firm that had adopted one of these electronic records systems how much time would you allow for a system that was not living up to its promised saving and efficiency improvements before scrapping it and looking for a new system?
3. Should the government take this level of involvement in encouraging companies to upgrade their systems, through the use of stimulus money and passing new laws requiring companies to upgrade their systems?

http://www.scdigest.com/assets/on_target/14-04-02-1.php?cid=7954

While there are always individual company leaders which drive connectivity for their own benefits, rarely if ever has an entire sector really tried to address the issue, other than perhaps developing electronic communication standards, such as the VICS EDI standards in consumer goods to retail.
After reading this article
1.Do you think lack of connectivity and integration is a key limitation in the progress of the supply chain in any industry sector, from consumer goods to health care?
2.How do companies such as IBM improve their Supply Chain Management (SCM) system using the new system and do you think it will be industry standard?
3.How will developing new electronic communication standards benefit industries comparing to present system?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertbowman/2014/04/01/disaster-looms-why-todays-global-supply-chains-are-at-risk/

Companies today have to take a better look at their supply chain measurements to ensure the safety of their products and facilities, before the  end product is received by the consumer. It is unethical and irresponsible for companies to not have a proper risk-management plan in place when a faulty product is made and has caused harmed to a human being. Today, more and more companies are trying to cut costs and increase purchasing power by reducing suppliers to a bare minimum. This strategy that companies are using in an attempt to increase revenue can hurt a company if they were not to have access to an alternative vendor, if a disaster were to occur with a companies original supplier. “Companies have spent untold amounts of money on ERP systems to manage financials and other basic functions, but they’re less advanced in acquiring systems that enable end-to-end visibility and collaboration among all supply chain partners.” Companies can lose billions of dollars from a supply chain disaster and harm the reputation of a company, which can lead to a long-term decrease in revenue.

1. If you were the risk manager at a large company, would one of your main focuses for the company be on the  supply chain process? Why?

2. Do you think it is irresponsible and potentially harmful to a company in the long run to reduce their supply chain and to not have the proper safety measures in place for the factories. Why or why not?

3. What is an example of one company producing a faulty product and what was their immediate response to producing that faulty product? Did they have a proper supply chain risk management plan in place?