Weekly Participation Question – Unit 1
Leave your response as a comment on this post by the beginning of class on May 17th, 2016. Your response only needs to be about three or four sentences. For these weekly questions, I’m mainly interested in your understanding of the readings. In your response, indicate from which reading you are pulling your key points and details. You may use the same reading as another class mate, but try to pull out a point or detail that hasn’t been shared yet. As a class, you can use this to build out your Study Guide on the readings for each exam.
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Here is the question:
Select one of the readings from Unit 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 and pull out 1 key point of the reading. Provide some detail as to why this is important, based on your understanding of the readings.
There’s one idea that caught my eye when i read through the articles in this week, which is digital identity. digital identity, compared with real world identity, plays a significant role in today’s world. For digital identity, there are also different representations for one person, which refers to as partial identities. For example, LinkedIn and Facebook are two different digital media for communications between people. LinkedIn focused more on the professional development and networking, and Facebook emphasized more on personal life.
“Information technology plays an important role in delivering value for a business and supporting organizational transformation.” This is a quote that I read that I believe is extremely powerful and important. As previously stated I am the Director of Solution for my company’s global division and technology is paramount to our business, basically without it we wouldn’t be able to perform our jobs. Technology has given us the ability to measure our business, create KPI’s, eliminate waste and variables, and streamline our processes. It also allows us to provide industry leading customer service and visibility for our customers. It’s my responsibility to ensure my division is using technologies that differentiate us from our competitors and using technologies that make the team more productive.
I chose to summarize the facts written in the article “Differences between IS, CS, and IT.” Information Systems (IS), Computer Science (CS) and Information Technology (IT) have one thing in common–computer systems. However, the way that these disciplines use computer systems is what makes them different. IS focuses on how computer systems can use information to the benefit of the organization. CS concentrates on the theory of computation and the ways that computers can solve problems. IT uses the combination of computer and business knowledge to guide the company in using the necessary software and programs to promote safe and effective working environment.
The reading that I am using is, Strategic uses of IT in Business. The key point that I would like to pull out is the idea of companies using cloud computing to gain a competitive advantage. This system is significant for organizations to keep up with rapidly changing demand and technologies. It also speeds up the company’s process of finding new products for customers when they want it; this enables the organization to obtain revenue faster than companies that are not pulling information from the cloud. Cloud computing is simply faster than regular online systems, flexible, and gets the company ahead of its competition.
I chose to summarize the article “Manage your Digital identity”. This article stood out to me because it expressed the idea that everyone has an online record weather they want it or not, but everyone should shoot for a good representation of themselves online and not let a “bad” myspace picture define them if anyone ever searches up their name. The key is building a good and professional profile that describes you. The rules are simple, build your online profile, keep it the same through different types of social media(name, picture, headline), engage with people, be very professional and personable. These are the keys of building a good online identity that will make you stand out to companies and important people that come across your name.
I chose “12 ethical dilemmas gnawing at developers today” as my topic because it has always been concerning to me how much information websites know about me. In the technological and business world today there is a fine line that must be paid strong attention to. This line is the boundary is between personally targeting a potential costumer based on their interests and that which infringes on people’s personal rights Moreover, this article explains the dangers that are present when entering new systems into the internet in regards to the fact that everything out there is permeant. Developers must be aware of the long term implications of the products they introduce into the global market. In the business would today there is a constant dilemma about how to keep their products relevant without invading peoples’ privacy. At its simplest this article is meant for programmers and the message is; with greater power comes greater responsibility
Of all the articles we have read so far the most interesting to me was on the twelve ethical dilemmas gnawing at developers. Out of the twelve dilemmas, the most interesting one asks how much to code or compromise in order to prevent misuse? This is very interesting to me because finding this balance in IS, IT, and even CS would vary drastically. From my understanding IS would focus less on the coding and more on the business application, however, without the proper coding the business aspect could be compromised. The extent of work developers put into coding to prevent future issues is a crucial decision for developers in this field.
“Manage Your Digital Identity” by Kathy Meyers was one of the most applicable readings that the entire class can immediately apply to their lives. The article discusses managing your digital brand on line and how to cultivate a professional online identity. Its a good idea to apply everything in the article. For some people the idea of having to manage an online identify can be so daunting that they completely ghost the internet. So much so limited to no information comes up regarding the person. To a potential employer or a even customer this can be extremely troublesome. People in the current age are accustomed to being able to get an idea of a person before ever talking to them. With no information people get weary and may go with another person of which more information is readily available. In this current digital age its a balancing act between providing too much information and too little information.
I chose to use the article,”Strategic Uses of IT in Business”. This article discussed the different ways Information technology can be utilized for enhancing the business processes.
“Organizations that want to improve their innovation capabilities and develop new products or services for the market can use cloud computing to speed up the process”(Linton).
The key point I want to discuss is cloud computing. I have always heard about this process, but before this class I had never really known the full extent of this platform. After this article, and a little research on my own, its incredible to see how important this type of technology is to a business.
Instead of information on the hard drive, information can be processed more openly for the business. Personally, I used Google Drive for my internship at The School District of Philadelphia, which was a great way to spread bus route information to the Transportation department.
Connecting to the article, this use of Google Drive is definitely an innovative feature that businesses can use today. The need for a USB drive is becoming less and less needed as businesses utilize cloud computing more. As the article pertains to, the efficiency of this platform has helped businesses handle the flow of data, which is very critical for not only today’s marketplace, but the future as well.
I chose to use the article,”Strategic Uses of IT in Business”. This article discussed the different ways Information technology can be utilized for enhancing the business processes.
“Organizations that want to improve their innovation capabilities and develop new products or services for the market can use cloud computing to speed up the process”(Linton).
The key point I want to discuss is cloud computing. I have always heard about this process, but before this class I had never really known the full extent of this platform. After this article, and a little research on my own, its incredible to see how important this type of technology is to a business.
Instead of information on the hard drive, information can be processed more openly for the business. Personally, I used Google Drive for my internship at The School District of Philadelphia, which was a great way to spread bus route information to the Transportation department.
Connecting to the article, this use of Google Drive is definitely an innovative feature that businesses can use today. The need for a USB drive is becoming less and less needed as businesses utilize cloud computing more. As the article pertains to, the efficiency of this platform has helped businesses handle the flow of data, which is very critical for not only today’s marketplace, but the future as well.
The article in which I am choosing to summarize is “5 Ethical Challenges of Information Technology (IT).” 1) Security – protecting our information from hackers when we use the internet for things such as online banking, company systems, etc. 2) Privacy Issues – webcams being used to spy on users, social media networks being used inappropriately such as screen-shooting others photos and sharing with strangers 3) Copyright Infringement – downloading and sharing music albums, books, etc for free which financially hurts the original artist, author, etc. 4) Increased pressure on IT experts – Information systems are up and running constantly and IT experts are under an enormous amount of pressure being required to quickly troubleshoot any and all issues that arise for their employer. Unfortunately, due to the stress/pressure and overload of work, imperfections are likely to occur 5) Digital Divide – IT offers many opportunities for us that live is developed countries; however, for countries that are not developed and/or do not have power, IT can be very costly or not even able to be used. This creates the “digital divide” enabling us that have IT access the capability of communicating and/or accessing others via IT in non-developed countries. I found this article extremely interesting because although IT is apart of everyone’s life (in more than one way) here in the U.S., the important ethical challenges listed above are critical to the on-going success of IT existence and they need to be improved upon for certain. Overall, IT experts really have their work cut out for them!
This week, I found the article about digital identity very intriguing. Social media plays a significant role in today’s day and age when applying for jobs. As we all know, when applying for a position within a business, the business is more then likely to view your social media handles to see what you are all about. Therefore, your personal handles should not display inappropriate postings. If you are looking to score a job, your social media should be personable AND professional.
This week, I found the article about digital identity very intriguing. Social media plays a significant role in today’s day and age when applying for jobs. As we all know, when applying for a position within a business, the business is more then likely to view your social media handles to see what you are all about. Therefore, your personal handles should not display inappropriate postings. If you are looking to score a job, your social media should be personable AND professional.
The article in which I am choosing to summarize is “5 Ethical Challenges of Information Technology (IT).” 1) Security – protecting our information from hackers when we use the internet for things such as online banking, company systems, etc. 2) Privacy Issues – webcams being used to spy on users, social media networks being used inappropriately such as screen-shooting others photos and sharing with strangers 3) Copyright Infringement – downloading and sharing music albums, books, etc for free which financially hurts the original artist, author, etc. 4) Increased pressure on IT experts – Information systems are up and running constantly and IT experts are under an enormous amount of pressure being required to quickly troubleshoot any and all issues that arise for their employer. Unfortunately, due to the stress/pressure and overload of work, imperfections are likely to occur 5) Digital Divide – IT offers many opportunities for us that live is developed countries; however, for countries that are not developed and/or do not have power, IT can be very costly or not even able to be used. This creates the “digital divide” enabling us that have IT access the capability of communicating and/or accessing others via IT in non-developed countries. I found this article extremely interesting because although IT is apart of everyone’s life (in more than one way) here in the U.S., the important ethical challenges listed above are critical to the on-going success of IT existence and they need to be improved upon for certain. Overall, IT experts really have their work cut out for them!
According to 5 Ethical Challenges of Information Technology, information technology is important to our lives, but some of the biggest challenges technology is facing are lack of privacy, security, copyright infringement and an increased in computer crimes. Technology can be beneficial but at the same time harmful if it is not used properly. For example, hackers misuse technology to collect data for selfish reasons. With technology growing in a fast rate, sometimes is difficult to identify what systems are being used by hackers, making IT experts to have greater pressure ensuring their company’s system in order to avoid theft.
According to the article “Manage Your Digital Identity,” Katy Meyer has provided some effective ways to manage a person’s digital Identity. She has pointed out 5 methods including If you don’t, someone else will, Same picture, same name and same headline, always, Engage with people, Be professional, be personable, Keep it up to date. I found every way important and necessary; however, I suppose the most important way is “If you don’t, someone else will.” I had never thought about it before reading the article. However, after reading it, I see that this way is really crucial because it not only helps us to manage our digital identity but also brand us online.
The article I chose to summarize is titled “11 things to consider before going to work for a Startup.” I thought this article was very beneficial for us to read because as students preparing for a career after college, it gives you some insight and knowledge on what you should know about Startups before actually beginning the job. Typically, working for a startup is a risky decision and one of the key questions you need to ask yourself is “who is paying for this venture?” Before even considering the job, it is important to know exactly who will be investing in this project and what type of salary you will be receiving in order to make a decent living. Another question that is discussed focuses on weighing the risks and rewards of working for the startup company because depending on the potential success of the product or service, you are never exactly sure if the project will be generating profits. These are vital questions that an individual must be able to answer before beginning such an uncertain career.
Information System is a “term for systems, people and processes designed to create, store, manipulate, distribute and disseminate information.” I found it interesting that Information Systems is not equivalent to technology. Information Technology is part of Information Systems but Information Systems predate technology. Information Technology is just the integration of technology into Information Systems.
The article that I am summarizing is Difference IS, CS, and IT. In this article the author gives the definition and the main differences between these three occupation and their jobs. Information System (IS) focuses on information that computer system can provide to a company, non-profit, or government organization in defining and achieving its goals. It is important for IS to understand the technical and organizational factors, and must be able to help an organization understand how information technology can help delver superior performance. IS majors can work as Project Managers, CIOs, Technical Writers, System Analysis, Data Communication Analysis.
Computer Science (CS) focuses on theory to development of computing solutions. The work of a CS falls into three categories 1) Design and Build Software, 2) Develop effective ways to solve computing problems, 3)Developing new and better way of using computers and addressing particular challenges. Some jobs for this field are Computer programmer, Java Developer, Database Administrator, Software Engineer, and Network Engineer.
Information Technology (IT) focuses on meeting computer technology needs of business, government, healthcare, schools , and all other organizations. IT’s take care of an organizations information technology infrastructure and the people using it. The select hardware and software for the organization, integrate the products with the organizations, and install, customize, and maintain the products as well. Occupations in this field include Network Administrator, Computer Support Specialist, Computer Technician, Data Security Administrator.
I chose a point from the article “manage your identity”. Although there were five major points, I chose point number two as the most important: Same picture, same name and same headline, always. I chose this because I never realized how important it was to brand yourself like companies brand themselves, with single logos, names and headlines. Something I did not think to do before reading this article. Not to mention, having the same picture and headline will show employers that its “same ‘you’ on different sites”, with no misunderstanding and guessing whether its the same person on each site.
The article that I found to be interesting and I really learned from was ” 10 Differences Between Startup vs. Corporation.” Before this article I knew there had been difference but I did not know that differences had to do from productivity to impact to recognition. Working in a startup or a corporation is really a personality decision rather than a certain skill being needed. To work in a start up you need to be hardworking and passionate about IT or IS and know that every decision you make will impact the company in a significant way; while to work in a corporation you just need the IT or IS skills to get the task done that are assigned to you. In both work setting your skills can be used and appreciated just in different ways.
I chose this reading from section 1.2, which talks about the differences between working for a startup and working for a big corporation and things to consider before going to work for a start up. I chose this section because I was relating to it. My dad currently works for a corporation but had received a job offer from a start up. He came to me to consult about the offer and compare his current job to the potential new one. We analyzed the positives and negatives of working for a corporation and start up. The differences that we touched upon that were also present in the article were pay, responsibility, and perks. These were the main differences that we found would affect my dad. In terms of pay my dad was actually offered more for the start up job than his old job. In the article it mentions that working for a start up is more risky but also your remuneration package is often below the average cash share. In terms of responsibility he will have a lot more responsibility working for the start up. He will run an entire department at the start up but he currently is in charge of one account. There is more at stake when messing up on the job. Last but not least we talked about perks. My dad currently travels a lot for work and his company pays for most of his expenses. There would be less of a budget for the start up and so my dad will not be able to travel as much or get reimbursed for company-based expenses. Basically there are advantages and disadvantages to working in a start up and working in a corporation. This article does a good job differentiating the two.
In the article “Strategic Uses of IT in Business” I found a key point to be that IT can improve both internally focused components of a business and externally focused components of a business. For example, IT can be used to increase innovation within a company such as the use of cloud computing that is mentioned in the reading. Externally focused components of a business, such as customer service, can also benefit from the usage of IT systems. An example mentioned in the article of this is the usage of cloud computing to better company responsiveness when there are surges in demand. This keeps the customer happy and prevents possible losses of revenue for the company.
I chose to summarize the article, “Information Systems vs. Information Technology” which outlines the definition, different courses, and how to decide between the two categories when deciding a field. University Alliance say, “Information systems is an umbrella term for the systems, people and processes designed to create, store, manipulate, distribute and disseminate information,” and lists courses within the degree as Information theory, Foundations of Management, Social Science, and Information Technology. They also describe Information technology as it, “falls under the IS umbrella but deals with the technology involved in the systems themselves” and lists courses within the degree as, Mathematics, Database Design, Computer Science and Forensics, and Programming Languages. The two get confusing because they sometimes are used interchangeably but if you are deciding which field to pursue you should consider that Information Systems sometimes involve non-technological systems and InformationTechnology focuses on managing technology and its effectiveness in a business.
I thought it was interesting no one focused on the basic understand of MIS. MIS stands for Management of Information Systems. It is used to gather, process, and manage information. It differs from computer science in that is focuses on applying technology to business needs while computer science revolves around the technology itself. Those who work in MIS aim to improve business production and efficiency by designing and applying new technological systems.
In 5 Ethical Challenges of Information Technology the article talks about how information technology can be very important to our lives but there are many ethical challenges that have risen to be questioned. The one that stood out most to me was security. It talked about how big companies have gotten into problems with fraud using certain IT programs. They are able to use certain cookies and viruses to hack into our lives to help benefit their business profits in different ways. With technology growing as fast as it is, it gives less room to catch everyone and which systems they are using.
The article I am choosing to summarize for week 1 is “12 ethical dilemmas gnawing at developers today”. While reading through this article I found a couple of the ethical dilemmas mentioned to be very interesting, and really gave me something to think about. The first dilemma that popped out at me was #1 which talks about the backing up of files and whether or not files are actually destroyed when we delete them. I feel as though it is something that a lot of us do not think about often, technology today has so many back ups that more often then not files that we think are deleted may not actually be totally gone. Another dilemma that gave me something to think about was #4 which talks about protection of files and systems. We often feel that particular documents or computer systems in an organization should be protected with passwords or encrypted codes but, while reading this, it sounds as though those may not always be as necessary as some may think that they are. And lastly, I found dilemma # 10, talking about how much monitoring is actually necessary. I found this to be interesting because this piece of the article really points out how just because, say your company, wants to monitor their system doesn’t mean that unwanted people cannot figure out the same process to also monitor your system, and that your code cannot make its own ethical decisions for the company. Overall, I found this article to be very interesting, just seeing some issues and dilemmas that may pop up that we may not take the time to really think about.
The reading I took a great amount of information from is “What is MIS”. Before reading all the articles , I was unclear of what MIS really is. I was under the impression that it was just a class that dealt with the technology side of business and I have learned that it’s so much more to it. It’s the way that IT analyzes systems and application that business use. I’ve learned in the reading who uses MIS, how much entry-level MIS employees make, and the purpose of MIS.
From the reading “Five Ethical Challenges of Information Technology.” Although there are an overwhelmingly large number of conveniences that technology allow us to access, there are many drawbacks. Security is one of the drawbacks. Hackers have learned to access other people’s computer and collect data. The scariest thing about this is that we keep majority of our personal information embedded into our computer’s memory without even remembering that we saved it. They can also hack into corporate computers which would be detrimental to a corporation. What is the scariest of this all, is that we know these things, and rarely take precaution.
In the article, “Information Systems vs. Information Technology”, one key detail that can be observed is how Information Technology is actually a subset of Information Systems. Many people get confused and deem the two terms synonymous and use them interchangeably; however, this is not the case. Information Systems refers to any type of system used to manage data and apply it to business practices, whereas Information Technology focuses solely on the technology component of these systems. This difference is critical going forward in that they will affect how we view the different strategies and methods discussed in this course.
The article “Information Systems vs. Information Technology,” discusses the difference between Information Systems (IS) and Information Technology (IT) as many people use the terms interchangeably, when in fact they are not synonymous. Most people are fooled by the fact that both of these fields deal with computers, however they require different education and training because they have distinct characteristics and specific career paths. Information systems is a much broader field, in which information technology is a subset that falls under it. Most people assume that all information systems are computer-based systems, which is not true at all. Though information systems does rely on computers and other technology-based tools heavily, it can include non-technological systems. Information systems could be as simple and basic as a piece of paper and a pencil. Information technology is just one part of IS because it is more specific as it deals with the technology involved in the systems themselves. Though IS and IT are similar and related to each other, they are very distinct fields and it is important to remember the difference between them. Though we live in such a technological and digitally advanced world, we can still use non-technological systems and that is a main point we need to remember about Information Systems and its use of Information technology.
In reading “Manage Your Digital Identity” by Katy Meyers, I found her second point “Same picture, same name and same headline, always” to be very intriguing. I only use LinkedIn for professional purposes and Facebook and Instagram for social purposes. I also think I might even have a dreaded MySpace account out there. I think she raises a great point about keeping the same professional image on all accounts. While I think my Facebook picture is cute, my potential new boss or client might not. I also think I do a pretty good job of making those social accounts unsearchable, however; I realize that if it’s on the internet, they have the opportunity to find it. I need to put my best face forward on all fronts.
I choose to combine the two articles: “What is MIS?” and the “Difference Between IS, CS, and IT” because I feel like these two articles compliment each other in addressing the key distinction in the purpose of this course. So what is MIS? MIS, or management information systems, are processes focused on solving business-oriented problems (i.e. accounting, marketing, and supply chain) through the integration of business applications and computing technology as a tool to manage information. However, Information Systems are commonly confused with Computer Science (CS), and/or Information Technology (IT). Computer science emphasizes on programming theory to create complex algorithmic software and scientific theory to build and extend technology; to where information technology is the combination of the hardware and software products in the integration of organization’s infrastructure. The key concept behind information systems and the management of information systems is that they serve as a bridge between the technical and management communities within an organization. Some examples of MIS professionals are: Analysts, who study business problems and implement systems to solve them; Consultants, who analyze problems and change business processes; and Project leaders, who organize a team of analysts, programmers and other to create an innovative solution.
One of the key concepts of week one was the differences between working for a start-up and a corporation. In 10 Differences Between Working For A Startup Vs. Corporation, the author describes the start up environment as high risk, high stress, and potentially high mobility. On the other hand, corporations are less risky, structured, and safe. The choice between the two is really depended upon the worker’s personality.
This week, I chose the article “10 Differences Between Working for a Start-up vs. a Corporation” because I believe the article discussed crucial considerations that are pertinent to personal success. With an endless amount of different personalities in the world, it is inevitable that professional paths will be vastly different, and levels of success will be different as well. Many people will settle on any job instead of taking extra time to figure out what job with work with their personal mindset. The article breaks down something as simple as proactivity to figure out which type of company you will be more apt to fit in. This proves that the little things in life can make or break your career path, and it is important to be true to who you are and your values instead of conforming, as it will lead to better results in the end.
The reading I chose to use is Strategic uses of IT in Business. Because I am in interested in owning my own business one day I found the section about responsiveness particularly interesting because of how important it is to driving sales. I believe that sales are very important for any business, by being more efficient in communication both internally and externally will improve the overall top line growth. My question then would be how much money should a small business owner spend to improve their responsiveness by using more cloud driven communications.
One topic that I find extremely interesting is digital identity. Digital identity is important because it is how people get to know you now. Before people got to now you for your personalty now people look up your social media and judge based on that. That is why you have to keep your social media professional and updated so people can get to know about you.