Great Article I found
One of the topics discussed in this chapter dealt with the opportunities behind Business-to-Business e-commerce (B2B); also mentioned in the book was a internet company called Alibaba. Websites like Alibaba allow businesses to discover suppliers within seconds and have transformed the way companies operate. This article dives further into Alibaba and what it can do for corporations in the future. Below I’ve included a few questions derived from the article and the the chapter we covered this week.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/sarwantsingh/2014/11/06/b2b-ecommerce-market-worth-6-7-trillion-by-2020/
1. Could companies like Alibaba replace traditional supply chains in the future?
2. Will we see other internet ventures like Amazon began to include a B2B model in addition to B2C?
Retail Stores for E-Commerce
E-Commerce is the new marketplace with many benefits such as ease of access, but there are also some disadvantages to e-commerce. For example a consumer buying clothes from a website is not able to try them on before making the purchase. This article looks at a possible solution to this problems. It explains how giving customers the chance to have a hands on experience with a product can be beneficial for e-commerce businesses.
Article: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/239690
Discussion Questions:
Do you think combining e-commerce with brick and mortar stores is an effective way for e-commerce companies to increase their sells?
What are some possible reasons why an e-eCommerce company might not want to invest in a retail store?
Innovation in the Private Transportation Industry
This article explains how the “black car” transportation start-up Uber, grew into a disruptive innovation. Through the use of technology, Uber has distinguished itself from the traditional private transportation system by solving many of the issues that customers are frequently facing. Some of the specific benefits of using Uber’s services include: Convenient payment transactions, reduced waiting times, interactive driver rating systems, and increased customer service. Uber now provides service on a global level and continues to grow every day.
Article: https://growthhackers.com/companies/uber/
Questions for discussion:
1. Do you believe that a service like Uber could diminish the traditional taxi/private transportation system? Will current taxi companies be forced to incorporate new information systems or technology?
2. What are some possible issues/pitfalls of the technology or service models of Uber?
3. Are there any other specific industries that could benefit from a similar service model and information system used by Uber?
Food and Technology
Thus far in class we have learned how technology and information systems are impacting many different industries and business functions. One industry that has been a slower adopter to the technical revolution has been the resturant industry. The article that I higlighted for my class reader explores how Panera Bread and Chili’s are using information technology to gain an edge on their competition. Like in many other industires, these two giant resturant chains are finding that relying on technology are allowing them to automate processes, increase order accuracy, reduce wait times, and even offer higher margin food items (at the cost of replacing a tablet with a waiter). While tablets replacing servers entirely in these resturants is not in the immdiate future, its clear that these resturants are closely monitering the competitve advantages that technology is offering.
Here is the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/21/business/latecomers-to-technology-restaurants-dig-in.html?_r=1
Food for Thought:
1. Do you think tablets are a realistic option to entirely replace servers within the next 5 years?
2. Have you expirienced a tablet solution at a Panera or Chili’s?
3. What other ways could a resturant use technology as a competitve advantage?
Thanks for reading!
OWLbox
OWLbox, powered by box.com, is Temple’s free resource for storing, sharing and collaborating on files. The OWLbox website offers students, faculty, and staff 50GB of storage space, access to files anywhere including mobile devices, and sync capability with desktop files.
There is a Facebook-like feature where you can comment and exchange feedback on files you are sharing. The box service automatically keeps previous versions of the documents. In addition you can assign tasks to a shared file and supply a due date.
Your assignments should be submitted via OWLbox for grading. Once graded, you will be able to view all feedback via this tool. Please use the following email to add me as the collaborator to your assignments: tud06882@temple.edu
You should create a folder in OWLbox called Your Last Name_MIS2101_Spring 2015 and add me as a collaborator. You will then upload each assignment to this folder by the due date.
PowerPoints
Here are the PowerPoints for the material in the Valacich text book. These are unmodified from the publisher.
Can Snail Mail turn into the Holy Grail?
Can snail mail evolve into the Holy Grail? The USPS faces many challenges from a perceived decline in necessity to competitors such Amazon, Google, and Fed Ex. Does the USPS have the right tools and resources to compete with their digitally advanced competitors or will their steady decline lead to demise. Well the truth of the matter is that the USPS has the technology to compete with initiatives such as drone deliveries and 24/7 delivery lockers, but they face challenges that many government agencies face when it comes to being competitive. They lack great funding and ultimately decisions regarding its success are made from political standpoints as opposed to business perspectives. Take a look at this article and look at how the USPS has the technology advancements to compete in today’s world but face challenges.
http://resources.idgenterprise.com/original/AST-0136185_CWD_2014_December.pdf (pgs.12-19)
The USPS has great minds with the technical knowledge comparable to those in Silicon Valley. Postal workers cell phones are already being replaced with Mobile Delivery Devices that allow packages to be tracked in real time at any given point. Imagine that a business owner would know exactly when a customer’s package arrives and can then instantly send an electronic communication to the customer with a receipt and possibly a coupon. These Mobile Delivery Devices are also equipped to allow carriers to adjust their course to the fastest and most productive routes. Is it possible that we can all receive our mail before noon? There is an influx of data and technology prevalent within the USPS that can reinvigorate its perception and lead to sustainability but will the normal government obstacles prevent its evolution?
Discussion questions?
- Do you think the USPS can be competitive with technology leaders such as Amazon and Google?
- With advancements in technology can the USPs change their “snail mail” perception?
Fighting Cyber Attacks with the Zero-Trust Model
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2851517/network-security-needs-big-data.html
In our rapidly evolving digital age, we have come to know that security is a big issue. In the last year, 60% of organizations targeted fell victim to a cyber attack. These breaches are a prominent side effect of our growing digital age but we should be working to make sure this risk is minimized. One option to improving our security situation is the Zero-Trust Model (ZTM). While older models worked to “trust but verify” data coming in, the ZTM works under the assumption that every file is a potential threat and works to inspect it. ZTM also says companies should be analyzing internal network traffic and giving employees very limited access to the network. So far, many organizations have jumped on board with at least a few of ZTM’s main concepts.
However, “ZTM will generate enormous volumes of real-time data, the analysis of which will have IT managers drowning in log files, vulnerability scan reports, alerts, reports and more.” This means a large amount of big data analytics will be needed to assist in gaining a more comprehensive view of the company’s security landscape. Furthermore, big data will be changing the nature of computer network security, ” including network monitoring, the authentication and authorization of users, identity management, fraud detection, and systems of governance, risk and compliance. Big data will also change the nature of the security controls, such as conventional firewalls, anti-malware and data loss prevention.”
Finally, in the upcoming years, data analysis tools will be evolving to further advance the capabilities of security models, meaning there is great opportunity for companies, new and old, to come out and introduce new products.
Questions to Consider:
1. There are obvious gains to adopting ZTM, but what are the risks? Risks associated with big data?
2. Why have companies been victimized in the first place? Should they try to improve already existing measures or implement new ones before applying the stricter ZTM concepts?
BYOD security
http://www.zdnet.com/article/at-t-pegs-top-cybersecurity-hotspots-to-watch-for-2015/http://www.zdnet.com/article/at-t-pegs-top-cybersecurity-hotspots-to-watch-for-2015/
This article discusses the security issues surrounding the bring-your-own-device, or BYOD, trend in the workplace. The vice president of security services for the mobile business solutions team at AT&T claims that this trend is expected to reach its “inflection point” in 2015, as 2014 saw a huge increase in the use of these devices. People tend to be less concerned with security on their mobile devices than they would be using a traditional computer. These mobile devices are computers and need to be protected the same way. When employees do not take proper precautions, such as installing malware or firewalls, their employer’s information could be compromised.
Some questions to think about
1. Is it beneficial for an employer to allow the use of a BYOD? Do the benefits outweigh the potential risks?
2. Can sufficient precautions be taken to protect information, especially when it comes to certain fields, i.e. the medical field?
Syllabus
Here is the tentative syllabus for the upcoming Spring 2015 semester.
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