DSS

Decision-support systems are vital tools businesses need in order to improve their companies. Decision-support systems offer the potential to generate higher profits, lower-cost, and better products and services.(2) Other benefits include improved personal efficiencies, faster decision-making processes, increased organizational control, faster problem-solving, promoting learning and training, creating competitive advantage over competition, and many more aspects. (2) It is obvious DSS plays a major role in business structure. This post will mainly focus on the additional benefits of ad hoc DSS and briefly analyze how institutional DSS works to better understand these systems role and business. 
            Ad hoc DSS is defined as, "a DSS concerned with situations or decisions that come up only a few times during the life of an organization." (1) A particular business may have a problem they may only see once in a lifetime. Although use of ad hoc DSS is rare these decisions can make or break a business. "For instance an ad hoc DSS would determine whether or not to build a new manufacturing facility somewhere. Another example would be a business or company deciding to merge with someone else."(1). Although these situations are rare the DSS is necessary in order to weigh the benefits of the company. "The design of an ad hoc DSS must focus on responding quickly as needed information and analysis and analysis on a one-time specific basis."(3).
Institutional DSS is defined as, "a DSS that handles situations or decisions that occur more than once, usually several times per year or more. An institutional DSS is used repeatedly and refined over years," (1). These types of systems are also important and are consistently being perfected because of the rate of their use. However, when it comes to making big changes in a corporation or business ad hoc DSS needs to be used, not the everyday DSS system decision makers use for problems they frequently face.

            As previously stated, ad hoc DSS are used to make important infrequent decisions. How they work is a company uses them and the system provides the outcome of events based on all of the companies current information assets, comparative sales figures between one week and the next, projected revenue figures based on new product and sales assumptions, and the consequences given past experiences (5). When company decision makers are faced with a once in a life time deal they need to know all of the possible outcomes and the pros and cons of  making a deal or going forward with a huge project. Ad hoc DSS can help decision makers make the right decisions and watch their businesses grow.

            DSS allows managers to make informed decisions at the life of the business relies on. Important capabilities of DSS issues include, but are not limited to "providing support in structured and unstructured situations, support to managers, supporting all phases of the decision-making process, adaptiveness, user-friendliness, and more."(4) Basically they allow decision makers to make to make better decisions more consistently in a timely manner. Without any DSS systems business would really struggle to grow and continue. They allow managers to understand markets and make educated decisions that will help the company flourish in the economy. 

1. Information systems textbook 
2.http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_support_system#_
3. http://insy2303-scott.wikispaces.com/Ad+Hoc+DSS
4.http://www.csun.edu/~hcmgt004/DSS2.ppt

5. http://www.informationbuilders.com/decision-support-systems-dss

T 3.6

Electronic commerce is defined as, “conducting business activities (e.g. distribution, buying, selling, marketing, and servicing of products or services) electronically over computer networks”(1). E-commerce has changed consumer markets all over the world. Traditional shopping venues do not offer the advantages that e-commerce does of comparing prices quickly, picking out simple details, while shopping in the luxury of your own home, and many other added bonuses at the cost of shipping. Specifically business to consumer commerce (also known as B2C) is an interesting study, because it has changed the shopping market drastically in the past decade.

            In the late 1990’s there was a lot of hype surrounding business to consumers because stock prices on websites like amazon.com and eBay grew drastically (2). These sales were large enough to pose a threat to traditional shopping venues. These new companies changed businesses forever. Websites like amazon and eBay could have millions of customers at a time without the expenses of maintaining physical stores, did need to have tons of inventory, and also have unlimited access to capital and little concern about actual earnings. In fact, Amazon has a market capitalization of $25 billion, exceeding those of established companies shortly after its release in 1999 (2). This shows how the business to consumer e-commerce really changed the industry. Online shopping offers so many conveniences. The dotcoms websites had such success that retails like Kmart and Wal-Mart spun off separate companies to run their e-commerce operations (2.)

            Interestingly enough, many companies never cashed in on the initial e-commerce frenzy. In fact a source explains how, “Almost as quickly as the dotcom phenomenon took over, the hype over B2C e-commerce dissipated along with the crumbling Nasdaq. Funding for Internet ventures started to dry up and major companies started to reel in their spinoffs, bringing e-commerce initiatives back under the corporate fold,” (2.) The history of e-commerce shows us that it was not always for big corporations to cash in on the trend. Now however, Amazon and eBay may still be the leading, but not by much. This past holiday season more sales were made online than ever before. Now Wal-Mart is the third most popular site, trailing Amazon and eBay, with Target, Best Buy and Circuit City close behind. The online shopping trend is because more and more popular.

            Other sources explain the reason these sites are so popular, “Some sources say that the popularity of purchasing over the Internet is growing rapidly as consumers find out there are many advantages to shopping online. Most sites provide shoppers with a stress free way to buy products without the hassle of driving in traffic or of standing in long lines. Other advantages include cheaper prices, easy ways to pay, and fast delivery. Business ecommerce solution helps businesses to create a presence on the Internet while reducing their operating costs and gaining consumer confidence with quality sites that make shopping experiences easy and fun,” (3.) Purchasing online allows us access to items we cannot find online and gives us so many benefits. This industry just continues to grow with the evolution of technology, and with outbreak in smartphones and wireless technologies.

Sources:

1.) Stair, Ralph M., and George Walter Reynolds. Fundamentals of Information Systems. Boston: Thomson/Course Technology, 2003. Print.

2.) http://www.cio.com/article/40298/E_Commerce_Definition_and_Solutions?page=2#3

3.) http://www.christianet.com/ecommerce/businesstoconsumerecommerce.htm

T 3.4

            Today it is hard for anyone to go anywhere without seeing someone using a smart phone or a tablet. These hardware devices can access the Internet from nearly anywhere. This particular part of the chapter really interested me. Smartphones fall into the category of telecommunications hardware, which are hardware devices that require a network connection. People are raging about smartphones now because they combined a mobile phone, camera, web browser, e-mail, MP3 player, and other software and hardware devices into one device.

            What I found most interesting is that different smartphones use different operating systems. For instance Apple’s iPhone using the iOS. Having an iPhone I wanted to do extended research on it’s operating system. iOS is the operating system Apple uses for the iPhone, the iPad, and Apple TV. The iOS is only liscensed for Apple products, therefore no other systems can use it. Microsoft Windows and Google’s Andriod allow other hardware products to use their systems. iOS has developed more than 650,000 applications found in Apple’s App Store.

            iOS has a user interface which uses multi-touch gestures. All iPhone, iPad, and iTouch users are familiar with the sliders, switches, and buttons on the devices that provide immediate smooth responses. Apple’s devices also have internal accelerometers that allow some applications to respond to movement. By shaking or rotating the device different outcomes will occur.

            iOS has four abstraction layers: the Core OS layer, the Core Services layer, the Media layer, and the Cocoa Touch layer. The most recent iOS update brought new features drastically improving technology with over 200 additions. These include new mapping software using TomTom instead of Google maps. Another important addition is Siri Support which is an application that provides voice information. Facebook and Twitter integration which allows users to directly post to the social networking sites along with syncing users contacts and calendar information. Other additions include photo stream, passbook, Face Time over the cellular network, changes in mail app, iCloud Tabs in Safari, New Accessibility Features, Remodeled Stores (iTunes, App Store, and iBooks), and more.

            The last thing I found interesting when studying the iOS is that since it has been released, it has been subjected to hacking that is not allowed by Apple. Jail breaking is done on hardware devices in order to install third-party applications. As new iOS updates come out more and more protection against jail breaking. With the release of Apple’s App Store the motivation for jail breaking has changed. Now hackers break into the iOS in order to install custom device themes, modify Spring Boards, gaining file systems access, and even installing other operating systems.

T 3.3

Web 2.0 is a platform that has improved the way people can use and connect through the internet. Web 2.0 allows users to explore the internet in new ways 1.0 did not provide through software applications and the sharing of information among users(1). The aspect that I found really interesting was the influence that Web 2.0 had on social networks and. Websites like Facebook, Twitter, Flicker, and Youtube all use applications made possible by Web 2.0. Web 2.0 changed the way people communicate. Think of times before the web, before people had cell phones and email. The social web provides the applications and platforms that allow people to share their perspectives, opinions, thoughts, and experiences. Web 2.0 applications make these user communications possible through podcasting, blogging, tagging, social booking, social networking, and web content voting (2). With the term Web 2.0 expanding, other businesses and academia coined the term 2.0. Now systems have names like Library 2.0, Social Work 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, PR 2.0, Classroom 2.0, Publishing 2.0, Medicine 2.0 Telco 2.0, Travel 2.0 Government 2.0, and more. Web 2.0 technologies are used in all of these programming situations. Web 2.0 does not just improve social networking and businesses, but also in education.

            Educators can now engage students in new ways because of Web 2.0. Wikipedia sources explain how, “Children raised on new media technologies are less patient with filling out worksheets and listening to lectures,” because students already participate on a global level (2). This is important because in the traditional classroom setting students would complete an assignment and after that they are finished. Using Web 2.0 students can continue their research as the web is constantly evolving. Classrooms can evolve in ways educators never thought possible. When students use technology students can learn and discover new information themselves. Web 2.0 provides millions of resources for students to discover more information. Research shows that using online blogs better helps students understand information. New interaction solely based on the information students are learning lets them work with their peers in new ways.

            Web 2.0 has allowed colleges and universities to allow courses such as this one to exist. Not only are colleges able to hold online classes, but professors use Web 2.0 inside and outside the classroom. Educators of all types can use YouTube videos to show further examples for students. Besides blogs, videos, and other applications improve education and allows students to interact with others on a new level.

1. Stair, Ralph M., and George Walter Reynolds. Fundamentals of Information Systems. Boston: Thomson/Course Technology, 2003. Print.

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

T 2.3

As a waitress at the Surf City Hotel I have worked with the Aloha database system. This computerized system allows waitresses to input their drink and food orders and they get sent to their respective areas. For instance once I put the drink order into the computer any alcoholic beverages are sent to the bartender to make. All of the appetizers are sent through the system to the chefs who work line two and all of the dinners are sent to the chefs on the main line who make dinner. The aloha system allows for waitresses to add any modifications easily like when anyone has a specific request (no salad dressing, food allergy, sauce on the side, etc.). On the aloha system is what the waitresses, waiters, bussers, hostesses, and other employees use to clock into work. This shows how the information system also plays a role on how many hours each employee works. It also keeps track of another important aspect of the restaurant business: declared tips. Each waitress, waiter, and busser must add the tips they made into the system. In this business the restaurant legally only has to pay waitresses $2.15 an hour because the tip amount they make usually makes them make more than minimum wage. Once the waitress or waiter enters how many tips they made for the night the system determines if the business needs to pay them more to make up for the lower number of tips based on the hours they work. The aloha system also allows the manager to print out reports about the restaurant. These reports include which waiters and waitresses are working, their sales, their head count, their credit card tips, etc. This system provides all of the essential data for making important managerial decisions. It keeps track of how busy the restaurant is on any particular night. With this information the manager makes decisions like how many waitressing or waiters he will on a night. What nights are most busy, what dishes are most popular, which dishes are not popular, etc. This system really has proven to essential to the business. A few times I have been working the power as gone out and as a result the system has shut down. During these times we realize how important the system really is. Aloha really allows for the management to make important decisions about how to run the restaurant.

Questions:

1.) Some of the challenges the Aloha system at the Surf City Hotel faces is there are minor kinks in the system. For instance some of the side buttons do not go through so the servers must manually enter them. Otherwise the system is pretty accurate and reliable.

2.) Aloha offers a competitive advantage because the system is able to store important data that is extremely relevant to the restaurant. The information it provides allows managers to compare the data of the restaurant to other restaurants. Although this information is not always public, the manager can adjust prices when necessary and figure out how many hours employees are putting in which makes helps make important decisions.

3.) After doing more extensive research on the Aloha database system it appears the version the Surf City Hotel restaurant is currently using is an older version. Perhaps updating to a newer version would provide more important information to the managers and be more user friendly to the employees who work there. 

http://www.manta.com/c/mtgprqr/aloha-data-systems-inc

http://bsminfo.com/doc.mvc/Aloha-Data-Systems-Releases-StoreTender-0001

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALOHAnet

T 1.7

Here are the steps I took to add the search box to my blog: 

• First I logged onto blogger 
• I clicked on the application with the pages (opinons)
• From there I choose layout 
• this directed me to a new page 
• I clicked add gadgets 
• I looked at the list of gadgets and choose the search box 
• Then I added it to my blog 

I choose to do this because we add a lot of the work we do in this class to our blog. This way when other students want to check out my blog they can easily search for posts I previously posted for review when studying for exams, quizzes, and just as a reference. I think it will be a handy gadget to have. 

T1.6

With the increase in use and demand of social networks today, business have found need ways to improve their companies. With the boom of social networks brought about a new type of company that can sell people information to companies. Social Media Monitoring Companies like Alterian, Radino, Attensity, Visble Technologies, Conversion, and Nielsen Online provide social media monitoring to companies. There are numerous business approaches and ideas these monitoring companies can take. One business idea that stems from this company is specialized marketing. These companies can sell specific details to other companies about people which the companies can use to market targeted audiences. For instance, adds pop up on people’s internet pages all the time, but they are usually irrelevant. When a person is on their facebook page and twitter they share useful information about themselves such as their gender, age, location, and interests which can help companies advertise to a direct audience.

            For example, while I am on my facebook page I may see an advertisement to purchase golf supplies. I am not interested in gold what so ever, so I would most likely ignore the add. However, if a social media monitoring company saw that I checked in on facebook to a yoga studio or listed in my bio that I loved yoga they could give my information along with the millions of other social network users who love yoga to advertise specifically to us.

            They could advertise by posting an ad directly on our social media page, or access the email linked to our account to send us coupons and other offers. Also companies could have the chance to “friend request” (facebook) or follow us (twitter) so their companies updates and offers would be something we could see on a daily basis.

            The textbook reading mentioned how companies are already using information to follow up with customer complaints. For instance say I tweet “Flight delayed again.. Delta airline stinks.” A social monitoring company could send this to delta and a customer service representative could contact me (via direct message on twitter) offering a first class upgrade or something along those lines. These companies really can use the idea of getting personal with customers as a major business and marketing opportunity.