MIS Assignment #18 - Just How Big Is the Impact of Technology on Society

MIS Assignment #12 - The Good-Enough Technology Economy

Questions

1. As we alluded to, the outrageous transformation taking place in the camera and film industries is being caused by good-enough products, specifically digital cameras and phone-embedded cameras. Read the Outrageous industry Transformation cases at the beginning of    Which corrections are being caused by good-enough technology products?

End users and customers convenience had led the improvement of the gadget used by us, the tight economy and the increased reliance on mobile everything -- mean that some shoppers favor cheap, simple, and easy gadgets. Consumers want a product to get the job done, not be exceedingly cutting edge, turbo fast, or needlessly high end.

2. What does all this mean for systems development?

There are strong demand for Systems Development to produce products. User and customers will need application to help them with the daily job for the Result

In the good-enough technology economy, which will organizations come to rely on more heavily: insourcing, self sourcing, or outsourcing?

We believe it will be Self-sourcing system development by end-user development, the development and support of IT systems by end-users (knowledge workers) with little or no help from IT specialists. This is because, it

1. Improves requirements determination (end-users essentially tell themselves what they want); 2. Increases end-user participation and sense of ownership (results in a better product);

3. Increases speed of systems development (insourcing may be slower than self-sourcing for smaller projects because "analysis paralysis" i.e. don't fit well in a structured step-by-step approach;

4. Reduces the invisible backlog (i.e. all of the systems that an organization need to develop but never get funded because of the lack of organizational resources)

Can organizations afford to use the traditional SDLC and completely gather requirements before proceeding with development?

Not in good enough technology economy. It will take longer and the product or application will be obsolete when they are ready for end users.

For what systems can organizations still use the traditional SDLC?

SDLC aims to produce high quality systems that meet or exceed customer expectations, based on customer requirements, by delivering systems which move through each clearly defined phase, within scheduled time-frames and cost estimates

A complex ERP system for business will need this kind of method to get the desirable result.

3. How is this notion of getting things out the door quickly and then using market feedback for product improvement similar to the concept of prototyping?

A prototype is an early working model or release of a product build to test a

concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from. Automobile manufactures build prototype of cars to demonstrate and test safety features, aerodynamics  and comfort.

In system development it is an iterative process to build a model from basic business requirement, have users review the prototype  and suggest  changes, and further refine and enhance the prototype  to include suggestion.

What are the disadvantages of using such an approach to the release of products that aren’t perfect?

Leads people to believe the final system  will follow shortly.

Gives no indication  of performance under operational conditions

Leads the project team to forgo proper testing and documentation

4. Can manufacturers of automobiles use the concepts of the good-enough technology economy to produce automobiles?

Yes, it is possible for automobile manufactures.

What features of an automobile must be perfect (or very close to it)?

Basic features of the cars to move and the safety ( brakes, lights and temperatures sensors)

What features of an automobile can simple be “good enough”?

Accessories and features like seats and audio visual.

MIS Assignment #19 - Smartphones and the Great Digital Divide

Questions

1. Even though 44 percent of African Americans and Latinos own a smartphone while only 30 percent of white, non-Hispanics do, many people contend that this isn’t really closing the great digital divide because African Americans and Latinos use their smartphones more for entertainment than empowerment. Build an argument to support the previous statement.

The data provided did not mention the usage of the smartphone within the races/ethnicity when they access the internet. However the likely hood of the internet for the entertainment and empowerment is possible because of the limited capabilities of the smartphone and what is the offering provided by the basic smartphone when accessing internet.

2. When accessing the Internet, what can you do on a desktop or laptop computer that you can’t do on a smartphone?

The need to do computing power and data analysis that need software and application that minimum requirement to use only laptop computers. Business application, point of sale (pos) and BI app will need this to function properly. The other factors will be the connection and bandwidth speed much more reliable with the computer rather than smartphone.

If smartphones have fewer Internet capabilities (than desktop and laptop computers), can you necessarily link an increase in smartphone ownership within a U.S. based economically disadvantaged group of people to closing the great digital divide? Why or why not?

Yes, the usage of smartphone will penetrate the usage of internet for the users. As a result this will reduce the gap over the great digital divide.

3. How does an increase in smartphone ownership in a third-world geographic region like Africa close the digital divide for countries in that region?

The expansion of smartphone  in the region have important economic and social benefits. smartphone and mobile of broadband reduce the digital divide in rural areas, they will stimulate local economic growth.

If you owned a U.S. business and wanted to start doing business in Africa, what would be an essential part of your marketing strategy?

Cost of ownership of the smartphone and the benefits to use and communicates with the others in the country using the technology like voip, video conference to do business and enhance their life.

4. If you look at smartphone ownership by household income, you’ll notice a fairly sizable dip for the category of $50,000 - $75,000. To what do you attribute this? Justify your answer?

This could be the average  group for young family in middle income group. They have much more commitment to focus and budget to spend and support the family

5. Finally, will greater access to the Internet cause a closing of the great digital divide? You can answer Yes, No, or Some. Whatever the case, build an argument for your answer.  

Yes, by increase the accessibility to the internet with the expansion of smartphone  in the region have important economic and social benefits. smartphone and mobile of broadband reduce the digital divide in rural areas, they will stimulate local economic growth, although estimates vary concerning the magnitude of the causal impact. Smartphone is also important to urban individuals, given the role that mobile broadband can play in closing broadband access gaps for minority users. These potential benefits to users of mobile broadband, including increased digital citizenship and an expanded scope for mobile health participation and applications, not to mention the general economic consumer benefits gained by usage of the service, suggest that any policy affecting smartphone and broadband diffusion is highly important.

MIS Assignment #17 - Sony Reels From Multiple Hacker Attacks

MIS Assignment #16 - Sexting Now Almost Commonplace

MIS Assignment #13 - Tablet take their place in the PC market

Question 1

Computers, using some AI techniques like those we discussed in Chapter 4,can learn. In the classroom while a child is using a tablet PC to learn the basic of addition, how can software be developed to aid in the learning process?

The software can be develop to encourage the kids skills and interaction with learning application. The correct usage of Audio and Visual aid will attract students learning.

“In a supervised environment, children as young as four or five are able to engage in learning activities using smartphones and tablets of all kinds,” says Jeannie Galindo, supervisor of instructional technology for the Manatee County School District in Florida. “In an unsupervised environment, I wouldn't recommend a smartphone or tablet purchase for a child until at least between the ages of 11 and 13.”

Does this mean that teacher are no longer needed for some subjects?

It depends, if guidance and teacher's supervision required.  Not all subjects can be on students self-initiative

Are teachers needed ,in earlier grades while computers-based training can take over in later grades?

Some exclusion can be applied to with proper guidance.

Why or why not

For school-age children, a smartphone or tablet can give them an additional learning layer, beyond the traditional classroom or book. “Smartphones and tablets provide students with multiple opportunities to access content and engage with curriculum,” Galindo says. “They connect students to the world beyond the four walls of their brick and mortar buildings and give them access to real world experts solving real world problems in real time. Technology makes their learning relevant.”

Human emotion and psychological interaction needed to social with the students

Question 2

End-user systems, like those that allow patrons to order meals on an iPad, must be “idiot proof.”  (We apologize for the crudeness of that term.)  That is, systems must be usable without training and created in such a way, for example, that a patron at one table can’t accidentally change the order of a patron at another table.  What does this mean for systems development?

Proper analysis regarding the systems to build, understanding the workflow and documenting the business requirement to ensure it meet the expectation. Prototyping, can help to give first hand of the product experience.

Can complex and complicated end-user systems be developed and deployed on tablet PCs so that people can use the systems without training and without intervention by a knowledgeable person such as a waiter or waitress?

Yes. The business can outsources the new application  development to the third party to expedite the process.

Question 3

What security issues are involved in allowing people to pay with tablet PCs?  Does this payment process make it easier for someone to steal your credit card information?

The securities issues involved can be the identity theft and expose the users credit card information with others in the shared tablet PCs.

Yes, it will be much easier if any chance the tablet PC already being compromise by virus and rootkit.

Are you comfortable using a restaurant-supplied technology to enter your credit card information?  Why or why not ?

Personally I am not comfortable. There are no guarantee the devices is secured and reliable.

Question 4

What will happen to offshore outsourcing for software development?  

Offshore third-party outsourcing is a strategic tool for some software companies, if it is properly timed, executed and managed.

Can outsourcing firms in India and China for example be expected to develop software systems for use in U.S. schools?

It depends, proper due diligence and analysis by the firms may help to develop the software system with the required skills.

Can those same firms be expected to develop systems that meet FAA rules and restrictions ?

It will be challenging but doable, these outsourcing activities were primarily undertaken to help company reduce its cost structure and/or move non-core development activity outside the organization, so the company could focus on its core architecture development.

Proper guidelines can mitigate the non-compliance.

MIS Assignment #15 - Denver Health Operates with a Private Cloud and Thin Clients

Q1: Privacy laws and regulations require medical facilities to take measurable steps to ensure the confidentiality of patient information. From the case study, can you tell what Denver Health has done to ensure the confidentiality of its patient information?
All processing and information storage are maintained in Denver Health's multi-tenancy private cloud and the use of smart card, log-on name and password. 

Q2: Think about your school. How could it use the ThinIdendity solution to support the technology needs of 1) faculty and 2) students such as yourself?

ThinIdentity can be implemented as single sign-on station for both students and faculty for quick access to student records. As a student I could then see if what classes are open for registration, fee management, examination management, library management, and complaint and feedback all from the thin client. As a faculty they would allow for greater manageability in terms of sharing or disseminating information such as news, announcements and events.

Q3: In thinking about cloud computing (focusing on the public cloud), what role could it play in business continuity planning for Denver Health? That is, how could the public cloud act as a backup for Denver Health's private cloud?

The public cloud could be used as a disaster recovery solution for Denver Health’s private cloud. Denver Health could work with a public cloud provider such as VADS Berhad to create a backup cloud. 

Q4: If Denver Health were to give each patient a smart card, log-on name, and password, which functions, features, and information could benefit patients?
Patients can access their medical records and the doctors can communicate timely with patients about their health status for appropriate treatment and diagnosis.

What security would have to be in place to ensure that patients have access to only their own information?
• Individual authentication of users 
• Access controls 
• Tracking of access and changes to records 
• Protection of remote communications links and access 
• Limited data sets 
• Data use agreements 
• Procedures for access to sensitive information in emergency situations 
• Providing patients access to and ability to amend information 
• Communication of privacy practices 
• Organizational approaches to fostering privacy and security awareness


Q5: How could Denver Health extend the ThinIdentity solution beyond its brick-an-mortal walls?

Denver Health can access patient’s medical information remotely out of Denver Health’s premises through the use of the public cloud over the Internet and the use of web browser to access online web-based portal. 

How would it work (i.e., need to change) to have doctors and nurses log on from home or use a mobile device such as a Blackberry or iPhone?
In order to allow the doctors and nurses to access from home or use a mobile device, Denver Health should develop a lightweight, simplified and easy to use mobile application or web portal that cater for mobile browsers.

Q6: The reduction in physical log-in time is an efficiency metric. What are some effectiveness metrics that could justify Denver Health's use of ThinIdentity?
Effectiveness metrics measure results of the technology or application of ThinkIdentity. Measuring things such as the number of new patients registered, length of time a patient stay active, number of medicine stockouts and excess inventory, etc,