Homework 10

Despite being part of the tech savvy generation, I was surprised by how much I learned in the MIS Course. There are so many different components and strategies involved with Management Information Systems, and the technologies that business create to improve how efficient businesses operate are changing at a rapid pace. In order to remain competitive in such a globalized economy, companies need to stay at the cutting edge of technologies to keep up with the competition and remain current. Just as companies need to be ate the forefront of technology, the employees who work within these organizations also need to remain up to date and knowledgeable about how this technology systems operate.

One of the most interesting topics that we covered in the class was the idea of cloud computing. Cloud computing is a technology not only used by business people but in the everyday lives of the consumer, through consumer products like the Amazon Cloud Drive, Apple Cloud systems, and Cloud systems utilized by many e-readers. "In cloud computing, tasks are performed by computers physically removed from the user and accessed over a network, in particular the Internet." (Rainer, 426). Remote server farms store the data remotely, and this information is then accessible over the internet. Adequate firewalls are in place to prevent malicious behavior and hacking into the system, and cloud computing is associated with much lower infrastructure costs. Cloud Computing would be especially useful in my career in Accounting as it allows you to access large quantities of information anywhere you have an internet connection. This would be especially useful when performing auditing functions remotely on site. Cloud computing software would enable auditing teams to access previous data about financial statements and past auditing opinions with great ease.

Cloud Computing technology is a rapidly growing technology, and there are a number of start-ups in the Boston area are based on developing cloud computing systems for businesses. A recent article in the Boston Business Journal profiled 6 of the "cloudiest" start-ups in the Boston area: http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/startups/2011/12/boston-cloud-startups-cloud-city.html Because they do not have to hire an IT department on site, cloud computing is a very tempting option for small business that do not have the necessary expenditures to hire a IT department to run their information systems. Cloud computing is the wave of the future, and is poised for tremendous amounts of growth in the near future and beyond.

Information I Will Use to Succeed After College

At the beginning of MIS this semester, I began to believe that the subject area covered in this course was not going to be very beneficial to my future plans for after college. This belief I had stayed constant until I began to realize to true meaning of what MIS is to a company. MIS in my own perspective is the heart of a company. I believe that in order for many companies to be organized and ahead of their competitors, they must have implied a very successful information system to their very own company. The information systems allow for a company to be able to be organized, efficient, and effective when it comes to competing in their given markets.

Throughout the semester, there have been two topics that meant more to me than the others. These two topics were the RFID chips, as well as the use of database planning. For me, I hope to one day own and operate my own bar and restaurant. For me to do this I need to be able to set my company apart from the competitors by not just the levels of food, but also by how I will be able to best suit my customers. I want to be able to better incorporate the concept of providing discounts and benefits to my repeat customers, but want to employ these tactics in a way that sets me apart from my competitors. With the use of RFID chips, it allows for the deletion of needing to send rapid emails each week about the specials I will offer. Instead of sending emails and having coupons on paper, I can simply issue an RFID chip embedded in a card, bracelet, or shirt to my loyal customers, so that each and every time they enter my restaurant, my staff could simply scan the product with the chip in it, and then apply the discounts instantly. A very good example of this is how to the Tampa Bay Lightning have included this to their very own season ticket holders.

The second topic that was important to me was the use of database planning. I currently work at a restaurant, where we have loyalty reward cards that are used for each individual person. When these cards are swiped into our machines, the customers personal information that they have given to us appears on the screen, in order for us to recognize if there is a birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion that we can congratulate them on. I feel as though with the useful knowledge that I learned about database planning, I will be able to take this knowledge and employ it into my restaurant that I hope to one day have in the future. The use of the databases will allow me to be able to create a cliental list that I can use in order to provide catering services, as well as my future rewards programs myself.

Overall, I feel as though MIS has had a positive effect on the way I look at business today. When I first came into this class, I did not understand or appreciate the respect that was needed for a business to run with a correct MIS in place. With the knowledge I learned in this class, I hope to be able to one day use it in my own company, in order to be successful.

My Final Thoughts

Upon entering this class, I was really skeptical as to how important this class would be to my future as I enter the job market upon graduation. The one thing I learned from this class is truly how important the concept of management information systems are to the success of a company. While many managers and businesses may overlook the true need for them, the one thing that I learned is that in order to be successful and ahead of the competition, the need for MIS is a must.

Throughout the semester there were a couple of topics that truly opened up my eyes when it comes to the sense of realization. These topics were the idea of the Ten Flatteners, as well as the entire idea of Globalization 1, 2, & 3. While the Ten Flatteners covers a wide range of concepts, the two most important flatteners that hit me were the idea of offshoring and "steroids". When it comes to the idea of offshoring, I believe that this has the greatest effect on me, as well as all the other students who are going to be seeking a job following graduation. While Friedman argues that the internal relocation of a company's manufacturing or other processes to a foreign land allows those companies to to be able to take advantage of less costly operations, and begins to even the playing field when everyone else begins to do it. The idea of outsourcing I believe is an idea that is good for business, but bad for a person who is seeking a job. This flattener is able to level the playing field for all companies, but I believe that it in the end ruins the job market in America, due to the depletion of jobs that were here at one point prior to the outsourcing. The following is a video of Dr. Patrick Dixon, a famous author who specializes in the idea of futuristic economies.

The second flattener that really struck me was the idea of "steroids" and how we are relied on them to live our lives. Friedman's idea of "steroids" consists of the technologies such as wireless, file sharing, personal digital devices, ipods, phones, and instant messaging. Friedman believes that with all of these advances in these technologies, it has sort of created an even playing field amongst all competitors, due to the fact that everyone is able to access high powered and fast services to complete many, everyday tasks. The other issue with "steroids" is that it has come to the point were people are beginning to become so dependent on the use of these types of technologies, that when they are not accessible, the people have a sense of feeling useless and nonproductive. This is very true in the sense on a personal level, I would be truly lost without the use of technology at my finger tips to complete my simple every day tasks that I am use to completing.

I believe that with the knowledge of the Ten Flatteners that are current in the world today, this will allow me to try and stay ahead of the path of falling into one of these traps. I one day hope to own and operate my own business, and while doing this I hope to be able to run it successfully, while keeping in mind the concept of staying away from Friedman's Ten Flatteners to allow it to operate at its fullest level possible.

The Post to End All Posts

By far, the most interesting thing that I learned was ten flatteners. “The World is flat,” is something that I never really thought about or gave consideration to. After learning about the ten flatteners it really made me think about what I just had read. They provoke a new and more complex way to view the world around us. They are simple and otherwise arbitrary events that, for the most part, we all know about, but they are all put together it really shows how much “flatter.” The world seems. Along with this, the three parts to the globalization of the world really capture the essence of the flatteners. The three steps are an intriguing way to view our past and how it is similar yet, different to the world today.

Insourcing is listed as one of the ten flatteners and is a prime example of how the world is flat. It is when a company performs services on behalf of another company. UPS is a leader in the insourcing realm. This artice http://www.annarbor.com/business-review/ford-to-insource-work-to-rawsonville-plant-retain-750-jobs/ is describing that Ford is insourcing some of their production from the Rawsonville plant, and in doing so, they are creating 750 more jobs.

This knowledge may not help me in my professional life but it did give me a different way to view the world; a more insightful way. Which I presume in turn does affect the way I will think upon entrance in the professional world. It helps me see the big picture. These events all contribute to the way we operate as a society today. Things are becoming quicker, and closer without really changing the physical characteristics of things. This deeper undertstanding and thinking can really benefit me when I get a job and have to deal with tough tasks.

Overall, my learning increased in this class and am very fortunate to have learned the things that were illustrated to me.

MIS

The main objective of this course was to learn about management information systems. I have learned many things that I would have never thought about if the topics were never brought up in class. Management information systems are the backbone to all businesses. Without any programs a company would never be able to hold up in this type of economy.

The programs that companies use are the meet and potatoes of operating. The systems make it so that inventory and transactions are automatically followed and you will be alerted if anything goes wrong. Also on top of that they are used in just about every aspect of a business. Companies need to use different operating systems to communicate and interact with their suppliers and customers. This also makes it easier to get to know their customers and have a feel of everything they are buying in order to be able to market better to them. This will also make your connections stronger with your customers because they will like you having whatever they are looking for.

Also companies are benefit from management information systems that help protect him or herself from phishing or fraud. If they do not have this company can get into some serious trouble. They may be held responsible if any customer information is exposed. Companies like to have themselves safe against any others that compete with them. This is an economy and everyone wants to be number one and make as much money as they can. This may cause other competitors to do this that are sly or even illegal to gain a competitive edge over your in the market.

You can also use different programs to teach or train employees to do their jobs better. You may want to have people run a course to better themselves in your work place. This is good for a business to do to make sure that their staff is full prepared for anything.

Privacy

One of the topics that really caught my attention this semesters MIS class was the discussion on modern day privacy and how it is always evolving and how more and more websites are constantly updating their privacy rules and agreements. I also learned how easy people get hacked or how easy companies get confidential information exposed to the general public.

Privacy is one of most important features to have in today’s society. About 99% of all electronics are hooked up to the internet where anything can be published. Also we risk of being hacked and the world being able to see the inside of our computers and our lives. We risk the chance to have our identity wiped away right under our feet in today world. This is why so many people are being more cautious over the internet now a day because of privacy and identity protection.

I have learned how to better protect myself and sensitive information about myself better. I have learned how fragile databases can be ad how easy it is to get hacked and the world can see what is on that database. I learned how one hacker can steal my identity and I can never get that back as he can use my bank and credit cards, use my social security and forge my name on just about anything.

This topic will better help in the future and in my professional life by making sure I have the best firewalls on my computer to secure every file and to upload the files to more than one location. I learned that I need to be smarter online and not shop too much as my credit card numbers can be easily accessed on a company website such as Amazon.com. I also learned to be smart when writing posts on social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google +. As people can hack into my accounts even though social media sites have strict privacy rules and firewalls. I also need to make sure I have smart and good passwords for my email accounts, since I pass important and sensitive message for my job.

http://www.fastcompany.com/1775777/how-facebooks-upcoming-privacy-upgrades-stack-up-against-google

We discussed many topics throughout the semester in MIS. One of the most interesting topics for me was Thomas Friedman's take on the different globalization's. His book entitled "The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century" analyzes globalization, primarily in the 21st century. According to Friedman, globalization has changed core economic concepts.

He walks the reader through three phases of American history. The first he calls "Globalization 1.0, which lasted from 1492 to 1800. Globalization 1.0 was characterized by the amount of horsepower, wind-power, steam-power or muscle that a country could deploy.

Globalization 2.0 was an expansion of global intergration through increased trade and opening markets, thanks to steamship, trains, and the wiring of the world through phone lines and computers. This was the era that the global economy began to appear in. Multinational companies led the way.

We are living in the era of Globalization 3.0, which began in 2000. The world went from small to tiny. Individuals are empowered pushed by software and global fiber-optic networks. It has leveled he market between international business and emerging market nations.

This link shows Friedman talking about the different globalization : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp4znWHvsjU

The different globalization eras show how the world has grown and how technological advances have impacted the world, now in 3.0 more than ever. Now days, one's competitor, customer, or employee may come from anywhere in the world. Globalization gives the consumer many more choices of goods and service or may lower prices. It allows us to trade with other countries. This allows for communication across the world. It was one of the most important topics we learned in class because it shows how much the world has grown, and will continue to grow.