BIS 221 Week 5 participation Introduction to Information Systems, Ch. 2: Organizational Strategy, Competitive Advantage, and Information Systems

A “flat world” and your standard of living? 

Hello all,

What does a flat world mean to you in your choice of a major?  In your choice of a career?  Will you have to be a “lifelong learner”?

It means that you need to think about who across the world you might be competing against.   You not only will have to think about those in your immediate vicinity, but due to the far reaching impact of the new global, Web-based platform which will continue to grow, you will be competing with anyone who has access to a cell phone or a computer. You clearly will be a lifelong learner since there will be new devices, new applications and new ways in which they are used.  Anyone who stops learning will be left behind very quickly..

What might the impact of a flat world be on your standard of living?

Competitive Forces and the Value Chain

Describe Porter’s value chain model.  What is the relationship between the competitive forces model and the value chain model?

Sustainable competitive advantage. 

Hello All,

Discuss the idea that an information system by itself can rarely provide a sustainable competitive advantage.

Business process reengineering

Hello All,

In today’s interconnected world we have access to so much information that it is often overwhelming for managers to know where the best data resides, and how to access it. With the advent of sophisticated computer systems, managers can now view a worker’s Internet use by the click of a button.  Managers can see what products are selling and what products are not.  This information can be used to better help management run the day-to-day operations of a business.

It is important for us to understand that there is a great need for managers to understand what is involved with IT because of the interdependence that exists between the business and technology used. Technology is slowly evolving into open systems. This means that industries now expect information technology solutions to be seamlessly interconnected and upgradeable. A good example of this the way the medical industry is having to automate their patient records. Businesses that can upgrade their systems can save millions of dollars not just on equipment costs, but save money by not having to retrain customers or employees on new system interfaces when they are implemented.

All,

What is business process reengineering? How is it different from business process improvement?

BYOD

Hello All, Does your employer allow BYOD? What are the advantages of allowing employees to use any mobile device to connect to the corporate network? The disadvantages?