IT has wide scope of fields. An IT professional can work in a variety of word area, such as Programming, Engineering, Database Administration, Networking, Web Development, E-commerce.
An IT professional create, operate, maintain and program computers. An IT professional must have the skills and knowledge required to carry out specialized tasks in a recognized field of IT. To be a competent IT professional, you must know what the expectations of your colleagues, your industry, your clients and the general public are. Meeting these expectations is what qualifies you to call yourself a professional, and what gives you recognition as a professional. In today's world the role of the IT professional is crucial. IT has become an essential resource for most organizations. The evolving scenario is one of a growing complexity of computer systems and businesses dependence on them. Qualified and competent IT professionals are needed to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of computers.
10 years from I see myself as a competent IT professional specialized in many fields. But before that I want to talk about the things that might happen before I reach 31. There are many things I want to learn in achieve in the field that I’ve chosen. I want to be a web developer, IT educator, Database administrator and many more. I even want to be a 2D and 3D animator and do 2d and 3D modeling to practice my artistic skills. .
10 years from now I see myself working in a big company as a successful IT professional. I want to be the company’s IT manager or system analyst. But I know that getting in that position is not an easy thing to do. In order to become a competent IT professional you should work hard and be knowledgeable about the IT industry to meet the demands of the company that you’re working for.
To be an IT professional that I want to be someday it is essential to have strategies and plans on how to get there. First is to finish my studies as an IT student and obtain my college diploma. Second is obtaining enough working experience to have more knowledge about the work of an IT professional, third is training and workshop, Training seeks to close or fill any gaps that an individual has in these areas.
After working with the company and obtaining knowledge on how to run the company. I will start my own business and have my own company someday. Wish me luck. .
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Assignment9: Information Environment
Information Environment
The concept of a "physical environment" is one that we understand well. We talk about the environment in general, and that has come to specifically mean our natural resources: the lakes, the streams, the land, our oceans and air. We can also talk about specifics of the environment that contribute to an immediate purpose. For instance, if we want to go swimming, we can talk about if the lake is free of fish or if the water is a good temperature for swimming.
If we are talking about the "physical environment of a room", such as a classroom, we can talk about the physical attributes of the room: the color of its walls, the cleanliness of its floor, the placement of windows, the temperature and the like. We can also talk about the attributes of the room that contribute to its specific purpose: whether there is a computer in the classroom for students, whether the chairs are comfortable, if the VCR is functioning, if the video feed is "wavy", and so on.
We also talk about the "political environment," which is not a physical environment, but an environment of ideas, attitudes, laws and emotions. For instance, if a law is proposed, legislators have to consider the political environment. Is there a sense that the general population would accept this law? What would be the consequences if the law was passed? What would be the consequences to a particular legislator (like the proposer of the legislation, particularly!) if it were even proposed? And this process of consideration would include the economic situation of the country (a related system), whether the proposer is about to retire (personal consequences), and the implications of the implementation of the law.
The information environment shares attributes of all of these definitions of an environment. It is both a physical environment and an environment of ideas. It is the ways that information is being presented to us, the kinds of information that is being presented to us, and the impact that that information has on us. And "us" means "us" as people living in an information-rich society, as well as "us" as "professionals". Without carrying the analogy too far, we can understand that in this context, information is all around us.
With this very broad definition, our information environment includes advertising, nutritional labels on cans of soup, and messages on our microwaves and the signs on our highways. These, by in large, we leave to others.
When we consider the information environment, we need to consider these aspects:
• The technologies being used
• Laws and policies - and rights and ethics - governing the transfer of information
• The impact of all of this on the information professional, and on the user
• Our changing sense of community
Information professionals have always focused on the information technologies of importance to its users: books, videos, maps, sound recordings and the like.
The Technologies
Properly speaking, the information technologies, as described in your textbooks, include the telephone, the wireless, the computer, the television, and many others. We will touch on some of these: the television and the computer, for example.
But we have a real problem with technologies, and that is convergence. Ten years ago we could leave television to the mass communications folks. Now, with the rise of networks such as Home and Garden TV, the Food TV network and the like, television networks are turning into video databases. And some of the digital library experiments are working with building databases of educational programming. Useful, "how-to" information that one might want to retrieve, is becoming widely available. So, we have issues of convergence of technologies in the sense of content: an entertainment technology is being used for practical, useful information. These networks recognize the retrieval value of their information, and so must we.
We have issues of convergence of the technologies themselves: when personal computers first became available, often you used your television as a monitor. (Actually we do in our UTK SIS classrooms, too!). But the point is, that was the ONLY option for some machines in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Now, you can buy machines that are both televisions and vcr's all in one box. Businesses can buy a fax/printer/answering machine and so forth all in one machine. With voice mail, a computer is integrated into the telephone system to marry your telephone with your answering/message system.
Convergence is also happening at the service or industry level: the telephone company, for example, is very interested in becoming your video provider. And your Internet provider. They have an established market base: there are telephone wires strung into about 98% of all the homes and businesses in this country. Your cable company is ALSO very interested in becoming your telephone service provider. They also are gaining a large share of the television market, and, they have the bandwidth (the capacity of their wires) to carry the traffic.
Of course the technology, or rather the converged set of technologies, that is gathering the most attention, is the Internet. And the part of the Internet that has found its way into the children's section of the Sunday funnies, into commercial jingles, into talk radio, into cereal boxes, is of course the Web (formerly known as the World Wide Web). A project that started out as a means for physicists to exchange scientific and technical information now has them talking to children in classrooms a continent away.
The Internet, and particularly the Web, will be used as the "backbone" for the class because it enables us to examine all of the aspects of the information environment in a single microcosm. If you studied "An introduction to bibliography" in the 1930's, you would learn the structure of an early book: quartos and folios, signatures and colophons, and how they were all put together. Librarians were taught how to work with books published in the early days of printing. Publishing has changed a good deal, and much of the work of cataloging these resources has been done. The parts of a book, because of the mechanization of the publishing industry, are pretty standardized (although the serials people will rightly argue this point). Now, however, we need to learn about how Web pages are constructed.
We talk about the global community of the Internet. But community networks also have grown up as local resources for sharing community-level information. Often, public and school libraries are actively involved in these as well.
Laws and Policies and Ethics
We can speak of a continuum of "things" governing behavior: ettiquette and just good manners, social conventions of what is proper, policies of organizations and groups, ethical principles, laws, and interpretations of laws by the courts. The Internet has brought consideration of all of these right onto the front page of the daily newspaper. Ettiquette in the Internet arena is called "nettiquette". Usenet groups have their own social rules for behavior, and they differ from group to group. Perhaps of most concern for information professionals are the areas of intellectual property (copyright, for example), intellectual freedom and censorship, and privacy.
When all we had to worry about was print, copyright was, well, interesting for copyright lawyers. The photocopy machine changed all that, and librarians had to learn the laws. Then personal computers, with the ability to easily copy software, made the issue of piracy an international economic discussion. With the Web, and the ability to easily copy and paste text, plagiarism is a hot topic indeed. As is copyright of a Web page, and the images thereon. And because the internet is a global, international arena, we have become very conscious of the different views of intellectual property in different countries. In some, for example, it can be argued that intellectual property belongs to the community as a whole, and not to an individual. This puts a very different perspective on how you use and work with resources.
Even five years ago, censorship was a concern for librarians and lawyers. The debate for information professionals focused on books that were "challenged" by parents or members of the community for various reasons such as racisim or sexual content. In the courts, cases focused primarily on pornography, but also on the means to violence: how to build a bomb, for example. But it was no where near the hot topic it is today, on an international scale. The latest debate focuses on "filtering" - whether a filter of some sort should be placed on internet computers to prevent people from reaching sites of "questionable" content, usually focusing on pornography and violence. But who is to decide what is "questionable?" and from what perspective? and from what country? Is materials selection censorship, do we practice it already? Companies like SurfWatch are making millions of dollars enabling people to individually censor the Net. All libraries are reviewing their policies and consulting lawyers to figure out what they can - and cannot - do.
The Impact on the Information Professional
What does all of this mean for the information professional? Clearly, job advertisements are increasingly technical. And discussions amongst librarians are focusing on copyright, on intellectual property, on censorship, and on privacy.
The immediate and traditional environment of the information professional is very different from what it was even three years ago, just before Mosaic was released. It is increasingly difficult, if not impossible altogether, to escape to a back corner and avoid information technologies. Five or six years ago, the "hot topic" was how to move bibliographic information from an online database to a personal bibliographic database. This is now hardly discussed.
The information environment of the user has also radically changed: if the typical undergraduate cannot find resources through his or her personal computer, the resources simply don't exist. Businesses are the fastest growing sector of the Web, and they expect to radically change the way we receive news, stock information, sports information and the like (not to mention books, groceries, fishing tackle and other goods).
What particularly is changing is the nature of the relationships between the technologies, the information professional, the information resources, and the users. Some relationships are becoming more adversarial, some more cooperative; some increasingly based on finance and economics. Particularly challenging is the international character of these relationships, and our increased awareness of practices and policies in other countries.
The Importance of Community
Information professionals are integrally related to their communities. And the idea of "community" is no longer defined as "your users." It is an international community: the information policies of other countries directly affect the way that you can access information about them, and the way that they can access information about you. In the issue of copyright, for example, the Berne Convention specifies that an author's rights will be respected according to the laws of the receiving country. We have agreed to these treaties. But what are those rights? In the issue of censorship, the laws of some Scandanavian countries are more liberal than those of the United States. Whose laws do you accept? If you answer quickly, well, the US laws, how do you accept the fact that other countries have different copyright laws, which may not accept US conventions? What are their rights?
It is also national: you are by definition a part of the national information policy sphere. Pages needed here.
And it is local. Indeed, what do your users want and need? According to what standards? Tammy Benshoof of KORRNET will answer some of these questions. The issue of community information networks is a natural outgrowth of the need to communicate, the need to be in touch with other people, and the technolgies that are pressing upon us.
The public library clearly answers local community needs, according to local community standards. But what are we to make of the Benton Report, that suggests that the public library staff can be replaced by volunteer retirees? What does that tell us of the public perception of the local library?
The Importance of Community
Information professionals are integrally related to their communities. And the idea of "community" is no longer defined as "your users." It is an international community: the information policies of other countries directly affect the way that you can access information about them, and the way that they can access information about you. In the issue of copyright, for example, the Berne Convention specifies that an author's rights will be respected according to the laws of the receiving country. We have agreed to these treaties. But what are those rights? In the issue of censorship, the laws of some Scandanavian countries are more liberal than those of the United States. Whose laws do you accept? If you answer quickly, well, the US laws, how do you accept the fact that other countries have different copyright laws, which may not accept US conventions? What are their rights?
It is also national: you are by definition a part of the national information policy sphere. Pages needed here.
And it is local. Indeed, what do your users want and need? According to what standards? Tammy Benshoof of KORRNET will answer some of these questions. The issue of community information networks is a natural outgrowth of the need to communicate, the need to be in touch with other people, and the technolgies that are pressing upon us.
The public library clearly answers local community needs, according to local community standards. But what are we to make of the Benton Report, that suggests that the public library staff can be replaced by volunteer retirees? What does that tell us of the public perception of the local library?
.
http://web.utk.edu/~gwhitney/whatis.html
I choose an information environment that is related to my course. As an IT student I choose the internet. Internet is the world’s information pool. It is where many data and information can be found. Any information that you want to know is here in the internet. Except for those top secret information. From news, information on products, sports etc. You can find it in the internet. Here is where you can see what is happening in the world.
My role within the information environment that I choose is the same as every one that are using the internet. To send and receive information. By uploading images, videos, making web sites or by sending email you send information to where you want to send them. As an IT you have the role in internet environment is not just to send and receive information but to manage those information.
Principles of Information Organization and Representation can help you manage and organize information so that you can present the information much better. There are many principles of information organization and representation.
In the internet environment there are many challenges that you will face. First is the internet connection. Before you can be in this environment you should have good stable internet connection. There are many information that are in the internet, one of the problem is how will you search for the right information that you where searching?
The concept of a "physical environment" is one that we understand well. We talk about the environment in general, and that has come to specifically mean our natural resources: the lakes, the streams, the land, our oceans and air. We can also talk about specifics of the environment that contribute to an immediate purpose. For instance, if we want to go swimming, we can talk about if the lake is free of fish or if the water is a good temperature for swimming.
If we are talking about the "physical environment of a room", such as a classroom, we can talk about the physical attributes of the room: the color of its walls, the cleanliness of its floor, the placement of windows, the temperature and the like. We can also talk about the attributes of the room that contribute to its specific purpose: whether there is a computer in the classroom for students, whether the chairs are comfortable, if the VCR is functioning, if the video feed is "wavy", and so on.
We also talk about the "political environment," which is not a physical environment, but an environment of ideas, attitudes, laws and emotions. For instance, if a law is proposed, legislators have to consider the political environment. Is there a sense that the general population would accept this law? What would be the consequences if the law was passed? What would be the consequences to a particular legislator (like the proposer of the legislation, particularly!) if it were even proposed? And this process of consideration would include the economic situation of the country (a related system), whether the proposer is about to retire (personal consequences), and the implications of the implementation of the law.
The information environment shares attributes of all of these definitions of an environment. It is both a physical environment and an environment of ideas. It is the ways that information is being presented to us, the kinds of information that is being presented to us, and the impact that that information has on us. And "us" means "us" as people living in an information-rich society, as well as "us" as "professionals". Without carrying the analogy too far, we can understand that in this context, information is all around us.
With this very broad definition, our information environment includes advertising, nutritional labels on cans of soup, and messages on our microwaves and the signs on our highways. These, by in large, we leave to others.
When we consider the information environment, we need to consider these aspects:
• The technologies being used
• Laws and policies - and rights and ethics - governing the transfer of information
• The impact of all of this on the information professional, and on the user
• Our changing sense of community
Information professionals have always focused on the information technologies of importance to its users: books, videos, maps, sound recordings and the like.
The Technologies
Properly speaking, the information technologies, as described in your textbooks, include the telephone, the wireless, the computer, the television, and many others. We will touch on some of these: the television and the computer, for example.
But we have a real problem with technologies, and that is convergence. Ten years ago we could leave television to the mass communications folks. Now, with the rise of networks such as Home and Garden TV, the Food TV network and the like, television networks are turning into video databases. And some of the digital library experiments are working with building databases of educational programming. Useful, "how-to" information that one might want to retrieve, is becoming widely available. So, we have issues of convergence of technologies in the sense of content: an entertainment technology is being used for practical, useful information. These networks recognize the retrieval value of their information, and so must we.
We have issues of convergence of the technologies themselves: when personal computers first became available, often you used your television as a monitor. (Actually we do in our UTK SIS classrooms, too!). But the point is, that was the ONLY option for some machines in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Now, you can buy machines that are both televisions and vcr's all in one box. Businesses can buy a fax/printer/answering machine and so forth all in one machine. With voice mail, a computer is integrated into the telephone system to marry your telephone with your answering/message system.
Convergence is also happening at the service or industry level: the telephone company, for example, is very interested in becoming your video provider. And your Internet provider. They have an established market base: there are telephone wires strung into about 98% of all the homes and businesses in this country. Your cable company is ALSO very interested in becoming your telephone service provider. They also are gaining a large share of the television market, and, they have the bandwidth (the capacity of their wires) to carry the traffic.
Of course the technology, or rather the converged set of technologies, that is gathering the most attention, is the Internet. And the part of the Internet that has found its way into the children's section of the Sunday funnies, into commercial jingles, into talk radio, into cereal boxes, is of course the Web (formerly known as the World Wide Web). A project that started out as a means for physicists to exchange scientific and technical information now has them talking to children in classrooms a continent away.
The Internet, and particularly the Web, will be used as the "backbone" for the class because it enables us to examine all of the aspects of the information environment in a single microcosm. If you studied "An introduction to bibliography" in the 1930's, you would learn the structure of an early book: quartos and folios, signatures and colophons, and how they were all put together. Librarians were taught how to work with books published in the early days of printing. Publishing has changed a good deal, and much of the work of cataloging these resources has been done. The parts of a book, because of the mechanization of the publishing industry, are pretty standardized (although the serials people will rightly argue this point). Now, however, we need to learn about how Web pages are constructed.
We talk about the global community of the Internet. But community networks also have grown up as local resources for sharing community-level information. Often, public and school libraries are actively involved in these as well.
Laws and Policies and Ethics
We can speak of a continuum of "things" governing behavior: ettiquette and just good manners, social conventions of what is proper, policies of organizations and groups, ethical principles, laws, and interpretations of laws by the courts. The Internet has brought consideration of all of these right onto the front page of the daily newspaper. Ettiquette in the Internet arena is called "nettiquette". Usenet groups have their own social rules for behavior, and they differ from group to group. Perhaps of most concern for information professionals are the areas of intellectual property (copyright, for example), intellectual freedom and censorship, and privacy.
When all we had to worry about was print, copyright was, well, interesting for copyright lawyers. The photocopy machine changed all that, and librarians had to learn the laws. Then personal computers, with the ability to easily copy software, made the issue of piracy an international economic discussion. With the Web, and the ability to easily copy and paste text, plagiarism is a hot topic indeed. As is copyright of a Web page, and the images thereon. And because the internet is a global, international arena, we have become very conscious of the different views of intellectual property in different countries. In some, for example, it can be argued that intellectual property belongs to the community as a whole, and not to an individual. This puts a very different perspective on how you use and work with resources.
Even five years ago, censorship was a concern for librarians and lawyers. The debate for information professionals focused on books that were "challenged" by parents or members of the community for various reasons such as racisim or sexual content. In the courts, cases focused primarily on pornography, but also on the means to violence: how to build a bomb, for example. But it was no where near the hot topic it is today, on an international scale. The latest debate focuses on "filtering" - whether a filter of some sort should be placed on internet computers to prevent people from reaching sites of "questionable" content, usually focusing on pornography and violence. But who is to decide what is "questionable?" and from what perspective? and from what country? Is materials selection censorship, do we practice it already? Companies like SurfWatch are making millions of dollars enabling people to individually censor the Net. All libraries are reviewing their policies and consulting lawyers to figure out what they can - and cannot - do.
The Impact on the Information Professional
What does all of this mean for the information professional? Clearly, job advertisements are increasingly technical. And discussions amongst librarians are focusing on copyright, on intellectual property, on censorship, and on privacy.
The immediate and traditional environment of the information professional is very different from what it was even three years ago, just before Mosaic was released. It is increasingly difficult, if not impossible altogether, to escape to a back corner and avoid information technologies. Five or six years ago, the "hot topic" was how to move bibliographic information from an online database to a personal bibliographic database. This is now hardly discussed.
The information environment of the user has also radically changed: if the typical undergraduate cannot find resources through his or her personal computer, the resources simply don't exist. Businesses are the fastest growing sector of the Web, and they expect to radically change the way we receive news, stock information, sports information and the like (not to mention books, groceries, fishing tackle and other goods).
What particularly is changing is the nature of the relationships between the technologies, the information professional, the information resources, and the users. Some relationships are becoming more adversarial, some more cooperative; some increasingly based on finance and economics. Particularly challenging is the international character of these relationships, and our increased awareness of practices and policies in other countries.
The Importance of Community
Information professionals are integrally related to their communities. And the idea of "community" is no longer defined as "your users." It is an international community: the information policies of other countries directly affect the way that you can access information about them, and the way that they can access information about you. In the issue of copyright, for example, the Berne Convention specifies that an author's rights will be respected according to the laws of the receiving country. We have agreed to these treaties. But what are those rights? In the issue of censorship, the laws of some Scandanavian countries are more liberal than those of the United States. Whose laws do you accept? If you answer quickly, well, the US laws, how do you accept the fact that other countries have different copyright laws, which may not accept US conventions? What are their rights?
It is also national: you are by definition a part of the national information policy sphere. Pages needed here.
And it is local. Indeed, what do your users want and need? According to what standards? Tammy Benshoof of KORRNET will answer some of these questions. The issue of community information networks is a natural outgrowth of the need to communicate, the need to be in touch with other people, and the technolgies that are pressing upon us.
The public library clearly answers local community needs, according to local community standards. But what are we to make of the Benton Report, that suggests that the public library staff can be replaced by volunteer retirees? What does that tell us of the public perception of the local library?
The Importance of Community
Information professionals are integrally related to their communities. And the idea of "community" is no longer defined as "your users." It is an international community: the information policies of other countries directly affect the way that you can access information about them, and the way that they can access information about you. In the issue of copyright, for example, the Berne Convention specifies that an author's rights will be respected according to the laws of the receiving country. We have agreed to these treaties. But what are those rights? In the issue of censorship, the laws of some Scandanavian countries are more liberal than those of the United States. Whose laws do you accept? If you answer quickly, well, the US laws, how do you accept the fact that other countries have different copyright laws, which may not accept US conventions? What are their rights?
It is also national: you are by definition a part of the national information policy sphere. Pages needed here.
And it is local. Indeed, what do your users want and need? According to what standards? Tammy Benshoof of KORRNET will answer some of these questions. The issue of community information networks is a natural outgrowth of the need to communicate, the need to be in touch with other people, and the technolgies that are pressing upon us.
The public library clearly answers local community needs, according to local community standards. But what are we to make of the Benton Report, that suggests that the public library staff can be replaced by volunteer retirees? What does that tell us of the public perception of the local library?
.
http://web.utk.edu/~gwhitney/whatis.html
I choose an information environment that is related to my course. As an IT student I choose the internet. Internet is the world’s information pool. It is where many data and information can be found. Any information that you want to know is here in the internet. Except for those top secret information. From news, information on products, sports etc. You can find it in the internet. Here is where you can see what is happening in the world.
My role within the information environment that I choose is the same as every one that are using the internet. To send and receive information. By uploading images, videos, making web sites or by sending email you send information to where you want to send them. As an IT you have the role in internet environment is not just to send and receive information but to manage those information.
Principles of Information Organization and Representation can help you manage and organize information so that you can present the information much better. There are many principles of information organization and representation.
In the internet environment there are many challenges that you will face. First is the internet connection. Before you can be in this environment you should have good stable internet connection. There are many information that are in the internet, one of the problem is how will you search for the right information that you where searching?
Assignment 8.
TOPIC: As a student, you were invited by the Dean of the Institute of Computing to attend a seminar-workshop on information systems planning with some of the faculty members. In one of the sessions, a discussion of outsourcing came up. You have been asked to present your evaluation about outsourcing the information systems functions of the school.
Required:
You are to take a position- outsource or in-source and justify your position. (3000words)
Base on previous discussions, and as what I learned based on my own understanding, I go for Outsourcing. As we all know, and it is posed all over this topic, Outsourcing is subcontracting a service such as product design or manufacturing, to a third-party company. The decision to outsource is often made in the interest of lowering cost or making better use of time and energy costs, redirecting or conserving energy directed at the competencies of a particular business, or to make more efficient use of land, labor, capital, (information) technology and resources. Outsourcing became part of the business lexicon during the 1980s. It is essentially a division of labour. Outsourcing in the information technology field has two meanings. One is to commission the development of an application to another organization, usually a company that specializes in the development of this type of application. The other is to hire the services of another company to manage all or parts of the services that otherwise would be rendered by an IT unit of the organization. The latter concept might not include development of new applications.
Outsourcing involves the transfer of the management and/or day-to-day execution of an entire business function to an external service provider.[3] The client organization and the supplier enter into a contractual agreement that defines the transferred services. Under the agreement the supplier acquires the means of production in the form of a transfer of people, assets and other resources from the client. The client agrees to procure the services from the supplier for the term of the contract. Business segments typically outsourced include information technology, human resources, facilities, real estate management, and accounting. Many companies also outsource customer support and call center functions like telemarketing, CAD drafting, customer service, market research, manufacturing, designing, web development, print-to-mail, content writing, ghostwriting and engineering. Offshoring is the type of outsourcing in which the buyer organization belongs to another country.
Outsourcing and offshoring are used interchangeably in public discourse despite important technical differences. Outsourcing involves contracting with a supplier, which may or may not involve some degree of offshoring. Offshoring is the transfer of an organizational function to another country, regardless of whether the work is outsourced or stays within the same corporation/company.
Outsourcing occurs when a company purchases products or services from an outside supplier, rather than performing the same work within its own facilities, in order to cut costs. The decision to outsource is a major strategic one for most companies, since it involves weighing the potential cost savings against the consequences of a loss in control over the product or service. Some common examples of outsourcing include manufacturing of components, computer programming services, tax compliance and other accounting functions, training administration, customer service, transportation of products, benefits and compensation planning, payroll, and other human resource functions. A relatively new trend in outsourcing is employee leasing, in which specialized vendors recruit, hire, train, and pay their clients' employees, as well as arrange health care coverage and other benefits.
The growth in outsourcing in recent years is partly the result of a general shift in business philosophy. Prior to the mid-1980s, many companies sought to acquire other companies and diversify their business interests in order to reduce risk. As more companies discovered that there were limited advantages to running a large group of unrelated businesses, however, many began to divest subsidiaries and refocus their efforts on one or a few closely related areas of business. Companies tried to identify or develop a "core competence," a unique combination of experience and expertise that would provide a source of competitive advantage in a given industry. All aspects of the company's operations were aligned around the core competence, and any activities or functions that were not considered necessary to preserve it were then outsourced. Today, outsourcing is embraced by companies of all sizes and industry orientations. As analysts Tom Osmond commented in Employee Benefit News, "many companies have decided that transactional and administrative functions are neither core competencies nor value-added activities. In fact, some companies are putting themselves at risk as a result of using outdated technology and not complying with government regulations. Vendors, by focusing on administration as part of their business model, provide better service enforced by contracts and service-level agreements."
Successful outsourcing requires a strong understanding of the organization's capabilities and future direction. As William R. King explained in Information Systems Management, "[d]ecisions regarding outsourcing significant functions are among the most strategic that can be made by an organization, because they address the basic organizational choice of the functions for which internal expertise is developed and nurtured and those for which such expertise is purchased. These are basic decisions regarding organizational design." Outsourcing based only upon a comparison of costs can lead companies to miss opportunities to gain knowledge that might lead to the development of new products or technologies.
Outsourcing can be undertaken to varying degrees, ranging from total outsourcing to selective outsourcing. Total outsourcing may involve dismantling entire departments or divisions and transferring the employees, facilities, equipment, and complete responsibility for a product or function to an outside vendor. In contrast, selective outsourcing may target a single, time-consuming task within a department, such as preparing the payroll or manufacturing a minor component, that can be handled more efficiently by an outside specialist.
Vendors providing outsourcing services are generally grouped into two models: Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Application Service Provider (ASP). In the BPO model, major resources and assets are transferred from the company to the vendor. Under the ASP model, on the other hand, vendors concentrate on providing selected services for multiple clients. But as Osmond told Employee Benefit News, many variations exist within these two models. "Each vendor has a particular focus and/or point of entry to the market, particularly in the ASP space," Osmond stated. "There is also a wide range of pricing models and option. The good news is that there is a seemingly endless combination of service, pricing, and delivery, providing a solution for most situations. The bad news is that it can be difficult to compare vendors on an apples-to-apples basis."
BENEFITS OF OUTSOURCING for SMALL BUSINESSES
Outsourcing — the practice of using outside firms to handle work normally performed within a company — is a familiar concept to many entrepreneurs. Small companies routinely outsource their payroll processing, accounting, distribution, and many other important functions — often because they have no other choice. Many large companies turn to outsourcing to cut costs. In response, entire industries have evolved to serve companies' outsourcing needs.
But not many businesses thoroughly understand the benefits of outsourcing. It's true that outsourcing can save money, but that's not the only (or even the most important) reason to do it. As many firms discovered during the outsourcing "mania" of the early 1990s, outsourcing too much can be an even bigger mistake than not outsourcing any work at all. The flat economy caused many companies into huge layoffs and subsequently outsourced functions that were better kept in-house. Wise outsourcing, however, can provide a number of long-term benefits:
Control capital costs. Cost-cutting may not be the only reason to outsource, but it's certainly a major factor. Outsourcing converts fixed costs into variable costs, releases capital for investment elsewhere in your business, and allows you to avoid large expenditures in the early stages of your business. Outsourcing can also make your firm more attractive to investors, since you're able to pump more capital directly into revenue-producing activities.
Increase efficiency. Companies that do everything themselves have much higher research, development, marketing, and distribution expenses, all of which must be passed on to customers. An outside provider's cost structure and economy of scale can give your firm an important competitive advantage.
Reduce labor costs. Hiring and training staff for short-term or peripheral projects can be very expensive, and temporary employees don't always live up to your expectations. Outsourcing lets you focus your human resources where you need them most.
Start new projects quickly. A good outsourcing firm has the resources to start a project right away. Handling the same project in-house might involve taking weeks or months to hire the right people, train them, and provide the support they need. And if a project requires major capital investments (such as building a series of distribution centers), the startup process can be even more difficult.
Focus on your core business. Every business has limited resources, and every manager has limited time and attention. Outsourcing can help your business to shift its focus from peripheral activities toward work that serves the customer, and it can help managers set their priorities more clearly.
Level the playing field. Most small firms simply can't afford to match the in-house support services that larger companies maintain. Outsourcing can help small firms act "big" by giving them access to the same economies of scale, efficiency, and expertise that large companies enjoy.
Reduce risk. Every business investment carries a certain amount of risk. Markets, competition, government regulations, financial conditions, and technologies all change very quickly. Outsourcing providers assume and manage this risk for you, and they generally are much better at deciding how to avoid risk in their areas of expertise.
Once a company has made the decision to outsource, there are still a number of factors it must consider in making a successful transition and forming a partner relationship with the vendor. First, the company should determine what sort of outsourcing relationship will best meet its needs. "Decide what's important," urged the Journal of Accountancy. "If a function is not strategic to your business—for instance, payroll services or health insurance needs in a recruiting agency with only ten employees—consider outsourcing it to an expert provider." Some businesses share strategic decision-making with their vendors, while others only outsource on a limited, as needed basis.
As Ethel Scully noted in National Underwriter, the company needs to obtain the support of key personnel during this time. Many companies encounter resistance from employees who feel that their jobs are threatened by outsourcing. Scully suggested forming a team consisting of an outsourcing expert, representatives from senior management and human resources, and the managers of all affected areas of the company to help address employee concerns about the decision.
Once your business has decided which functions to outsource, it should initiate a search process that utilizes referrals from other companies and service-provider directories. You can then begin contacting potential vendors and ask specific questions about the services they provide and their abilities to meet your company's unique and specific needs. Ideally, the vendor you select will have experience in handling similar business and will be able to give all of its clients' needs the priority they deserve. "Consider the service company's knowledge of the entirety of your business, its willingness to customize service, and its compatibility with your firm's business culture, as well as the long-run cost of its services and its financial strength," said service provider Carl Schwenker in Money. During this period, you should also reexamine your own company culture and business needs to make sure that the outsourcing arrangement under consideration is a good fit. Many outsourcing experts counsel businesses to select vendors that can effectively integrate all their outsourced business functions so that they do not have to find individual vendors for each function.
Finally, you should select a vendor you trust in order to develop a mutually beneficial partner relationship. It is important to develop tangible measures of job performance before entering into an agreement, as well as financial incentives to encourage the vendor to meet deadlines and control costs. The contract should clearly define responsibilities and performance criteria, outline confidentiality rules and ownership rights to new ideas or technology. It should also include a means of severing the relationship if the service does not meet your expectations. Since the vendor is likely to have more experience in preparing outsourcing agreements than a small client company, it may also be helpful to consult with an attorney during contract negotiations.
References:
file:///C:/Users/ImpulsE/Desktop/assign8/Outsourcing.htm
file:///C:/Users/ImpulsE/Desktop/assign8/outsourcing1.htm
http://www.outsource2india.com/why_outsource/articles/benefit_outsourcing.asp
http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/workforce-management-hiring/1084-3.html
Required:
You are to take a position- outsource or in-source and justify your position. (3000words)
Base on previous discussions, and as what I learned based on my own understanding, I go for Outsourcing. As we all know, and it is posed all over this topic, Outsourcing is subcontracting a service such as product design or manufacturing, to a third-party company. The decision to outsource is often made in the interest of lowering cost or making better use of time and energy costs, redirecting or conserving energy directed at the competencies of a particular business, or to make more efficient use of land, labor, capital, (information) technology and resources. Outsourcing became part of the business lexicon during the 1980s. It is essentially a division of labour. Outsourcing in the information technology field has two meanings. One is to commission the development of an application to another organization, usually a company that specializes in the development of this type of application. The other is to hire the services of another company to manage all or parts of the services that otherwise would be rendered by an IT unit of the organization. The latter concept might not include development of new applications.
Outsourcing involves the transfer of the management and/or day-to-day execution of an entire business function to an external service provider.[3] The client organization and the supplier enter into a contractual agreement that defines the transferred services. Under the agreement the supplier acquires the means of production in the form of a transfer of people, assets and other resources from the client. The client agrees to procure the services from the supplier for the term of the contract. Business segments typically outsourced include information technology, human resources, facilities, real estate management, and accounting. Many companies also outsource customer support and call center functions like telemarketing, CAD drafting, customer service, market research, manufacturing, designing, web development, print-to-mail, content writing, ghostwriting and engineering. Offshoring is the type of outsourcing in which the buyer organization belongs to another country.
Outsourcing and offshoring are used interchangeably in public discourse despite important technical differences. Outsourcing involves contracting with a supplier, which may or may not involve some degree of offshoring. Offshoring is the transfer of an organizational function to another country, regardless of whether the work is outsourced or stays within the same corporation/company.
Outsourcing occurs when a company purchases products or services from an outside supplier, rather than performing the same work within its own facilities, in order to cut costs. The decision to outsource is a major strategic one for most companies, since it involves weighing the potential cost savings against the consequences of a loss in control over the product or service. Some common examples of outsourcing include manufacturing of components, computer programming services, tax compliance and other accounting functions, training administration, customer service, transportation of products, benefits and compensation planning, payroll, and other human resource functions. A relatively new trend in outsourcing is employee leasing, in which specialized vendors recruit, hire, train, and pay their clients' employees, as well as arrange health care coverage and other benefits.
The growth in outsourcing in recent years is partly the result of a general shift in business philosophy. Prior to the mid-1980s, many companies sought to acquire other companies and diversify their business interests in order to reduce risk. As more companies discovered that there were limited advantages to running a large group of unrelated businesses, however, many began to divest subsidiaries and refocus their efforts on one or a few closely related areas of business. Companies tried to identify or develop a "core competence," a unique combination of experience and expertise that would provide a source of competitive advantage in a given industry. All aspects of the company's operations were aligned around the core competence, and any activities or functions that were not considered necessary to preserve it were then outsourced. Today, outsourcing is embraced by companies of all sizes and industry orientations. As analysts Tom Osmond commented in Employee Benefit News, "many companies have decided that transactional and administrative functions are neither core competencies nor value-added activities. In fact, some companies are putting themselves at risk as a result of using outdated technology and not complying with government regulations. Vendors, by focusing on administration as part of their business model, provide better service enforced by contracts and service-level agreements."
Successful outsourcing requires a strong understanding of the organization's capabilities and future direction. As William R. King explained in Information Systems Management, "[d]ecisions regarding outsourcing significant functions are among the most strategic that can be made by an organization, because they address the basic organizational choice of the functions for which internal expertise is developed and nurtured and those for which such expertise is purchased. These are basic decisions regarding organizational design." Outsourcing based only upon a comparison of costs can lead companies to miss opportunities to gain knowledge that might lead to the development of new products or technologies.
Outsourcing can be undertaken to varying degrees, ranging from total outsourcing to selective outsourcing. Total outsourcing may involve dismantling entire departments or divisions and transferring the employees, facilities, equipment, and complete responsibility for a product or function to an outside vendor. In contrast, selective outsourcing may target a single, time-consuming task within a department, such as preparing the payroll or manufacturing a minor component, that can be handled more efficiently by an outside specialist.
Vendors providing outsourcing services are generally grouped into two models: Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Application Service Provider (ASP). In the BPO model, major resources and assets are transferred from the company to the vendor. Under the ASP model, on the other hand, vendors concentrate on providing selected services for multiple clients. But as Osmond told Employee Benefit News, many variations exist within these two models. "Each vendor has a particular focus and/or point of entry to the market, particularly in the ASP space," Osmond stated. "There is also a wide range of pricing models and option. The good news is that there is a seemingly endless combination of service, pricing, and delivery, providing a solution for most situations. The bad news is that it can be difficult to compare vendors on an apples-to-apples basis."
BENEFITS OF OUTSOURCING for SMALL BUSINESSES
Outsourcing — the practice of using outside firms to handle work normally performed within a company — is a familiar concept to many entrepreneurs. Small companies routinely outsource their payroll processing, accounting, distribution, and many other important functions — often because they have no other choice. Many large companies turn to outsourcing to cut costs. In response, entire industries have evolved to serve companies' outsourcing needs.
But not many businesses thoroughly understand the benefits of outsourcing. It's true that outsourcing can save money, but that's not the only (or even the most important) reason to do it. As many firms discovered during the outsourcing "mania" of the early 1990s, outsourcing too much can be an even bigger mistake than not outsourcing any work at all. The flat economy caused many companies into huge layoffs and subsequently outsourced functions that were better kept in-house. Wise outsourcing, however, can provide a number of long-term benefits:
Control capital costs. Cost-cutting may not be the only reason to outsource, but it's certainly a major factor. Outsourcing converts fixed costs into variable costs, releases capital for investment elsewhere in your business, and allows you to avoid large expenditures in the early stages of your business. Outsourcing can also make your firm more attractive to investors, since you're able to pump more capital directly into revenue-producing activities.
Increase efficiency. Companies that do everything themselves have much higher research, development, marketing, and distribution expenses, all of which must be passed on to customers. An outside provider's cost structure and economy of scale can give your firm an important competitive advantage.
Reduce labor costs. Hiring and training staff for short-term or peripheral projects can be very expensive, and temporary employees don't always live up to your expectations. Outsourcing lets you focus your human resources where you need them most.
Start new projects quickly. A good outsourcing firm has the resources to start a project right away. Handling the same project in-house might involve taking weeks or months to hire the right people, train them, and provide the support they need. And if a project requires major capital investments (such as building a series of distribution centers), the startup process can be even more difficult.
Focus on your core business. Every business has limited resources, and every manager has limited time and attention. Outsourcing can help your business to shift its focus from peripheral activities toward work that serves the customer, and it can help managers set their priorities more clearly.
Level the playing field. Most small firms simply can't afford to match the in-house support services that larger companies maintain. Outsourcing can help small firms act "big" by giving them access to the same economies of scale, efficiency, and expertise that large companies enjoy.
Reduce risk. Every business investment carries a certain amount of risk. Markets, competition, government regulations, financial conditions, and technologies all change very quickly. Outsourcing providers assume and manage this risk for you, and they generally are much better at deciding how to avoid risk in their areas of expertise.
Once a company has made the decision to outsource, there are still a number of factors it must consider in making a successful transition and forming a partner relationship with the vendor. First, the company should determine what sort of outsourcing relationship will best meet its needs. "Decide what's important," urged the Journal of Accountancy. "If a function is not strategic to your business—for instance, payroll services or health insurance needs in a recruiting agency with only ten employees—consider outsourcing it to an expert provider." Some businesses share strategic decision-making with their vendors, while others only outsource on a limited, as needed basis.
As Ethel Scully noted in National Underwriter, the company needs to obtain the support of key personnel during this time. Many companies encounter resistance from employees who feel that their jobs are threatened by outsourcing. Scully suggested forming a team consisting of an outsourcing expert, representatives from senior management and human resources, and the managers of all affected areas of the company to help address employee concerns about the decision.
Once your business has decided which functions to outsource, it should initiate a search process that utilizes referrals from other companies and service-provider directories. You can then begin contacting potential vendors and ask specific questions about the services they provide and their abilities to meet your company's unique and specific needs. Ideally, the vendor you select will have experience in handling similar business and will be able to give all of its clients' needs the priority they deserve. "Consider the service company's knowledge of the entirety of your business, its willingness to customize service, and its compatibility with your firm's business culture, as well as the long-run cost of its services and its financial strength," said service provider Carl Schwenker in Money. During this period, you should also reexamine your own company culture and business needs to make sure that the outsourcing arrangement under consideration is a good fit. Many outsourcing experts counsel businesses to select vendors that can effectively integrate all their outsourced business functions so that they do not have to find individual vendors for each function.
Finally, you should select a vendor you trust in order to develop a mutually beneficial partner relationship. It is important to develop tangible measures of job performance before entering into an agreement, as well as financial incentives to encourage the vendor to meet deadlines and control costs. The contract should clearly define responsibilities and performance criteria, outline confidentiality rules and ownership rights to new ideas or technology. It should also include a means of severing the relationship if the service does not meet your expectations. Since the vendor is likely to have more experience in preparing outsourcing agreements than a small client company, it may also be helpful to consult with an attorney during contract negotiations.
References:
file:///C:/Users/ImpulsE/Desktop/assign8/Outsourcing.htm
file:///C:/Users/ImpulsE/Desktop/assign8/outsourcing1.htm
http://www.outsource2india.com/why_outsource/articles/benefit_outsourcing.asp
http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/workforce-management-hiring/1084-3.html
Assignment7:identify at least 3 areas related to ICT on 2009 SONA and identify how these areas can improve our quality of life.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo made her 9th State Of The Nation Address (SONA) last July 27, 2009. I think this is the her State Of The Nation Address because this is her last term. Actually I did not watch the President’s 2009 State Of the Nation Address but I have read the full text of her SONA. In her SONA the President mention many things like Philippine’s economic plan, how the nation’s dept is decreasing and all of her achievements this last nine years. I think the State Of The Nation Address 2009 is what the ICT players awaits. Because the President mention many things associated with Information and Communications Technology.
Some of them are the following:
* Telecommunication load issue
* Creating government’s Information and Communications Technology sector
* Election Automation
The President talks about the telecommunication issue. This is a wake-up call for the telecommunications company here in the Philippines. “Sa telecommunications naman, inatasan ko ang Telecommunications Commission na kumilos na tungkol sa mga sumbong na dropped calls at mga nawawalang load sa cellphone. We need to amend the Commonwealth-era Public Service Law. And we need to do it now….”. The Commonwealth-era Public Service Law is about Public Service Commission that has jurisdiction over all public services which, by definition, includes wireless communications systems. This is one of the things that affect Filipino’s everyday life. Like many Filipino, I also experience this kind of situation when your cell phone load disappears just like that. The telecommunication service provider really is the one to blame for this stolen load. Fortunately the government found a remedy for this problem. Now the expiry date of the cell phone load is being extended. Many Filipino will benefit from this.
The President also mentions the creation of the Information and Communications Technology sector of the government. “Kung noong nakaraan, lumakas ang electronics, today we are creating wealth by developing the BPO and tourism sectors as additional engines of growth. Electronics and other manufactured exports rise and fall in accordance with the state of the world economy. But BPO remains resilient. With earnings of $6 billion and employment of 600,000, the BPO phenomenon speaks eloquently of our competitiveness and productivity. Let us have a Department of ICT….”. At last! The President made the urge to create the government’s ICT department. Actually based on what I have heard, the creation of the government’s ICT department was planned long before, but at least now that plan will be implemented. Even though Philippines is not very updated in terms of technology, we should strive hard to cope up with other countries in this field, and we should take advantage of its benefits. The government is developing BPO.
BPO is a form of outsourcing that involves the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of a specific business functions (or processes) to a third-party service provider. Originally, this was associated with manufacturing firms, such as Coca Cola that outsourced large segments of its supply chain. In the contemporary context, it is primarily used to refer to the outsourcing of services.
BPO is typically categorized into back office outsourcing - which includes internal business functions such as human resources or finance and accounting, and front office outsourcing - which includes customer-related services such as contact center services.
BPO that is contracted outside a company's country is called offshore outsourcing. BPO that is contracted to a company's neighboring (or nearby) country is called nearshore outsourcing.
Given the proximity of BPO to the information technology industry, it is also categorized as an information technology enabled service or ITES. Knowledge process outsourcing(KPO) and legal process outsourcing (LPO) are some of the sub-segments of business process outsourcing industry.
This will help many Filipinos find jobs here and abroad.
Next is the automated election. “As the process of fundamental political reform begins, let us address the highest exercise of democracy…voting! In 2001, I said we would finance fully automated elections. We got it, thanks to Congress…”. Making the election fully automated was planned since 2001. Have a fully automated election is not easy that’s why it takes many years to plan and finance the things to be done. But I think the plan on having an automated election will not be implemented because of many issues that the government is facing about this election automation. Although election automation might not be implemented, having an automated election will greatly lessen the election process and may also help lessen cheating.
Some of them are the following:
* Telecommunication load issue
* Creating government’s Information and Communications Technology sector
* Election Automation
The President talks about the telecommunication issue. This is a wake-up call for the telecommunications company here in the Philippines. “Sa telecommunications naman, inatasan ko ang Telecommunications Commission na kumilos na tungkol sa mga sumbong na dropped calls at mga nawawalang load sa cellphone. We need to amend the Commonwealth-era Public Service Law. And we need to do it now….”. The Commonwealth-era Public Service Law is about Public Service Commission that has jurisdiction over all public services which, by definition, includes wireless communications systems. This is one of the things that affect Filipino’s everyday life. Like many Filipino, I also experience this kind of situation when your cell phone load disappears just like that. The telecommunication service provider really is the one to blame for this stolen load. Fortunately the government found a remedy for this problem. Now the expiry date of the cell phone load is being extended. Many Filipino will benefit from this.
The President also mentions the creation of the Information and Communications Technology sector of the government. “Kung noong nakaraan, lumakas ang electronics, today we are creating wealth by developing the BPO and tourism sectors as additional engines of growth. Electronics and other manufactured exports rise and fall in accordance with the state of the world economy. But BPO remains resilient. With earnings of $6 billion and employment of 600,000, the BPO phenomenon speaks eloquently of our competitiveness and productivity. Let us have a Department of ICT….”. At last! The President made the urge to create the government’s ICT department. Actually based on what I have heard, the creation of the government’s ICT department was planned long before, but at least now that plan will be implemented. Even though Philippines is not very updated in terms of technology, we should strive hard to cope up with other countries in this field, and we should take advantage of its benefits. The government is developing BPO.
BPO is a form of outsourcing that involves the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of a specific business functions (or processes) to a third-party service provider. Originally, this was associated with manufacturing firms, such as Coca Cola that outsourced large segments of its supply chain. In the contemporary context, it is primarily used to refer to the outsourcing of services.
BPO is typically categorized into back office outsourcing - which includes internal business functions such as human resources or finance and accounting, and front office outsourcing - which includes customer-related services such as contact center services.
BPO that is contracted outside a company's country is called offshore outsourcing. BPO that is contracted to a company's neighboring (or nearby) country is called nearshore outsourcing.
Given the proximity of BPO to the information technology industry, it is also categorized as an information technology enabled service or ITES. Knowledge process outsourcing(KPO) and legal process outsourcing (LPO) are some of the sub-segments of business process outsourcing industry.
This will help many Filipinos find jobs here and abroad.
Next is the automated election. “As the process of fundamental political reform begins, let us address the highest exercise of democracy…voting! In 2001, I said we would finance fully automated elections. We got it, thanks to Congress…”. Making the election fully automated was planned since 2001. Have a fully automated election is not easy that’s why it takes many years to plan and finance the things to be done. But I think the plan on having an automated election will not be implemented because of many issues that the government is facing about this election automation. Although election automation might not be implemented, having an automated election will greatly lessen the election process and may also help lessen cheating.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Assignment6
If the University President hired me as an IT consultant, I will suggest innovation and technology to improve the internet connectivity of the University.
The term innovation refers to a new way of doing something. It may refer to incremental and emergent or radical and revolutionary changes in thinking, products, processes, or organizations. Following Schumpeter (1934), contributors to the scholarly literature on innovation typically distinguish between invention, an idea made manifest, and innovation, ideas applied successfully in practice. In many fields, something new must be substantially different to be innovative, not an insignificant change, e.g., in the arts, economics, business and government policy. In economics the change must increase value, customer value, or producer value. The goal of innovation is positive change, to make someone or something better. Innovation leading to increased productivity is the fundamental source of increasing wealth in an economy.
Innovation is an important topic in the study of economics, business, design, technology, sociology, and engineering. Colloquially, the word "innovation" is often synonymous with the output of the process. However, economists tend to focus on the process itself, from the origination of an idea to its transformation into something useful, to its implementation; and on the system within which the process of innovation unfolds. Since innovation is also considered a major driver of the economy, especially when it leads to increasing productivity, the factors that lead to innovation are also considered to be critical to policy makers. In particular, followers of innovation economics stress using public policy to spur innovation and growth.
Those who are directly responsible for application of the innovation are often called pioneers in their field, whether they are individuals or organisations.
Goals of innovation
Programs of organizational innovation are typically tightly linked to organizational goals and objectives, to the business plan, and to market competitive positioning.
For example, one driver for innovation programs in corporations is to achieve growth objectives. As Davila et al. (2006) note,
"Companies cannot grow through cost reduction and reengineering alone . . . Innovation is the key element in providing aggressive top-line growth, and for increasing bottom-line results" (p.6)
In general, business organisations spend a significant amount of their turnover on innovation i.e. making changes to their established products, processes and services. The amount of investment can vary from as low as a half a percent of turnover for organisations with a low rate of change to anything over twenty percent of turnover for organisations with a high rate of change.
The average investment across all types of organizations is four percent. For an organisation with a turnover of say one billion currency units, this represents an investment of forty million units. This budget will typically be spread across various functions including marketing, product design, information systems, manufacturing systems and quality assurance.
The investment may vary by industry and by market positioning.
One survey[citation needed] across a large number of manufacturing and services organisations found, ranked in decreasing order of popularity, that systematic programs of organizational innovation are most frequently driven by:
1. Improved quality
2. Creation of new markets
3. Extension of the product range
4. Reduced labour costs
5. Improved production processes
6. Reduced materials
7. Reduced environmental damage
8. Replacement of products/services
9. Reduced energy consumption
10. Conformance to regulations
11.
These goals vary between improvements to products, processes and services and dispel a popular myth that innovation deals mainly with new product development. Most of the goals could apply to any organisation be it a manufacturing facility, marketing firm, hospital or local government.
Failure of innovation
Research findings vary, ranging from fifty to ninety percent of innovation projects judged to have made little or no contribution to organizational goals. One survey regarding product innovation quotes that out of three thousand ideas for new products, only one becomes a success in the marketplace.[citation needed] Failure is an inevitable part of the innovation process, and most successful organisations factor in an appropriate level of risk. Perhaps it is because all organisations experience failure that many choose not to monitor the level of failure very closely. The impact of failure goes beyond the simple loss of investment. Failure can also lead to loss of morale among employees, an increase in cynicism and even higher resistance to change in the future.
Innovations that fail are often potentially good ideas but have been rejected or postponed due to budgetary constraints, lack of skills or poor fit with current goals. Failures should be identified and screened out as early in the process as possible. Early screening avoids unsuitable ideas devouring scarce resources that are needed to progress more beneficial ones. Organizations can learn how to avoid failure when it is openly discussed and debated. The lessons learned from failure often reside longer in the organisational consciousness than lessons learned from success. While learning is important, high failure rates throughout the innovation process are wasteful and a threat to the organisation's future.
The causes of failure have been widely researched and can vary considerably. Some causes will be external to the organisation and outside its influence of control. Others will be internal and ultimately within the control of the organisation. Internal causes of failure can be divided into causes associated with the cultural infrastructure and causes associated with the innovation process itself. Failure in the cultural infrastructure varies between organizations but the following are common across all organisations at some stage in their life cycle (O'Sullivan, 2002):
1. Poor Leadership
2. Poor Organization
3. Poor Communication
4. Poor Empowerment
5. Poor Knowledge Management
Common causes of failure within the innovation process in most organisations can be distilled into five types:
1. Poor goal definition
2. Poor alignment of actions to goals
3. Poor participation in teams
4. Poor monitoring of results
5. Poor communication and access to information
6.
Effective goal definition requires that organisations state explicitly what their goals are in terms understandable to everyone involved in the innovation process. This often involves stating goals in a number of ways. Effective alignment of actions to goals should link explicit actions such as ideas and projects to specific goals. It also implies effective management of action portfolios. Participation in teams refers to the behaviour of individuals in and of teams, and each individual should have an explicitly allocated responsibility regarding their role in goals and actions and the payment and rewards systems that link them to goal attainment. Finally, effective monitoring of results requires the monitoring of all goals, actions and teams involved in the innovation process.
Innovation can fail if seen as an organisational process whose success stems from a mechanistic approach i.e. 'pull lever obtain result'. While 'driving' change has an emphasis on control, enforcement and structure it is only a partial truth in achieving innovation. Organisational gatekeepers frame the organisational environment that "Enables" innovation; however innovation is "Enacted" – recognised, developed, applied and adopted – through individuals.
Individuals are the 'atom' of the organisation close to the minutiae of daily activities. Within individuals gritty appreciation of the small detail combines with a sense of desired organisational objectives to deliver (and innovate for) a product/service offer.
From this perspective innovation succeeds from strategic structures that engage the individual to the organisation's benefit. Innovation pivots on intrinsically motivated individuals, within a supportive culture, informed by a broad sense of the future.
Innovation, implies change, and can be counter to an organisation's orthodoxy. Space for fair hearing of innovative ideas is required to balance the potential autoimmune exclusion that quells an infant innovative culture.
== Measures of innovation == xyxyxyx There are two fundamentally different types of measures for innovation: the organizational level and the political level. The measure of innovation at the organizational level relates to individuals, team-level assessments, private companies from the smallest to the largest. Measure of innovation for organizations can be conducted by surveys, workshops, consultants or internal benchmarking. There is today no established general way to measure organizational innovation. Corporate measurements are generally structured around balanced scorecards which cover several aspects of innovation such as business measures related to finances, innovation process efficiency, employees' contribution and motivation, as well benefits for customers. Measured values will vary widely between businesses, covering for example new product revenue, spending in R&D, time to market, customer and employee perception & satisfaction, number of patents, additional sales resulting from past innovations. For the political level, measures of innovation are more focussing on a country or region competitive advantage through innovation. In this context, organizational capabilities can be evaluated through various evaluation frameworks, such as those of the European Foundation for Quality Management. The OECD Oslo Manual (1995) suggests standard guidelines on measuring technological product and process innovation. Some people consider the Oslo Manual complementary to the Frascati Manual from 1963. The new Oslo manual from 2005 takes a wider perspective to innovation, and includes marketing and organizational innovation. These standards are used for example in the European Community Innovation Surveys.
Other ways of measuring innovation have traditionally been expenditure, for example, investment in R&D (Research and Development) as percentage of GNP (Gross National Product). Whether this is a good measurement of Innovation has been widely discussed and the Oslo Manual has incorporated some of the critique against earlier methods of measuring. This being said, the traditional methods of measuring still inform many policy decisions. The EU Lisbon Strategy has set as a goal that their average expenditure on R&D should be 3 % of GNP.
The Oslo Manual is focused on North America, Europe, and other rich economies. In 2001 for Latin America and the Caribbean countries it was created the Bogota Manual
Many scholars claim that there is a great bias towards the "science and technology mode" (S&T-mode or STI-mode), while the "learning by doing, using and interacting mode" (DUI-mode) is widely ignored. For an example, that means you can have the better high tech or software, but there are also crucial learning tasks important for innovation. But these measurements and research are rarely done.
A common industry view (unsupported by empirical evidence) is that comparative cost-effectiveness research (CER) is a form of price control which, by reducing returns to industry, limits R&D expenditure, stifles future innovation and compromises new products access to markets.[8] Some academics claim the CER is a valuable value-based measure of innovation which accords truly significant advances in therapy (those that provide 'health gain') higher prices than free market mechanisms.[9] Such value-based pricing has been viewed as a means of indicating to industry the type of innovation that should be rewarded from the public purse.[10] The Australian academic Thomas Alured Faunce has developed the case that national comparative cost-effectiveness assessment systems should be viewed as measuring 'health innovation' as an evidence-based concept distinct from valuing innovation through the operation of competitive markets (a method which requires strong anti-trust laws to be effective) on the basis that both methods of assessing innovation in pharmaceuticals are mentioned in annex 2C.1 of the AUSFTA.[11][12]
Technology is a broad concept that deals with human as well as other animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt to its environment. Technology is a term with origins in the Greek technología (τεχνολογία) — téchnē (τέχνη), 'craft' and -logía (-λογία), the study of something, or the branch of knowledge of a discipline.[1] However, a strict definition is elusive; "technology" can refer to material objects of use to humanity, such as machines, hardware or utensils, but can also encompass broader themes, including systems, methods of organization, and techniques. The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include "construction technology", "medical technology", or "state-of-the-art technology".
The human species' use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in travelling in and controlling their environment. Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful purposes; the development of weapons of ever-increasing destructive power has progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons.
Technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways. In many societies, technology has helped develop more advanced economies (including today's global economy) and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-products, known as pollution, and deplete natural resources, to the detriment of the Earth and its environment. Various implementations of technology influence the values of a society and new technology often raises new ethical questions. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of human productivity, a term originally applied only to machines, and the challenge of traditional norms.
Philosophical debates have arisen over the present and future use of technology in society, with disagreements over whether technology improves the human condition or worsens it. Neo-Luddism, anarcho-primitivism, and similar movements criticise the pervasiveness of technology in the modern world, opining that it harms the environment and alienates people; proponents of ideologies such as transhumanism and techno-progressivism view continued technological progress as beneficial to society and the human condition. Indeed, until recently, it was believed that the development of technology was restricted only to human beings, but recent scientific studies indicate that other primates and certain dolphin communities have developed simple tools and learned to pass their knowledge to other generations.
There are many innovative way to improve internet connectivity. We must find new ways in order to improve connection like downloading software to that speeds up internet connection. The university also needs new technology in order to meet the goal of improving the University’s internet connection. By buying new networking hardware and by proper networking set-up, surely will enhance the internet connectivity of the University.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innovation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techonology
The term innovation refers to a new way of doing something. It may refer to incremental and emergent or radical and revolutionary changes in thinking, products, processes, or organizations. Following Schumpeter (1934), contributors to the scholarly literature on innovation typically distinguish between invention, an idea made manifest, and innovation, ideas applied successfully in practice. In many fields, something new must be substantially different to be innovative, not an insignificant change, e.g., in the arts, economics, business and government policy. In economics the change must increase value, customer value, or producer value. The goal of innovation is positive change, to make someone or something better. Innovation leading to increased productivity is the fundamental source of increasing wealth in an economy.
Innovation is an important topic in the study of economics, business, design, technology, sociology, and engineering. Colloquially, the word "innovation" is often synonymous with the output of the process. However, economists tend to focus on the process itself, from the origination of an idea to its transformation into something useful, to its implementation; and on the system within which the process of innovation unfolds. Since innovation is also considered a major driver of the economy, especially when it leads to increasing productivity, the factors that lead to innovation are also considered to be critical to policy makers. In particular, followers of innovation economics stress using public policy to spur innovation and growth.
Those who are directly responsible for application of the innovation are often called pioneers in their field, whether they are individuals or organisations.
Goals of innovation
Programs of organizational innovation are typically tightly linked to organizational goals and objectives, to the business plan, and to market competitive positioning.
For example, one driver for innovation programs in corporations is to achieve growth objectives. As Davila et al. (2006) note,
"Companies cannot grow through cost reduction and reengineering alone . . . Innovation is the key element in providing aggressive top-line growth, and for increasing bottom-line results" (p.6)
In general, business organisations spend a significant amount of their turnover on innovation i.e. making changes to their established products, processes and services. The amount of investment can vary from as low as a half a percent of turnover for organisations with a low rate of change to anything over twenty percent of turnover for organisations with a high rate of change.
The average investment across all types of organizations is four percent. For an organisation with a turnover of say one billion currency units, this represents an investment of forty million units. This budget will typically be spread across various functions including marketing, product design, information systems, manufacturing systems and quality assurance.
The investment may vary by industry and by market positioning.
One survey[citation needed] across a large number of manufacturing and services organisations found, ranked in decreasing order of popularity, that systematic programs of organizational innovation are most frequently driven by:
1. Improved quality
2. Creation of new markets
3. Extension of the product range
4. Reduced labour costs
5. Improved production processes
6. Reduced materials
7. Reduced environmental damage
8. Replacement of products/services
9. Reduced energy consumption
10. Conformance to regulations
11.
These goals vary between improvements to products, processes and services and dispel a popular myth that innovation deals mainly with new product development. Most of the goals could apply to any organisation be it a manufacturing facility, marketing firm, hospital or local government.
Failure of innovation
Research findings vary, ranging from fifty to ninety percent of innovation projects judged to have made little or no contribution to organizational goals. One survey regarding product innovation quotes that out of three thousand ideas for new products, only one becomes a success in the marketplace.[citation needed] Failure is an inevitable part of the innovation process, and most successful organisations factor in an appropriate level of risk. Perhaps it is because all organisations experience failure that many choose not to monitor the level of failure very closely. The impact of failure goes beyond the simple loss of investment. Failure can also lead to loss of morale among employees, an increase in cynicism and even higher resistance to change in the future.
Innovations that fail are often potentially good ideas but have been rejected or postponed due to budgetary constraints, lack of skills or poor fit with current goals. Failures should be identified and screened out as early in the process as possible. Early screening avoids unsuitable ideas devouring scarce resources that are needed to progress more beneficial ones. Organizations can learn how to avoid failure when it is openly discussed and debated. The lessons learned from failure often reside longer in the organisational consciousness than lessons learned from success. While learning is important, high failure rates throughout the innovation process are wasteful and a threat to the organisation's future.
The causes of failure have been widely researched and can vary considerably. Some causes will be external to the organisation and outside its influence of control. Others will be internal and ultimately within the control of the organisation. Internal causes of failure can be divided into causes associated with the cultural infrastructure and causes associated with the innovation process itself. Failure in the cultural infrastructure varies between organizations but the following are common across all organisations at some stage in their life cycle (O'Sullivan, 2002):
1. Poor Leadership
2. Poor Organization
3. Poor Communication
4. Poor Empowerment
5. Poor Knowledge Management
Common causes of failure within the innovation process in most organisations can be distilled into five types:
1. Poor goal definition
2. Poor alignment of actions to goals
3. Poor participation in teams
4. Poor monitoring of results
5. Poor communication and access to information
6.
Effective goal definition requires that organisations state explicitly what their goals are in terms understandable to everyone involved in the innovation process. This often involves stating goals in a number of ways. Effective alignment of actions to goals should link explicit actions such as ideas and projects to specific goals. It also implies effective management of action portfolios. Participation in teams refers to the behaviour of individuals in and of teams, and each individual should have an explicitly allocated responsibility regarding their role in goals and actions and the payment and rewards systems that link them to goal attainment. Finally, effective monitoring of results requires the monitoring of all goals, actions and teams involved in the innovation process.
Innovation can fail if seen as an organisational process whose success stems from a mechanistic approach i.e. 'pull lever obtain result'. While 'driving' change has an emphasis on control, enforcement and structure it is only a partial truth in achieving innovation. Organisational gatekeepers frame the organisational environment that "Enables" innovation; however innovation is "Enacted" – recognised, developed, applied and adopted – through individuals.
Individuals are the 'atom' of the organisation close to the minutiae of daily activities. Within individuals gritty appreciation of the small detail combines with a sense of desired organisational objectives to deliver (and innovate for) a product/service offer.
From this perspective innovation succeeds from strategic structures that engage the individual to the organisation's benefit. Innovation pivots on intrinsically motivated individuals, within a supportive culture, informed by a broad sense of the future.
Innovation, implies change, and can be counter to an organisation's orthodoxy. Space for fair hearing of innovative ideas is required to balance the potential autoimmune exclusion that quells an infant innovative culture.
== Measures of innovation == xyxyxyx There are two fundamentally different types of measures for innovation: the organizational level and the political level. The measure of innovation at the organizational level relates to individuals, team-level assessments, private companies from the smallest to the largest. Measure of innovation for organizations can be conducted by surveys, workshops, consultants or internal benchmarking. There is today no established general way to measure organizational innovation. Corporate measurements are generally structured around balanced scorecards which cover several aspects of innovation such as business measures related to finances, innovation process efficiency, employees' contribution and motivation, as well benefits for customers. Measured values will vary widely between businesses, covering for example new product revenue, spending in R&D, time to market, customer and employee perception & satisfaction, number of patents, additional sales resulting from past innovations. For the political level, measures of innovation are more focussing on a country or region competitive advantage through innovation. In this context, organizational capabilities can be evaluated through various evaluation frameworks, such as those of the European Foundation for Quality Management. The OECD Oslo Manual (1995) suggests standard guidelines on measuring technological product and process innovation. Some people consider the Oslo Manual complementary to the Frascati Manual from 1963. The new Oslo manual from 2005 takes a wider perspective to innovation, and includes marketing and organizational innovation. These standards are used for example in the European Community Innovation Surveys.
Other ways of measuring innovation have traditionally been expenditure, for example, investment in R&D (Research and Development) as percentage of GNP (Gross National Product). Whether this is a good measurement of Innovation has been widely discussed and the Oslo Manual has incorporated some of the critique against earlier methods of measuring. This being said, the traditional methods of measuring still inform many policy decisions. The EU Lisbon Strategy has set as a goal that their average expenditure on R&D should be 3 % of GNP.
The Oslo Manual is focused on North America, Europe, and other rich economies. In 2001 for Latin America and the Caribbean countries it was created the Bogota Manual
Many scholars claim that there is a great bias towards the "science and technology mode" (S&T-mode or STI-mode), while the "learning by doing, using and interacting mode" (DUI-mode) is widely ignored. For an example, that means you can have the better high tech or software, but there are also crucial learning tasks important for innovation. But these measurements and research are rarely done.
A common industry view (unsupported by empirical evidence) is that comparative cost-effectiveness research (CER) is a form of price control which, by reducing returns to industry, limits R&D expenditure, stifles future innovation and compromises new products access to markets.[8] Some academics claim the CER is a valuable value-based measure of innovation which accords truly significant advances in therapy (those that provide 'health gain') higher prices than free market mechanisms.[9] Such value-based pricing has been viewed as a means of indicating to industry the type of innovation that should be rewarded from the public purse.[10] The Australian academic Thomas Alured Faunce has developed the case that national comparative cost-effectiveness assessment systems should be viewed as measuring 'health innovation' as an evidence-based concept distinct from valuing innovation through the operation of competitive markets (a method which requires strong anti-trust laws to be effective) on the basis that both methods of assessing innovation in pharmaceuticals are mentioned in annex 2C.1 of the AUSFTA.[11][12]
Technology is a broad concept that deals with human as well as other animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt to its environment. Technology is a term with origins in the Greek technología (τεχνολογία) — téchnē (τέχνη), 'craft' and -logía (-λογία), the study of something, or the branch of knowledge of a discipline.[1] However, a strict definition is elusive; "technology" can refer to material objects of use to humanity, such as machines, hardware or utensils, but can also encompass broader themes, including systems, methods of organization, and techniques. The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include "construction technology", "medical technology", or "state-of-the-art technology".
The human species' use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in travelling in and controlling their environment. Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful purposes; the development of weapons of ever-increasing destructive power has progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons.
Technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways. In many societies, technology has helped develop more advanced economies (including today's global economy) and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-products, known as pollution, and deplete natural resources, to the detriment of the Earth and its environment. Various implementations of technology influence the values of a society and new technology often raises new ethical questions. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of human productivity, a term originally applied only to machines, and the challenge of traditional norms.
Philosophical debates have arisen over the present and future use of technology in society, with disagreements over whether technology improves the human condition or worsens it. Neo-Luddism, anarcho-primitivism, and similar movements criticise the pervasiveness of technology in the modern world, opining that it harms the environment and alienates people; proponents of ideologies such as transhumanism and techno-progressivism view continued technological progress as beneficial to society and the human condition. Indeed, until recently, it was believed that the development of technology was restricted only to human beings, but recent scientific studies indicate that other primates and certain dolphin communities have developed simple tools and learned to pass their knowledge to other generations.
There are many innovative way to improve internet connectivity. We must find new ways in order to improve connection like downloading software to that speeds up internet connection. The university also needs new technology in order to meet the goal of improving the University’s internet connection. By buying new networking hardware and by proper networking set-up, surely will enhance the internet connectivity of the University.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innovation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techonology
ASSIGNMENT 2. :D
For our second assignment, we were tasked to have another interview again to our recently visited company. Last week, we had a visit at Sony, near Aljem’s Inn at Magallanes. To be consistent, I would still be referring to that organization / company.
What IS/IT change?
“Information systems and organizations influence one another. Information systems are built by managers to serve the interests of the business firm. At the same time, the organization must be aware of and open to the influences of information systems to benefit from new technologies.The interaction between information technology and organizations is complex and is influenced by many mediating factors, including the organization’s structure, business processes, politics, culture, surrounding environment, and management decisions. You will need to understand how information systems can change social and work life in your firm. You will not be able to design new systems successfully or understand existing systems without understanding your own business organization.”
In organizations without a formal information technology (IT) change management process, it is estimated that 80% of IT service outage problems are caused by updates and alterations to systems, applications, and infrastructure. Consequently, one of the first areas to address to improve service reliability is to track all changes and systematically manage change with full knowledge of the risks of the change and the potential organizational impact. While tracking change events is fairly well understood and is a common practice, consistently and reliably predicting the impact of change requires a disciplined, standards-based approach to assessing risk and likelihood of impact, a technique not usually found in off-the-shelf change tracking tools. –PNNL, Joanne R. Hugi
At Sony, the following are the risks in there IS / IT change:
- network connection
- One main Source
- Security Risks
- Financial Risks
To evaluate my learning about the recent interview, first, the network connection. During an IS / IT change, happens every time especially when an interruption to the signal occurs. No one can ever determine nor estimate when and where the interruption will happen, as according to the interviewee. Some of the said possible reasons (internet based) were it may be that you have simply made a typing mistake, and there is an error in the name of the remote host computer. In this case you should also receive an error stating that the host is unknown. Second, There may be problems with the configuration or physical setup of the network connection. Verify that other network connections are functioning. And, there may also be a temporary problem with the remote host computer. If this is the case, you should wait for a while and try to connect again later. You can contact the administrator of the remote host computer for additional information.
One Main Source. Actually, as said by the interviewee, the main server of their Information System is at Manila. If changes will occur, it would be hard for the personnel somewhere far at Manila to make communication with the main office. Also, Data Recovery would also be prolonged if their would be an IS change, IT personnel in charged especially if it is outsourcing, would feel different and likely would not use the new implemented system.
Security Risks. With regards to the security risks in an organization, when change will occur, it would be a new start al over again. From the firewall, to the anti-viruses used. Security risk is often, quantitatively, represented as any event that compromises the assets, operations and objectives of an organization. 'Event', in the security paradigm, comprises those undertaken by actors intentionally for purposes that adversely affect the organization.
Financial Risks. It involves large amount of capital to tests what are the suitable IS/IT in a particular business. Also the cost of the training of the employee in order for them to know about the new system and we should also consider the cost of the new hardware or software if there is a need to change the old. Due to the changing phases of systems, new techniques and technologies business enterprise has invested in Information Technology (IT) /Information System (IS) to hasten and creating a systematize transactions. Some technologies adopted are not suitable to the environment or the needs of the organizations. Moreover embracing new technologies or system usually starts in a trial and error process so the risk factor here is financial risk since not all technologies/system can be use every time we fail.
Reference:
http://www.prenhall.com/behindthebook/0132304619/pdf/Laudon%20Feature%203.pdf
What IS/IT change?
“Information systems and organizations influence one another. Information systems are built by managers to serve the interests of the business firm. At the same time, the organization must be aware of and open to the influences of information systems to benefit from new technologies.The interaction between information technology and organizations is complex and is influenced by many mediating factors, including the organization’s structure, business processes, politics, culture, surrounding environment, and management decisions. You will need to understand how information systems can change social and work life in your firm. You will not be able to design new systems successfully or understand existing systems without understanding your own business organization.”
In organizations without a formal information technology (IT) change management process, it is estimated that 80% of IT service outage problems are caused by updates and alterations to systems, applications, and infrastructure. Consequently, one of the first areas to address to improve service reliability is to track all changes and systematically manage change with full knowledge of the risks of the change and the potential organizational impact. While tracking change events is fairly well understood and is a common practice, consistently and reliably predicting the impact of change requires a disciplined, standards-based approach to assessing risk and likelihood of impact, a technique not usually found in off-the-shelf change tracking tools. –PNNL, Joanne R. Hugi
At Sony, the following are the risks in there IS / IT change:
- network connection
- One main Source
- Security Risks
- Financial Risks
To evaluate my learning about the recent interview, first, the network connection. During an IS / IT change, happens every time especially when an interruption to the signal occurs. No one can ever determine nor estimate when and where the interruption will happen, as according to the interviewee. Some of the said possible reasons (internet based) were it may be that you have simply made a typing mistake, and there is an error in the name of the remote host computer. In this case you should also receive an error stating that the host is unknown. Second, There may be problems with the configuration or physical setup of the network connection. Verify that other network connections are functioning. And, there may also be a temporary problem with the remote host computer. If this is the case, you should wait for a while and try to connect again later. You can contact the administrator of the remote host computer for additional information.
One Main Source. Actually, as said by the interviewee, the main server of their Information System is at Manila. If changes will occur, it would be hard for the personnel somewhere far at Manila to make communication with the main office. Also, Data Recovery would also be prolonged if their would be an IS change, IT personnel in charged especially if it is outsourcing, would feel different and likely would not use the new implemented system.
Security Risks. With regards to the security risks in an organization, when change will occur, it would be a new start al over again. From the firewall, to the anti-viruses used. Security risk is often, quantitatively, represented as any event that compromises the assets, operations and objectives of an organization. 'Event', in the security paradigm, comprises those undertaken by actors intentionally for purposes that adversely affect the organization.
Financial Risks. It involves large amount of capital to tests what are the suitable IS/IT in a particular business. Also the cost of the training of the employee in order for them to know about the new system and we should also consider the cost of the new hardware or software if there is a need to change the old. Due to the changing phases of systems, new techniques and technologies business enterprise has invested in Information Technology (IT) /Information System (IS) to hasten and creating a systematize transactions. Some technologies adopted are not suitable to the environment or the needs of the organizations. Moreover embracing new technologies or system usually starts in a trial and error process so the risk factor here is financial risk since not all technologies/system can be use every time we fail.
Reference:
http://www.prenhall.com/behindthebook/0132304619/pdf/Laudon%20Feature%203.pdf
Assignment 5.
A barrier is defined as “any condition that makes it difficult to make progress or to achieve an objective” (WordNet, 1997). The objective under scrutiny in this study is increased technology integration. The understood and yet unspoken connotation of a barrier is that its removal acts as an aid towards the achievement of the objective. Therefore, the study of barriers as they pertain to technology integration is essential because this knowledge could provide guidance for ways to enhance technology integration. Ertmer (1999) echoed this sentiment, in stating that by providing “teachers with knowledge of barriers, as well as effective strategies to overcome them, it is expected that they will be prepared to both initiate and sustain effective technology integration practices” (Conclusion section, ¶ 4).
To best demonstrate the existence of barriers to technology integration independent of the environment, it is essential to examine the recent history of technology in the classroom. This allows one to see that as the main barrier – lack of technology access – was removed, other barriers still remained. Nevertheless, common sense dictates that in institutions that lack sufficient access to technology, effective technology integration would be a daunting, if not impossible task. It appears that Maddux’s (1998) claim that “it is essential that computers be placed in classrooms. Until that happens, true integration is unlikely to take place” remains true.
In SONY Davao, the following are their BARRIERS:
- MONEY
- IT Support
- Training
- IT Infrastructure
- Time
- Priorities
- Changing Technologies
- Planning
- Fear
In Money, even if the SONY is a very known company internationally, still the Money is a major factor for the company during their Information System implementation. The Company already has plans in the past to implement what they have right now yet, for an organization like my visited company, it is not that easy to release vast amounts of cash just to provide what their company needed during those days. As our interviewee said, technology nowadays especially the systems produced via outsourcing changes every time. What he really mean by that was, if you want to cope up with your rivals, an organization also must be meticulous with the system that they are using especially with an organization like Son, wherein they are so engaged, even selling products of technology that changes every now and then.
IT Support. I noticed that at the main branch only has limited IT personnel. In fact, the one that we had interview is the only IT assigned in the certain branch. I can say that IT support is one of the barriers during their Information System implementation because, a certain organization can not automatically implement their information system without or lacking support from the IT people. Maybe the company is hesitant to recruit or hire IT people because of the cost that they would pay. I am not that sure about that though.
Training. I think the training here is particular with their personnel and the management. Training with regards on how to manipulate the certain Information system that created because most of the time, it is the personnel who objects first on the flow of the system. Maybe because they can not cope up that easily with the occurred changes or maybe because they do not want the system itself. Its not that they take no notice of the technology but still maybe they prefer the old system.
Lack of training can create problems during the IS implementation. Man hours will be wasted, errors will become visible, and timeline will exceed. To solve this, the management should require proper training to every personnel involved to eliminate possible damages.
IT Infrastructure. When we speak of Information Technology infrastructure, I think it refers to the physical attributes of a hardware. Like a desktop computer for example. Whenever an innovation occur, it is not just the software that innovates, but also the hardware. There are times when the hardware can not cope up with the system requirement of a software, reason why, infrastructure such as platforms and specs are considered as one of the barrier during Information system implementation.
Time. Time can be the worst enemy during an IS implementation. Certainly, no organization can handle time. Timeline exceeds whenever great damages are encountered. As stated above, lack of training can be one of the reasons why an organization exceeds their duration. There are many controllable and uncontrollable factors that can ruin the timeline. To address this, the organization or team must develop and evaluate more strategies and plans that will speed up their implementation.
Priorities. There are times when an organization finds another priority. Instead to quicken up implementation, they find another target or another apple of the eye which delays the work.
Changing Technologies. Due to constant change of technology nowadays, the company finds it hard to cope up every now and then, in an organization like sony, they must follow the trend of today. Because of this, the organization / company finds hard to decide the final plans for the system because they may tend to look for much newer trend.
Planning. Planning too long can be a hindrance to IS implementation. Staff assigned may make changes every now and then. Afterwards, consultations to the management must be done. Reason why, the IT people assigned to implement the said IS can not make a move because of changing plans and decisions most of the time. Other good example is, when the organization plans not too well. Without any consultations from the experts that makes the implementation mush faster, but the result? Repetition of work. So, to address this, the organization must have a timeline for planning. Six months would be enough I think.
Fear. Fear of insults, discriminations, and other ill factors that will lead the people involved in the implementation in vain. Also, lack of trust from the colleagues that will lead to fear of what would be outcome if the implementation would take place which is not a good attitude. If you are involved in changing your IS, you must have the confidence that you can make it and trust to your co-workers in order for the team to be united.
http://www.zu.ac.ae/lthe/vol2no1/lthe02_05.pdf
To best demonstrate the existence of barriers to technology integration independent of the environment, it is essential to examine the recent history of technology in the classroom. This allows one to see that as the main barrier – lack of technology access – was removed, other barriers still remained. Nevertheless, common sense dictates that in institutions that lack sufficient access to technology, effective technology integration would be a daunting, if not impossible task. It appears that Maddux’s (1998) claim that “it is essential that computers be placed in classrooms. Until that happens, true integration is unlikely to take place” remains true.
In SONY Davao, the following are their BARRIERS:
- MONEY
- IT Support
- Training
- IT Infrastructure
- Time
- Priorities
- Changing Technologies
- Planning
- Fear
In Money, even if the SONY is a very known company internationally, still the Money is a major factor for the company during their Information System implementation. The Company already has plans in the past to implement what they have right now yet, for an organization like my visited company, it is not that easy to release vast amounts of cash just to provide what their company needed during those days. As our interviewee said, technology nowadays especially the systems produced via outsourcing changes every time. What he really mean by that was, if you want to cope up with your rivals, an organization also must be meticulous with the system that they are using especially with an organization like Son, wherein they are so engaged, even selling products of technology that changes every now and then.
IT Support. I noticed that at the main branch only has limited IT personnel. In fact, the one that we had interview is the only IT assigned in the certain branch. I can say that IT support is one of the barriers during their Information System implementation because, a certain organization can not automatically implement their information system without or lacking support from the IT people. Maybe the company is hesitant to recruit or hire IT people because of the cost that they would pay. I am not that sure about that though.
Training. I think the training here is particular with their personnel and the management. Training with regards on how to manipulate the certain Information system that created because most of the time, it is the personnel who objects first on the flow of the system. Maybe because they can not cope up that easily with the occurred changes or maybe because they do not want the system itself. Its not that they take no notice of the technology but still maybe they prefer the old system.
Lack of training can create problems during the IS implementation. Man hours will be wasted, errors will become visible, and timeline will exceed. To solve this, the management should require proper training to every personnel involved to eliminate possible damages.
IT Infrastructure. When we speak of Information Technology infrastructure, I think it refers to the physical attributes of a hardware. Like a desktop computer for example. Whenever an innovation occur, it is not just the software that innovates, but also the hardware. There are times when the hardware can not cope up with the system requirement of a software, reason why, infrastructure such as platforms and specs are considered as one of the barrier during Information system implementation.
Time. Time can be the worst enemy during an IS implementation. Certainly, no organization can handle time. Timeline exceeds whenever great damages are encountered. As stated above, lack of training can be one of the reasons why an organization exceeds their duration. There are many controllable and uncontrollable factors that can ruin the timeline. To address this, the organization or team must develop and evaluate more strategies and plans that will speed up their implementation.
Priorities. There are times when an organization finds another priority. Instead to quicken up implementation, they find another target or another apple of the eye which delays the work.
Changing Technologies. Due to constant change of technology nowadays, the company finds it hard to cope up every now and then, in an organization like sony, they must follow the trend of today. Because of this, the organization / company finds hard to decide the final plans for the system because they may tend to look for much newer trend.
Planning. Planning too long can be a hindrance to IS implementation. Staff assigned may make changes every now and then. Afterwards, consultations to the management must be done. Reason why, the IT people assigned to implement the said IS can not make a move because of changing plans and decisions most of the time. Other good example is, when the organization plans not too well. Without any consultations from the experts that makes the implementation mush faster, but the result? Repetition of work. So, to address this, the organization must have a timeline for planning. Six months would be enough I think.
Fear. Fear of insults, discriminations, and other ill factors that will lead the people involved in the implementation in vain. Also, lack of trust from the colleagues that will lead to fear of what would be outcome if the implementation would take place which is not a good attitude. If you are involved in changing your IS, you must have the confidence that you can make it and trust to your co-workers in order for the team to be united.
http://www.zu.ac.ae/lthe/vol2no1/lthe02_05.pdf
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