Revision Questions ! For Discussions in next class 1 What is an information system? What activities does it perform?

The textbook defines an information system as a set of interrelated components that work together to collect, process, store, and disseminate information to support decision making, coordination, control, analysis, and visualization in an organization. In addition to supporting decision making, coordination, and control, information systems may also help managers and workers analyze problems, visualize complex subjects, and create new products. 2. What are the Internet and the World Wide Web? How have they changed the role played by information systems in organizations?

The Internet is the worlds largest and most widely used network. It is a global network of networks that uses universal standards to connect millions of different networks with more than 350 million host computers (public and private networks) in over 200 countries around the world. Over 500 million people working in science, education, government, and business connect to the Internet ever day. Individuals and organizations use the Internet to exchange information and perform business transactions with other individuals and organizations around the globe. It should be noted that the digital firm uses the Internet as its primary technology platform. The Internet has created a new universal technology platform on which to build new products, services, strategies, and business models. For most business firms today, using Internet technology is both a business necessity and a competitive advantage.

The World Wide Web is a system with universally accepted standards for storing, retrieving, formatting, and displaying information in a networked environment. The Web is a part of the Internet that provides a graphically-based system of pages for storing information on the Internet. Web pages contain text, graphics, animations, sound and video and are linked to other Web pages. By clicking on highlighted words or buttons on a Web page, you can link to related pages to find additional information and links to other locations on the Web.

The Internet and World Wide Web have had a tremendous impact on the role information systems play in organizations. The Internet and World Wide Web are responsible for the increased connectivity and collaboration within and outside the organization. The Internet, World Wide Web, and other technologies have led to the redesign and reshaping of organizations. The Internet and World Wide Web have helped transform the organizations structure, scope of operations, reporting and control mechanisms, work practices, work flows, and products and services.

3. Name and describe four quality-of-life impacts of computers and information systems.

Four quality of life impacts of computers and information systems include: Jobs can be lost when computers replace workers or tasks become unnecessary in reengineered business processes Ability to own and use a computer may be exacerbating socioeconomic disparities among different racial groups and social classes. Widespread use of computers increases opportunities for computer crime and computer abuse Computers can create health problems, such as repetitive stress injury, computer vision syndrome, and technostress. 4. What are the three different regimes that protect intellectual property rights? What challenges to intellectual property rights does the Internet pose?

Intellectual property is subject to a variety of protections under three different legal traditions: Trade secrets Copyright Patent law

Traditional copyright laws are insufficient to protect against software piracy because digital material can be copied so easily. Internet technology also makes intellectual property even more difficult to protect because digital material can be copied easily and transmitted to many different locations simultaneously over the Net. Web pages can be constructed easily using pieces of content from other Web sites without permission.

6.

List and describe the components of IT infrastructure that firms need to manage.

IT infrastructure today is composed of seven major components. Students may wish to use Figure 5-10 to answer the question. Internet Platforms Apache, Microsoft IIS, .NET, UNIX, Cisco, Java Computer Hardware Platforms Dell, IBM, Sun, HP, Apple, Linux machines Operating Systems Platforms Microsoft Windows, UNIX, Linux, Mac OS X

Enterprise Software Applications (including middleware), SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Microsoft, BEA Networking/Telecommunications Microsoft Windows Server, Linux, Novell, Cisco, Lucent, Nortel, MCI, AT&T, Verizon Consultants and System Integrators IBM/KPMG, EDS, Accenture

Data Management and Storage IBM DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, Sybase, MySQL, EMC Systems

3. Define and describe the following: Web server, application server, multitiered client/server architecture.

Web server: software that manages requests for Web pages on the computer where they are stored and that delivers the page to the users computer. Application server: software that handles all application operations between browserbased computers and a companys back-end business applications or databases. Multitiered client/server architecture: client/server network in which the work of the entire network is balanced over several different levels of servers.