Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
86 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
sustainable competitive advantage
|
financial performance that consistently outperforms industry averages
|
|
|
operational effectiveness
|
performing the same tasks better than rivals perform them
|
|
|
fast follower problem
|
exists when savvy rivals watch a pioneer's efforts, learn from their success and missteps, then ente the market quickly with a comparable or superior producti at a lower cost before the first mover can dominate
|
|
|
strategic positioning
|
performing different tasks than rivals, or the same tasks in different way
|
|
|
inventory turns
|
sometimes referred to as inventory turnover, stock turns, or stock turnover. it is the number of times inventory is sold or using during course of year. Higher figure means that firm is selling quickly
|
|
|
straddling
|
attempts to occupy more than one position, while failing to match the benefits of a more efficient, singularly focused rival
|
|
|
resource based view of competitive advantage
|
strategic thinking approach suggesting that if a firm is to maintain sustainable competitive advatnage, it must control an explotitable resourscce or set of resources that have four critical characteristics
1 - valuable 2- rare 3-imperfectly imitable 4 - nonsubstitutable |
|
|
value chain
|
set of activities through which a product or service is created and delivered to customers
|
|
|
brand
|
symbolic embodiment of all the information connected with a product or service
|
|
|
viral marketing
|
leveraging consumers to promote a product or service
|
|
|
switching costs
|
cost consumer incurs when moving from one product to another. Can involve actual money spent as well as investments in time, data loss, etc.
|
|
|
network effects
|
value of a product increases as number of users expand
|
|
|
operating system
|
software that controls computer hardware and establishes standards for developing and executing applications
|
|
|
applications
|
include desktop applications, enterprise software, utilities and other programs that perform specific tasks for users
|
|
|
user interface (UI)
|
mechanism through which users interact with a computing device. The UI includes elements of the graphical user interface GUI windows, scroll bars, buttons, mneus and dialogue boxes and can also include other forms of interaction, such as touch screens, motion sensing controllers, or tactile devises used by visually impaired
|
|
|
Operating system relationship with programmers
|
designed to give programmers a common set of commands to consistently interact with the hardware. Reduces program complexity and easier, faster, minimizes error
|
|
|
firmware
|
software stored on nonvolatile memory chips (as opposed to being stored on devices such as hard drives or removable discs) Despite the seemingly permanent nature of firmware, many products allow for firmware to be upgraded online or by connecting to another
|
|
|
embedded systems
|
Special-purpose softare designed and included inside physical products (often on firmware). Embedded systems help make devices "smarter" sharing usage information, helping diagnose problems, indicating maintenance schedules, providing alerts, or enabling devices to take orders from other systems
|
|
|
platform
|
products and services that allow for the development and integration of software products and other complementary goods. Windows, the Iphone, the Wii, and the standards that allow users to create Facebook apps are all platforms
|
|
|
desktop software
|
applications installed on a personal computer, typically supporting tasks performed by a single user
|
|
|
enterprise software
|
applications that address the needs of multiple users throughout an organization or work group
|
|
|
sofware package
|
software product offered commercially by a third party
|
|
|
enterprise resource planning (ERP)
|
software package that integrates the many functions (accounting, finance, inventory management, human resources, etc.) of a business
|
|
|
ERP multiple modules can touch many functions of business
|
sales - takes order
inventory - checks what can be shipped, what needs to be made manufacturing - ramp up production HR - need to hire workers for plant Purchasing - raw material count order tracking - other available products decision support - see if sales are in Europe -- expand |
|
|
customer relationship management (CRM)
|
systems used to support customer related sales and markting activities
|
|
|
supply chain management (SCM)
|
systems that can help a firm manage aspects of its value chain, from the flow of raw materials into the firm, through delivery of finished products and services at the point of consumption
|
|
|
business intelligence (BI) systems
|
systems that use data created by other systems to provide reporting and analysis for organizational decision making
|
|
|
database management system (DBMS)
|
sometimes referred to as database software, software for creating, maintaining and manipulating data
|
|
|
distributed computing
|
form of computing where systems in different locations communicate and collaborate to complete a task
|
|
|
server
|
(hardware) - computer configured to support requests from other computers
(software) program that fulfills requests (Apache open source Web server) |
|
|
client
|
software program that makes requests of a server program (in case of WWW - client is browser)
|
|
|
application server
|
software that houses and serves business logic for use (and reuse) by multiple applications
|
|
|
web services
|
small pieces of code that are accessed via the application server which permit interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network
|
|
|
advantages of web services
|
when computers talk together (instead of humans) results in fewer errors, time savings, cost reductions, and can even create whole new ways of doing business
|
|
|
application programming interfaces (APIs)
|
programming hooks, or guidelines, published by firms that tell other programs how to get a service to perform a task such as send or receive data. For example, Amazon provides APIs to let developers write their own applications and Websites that can send the firm orders
|
|
|
Southwest Airlines example
|
Southwest Airlines website. Users can book flights. But wanted to rent car too. Southwest and hotel, car rental partners created set web services and shared the APIs. Now user can do everything on southwest.com
|
|
|
EDI (electronic data interchange)
|
set of standards for exchanging messages containing formatted data between computer applications
|
|
|
extensible markup language (XML)
|
tagging language that can be used to identify data fields made available for use by other applications. Most APIs and web services send messages where the data exchanged is wrapped in identifying XML tags
|
|
|
programming language
|
provides the standards, syntax, statements and instructions for writing computer software
|
|
|
integrated development environment (IDE)
|
application that includes an editor (a sort of programmer's word processer) debugger, and compiler, among other tools
|
|
|
compile
|
step in which program code written in a language that humans can more easily understand, is converted into a from (expressed in binary) that can be understood and executed by microprocessor. Programmers using conventional programming languages must compile software before making it available for execution
|
|
|
why do technology projects fail?
|
unrealistic unclear goals
poor leadership inaccurate estimates badly defined system poor reporting of status immature technology unmanaged risks politics commercial pressure |
|
|
sensor
|
series of measurements of output
|
|
|
comparator
|
compares measurements with an idealized model
|
|
|
activator
|
triggers a response
|
|
|
closed/mechanistic system
|
rigid not subject to change
predictable insular - not affected by outside world ex) payroll always calculated the same |
|
|
open/adaptive system
|
fluid
less predictable organic/adaptive ex) decision support system (manufacture with raw materials) i.e., how much barely to committ for next 8 weeks? |
|
|
why are adaptive systems complicated
|
1) lot of decisions
2) information we have is probabilistic, guessing 3) no financial reality - systems are combination of both |
|
|
CSF ?
|
Critical success factor. Used to determine right IT i n macro level (how will tech help the business)
|
|
|
Micro level of choosing IT software must understand business/organizational
|
create IT player that is idiot proof
contrary traders using intense technologies what what are we doing....the people, employees |
|
|
Power Structure
|
one's power coorelates to ability to interpret, respond to information
understand and make rapid good decisions could support power structure but can also subvert it everyone has access to internet, too many decision makers |
|
|
Strategic IT
|
market share, IT expected to increase market share, market penetration
Commodity 1) IT allows differential to the extent that it shifts basis of competition 2) Barriers to entry (patents, copyrights, expense, capital costs, technologiical know how) 3) switching costs 4) sustainability |
|
|
3 Parts of CPU
|
Control Unit
Arithmatic Logic Main Memory/Primary Storage |
|
|
Control Unit?
|
part that controls mechanics, choreography of what is happening inside computer
|
|
|
Arithmatic Logic
|
conceptual part, dealing with mathematics Boolean logic (true or false)
2 things we do the most in business app 1) searching - checking inventory, information, stock ticker, etc. 2) sorting - ex) displaying checking account by data (A>B, A) |
|
|
Main Memory
|
RAM - volatile (if system disrupts, RAM is lost)
critical - only instructions we can execute, data we can process constraining resource - often want to run application > RAM space |
|
|
Secondary Storage
|
gneerally larger (think hard drive)
nonvolatile permanent |
|
|
We want to run application bigger than RAM
|
swopping - not all instructions need to be in RAM at smae time
Virtual memory storage - more RAM - swop less often some applications need min. amt |
|
|
different levels of processing
|
dedicated system - only 1 thing working/running does not exist
multitasking multiprogramming multiprocessing parallel processing |
|
|
multitasking
|
same computer multiple applications at the same time taking terms rapidly enough to be considered at same time. not unusal to have 30 apps running at start up
|
|
|
multiprogramming
|
multiple users mainframe server.
every app gets small piece of ram item in run state, ready state, wait state |
|
|
multiprocessing
|
same computer has multiple CPUs, multiple RAM
5 CPUs, 5 RAMs, 5 insturctions running literally at the same time ex) analogy opening up more lanes of lincoln tunnel OS is critical |
|
|
parrallel processing
|
single job put over multiple processors
execution time -- very quick not typical ex) radar systems navigation systems |
|
|
system software (8 different system functions
|
1) Processor/Job management - keeping track of all jobs. Longest wait time runs next
2) memory management - RAM has to be shared 3) Data File Management - multple people trying to use same data same time ex) locking to prevent opening 2 word docs at same time 4) Device management - processing 1 job at a time. Printer - 1 job at time 5) security - authenitcation of users 6) utilties - miscellaneous, archicves backups 7) telecomm 8) compilation (1st 7 common to all comps) only revelant to software developers |
|
|
system software function characterisitcs
|
allocation - who gets to run
deallocation - knocked out of the run state prioritization - ex) first in first out optimization - more efficient use of RAM space (defrag - repacking HD efficiently) |
|
|
source, compiler, object libraries diagram
|
source ----- compiler --- object
l l libraries |
|
|
compiler activty
|
looks into syntax we write, low level debugging
clears syntactical errors then translates source code into object repeat process until program is ready then becomes an .exe buying an .exe not source code |
|
|
open source
|
ex) Linux anybody can look at the source
reason for doing this bugs & modifications |
|
|
Generation Languages
|
1st - machine language 0s and 1s
2nd - assembly language, syntax needs to write logical, physical instruction 3rd - procedoral languages. no longer writes physical, just logical 4th - nonprocedural languages (statistical languages SAS, DBMS) not physical, not logical...only commands |
|
|
2 different types of codes developer writes
|
logical insturction - mathematical, boolean logic ex) single file size order - compare heights
physical instructions - mechanical telling computer how to do it ex) what memory address at each step |
|
|
advantages of "off the shelf software"
|
core competency (yield to)
track record (stability) vendor support/warranty predictable cost inudstry standard (workforce, force SOPs, middleware) updates/upgrades "zero" development time can see/assess product trials |
|
|
disadvantages of "off the shelf software"
|
security risk
availability/fit locus of control shift (timing of upgrades, pricing of upgrades, inclusion of features) |
|
|
advantages of "custom"
|
no other option
better fit retain control maybe cheaper/ more cost efficient (situational) |
|
|
disadvantages of "custom"
|
retain control (our headache)
probabilistic development time/cost probabilistic end product training users no track record disruptiveness |
|
|
Feasibility analysis of IT valuation 2 different paradigms
|
1) Role and Functiobution
2) contribution |
|
|
Role and Function
|
assessment of comprehensiveness and sophistication of solutions
BASIC 1) simple, repetive batch application 2) real time transactions processing 3) generation of predefined mgt. reports COMPLEX 4) simple statistical analysis (mean variance correlation) 5) modeling - time series, regressional 6) consequence analysis 7) Expert system |
|
|
contribution
|
end game analysis where IT is the means
impact analysis, bottom line, business impact |
|
|
2 TYPES OF contribution
|
tangible (quantifiable impact, usually talking about direct $)
less tangible - feel good impacts (satisfcation, customer and employee) |
|
|
impacts of innovation
|
positive - anticipated --- target
positive - latent --- lucky negative - anticipated -- calculated negative - latent -- unlucky |
|
|
2 impacts of tangible impact
|
gross profit
operating costs |
|
|
examples of less tanglble benefits
|
customer satisfacction
employee satisfaction better accuracy participation in deicions making better access to data - can consider more alternatives decision making speed |
|
|
observations on tangible impact
|
1) difficult to quantify
easier to quantify in retrospect vested in the simplest systems, more sophiscated role and function, more difficult to find tangible simpler process - see effects greater, saving money on personnel salaries very quantifiable problem with forecasting systme could get same results by flipping a coin |
|
|
feasibility analysis
|
1) technical feasibility "tool" right software?
2) organizational/operational feasibility - appropriate for specific org 3) costs (economic) feasibility |
|
|
why open source
|
cost
reliability - more people to fix bugs security scalability - agility and time to market |
|
|
total cost of ownership (TCO)
|
all the costs associated with the design, development, testing, implementation, documentation, training and maintenance of a software system
|
|
|
Benefits of SaaS (software as a service) companies
|
lower costs by eliminating or reducing software, hardware, maintenance and staff
financial risk mitigation since start up costs are so low potentially faster deployment times compared with installed packaged software higher quality and service levels |
