Chapter 15- Utility Computing

According to Wikipedia, "Utility computing is the packaging of computing resources, such as computation and storage, as a metered service similar to a traditional public utility" (2008).

This is an interesting article I found today regarding the use of utility computing in a company. The article revolves around 3Tera's cloud computing technology made in place in Australia and New Zealand. According to the article, the AppLogic operating system, grid operating system for scalable web applications and services, is the first platform that is designed to create utility computing.

Furthermore, the author of the article indicated that cloud and utility computring allow the company to focus more on building its applications rather than modifying code, moving data and others.

According to the article, "the architecture of the AppLogic is unique in four important aspects:"

1. "AppLogic makes Linux and Windows an integral part of the infrastructure"
2. "AppLogic makes infrastructure an integral part of each application"
3. "AppLogic treats distributed applications as first-class objects"
4. "AppLogic is a grid operating system for web applications"

The following are links to what Applogic operating is all about and the article itself.

http://www.3tera.com/Technology/
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/268104/firstservis_launches_3tera_cloud_computing_technology_australia_new_zealand

Chapter 12- Voice Technologies

I stumbled on this article. The article is about voice technology. To be specific, the article talks about iPhone getting voice-powered search from Google. With this kind of application, users of iPhone will be able to conduct searches using their voices rather than using typing, something that is currently done by all iPhone users. The article talks about how the voice search application works. The detailed processes of how voice search application works is in the article.

The article also states that through a collaboration with Apple, Google is finally catching up with its existing competitors, that is, Microsoft and Yahoo. It's just interesting to know that Google continuously diversifies its line of products to compete with the aforementioned companies and stay competitive in the marketplace. I believe that this collaboration will help both Google and Apple gain competitive advantages in the business environment.

The link of the article is shown below: Have a nice time reading this article.

http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/11/iphone_gets_voi.html

Chapter 12- Artificial Intelligence

I found this article today regarding the use of artificial intelligence. Basically, the article states that artificial intelligence is near from perfectly mimicking a human, that is, in terms of allowing one to simultaneously speak with different people at the same. Although it's quite interesting that artificial intelligence makes a beneficial contribution to the companies as a whole through lower labor costs and increased efficiency, it somehow is detrimental to a number of employees within the company (i.e. laying off employees in exchange for automation).

Although artificial intelligence can never be a substitute to a human, artificial intelligence, for example in this article, can analyze vast amount of data, can reason out like human do, among others. I believe that the article was correct in claiming that in some parts, computers do better jobs at analyzing and understanding the needs of individuals. I totally agree with the article when it said that artificial intelligence has tremendously grown and advanced in the recent years and that it had gradually creeping in and becoming more integrated in the social fabric of the world.

If you want to read more about the article, or if you want the detailed information, please just click the link below:

http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2008/nov/05/artificial-intelligence-reaching-new-heights/

MiniCase 1: Lexmark International Improves Operations with BI

4. How can the system improve customer service?
There are several ways that business intelligence can improve customer service. One of the ways is by having the right and updated information at the right time, thus allowing the customer service representative or the likes to provide timely, update and accurate services to the customers. With the use of BI system, the organization or the individual providing services to the (prospective) customers will have a clear idea as to what products are missing in the store, the inventory level of products, and others. By understanding such concepts or intricate information, the organization or representative of the organization will be able to best serve the needs of its customers.

5. Go to MicroStrategy's Web Site (microstrategy.com) and examine the capabilities of Retail IB system. Prepare a list.
In MicroStrategy's Web Site, two different business intelligence services and products are discussed: The MicroStrategy Business Intelligence Platform and MicroStrategy Business Intelligence Services.

Features of BI Platform
1. Unification of reporting, analysis and real-time business.
2. Simple initial implementation.
3. Low entry cost.

Features of BI Services
1. Maximization of organization's return on investment through the utilization of hundreds of professionals of Microstrategy.
2. Services provide include consulting and beta programs.

6. Go to the SAS Web Site (sas.com) and find their Retail Intelligence product (take interactive tour). Compare it with Microsoft's product. Also, compare it with Oracle Retail (oracle.com/retek).

SAS' Retail Intelligence, Microsoft Intelligence Products, and Oracle Retail
SAS Retail Intelligence:
-provides right information, at the right time and at the right format.
-fast, simple and complete system.
-provides capabilities that are appropriate in different skills within the organization.
-allows users to see relationships among data, documentations that are not easily available in manual or non-usage of BI system.
-provides services like reporting, office integration, query and analysis, OLAP, business visualization and integrated analytics.

Microsoft Business Intelligence:
- breaks down its business intelligence by personal BI, team BI and organizational BI.
-provides services like data warehousing, data integration, OLAP, reporting, analysis, predictive analytics, scorecards and dashboards, planning and budgeting, delivery, and enterprise research.
-BI services provides the needed services in different business roles, industry, and segment.
-Microsoft has four different kinds of BI products: SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008, 2007 Office System, and PerformancePoint Server 2007.
www.microsoft.com/bi

Oracle Retail
- It monitors business processes or activities in real-time and alerts staff members to exceptions or the next business process.
- It enhances product cycle managmeent and improves supply-chain management.
- It increases productivity.
- Improved uniformity of business operations.
- Oracle Retail has different products. These products include not only Retail Intelligence but also Oracle Database, Oracle Retail DataWarehouse, Oracle Retail Business Intelligence Accelerator, Oracle Retain Extract, Transform and Load, Oracle Retail Integration Bus and Oracle Retail Integrator.
http://www.oracle.com/applications/retail/bi/index.html

Some More Info about Knowledge Management

This is a website where you can find additional information about knowledge management. The pieces of information found in this website are not found elsewhere in the book we're using. I found it quite informative and hope you find it informative too. Just like the reasoning of the author of the article, I believe that in most of the organizations, if not all, there needs to have some forms of technology to support the organizations' knowledge management activities.

According to the article, in order for an organization to mitigate risks innate within and out of the control of the company, and to get the best possible project outcomes, organizations needs to abandon the use of the term knowledge management system (KMS). According to the author of the article, "the use of KMS is likely to cause considerable when evaluationg potential solutions."


http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/cmb_kmsystems/index.html

10.8 Ensuring Success of KM Efforts

Knowledge Management System (KM System) refers to a system for managing knowledge in organizations, supporting creation, capture, storage and dissemination of information (Wikipedia, 2008).

Organizations are able to gain substantial from the adoption and implemention of the knowledge management system or strategy. The following are the benefits of, causes of failure of, the factors leading to the success of, and the potential drawbacks of knowledge management systems.

Knowledge Management Valuation
- Asset-based approach. This approach starts with the identification of intellectual assets and then focuses on the organization's management's attention on increasing their value.
- Links knowledge to its applications and business benefits. It uses variants of a balanced scorecard, where financial measures are balanced against customer, process and innovation measures.

Types of Measures for Assessing the Effectiveness of a KM Initiative
- Results-oriented. This is financial in nature and might include such things as increase in goods sold.
- Activities-based. It considers how frequently users are accessing knowledge or contributing to knowledge.

Financial Metrics. Though traditional accounting measures are incomplete for measuring KM, they are sometimes being used to justify KM effort.
Nonfinancial Metrics. When one needs to evaluate intangibles, the following are the different ways to view capital.
- External Relationship Capital. Links with its partners, suppliers, customers, and others.
- Structural Capital. Work processes and systems that leverage competitiveness.
- Human Capital. This include the capacity and abilities of individuals.
- Social Capital. Relationship with the larger society.
- Environmental Capital. Relationships with the environment.

Causes of KM Failure
There are a number of reasons why knowledge management cause to fail. It is estimated that KM failure rates from 50 to 70 percent. These causes include but not limited to the following:
1. Too much information that is not easily searchable.
2. Inadequancy/Incompleteness of information in the system.
3. Inability to capture and categorize knowledge.
4. Lack of Commitment.
5. Overemphasis on technology at the expense of larger knowledge and people.
6. Lack of inadequate staff and resources.
7. Lack of clear understanding of KM benefits.
8. Overambitious scope of the KM effort.

Factors Leading to KM Success
The following steps are critical for every organization wishing that its organization to have a successful knowledge management systems.
1. Assess the strategic need for knowledge management in the first place.
2. Determine the current process of dealing with organizational knowledge is adequate and the organization's culture is ready for procedural changes.
3. Have an effective managerial influence in terms of control and measurement, project management and others.
4. Have key resources such as financial resources and cross functional expertise.
5. Take advantage of technological opportunities.
6. A knowledge-friendly culture leading directly to user support.
7. A link to a firm's economic value, to demonstrae financial viability and maintain executive sponsorship.
8. A level of process orientation to make a knowledge management effort worthwhile. In other words, new, improved work methods can be developed.

Potential Drawbacks To Knowledge Management Systems
1. Adaptability. Inability to deliver the expected performance outcomes.
2. Usability: Some users are not capable enough to use automated tools to get required information.

For more information about Knowledge Management visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_Management_System

Appendix 9A. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)- is a communication standard that enables the electronic transfer of routine documents such as purchase orders, between business partners. It reduces the costs, delays, and errors inherent in a manual document-delivery system.

Major Components of EDI
1. EDI Transistors. Converts data into a standard format before it is transmitted; then, the standard form is coverted to the original data.
2. Business transaction messages. These messages include but are not limited to purchase orders, confirmations and others.
3. Data formatting standards. Because EDI messages are repetitive, standards need to be formatted. These standards are formatted based on ANSI X.12.

The Benefits of EDI
1. Data entry errors are minimized. Because human has a limited role in entering data and that only one entry and an automatic check by the computer are done, the errors in data entry are substantially minimized.
2. Increased productivity. With minimization of data entry and of paper usage, employees within the organization are able to devote their time in more productive and effective ways. In short, they are able to use their time to different tasks and responsibilities that may not be possible without the adoption and utilization of EDI.
3. Minimized paper usage. Because data are stored in a computer system, the use of paper is minimized.
4. Increased customer service. Because all data are stored in a computer system, or in this case, EDI, customer service representatives are able to pull up information to effectively provide service to customers.

Limitations of Traditional EDI
1. Only about 100,000 companies out of several million businesses adopt the traditional EDI.
2. Due to its costs, only a few businessess utilize EDI.
3. Inflexibility of traditional EDI system.
4. Business processes of organizations need to be restructured to fit EDI requirements.

Benefits of Internet-based EDI
1. Accessibility. Because internet is easily accessible anywhere and has only a limited geographical constraints, Internet-based EDI is also easily accesible anywhere, thereby giving organizations more rooms for doing business instead of just doing such business in one room/building.
2. Reach. Because of internet's ability to reach wider demographics and geographical locations, organizations that are utilizing internet-based EDI can reach more trading/business partners.
3. Cost. Because internet-based EDI has lower costs than traditional EDI, more and more businesses are utilizing this type of EDI and fewer businesses use traditional EDI. With internet-based EDI, organizations will not necessarily have to pay for network transport, transalation and routing of EDI messages that companies using traditional EDI utilize.
4. Ease of Use. Because internet-based EDI are done using the internet, it is easier for employees to this type of EDI since almost everyone is familiar with the use of web browsers, search engines and others.
5. Added functionalities. The benefits of internet-based EDI includes collaboration, workflow and search engines capabilities.

Types of Internet-Based EDI
1. Internet e-mail can be used to transport EDI messages in place of a VAN.
2. EDI creates an extranet that enable trading partners of the organization to enter information into a Web form.

The Prospects of Internet-Based EDI
The following are excellent examples of the benefits of internet-based EDI:
1.Rapid Growth at CompuCom. When the organization adopted the use internet-based EDI and abandoned the use of traditional EDI, the organization was able to average 35,000 transactions.
2. Recruitment at Tradelink. When tradelink switched to internet-based system, it registered thousands of new companies to the systems.
3. Better Collaboration at Atkins Carlyle. When the organization moved to an internet-based EDI, the company was able to collaborate with more business partners.

Most pieces of information contained in this specific blog were obtained from Information Technology for Management Transforming Organizations in the Digital Economy 6E by Turban, Leidner, McLean and Wetherbe