INFS 421 AUTOMATION OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS Examination Revision NOTES

Transcription

1 INFS 421 AUTOMATION OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS Examination Revision NOTES 11/17/2018 Dr Philip Nukpe - 1

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3 ebusiness (e-business) or Electronic Business is the administration of conducting business via the Internet. This includes the buying and selling of goods and services, along with providing technical or customer support through the Internet. Electronic Business is a broader term that encompasses other common terms such as e-commerce and e-tailing it refers to the use of the Web, Internet, intranets, extranets or some combination thereof to conduct business.

4 Benefits of e-commerce include its around-the-clock availability, the speed of access, the wide availability of goods and services for the consumer, easy accessibility, and international reach. Its perceived downsides include sometimes limited customer service, consumers not being able to see or touch a product prior to purchase and the waiting time for shipping.

5 There are typically five types of online B2C business models Direct sellers: People buy goods from online retail sites. These can include manufacturers or small businesses or simply online versions of department stores. Online intermediaries: These are liaisons or go-betweens who don t actually own products or services that put buyers and sellers together. e.g. Expedia, Trivago or Etsy. Advertising-based B2C: These websites offer a free service to consumers and use advertising revenue to cover costs. An example would be media sites like the Huffington Post. Community-based: Sites like Facebook, which builds online communities based on shared interests, help marketers and advertisers get their products directly to consumers. Fee-based: Direct-to-consumer sites like Netflix will charge a fee so consumers can access their content. Sometimes, the site can also offer free, but limited content, while charging for most of it. Dr Philip Nukpe 11/17/2018-5

6 This is selling products or services between businesses through the Internet via an online sales portal. In general, it is used to improve efficiency for companies. Supply chains are distinctive for B2B transactions. They involve companies providing components or raw materials from one to another.

7 For example, an automobile manufacturer makes several B2B transactions such as buying tires, glass for windscreens and rubber hoses for its vehicles. A final transaction, a finished vehicle sold to the consumers is a single B2B transaction. Examples of B2B. Industrial supply Grainger, MSC Industrial, Fastenal, McMaster- Carr, Ferguson, Parts Now. Office supplies Staples, Quill, Office Max Alibaba, Carolina Biological.

8 It is a business model that facilitates the transaction of products or services between customers. Examples is the classifieds section of a newspaper or an auction. In both of these cases, a customer, not a business sells goods or services to another customer. E-bay is an website and leading service for classified ads consumer buy and sell and conduct other transactions such as housing and job searches. Amazon, which acts as both a B2C and a C2C marketplace

9 This is a business model in which consumers (individuals) create value and business consume the value. Another form of C2B is the electronic commerce business model in which consumers can offer products and services to companies and the companies pay the consumers. A consumer provides a business with a fee based opportunity to market their products on the consumer s blog. It is a reversal of the traditional business model of B2C. Examples could be a blogger of a photographer offering stock images to businesses.

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11 A new main objective has to be stated for the new system. System requirement for the new system are stated. Based on these requirements, alternative solutions to the problem are put forward. Out of these solutions one is preferred and the justification for the selected one is then documented. Advantages of the proposed system are put forward for consideration. Constraints about the chosen solutions are outlined. This could be financial, cultural, and any other internal ones.

12 Factors for the selection of hardware for an automated system. The factors for the selection of hardware can be grouped under Organizational Management Technical

13 ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS Organizational factors therefore the following conditions will have to be met in order to select hardware: adequate power supply, suitable physical space and a secure environment. Any standards or regulations regarding hardware selection. The operating system and hardware platforms. The network status of the Information System Security measures must be put in place Regular schedule for backing up data

14 MANAGEMENT ISSUES The following management issues should be taken into consideration when selecting hardware: There should be protection against power surges. Use of Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) transformers and power surge control Any hardware purchased should be compatible to any computer hardware that may already exist in the information system. Systematic plan for the purchase and maintenance of computers and budgets for hardware purchased and maintenance be integrated into organization wide budget. Appropriate (Physical) security or environmental controls.

15 TECHNICAL ISSUES The following are technical issues that should be taken into consideration when selecting hardware: Hardware selected should have storage, processing and memory capacities exceeding the requirements stated by the software. Programs may require more memory capacity than a particular microcomputer offers. Can the RAM and VRAM be upgraded? The speed of the computer should be determined Computers must be configured to support the types of peripheral devices needed for the management of records must be selected The Input /Output bus or data bus being used must be determined.

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17 Automation is defined as the use of Control Systems such as computers to control industrial machinery and processes i.e. replacing human operators. Or Automation is defined as an assembly of computer hardware, software, firmware, or any combination of these, configured to perform repeated actions with limited human intervention to achieve a specific business need. Dr Philip Nukpe 11/17/

18 FIXED AUTOMATION This is sometimes called hard automation. It is a system in which the sequence of processing or assembling is fixed by physical equipment configurations. Its suitable for products that are made in large volumes. Example: Automobile industry, steel rolling, paper production. PROGRAMMABLE AUTOMATION This is a form of automation used in the production of batches (or quantities) of products. Products are made in batches ranging from several dozens to several thousand units at a time. FLEXIBLE AUTOMATION This is an extension of programmable automation. It is a system capable of producing a variety of products with virtually no time lost due to change over from one product to the next. All Advantages and Disadvantages must be studied

19 The Environment Economics and Co-operation The Influence of Consultants The Influence of the Computer Revolution Influence of International Bodies

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21 Artificial intelligence is the intelligence exhibited my machines or software, and the branch of computer science that develops machines and software with intelligence. AI researchers define it as the study and design of a system (intelligent agents) that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chances of success. The aim of AI is to develop computers that can think, as well as see, hear, talk and feel.

22 Some of the attributes of intelligent behaviour. AI is attempting to duplicate Thinking and reasoning Using reasoning to solve problems Learning and understanding from experience Acquiring and applying knowledge Exhibiting creativity and imagination Dealing with complex or perplexing situations Recognizing the relative importance of elements in a situation Handling ambiguous, incomplete or erroneous

23 The main areas of AI that keep on changing are illustrated below. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Cognitive Science Application Expert systems Learning systems Fuzzy logic Genetic algorithms Neural networks Intelligent agents Robotics Application Visual perception Tactility Dexterity Locomotion Navigation Natural Interface Application Natural languages Speech recognition Multisensory interface Virtual reality

24 Cognitive Sciences: This area of artificial intelligence is based on research in biology, neurology, psychology, mathematics and may allied disciplines. It focuses on how the human brain works and humans think and learn. Robotics: AI, engineering and physiology are the basic disciplines of robotics. This technology produces robot machines with computer intelligence and computer-controlled human like physical capabilities. Natural Interface: Involves research and development in linguistics, psychology, computer science and other disciplines. This area of AI drives developments in the voice recognition and response technology

25 Types of Automated Information Systems Dr Philip Nukpe 11/17/

26 There are different options these days when it comes to Automating information systems. Some include internet-based services, outsourcing, customer solution from Information Technology consultants and enterprisewide software strategies as well as open some systems. However all these fall under two broad categories namely, Systems sold by firms to organizations Systems developed in-house or co-operatively on cost-sharing not-for-profit basis.

27 In-House Developed Systems This is an information system designed for a particular organization by someone contracted to do so or designed by a member of staff for the organization. Co-operation is achieved at three levels: Sharing the cost of the system development Sharing database Sharing hardware. An example of the co-operatively shared system is CDS/Isis (Computerised Documentation Service / Integrated Set of Information Systems) which was developed by UNESCO. Dr Philip Nukpe 11/17/

28 SYSTEMS SOLD BY FIRMS These can be systems outsourced, systems developed by IT organizations such as iii (discontinued version of the Unix operating system), innovative etc., and sold to organizations such as University of Ghana or University of Michigan. Others are also off-the shelf packages and are mostly turnkey systems. A turnkey system means a system supplied completely with hardware and software to the purchaser s specification and installed ready for operation. In other words, by turning the key, the system becomes operational.

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