Knowledge Worker in the Context of Todays Business World - Assignment Example

SURVEY OF IS THEORY Survey of IS Theory Student Name: Student’s Number: Date: Student Declaration Table of Contents Contents Contents 2 What is a ‘knowledge worker’ in the context of today’s business world? There are varied definitions of the term knowledge worker. With the rise of computerisation, knowledge and information are important for the performance of the organization and can effectively influence the direction that an organization takes. Knowledge workers are people who work in the organization utilising their understanding, mental capability and potential, as well as the capacity to communicate for the benefit of the organization. The organization benefits through informed decision making and problem solving and positively influencing organizational strategies and priorities What is the difference between “information technologies” and “information systems”? Whereas the terms have been used information systems and information technology interchangeably to imply the same thing, the terms share a common basis, but refer to different undertakings. In some literature, Information Technology refers to a subset of Information systems. By definition, information systems is a set made up of different hardware, network technologies databases, software, org-ware, regulations, policies and procedures and interconnected components that collaborate to get, process, store, utilize and distribute information to enhance organizational control and decision making. Information systems refer to means by which people and organisations, utilising technologies to foster organizational performance. On the other hand, Information Technology is concerned with the functions that are important towards system operations. Information Technology entails diverse concepts such as hardware, software, data management and telecommunications infrastructure. Information technology is more about the underlying technologies for the systems functionalities. Information systems therefore is a wide set of considerations which encompasses information technology, as well as other different understandings including conceptual behavioural concepts and business applications which are internal and external to the organizations. View the four sites suggested by Valacich: www.informationweek.com www.computerworld.com; www.cio.com; www.newsfactor.com. Write a paragraph on which technologies and issues seem to be current (‘hot’) at the moment, and which seem to be most important to business managers, according to each of these sites. As of May, 2011 the currently hot technology according to information week at www.informationweek.com, the host issue is the Cognos Business Analytics. According to the site, Business analytics such as IBM Cognos 10 BI, have been advancing with personal data sources, in-memory, disconnected dashboards and better dashboards. The innovative nature of the BI is outlined in the site by detailed analysis of vendors and developers such as such as Oracle BI EE 11g integration with WebCenter, SAP StreamWork and Information Builders collaboration in their Performance Management Framework. The site www.computerworld.com considers the development of iPad 2 has a hot issue. Most of the web pages in the site discusses the features of The iPad 2 which is the successor of the IPad tablet computer, iPad 2 available in two colours, black and white provides a platform for audio-visual media such as web content, games, movies, periodicals, music and books. The iPad 2 has VGA front facing and 720p rear-facing cameras purposely for FaceTime video calling and dual core Apple A5 processor as well as a lithium-polymer battery.  iPad 2 is shipped with different applications including Spotlight Search, Safari, Photo Booth, Camera, Contacts, Notes, Calendar, Maps, App Store, iBooks, iPod, iTunes,  Photos, Mail, YouTube and, Video. Apple has adopted diverse marketing techniques for the iPad 2. www.cio.com The site considers the cloud-computing concept of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS),as a hot issues. The dedicates several links and web pages to SaaS, using the internet to delivery services to the customers. This is relevant to business managers, since they can be utilize software, not available to the organization through sourcing from the internet. http://www.newsfactor.com According to the site, cloud computing is a hot issue. Cloud computing is mentioned severally in the site, and issues related to cloud computing are discussed in the site. The issue is relevant to the business managers, since cloud computing offers several benefits to the organization. What are four major types of Information Systems and how do organisations use them for competitive advantage There are four types of information systems, which serve different purposes in the organization. This includes Transaction processing systems (TPS) which are used by the operational management. The middle level management use the Management Information Systems and Decision Support systems while the top level management utilize the Executive Support systems. Transaction processing systems are the commonly used information systems. The systems serve the organizations for essential daily functionalities such as deposits, payroll, sales and flow of materials. Transaction processing systems serve specific tasks and serve as the source of content for other systems. Therefore, they are at the lowest level in the organizational information system hierarchy, lack of Transaction processing systems impairs the functionality and performance of the other systems. At the next level in the hierarchy are the Management Information Systems. The systems, which serve the middle level management, enhance organizational monitoring and administration. Management Information Systems utilize the data generated by the Transaction Processing systems to generate reports for monitoring, control and prediction of the businesses performance. Decision support systems are also used by the middle level management and in some cases by the top management. The primary data input to the Decision support systems are the information and data generated by the Management information systems and Transaction processing systems as well as data from external sources. The top management in the organization use the Executive support systems. These systems uses data from varied sources, both within and outside the organization to assist the executive in strategic decision makes. Imagine you are in charge of designing a new videoconferencing system for a large multinational. What are some features you would include as essential and why are they essential? Essential features of video conferencing Video conferencing has gained acceptance as an interactive business communication tool. An important feature to decide on is the Multi-Protocol Label Switching vs. Scalable Video Coding, which determines the quality of service of an organizations video conferencing system. The quality of service is directly proportional to the bandwidth supporting the video conferencing system, the higher the bandwidth, the better the sound quality and higher definition video. It is therefore vital to decide on the route to use between Multi-Protocol Label Switching from the business’ internet service provider and scalable video coding, which is relatively less expensive. The Gateway Service is also a vital video conferencing component. This is implemented to ensure that there is platform independence in terms of communication systems, software and hardware. The gateway service enables organizations to have to video conferences with other businesses, independent of the existence of video conference system and set-up at the other communicating party. Another essential feature is the Video Conferencing Presentation Modes. Considering that there are different presentation modes, and each mode serving its own purpose, it is important to make a choice on which mode to use, such as continuous presence, voice activated switching and lecture mode. Video Conferencing Interaction is also an important feature. This includes features such as interactive enhancing functionalities such as desktop sharing, recording and white board, slide show, text chat and file transfer. Which features would be nice to have but may not be essential? There are features, which enhance video conferencing capability, but are not critically essential. These are aimed at creating excellent experience and environment, and includes features such as Consistent room look and feel, Dedicated room, Full High definition video quality and capability, discerning technology and specialized lighting & acoustics Read More