Business Information Systems Essays

Business Information Systems Essays Business Information Systems Essay Business Information Systems Essay An evaluation of Apple Inc’s use of information systems through its website apple. com/ Introduction In the highly competitive world of business the ability to understand and make use of information systems can provide substantial benefits to an organization. The diversification of consumer taste and competition has put pressure on organizations to focus on customer involvement and business information systems have proven to be a versatile and useful tool in order to achieve this. Strategic information systems have the potential to allow an organization to gain a competitive advantage by accessing new markets and providing a more efficient and faster form of communication between managers. By improving communication within the organization, strategic information systems have the potential to reduce the cost of advertising, delivery, design and manufacturing. The purpose of this essay is to evaluate the use of information systems in consideration of Apple Incorporated’s website. About Apple Inc. Founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, the company was incorporated on January 3, 1977, under the company name Apple Computers. Initially the multinational company predominantly dealt as a manufacturer of personal computers, however in 2001 following the successful release of the iPod, the company established itself as a credible competitor within the consumer electronics industry. By 2010 Apple Inc had surpassed Microsoft in terms of market capitalization to become the largest technology company in the world. Apple Inc now provides 13 core products, including desktop computers, laptop computers, a tablet computer, a mobile phone range, a range of portable media players and a home media player. In addition, the company also provides accessories for all of its core products, as well as server and networking solutions. Furthermore Apple Inc provides both tangible products, as listed above, and intangible digital media through its software ‘iTunes’ and more recently via the newly launched ‘App Store’. Over 10 billion songs and applications have been downloaded via Apples software based digital media outlet and within the first quarter of 2010 Apple had sold 3. 36 million Macintosh computers, 8. 7 million iPhones and 21 million iPods (Apple Inc. ). As with other consumer electronics companies Apple Inc provides a comprehensive after sale support service including hardware, software and educational services through its websites and retail outlets. Apples main manufacturing facilities are located within China along with the majority of its suppliers of electrical components such as Foxconn Technology Group. The company has in excess of 70 offices worldwide with 46,600 permanent employees (United State Securities and Exchange Comission, 2010). Apple Inc’s current business model encompasses three broad categories those being, software engineering, hardware manufacturing and retail. The company operates across a multi-channel platform of commerce selling to customers through the use of its website, software based digital media outlet, official retail stores and franchised retail stores. In terms of e-commerce Apple acts as a content provider through iTunes the App Store, an online service provider through its ‘mobile me’ subscription service, an online marketplace providing an environment in which buyers and sellers can meet to procure apple targeted accessories, e-tailing in providing official apple products and social networking services through ‘Ping’ as well as its online support discussion boards. The company is also actively involved in M-commerce through mobile software on its portable media players, tablet computers and mobile devices using the iTunes store and App Store. In order to reduce time between the point of sale and delivery, Apple has made use of a Just In Time approach, in turn reducing inventory costs. The JIT production technique is an integrated socio-technical inventory management system famously pioneered by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Website interface and usability Apples website makes use of a monochromatic colour scheme providing a white backdrop whilst displaying product images in colour. This enables Apple to draw its customers towards the products rather than distracting them with an overly complex or distracting layout, a technique mirrored in their advertising campaigns. The aesthetics of their website closely follows the design of their core products with the use of monochromatic colours and gentle gradients to give the illusion of aluminium. Apple has strived to provide simplistic and stylish design and their website is no exception. The design of the website is a conscious effort in an attempt to unify the sense of style and design across Apples product lines and points of customer contact whilst giving the user the perception that the interface is simplistic and easily accessible. Individual pages are well structured giving the user the perception that the information displayed on the page flows which in turn reduces the likelihood that the user will lose interest or have difficulties in navigating the site. Apple is extremely successful and well known for its marketing techniques, its website is used as another point of contact for customers providing a medium to display its marketing prowess. Individual pages for core products normally begin with a large image or set of images of the product with headlines, the choice to watch an advertisement or feature video directly below and directly under this, smaller images accompanied with key features or unique selling points. Apple structures each page by showing key features and images of the product drawing the customer in and providing easy to navigate links to find out more on greater detailed pages followed by the ability to purchase resulting in a flowing chain of information leading the buyer from the hard sell, to the product information, to the sale itself. Navigation on the site centres around its navigation bar which remains fixed at the top of each page on the website providing consistency to the site. [pic]. The bar consists of separate segments focused towards its main products followed by a support option and finally a search feature. The company also makes use of this fixed banner for branding purposes with the apple logo embedded on the left hand side of the bar. Once an option is chosen the user is then taken to a more detailed page containing sub sections, these secondary pages normally have their own navigation sections to explore the issue further, in the case of the online store making use of a sidebar. Apples search feature on the navigation bar compliments the websites simple and flowing design very well in that it enables users to search and skip to the information they require straight away. The search bar uses AJAX live search results providing a benefit over traditional searching as results are shown as the customer types, narrowed as he or she continues and if the results become too narrow the user is able to delete words to broaden the search horizon. The search results are grouped in a drop down window below the search bar in an easy to understand manner. The text on the website is easily readable and headings are easily ascertainable. Apples website can be optimized for user compatibility by changing language and country as well as providing clear links to an education store and business orientated store. The website also makes great use of white space to separate images and texts making product information and images stand out without distraction. In most cases the website accompanies text with images in order to maintain the customers attention to the product and its unique selling points. Use of Databases Apple successfully incorporates a variety of databases into its website design allowing customers to navigate, search and input data such as order information, tracking information and in the case of support, product information. As a result Apple is able to align inventory and sales to appropriately manage supply and demand across its supply chain. Through the use of variable field and searchable databases Apple also allows its users to make use of unique product numbers tailoring online support to customers specific needs. This type of searchable database results in a quick an efficient way in which customers are able to get the help and support they need. Apple also makes use of relational databases throughout its website design for instance in the case of its product pages and online store. By clicking on the primary key ‘Mac accessories’ a customer is then taken to another page featuring a database of information with similar links enabling the customer to successfully navigate and browse the online store until they find their preferred product. Apple also collates its products under sub categories or databases as in the case of ‘top sellers’ ‘top rated’ and ‘just added’ products options. A conscious effort by Apple to increase usability and minimize data redundancy ensuring the site is quick and easy to navigate. The majority of the primary keys on the store relate to Apples core products making them a useful tool in navigating the databases across the site. Apples website uses SQL [Structured Query Language] to manage its relational database management systems. Over the years Apples website has been tested by a string of SQL injection attacks creating hyperlinks to malicious sites from legitimate links on the website (CGIsecurity. com, 2010). The online databases must be updated in accordance with supply levels, with the addition of new products and the retraction of old. Apple’s fully integrated enterprise business information system and use of its JIT inventory approach enables a fully interactive supply chain, however with the use of the Apple online store as an e-marketplace the supply of products from other suppliers not fully integrated may distort the efficiency of current databases. Integration of business information systems Through its website Apple Inc provides its customers with the ability to personalise and configure their products prior to purchase. In addition, they are then able to their track orders, download manuals and driver support as well as receiving support via an online interactive library or alternative methods of contact such as online reservations to see certified staff in store, by email, phone or live chat. The website also provides discussion boards to resolve issues with other customers, online training and a self-service repair feature enabling customers to track and monitor product repairs as well as checking their entitlement under their personalised service and support packages. [pic] Apple has successfully integrated information systems across its business enabling the company to coordinate its e-commerce across its global operations and supply chain benefiting from real time information. Orders, reservations and requests placed on Apples fully interactive site are integrated with Apples procurement, manufacturing, management, retail and stock control systems providing information to the relevant departments automatically. This in turn allows managers to assess the demands and needs of the organization in real time. To do this successfully Apple’s website provides computer generated billing, personalised product configuration, secure document management and a secure payment system to its customers. Historically Apples information system was based on a legacy platform distributed across 16-legacy applications. In January 1999 however, Apple successfully implemented an Enterprise Resource Planning system called SAP Business One into its business model enabling them to integrate their manufacturing, finance, sales and distribution sectors together, present day Apple manages a fully integrated Enterprise Resource Planning system. Security and Privacy Apple Inc has a legal obligation to protect it customers and users privacy whilst ensuring transactions are kept secure. Apple provides an extensive privacy policy and also provides explicit terms of use for the site. In addition its online store uses industry-standard encryption to protect customers confidentiality when checking out as well as a 128-bit Extended Validation Secure Socket Layer (EV SSL) encryption technique to protect information in transit from the customer to the company following a purchase online. This can be seen in the web address during checkout as sites featuring SSL technology begin with ‘https://’ as apposed to ‘http://’. TRUSTe, one of the worlds leading online privacy companies, independently verifies Apple’s online privacy standards to ensure they meet an industry standard and protect their consumers. Customers are able to create accounts for ease of future transactions called Apple ID’s. An apple ID allows consumers to personalise their online shopping experience giving customers a unified account to be able to purchase products online including downloadable content, the ability to make reservations in store and or tailor online learning, access support and register Apple products for added security. All information held within your Apple ID is protected under Apples comprehensive privacy policy and the user information is protected through user personalised security protocols such as security questions and passwords. Apples privacy policy also extends to information stored in cookies upon visiting and revisiting the site through a web browser. Although Apple reserves the right to share information with third party affiliates any information shared as a result of its e-market business is also explicitly covered by its extensive online privacy policy and data protection technology during transit. Conclusion Apple employs consistent, coherent and unified branding across its website by mirroring the look of its hardware and software with the use of monochromatic colours and subtle shading. The website is modern, sleek, user friendly and has an emphasis on the visual experience providing rich content against a minimalistic background making great use of white space. The consistent use of varied databases, the AJAX live search system and a central navigation bar offers a user-friendly experience. The sites security is of an industry standard however it has still proven vulnerable to malicious attacks proving the website is not without its flaws. With that being said Apple’s website bears example to a successful integration of information systems across a business enabling the company to coordinate its e-commerce across its global operations and supply chain efficiently and effectively. Bibliography Apple Inc. (n. d. ). Apple Reports First Quarter Results. Retrieved March 22, 2011 from apple. com: apple. com/pr/library/2010/01/25results. html CGIsecurity. com. (2010, 08 18). Apple website hit with SQL Injection. Retrieved March 28, 2011 from cgisecurity. om: cgisecurity. com/2010/08/apple-website-hit-with-sql-injection. html Laudon, K. C. , Laudon, J. P. (2006). Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm (10th Edition ed. ). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Limited. United State Securities and Exchange Comission. (2010, September). Form 10-K, Apple Inc. Retrieved March 28, 2011 from https://www. apple. com/investor/: http://phx. corporate-ir. net/External. File? item=UGFyZW50SUQ9Njc1 MzN8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM=t=1 1 2

Controversial Health Information Management Issues Essay

Controversial Health Information Management Issues - Essay Example The HIPAA Privacy Rule makes sure those minimum standards for protecting the privacy of individually identifiable health information. This rule provides certain rights to individuals like the rights to access and amend their health information and to obtain a record of when and why their Protected Health Information (PHI) has been shared with others for certain purposes. Moreover The Privacy Rule sets certain conditions under which researchers can use the PHI when necessary to conduct research (What Are the Purpose and Background of the Privacy Rule?, 2007). The regulations with respect to the PHI is not made clear and even the hospital authorities don’t have enough idea about the PHI regulations. Thus they were forced to communicate the patient information or condition to the families of the hospitalized over the telephone even if the patient is critically ill. Many healthcare professionals lost their job because of the wrong interpretation of the HIPAA rules and many others forced to pay heavy amounts as penalties. Nurses who don’t have much idea about the HIPAA regulations are staying away from disclosing the personal details of their patients even when it is badly needed for somebody else who might be a close relative of the patient. Gross, (2010) has mentioned that HIPAA regulations place a large and expensive burden on companies who have access to private health data by adding to the workload of health care providers and others (Gross, 2010). As protection of privacy is taken as a serious matter in the HIPAA regulations, big companies and researchers were forced to take extreme care while using the private data. The HIPAA act thus raised many concerns and fear among medical practitioners in conducting research. The increased liability and unwanted expenses may force them to stay away from researches which will affect the healthcare system drastically. HIPAA also put some

Managing and Leading Change_2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing and Leading Change_2 - Assignment Example Furthermore, the article pertains to the organization’s management for meeting complex requirements of the clients as well as the newly purchased ‘Global Advertising Giant Publicis Group SA’. A clear vision along with specific strategy may be required for the successful implementation of the change in processes and the expected result of that change. It is a fact that successful management that leading of change requires the active participation of all the relevant stakeholders (Myatt, 2012). Critical Evaluation The phenomenon of change is highly crucial. Therefore, the ability of managing and leading change is of incredible paramount importance. Keeping in view the fact, the Fallon took various steps to implement change successfully. In this regards, one of the positive initiatives of the organization is to acquire the five page manifesto and this step was taken by the Anne Bologna, planning director of Fallon's Minneapolis office. Moreover, in order to implement the manifesto, the organization has selected high level managers having multiple capabilities and skills. Overall, this scheme follows one (1) of the guidelines for the successful implementation of the change i-e creating urgency and making it feel that the change is going to be implemented. Moreover, the article specifies that the employees of the organization developed an alliance to implement change and this was one of the positive steps undertaken by the organization. Moreover, the Planning Director of the Fallon Worldwide took a step of drafting five (5) pages Manifesto for clearing the vision of the employee. Not only this, there is another guideline for implementing change is to communicate your change vision to all the employees to have their buy in; the same has been done by the employees of the Fallon Worldwide. Therefore, it can be stated that these other positive steps undertaken by the organization (BusinessBalss, 2013). However, on the other hand, there are weak point s as well or it can be said that there are certain other guidelines for implementing and managing change which have not been undertaken by the organization. It is vital to implement the change as soon as possible by creating and giving it high priority, but it has been observed that it took a year to the Fallon Worldwide for understanding the urgency of the matter (Kotter, 2012). Moreover, it is important for a leader (change implementer) to empower his / her subordinates to take extraordinary actions to bring about the desired change. In order to bring about a long term change, it is highly crucial that the leader should focus to attain short term goals. And these short term goals would always facilitate to achieve the long term goals. The Fallon Worldwide organization misses these points while implementing change and these were not only the guidelines which were not followed by the organization. In addition, apart from the article under discussion, there are guidelines for impleme nting change in an organization includes: the leader should never give up and change requires defying against all the odds and constantly motivating people to do the best. A good leader is the one that keeps on increasing the number of tasks so that subordinates keep motivated. Example of the Hotel Implementing Change In order to strengthen the above given analysis, a real story of an organization

Codes of Practice Essay Example for Free

Codes of Practice Essay 1. Legislations that relate to the handling of information in health and social care are: The Human Rights Act 1998 The Data Protection Act 1998 Codes of practice that relate to the handling of information in health and social care are: Codes of Practice – set out by Skills for care CSSIW guidelines 2. The main points of the data protection act are: 1. Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully and, in particular, shall not be processed unless- 1. at least one of the conditions in Schedule 2 is met, and 2. in the case of sensitive personal data, at least one of the conditions in Schedule 3 is also met. 2. Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes, and shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose or those purposes. 3. Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose or purposes for which they are processed. 4. Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date. 5. Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes. 6. About the rights of individuals e.g.[10] personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects (individuals). 7. Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.

The Oppression of Women Drives The AIDS Epidemic in Africa :: Disease AIDS Essays Africa Women

The Oppression of Women Drives The AIDS Epidemic in Africa Africa is facing a devastating crisis with respect to the AIDS epidemic, currently accounting for over 70% of the world's HIV-positive population. There are, of course, many factors that drive the explosive transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, but in the tangled web that is the epidemic in Africa, many of these issues share a common thread. The oppression of women in Africa can be considered the virus' cultural vector. Females are rendered powerless in African societies, and existing gender inequalities are largely responsible for the spread of the disease. Females' disadvantaged position in society is intrinsically linked to the subordination of women in their relationships with men. In order for progress to be made, an examination of gender relations and empowerment for women must take place. To be successful, AIDS campaigns must be built on the existing organizational skills of women, but must incorporate men as well. The blatantly skewed distribution of power in Afri can patriarchal societies makes women extremely vulnerable but has dangerous implications for all. To examine the forces that steer the epidemic down its course, the epidemiology of HIV and AIDS in Africa must first be considered. More than 80% of all HIV infections in Africa are acquired through heterosexual contact. This statistic is grossly out of balance with the 13% rate of infection through heterosexual contact in the United States. Vertical transmission from mother to child is the second most common route for the virus to take in Africa (Essex et al., 158). These rates are generally much higher than in the United States and Europe, where the use of a drug called neviropine has drastically reduced mother-to-child transmission. This disparity is a direct result of differences in the nations' wealth. African nations simply cannot afford to provide the drug to infected pregnant women. The continued transmission of HIV through contaminated blood during processes such as blood transfusions is another dismal consequence of poverty and inferior health services in many African count ries. This method accounts for the third most important mode of transmission, one that has been virtually eradicated in many countries because the technology is available to prevent it (Essex et al., 159). Part of what makes the situation in Africa so devastating is that the primary roads the virus travels in Africa were shut down long ago in other countries. Much of the world's population already takes many of the roadblocks for granted.

Ship Accidents

ABSTRACT Safety may be defined as an acceptable state of risk by society. In this respect, for assessing the current safety level of ships, it is necessary to quantify the risk level of the operating world fleet, thus estimate and assess the basic contributors to risk, namely the frequency of maritime accidents and the extent of their consequences. As this paper deals with a systematic analysis of ship accidents in recent years and evaluates the current level of safety for the majority of ship subtypes present in the world fleet, namely, tankers, bulk carriers, containerships passenger and cruise ships, passenger Ro-Ro cargo vessels, Ro-Ro cargo ships, general cargo vessels, reefer ships, car carriers, fishing vessels, LNG and LPG carriers. Introduction The history of maritime transport is marked by ship accidents with partly disastrous consequences on human lives and impact on society and the marine environment. In response to these disastrous accidents, more and more new requirements and amendments of existing regulations for the safe maritime transport were introduced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), as this paper gives an overview of the global safety level of all basic merchant ship types in terms of accidents' occurrence, frequencies and consequences. For each ship type, accidents occurred within the time period 1990-2012 are presented and analyzed with respect to the degree of accident severity, accident category and accident's geographic area, number of fatalities and total losses of ships. Furthermore, the total accident frequency and frequencies per main accident categories are given as well as comparative results among the different ship types. The ultimate goal of this investigation is the assessment of the relative safety level per ship type in order to identify those ship types that are more prone to marine accidents (per ship type), possible historical trends, and geographical areas, where accidents more often happen. Frequencies and basic consequences were investigated for the entire period of interest (i.e. 2012), as well as separately for the last decade of the studied period. The source of the analyzed accidental data is the IHS Sea-web ® database and the analysis pertains to the generic ship types as defined by the particular database; namely, Bulk carriers, Passenger and Cruise ships, Passenger Ro-Ro cargo vessels, Ro-Ro cargo ships, General Cargo vessels, Reefer ships, Car carriers, Fishing vessels, LNG and LPG carriers. The analysis of accident records was performed for the time period 1990-2012; we included those accidents associated with merchant passenger and cargo ships, regardless ship size, however built after 1980. Operational fleet at risk has been calculated from the Lloyd's Register of Shipping ® database for all the afore-mentioned ship types. The output of the particular calculations was compared with corresponding data from Clarkson's SIN ® and a rather good fit of the respective results was recorded. The presented results related to Cellular Containerships and Large Crude Oil tankers (greater than 60,000 DWT) are coming from two earlier completed research projects of NTUA, namely CONTIOPT (2011-2013) and SAFEDOR (2005-2009), as well as from internal NTUA research (Eliopoulou et al. 2012, 2013).

Vincent Van Gogh s Influence On The Post Impressionist Era

The most memorable artists are those who can tell a story in a piece of artwork. They are able to combine different brush strokes, textures and variations to the paint to enable viewers to understand the story which they want to be told. Vincent van Gogh was a lonely and poor man, but one of the more memorable artists because of his story telling. Starry Night, Bedroom in Arles and Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear are just a few of Vincent van Gogh’s famous paintings. Van Gogh was a Dutch painter born in 1853 and he was a part of the Post-Impressionist period of art. Most of van Gogh’s painting can be considered a biographical approach as his paintings are events he experienced through his life which he wants to recreate. Van Gogh used colours and forms to convey what he felt about the things he painted and what he wished others to feel (Gombrich, 1995, p. 548). Vincent van Gogh had an incredible influence on the Post-Impressionist era and how art is perceived now. He ut ilized new elements in ways in which other artists never used them before. The point of this paper is to demonstrate how Vincent van Gogh utilized his life experiences and showed it through his artwork; they all tell a story about his life and the challenges he faced. The Post-Impressionist era began in the late 1870s after Impressionism. It followed some of the same elements as Impressionism such as: entertainment scenes, scenes of leisure, street scenes, portraits and landscapes (Adams, 2012, p. 77).Show MoreRelatedA Brief Note On Impressionism And Post Impressionism958 Words   |  4 PagesIWT1 Task 1 Impressionism and Post Impressionism By WGU student In early 19th century, the French government controlled the Academies des Beaux-Arts and Salon de Paris of paintings. The Academies were considered the ruling authority and held annual art exhibits called salons. The salons featured works of art that conformed to their standards. In the second half of the 19th century, Impressionism began which was a result of French artists rejecting traditional government and their standards. In 1874Read MoreSummary Of The Merry Family 1642 Words   |  7 PagesChiaramonte Anna Sparks FAS-202 02/04/2017 Artist s Name: Jan Havicksz Steen Title: The Merry Family Style movement: Baroque Date: 1668 Location: Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam Origin: Leiden, Netherlands Artist s Name: Vincent van Gogh Title: The Potato Eaters Style movement: Postimpressionism Date: 1885 Location: Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam Origin: Nuenen, Netherlands Artist s Name: Jeremie Fischer Title: Is the Family Dinner Overrated? Style movement: Post Modernism Date: 2012 Location: New York TimesRead MoreVan Gogh Art Case Study Essay3190 Words   |  13 PagesVincent Van Gogh was formed by his social, cultural and historical context. This is expressed clearly in the underlying stories of both paintings, Starry Night, 1889 and Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889. Both of these paintings portray a narrative relating to Van Gogh significantly as he emotionally connects to the subject in each painting. Van Gogh’s aim of these subjective works was to express meaning through colour and express the painting to a more personal emotion for the viewer. Van GoghRead MoreIntramuros4927 Words   |  20 Pagesart,   Chinese art, and  Japanese art[4]  each had significant influence on Western art, and vice versa. Initially serving utilitarian purpose, followed by imperial, private, civic, and religious patronage, Eastern and Western painting later found audiences in the  aristocracy  and the middle class. From the Modern era, the  Middle Ages  through the  Renaissance  painters worked for the church and a wealthy aristocracy  Beginning with the  Baroque  era artists received private commissions from a more educated