Week 5 Part 1 Task 4: KMS

Knowledge Management Systems in Small Business

In recent decades the topic of knowledge management (KM) has gained significant momentum in the business environment. Knowledge management has been undertaken by a variety of firms, typically a KM process involves: knowledge capture; knowledge organizing and knowledge storage; knowledge distribution; knowledge sharing. [1] A successful KM results when virtually all the knowledge within the business is harnessed, and used as part of the company's core business and competitive intelligence strategy. The purpose of this post will be to explore how small businesses use information systems to be successful.

Small businesses did do not overtly think about KM.  It was often perceived as a resource and time intensive endeavor.  However, KM enables businesses to be more effective by reducing training time, having better understood processes and procedures, and by providing better analytics. The cost of KM has reduced significantly with the creation of a range of software such as Wikis (MediaWiki, Confluence), Document Repositories (DSpace, AjaXplorer), Project Management Software (Redmine, eGroupWare), Customer Relationship Management (SugarCRM, vTiger) and ERP (OpenERP, webERP) Software can help with knowledge management. [2]

An example of a small business that has incorporated KM is the CPA firm Miller, Walker, & Thompson, LLP (MWT). Miller, Walker, & Thompson, LLP is a regional accounting firm that specializes in the services of attestation and assurance (A&A), tax compliance, general business consulting, and basic accounting services. The firm participates in industries, such as construction, manufacturing, multi-family housing real estate, and non-profit. The firm operates in Indianapolis, Indiana and employs nearly 50 employees. There KM system is broken down into 6 steps. First the firm acquires knowledge through formal training, education, research, and also from professional experience in the field. The next step is to add value to this knowledge. Information and knowledge acquired from external sources is collected within the firm and analyzed by the firm's employees. Value is added when knowledge and information can be utilized within the firm to benefit or improve its operations. Next, value-added knowledge should be integrated within the firm's practices and stored for future use. Then, employees use stored knowledge within the firm in order to provide the highest quality of work to clients. Clients also they contribute to a firm's acquisition of knowledge. Finally, professionals learn from experience and resources, which enables them to distinguish value to add to information and produce best practices for clients. [3]

“Business intelligence practitioners worldwide generally agree that in this knowledge-driven global economy, knowledge itself is a commodity that offers the only sustainable competitive edge”. [1] It is obvious that the smaller-sized company need to capture and strategically use its knowledge. Smaller-sized companies need knowledge management for virtually the same reasons that larger ones do. There is more competition in today’s markets, which puts great pressure on companies, large and small, to innovate and to develop products rapidly. It is important for any business to use any resource possible to get an advantage and knowledge can be a secret weapon.

[1] http://www.eknowledgecenter.com/articles/1005/1005.htm

[2] http://pssnet.com/blog/knowledge-management-small-businesses

  

[3] incpas.org/docs/candidates-students/11purdue.pdf?sfvrsn=2‎

Week 5 Part 1 Task 3: Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality in Medicine

 

With changings times, the world constantly faces new challenges. Throughout history, engineers have found ways to overcome these challenges. Recently, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has chosen 14 challenges that are seen as the most important challenges in this century. Certain challenges include areas such as improving energy use, advancing health and medicine, expanding technological functions, and much more. The goal is for engineers to discover solutions to these challenges, so that society can benefit as a whole. Of the 14 challenges, one vital challenge is to enhance virtual reality. [1] Since Virtual Reality is used in many applications within the medical field, the purpose of this research is to investigate the implantation of virtual reality by doctors and students. The two most prominent uses relate to education and training and surgery/diagnosis assistance. [2]

 

Virtual reality provides medical students as well as physicians with interactive training opportunities in a risk-free situation. Virtual reality is being used in all medical applications from cosmetic surgery to neurology. The technology transforms data, such as a CT or MRI scan, from a typically flat image to a three-dimensional image of the patient, which is stereoscopic. This allows surgeons to visualize complex procedures prior to the actual surgery and even practice surgical procedures. [2] Surgeons can train with virtual operations, so that they are prepared for real world situations where they must perform potentially dangerous surgeries. This is important because with this extra practice, surgeons can learn how to flawlessly execute different surgeries, without the risk of death to the patient. This can lead to a substantial decrease in the number of casualties in surgery. It is also used when training front line professionals and first responders to deal with emergencies. A series of virtual environments can be developed which contain different scenarios, e.g. road traffic accident which the first responders have to deal with. This is where they learn decision-making skills as well as the practical hands on skills required in this type of situation. Another option is disaster training such as a chemical spillage or an outbreak of an infectious disease, which often results in large numbers of casualties. [3]

 

New virtual reality technology would bring virtually created images of a patient into the operating room and project a 3-D image of the actual patient so that the surgeon can see the structure beneath the surface. [2] This means smaller incisions, shorter recovery times, and safer surgery. Surgeons are able to practice complicated operations on the virtual patient before performing the procedure on the actual patient. During surgery, the virtual system tracks the surgical instruments and their exact location. [2] With this precise information, the surgeon can make smaller incisions and reduce recovery periods. By projecting 3-D images of data gathered in a CT or MRI, very rapid diagnosis of a severe injury will be possible. [2] In order to reach a diagnosis, physicians must conduct a series of tests, which produce raw data. But virtual reality can be used to create a visual explanation of this data, which is easier to read, understand and interpret. [3]

 

Healthcare is one of the biggest adopters of virtual reality. This technology allows healthcare professionals to learn new skills as well as refreshing existing ones in a safe environment. Plus it allows this without causing any danger to the patients. 

 

[1] http://www.pitt.edu/~sat66/ethics.pdf 

 

[2] http://www.emory.edu/BUSINESS/et/virtualreality/medical.htm

 

[3] http://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality-healthcare/medicine.html

Week 4 Part 1 Task 3: Decision Support Systems in Agriculture

Every day we are faced with situations that require us to make decisions for the best way to handle and solve them. There are many factors one must take into consideration when solving a problem. You must compile all useful information to identify and solve problems and make decisions. In a large corporation this could be nearly impossible for a person to do alone and the amount of manpower spent on this process would be immense. Today there is specific software designed to assist organizations with the steps involved in making decisions and solving problems. “A decision support system (DSS) is an organized collection of people, procedures, software, databases, and devices used to help make decisions that solve problems”. [1] DSSs are also used in many organizations such as healthcare, law enforcement, nonprofit organizations and government. A growing area of DSS application, concepts, principles, and techniques is in agricultural production. 

Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) is a software application program “that comprises crop simulation models for over 28 crops (as of v4.5). DSSAT uses data base management programs for soil, weather, and crop management and experimental data, and by utilities and application programs”. The system allows uses to create crop simulation models that can mimic growth, development and yield as a function of the soil-plant-atmosphere dynamics, and they have been used for many applications ranging from on-farm and precision management to regional assessments of the impact of climate variability and climate change. This program has been in use for more than 20 years by researchers, educators, consultants, extension agents, growers, and policy and decision makers in over 100 countries worldwide. [2] This system is important because the crop models can predict crop yield and resource dynamics (water, nitrogen) as well as an economic component that calculates gross margins based harvested yield and byproducts, the price of the harvested products, and input costs. Agriculture is an important business and farms are a huge investment in both time and money. This program allows for the users ie farmers to predict what are the best crops to grow and predict what their profits can be. Also on the flip side, these models can help determine whether it is even a good idea for the farms to plant crops in the first place.

The federal states of Germany have installed a national DSS for agricultural production. The program titled ZEPP (Central Institution for Decision Support Systems and Programs in Crop Protection) guarantees a permanent supply of meteorological data, organizes and co-ordinates trials, incorporates scientific progress into the existing DSSs and, in close co-operation with universities and federal research stations, develops new systems for important pests. [3] The goal of the ZEPP is to “develop, collect and examine existing forecasting and simulation models for important agricultural and horticultural pests and diseases and to adapt these models for practical use”. DSS are employed for the estimation of disease/pest risk, the necessity for pesticide treatments, forecast of the optimal timing for field assessments, forecast of the optimal timing for pesticide treatments and recommendation of appropriate pesticides [4] Disease and pest can completely wipe out a crop and destroy the land that it invades. This DDS allows the farmers to predict which infestation they should worry about and the proper course of action to take to prevent serious loss to there crops. 

Decision support systems gather and present data from a wide range of sources for a wide range of organizations. DSS applications help people make decisions based on data that is collected. Rather than just relying on a database, which is a single information resource, DDSs use a combination of integrated resources that work together to solve a problem. In the agricultural sector, the use and implementation of DDS applications has proved to be beneficial to the users. These systems help reduce the cloud of mystery that surrounds the future and helps prevent serious loss by making educated and calculated decisions for how these farms should run. 

[1] Fundamentals of Information Systems, 6th Edition pg 288

[2] http://dssat.net/

[3] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2338.2000.tb00858.x/abstract

[4] http://www.intechopen.com/books/efficient-decision-support-systems-practice-and-challenges-from-current-to-future/decision-support-systems-in-agriculture-administration-of-meteorological-data-use-of-geographic-info

Week 3 Part 2 Task 7: E-Business

E-Business and Intellectual Property

In the past few years there have been significant technological advancements that have transformed how we conduct business. Since we are moving towards a connected global market, businesses now need to integrate ways to maximize their chances of success. The Internet must be used as a marketing tool to reach all areas of the world, including places that at one point were out of reach. Also, the Internet should be used as an online market place to sell goods and services to customers. Essentially, the internet has made it easier to do business with a wider audience. Unfortunately with vast quantities of business information being published on the internet, the protection of intellection property rights (IPR) has been a major concern and businesses face new challenges in protecting their brand from unscrupulous competitors [1]

Intellectual property (IP) is a legal term that refers to industrial property and to copyright and related rights. Industrial property comprises the protection of patents, trademarks, industrial designs, and geographical indications. [2] The law provides a number of mechanisms that protect this valuable property. Two of the most important mechanisms are patents and trademarks. Patents protect discoveries and inventions that underlie the functions of your business. Trademarks protect the words and symbols that make your business known to the world. [3] These two legal mechanisms, allow business and individuals to claim to their intellectual property. They also act as a defense against competitors trying to make a profit off your hard work and ingenuity.

An e-business is any business that engages in transactions across an electronic network [3]. Such transactions include electronic commerce where payments or fees are received in exchange for a product or service. E-business is conducted by companies that exist almost exclusively on the Internet: retailers like Amazon.com, on-line financial brokers like Ameritrade and E-trade, internet service providers like AOL and MSN, and content providers like Yahoo. E-businesses also include companies like Eddie Bauer and L.L. Bean that supplement their retail or catalog sales with online sales. [3] Protection of intellectual property by e-businesses is critical because of the great amount of exposure of that this property gets. After all, the web is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in every nation on earth.

E-commerce has revolutionized the way we do business but there are some hurdles that businesses need to be aware of. Brands, ideas and designs are now more exposed and vulnerable than ever before. Anyone with access to the Internet has access to your products. It has become much easier for competitors to replicate designs making protection of these products a top priority. Legal mechanisms are changing however, to keep pace with these risks. “Patents and trademarks are well-established building blocks that allow you to erect a barrier around your property to prevent competitors from trespassing on your rights.” [3]

[1] http://www.ibblaw.co.uk/downloads/brochures/2010-05-27-15-05-41-ebusiness_and_intellectual_property.pdf

[2] http://www.wipo.int/sme/en/e_commerce/ip_ecommerce.htm

[3] http://www.buildingipvalue.com/n_us/132_136.htm

Week 3 Part 2 Task 8: Cloud Computing Applications

1. Dropbox is a file hosting service operated by Dropbox, Inc., that offers cloud storage, file synchronization, and client software. Dropbox allows users to create a special folder on each of their computers, which Dropbox then synchronizes so that it appears to be the same folder (with the same contents) regardless of which computer is used to view it. Files placed in this folder also are accessible through a website and mobile phone applications. [1]

2. Google calendar is a free time-management web application offered by Google. Users are required to have a Google Account in order to use the software. The app allows users to view, add, and drag-and-drop events from one date to another without reloading the page. Events are stored online so the calendar can be viewed from any location that has Internet access. [2]

3. Google docs s a freeware web-based office suite offered by Google within its Google Drive service. Documents, spreadsheets, presentations can be created with Google Docs, imported through the web interface, or sent via email. Documents can be saved to a user's local computer Documents are automatically saved to Google's servers to prevent data loss, and a revision history is automatically kept so past edits may be viewed. Google Docs serves as a collaborative tool for editing documents in real time. Documents can be shared, opened, and edited by multiple users simultaneously. [3]

4. Mint is a free web-based personal financial management service. Mint's primary service allows users to track bank, credit card, investment, and loan transactions and balances through a single user interface as well make budgets and goals. [4] Mint does all the work of organizing and categorizing your spending for you. See where every dime goes and make money decisions you feel good about.

5. Sage One is a cloud-based business services solution aimed at micro businesses and small business. Sage One provides these businesses a platform that offers invoicing, project tracking, expense management, and more. [5]

6. Toggl is an easy and simplistic way to track your time while completing projects that can be assigned as billable to clients after upgrading. Users can immediately begin tracking time spent on projects upon signing up with Toggl. It is a simple and easy to use tracking system allowing you to enter the exact project you are working on and hitting the "Start" button to begin. When you are finished, simply click the "Stop" button to record your time. [6]

7. Xero is an online accounting software product for small and medium-sized businesses, as well as for personal finance. The product is sold by subscription requiring the payment of a monthly fee. The key features of Xero include automatic bank account feeds, invoicing, accounts payable, expense claims, fixed asset depreciation, and standard business and management reporting. [7]

8. Zendesk delivers the leading cloud-based customer service software. It provides an integrated on-demand helpdesk - customer support portal solution. [8]

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dropbox_%28service%29

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_calendar

[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Doc

[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mint.com

[5] http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2405001,00.asp

[6] http://blinklist.com/reviews/toggl

[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xero_%28software%29

[8] http://www.crunchbase.com/company/zendesk

Zoho Database Link: https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?OBJID=890160000000004237&STANDALONE=true&ZDB_THEME_NAME=blue&DATATYPESYMBOL=true&REMTOOLBAR=false&SEARCHBOX=true&SHOWHIDEOPT=true

Week 2 Part 2 Task 5: Database Research

“A database is an organized collection of data.” [1] These are useful for accessing large amount of information from one location. I used databases while I was working in a research lab at UMDNJ. We did biomedical research observing the effects of fructose on the kidney and liver systems. In order to formulate hypothesis and experiments, the first step is to do a review of the literature that has already been published. This will allow us to gather background information as well as to see if the proposed experiment we want to do has already been done. A major source used through the lab was from a public database from the National Institute of Health called MEDLINE® accessed through PubMed®.

MEDLINE ® is a massive database of over 20 million references to articles published in approximately 5,600 current biomedical journals from the United States and over 80 foreign countries. MEDLINE® contains journal citations and abstracts for biomedical literature n the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, health care systems, and preclinical sciences. [2] PubMed ® is a service of the US National Library of Medicine® (NLM) that provides free access to MEDLINE®. [3] PubMed citations and abstracts include the fields of biomedicine and health, covering topics in life sciences, behavioral sciences, chemical sciences, and bioengineering. PubMed also provides access to additional relevant web sites and links to the other molecular biology resources. Journals go as far back as 1946 and as far forward as today. Currently, citations from 5,600 journals are in 39 languages; 60 languages for older journals [4]

While I was working on a research project, I was able to use this database to find journals about new techniques to improve the quality of our work. Also, it allowed me to gather information for other experiments that helped me prove why I should look at certain genes or proteins during my experiments. I was also able to learn basic information about the kidney and liver systems, which were the main areas of our research, all from one database. The database contained all the information about the journal for which the article came from for proper citations. I was also able to save a list of all the journals I looked at and email articles to myself or other memebers of my lab.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database

[2] http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/usemedline.html

[3] http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/pubmed.html

[4] http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/medline.html

1. What specific challenges does your database system implementation have?

 MEDLINE currently has citations and abstracts from approximately 5,400 biomedical journals published in the United States and worldwide. Coverage extends back to 1948. This is a lot of journals. However it is not all of them. Although it collects journals from all over the world it does not have every journal from every country. Another database center could find a way to collect all journals and would be a better source than this one. Also, the coverage only goes back as far as 1948. This is not as serious of a problem due most researchers want current information. However, there could be very important studies that were performed prior to this date that could be beneficial to our research.

2. In what ways does it provide competitive advantage for the organization using it?

While there are some limitations to this database there are also great positives. PubMed® provides free access to MEDLINE and links to full text articles whenever possible. MEDLINE® contains journal citations and abstracts for biomedical literature n the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, health care systems, and preclinical sciences from all around the world. There are a large number of journals and my research lab was able to do a thorough literature review for our research projects. Finding information that is already out there saved our lab money and time since we did not have to perform the preliminary experiments ourselves.

For citations added from 2005-2009: about 45% are for cited articles published in the U.S., about 91% are published in English, and about 83% have English abstracts written by authors of the articles. [4] This is important for my lab because the majority of the researcher spoke only English. This feature allowed us access to research from non-English speaking countries that we otherwise would miss out on.

3. What improvements would you suggest?

My suggestion would be to collect more journals to add to the already large database. It would be great if there were one destination to go to for all of your research needs. This may seem like a stretch, but every effort to make it as much as a reality as possible should be executed. I would also suggest that the database gather journals from a larger range of topics, gathering journals from more fields.

Week 3 Part 1 Task 4: Free Topic

Travel Web sites: a move away from traditional travel agencies to online travel agencies

Planning a nice family vacation was more complicated in the past. It involved one of two methods: calling a hotel, calling multiple airlines to get the best price, and finally calling a rental car company all from different locations or by going to a travel agent who could book everything for you. But with today being the Internet age, it is easier for people to book trips on their own with the help of online travel websites.

Online travel sites let you be your own travel agent. Plan your trips or vacation and make reservations quickly with just a few mouse clicks. [1] People would rather be at home than have to make a trip back and forth to a travel agency.  People are moving away from traditional retail travel agent services because they are not free. Fees start from around $30 for a simple air booking and can be more than that for a complicated itinerary. For a relatively simple itinerary, you can probably find on your own good deal you without using a retail agency. [2]

One benefit to using an online travel agency for flights is they they offer quick and easy comparison of not just fares but schedules on many different airlines at a glance. [3] Websites like Orbitz, kayak, etc allow the user to enter in a date, time and location and it will generate a list of all the participating airlines that match the criteria. This makes it very easy for the user to see what airline offers the best value without having to reach out to each airline individually. It also allows for mixing and matching arriving and departing flights from different airlines. Specifically for kayak, there is a feature that allows you to add +/- 3 days t help determine when the best day to leave would be.

A second benefit of booking your travel online is that some of the online sites will have access to the smaller hotels that you might not have even realized existed. [4] These websites act as a database of hotels. The show all information on the hotel, amenities, pictures, maps, etc. They also tend to show reviews of the hotels. Now typically these reviews are written by guests that have stayed at that hotel and booked through the website. [4] These are useful because the description and pictures displayed by the hotel sometime does not truly reflect the condition of the hotel. It is important for a pleasurable experience to see what other guests have experienced first hand.

Travel websites usually offer flight, hotel, and car rental providers. They will sometimes offer “packaging” feature. On some trips, especially last-minute ones, we've seen hotel plus air packages for half what air alone costs. [3] There is a discount for booking multiple parts of a trip by bundling them in one itinerary.

In conclusion, online travel sites let you be your own travel agent. You can plan trips from the comfort of your own home at any time day or night. You have access to many different airlines and hotels all in one place and are in control of mixing and matching packages to satisfy your need best.

[1] http://online-travel-sites-review.toptenreviews.com/

[2] http://traveltips.usatoday.com/booking-vacations-through-agent-vs-online-booking-1458.html

[3] http://www.nbcnews.com/id/40964440/ns/travel-news/t/benefits-online-travel-agencies/#.UfCVcVPkpqc

[4] http://voices.yahoo.com/benefits-booking-travel-online-2982206.html