Sunday 27 January 2013

CHAPTER 7 : STORING ORGANIZTIONAL INFORMATION DATABASE

1.DEFINE THE FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS OF THE RELATIONAL DATABASE MODEL?
     Information is stored in databases.Databases maintains information about various types of objects(inventory),events(transactions),people(employees),and places(warehouses).Information is everywhere of organization.Database models include:
Hierarchical database model – information is organized into a tree-like structure that allows repeating information (using parent/child relationships) in such a way that it cannot have too many relationships.Hierarchical structures were widely used in the first mainframe database management systems.Hierarchical structure often cannot be used to relate to structures that exist in the real words.
Network database model – a flexible way of representing objects and their relationships.The network model allows each record to have multiple parent and child records,forming a lattice structure.
Relational database model – stores information in the form of logically related two-dimensional tables.

          One way to think about data in a relational database is to think about a cube of data. For example, at The Gap, the CEO, the district managers and the sales managers might think about their business as selling products (jeans, sweaters) in many markets (stores, regions) and measuring their progress over time (days, weeks, months). Many of the questions these managers have about their business can be answered by looking to the intersection of data defined by the edges of the cube pictured in Figure 1.


 
FIGURE 1

2)EVALUATE THE ADVANTAGES OF THE RELATIONAL DATABASE MODEL?

From a business perspective,databases information offers many advantages,including:

INCREASED FLEXIBILITY
           -Good databases can handle a changes quickly and easily,just as any good business     needs to be able to handle changes quickly and easily.Databases provide flexibility in allowing each user to access the information in whatever way best suits his or her needs.The distinction between logical and physical views is important in understanding flexible databases user views.
Have only one physical view
Physical view – deals with the physical storage of information on a storage device such as a hard disk
Have multiple logical views
             Logical view focuses on how users logically access information to meet their particular business needs.
           This separation of logical and physical views is what allows each user to access database information differently.Database has only one physical views it can easily support multiple logical views.Foe example is a mail-order business.One user might want a CRM report presented in alphabetical format,in which case last name should appear before first name.Another user,working with catalog mailing system,would want customer names appearing as first name and then last name.Both are easily achievable but different logical views of the same physical information.

INCREASED SCALABILITY AND PERFORMANCE
-           A database must scale to meet increased demand,  while maintaining acceptable performance levels.Only a databases could "scale"to handle the massive volumes of information and the large numbers of users required for the successful launch of the Ellis Island website.
Scalability – refers to how well a system can adapt to increased demands
Performance – measures how quickly a system performs a certain process or transaction
          Some organization must be able to support hundreds or thousands of online users including employees,partners,customers and suppliers who all want to access and share information.

REDUCED INFORMATION REDUNDANCY
        -   Redundancy is the duplication of information or storing the same information in multiples places.Redundant information occurs before organization frequently capture and store the same information in multiple locations.The primary problem with redundant information is that it is often inconsistent,which makes it difficult to determine which values are the most current or most accurate.Eliminating information redundancy saves spaces,makes performing information updates easier and improves information quality.

INCREASED INFORMATION INTEGRITY(QUALITY)
-  Information Integrity is a measure of the quality of information.Within a database environment integrity constraints are rules that help ensure the quality of information.
Relational integrity constraint – rule that enforces basic and fundamental information-based constraints. For example an operational integrity constraint would not allow someone to create an order for a none existent customer, provide a markup percentage that was negative ,or order zero pounds of raw material from a suppliers
.Business-critical integrity constraint –rule that enforce business rules vital to an organization’s success and often require more insight and knowledge than relational integrity constraints. Consider a supplier of fresh produce to large grocery chains such as Kroger.

INCREASED INFORMATION SECURITY
  •      Information is an organizational asset and must be protected from unauthorized users or misuse.As systems become increasingly complex and more available over the internet,security becomes an even bigger issue.

•          Databases offer several security features including:
–      Password – provides authentication of the user who is gaining access to the system.
–      Access level – determines who has access to the different types of information and access controls determine what type of access they have to information. For example customer services representatives might need read only access to customer order information so they can answer customer order inquiries,they might not have or need the authority to change or delete order information.
 
 
3. DEFINE A DATABASE MANAGEMENT  SYSTEM AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO A WEBSITE?
                           
 
       A database management system is used to access information from a      database. A database management system(DBMs) is software through which users and application programs interact with a database. Database management system is a set of programs that enables you to store, modify, and extract information from a database also provides users with tools to add, delete, access, modify, and analyze data stored in one location. The user send requests to the DBMS and the DBMS performs the actual manipulation of the information in the database. Many DBMS also include a graphics component that enables you to output information in the form of graphs and charts. Database and database management system are essential to all areas of business, they must be carefully managed.Consider for example, a company selling sports cars. A database is created with information on each of its currently available cars e.g. make, model, engine details, year, a photograph, etc. A visitor to the website clicks on Porsche, the visitor enters the price range that they are interested in and hits 'Go'. The visitor is presented with information on available Porsche cars in their price range and an invitation to purchase or request more information from the company. The company has the ability to add new cars to the database, remove them or modify existing entries this is achieved via a secure administration area on the website.



EXPLAIN WHY AN ORGANIZATION WOULD WANT TO INTEGRATE ITS DATABASE?


          Data integration refers to the organization’s inventory of data and information assets as well as the tools, strategies and philosophies by which fragmented data assets are aligned to support business goals.The company want to integrate its database because they will connect,communicate,dealing and having relation with its customer everyday. Everyday its customers will open the webpage and search anything appear on the page. Therefore, if the product still available or not available the supplier must inform the customers immediately.Publish the information on the web page to make the customers realize that the product exist or not in the market. Then, when the customers got information they will not too disappointed and not waiting too long. Customers satisfy, the business relationship between sellers and customers will be effective and launch smoothly.

Sunday 13 January 2013

CHAPTER 5 - Organizational Structures that support strategic initiatives

   FIVE CHIEF in ORGANIZATION


      In order to achieved successful of the strategic initiatives, a company should have a good organization so that the will reduce the miss communication problem amongst their workers. Most organization will have Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Chief Operation Officer. These organization will add some officer who are more related to the IT strategic which are Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Security Officer (CSO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO) , Chief Privacy Officer (CPO), and Chief Knowledge Officer. 

1.Chief Information Officer (CIO)
CIO is responsible overseeing all uses of information technology and ensuring the uses of IT is related with business goal and objectives. CIO will report directly to the CEO. Under CIO there will be a manager who are conduct all the IT project to be on time and within budget. There will also have a leader so that the strategic vision of IT is in line with the company strategic vision.

2.Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
CTO is the person who responsible about the throughput, speed, accuracy and availability. The function of CTO are similar with CIO except the CIO have additional responsibility which is make sure IT are aligned with company strategic initiatives.

3.Chief Security Officer (CSO)
CSO is like the policeman of the company's IT system. They are responsible to make sure that the IT system of the company are safe against attack from hackers and viruses. The employment of the CSO are being increased every year because of the number of hackers and viruses. Most CSO must have the ability to create a security system and also the ways to solve the attack and viruses.

4.Chief Privacy Officer (CPO)
CPO are responsible to ensure the ethical and legal use if information within an organization. Usually they are only dealing with the internal staff because only them are using the information. This position is the newest position in IT. Many CPO employed are lawyers by training which enabling them to understand the often complex legal issue surrounding the use of information.

5.Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO)

CKO are responsible in collecting, maintains and distributing the organization's knowledge. CKO also will create the system so that the information can stored easily and can be reuse knowledge. The CKO also must make sure that all the employees are update the organization.


Effectiveness of Facebook Advertising

  Assalamualaikum peeps, this is I'm gonna explain a little bit about the effectiveness of Facebook advertising  nowdays. Facts state that the Facebook is a social networking service launched in February 2004, owned and operated by Facebook, Inc.Besides that as of September 2012, Facebook has over one billion active users,more than half of them using Facebook on a mobile device. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as friends, and exchange messages, including automatic notifications when they update their profile. Additionally, users may join common-interest user groups, organized by workplace, school or college, or other characteristics, and categorize their friends into lists such as "People From Work" or "Close Friends.
Facebook is rapidly becoming the hottest site in all of online land. Approximately more than 13 million individuals are using Facebook in Malaysia.


Effectiveness of Facebook Advertising

Neuro Focus is a subsidiary of Nielsen that integrates neuroscience knowledge into the world of branding, product development, marketing, and advertising. The company studied three different online experiences. A viewer looking at their own News Feed on Facebook, the default homepage of Yahoo, and the default homepage of the New York Times.

Although all three websites achieved  significantly higher levels of attention and engagement than other websites, the study found that the people pay more attention to and remember more ads seen on Facebook. This is partially due to the fact that the rest of the content on the page offers something new to learn about friends and personal and relevant activities.
It is also found that more men resonated with Facebook than women did. Because, women associated Yahoo more with "connecting" and "advice" than the social network.

Lastly, overall the study found that ads on Facebook are more effective than those on television. The best way to determine if a Facebook as is a good fit for your business is to create an ads and track its effectiveness by measuring the Likes and activity on your Facebook Page through Facebook Insights. Example pictures below :

 







   


Tuesday 1 January 2013

What Is CRM And How They Help Understand Customer ?


What is the CRM


  • Customer Relationship Management, is a company-wide business strategy designed to reduce costs and increase profitability by solidifying customer satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy.

  • CRM is the abbreviation for customer relationship management. CRM entails all aspects of interaction that a company has with its customer, whether it is sales or service-related.  CRM is often thought of as a business strategy that enables businesses to:
  • Understand the customer
  •  Retain customers through better customer experience
  • Attract new customer
  • Win new clients and contracts Increase profitably
  • Decrease customer management costs

The goal of CRM

  • The idea of CRM is that it helps businesses use technology and human resources to gain insight into the behavior of customers and the value of those customers. With an effective CRM strategy, a business can increase revenues by:
  •  providing services and products that are exactly what your customers want
  •  offering better customer service
  •  cross selling products more effectively
  •  helping sales staff close deals faster
  •  retaining existing customers and discovering new ones

How Does CRM Work?

  •          CRM works by gathering information about customers and analyzing the information collected. An example of this would be supermarket discount cards (I.E. Kroger Plus Cards, ACME cards, Giant Eagle cards, etc...). CRM closes a “relationship gap”.
  •          CRM is also useful for customer service.
  •          CRM products also run many automated call-centers for businesses (I.E. customer service systems).
  •         CRM applications and practices are used to make businesses more efficient and improve customer satisfaction.

How CRM help understand customer?


  •          True CRM brings together information from all data sources within an organization (and where appropriate, from outside the organization) to give one, holistic view of each customer in real time.
  •          Once thought of as a type of software, CRM has evolved into a customer-centric philosophy that must permeate an entire organization.
  •          There are three key elements to a successful CRM initiative: people, process, and technology.
  •          CRM It's a strategy used to learn more about customers' needs and behaviors in order to develop stronger relationships with them.
  •          There are many technological components to CRM, but thinking about CRM in primarily technological terms is a mistake.
  •          The more useful way to think about CRM is as a process that will help bring together lots of pieces of information about customers, sales, marketing effectiveness, responsiveness and market trends.
  •          If customer relationships are the heart of business success, then CRM is the valve the pumps a company's life blood.
  •          Steve Horne, president of ANALYTICi, the CRM and database division of ad agency giant Foote, Cone & Belding, says, "People like to feel special. "

  •          Dianne Durkin, president of Loyalty Factor LLC, a training and consulting firm in Portsmouth, NH, says customers want human interaction--most of all, they want someone who understands and can respond to their needs
  •          CRM applications are applications that run on the same principals as Microsoft Word and Excel. There are many values that can be filled in.

Conclusion

  •          Successful Customer Relationship Management navigation is becoming increasingly important in today's competitive business world.     
  •           Customer expectations are always increasing, and business services must increase along with these expectations.
  •          CRM is the method through which businesses can connect with their customers and therefore serve them better.
  •          Businesses with successful CRM strategy and applications will notice a large increase in sales, customer satisfaction, and simply the overall success of the business.

Sunday 16 December 2012

Answer to a chapter 2 case study : say "Charge It" with your cell phone


 assalamualaikum peeps. here the answer for the question that madam had given to us by form a group of member to discuss this case study and me discuss this answer with my partner, Fariddudin.


1) Yes, It is a threat to traditional telephone companies. Mobile phones have become such an important aspect of everyday living and have given rise to a vast array of cellular phone companies to answer the demands to this huge market. This competition among companies has dramatically raised the quality of cellular phones, as the makers strive to create product offers that are better than of the competition. Gone are the days where a cell phone is just used to make and receive calls and text messages. The demand for cellular phones is just as great, if the Traditional telephone companies not adopt to this changes of technology, Yet it will being abandoned and forgotten.
Traditional Telephone companies should adopt changes of technology such as phone can do banking, connect to the internet, take high quality photos, play music, watch movies and the users can install a variety of applications through the Android or Istore that allow the users to do all sorts of things – a technological advancement that would have sounded absurd just twenty years ago. The demand for cellular phones is just as great as the demand for serviced apartments as everybody wants to have the best on the market and this is counter-strategies that will cover from all aspect to ensure the traditional phone can compete as well as other Telephone Companies does it.

2. The barriers to entry for this new technology based on Porter’s Five Forces are :
1.           The threat of the entry of new competitors
2.           The intensity of competitive rivalry
3.           The threat of substitute products or services
4.           The bargaining power of customers
5.           The bargaining power of supplier


3. The company choose to practice the focused strategy based on the three generics strategies. It is because to target to a niche market and they concentrates on cost leadership. to become a low cost producer in the industry allows the company to lower price to customers and target the narrow market such as the phones specified for elderly people yet competitors with higher costs cannot afford to compete with the low cost leader on price.

4. The Value Of The Business of using cell phones as a payment method
In any payment mechanism, the key entities of the value chain are:
1.    Merchants – accept payments from the consumers by reading the card at the Point of Sale (PoS) machine
2.    Acquirers – hold merchant accounts and manage merchant payments
3.    Payment networks – Connect and switch transactions between merchants & issuing banks
4.    Issuers – manage consumer accounts and also take the associated risk
5.    M-Wallet/Stored Value Account (SVA) – Issue and provisioning of the mobile wallet/SVA (only if case mobile payments) 

Mobile payment is a part of the mobile transactions and is catching the imagination of a lot of people. This is clear evident from the number of comments I got on my last post “Mobile Payments – Will the Consumers Adopt it”.  In the last post, I had discussed the consumer issues. Now I am going to talk about the emerging business models in the mobile payment space and the pros and cons of each of the model.

5. Types of regulatory issues might occur due to this type of technology ?
I- software patents
II- Blatant copying
        Eg: Galaxy products use Google's Android operating system, which directly competes       with Apple's mobile software.
III- violated patents and trademarks
 In the world of smart phones and tablet computers, being sued for alleged patent infringements could be considered a badge of honour, a sign your products are cutting edge, a threat to rivals.
Eg: Apple is suing the likes of Motorola, HTC and Samsung; Nokia is suing Apple; everybody counter-sues each other. 
 That's all for this discussion, thanks much for reading . zaijian