1000715846 Minhajul Alam's Answers

1st Blog Questions

1. Define the meaning of the terms data, information and knowledge according to Thomas Davenport's Information Hierarchy (1997).

Ans: Define the meaning of the terms data, information and knowledge according to Thomas Davenport's Information Hierarchy (1997)

According to Davenport and Prusak it is possible to define:Data is a set of discrete, objective facts about events.

Informationit has a shape and it is organized to some purposes. "Information is data endowed with relevance and purpose.

Knowledgeconverting data into information thus requires knowledge. And knowledge, by definition, is specialized" (Peter Drucker).

2. What are the characteristics of the above terms?

Ans: Data describes only a part of what happened; it provides no judgment or interpretation and no sustainable basis of action. But data is important to organizations because it is essential raw material for the creation of information. Data becomes information through the five "C":Contextualized, Calculated, Categorized, Corrected, Condensed.
Information becomes knowledge through the four "C":Comparison, Consequents, Connections, Conversation.

4. Is there any possibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy? Elaborate.

Ans: One of the more detailed descriptions of the conceptual hierarchy of knowledge has been given by Earl. It differs from most extant hierarchies, as the distinguishing character of knowledge is its social acceptance. This reflects the idea that knowledge has to be interpersonal or objective. According to Earl, there are actually four levels of knowledge needed to understand organizational information, each level representing an increasing amount of structure, certainty and validation. First, organizational events are represented, collected and processed to generate data. Data are further manipulated, presented and interpreted to generate information. Information then leads to knowledge as it is tested, validated and codified. Earl emphasizes the idea that knowledge emerges through inter-personal validation. The underlying conception, however, is still based on viewing data as the raw material from which knowledge is created.


2nd Blog Questions

After an effort well shown in previous blogs, I would like to see some reviews/opinions on the most common question in managing strategic information systems.
Considering the organizational environments (internal, external and new work) and the technology environments (hardware, software and data trends), what current technologies do you predict will have the most impact on the way work is done? Why?
Answer in proper paragraphs, in essay form. Try not to exceed 500 words.

Ans: Nowadays, with the development of the technology, the environment of organization becomes more and more complex, more and more new situations appear in the organization.

Organizational environment refers to the forces that can make an impact. Forces made up opportunities and threats. Organizations dose not exist in isolation. It works with the overall environment. The environments have been divided into two main parts as internal environment and external environment.

Internal Environment
Organizations internal environment refers to the elements within the organization. Internally, an organization can be viewed as a resource conversion machine that takes inputs (labor, money, materials and equipment) from the external environment (i.e., the outside world), converts them into useful products, goods, and services, and makes them available to customers as outputs.● Current employees● Management● Trade unions● Share holders

External Environment
It consists of all the outside institutions and forces that have an actual or potential interest or impact on the organization's ability to achieve its objectives: ● Competitive● Technological● Political● Legal

Through the relationship between the internal environment and external environment we can understand that the external environment impact the internal environment. Meanwhile, the technology becomes the important part in the external environment.The technology environment advances in organizational performance and impact the nowadays organization and work environment in four aspects.

Hardware trends:
Personal computers have been popularized from 1980s, today’s business becomes more and more rely on the computers, not only B2B (Business to Business) but also the B2C (Business to Customer). The innovation of the hardware makes the business easy and fast. The expansion of the chip also improves the store ability of the database.

Software trends:
Software also becomes the important part in today’s business. In order to improve the efficiency of the business, more and more software has been developed such as the accounting software; HR (Human Resource) management software etc. under these software help the business and management become easy and fast such as easy operation, easy maintain, easy update personal information and easy calculate.

Data trends:
Information becomes the important part in today’s business. The new technology make data and information management easily and safe. Not only the staffs but also the administrator can access the information easily and data management organizes internal facts into data record format, because of the technology environment, information management and digitized media become the main trend in business.

Communication trends:
Telecom as an integral component of IS (Information System) management and the communication-based information systems link organizations to their suppliers and customers, also shifted mainframe-centered computing to network-centric computing.

As above said, the technology impact today’s business in many ways, but the organization environment and the technology environment can not exist in isolation, the combination is necessary and important, the management information system will become the main technology and knowledge in current and future business and work situations.

3rd Blog Questions

With experience of blogging in the first 2 assignments, by now it would be easier to get ideas on posting blogs to answer questions and giving reviews/opinions. Answer the questions below with proper elaboration. Do not re-write the questions; just give a proper header for each answer will do.

1. Why is it important for business strategy to drive organisational strategy and IS strategy? What might happen if business strategy was not the driver?

Ans: What might happen if business strategy was not the driver?Simply put, organizational strategy is a clear definition of how the organization needs to change – over time - in order to be able to deliver the strategy of the enterprise and an actionable plan of how to make the transformation. This requires both the thinking and analysis to compare current state to desired state and define the gap, and the execution capabilities to make the requisite changes happen. Developed and implemented effectively organizational strategy enables companies to convert strategic intent into sustainable and high performance results.The role of information systems in providing competitive advantage and the frequent need for business re-engineering that accompanies adoption of new technology are discussed. Strategic IT planning and the evaluation process tonsure proper alignment of technology to business goals are also explained. Global IT issues are also considered.so it is important for business strategy to drive organizational strategy and IS strategy.Business Strategy - is concerned more with how a business competes successfully in a particular market. It concerns strategic decisions about choice of products, meeting needs of customers, gaining advantage over competitors, exploiting or creating new opportunities etc.business strategy models should not: just be statements of intent; come across like a political speech; have concrete meaning only to management; concern themselves with events far in the future or have little relevance to today.so if business strategy was not the driver, it might make the business fail.

2. Consider a traditional manufacturing company that wanted to take advantage of the Internet and the Web. What might be a reasonable business strategy and how would organisational and IS strategy need to change?

Ans: If a traditional manufacturing company that wanted to take advantage of the Internet and the Web, the business model of the company has changed from the traditional to E-commerce manufacture. Electronic markets allow cooperating competing companies to control how a market in a certain business area operates. This can have strategic implications due to way this manipulates the environmental threat and opportunities. Internet commerce has the potential to replace traditional sales channels in both the business-to consumer and business-to-business sectors. In addition e-commerce can generate new business opportunities, for instance the sale of electronic content has provided a new channel for the distribution of music, and it may be argued, provided a different product. Overall, the business model has changed, so the operation of the organization also would be changed.

As a business strategy is developed it should be used to inform the strategies of the departments that make up the organization, in this way the Organizational and IS strategy of a company would be influenced by the business strategy. When a company wants to change its business model from traditional to E-commerce, the Organizational and IS strategy will also change following the Business Strategy so that the IS Strategy Triangle can keep balance. Adoption of e-commerce strategies implies that new technologies must be mastered and new ways of working will be encountered. An organization must analyze the requirements and ensure that it can meet them so that the organization can have a high success in its business.

3. What does this tip from Fast Company mean: “The job of the CIO is to provide organisational and strategic flexibility”?

Ans: Office of the CIO in support of the campus wide IT process:• Communications• Financial Planning• Project Management• Security, Privacy and Policy s. Assistance Strategic Technology AcquisitionSome of these services correspond to departments in the Office of the CIO, but they are presented here as services to the campus IT community instead of as organizational unit.
Since the Respondents said they needed to be more involved in vision setting, organizational strategy and communication, in addition to the advice they provide to the business on technology, the CIOs considered application development and integration as potential areas for cost reductions, while intelligence and analytics were not considered as important. And they also believe that application development and integration are still significant areas of focus for achieving cost reductions and securing overall value. However, Knowledge, intelligence and analytics, on the other hand, are not considered priorities. According these, the CIOs of Fast Company suggested the business strategy and organizational strategy and declares that the job of the CIO is to provide organizational and strategic flexibility.

* Questions derived from Pearlson & Saunders (2006).


4th Blog Questions

For this blog, the topic is on our latest lecture on IT and the Design of Work. Implementation of IT system helps in changing the way work is done, but there seems to be resistance from the human workers when the technology replaces the routine and mechanical works.

1. Why might a worker resist the implementation of a new technology? Give some examples to support the idea.

Ans: When the new technology comes to implement the workers routine work, many of the staff will resist. The new IT technology may lower morale and job satisfaction, with employees feeling they are just "pushing buttons". For example, the manager put a pinhole camera in the workshop to manage the workers. This would make the workers unhappy, because they think when they are working, at the same time someone is surveillance. And the worker also thinks they have the privacy even if they at working, the pinhole camera also violate their privacy. Another example is that a truck delivery company put a GPS system in every truck to control the location of each driver, and if the driver goes other place that no-related to the worker, the company would give punishment to that driver. In doing this way, the company can manage the work routine better, but the drivers would not happy with this action. They will think that there are eyes look at he/she, and they will feel angry.

Using technology to manage workers will reduce the enthusiasm when the staffs do the job. They think they just like the robots when they under the surveillance. If the dissatisfaction increased, it will give a big impact on the company itself.

2. What are some of the possible consequences of asking a worker to use a computer or similar device in his or her job? Critically discuss this.

Ans: When ask a worker to use a computer in his job, then some possible consequences will appears. Firstly, because this is the first time for the worker using computer in his job, and he is not familiar with this computer. Although using computer to finish the work, the work efficiency is low. Secondly, to make the work well by using computer, the worker should learn much new knowledge on new technology. It will cause the complaints from worker and affect his mood. Thirdly, during the work processes, maybe the worker should make the database or any other things. At that time, he dont know how to do, and he will ask professionals to solve the problem, which will cause self-humiliation, and he cannot achieve self-worth.

3. How can IT alter an individual’s work? How can a manager insure that the impact is positive rather than negative?

Ans: IT changes the employee's work from traditional way to a new era. In past, all the tasks done by the worker, by using IT, the most tasks are done by the computer. The communication among the workers is also changed into electronic ways. IT enable various electronic approached done by the computer, and the worker did less tasks than traditional.

For the managers. They must come out ways that make the employees accept worker under the computer device, they must ensure that the impact is positive rather than negative. For example, in the evaluation stage, the manager can find those who are very hard in the work process, and give a reward in the last of month. In this way, the worker's enthusiasm can be increase by the rewards.

* Questions derived from Pearlson & Saunders (2006).

Development in IT and work arrangement

As time goes by, there are more innovations and inventions emerging in the society here and there, especially in the field of IT. In this case, a worker will choose to resist the implementation of a new technology because of some inner thoughts. Firstly, I will state some examples about this point.

1. Human resistance to the use of information technology in construction companies
Information Technology with all its capabilities promise a big potential for construction companies to gain competitive advantage in the market. In the construction industry, it is believed that the use of IT will contribute to improved performance and reduced cost by, for example, reliably tracking and managing construction materials, documents, etc. However, because the human dimension is not given adequate consideration, the process of implementing IT often fails to bring the intended result (Audi et al. 2005).

2. The role and barrier of labour in choosing and implementing information-based technologies
Labour's resistance to the introduction and utilization of IT could lessen its potential impacts. As understood, it is a little impact for the workers to do the things in their job positions whtn the new technologies appearing at present. In some extent, it will influence their wages and effects of their work. Here, it is in the field of policy and industrial development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.

Factually, the value from the workers can not display obviously by that way since IT plays a more important role in the work. It is also the factor that how IT alters an individual’s work.
Although the pressure is lower than before that the new IT has not come out, the workers' contributions is also less than before. However, by this way, a manager will insures that the impact is positive rather than negative. The reason why it is like that is Information Technologies will improve and then promote the development of the companies and increase more profits than before.

So, it illustrates that as soon as IT develops, it will have an impact in the design of work.



References
[1] Audi, Fani, Heru and Purwoadi. (Thursday, 1 September, 2005) 'Human resistance to the use of information technology in construction companies' [online] (Cited 29 March 2009). Available from: www.articlearchives.com/computing/software-services-applications/1021707-1.html.

Review Malaysia Technology Expo (MTE) 2009

On 20th February, 2009, we went to Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with three lecturers. After going there, we found there were a lot of new inventions finished by many famous students from some famous universities in Malaysia.

Here, I chose two kind innovations of them to explain as below. (Initially, I prepared two pieces of pictures showing here. However, they could not be uploaded in this space. Therefore, I will describe a little about them.)

1. High sensitivity material for nuclear radiation dose measurement
Objective: Developing a high sensitivity and low cost thermoluminescence (TL) material for routine thermoluminescence dosimetry (TLD) applications in quantifying radiation dosage from X-rays, gamma-rays and beta radiation. This invention is from nuklear malaysia. I think it is very updated and new in ideas and thought.

2. Biotechnology improved synthetic seeds (low cost seeds production technology)
Synthetic seed refers to the encapsulation of somatic embryos that functionally mimic the behaviouss of true seeds and sprout into seedings under suitable conditions. Therefore, it also has many advantages. It is another advance in improving IT field.

Besides, there are other innovations on that day. They promote the development of IT in Malaysia.

These are a little information about reviewing MTE 2009.

IT and Design of Work

1. Why might a worker resist the implementation of a new technology? Give some examples to support the idea.

Answer: When the new technology comes to implement the workers routine work, many of the staff will resist. The new IT technology may lower morale and job satisfaction, with employees feeling they are just "pushing buttons". For example, the manager put a pinhole camera in the workshop to manage the workers. This would make the workers unhappy, because they think when they are working, at the same time someone is surveillancing. And the worker also think they have the pravacy even if they at working, the pinhole camera also violate their privacy. Another example is that a truck delivery comany put a GPS system in every truck to control the location of each driver, and if the driver go other place that no-related to the worker, the company would give punishment to that driver. In doing this way, the company can manage the work routine better, but the drivers would not happy with this action. They will think that there are eyes look at he/she, and they will feel angry.


Using technology to manage workers will reduce the enthusiasm when the staff do the job. They think they just like the roborts when they under the surveillance. If the dissatisfaction increased, it will give a big impact on the company itself.

2. What are some of the possible consequences of asking a worker to use a computer or similar device in his or her job? Critically discuss this.

Answer: There are do have some possible consequences of asking a worker to use a computer or similar device in his or her job. The most possible one is that the worker is new to the company and the manager said that they need to use the computer to manager his worker, and see if he can do well and stay in the company after the pre-use. In situation, the worker would agree this way of managing, because it related to his future development.

Another possible sitauation that the worker agree to use a computer in his job is that they are in the trainning phase before they really work in the company. The trainning of employees is very important for the company and the manager will always ask the employees work under the electronic device, which is a easy way to manage their trainning process. Thus, the employees may agree to work with a computer device.


3. How can IT alter an individual’s work? How can a manager insure that the impact is positive rather than negative?

Answer: IT change the employee's work from traditional way to a new eara. In past, all the tasks done by the worker, by using IT, the most tasks are done by the computer. The communication among the workers is also changed intoo electronic ways. IT enable various electronic approached done by the computer, and the worker did less tasks than traditional.

For the managers. they must cme out ways that make the employees accept worker under the computer device, they must ensure that the impact is postive rather than negative. For example, in the evaluation stage, the manager can find those who are very hard in the work process, and give a rewards in the last of month. In this way, the worker's enthusiasm can be increase by the rewards.

Implementaion of new technology

Too many good technology applications have failed because of sabotage by users who want to stay with the status quo. Although implementation of a new technology may increase productivity and reduce costs, the workers always resist them because of the lower morale and lower satisfaction when the technology replaces the routine and mechanical works. And is makes the workers feel that they are just “pushing buttons”. And new technology is often seen as a miracle fix that will automatically lead to faster, more efficient, and more profitable results. Implementing a new technology initiative is never easy. It takes a lot of planning and decision-making and, above all, cooperation. What makes a company work is people, processes and technology. Basically, how a company manages change — not how it implements new technology — will determine the outcome of new initiatives. Most business people agree the greatest challenges to new technology success are usually more behavioral than technical [1].

And another factor of the resistance from new technology is the money. In the traditional approach, the compensation and rewards are often individually-based, and the hiring are more reliance on clerical skills with little on computers. But in the new approach – implementation of new technology, the compensation and rewards are often team-based or contractually spelled out, and the hiring are often electronic with recruiting websites and electronic testing. More informated work that requires a higher level of IT skills. So the implementation of new technology possible hurting morale and undermining efforts encourage workers to contribute their ideas to the organization.

When workers feel threatened by these several factors, they will likely to resist it. The resistance can be overt and observable. For example, they slowdown their works or sabotage their works. The resistance also can be covert and not readily observable because it is doe under the guise of ‘working as usual’ [2].

If asking a work to use a computer, mobile phone or other similar device in his job, the product quality may not guarantee by the worker. Since there are more difficult for managers to evaluate and compensate performance when implementing a new technology, the worker must be extremely self-disciplined. And the workers can disconnect them from corporate culture. Furthermore, the labor unions, politicians etc factor may worried about foreign outsourcing of software development and computer service enabled by the same technologies.

As soon as accepting the implementation of the new technology, it will change their individual’s work. technology continues to drastically alter the way individuals work, helping to level the playing field for individuals with disabilities and expand opportunities for employers to benefit from their capabilities. IT changes the nature of work. It result in the work are fulfilled by the computer or other devices automatically [2]. It includes the people with disabilities in diversity recruitment goals, create partnerships with disability-relater advocacy organizations. Such as the communization patterns have also changed, workers now use mobile devices to send and receive messages and tap into database, greatly affecting sales and service tasks. And the cost and time needed to access information is dramatically lower, giving workers new tools. At the same time, the work has become much more team oriented – an effect amplified by the internet. Hence, these changes alter the individual’s work to the digital information technology.

The existing literature on the impact of technology has proven that the impact is positive rather than negative. Since the automation may increase productivity and reduce costs, IT creates million of new jobs, some in entirely new industries, the manager insure that the impact is positive rather than negative. Furthermore, the more work is team – oriented, enabled by communication and collaboration technologies. Geographic constraints of enabling telecommuting. And for the human resources factor, the manager think, the new strategies are need to supervise, evaluate, and compensate remotely performed. The telecommuting has gained popularity since the late 1990s it don’t take up office space and lowering facilities costs. And it also increased flexibility are more productive and express higher levels of job satisfaction. Considering with the cost and productivity the manager inures that the impact is positive rather than negative.

Reference:
1. Fred Ode (June, 2008) To Avoid End-User Rejection of New Technology Implementation, Available at http://joke.qq.com/z/blue/200741/gnjggs.htm,( Access at March 27, 2009)
2. Department of Labor (August 2005), Strategic Connections: Recruiting Candidates with Disabilities, Available at: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/connect.htm （Access at March 28th, woo9）

IT and the Design of Work

1. When a new technology implementation occurs, the workers might resist this new technology implementation. Many workers feel that they will not be capable of learning a new procedure, and this can lead to insecurity about their own ability. Much of this fear comes from a lack of hands-on experience. Other fears are due to a lack of understanding and explanation about the change. Workers feel that implementation of technological systems will affect them in an adverse way, such as the loss of their job or a loss of their present status [1]. For example, In tradtional approaches, the supervision is personal, but in new technology supervision is electronic devices, which will result in lossing jobs for workers and reducing their status. Even though, the new technology needs worker as supervison, then the supervision must be professional in new technology. In addition, when a new technology added, then the work is more team oriented and the rewards also will be team-based replace individually-based. At that time, the workers will reject this new technology. Furthermore, the new technology will make the workers have no privacy, and all their behaviors will control by machines and electronic devices. On the other hand, in order to make the work well, workers must study the new technology and understand it, which provides burden to them. Overall, the reasons for worker resist the new technology are: no freedom, no individual work status, study more knowledge on new technoly, less jobs, and so on.

2. When ask a worker to use a computer in his job, then some possible consequences will appears. Firstly, because this is the first time for the worker using computer in his job, and he is not familiar with this computer. Although useing computer to finish the work, the work efficiency is low. Secondly, to make the work well by using computer, the worker should learn many new knowledge on new technology. It will cause the complaints from worker and affect his mood. Thirdly, during the work processes, maybe the worker should make the database or any other things. At that time, he dont know how to do, and he will ask professionals to solve the problem, which will cause self-humiliation, and he cannot achieve self-worth.

3. IT can make the individual work into team work to enhance the productivity and work efficiency, and it make the work designing again. Furthermore, IT make the individual work more easy, for example, previously the work should do work by hand, but IT can use the monitoring systems to make the work finish automatically, which alleviate working pressure for workers.

In order to make the workers accept the new technology, the managers must overcome the resistance problems. By selecting appropriate solutions or mechanisms, it is possible to avoid most human resistance to change. Activities by management can aid in achieving this meshing of people and of technological systems.
* Top Management Leadership--Top management must reinforce its commitment to the new system. They should stress the fact that people are essential to the successful implementation of the system. If employees believe top management fully supports a new project or technology, they will be more likely to cooperate with the implementation [1].

* Line Accountability for Change--All employees from the factory floor through the top management level need to be completely involved and committed to designing the system and making the system work. Line accountability in this process is critical. Line managers should commit to keeping workers up-to-date about their progress as well as making sure employees have the necessary experience to provide valuable input to the design of the system. Employees can often suggest ideas from their experience that design engineers and technicians have not considered. Involvement can also give employees a greater sense of responsibility and pride in the project. It becomes "our" system rather than "their" system. Both worker, and organization will benefit [1].
* Total Immersion for People--Giving decision-making responsibility to lower levels within the organization gives people a greater sense of responsibility and pride in their work. It also motivates them to want the system to be successful. To reinforce this commitment, top management should include and communicate the new systems' success in the organization's goals and mission. Employees should be rewarded according to these new goals [1].

Reference:
[1] People: a critical element of new technology implementation. Retrieved March 28, 2009, from Word Wide Web: http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/9200330_1.html

Malaysia Technology Expo 2009

Malaysia Technology Expo 2009 (MTE 2009)was held in PWTC, Kuala Lumpur from 19th to 21st Feb 2009.

After finishing the E-commerce class, we went the Expo with many friends and several lecturers (Mr. Ting, Mr. Yamen and Mrs. Pheobe) on 20 Feb 2009. There are many new Technology are displayed in the exhibition hall, some of them are by the professors or lecturers of National Universities in Malaysia. The technologies can be generated into several parts: Education, Industry, Technology, Agriculture and Medicine).

One of the technology shown in the exhibition was the Bullet-Proof Vest, which impress me in deeply. Although I forgot the name of the Invent Author and the University name, I still remember that the Bullet-Proof Vest is designed by the Nano technology. The staff there explains the knowledge about Nano for us and allow us to try to have a dress. And the another technology attracted me is the greenhouse effect. The flowers has a good environment to blossom with its technology.

Overall, Malaysia Technology Expo 2009 has influence a lot, and help me know lots of the new information technology in modern society. And I also realized that learn better in information technology is really necessary for us.