Running any kind of business is an extremely challenging thing to do with all of the problems that arise every single day. Business owners have to keep a close eye on managing the company and every movement and activity each person makes. One little mistake can blow up into a massive dilemma. It is crucial for companies to be prepared and well-equipped to deal with these troubles. Not much can be done to avoid them, but a lot can be done to fix them. The remedy to these issues is Decision Support Systems (DSS).  Decision support systems are a controlled group of people, procedures, software, databases and devices used to help formulate decisions to resolve problems. [1] These groups examine business data and provide interactive data support to companies during the decision-making progression. In today’s business world, business-owners and managers are not only making many decisions, but they need to act fast and make instant decisions. Companies always want to keep up and gain competitive advantages over others to successfully operate, which Decision Support Systems can help achieve. Decision support systems allow businesses to respond and acclimatize to the constantly altering business environment. Their function is to offer and produce the greatest possible profits, lowest costs, and best products and services by assessing and resolving “everyday business questions by compiling useful information from a combination of raw data, documents, personal knowledge, or business models.” [2] The other benefits Decision support systems provide companies are: “Speeding up process of decision making, Increasing organizational control, Speeding up problem solving in an organization, Helping automate managerial processes, Improving personal efficiency, Eliminating value chain activities” [2]  Decision support systems can be employed by many businesses or organizations, including school systems. “There is growing pressure for teachers to adapt to external competitive demands (e.g. statewide assessments, student selection based on school profiles) as well as to respond to demands from a diffuse set of clients, such as the local community or taxpayers, who wish to see a return on their investment.” [3] Old techniques of education such as intuition, teaching philosophy and personal experience are not too adequate anymore. In the United States of America, by law, it is required for every state to implement an assessment system intended to measure and validate student achievement and overall school performance. [4] Schooling systems have drastically changed from the way they were years ago and it is crucial for present-day schools to adapt to the changes that have been made.  The requirement to collect information from students in order to assess their success and use this data to advance school excellence is very much similar to the introduction of data-driven decision-making processes in business in the 70s and 80s. “Yet, despite both the mandates and the rhetoric, schools are woefully under-prepared to engage in such inquiry. There may be a wealth of potential data available to schools, a growing number of tests mandated at the state, local, and school levels for various purposes: dropout statistics, attendance figures, course enrollments, SAT and ACT scores, and results of teacher and parent surveys. But such data are not easily accessible or available for comprehensive analysis. [...] The practice of applying large-scale data to classroom practice is virtually nonexistent.” [3] The main concern is what should information systems look like to support informed decisions at the different levels of the school system, and how can diverse information needs of teachers, principals, administrators and politicians be recognized and met.  An example of this situation in the real world occurred in 2001, when the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) introduced a system-wide data-support tool for its school systems with the help of the Grow Network Company. The goal of these Data Reports was to utilize paper and online reports to present appropriate standardized test results to teachers, principals, and parents with specific recommendations of responsive actions. [5] Essentially this was done with a focus on grades 3-8 and had to incentive to use standardized assessment data, coupled with supporting resources and professional development, to significantly enhance the quality of instructional practice and student results.  In all kinds of businesses and organizations, it is important to always be well equipped and prepared for a bump in the road. To be successful, its key to have a Decision support system to provide the best service to clients and to run a successful company. Overall, school faculty and parents have found the Data Reports very successful, one of the reasons being “Information systems are often flooded with data, offering more data than decision-makers can effectively synthesize and use. The Data Reports present one specific and crucial data point – the standardized test scores. Because of the demanding accountability context in the United States, this is significant data to most teachers and administrators regardless of their concerns about the data’s reliability and validity.”[3] Data-driven decision-making will be an essential mission for school administrators and teachers in the future; and more countries will follow the U.S. example. [1] pg. 288: Fundamentals of Information Technology by Ralph Stair and George Reynolds. 6thEdition. [2] http://www.targit.com/en/landingpages/decisionsupportsystem/dss [3] http://www.ifib.de/publikationsdateien/SIGDSS03-1582.pdf [4] www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/cpg.doc‎ [5] www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/data-to-inform-instruction/report.doc

As technology significantly improves, once complicated, time-consuming activities are getting much easier for the public and businesses. People expect easy, instant results for every little job they do. In terms of business activities, business owners and employees only have a few hours in their workday to get things done. Job duties such as accounting, finance, marketing, manufacturing, and human resources have been made extremely easy and quick with the introduction of electronic business (e-business). In electronic business, e-commerce is taken to a whole new level as information systems and the Internet are utilized to conduct all business-related activities.  Business activities that are strong applicants for transferring to e-commerce are ones that are strictly on paper, long and tedious, and inconvenient for customers. E-commerce is just any business transaction executed electronically between companies, whether it is business-to-business, companies and consumers, consumers and other consumers, business and the public sector, and consumers and the public sector. [1] These business activities may include things such as distribution, buying, selling, marketing, and servicing of products or services.  As e-commerce is already a great development, e-business takes the concept of e-commerce a step further. Electronic business works directly with suppliers and partners, linking internal and external data processing systems more proficiently and flexibly, to better fulfill the needs and expectations of their customers. E-business fully utilizes the Internet to achieve their goals and could be said to have a more strategic concentration and emphasize on the functions that arise using electronic resources, while e-commerce is a division of a general e-business strategy. “E-commerce seeks to add revenue streams using the World Wide Web or the Internet to build and enhance relationships with clients and partners and to improve efficiency using the Empty Vessel strategy. Often, e-commerce involves the application of knowledge management systems.” [2]  Websites such as Yahoo!, AltaVista and Lycos were a few of the first to connect users to the Internet. In addition to search functionality, search engines like Yahoo! Offered its users services such as websites and email accounts at no extra charge. Search provides also sold advertising and marketing services to businesses that were eager to hook up with the millions of people using the Internet. Social media websites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube are all models of social media platforms that enable users to share content over the Web. “These e-businesses normally get their start from venture capitalists who invest in the companies with the anticipation of getting a return. Social media companies have to determine how to monetize their services or seek acquisition from a larger company. Google's acquisition of YouTube in 2006 is an example of how social media e-businesses can continue to grow even when they do not have a defined way of capitalizing on their user base.” [3]  In conclusion, many businesses today are rethinking their business strategies in terms of the Internet and its great new culture and capabilities. It is extremely important for companies to stay updated with the growing technology world to satisfy customer wants and needs. Many companies are using the Internet to purchase parts and supplies from other companies, to work together on sales promotions, and to do dual research. “Exploiting the convenience, availability, and world-wide reach of the Internet, many companies, such as Amazon.com, the book sellers, have already discovered how to use the Internet successfully.” [4] [1] pg. 17: Fundamentals of Information Systems by Ralph Stair and George Reynolds 6thEdition [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_business [3] http://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/examples-ebusinesses-11344.html [4] http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/e-business

1. Concur: Business activities such as traveling, purchasing items or other expenses are extremely time-consuming. Concur gathers all of ones travel, receipts and other expense reports into one place so he or she can keep a check on them and can also stay productive. This application allows users to import data from credit cards, check, approve and submit expense reports and manage airfare, hotels, and dining itineraries. 2. CareerBuilder for Employers: It’s hard for businesses to find just the right employees for the positions they need filled. On this application, businesses can search for talented professionals to find the most suitable candidates. Through this account, one can review the resumes of the applicants they receive and contact them directly. Once someone finds an applicant that seems like he or she can have potential, they simply save them to a file and call or email them through the application. 3. Go Daddy Domain and Email Manager: This application helps businesses renew all of their products on time. People can send and receive emails from Go Daddy in its Mobile Workspace mail client. Managing ones dedicated and virtual servers, Go Daddy settings, hosting, and email accounts can be done through this application. Also, this application includes Online Storage, where users can easily manage his or her documents from anywhere. 4. Smart Office 2: Businesses utilize and rely heavily on Microsoft Office software. This application enables editing, creating, and sharing Microsoft Office documents in an easy manner. The application is incorporated with printing, so an extra printing application is not necessary. Cloud file access is enables so users may important files directly from Dropbox and Google docs. This application also provides a wide range of imported languages. 5. Parkmobile: If you are working for a business, and especially a business that requires many trips, you are visiting many different places so it’s important to be on top of your parking data. This application provides users with secure online access to parking data so one can keep track of any change/update in his or her account settings and of parking expenses. It also is a better and much simpler way to pay for parking by just using your iPhone. 6. LinkedIn: In today’s business world, it’s hard to find the job you are looking for. With this application, people can easily establish a profile, enter in all of their information and resume, and apply to jobs. Also, businesses can easily find and choose suitable applicants for positions they need filled. People can easily connect and find the right career. 7. Cardmunch: This business card scanning application is much better than others as it simply syncs the uploaded information one has with his or her LinkedIn contacts. All one has to do is take a picture of the card and within a few minutes all of the data is transcribed, stored, and cross-referenced. Also, after scanning ta contact, there’s a list of mutual contacts included within that person’s profile information. 8. Intuit: Intuit Online Payroll Plus is the most advanced, affordable online payroll website available today. Its appealing, intuitive interface and broad set of record keeping, processing and reporting tools make it a businesses best choice.

Whether it is searching for a good deal on a car or simply finding an affordable pair of designer shoes, online shopping has got you covered. Just a few years ago, if you needed things like these, you had to get up and get to the store, but that is not necessarily true anymore. Over the years, many stores have begun to add online websites for marketing and selling items. Not only has this greatly increased the success of these businesses, but it also has made life much easier for its users.  One of the most convenient stores online for many people is Peapod, developed from Stop & Shop. Peapod is an online grocery delivery service. The company is based in Skokie, Illinois, and operates out of several US cities. Now, instead of walking up and down aisles for one, two, three hours, one can simply sit at their computer or even on their iPhone with the Peapod App and click on grocery items they need. Everyone one may find in a grocery store, they can find on this website. Once the order is placed, it’s usually delivered the next day. It can’t get much easier than that![1]  With the Internet fiercely growing, thousands of online businesses have also been developed, one of the most successful being eBay. On eBay, users have the ability to conveniently sell and buy items all around the world, new or used, usually at affordable prices. The items people market and sell range from a bag of potato chips to a Lamborghini. Anything one could possibly want, they could most-likely find on eBay. eBay is also a wonderful creation for making a business out of old, worthless items one has laying around his or her house- as they say “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Buyers have the option of purchasing an item at a fixed price or bidding on an item and the highest bidder obtains the product. On any given day, millions of products are listed on eBay across thousands of categories. [2] As personal experience, I love shopping in stores and online but designer names could get extremely expensive. You could walk in Nordstrom and fall in love with a pair of shoes but then have your eyes melt off your head once you see the price tag on them. One could find that same $200 pair of shoes at a price of $60, or even lower in some cases on eBay.  Similar to eBay, websites such as Overstock.com offer great deals on high-quality, designer items. Again, there are thousands of different categories but people can only buy on this website, not sell. It is an online discount retailer based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. “Overstock initially sold surplus and returned merchandise on an online e-commerce marketplace, liquidating the inventories of at least 18 failed dot-com companies at below-wholesale prices. In recent years it has expanded to sell new merchandise, as well.” [3] Purchasing items such as furniture to decorate a house or a new family car could really get expensive. Overstock always has new great deals on everything posted daily on their website. For example, if one chooses to decorate a bedroom with furniture from overstock, in comparison with Pier 1 Imports, he or she would probably spend half, or even less the price. [4]  It’s amazing how many companies have begun utilizing the Internet to sell products and the amount of successful businesses that have generated from the Internet. Features such as free shipping/store pickup, promotions, simplicity, and convenience are what have brought of the great victory in each and every one of these companies. Things are constantly being established to make things easier, which the public and businesses are all over. [1] http://www.peapod.com/ [2] http://legacy.ebayinc.com/who [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overstock.com [4] http://www.overstock.com/

Cloud computing has become the latest buzz in today’s technology world for the public and businesses. Millions of people trust this software to store their e-mail, appointment calendars, and address books through websites such as Google. It is a type of Internet-based computing that relies on sharing computing resources as opposed to having local servers or personal devices to control applications. Various services such as servers, storage, and applications are sent to a company computers and devices via Internet through this computing.  [1]  Business owners have big ideas to streamline and simplify their businesses and have the greatest amount of sales possible. Accomplishing these goals, by things such as business applications, on top of the expenses to just run a business, is extremely expensive. There’s all of this software and applications out like Windows Vista SP2 and Oracle 11.1 GP1, that’s not only expensive, but once there’s a problem, it’s long and sometimes unsuccessful job. Cloud computing is much more lucrative and simple than this because instead of a business running apps itself, cloud computing is run on shared data- all one has to do is just plug it in, login, customize it and get started. Not only is this easy and saves a great amount of time, but it also costs much less. This is similar to comparing Gmail and Microsoft Exchange. Microsoft Exchange requires servers and storage, upgrades, and a technical team to keep it up and running. This model is so much better that it is changing the way many think about software not only for consumer apps but also business apps, which is referred to as Enterprise Cloud Computing. [2]  Although cloud computing seems like a great idea for everyone, many businesses do not agree. That is because they are more cautious with trusting the Internet with their precious, private corporate information. Cloud computing services do have the risk of failure, which will leave its users with no access to programs or data. Online companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Google and Microsoft all do experience server outages every once in awhile. [3]  One of cloud computing’s largest failures was in October 2009 with T-Mobile’s Sidekick Smartphone. This Smartphone utilized cloud computing data service from Microsoft, known as Danger, Inc. to backup user data from his or her phone. The data included user contacts, calendars, notes, photos, messages, etc., which was all deleted from each and every phone as this system failed and had no backup system. Fortunately for some people, they were able to recover their data, and for the ones who were not able to, they were compensated with a $100 credit. [4]  Yes, many users fear of losing all of their important, but the success cloud computing could bring out for many people and businesses is incredible. A great, recent example of this is Tim Bell, who works as a CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) infrastructure manager and has found a way to accelerate science with cloud computing. Every day, Bell and his co-workers work towards making sure operating systems, mail and security infrastructure are working properly and efficiently to serve 11,000 physicists. CERN maintains 11,000 servers at its location outside of Geneva, Switzerland, that create preliminary reconstructions of particle collisions before sending data to similar, smaller organizations all over the world. Bell says, “Roughly 600 million collisions a second are whittled down to 60,000 to make them possible to compute, and then 600 are selected as especially interesting for further review. That results in about 25 petabytes of data that need to be stored each year...It has become a key tool for physicists to able to understand the nature of matter and the universe itself...The ability to turn around rapid amounts of analysis and allow the physicists to explore the results [is part of] delivering discoveries.” [5]  Overall, the success of cloud computing overrules the possibility of failure for many users. All of the new netbooks and small notebook computers are ultimately designed for accessing Web applications, and nettops, which are an indication of the direction of computing. The strength and storage size of computers can fade away greatly as cloud computing expands. High-speed wireless access, a keyboard, and a screen is all that is necessary for “computing in the cloud”. [1] http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/cloud_computing.html [2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae_DKNwK_ms [3] pg. 179: Fundamentals of Information Technology. By Ralph Stair and George Reynolds. 6thEdition. [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Sidekick_data_loss [5] http://gigaom.com/2013/07/22/at-cern-tim-bell-is-accelerating-science-with-cloud-computing/

            As technology significantly improves, once complicated, time-consuming activities are getting much easier for the public and businesses. People expect easy, instant results for every little job they do. In terms of business activities, business owners and employees only have a few hours in their workday to get things done. Job duties such as accounting, finance, marketing, manufacturing, and human resources have been made extremely easy and quick with the introduction of electronic business (e-business). In electronic business, e-commerce is taken to a whole new level as information systems and the Internet are utilized to conduct all business-related activities.

            Business activities that are strong applicants for transferring to e-commerce are ones that are strictly on paper, long and tedious, and inconvenient for customers. E-commerce is just any business transaction executed electronically between companies, whether it is business-to-business, companies and consumers, consumers and other consumers, business and the public sector, and consumers and the public sector. [1] These business activities may include things such as distribution, buying, selling, marketing, and servicing of products or services.

            As e-commerce is already a great development, e-business takes the concept of e-commerce a step further. Electronic business works directly with suppliers and partners, linking internal and external data processing systems more proficiently and flexibly, to better fulfill the needs and expectations of their customers. E-business fully utilizes the Internet to achieve their goals and could be said to have a more strategic concentration and emphasize on the functions that arise using electronic resources, while e-commerce is a division of a general e-business strategy.  “E-commerce seeks to add revenue streams using the World Wide Web or the Internet to build and enhance relationships with clients and partners and to improve efficiency using the Empty Vessel strategy. Often, e-commerce involves the application of knowledge management systems.” [2]

            Websites such as Yahoo!, AltaVista and Lycos were a few of the first to connect users to the Internet. In addition to search functionality, search engines like Yahoo! Offered its users services such as websites and email accounts at no extra charge. Search provides also sold advertising and marketing services to businesses that were eager to hook up with the millions of people using the Internet. Social media websites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube are all models of social media platforms that enable users to share content over the Web. “These e-businesses normally get their start from venture capitalists who invest in the companies with the anticipation of getting a return. Social media companies have to determine how to monetize their services or seek acquisition from a larger company. Google's acquisition of YouTube in 2006 is an example of how social media e-businesses can continue to grow even when they do not have a defined way of capitalizing on their user base.” [3]

            In conclusion, many businesses today are rethinking their business strategies in terms of the Internet and its great new culture and capabilities. It is extremely important for companies to stay updated with the growing technology world to satisfy customer wants and needs. Many companies are using the Internet to purchase parts and supplies from other companies, to work together on sales promotions, and to do dual research. “Exploiting the convenience, availability, and world-wide reach of the Internet, many companies, such as Amazon.com, the book sellers, have already discovered how to use the Internet successfully.” [4]

[1] pg. 17: Fundamentals of Information Systems by Ralph Stair and George Reynolds 6^th Edition

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

[3] http://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/examples-ebusinesses-11344.html

[4] http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/e-business

In today’s business world, it has become extremely common for many companies, small and large, to convert their systems over to certain databases to provide better service and care to their customers. One of the most important businesses that have greatly enhanced their care to patients by the use of databases is in hospitals.  One of the most common medical databases utilized is called UpToDate. This clinical knowledge support system database displays modestly improved length of stay, mortality rates, and quality of care. It could be best described as “premier evidence-based clinical decision support resource authored by physicians to help healthcare practitioners make the best decisions at the point of care. By combining the latest clinical knowledge with cutting-edge technology, UpToDate changes the way clinicians practice medicine and has become an indispensable part of clinical workflows in institutions and practices worldwide.” [1] UpToDate is accessed through Web browsers or through electronic health records (EHRs) using desktops, laptops, or mobile devices.  Hospitals and care-giving centers constantly have to stay updated on new information, treatments, etc. as new studies and innovations are being released. Nurses and doctors go to years and years of school learning about these things, but eventually things they learn become outdated and they have to keep up to date with things. In order to provide the best care and obtain the best knowledge, it’s essential for hospitals to have databases like UpToDate. Technology has significantly changed from just four years ago, especially in the medical field.  The Journal of Hospital Medicine held a study comparing the performance of 1,017 hospitals that used UpToDate to that of 2,305 facilities that did not, employing freely available administrative databases. “During the three years covered by the study, UpToDate hospitals had slightly shorter average lengths of stay than the control group did (5.6 vs. 5.7 days), and the same was true for each of the six conditions studied. The study group also had slightly lower risk-adjusted 30-day mortality rates, although the difference was significant for only three of the conditions. On all four conditions studied for quality scores--heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical infection prevention--the UpToDate users did better than non-users.” [2]  The Ottawa Hospital in Canada just acquired this database and has a very positive outlook on its performance. The Chief Medical Information Officer Glen Geiger, M.D. at Ottawa Hospital said, “Our use of UpToDate Anywhere is a direct outgrowth of our advanced mobility strategy and mission to equip clinicians with the tools they need to answer questions quickly at the point of care...We are confident that, as the latest tool in our online arsenal, UpToDate will have a significantly positive impact on both our physicians and the patients they treat.” [3]  UpToDate is really self-explanatory. It is extremely important and beneficial to all people in the medical field. Not only does it help keep everyone “up to date,” but it also is readily available just about anywhere, providing doctors with additional access to UpToDate, whether they are on-site, at satellite offices, at home or on the go by using the award-winning UpToDate mobile app for iOS, Android and Windows. [1] http://www.uptodate.com/home [2] http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/clinical-systems/medical-database-linked-to-better-hospit/232200181 [3] http://www.nationalpost.com/markets/news/Ottawa+Hospital+Launches+UpToDate+Anywhere+Mobile+Enabled+Clinical/8671040/story.html Answers to Questions: 1. What specific challenges does your database system implementation have?   I think one of the very few challenges UpToDate may face is trying to get businesses to adopt it. Many still use older databases and don’t really think to change things around since their current databases are doing the job they need to. UpToDate just takes many databases to the next level. 2. In what ways does it provide competitive advantage for the organization using it?   Just as illustrated in one of the many studies, UpToDate really has such a competitive advantage over other hospitals not employing this technology. Again, many hospitals still utilize publicly available databases, which is somewhat, but not as advanced and cutting edge as UpToDate. More than 700,000 clinicians in 158 countries and almost 90% of academic medical centers in the United States rely on UpToDate to provide the best care. That trust has been earned because of the reliability of the databases’ recommendations, including the fact that they never accept funding from pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers or other commercial entities, which many other databases do. Again, this database has been linked shortened hospital stays, fewer deaths and better quality performance than non-UpToDate hospitals. 3. What improvements would you suggest?   I think that UpToDate is really a great and successful database already. One thing I would maybe suggest for UpToDate to do is advertise more and go around to medical businesses and display the importance of adopting this database, in relation to other used databases. They should inform medical employees how they are different and the studies that have been conducted to exhibit their success.