Every day companies are trying to figure out ways to make their jobs easier and more efficient, for all. In today's society, technology is growing every day so these desires could be made possible for businesses. The hardware and software that has been developed has allowed businesses to establish more adequate, convenient workload. One of the most recent products that has been designed for solving these issues are TABLETS. I think that tablets are a genius device to add to any work place. These versatile products are fairly small in size and weight, especially Apple's new iPad mini, and are easily accessible at any time. Businesses utilizing tablets with overloaded workers do not have to stress about finishing a project/assignment during his or her work day. They can work on their tasks just about anywhere they desire- at home, in the car, while traveling, etc. They also have an incredible amount of storage, so running out of space is usually not an issue. Tablets capture data with the touch of a finger or pen, which significantly improves worker productivity every day. MAGNETIC DISKS are devices that provide quick, easy access to stored information. They are direct access storage devices that enable fast data retrieval and are used by companies that need to respond quickly to customer requests. These are extremely crucial in businesses who need instant information. For example, when booking a flight, customers need to view the seat availability in the click of a button. Or when a manager needs to review a customers credit history. Fast, direct access to information is critical for many companies, which is why having magnetic disks is very important. Another device that provides fast, easy feedback is a LASER PRINTER. Some normal, inkjet printers, can take up to five minutes to print just one page. Businesses need to work in a speedy manner to ensure they have time to work with every customer and not have any hold ups to prevent that. This is why utilizing laser printers in high volume businesses is extremely beneficial. They provide instant, efficient printings/copyings, which is very helpful at the end of the day for everyone. Another essential enhancement to companies is utilizing DATABASE APPLICATIONS, such as Microsoft Access, IBM Lotus Approach, Borland dBASE, and Sun Base. These applications are ideal for storing, manipulating, and retrieving data. They are very useful when companies need to manipulate a large amount of data and produce reports and documents. This is very helpful for employees in an environment such as a doctors office. I know in my dads office they just recently converted over to an online database application (I forget which one) and it has been very beneficial to everyone. Patient information can be easily stored and readily accessible at any time. Things such as contact information and medical history is stored not only on paper, but also on the computer. There's no time wasted fiddling through files, everything is found in the click of a button on the computer. Another software that could extend the use of information systems into the mobile regime of work is SPREADSHEET ANALYSIS. This is very important in businesses for things such as managing money. It can prepare budgets, forecast profits, analyze insurance programs, suarizr income tax data, and analyze investments. Optimization is also another powerful feature of many spreadsheet programs. This allows the spreadsheet to maximize and/or minimize a quantity subject to certain constraints. For example if a business, such as a deli may not be gaining enough profit and want to figure out ways to maximize their profits. This spreadsheet will provide information on all of their costs and will display things to cut down on to increase net income. The deli could do things such as not buying as much cold cuts because many are put to waste once the day is over or perhaps even fire some employees. Another software that has become widely popular is GRAPHICS PROGRAMS. With these programs, it is easy to develop appealing graphs, illustrations, and drawings. Businesses can establish attractive brochures, announcements, and full-color presentations. This is very useful to companies because they can advertise and provide information to viewers to get them into their stores/offices. It can also allow giving a presentation to become more entertaining and enhance it a great amount as most presentation graphics come with many pieces of clip art, success as drawings and photos of people meeting, medical equipment, telecommunications equipment, entertainment, and much more. All of these hardwares and softwares (plus many more!) have greatly improved productivity and significantly advanced the amount of time put into every task in workplaces. These features have extended the use of information systems into the mobile regime of work and have made everything much easier than it previously had been!

Utilizing social media is a vital skill in today's business world. My father is an optometrist, and the owner of both of his practices. In today’s economy, everyone is cutting back on every little penny they spend. This is really hurting small, local businesses, including my father’s. People are holding off on things such as making doctors appointments and getting fit with proper glasses. They are managing with the eyewear they have and are not coming in until it is an emergency.  Until the economy improves, businesses need to start thinking out of the box and advertise deals to get current and new customers into their businesses, and the social network is a perfect place to achieve this goal. Just about everyone has a Facebook and/or in today’s society. People are checking these pages 3, 4, 5 plus times a day, so this is the perfect opportunity for businesses to advertise, as many people will see it.  Many people refrain from going into certain stores or offices because things are just too expensive and they wait for a promotion so they can get a good deal. In terms of my dads business, just a ten-minute eye exam, alone, has an average price of about $50, depending on the insurance the patient has and requires follow up exams after being fit with glasses and/or contacts. This all adds up, especially if it is an entire family going into the office.  Recently, I got my dad to set up a Facebook page for his business, providing office hours, directions, phone/fax numbers, and advertising deals and new products. This has allowed his patients to easily connect with him and has increased business already. Once a person comes across his business’ page and likes it, they then have basically subscribed to all of the posts my dad puts on the page. Once people like this page, it will come up on their Facebook friends’ newfeed and those friends may be interested in the location and deals and click on his page to check it out, which leads to more new customers.  I also want to help him create a Twitter page doing something similar. In my opinion, I think Facebook has been fading out and Twitter and other social media websites have become more popular. On Twitter he can advertise and do all of the same things as he did on Facebook, but also Twitter has the aspect of “hashtagging”. Hashtagging is a great feature for businesses and organizations to utilize in marketing to build a temporary community, create a buzz, or start a discussion around a particular topic. While you talk about that issue, other people will start to talk about it, too. I think this will also greatly increase business and profit for my dad!

Just about every little thing on this planet has a system functioning behind it, whether it is something such as the life of an insect or managing a successful business. Many people overlook the importance of these systems and never really think too deeply behind them. Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy, developed the General System Theory, which he used to explain the behavior of a variety of complex, organized systems.  Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy explained his rationale behind “building a science of social systems is based on the assumption that social organizations are like living organisms in the sense that both display wholeness, interact with their environment, exhibit strategies of self-maintenance, and experience cycles of birth, growth, maturity and decline”. [1] His idea of a general system insights into biological, behavioral, social and epistemological domains, while fighting specifically against the reductionist approaches and the mechanist interpretations that dehumanize human beings through robotomorphism, zoomorphism, scientism and other narrow-minded and shortsighted assumptions that have been used extensively by people without realizing that it is impossible and improper to simplify the complexity inherent to whatever human concern. [1]  Through behavioristic psychology and the ideas of Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy, leading personality theorists developed many new concepts, one of the most interesting being human nature. A man is portrayed as a computer, an animal, or an infant. His entire life is based upon things such as the genes passed down by his parents, instincts, mishaps, early conditioning, and cultural and social adaptations. All of these attributes and events of ones life are things that shape how he or she will live their life. People do not choose what color eyes they have, what ethnicity they are, or if they have a mental disorder. These are all characteristics people are born with and can be traced back to relatives. “In the majority of our models of personality, there are no provisions for creativity, and no fitting recognition of the power of ideals." [2] This is a continuous cycle through generation to generation.  Over the past century, American psychology was taken over by the concept of the model of man as robot, which has been greatly criticized. It has remained dominant, as it serves as a foundation for behavioral engineering in commercial, economic and political propaganda; the escalating economy of the 'affluent society' could not exist without such manipulation. “By manipulating humans into homeostatically adjusted conformists, consumers and opportunists, the principles of academic psychology were identical with those of the commercialization of Man.” [2] All of these concepts of robotomorphism and scientism, which Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy was completely against, are creating an extremely narrow-minded society. These people are physically and theoretically dissecting these systems into isolated elements and are destroying systemic properties.  Systems exist everywhere around us, without many people realizing. Each system is dependant upon certain circumstances and conditions. This has allowed “scholars and scientists to make sense of system characteristics such as wholeness, differentiation, order, equifinality, progression and others.” [3] It is to one’s advantage to expand some basic understanding of how systems work. One can more efficiently care for patients, families and communities when they are able to comprehend the explanation behind things. Understanding systems can also allow one to produce more effective changes in his or her business once they able to step back and think about how best to achieve this success within their workplace system.

1. I am an accounting major and am also looking into minoring in Italian as well. 2. The operating system on my computer is Mac OSX. 3. I do have the right to upgrade software on my computer. 4. This is my first Internet/computer related course I have taken. I do use the Internet a lot for email, shopping, Facebook, twitter, Instagram, etc. 5. Over the past month I took my first online class, which was Business Law I at Ramapo. 6. I have MS Office 2008 installed on my computer. 7. I work at The Gym in Montvale and also babysit about 25 hours a week. 8. I am entering my sophomore year at Ramapo so I am expected to graduate in 2016. 9. I spent my first year of college living at Monmouth University and I really did not enjoy being there one bit. Ramapo seemed a better fit for me as it is extremely close to home (I live on Upper Saddle River) and has a high ranked business school. 10. I am a former club swimmer and still enjoy staying in shape whether it is swimming, running, etc. I also really love animals!!!

One of the most common types of information systems utilized in business organizations is electronic and mobile commerce. E-commerce involves business transactions performed electronically between companies, companies and consumers, consumers and other consumers, business and the public sector, and consumers and the public sector. E-commerce is important because it holds opportunities for businesses, small or large, to market and sell at a low cost worldwide, therefore, enabling them to enter the global market. It also helps enhance a company's stock prices and market value. Today many e-commerce firms have come together to share each others strengths and special techniques. 

 Mobile commerce is the use of mobile, wireless devices to conduct orders and administer business anywhere at anytime. The use of wireless communications allows managers and corporations to do all of these business activities with the touch of a button on handheld computers, portable phones, laptops, etc. M-commerce has become extremely popular in today's world with all of the advances in smartphones and other devices, especially Apple's iPhone and iPad. Basically everything one can do on a computer, such as online shopping and banking, one can now do on his or her mobile device. 

In addition to E-commerce, business information systems also use telecommunications and the Internet to perform many similar tasks, such as electronic procurement. The given example of Electronic procurement is utilizing information systems and the Internet to obtain parts and supplies. 

Electronic business takes one step further from e-commerce and e-procurement as it flexibly  uses information systems and the Internet to conduct all business related activities and responsibilities, such as accounting, finance, marketing, manufacturing, and human resource activities. This also involves engaging customers, suppliers, strategic partners, and stakeholders. 

For these systems, the process of purchasing something, such as concert tickets from Ticketmaster, is greatly simplified as many of these businesses have free Apps for their consumers. The input is the suppliers/e-procurement, who gather and capture raw data. For example, once someone places an order on Ticketmaster, the suppliers receive the request and prepare the ticket order, gathering all of the required supplies. The processing is conducted by the organization and it's partners, converting/transforming data into useful outputs. An example of this could be processing the ticket order and figuring out all costs-ticket price, tax, etc. The output by customers/e-commerce produces useful information,  most commonly in the form of documents and reports. In the case of purchasing concert tickets from Ticketmaster, customers could review the service they received and provide whether it was well conducted or not. The management is then responsible for feedback, output used to make changes to input or process activities, and also for forecasting, predicting future events to avoid problems and improve the business. So, if the consumers were unhappy with their service, the management is responsible for changing things to provide better service to consumers.