How do the internet and internet technology work and how do they support communication and e-business?
Internet is an interconnection of computers linked together all over the world to form a network, where each computer should have an exclusive internet protocol address. The internet protocol is either permanent or temporary. Any person can access data on these computers depending on the type of network being used. Internet service providers allow for the connection to the internet. The data accessed on the other end of the communication network is decomposed into data packets, where each packet carries a specific IP address. Small packets of data are sent to the destination computers over the internet. They will be bundled together by the destination computer. The domain name system assists in converting IP addresses to domain names.
Internet services such as E-mail, Chat, Electronic discussions, Groupware, and Electronic conferencing have made communication easy. They are relatively cheap and have led to increased access. Internet advertising is the fastest growing form of advertising. With the help of a search engine, any person can shop through the internet. Payments can also be done through the internet making trade simple.
What is the business value of a DSS?
DSS is useful for decision making. Unstructured and partially structured decisions are supported by DSS. Software used for price optimization for example can be used to manage price. It has the capability of putting into consideration other factors such as promotion that can affect the price of an item. It can also be used to monitor the profitability of the business. It also helps in reducing inaccuracies for large mathematical calculations. Data can also be sorted using DSS programs.
If both contemporary ESS and DSS incorporate tools for modeling and analysis, what qualities distinguish the two types of systems?
DSS gives information that can be used to make final decisions. ESS is more advanced and it includes the decision-making process. This is due to the fact that they are designed from an expert’s point of view. In the way they achieve the end result, the two vary in that DSS offers interactive access to models. The end result is dependent on the user’s cognition. ESS offers models based on artificial intelligence. The end result of ESS is dependent on the expert’s cognition.
Why are larger supply chains more difficult to manage? List several reasons from your local and GCC based companies.
Larger supply chains are difficult to manage because of many reasons. One of the reasons is that the slightest adjustment in the supply chain will bring tremendous effects to all parties. For example, slight adjustments in one of the countries’ transportation rates may result in pricing issues within the supply chain and all the parties involved are affected. This makes it quite difficult to manage. Errors are also common for large supply chains than for smaller systems making their management quite difficult. It is quite easy to make an error when dealing with large transactions than when dealing with smaller ones. A small error will affect the entire chain and the end result will be enormous. Communication is also a major problem with large supply chains. This is due to the fact that many parties are involved in the process. It can lead to distortion of information or slow movement. When communication is hampered, the whole process is affected. The Bullwhip effect is a common problem resulting from poor communication.