HC1041 IT for Business: Discussion Activities, Holmes Institute T119

This document contains solutions to five discussion activities for the course 'IT for Business.' The discussions cover topics such as web browsers, information systems, IT risk management, system integration, supply chain management, volatile vs. non-volatile memory, optical fiber, video conferencing, object-oriented databases, data marts, HTML, global information systems, expert systems, and geographic information systems (GIS). Each discussion activity presents three questions, and the document provides detailed answers, often referencing relevant studies and research to support the arguments. The solutions cover the advantages, disadvantages, and applications of various IT concepts and technologies in a business context.

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IT for Business
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Table of Contents
Discussion Activity 1............................................................................................................................................. 2
Question 1:............................................................................................................................................................ 2
Question 2:............................................................................................................................................................ 2
Question 3:............................................................................................................................................................ 2
Discussion activity 2.............................................................................................................................................. 3
Question 1:............................................................................................................................................................ 3
Question 2:............................................................................................................................................................ 3
Question 3:............................................................................................................................................................ 3
Discussion activity 3.............................................................................................................................................. 4
Question 1:............................................................................................................................................................ 4
Question 2:............................................................................................................................................................ 4
Question 3:............................................................................................................................................................ 4
Reduced travel time and cost.................................................................................................................... 5
Optimized attendance.................................................................................................................................. 5
Increased productivity................................................................................................................................. 5
Discussion activity 4.............................................................................................................................................. 5
Question 1:............................................................................................................................................................ 5
Question 2:............................................................................................................................................................ 5
Question 3:............................................................................................................................................................ 6
Discussion activity 5.............................................................................................................................................. 6
Question 1:............................................................................................................................................................ 6
Question 2:............................................................................................................................................................ 6
Question 3:............................................................................................................................................................ 7

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References................................................................................................................................................................. 8

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Discussion Activity 1
Question 1:
The arena browser is one of the best web browsers for Unix and it is widely used in the
worldwide because of their ability to improve communication between the companies and
customers. It is identified that the web arena is so much competition due to their several
advantages such as very easy, cheap, effective and reliable (Kalinkat, 2014).
Question 2:
An information system is an advanced approach which is used by companies for obtaining
and evaluating the useful information of managing their operations. In order to increase
the overall effectiveness of the information system companies can either add more data
centres to produce the material more efficient and reliable. It is identified that email is the
best process for communication but companies can utilize information system approach by
storing their data files in accessible folders and transfer to the employees who require such
kind of information (Laudon, & Laudon, (2016). Moreover, managers should focus on the
IT systems and manage their operation in an effective way which can help them for
improving the performance of information systems.
Question 3:
An information system is a kind of approach which is mainly used in the companies for
controlling and evaluating large numbers of data. It is argued that the information system
involves various systems and devices for controlling and managing data of an organization.
These systems involve hardware, software, communication channels, data, and processes.
As per the question, an information system involved both hardware and software this
statement is inadequate because an information system is a broach area which also
requires data, telecommunication and techniques (Liu, et al., 2015). But, hardware and
software both are main key sections of the information system that provide a platform for
controlling and handling data sets of an organization. Therefore, the given statement is
inadequate.

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Discussion activity 2
Question 1:
In this advanced generation, the use of information technology is increasing very fast
because it helps companies and business industries for improving their productivity. In
order to control and manage the risks associated with the information technology, it is very
important to design and plan IT system (Coburn, et al., 2012). There are various key factors
which support the given statement and these are described below:
 Control and manage the overall performance of an organization
 Increase productivity in the companies
 Maintain the security risks and threats linked with the networks
 Reduce business-related problems
 Provide a better direction to the companies
 Help managers to achieve the goals of their businesses
Question 2:
The term system integration refers to the process which is used in the organizations for
bringing together the subsections into the main system. A recent study identified that
system integration is defined as information technology that connects two or more sub-
systems with a central device. Such kind of process also ensures that every integrated sub-
system is working properly and provide a better approach for reducing the overall
complexity of the system. System integration is also utilized to add value to the main
system by using advanced functionalities of the devices.
Question 3:
The term supply chain management is defined as a process which is used in the companies
for planning, controlling and executing the flow of products through the distribution
system. It has the potential for improving the overall performance of the organizations and
provides a platform for managing the products and services provided by the communities.
The key purpose of the supply chain management is to control and manage overall
activities of the networks and systems. Such kinds of process are developed and

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implemented by the management team for managing the demands and of activities and
products.
Discussion activity 3
Question 1:
There are numbers of differences between the volatile and non-volatile memory which are
described below in a tabular form:
Volatile memory Non-volatile memory
It is defined as a computer memory which
needs constant power to control and
manage the stored data.
Such kind of memory can store data and
material without using any constant power.
Needs a consistent flow of power Does not require any consistent flow of
power
It can impact on the performance of
computers
Its impact on the storage devices
Very fast in the process Very slow in the process
Example: RAM Example: ROM
It is a primary storage memory It is a secondary storage memory.
Question 2:
It is identified that optical fibre is an effective system which provides a fasted
communication to the companies and consumers. It is an advanced communication
network where data or signal transfers in the form of light and it is more secure and
reliable as compared with the other data cables. A recent study argued that the optical fibre
does not require any external sources and provide the flexible data communication
approach to the users that also improve the overall performance of networks and devices.
Question 3:
There are numerous benefits of the video conferencing which are described below:

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Reduced travel time and cost
It is analyzed that the video conferencing is an online platform which does not require any
physical path for communicating with the employees. Mainly, it is used in organizations for
reducing travel time and total cost for exchanging important information between clients
and employees (Dumoulin, and Licoppe, 2016).
Optimized attendance
The other advantage of the video conferencing is that it improved overall attendance of
clients and employees because it does not require interacting with the clients through face
to face (Coburn, et al., 2012).
Increased productivity
By using such kind of approach in the companies the management team can easily enhance
the overall productivity of their business. Moreover, it provides a platform to the
employees and managers for sharing any urgent updates and information in very less time.
Discussion activity 4
Question 1:
There are numbers of advantages and disadvantages of object-oriented database which are
described below:
Advantages Disadvantages
It can be integrated with the programming
language (Dzafic, et al., 2013).
It needs object-oriented programming
which is very complex
It is an automatic process for storing data in
the system
The size of memory is very low
It is a user-defined system Poor performance
Complex data can be processed Limited sources

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Question 2:
The term data mart is defined as a subject-oriented process which is often a partitioned
segment of an enterprise data warehouse and it can be used in the business industries
because it is very simple in the process. Mainly, data marts involve repositories of
summarized information which is collected from the particular section or unit (Jarke, et al.,
2013).
Data mart differs from the warehouses where data mart is specific to decision support
system but the warehouse is not depending on the application. In the case of a data mart,
the obtained data is highly demoralized but in a data warehouse, the information is slightly
demoralized.
Question 3:
HTML is defined as hypertext markup language which is the standard language used in
computer science for creating web pages and various web-based applications. It is
observed that the HTML also ensure the proper formatting of the text and pictures due to
which it is needed to use the web. Moreover, it also provides a platform to control and
manage the challenges linked with the web browser for exampling formatting of the words.
Without using HTML a web browser cannot understand how to display texts and images on
the servers.
Discussion activity 5
Question 1:
It is observed that every website and web browser is a form of a global information system
because a website provides complete information about the products and services
provided by an organization. Moreover, such kind of process also helps consumers for
obtaining the information about the organizations so it can be stated that every website is a
part of the global information system.
Question 2:
An expert system is defined as an approach which is mainly developed and produce for
emulating the skills and experience of an expert to solve more complex situations and

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issues. The key purpose or object of the expert system is to replicate the unstructured and
undocumented experience or skills of the experts and put it on the internet connection and
towards the other people who require the experience in the profession. A recent study
argued that an expert system can serve as a competitive tool and it can be used in the
organizations because of their ability to analyze and evaluate the knowledge of the experts.
Question 3:
The term GIS is defined as a geographic information system which is a part of the computer
system. Mainly, a global information system is used in the business industries for obtaining,
analyzing and storing facts and data related to the surface of the earth ( Leh, Bajwa, and
Chaubey, 2013). The major purpose of this process is to contain and recognize data related
to the position on the surface of the earth. Such kind of technique has the capability to help
companies for understanding spatial patterns of earth’s surface. A global information
system can use any data or information which is included in the location.

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References
Coburn, J., Caulfield, A.M., Akel, A., Grupp, L.M., Gupta, R.K., Jhala, R. and Swanson, S., (2012)
NV-Heaps: making persistent objects fast and safe with next-generation, non-volatile
memories. ACM Sigplan Notices, 47(4), pp.105-118.
Dumoulin, L. and Licoppe, C., (2016) Videoconferencing, new public management, and
organizational reform in the Judiciary. Policy & Internet, 8(3), pp.313-333.
Dzafic, I., Sofo, J., Halilovic, E., Lecek, N. and Music, M., (2013) Object-oriented database and
user interface design. In Eurocon 2013, 12(5), pp. 558-563.
Green Jr, K.W., Zelbst, P.J., Meacham, J. and Bhadauria, V.S., (2012) Green supply chain
management practices: impact on performance. Supply Chain Management: An
International Journal, 17(3), pp.290-305.
Jarke, M., Lenzerini, M., Vassiliou, Y. and Vassiliadis, P., (2013) Fundamentals of data
warehouses. Springer Science & Business Media.
Kalinkat, G., (2014) Bringing animal personality research into the food web arena. Journal
of Animal Ecology, 83(6), pp.1245-1247.
Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (2016) Management information system. Pearson Education
India.
Leh, M., Bajwa, S. and Chaubey, I., (2013) Impact of land use change on erosion risk: an
integrated remote sensing, geographic information system and modelling
methodology. Land Degradation & Development, 24(5), pp.409-421.
Liu, J., Mooney, H., Hull, V., Davis, S.J., Gaskell, J., Hertel, T., Lubchenco, J., Seto, K.C., Gleick, P.,
Kremen, C. and Li, S., (2015) Systems integration for global
sustainability. Science, 347(6225), p.1258832.