Tecnology Management
The Discussion Board (DB) is part of the core of online learning. Classroom discussion in an online environment requires the active participation of students and the instructor to create robust interaction and dialogue. Every student is expected to create an original response to the open-ended DB question as well as engage in dialogue by responding to posts created by others throughout the week. At the end of each unit, DB participation will be assessed based on both level of engagement and the quality of the contribution to the discussion.
At a minimum, each student will be expected to post an original and thoughtful response to the DB question and contribute to the weekly dialogue by responding to at least two other posts from students. The first contribution must be posted before midnight (Central Time) on Wednesday of each week. Two additional responses are required after Wednesday of each week. Students are highly encouraged to engage on the Discussion Board early and often, as that is the primary way the university tracks class attendance and participation.
The purpose of the Discussion Board is to allow students to learn through sharing ideas and experiences as they relate to course content and the DB question. Because it is not possible to engage in two-way dialogue after a conversation has ended, no posts to the DB will be accepted after the end of each unit.
An executive in your company has proposed a new information system that may provide a strategic impact on the business by gathering data on competitors’ customers.
Write 4–6 paragraphs that answer the following questions:
•. What ethical problems could this system create?
•. Does it matter whether the customers are individuals or businesses?
•. Does it matter what type of information is being gathered? (i.e., purchase patterns versus contact information).
Suggestions for Responding to Peer Posts
• Compare and contrast your peer’s response with your own. What similarities or differences exist?
• What other ethical problems might the introduction of such an MIS system potentially present in a business competing in a different industry?
In your own words, post a response to the Discussion Board and comment on other postings. You will be graded on the quality of your postings.
Response to peer’s Sttefany Rubiera wrote:
“Information systems can be used to manipulate a business’ information or to help the company get more revenue in terms of what customers are looking according to their needs. Competitive advantage can be broadly defined as the value offered by a company to its customers that are unique and difficult to replicate. If a competitive advantage is not unique, then there is no advantage because the capability is a commodity; everyone can provide the same value. If competitive advantage is easy to replicate, then there is no barrier to entry, and everyone can acquire the same capability. Competitive advantages are strategic advantages the company has earned and is uniquely positioned to use (M.U.S.E. 2013). Every company out there wants to improve and exceed the other companies because customers have a lot of options when it comes to selecting a company, but the first important factor is reputation. Competitive intelligence can also be used to collect information from the competitors to use to increase service and profitability.
•. What ethical problems could this system create?
The first thing that has to be taken into consideration is what type of information is being gathered because the internet is a source where company can collect information that other companies post. If the system is about stealing information from the other company it is completely unethical and can bring serious problems. All companies think about how the revenues can be increased and they also should think what is the right way to increase the revenue in an honest way. The company that they are getting the information from could do a lawsuit against the other company. Therefore, the company will create a bad reputation as from stealing information.
• Does it matter whether the customers are individuals or businesses?
There is a difference between involving customers and involving other companies. There is networking that all companies might do it and they share information about the business, this way other businesses can know about. I work in the retail industry and I always try to know how other stores are doing, in my case I become friends with other store managers to get the answers I am looking for to compare business or to gather information on what they are selling, or even information on how the business is doing. I am not doing anything illegal or unethical as long as I am clear on what the information is for. In this case, this information will help when I need to articulate about the business. it does matter when the information is being gathered from customers because the customers can see what the purpose is and they might react in a negative way. However, there are ways to gather information from the consumers on what product they like or what companies they shop at. A company can never ask direct questions to a customer on regard to company information which is unethical.
- Does it matter what type of information is being gathered? (i.e., purchase patterns versus contact information).
The type of information that is being gathered matters a lot because if in the retail industry I come across a customer that mention they love the competitors I would ask what it is that they love the most about the brand. That would give me an idea, but I did not start the conversation as to gather information about the competitor. The company representative can go and do competitors reports to get more information on what the company has to offer rather than hearing from the customers. When customers are mentioned to get competitor’s information there is not much that can be gather than just product and the regulations about sales. The consumers do not know much about the strategies that the company has. The competitive analysis can help to gather information on the service companies provide, this can only be done with surveys.â€
Reference
M.U.S.E. (2013). IT Strategic Planning. Retrieved on September 1, 2014 from https://class.aiuniv.edu/_layouts/MUSEViewer/Asset.aspx?MID=MU13997&aid=AT70697
Referenceforbusiness.com (2014). Competitive Intelligence. Retrieved on September 1, 2014 from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Bun-Comp/Competitive-Intelligence.html
