How powerful is Watson? Describe its technology. Why does it require so much powerful hardware? How intelligent is Watson? What can it do? What can’t it do? What kinds of problems is Watson able to solve? How useful a tool is it for knowledge management and decision making? Do you think Watson will be as useful in other industries and disciplines as IBM hopes? Will it be beneficial to everyone? Explain your answer.
> Define machine learning and give some examples.
> Define case-based reasoning and explain how it differs from an expert system.
> Define knowledge management and explain its value to businesses.
> Explain how Internet technology supports business-to-business electronic commerce.
> How could a bicycle manufacturer increase responsiveness through its facilities?
> Why should a firm such as Dell take into account total supply chain profitability when making decisions?
> Define the social graph and explain how it is used in e-commerce marketing.
> Define behavioral targeting and explain how it works at individual websites and on advertising networks.
> Explain how social networking and the wisdom of crowds help companies improve their marketing.
> Name and describe the e-commerce revenue models.
> Name and describe the principal e-commerce business models.
> Define a digital market and digital goods and describe their distinguishing features.
> List and describe the eight unique features of e-commerce.
> List and describe the four types of e-commerce presence.
> List and describe important types of m-commerce services and applications.
> Define and describe Net marketplaces and explain how they differ from private industrial networks (private exchanges).
> 1. Assess the importance of the Philly311 project for the city of Philadelphia and its citizens. 2. Why was the Philly311 project so successful? What management, organization, and technology factors contributed to its success? 3. What risk mitigation str
> Describe how partner relationship management (PRM) and employee relationship management (ERM) are related to customer relationship management (CRM).
> Define customer relationship management and explain why customer relationships are so important today.
> Distinguish between a push-based and pull-based model of supply chain management and explain how contemporary supply chain management systems facilitate a pull-based model.
> Describe the challenges of global supply chains and how Internet technology can help companies manage them better.
> Define and compare supply chain planning systems and supply chain execution systems.
> Explain how supply chain management systems help reduce the bullwhip effect and how they provide value for a business.
> Define a supply chain and identify each of its components.
> Describe how enterprise systems provide value for a business.
> Define social CRM and explain how customer relationship managements systems are using social networking.
> How are enterprise applications taking advantage of SOA, cloud computing, and open source software?
> Analyze ConAgra’s problems with its old system. What management, organization, and technology factors were responsible for these problems? What was the business impact of these problems? List and describe the information requirements of My Recipe. What t
> Explain how these challenges can be addressed.
> List and describe the challenges posed by enterprise applications.
> Distinguish between operational and analytical CRM.
> Describe the tools and capabilities of customer relationship management software for sales, marketing, and customer service.
> Define an enterprise system and explain how enterprise software works.
> Describe measures for improving software quality and reliability.
> Identify and describe the security problems cloud computing poses.
> Distinguish between disaster recovery planning and business continuity planning.
> Describe the role of encryption and digital certificates in a public key infrastructure.
> Explain how encryption protects information.
> 1. How is GE changing its business strategy and business model? What is the role of information technology in GE’s business? 2. On what business functions and level of decision making is GE focusing? 3. Describe three kinds of decisions that can be suppo
> Describe the roles of firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and antivirus software in promoting security.
> Name and describe three authentication methods.
> Explain how information systems auditing promotes security and control.
> Define and describe the following: security policy, acceptable use policy, and identity management.
> Describe the function of risk assessment and explain how it is conducted for information systems.
> Define application controls and describe each type of application control.
> Define general controls and describe each type of general control.
> Describe the relationship between security and control and recent U.S. government regulatory requirements and computer forensics.
> Explain how security and control provide value for businesses.
> Explain how software defects affect system reliability and security.
> Describe the security and system reliability problems employees create.
> Define identity theft and phishing and explain why identity theft is such a big problem today.
> Define computer crime. Provide two examples of crime in which computers are targets and two examples in which computers are used as instruments of crime.
> Define a hacker and explain how hackers create security problems and damage systems.
> Define malware and distinguish among a virus, a worm, and a Trojan horse.
> List and describe the most common threats against contemporary information systems.
> How could an auto manufacturer use transportation to increase the efficiency of its supply chain?
> Would you expect a brick-and-mortar retailer or an online retailer to have a higher asset turnover? Which supply chain drivers impact asset turnover?
> How could a grocery store use inventory to increase the responsiveness of the company’s supply chain?
> Give arguments to support the statement that Walmart has achieved very good strategic fit between its competitive and supply chain strategies. What challenges does it face as it works to open smaller format stores?
> 1. Analyze Walmart and Amazon.com using the competitive forces and value chain models. 2. Compare Amazon’s business models and business Walmart and strategies. 3. What role does information technology play in each of these businesses? How is it helping t
> Reconsider the previous four questions for other companies such as Amazon, a supermarket chain, an auto manufacturer, and a discount retailer such as Walmart.
> How can Nordstrom expand the scope of the strategic fit across its supply chain?
> What level of responsiveness would be most appropriate for Nordstrom’s supply chain? What should the supply chain be able to do particularly well?
> Where would you place the demand faced by Nordstrom on the implied demand uncertainty spectrum? Why?
> The European Union emission trading scheme saw a lot of price volatility in Phase I. Many academics pointed out that much of the price volatility was because the program prevented the banking of allowances from the first phase to the second. Discuss why
> Discuss some reasons why we do not see more recycling or remanufacturing of products.
> Study the CSR reports for a couple of firms. Identify actions across a few supply chain drivers that have improved sustainability. Which areas has the company found challenging to improve?
> What are some problemSs with firms reporting their sustainability performance based on metrics that do not consider their extended supply chain?
> Describe the “tragedy of the commons” in the context of supply chain sustainability. What are some “mutually coercive” mechanisms that could be implemented to encourage supply chain sustainability?
> What are some challenges that limit the effort put in by supply chains to improve sustainability?
> 1. How important was supply chain management for Target Canada? How did it relate to its business model? Explain your answer. 2. Identify all the problems Target Canada encountered that prevented it from becoming a successful retailer. What were the mana
> How can a golf course use revenue management to improve financial performance?
> Demand for hairdresser is much higher over the weekend, when people are not at work. What revenue management techniques can be used by such a business?
> Explain the use of outlet stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue in the context of revenue management. How does the presence of outlet stores help Saks? How does it help its more valuable customer, who is willing to pay full price?
> What revenue management opportunities are available to the owner of a warehouse and how can it take advantage of them?
> What revenue management opportunities are available to a trucking firm? How can it take advantage of these opportunities?
> What revenue management opportunities are available to a manufacturer? How can it take advantage of these opportunities?
> In what ways can a retailer such as Nordstrom take advantage of revenue management opportunities?
> For products such as home appliances, toys, garments, and consumer electronics, what factors would influence selecting an onshore, near-shore, or offshore supplier?
> Why do you think assembly in the consumer electronics industry is performed by third parties, whereas assembly in the auto industry is almost never outsourced?
> An auto manufacturer sources both office supplies and subsystems such as seats. What, if any, difference in sourcing strategy would you recommend for the two types of products?
> 1. List and describe the security and control weaknesses at OPM that are discussed in this case. 2. What management, organization, and technology factors contributed to these problems? How much was management responsible? 3. What was the impact of the OP
> Most firms offer their sales force monetary incentives based on exceeding a specified target. What are some pros and cons of this approach? How would you modify these contracts to rectify some of the problems?
> For a manufacturer that sells too many retailers, why does a quantity flexibility contract result in less information distortion than a buyback contract?
> Explain why, for the same inventory level, a revenue-sharing contract results in a lower sales effort from the retailer than if the retailer has paid for the product and is responsible for all remaining inventory.
> How can a supplier with a lower price end up costing the buyer more than a supplier with a higher price?
> What factors led Walmart to own its trucks although many retailers outsource all their transportation?
> What are some ways that a firm such as Walmart benefits from good sourcing decisions?
> What are some key factors that influence the success or failure of same-day delivery?
> Discuss key drivers that may be used to tailor transportation. How does tailoring help?
> Do you expect aggregation of inventory at one location to be more effective when a company such as Dell sells computers or when a company such as Amazon sells books? Explain by considering transportation and inventory costs.
> What transportation challenges does online grocer Peapod face? Compare transportation costs at online grocers and supermarket chains.
> 1. What management problems typical of global systems was Crocs experiencing? What management, organization, and technology factors were responsible for those problems? 2. How did Crocs’ new systems and use of SAP Apparel and Footwear support its busines
> Compare the transportation costs for an online business such as Amazon and a retailer such as Home Depot when selling home-improvement materials.
> Walmart designs its networks so a DC supports several large retail stores. Explain how the company can use such a network to reduce transportation costs while replenishing inventories frequently.
> Why is it important to account for congestion when pricing the use of transportation infrastructure?
> What modes of transportation are best suited for large, low-value shipments? Why?
> How should limited supply capacity be allocated across multiple seasonal products?
> Zara has used local production in Europe to have short replenishment lead times. How does this capability of quick response help the company improve profits in a highly volatile trendy apparel marketplace?
> What are some scenarios in which postponing product differentiation across all products may not be profitable? How can tailored postponement help in such situations?
