Hello Again,
This looks like it will be my last required/mandatory post for my “re-educational” blog as dictated by my MIS204 class, hopefully it will not be my last ever (but that remains to be seen). First off, I want to express how essential this class is for anyone in or around the business major area of study. This was a very rewarding and challenging course and I learned a great deal about myself, my interests, and discovered a genuine excitement about the prospects of owning and running a small business (God help me… :).
I am not void of experience when it comes to technical issues and computers, but I am also far from well versed. The amount of knowledge that I have gained (and hopefully will retain) from this course is immeasurable. The exercises in creating decision models and creating and joining databases has educated me on what I don’t know. I consider this to be a huge deal. One adage that I often use in my profession is “you don’t know what you don’t know.” So, when you gain any little bit of insight into a topic that affects you it becomes eye-opening. I can now at least understand and hold a conversation about competitive advantage and information systems.
Before this class I understood the concept of competitive advantage, but I could not explain it. I knew information systems were the IT departments “department,” and I was happy with that. Now I can say that if you have not explored these concepts or if you do not grasp them even at the rudimentary level then you really should think about if you are truly ready to start your own business.
I now know what I don’t know and can seek out further guidance, education, and experiences regarding Information Systems and true competitive advantage. The staggering fact that I read over and over again from not only my text book and lessons, but also from academic papers and investigative news articles, is that most corporations that invest adequately and wisely in their Information Systems enjoy 5 to 6 percent increase to the bottom line above most financial analyst’s annual income predictions.
As a DIY investor in the stock market 5-6 percent annual growth is not exciting, but compounded year over year the numbers can really add up. And, who is going to turn down 6 percent growth when you could just as easily loose the same numbers especially when facing a down market and shaky consumer confidence?
This new insight and knowledge will aid me tremendously when I do get to the point of taking the plunge and starting my business. Especially because of the issues raised about costs versus gain. Starting a new business, I will most likely be on a very tight budget. Not only will the skills I learned in this class help me create a budget they will also help me to forecast my future budget, spending and earning.
I know I have a long way to go but seeing what lays ahead of me, I am excited about the challenge!
Best Wishes to everyone!
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