Lessons Learned

There were various concepts that were unfamiliar to me coming into MIS204. One that would definitely be beneficial for me as a Business Administration major is navigating my way around Excel and Microsoft Access. Before this class, I had limited knowledge of Excel and only knew the basics of Microsoft Access and was honestly intimidated by the fact. There was more to learn about Excel and Microsoft Access than I assumed there would be. From creating formulas to generating tables etc. SIMnet’s hands-on activities were a great tool for learning along. What surprised me the most was actually gaining a certificate in Excel as a yellow belt which I did not know existed. I was proud of myself and that is all thanks to this course.

Side note: I believe Excel is not only exclusive to businesses but also in our daily lives whether it is family-based planning for a weekly to yearly calendar, a personal appointment daily planner, or a schedule for managing bill payments, homework, etc, excel can make it easy to compile, filter, search, organize and simplify large amounts of data.

Anyway, to be transparent though, there were times when I had become flustered and frustrated when completing the SIMnet projects but thankfully, there were guided lessons I can look back on. Now I have a bit of confidence moving forward to the next level and having acquired this knowledge will aid me in my prospective career in the business/finance industry in the future.

My final thoughts: MIS204 was a game-changer for me. Not only was I able to learn about cloud computing and the intricacies of certain technologies to an extent, but I was also able to advance my knowledge of Excel and Microsoft Access.

American Airlines Case Study

The case study entitled “American Airlines” is about how American Airlines successfully managed to enhance customer experience and satisfaction through the adoption of cloud computing technology. Based on this case, American Airlines needed to transform the delivery of its digital self-service tools in order to keep up with the competitive nature of the industry. The company contracted IBM, which helped them to develop Dynamic Rebooking application software that significantly enhanced customer experience. For instance, the app has clear algorithms that allow for an easy booking process, handling of ticket issues, and sending of route messages for baggage. Besides, cloud computing technology enables customers to easily access important information in real-time when travel plans are disrupted. I think that the article perfectly highlights the importance of using cloud computing technology. Based on the article, practitioners and managers are likely to consider adopting cloud computing technology to enhance their operations and customer experiences (American Airlines. (n.d.)). Also, I think that the article highlights the need for transformation in the current business environment. Today, stiff and direct competition is the norm in various business environments. Therefore, there is need for companies to adopt positive digital transformation through cloud computing in order to enjoy the flexibility and reliability that comes with it. Furthermore, the article emphasizes the role of IBM in facilitating companies to adopt cloud computing technology. IBM successfully managed to help American Airlines to build and adopt cloud computing technology (American Airlines. (n.d.)). The information reveals the need to have a reliable cloud service provider with the ability to support such digital transformation.

Discuss both the advantages and disadvantages with companies using Cloud computing.

One of the advantages of using cloud computing is that it gives companies an effective way of communicating with targeted audience faster. Faster communication enables easy and timely marketing for products. Also, use of cloud computing gives companies the opportunity to work with safer digital platforms. Use of cloud computing gives companies needed flexibility and scalability that enables them to meet changing needs of their customers and other stakeholders (Sadeeq et al., 2021). Cloud computing enables companies to effectively prevent data loss by delegating the responsibility for operational managed services to cloud service providers. Cloud computing technology reduces the cost of operation for companies by consolidating most applications into one effective application that is managed and maintained by a cloud service provider (Sadeeq et al., 2021). 

One of the disadvantages of cloud computing is that it exposes companies to technology vulnerabilities that are common on shared environments. Companies using cloud computing technology can experience costly downtime, especially when there are internet connection failures. Companies that adopt cloud computing technology have restricted control, which limits their ability to redesign their applications in ways that meet changing customer or user needs (Alam, 2020).

If you were working for this company would you agree or disagree with the IBM Cloud solution?

If I was working for American Airlines, I would agree with the IBM Cloud solution because of a number of reasons. IBM Cloud solution gives the company the ability to effectively compete in the competitive market by providing their customers with a highly effective and user-friendly application. The IBM Cloud solution cuts costs for the company by taking up the responsibility for operational management. I would support the IBM Cloud solution because the application built for the company provides a perfect platform for customers where they can easily rebook flights when there are unforeseen disruptions. IBM Cloud solution gives the company the opportunity to receive customer feedback on the application, which can inform important decisions. They provide an easy-to-use application with clear algorithms that significantly enhance customer experience. 

References

Alam, T. (2020). Cloud Computing and its role in the Information Technology. IAIC Transactions on Sustainable Digital Innovation (ITSDI), 1(2), 108-115.

American Airlines. (n.d.). IBM. https://www.ibm.com/case-studies/american-airlines

Sadeeq, M. a. M., Abdulkareem, N. M., Zeebaree, S. R. M., Ahmed, D. M., Sami, A., & Zebari, R. R. (2021). IoT and Cloud Computing Issues, Challenges and Opportunities: A Review. Qubahan Academic Journal, 1(2), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.48161/qaj.v1n2a36

Summary of the Blockchain Article Blog Post

The article entitled “Blockchain Technology in Finance” by Treleaven, Brown, & Yang (2017) explores more about the unlikely origins, impacts, implementation challenges, and potential of blockchain technology in the banking and financial services industry. The article’s authors recognize the disruptive nature of blockchain technology as well as its impacts in different fields and enormous potential. Based on this writing, blockchain technology is a system that provides users with an effective way of ordering transactions in a distributed ledger and offers a record of consensus with a cryptographic audit trail maintained and validated by multiple nodes (Treleaven, Brown, & Yang, 2017). There are two components of blockchain, which include distributed-ledger technology (DLT) and smart contracts. DLT is a decentralized, shared, replicated, and synchronized record of transactions that are secured by cryptographic sealing (Treleaven, Brown, & Yang, 2017). On the other hand, smart contract are the rules that participants have collectively agreed upon to govern the evolution of facts in the distributed ledger (Treleaven, Brown, & Yang, 2017). 

Blockchain technology has important properties that makes it a very important discovery for banking and financial-services markets. In particular, the technology handles blocks of uniquely identified and linked financial transaction records in chains. Having such a system ensures that there is independent verification of transactions. Also, having such a system help in ensuring that financial records comply with relevant legal agreements. What is more, the system significantly boosts security of financial records by ensuring that each block is chained to the previous one and is sealed cryptographically. Such a system is ideal for banking and financial-services markets because it offers needed resilience, flexibility and with the ability to operate as a decentralized network, and reliable. ]The technology is ideal for banking and financial-services markets because of its enhanced integrity and way of eliminating third party in execution of transactions. 

The article recognizes that various authors have identified blockchain technology as an important innovation in the banking and financial services domain. For instance, Tomaso Aste, Paolo Tasca, and Tiziana observed that blockchain technology decentralized control over currency, which shifted user trust from humans to machines (Treleaven, Brown, & Yang, 2017). Such a paradigm shifts totally changed how people view and use currencies through the support of technology. Also, the author of the article highlights opinions of Chris Khan and his colleagues. According to Chris Khan and his colleagues, blockchain technology provides a model for collaborative innovation, which allows it to adapt uniquely to changing needs of the banking and financial-services markets. The authors highlights “Validation and Verification of Smart Contracts: A Research Agenda” by Daniele Magazzeni, Peter McBurney, and William Nash, which maintains that blockchain is a disruptive technology in the banking and financial-services markets because of its ability to oversee execution of legal transactions automatically and in real time (Treleaven, Brown, & Yang, 2017). The article also highlights the potential of blockchain technology to evolve in order to meet the changing needs of different users and industries. Based on the article, there is high likelihood that blockchain technology will get better and more popular given that it is continuously being improved and widely used to improve integrity, safety, and processing of transactions through technology. 

I chose this particular article because it has important information on how blockchain technology can be used to create major opportunities in the contemporary world. It puts attention to how blockchain technology has been effectively used to create a decentralized, safe, and efficient system for recording transactions in the banking and financial-services markets that promote data integrity. Today, cyber security is increasingly becoming a serious problem. Organizations grappling with cyber security issues can turn to blockchain technology as a way of ensuring that their data are safe and protected from third-party encroachment. This particular column provides important information on how blockchain technology can be adopted for the same. Also, it is interesting because it emphasizes the role of blockchain technology in the success of cryptocurrencies. There is high likelihood that continued evolution of blockchain technology will significantly improve recording, processing, safety, and integrity of transactions in the banking and financial-services markets. 

References
Treleaven, P., Brown, R. J. C., & Yang, D. B. (2017). Blockchain Technology in Finance. IEEE Computer, 50(9), 14–17. https://doi.org/10.1109/mc.2017.3571047

First Blog for MIS204

Hey, how’s it going?

My name is Sherienne but I go by Sherie for short (easier to pronounce I suppose). This is my first year at Penn State and in my second semester majoring in Business Administration. I am a 31-year-old mom of 2 and work full-time at a behavioral health hospital. Originally from good ol’ sunny San Diego, California, I am currently residing in central Pennsylvania due to my husband’s career in the Army. Before moving to the east coast, we lived in the Pacific Northwest for 6 years. We spent 3 years in Washington State and 3 years in Salem, Oregon. Yup, made that drive across the country over the summer of last year! My current interests are photography and traveling, travel photography! One of the perks of being in a military family is definitely the constant adventure. Add in photography along with the journey and memories are captured forever! 

I am taking this class as it is a requirement for the degree that I am pursuing in B.A. Why Business Administration, you say? 

First and foremost, I believe it is a well-rounded degree as you can pursue multiple career paths and plenty of employment opportunities. As someone with a knack for organization and data entry, Business Administration seemed like a no-brainer choice! Aside from that, coming from a big family who owns businesses which ranges from catering to video production, I would love to help manage them one day with the educational and background knowledge from PSU. Most of my family members come from a business education background and I would love to continue the line. Having already a background in accounting years ago at a community college, I decided to go back to school to further my education in Business. 

Although having zero experience with information systems, my current goal this semester is to get a better understanding of this course and hopefully one day employ that knowledge in real life. I believe information systems is beneficial for a business student as it is a critical and an essential tool to apply in a business one day. Having this knowledge would greatly benefit my goals later down the road. 

Good luck to everyone this semester! 

Best,
Sherie