Assignment 2: Discussion—Technology Supporting Business Processes

Assignment 2: Discussion—Technology Supporting Business Processes

Over the twentieth century, the ability to process information in terms of labor units has improved by a factor in the order of 1 to 5 trillion. This improvement represents a compounded growth rate of between 30 to 35 percent per year for a century. At the turn of the twentieth century, the mechanical calculator offered a modest productivity increase but the number of workers required to maintain the accounts of a medium-sized business still remained very high. Many tasks would take a large investment in equipment and a significant number of accountants’ weeks to process. A hundred years later, the same tasks can be completed by a standard desktop computer in minutes. The challenge for management has transitioned from a simple reduction in labor requirements to leveraging the increased processing power to develop competitive, efficient, and profitable organizations.

With this example in mind, use the assigned readings for this module and respond to the following:

• Explain how information systems influence businesses to be more competitive, efficient, and profitable.
• Provide at least one example for each factor.

By Saturday, January 14, 2017, post your response to the appropriate Discussion Area. Through Monday, January 16, 2017, review and comment on at least two peers’ responses.Explain and justify your position.

Write your initial response in 300–500 words. Your response should be thorough and address all components of the discussion question in detail, include citations of all sources, where needed, according to the APA Style, and demonstrate accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation

Do the following when responding to your peers:

• Read your peers’ answers.
• Provide substantive comments by
  • contributing new, relevant information from course readings, Web sites, or other sources;
  • building on the remarks or questions of others; or
  • sharing practical examples of key concepts from your professional or personal experiences
• Respond to feedback on your posting and provide feedback to other students on their ideas.
• Make sure your writing
  • is clear, concise, and organized;
  • demonstrates ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and
  • displays accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Grading Criteria

Assignment Components	Max Points
Initial response was: Insightful, original, accurate, and timely. Substantive and demonstrated advanced understanding of concepts. Compiled/synthesized theories and concepts drawn from a variety of sources to support statements and conclusions.	16
Discussion Response and Participation: Responded to a minimum of two peers in a timely manner. Offered points of view supported by research. Asked challenging questions that promoted discussion. Drew relationships between one or more points in the discussion.	16
Writing: Wrote in a clear, concise, formal, and organized manner. Responses were error free. Information from sources, where applicable, was paraphrased appropriately and accurately cited.	8
Total:	40