3.2 Ferrum Times Fear, Faith, and Fact

A person should implement the system we are proposing because we are dedicated to the Ferrum College community and to the areas around it. If this system is not installed it will create a break between the Ferrum College community and the communities around it. Based on reading other newspapers we have found that they do not inform the outer communities about Ferrum College events and how well the students are doing on campus. The cost benefit analysis would compare the cost of all recurring and nonrecurring costs and the benefits that they give off.

3.1 Ferrum Times Value Chain Analysis

We created a value chain analysis by using gliffy.com. This diagram shows how our business processes are done in order to make it better. We use automating when we apply for loans to get our products and other buildings. The purpose of our value chain analysis is to allow ourselves to view anyways that we can change any problems dealing with productivity. The value chain analysis gives the company a way to evaluate if the customers are getting what they paid for.

Systems we would propose to gain a competitive advantage:

We would propose an executive information system because it allows us to gain information that is supported in a high level to support an executive level decision. Another system we would propose would be an electric commerce system because it allows our customers to buy our paper online. Knowledge management system is another system we would propose because it allows our customers to gain information when they view information contained in our newspaper. Lastly we would propose a management information system in order for our company to help maintain and manage the company.

2.2 Automobile Industry

The article about the automobile industry talks about the creation of a world car. The reason for the creation of the world car is so that it can sell worldwide and so the manufactures can deal with the industry going through globalization. This article talks about the different reason why the world car did not work such as different prices for gas, tastes in cars based on region of the world, and regulations in areas of the world. In the conclusion of this article it talks about the changes need to make the world car more effective around the world and the different changes to the auto industry. Changes to the auto industry include the global market because it allows for the manufactures to sale all over the world and the moving of the industry over geographic boundaries. The writer of the article feels that the world car could be created but only when cultural and economic conditions change with time using globalization.

1. Globalization 3.0 is changing the auto industry by allowing them to even take the time design a world car and what they need to do to make it sell more effectively.

2. Cultural differences make it difficult to create a world car because not all people like the same type of car and the laws of the land are different depending on what part of the world you live in.

2.1 Flicker.com

Flicker.com is a website that allows the user to publish, search, and tag photos. Some other abilities a person will be able to use include the ability to edit a photo such as cropping and grouping, people can also include these pictures in a blog. One of the best things about flicker.com is that it has an unlimited user space however there is a down side and that is that the bandwidth is restricted based on the usage per month. Three enablers that flicker.com uses includes uploading, in-forming, and work flow software. Filcker.com uses an uploading enabler because it allows the user to upload photos to the worldwide web so that people that have the internet can view them. It uses an in-forming enabler because it allows users to edit the pictures they post. The site also allows the user to describe the picture and different people viewing the picture to tag the photo. Work flow software is the last enabler that flicker.com uses because it allows the user to put the pictures that they uploaded to flicker.com to other sites such as blogger.com and facebook.com.

1.3 Organizational Chart for CIS Department

The organizational chart represents the hierarchy of personnel in my computer information systems department at the Ferrum Times. The Chief Information Officer or CIO, located at the top of the chart, oversees the strategic planning of the organization. There are three departments below the CIO that are responsible for the functions of the organization.  The support department is the department that helps the other departments to run smoothly. We have a database administrator to maintain the wellbeing of our database. The network administrator manages the company's communications network between the internal company and external companies.

The development department handles the new projects for creating new programs or applications to improve the company. The Business Analyst helps to communicate between the customers and the rest of our team. The Business Analyst must know about the technical side of the product and be able to explain it to the customers. Software engineers and systems consultants make the technical plans that allow programmers to code new programs.

Our maintenance department consists of an information systems auditor whose job is to check on any software delivered by the development team for problems. The information systems auditor will field any customer support calls and work with the development team to find a solution to any problems that arise.

Top 4 most important job functions:

The three most important job functions I would pick would be the network administrator, CIO, business administrator, and the information system auditor. I picked the CIO as an important job because without the CIO it would be very difficult to manage the operations a large company. The information systems auditor will help manage the ethical and legal use of the company’s information systems.  I would have a business analyst to help communicate to customer what the goals of the company are. A network administrator would be very necessary to maintain the communications networks within our company, our customers' networks, and other business networks that may prove valid.

1.2 Track and Collect Data

1. Customer

Customer ID

CMR811 ---> CMR-8-11 ---> relates to name, date, address ---> apply to sale records and product records

Data--> Information--> Knowledge--> Wisdom

Our customers that purchase an online subscription will be given an ID to represent them in our data base. The letters and numbers are data for our system that our customers would not understand. Then we format it, to make it easier for the person calculating the accounting books to understand. Then we relate the information so that it represents the person’s name, the date they bought the product, and their address. Finally, we will use this information to help use keep track of how long that person stays with our newspaper and how much the person owes us.

2. Product (online subscriptions)

Online Subscriptions ID

YR811-->YEAR-8-11-->relates to the name, price, description-->apply to sale records and product records

Data--> Information--> Knowledge--> Wisdom

Our online subscriptions will be given an ID number to represent the different types of subscriptions we have. The identification number is data because it nothing but letters and numbers until we format it so that it anyone will be able to understand what the number represent as information. Then we relate the information to the customer’s name, the price of the item, and a brief description. Finally, we will use the information to determine which of our subscriptions is the most popular to our customers.

3. Event (online subscriptions sales)

Subscription Sales ID

1126201130->11-26-2011-30->relates to date, total paid, taxes, customer ID, Online Subscriptions ID-> apply to sale records and product records

Data--> Information--> Knowledge--> Wisdom

Our sales of subscriptions will be given an ID number to represent the different sales we have in our database. The ID number is our data because it nothing but numbers and letters which will be formatted to transform the data into information. As information we will relate this information to the date it was paid, how much was paid, the tax amount included, the customer, and the subscription they bought.

1.1 Ferrum Times Company Description

Our company is The Ferrum Times. We are located in Ferrum, VA. The focus of our newspaper is on all the late breaking news within Ferrum and the students attending Ferrum College. Bad weather coming toward the Ferrum campus, the college sports teams, and charity events are some of the stories we will cover.  We are serious about our community and would like for the rest of Franklin County to know how Ferrum College is doing.  Selling newspapers and online subscriptions is how our paper makes money. If you want to place an ad please email us at ferrumtimes@yahoo.com.