Chapter 1: The Modern Organisation in the Global, Web-Based Environment

Q1. What are the characteristics of the modern business environment?

The Internet and the World Wide Web significantly affects the operation of business. Some key characterises is the global element – internet globalises business. Competitive – internet increases business pressure i.e. available 24/7. E-commerce – increase use of business available anytime anywhere no closing hours.

Q2. What is meant by a web-based, global platform, what does it provide, and how has it affected business?

Web-based global platform provides three convergence that have significantly affected business. Three factors:

• Cheap and ubiquitous computing devices
• Low‐cost, high bandwidth data services
• Open standards in software and hardware design

Q3. What are the main pressures that characterize the modern global business environment?

The main pressures that a currently affecting modern business market, technology and social.

• Market pressures – global economy/competition, changing workforce and more power to customers.
• Technology pressures – innovation and obsolescence and information overload.
• Social pressures – social responsibility government regulation/deregulation, terrorism and ethical issues.

Q4. What are/discuss some of the common, IT oriented organizational responses to these pressures?

The organization must respond frequently and quickly to both the threats and the opportunities resulting from these pressures and the resulting new business environment. Technology is often seen as providing the answer, though providing a plan and implementing the strategy is the most effective i.e. Michael Porter’s Competitive Force Model & Value Chain.

Q5. How are IT architecture and IT infrastructure are interrelated?

The general link is IT architecture is how you will use IT within the company (plan) and IT infrastructure is what resources are you going to use to achieve your plan (implementation).

• IT architecture: a general plan of how IT is to be used by/within an organisation – useful for planning – shows how the IT will fit together
• IT infrastructure – the actual implementation that will provide for effective Information Systems, including the hardware, software, services and people involved

Q6. Is the Internet an infrastructure, an architecture, or an application program? or something else. Why?

The internet can be a combination of all aspects in different scenarios. For instance a modern business may the use the internet to show how they will develop a plan to use IT i.e. set up conference to show what must be done. Following it can be used for implementation by using the internet web platform to set up online systems from the planning the stage. Finally the internet is now and more becoming and integrated application program. Modern business can use the internet as a modified program to make systems and resources available i.e. collaborating extra elements on fire fox to meet business needs.