Chapter 11 Article: Knowledge Management: 5 Big Companies That Got It Right

The article I chose was written in 2007 and talks about five U.S. companies that were able to get knowledge management right. The article starts off by saying that in 2007 U.S. companies had spent $73 billion on knowledge management software. This number is said to only increase further as the years go on. Being able to successfully implement these knowledge management systems is often a big challenge for companies. The five companies who did it best in 2007 were; World Bank, Southern Company, Down Jones, Shuffle Master and Pratt &Whitney.

World Bank completely transformed their information technology system going from a hierarchical source of low-interest loans to a decentralized organization that relied on knowledge management technologies in order to help fight poverty and disease in developing nations.

Southern Company prepared for Hurricane Katrina before the storm struck. They prepared for worst case scenarios and built enterprise content management platforms to endure engineers could get immediate access if they had to design plans of electrical substations and other power equipment. As a result of this early planning and knowledge management power was restored to victims of the hurricane homes in 12 days which was two weeks earlier than was expected.

Dow Jones realized that more people were going to the internet instead of newspapers for their information on the market. These movements prompted the company to gear up and use this knowledge to manage the content that was needed by their investors online.

Shuffler Master is a company that manufactures card shuffling machines and chip counting products. The company had issues with sales and order processing infrastructures that were fragmented making actual sales numbers outdated when looking at meeting a certain quota. The solution that they came up with was to build a portal that can pull data on demand form more than 60 databases. This action allowed real time information to be shared.

Pratt& Whitney manufacture airline engines and have to constantly transmit information about the status of their parts. They use a web portal to integrate all of their data and track all parts so they know where everything is at what time. They also know who needs what exactly when they order it taking the guessing work out of the ordering and delivering.

These companies were able to put the data and information they had gathered in their certain sector to good use. Chapter 11 talks a lot about being able to use the data you have and organize it in such a way that it will be useful. There is no point in collecting data if it is not going to be analyzed and turned into valuable knowledge that will be able to help a company further succeed and reach its goals.

Works Cited

McCormick, John. (October 4, 2007). Knowledge Management: 5 Big Companies That
Got It Right. Retrieved May 29, 2009, from http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/IT-Management/Knowledge-Management-5-Big-Companies-That-Got-It-Right/

Can Information Systems Make Your Doctor Better Chapter 12

Can Information Systems Make Your Doctor Better?
Case Study Questions

1. Hospitals and physicians are encountering problems with diagnosing diseases and prescribing medication due to a few different factors. They are having a difficult time diagnosing patients because of lack of an information data center. They can only rely on their own skill set as of now, if they choose to not use new technology. When only relying on themselves and colleagues there is a greater chance for error in making a diagnosis or giving a delayed diagnosis. The problem physicians run into when prescribing medication is that it is not always known what other medications the patient is on and how they will interact with new medications introduce into the system. This is also caused by lack of information. Physicians need to know all medications the patient is on in order to prescribe new medications. If management installed a database system this could help physicians with figuring out what they can and cannot give to the patient it could potentially prevent sometimes fatal combinations.

2. I think that computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and diagnostic decision-support (DDS) systems are the appropriate solutions to the above problems. In the case study it was said that these technologies are not without error, however I think that with more use and testing errors can be found and fixed. The use of these technologies will enable hospitals and physician’s offices to become much more streamline and comprehensive. CPOE can help with human errors that occur such as illegible handwriting. Little things like this go a long way when dealing with someone’s health. The DDS has proven to be successful in a study mentioned in the case for correctly diagnosing 69% of misdiagnosed or late diagnosed patients. I think that this percent shows the technology is effective. The case also stresses that this is just a tool for physicians to use and they will still ultimately have the final say in the diagnosis. It is to be used as another resource that can help a physician make a diagnosis. It even comes complete with medical journal articles and symptom matching technology.


3. The main obstacle that I see according to this case that would prevent computer systems from improving the medical industry is the resistance from physicians and medical facilities. I think that by educating physicians and continuing to test the technology with proven positive results they will warm up to the idea. Physicians have textbook training but it was also stated in the article that what they do is an art. I think they are worried they will have that aspect of their career taken from them by replacing it with computers. There is also a large cost that goes along with implementing this technology however the return on investment is said to break even within a couple of years.

Chapter 9 Article: GXS/Verizon Business Tackle Supply Chain Automation

This week I chose an article that has to do with supply chain management going green with the help of GXS and Verizon Business. I did my summary on chapter 9 which talked about the importance of supply chain management and also the key role that technology plays in having a successful business. GXS is an award-winning Managed Services Company, which provides Business-to-Business e-Commerce services around the world. Verizon Business is a sector of the Verizon Communications, Inc. which was developed in 2006 to provide services specifically catered to business. They focus on IP communications and information technology products.

These two companies have joined forces in order to help companies become green in their supply chain management. The way they are doing this is by “ enabling businesses to securely and seamlessly convert manual, paper-based processes into automated electronic transactions among vendors, partners and customers, reducing the use of paper and making business transactions more efficient.” The cost of manual annual processes such as invoicing for a whole company can be cut by up to 60% when automated processes are implemented.

These days it is important for all companies to cut costs when able. Investing in the services from GXS and Verizon Business can save money as well as decrease a company’s carbon footprint. Customers may be more apt to do business with a company that is thinking green. Throughout the article facts are given about how much money and resources can be saved. Throughout the article there are lists of benefits that will occur when after switching to GXS and Verizon Business processes. These facts are valid assuming that one transaction represents two sheets of paper. Below are the savings that are generated by companies currently using GXS’ services;

-- 223 million pounds of CO2, the equivalent of taking 22,820 cars off the road for a year or reducing gasoline consumption by 42 million gallons each year;

-- 132 thousand tons of wood, saving the equivalent of 912,000 trees;

-- 1.5 trillion BTUs of total energy consumption, the equivalent of that consumed by 16,496 homes per year; and

--745 million gallons of water, the equivalent of filling 1129 swimming pools(1).

Without technology progress could not be made in any aspects of a business. With technology, creation and innovation can be achieved. The world is in dyer need of environmental solutions. The services provided by GXS and Verizon Business takes companies one-step closer to making the world a less polluted and more resourceful place.

Works Cited
RBCO Update. (October 1, 2008). GXS/Verizon Business Tackle Supply Chain Automation. Retrieved May 17, 2009, from http://www.accessmylibrary.com

eBay Chapter 10

eBay Case Study Questions

2. eBay is currently facing a couple of problems having to do with competition, slowing growth, new acquisitions and customer satisfaction. Both Google and Yahoo have now set up shopping applications on their sites which are in direct competition with eBay. Growth is slowing for eBay in the U.S. market about 20%-30% annually. In 2005 eBay acquired two businesses; Shopping.com that cost $620 million and Skype which cost eBay a whopping $2.6 billion. eBay’s core is all about the customer and what they do to practically run eBay. They need to constantly be considered and taken care of in order for the site to continue to be as successful as it has been in the past.

3. eBay is taking steps in order to solve these problems however some of the steps I do not believe will help them in the long run. They are dealing with incoming competition from Google and Yahoo however eBay just made deals with each of the companies to let them advertise on their site. International competition is also a growing concern to which eBay is trying to tap into the markets quickly and become known before others will be recognized. By doing this hopefully they will be able to continue their growth. I believe part of the reason that eBay’s growth is slowing in the U.S. has to do with options that buyers and sellers have. I would never pay fees to post something online because I am able to buy and sell whatever I want locally for free on Craigslist. Craigslist may not have a worldwide connection available to me but I don’t need it for the items I am looking to buy or sell. I do not think that Shopping.com will help eBay too much in its endeavors in becoming or maintaining success, since people who are already buying and selling online already know how to shop for the best deals and may not need a specified site to help them. I do think that the acquisition of Skype, though pricey was a great idea since eBay is trying to move towards selling higher end items that need more buyer and seller communication. They can also use this Skype technology to possibly have live reviews for smaller items, which may improve customer’s sense of security in their purchases. I do think though, that eBay will have to set up some type of monitoring system in order to prevent transactions via Skype with buyers and sellers avoiding eBay fees. Since customer service and satisfaction are such a large part of eBay functioning I think they need to cut back on the buying and selling fees. If they charge less in fees it is possible that more people may start to use the service. They also need to take more responsibility for fraud that is being committed on the site and set up a company guarantee that ensures you will be getting what you paid for. This means that they may have to hire employees that strictly watch for fraud and investigate but it will be worth it to gain full customer trust.

5. I believe that eBay will be successful in the long run but may not see the type of success it had when it first started. There is a lot more competition out there and people have access to do things on their own now for cheap. I think eBay may want to eventually scale down and possibly concentrate on the collectables aspect of their business. There is a large niche of people who are passionate about their collections. The fact that eBay is worldwide helps people find the rare items they are looking for. This may be the best way for eBay to move in the next maybe 10-20 years. It will be much smaller scale but I believe they can still be a successful business with this model in place.