blog post # 5

As a topic before KBS, DSS and VO, identify and describe one company that adopts an MIS. Include in your discussion, how MIS help and support the company, its managers and other employees, in their problem solving and decision-making.


EastWest Bank has selected an integrated approach to its Financial Transformation Program, using the proven and mature business data model that is key to the working of the Financial Studio platform. The Financial Studio solution includes an extensive list of standard management reports that allow for in-depth profit, cost and risk analysis and for tracking facilities through flexible drill-through functionality.With the advent of more complex and detailed reporting required by EastWest Bank senior management for business planning, and by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for compliance, the Bank decided to embark on a search for a flexible system capable of meeting current and future requirements.After about six months, the Bank will realize the benefits of better data quality, fully reconciled and auditable reports, granular and dynamic MIS and a comprehensive and flexible sub-ledger.


Reference:
http://www.finextra.com/fullpr.asp?id=20240

blog post # 4

A. Describe KBS

Knowledge-Based Systems is the international, interdisciplinary and applications-oriented journal on KBS.
Knowledge-Based Systems focuses on systems that use knowledge-based techniques to support human decision-making, learning and action. Such systems are capable of cooperating with human users and so the quality of support given and the manner of its presentation are important issues. The emphasis of the journal is on the practical significance of such systems in modern computer development and usage.

B. Distinguish KBS from MIS

Knowledge-Based System
Computer program that uses an encoding of human knowledge to help solve problems. It was discovered during research into artificial intelligence that adding heuristics (rules of thumb) enabled programs to tackle problems that were otherwise difficult to solve by the usual techniques of computer science.
Chess-playing programs have been strengthened by including knowledge of what makes a good position, or of overall strategies, rather than relying solely on the computer's ability to calculate variations.

Management information system (MIS) is a system or process that provides
the information necessary to manage an organization effectively. MIS and the
information it generates are generally considered essential components of
prudent and reasonable business decisions.
The importance of maintaining a consistent approach to the

C. Illustrate (give examples) how KBS can improve company's competitive advantage and organizational performance.

Knowledge is seen as a key strategic asset for the success and survival in today’s increasingly competitive global market place. This recognition is one of the main reasons for exponential growth in developing knowledge based applications. Recent advancements in this field have led to increased research interest in ontologies and various dynamic methods in developing and maintaining them. Ontologies have been considered one of the most efficient methodologies to develop semantic driven knowledge based systems. In this paper we describe an approach to develop an effective knowledge based system using explicit domain ontologies. We also present key principles for organising and developing content specific domain ontologies that help in knowledge acquisition and system design. The process is illustrated with the development of a knowledge based system for event management domain.

Refenece:
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/525448/description#
description
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/dictionaries/computers/data/m0005817.htmlhttp://
www.occ.treas.gov/handbook/mis.pdfhttp://
www.springerlink.com/content/p0h0xm177k172036/

Blog post # 3

A. Describe the Virtual office

Such work can be done wherever the employee is located. The name given to the capability is the virtual office, a term that suggests that office work can be done at virtualy any geographical location as long as the work site is linked to one or more of the firm's fixed locations by some type of electronic communication capability.

B. Distinguish VO from MIS

Virtual Office-is a term for shared office services, which normally includes business address,Certain providers of virtual office services will provide other in-house or outsourced services such as corporate secretarial services, accounting services, or legal services.

Management Information Systems (MIS) is the term given to the discipline focused on the integration of computer systems with the aims and objectives on an organisation.

C.Illustrate (give examples) how VO can improve company's competitive advantage and organizational performance.

Significant advances in technology and communication over the past decade have made the concept of the virtual office much more attractive and practical to companies facing complex human resource, real estate, business continuity, and logistical challenges. Many businesses are revisiting assumptions about how employees can and should contribute to organizational goals and objectives in physical environments beyond the traditional corporate office. Frequent travelers, day extenders, campus workers and other “off-site” employees are a major and growing component of the workforce. According to Runzheimer International’s recent survey, 71% of organizations planned to increase or maintain the number of virtual office employees in their workforce.

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_officehttp://http://
www.bestpricecomputers.co.uk/glossary/management-information-system.htm
http://virtual-office.runzheimer.com/home-office/virtual-office-virtual-office.aspx

Blog post # 2

A. Decision Support Systems – DSS (definition)

Decision Support Systems (DSS) are a specific class of computerized information system that supports business and organizational decision-making activities. A properly designed DSS is an interactive software-based system intended to help decision makers compile useful information from raw data, documents, personal knowledge, and/or business models to identify and solve problems and make decisions.
(http://www.informationbuilders.com/decision-support-systems-dss.html)

B.Distinguish DSS from MIS

Manager can obtain some information from the AIS and considerably more from the MIS. These systems, however, are tailored to the information needs of large numbers of managers-those composing the management of the entire firm or an organizational unit.

The DSS's provides both problem-solving information and a communications capability for solving semistructured problems.
DSS's support managers as they solve semistructured problems. The emphasis is on the effectiveness of the decisions rather than the efficiency of the decision-making process.

The DSS and MIS models are very similar. Both consist of database, report writing software, and mathematical models. In the MIS model, the users are called organizational problem solvers, whereas in the DSS model there are two types of users-individual problem solvers and other group members. The DSS model also includes a third category of software-group ware, which establishes communications links among the problem solvers and between the problem solvers and the database.

C.illustrate (give example) how DSS can improve company's competitive advantage and organizational performance.

A decision support system creates a competitive advantage if three criteria are met. First, once the DSS is implemented, it must be used and it must become a major or significant strength or capability of the organization. Second, the DSS must be unique and proprietary to the organization. Third, the advantage provided by the DSS must be sustainable until an adequate payback is received, usually at least three years. Managers who are searching for strategic investments in information technology need to keep these three criteria in mind. Just because a vendor says a product will create a competitive advantage doesn’t make the claim true. A competitive advantage means an organization does something important much better than its competitors.

Reference:
Mnanagement Information System By: Raymond Mcleod Jr.
http://www.b-eye-network.com/view/6501

Final blog post # 1

smart strategic planning for cardiovascular services

The number of cardiac and vascular specialty programs is growing nationwide. As some states ease certificate of need regulations, and with continuing efforts to ensure safe clinical practice in hospital settings, hospitals increasingly are providing advanced cardiac and vascular care. As a result, industry competition for the profitable cardiovascular patient is on the rise. In fact, The Corazon National Survey for Benchmarking Cardiac Program Performance shows that 64 percent of the 101 national participants plan to add services or programs to their cardiovascular continuum over the next year, with many focused on the vascular and heart failure specialties. The survey also found that 78 percent of respondents are planning new space as a result of facility renovation or expansion. The most commonly identified expansions cited are catheterization labs and beds devoted to cardiac patients.

The Need for a Plan

Considering the competitive environment and the difficulty involved with creating a progressive, but practical course of action for a large, complex clinical service line such as cardiovascular, the best way to outdistance the competition and be on the forefront of industry change is to have a smart strategic plan in place. Effective planning is critical to the smooth functioning of this vital clinical specialty, especially when planning for major changes in service offerings or facility design. A formal process can ensure that long-term investments for the cardiac continuum produce lasting results. But this plan needs to be integrated with the financial plans of the organization and/or the capital situation of the cardiovascular service line.

Hospitals' capital needs include additional hospital capacity as the elderly population grows, IT upgrades, and the required amenities of future cardiac patients-baby boomers.

Strategic planning should include the formation of a cardiovascular advisory committee that includes key stakeholders, such as representatives from administration and the medical staff. This dedicated group needs to commit to attending the facilitation sessions and to actively and honestly contributing to the process. This feat can be difficult to accomplish given the many opinions and potential barriers that can arise when a diverse group of administrators and physicians come together on one project, especially one that everyone may not support from the start. By communicating openly and honestly, the committee can go a long way in generating trust and gaining support. Up-front communication with key stakeholders can save time and effort and eliminate conflict. Ensuring that all affected parties are informed of any changes in responsibility and understand how a change will affect them demonstrates that the leadership is sensitive to everyone's ideas. Arriving at a consensus and documenting the plans can keep a program on an established path from year to year.

Strategic Planning Milestones

The most successful plans begin with a time line (usually three to four months) that includes key actions, individuals accountable, and due dates. The following milestones should be completed in the strategic planning process.

Internal assessment. Members of the executive team, board of directors, medical staff, and management team should be interviewed by an unbiased party (i.e., an outside consultant) as early as possible regarding their ideas about the facility's current market situation, the unique characteristics of the cardiovascular program, and opportunities for cardiac service line growth or expansion, any operational issues, and commitment to planning goals. These interviews can help leaders understand the diverse viewpoints involved. An evaluation of the current competition, the external market, and internal cardiovascular operations and a discussion about program goals and initiatives should also be addressed with this group.

External market analysis. A market share and utilization data analysis defining the current cardiac service area, trending utilization statistics for cardiac procedures in the region, predicting population demographics, and presenting mortality and out-migration statistics should provide detail for the past three years and anticipated changes for the next five years. The hospital should use this information to project utilization and market share, taking into account practice and technology changes and population demographics. The projections should also include any changes expected due to new competitors, outreach opportunities, and physician staffing needs.

Integrating the internal and external analyses will help the cardiovascular advisory committee project volumes for expanded cardiovascular procedures.

Operations review. A smart strategic plan also should include a review of current operations related to the performance of cardiovascular services, including an evaluation of the program and its components and a review of floor plans to determine the impact of an expansion. This process will identify opportunities for (and sometimes barriers against) change, including staffing, organizational structure, technology, and equipment. The operational assessement should also take into account how any changes in services will affect capacity needs, including beds, cardiac cath labs, and operating rooms.

This approach is unique because the information considered relates to volume and uses a formula for calculating capacity for cardiovascular areas, including inpatient beds, cardiovascular operating rooms, and cardiac cath lab. It is important to complete capacity models for these areas using projected volumes, lengths of stay, and any resources required for patient turnover. The result should be an accurate estimation of facility levels. For example, the equation for determining the space needs and facility design for a cardiac cath lab is:

(number of procedures ? procedure time in minutes) + (number of procedures ? room turnover in minutes) ? inefficiency factor / cardiac cath lab operating hours per year in minutes = cardiac cath labs required

Strategies and initiatives. Aggregated findings from the interviews and evaluation of market, program, and operations should be presented to the cardiovascular advisory committee. This information then should be analyzed in conjunction with financial plans and used to develop a strategic plan for cardiovascular services that includes:

* A validation of all planning assumptions to gain consensus

* Endorsement by key constituents of the hospital and medical staff

* A draft plan for deliberation of strategic direction and priorities

* A comprehensive final plan that reports all findings and defines the goals, priorities, and recommendations for the development and growth of the cardiovascular program

http://www.allbusiness.com/management/strategic-plenning/10579779-1.html

blog post # 3

Database systems have been developed that allow a computer to store a large amount of information in a way that allows a user to search for and retrieve specific information in the database. For example, an insurance company may have a database that includes all of its policy holders and their current account information, including payment history, premium amount, policy number, policy type, exclusions to coverage, etc. A database system allows the insurance company to retrieve the account information for a single policy holder among the thousands and perhaps millions of policy holders in its database.

Data is typically stored in database tables. The tables contain columns and rows of data. The data in the table is related to or associated with other data in corresponding columns and rows. For the example described for insurance companies, the rows of the database may be associated with the name of policy holders, while the columns would be for different pieces of data such as policy number and policy type. In prior art databases, relationships of the data are stored in indexes.

blog Post # 2

Know the different security threats

The best way to guard against email fraud is to keep yourself well-informed of the risks involved in accessing the internet and how to keep your online transactions secure:

EMAIL FRAUD
“Phishing” is one of the most common types of email fraud. This involves sending a fraudulent e-mail message or “spoof” which appears to have come from a legitimate source to entice the user to visit a phony website and provide personal and confidential information such as UserIDs and passwords.

Please keep in mind:
PNB will never ask you to provide your password by e-mail. We will also never send you an e-mail requesting that you visit a website to provide us with that information. If you receive such a request, please do not respond or click on any links or attachments contained within them.
If you believe that you have received a fraudulent e-mail pretending to have come from PNB, please forward the message immediately to ibs.mail@pnb.com.ph. Delete the e-mail after it has been forwarded to us.

How to spot a potential phishing scheme:
· To catch the user’s attention, “spoofed emails” are usually alarming or have a sense of urgency (e.g. “Your account has been blocked. Failure to update your records will result to account suspension.”
· Just because an e-mail or website appears to be from a legitimate company does not mean it is. Phishing schemes are designed to look real and fraudsters will often use logos, trademarks, or even the entire look and feel of a valid web page to trick users into believing that it is genuine. If trademark images or logos appear to be different or distorted, the e-mail or website is likely a fake.
· Typos and other errors are often the mark of fraudulent emails or websites. Be on the lookout for typographical or grammatical errors and overformal or inappropriate writing, including poor visual or design quality.

Security Tips
· If you do not know the source of an e-mail or if it looks suspicious in any way, do not open it. Delete e-mails from unknown senders without opening them. Do not open attachments; this may release a virus in your computer to track your personal information. Disregard and delete spam, chain and junk e-mails.
· Check if the website is “secure” by checking the Universal Resource Locators (URLs) which should begin with “https” and a closed padlock icon on the status bar in the browser is displayed. To confirm authenticity of our site, double-click on the lock icon to see the security certificate information.
· When accessing the PNB website, manually type www.pnb.com.ph into the URL address bar and refrain from clicking a hyperlink to access it.
·
Your defense:
Prevent threats and malicious programs which cannot be detected and removed by most common anti-virus programs by installing anti-spyware/adware programs which must run regularly into your computer.
· Security HolesSecurity holes or “bugs” are programming errors used by unauthorized persons to access computer networks or web servers from the internet and compromise them. As these defects are discovered, “patches” or “updates” are usually developed by software publishers to fix the errors.

· Spam
A spam is an unsolicited email on the internet. Some companies market their products and services by sending advertisements to a list of email addresses collected from the internet. This has become a major problem among internet users as “spams” fill-up their mail storage memory and create annoying pop-up windows.Your defense:You may install anti-spam software to help you control influx of unwanted emails. It can help you filter your emails by identifying potential spams and create a blacklist of senders. It may also let you view the source of the email, the subject and the attachment so you can decide if you want to keep it or delete it before you download the message.

· Virus, Worm and Trojan Horse
A virus is a program or code that replicates by being copied. It may be transmitted as an attachment to an email or present in a downloaded file or diskette/CD. Viruses can infect other programs, erase data in your computer or cause your hard disk to require reformatting.A worm is a self-replicating virus that resends itself as an email attachment or as part of a network message. Worms consume system resources (time, space and speed) in replicating with the intent of slowing down or halting computer tasks including internet use.A Trojan Horse, unlike a virus, does not replicate itself. It is a program that masquerades as a harmless application like a game or image file that has a malicious intent of causing damage when run into your computer.

Your defense:
Install anti-virus and firewall programs on your computer to protect against hackers and viruses. An anti-virus software scans emails and files for viruses that may be attached. It will trigger you whether it is safe to open a file/attachment or delete it immediately without opening it. Make sure to run anti-virus program regularly and update it frequently to guard against new viruses.Make it also a point to install firewalls to prevent entry of malicious programs and unauthorized access to your computer. This is especially important if you connect to the internet via a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem where you face a higher risk for malicious activity when you transact online.