ASSIGNMENT #4

You were invited by the university president to prepare an IS plan for the university, discuss what are the steps in order to expedite the implementation of the IS Plan. (at least 5000 words)


weew! another hard question.. It is very difficult to obtain consensus on a functional decomposition for any one application, much less across all the information systems within the entire corporation. That is because functional analysis requires identification and codification of how activities are performed. In short, the codification of style. This type of analysis leads to conflicts, power struggles, and endless nit-picking. In the end, nobody likes the results. Once, or if ever completed, both IBM and Martin use the resulting ISP as a foundation for identifying information systems. Building the ISP on top of such a foundation of discord cannot possibly result in stable, enduring information systems.

For a long time relationship between information system functions and corporate strategy was not of much interest to Top Management of firms. Information Systems were thought to be synonymous with corporate data processing and treated as some back-room operation in support of day-to-day mundane tasks (Rockart, 1979). In the 80’s and 90’s, however, there has been a growing realization of the need to make information systems of strategic importance to an
organization. Consequently, strategic information systems planning (SISP) is a critical issue. In many industry surveys, improved SISP is often mentioned as the most serious challenge facing IS managers (Pavri and Ang, 1995, Beath and Orlikowski, 1994; Martin, 1993; Porter and Miller, 1985). Planning for information systems, as for any other system, begins with the identification of needs. In order to be effective, development of any type of computer-based system should be a response to need--whether at the transaction processing level or at the more complex information and support systems levels. Such planning for information systems is much like strategic planning in management. Objectives, priorities, and authorization for information systems projects need to be formalized. The systems development plan should identify specific projects slated for the future, priorities for each project and for resources, general procedures, and constraints for each application area. The plan must be specific enough to enable understanding of each application and to know where it stands in the order of development. Also the plan should be flexible so that priorities can be adjusted if necessary. King (King, 1995) in his recent article has argued that a strategic capability architecture - a flexible and continuously improving infrastructure of organizational capabilities - is the primary basis for a company's sustainable competitive advantage. He has emphasized the need for continuously updating and improving the strategic capabilities architecture.

Characteristics of a Quality ISP



A quality ISP must exhibit five distinct characteristics before it is useful. These five are presented in the table that follows.

Characteristic ------- Description


Timely -------- The ISP must be timely. An ISP that is created long after it is needed is useless. In almost all cases, it makes no sense to take longer to plan work than to perform the work planned.

Useable ------- The ISP must be useable. It must be so for all the projects as well as for each project. The ISP should exist in sections that once adopted can be parceled out to project managers and immediately started.

Maintainable ------- The ISP must be maintainable. New business opportunities, new computers, business mergers, etc. all affect the ISP. The ISP must support quick changes to the estimates, technologies employed, and possibly even to the fundamental project sequences. Once these changes are accomplished, the new ISP should be just a few computer program executions away.

Quality -------- While the ISP must be a quality product, no ISP is ever perfect on the first try. As the ISP is executed, the metrics employed to derive the individual project estimates become refined as a consequence of new
hardware technologies, code generators, techniques, or faster working staff. As these changes occur, their effects should be installable into the data that supports ISP computation. In short, the ISP is a living document. It should be updated with every technology event, and certainly no less often than quarterly.

Reproducible -------- The ISP must be reproducible. That is, when its development activities are performed by any other staff, the ISP produced should essentially be the same. The ISP should not significantly vary by staff assigned.



The ISP Steps


The information systems plan project determines the sequence for implementing specific information systems. The goal of the strategy is to deliver the most valuable business information at the earliest time possible in the most cost-effective manner.

The end product of the information systems project is an information systems plan (ISP). Once deployed, the information systems department can implement the plan with confidence that they are doing the correct information systems project at the right time and in the right sequence. The focus of the ISP is not one information system but
the entire suite of information systems for the enterprise. Once developed, each identified information system is seen in context with all other information systems within the enterprise.

Information Systems Plan Development Steps
Step	Name	Description
1.	Create the mission model	The mission model, generally shorter than 30 pages presents end-result characterizations of the essential raison d=etre of the enterprise. Missions are strategic, long range, and a-political because they are stripped of the Awho@ and the Ahow.@
2.	Develop a high-level data model	The high-level data model is an Entity Relationship diagram created to meet the data needs of the mission descriptions. No attributes or keys are created.
3.	Create the resource life cycles (RLC) and their nodes	Resources are drawn from both the mission descriptions and the high level data model. Resources and their life cycles are the names, descriptions and life cycles of the critical assets of the enterprise, which, when exercised achieve one or more aspect of the missions. Each enterprise resource Alives@ through its resource life cycle.
4.	Allocate precedence vectors among RLC nodes	Tied together into a enablement network, the resulting resource life cycle network forms a framework of enterprise=s assets that represent an order and set of inter-resource relationships. The enterprise Alives@ through its resource life cycle network.
5.	Allocate existing information systems and databases to the RLC nodes	The resource life cycle network presents a Alattice-work@onto which the Aas is@ business information systems and databases can be Aattached.@ See for example, the meta model in Figure 2. The Ato-be@ databases and information systems are similarly attached. ADifference projects@ between the Aas-is@ and the Ato-be@ are then formulated. Achievement of all the difference projects is the achievement of the Information Systems Plan.
6.	Allocate standard work break down structures (WBS) to each RLC node	Detailed planning of the Adifference projects@ entails allocating the appropriate canned work breakdown structures and metrics. Employing WBS and metrics from a comprehensive methodology supports project management standardization, repeatability, and self-learning.
7.	Load resources into each WBS node	Once the resources are determined, these are loaded into the project management meta entities of the meta data repository, that is, metrics, project, work plan and deliverables. The meta entities are those inferred by Figure 2.
8.	Schedule the RLC nodes through a project management package facilities.	The entire suite of projects is then scheduled on an enterprise-wide basis. The PERT chart used by project management is the APERT@ chart represented by the Resource Life Cycle enablement network.
9.	Produce and review of the ISP	The scheduled result is predicable: Too long, too costly, and too ambitious. At that point, the real work starts: paring down the suite of projects to a realistic set within time and budget. Because of the meta data environment (see Figure 1), the integrated project management meta data (see Figure 2), and because all projects are configured against fundamental business-rationale based designs, the results of the inevitable trade-offs can be set against business basics. Although the process is painful, the results can be justified and rationalized.
10.	Execute and adjust the ISP through time.	As the ISP is set into execution, technology changes occur that affect resource loadings. In this case, only steps 6-9 need to be repeated. As work progresses, the underlying meta data built or used in steps 1-5 will also change. Because a quality ISP is Aautomated@ the recasting of the ISP should only take a week or less.

Executive and Adjusting the ISP Through Time



IT projects are accomplished within distinct development environments. The two most common are: discrete project and release. The discrete project environment is typified by completely encapsulated projects accomplished through a water-fall methodology.

In release environments, there are a number of different projects underway by different organizations and staff of varying skill levels. Once a large number of projects are underway, the ability of the enterprise to know about and manage all the different projects degrades
rapidly. That is because the project management environment has been transformed from discrete encapsulated projects into a continuous flow process of product or functionality improvements that are released on a
set time schedule. Figure 3 illustrates the continuous flow process environment that supports releases. The continuous flow process environment is characterized by:

• Multiple, concurrent, but differently scheduled projects against the same enterprise resource
  

• Single projects that affect multiple enterprise resources
  

• Projects that develop completely new capabilities, or changes to existing capabilities within enterprise resources
  

It is precisely because enterprises have transformed themselves from a project to a release environment that information systems plans that can be created, evolved, and maintained on an enterprise-wide
basis are essential.

There are four major sets of activities within the continuous flow process environment. The user/client is represented at the top in the small rectangular box. Each of the ellipses represents an activity targeted to a specific need. The four basic needs are:

• Need Identification
  
• Need Assessment
  
• Design
  
• Deployment
  

The second characteristic flows from the first. Because these four activities are independent one from the other, the enterprise evolves by means of releases rather than through whole systems. If it evolved through whole systems, then the four activities would be connected either in a waterfall or a spiral approach, and the enterprise would be
evolving through major upgrades to encapsulated functionality within specific business resources. In contrast, the release approach causes coordinated sets of changes to multiple business resources to be placed into production. This causes simultaneous, enterprise-wide capability upgrades across multiple business resources.

Through this continuous-flow process, several unique features are present:

• All four processes are concurrently executing.
  
• Changes to enterprise resources occur in unison, periodically, and in a very controlled manner.
  
• The
  meta data repository is always contains all the enterprise resource
  specifications: current or planned. Simply put, if an enterprise
  resource semantic is not within the meta data repository, it is not
  enterprise policy.
  
• All changes are planned, scheduled, measured, and subject to auditing, accounting, and traceability.
  
• All documentation of all types is generated from the meta data repository.
  

Time allocation: Each task should be paired with an appropriate time frame for completion. You should be aggressive but reasonable with your time allocation in order to ensure not just completion but competent work. For assistance in framing this timescale, use a program such as Microsoft Project, or just create your own Gantt chart – a helpful tool that shows how long it will take to
complete different tasks and in what order the tasks should be finished. Progress: You or a member of your management team needs to be in charge of monitoring each task’s progress and the completion percentage of each objective. When delays occur, try to get to the root of the problem. Did the person responsible drop the ball? Did he or she have too many responsibilities to handle? Did a third party, such as a supplier or the bank, fail to hold up its end of a deal? Adjust your Gantt chart appropriately to account for the delay, and make a note of the previous deadline and the reason it was missed. While the above steps may seem like overkill, the early days of a startup are critically important; it’s a time when good management patterns are set and also probably a lean era when revenue has yet to start rolling in. The more efficiently you start implementing yourbusiness plan, the more likely it is that you will survive this early period.



REFERENCES:

http://www.tdan.com/view-articles/5262
http://www.netmba.com/strategy/process/
http://www.tn.gov/finance/oir/planning/ispprocess.pdf

Assignment #2

1.What should be the nature of the relationship between the business plan and the IS plan? (at least 2000 words)


Let me first define what business plan is based on my research.

A business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons why they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals.

The business goals may be defined for for-profit or for non-profit organizations. For-profit business plans typically focus on financial goals, such as profit or creation of wealth. Non-profit and government agency business plans tend to focus on organizational mission which is the basis for their governmental status or their non-profit, tax-exempt status, respectively—although non-profits may also focus on optimizing revenue. In non-profit organizations, creative tensions may develop in the effort to balance mission with "margin" (or revenue). Business plans may also target changes in perception and branding by the customer, client, tax-payer, or larger community. A business plan having changes in perception and branding as its primary goals is called a marketing plan.

Business plans may be internally or externally focused. Externally focused plans target goals that are important to external stakeholders, particularly financial stakeholders. They typically have detailed information about the organization or team attempting to reach the goals. With for-profit entities, external stakeholders include investors and customers. External stake-holders of non-profits include donors and the clients of the non-profit's services. For government agencies, external stakeholders include tax-payers, higher-level government agencies, and international lending bodies such as the IMF, the World Bank, various economic agencies of the UN, and development banks.

Internally focused business plans target intermediate goals required to reach the external goals. They may cover the development of a new product, a new service, a new IT system, a restructuring of finance, the refurbishing of a factory or a restructuring of the organization. An internal business plan is often developed in conjunction with a balanced scorecard or a list of critical success factors. This allows success of the plan to bemeasured using non-financial measures. Business plans that identify and target internal goals, but provide only general guidance on how they will be met are called strategic plans.
Business plans are decision-making tools. There is no fixed content for a business plan. Rather the content and format of the business plan is determined by the goals and audience. A business plan should contain whatever information is needed to decide whether or not to pursue a goal.

For example, a business plan for a non-profit might discuss the fit between the business plan and the organization’s mission. Banks are quite concerned about defaults, so a business plan for a bank loan will build a convincing case for the organization’s ability to repay the loan. Venture capitalists are primarily concerned about initial investment, feasibility, and exit valuation. A business plan for a project requiring equity financing will need to explain why current resources, upcoming growth opportunities, and sustainable competitive advantage will lead to a high exit valuation.

Preparing a business plan draws on a wide range of knowledge from many different business disciplines: finance, human resource management, intellectual property management, supply chain management, operations management, and marketing, among others.I t can be helpful to view the business plan as a collection of sub-plans, one for each of the main business disciplines.


"... a good business plan can help to make a good business credible, understandable, and attractive to someone who is unfamiliar with the business. Writing a good business plan can’t guarantee success, but it can go a long way toward reducing the odds of failure."



Next i will define what is Information System based on my references.

An information System plan is a a process for developing a strategy and plans for aligning information systems with the business
strategies of an organization. The systems planning function of the life cycle seeks to identify and prioritize those technologies and applications that will return the most value to the business. Synonyms include strategic systems planning and Information resource management. Study the Business Mission with Information System Although many businesses haven't formally documented their mission, they all have one. If information systems are to truly return value to the business, they need to directly address that mission. Thus, the first phase of systems planning is to study the business mission.

Some make a clear distinction between information systems, ICT and business processes. Information systems are distinct from information technology in that an information system is typically seen as having an ICT component. Information systems are also different from business processes. Information systems help to control the performance of business processes.

Alter argues for an information system as a special type of work system. A work system is a system in which humans and/or machines perform work using resources (including ICT) to produce specific products and/or services for customers. An information system is a work system whose activities are devoted to processing (capturing, transmitting, storing, retrieving, manipulating and displaying)information.

Part of the difficulty in defining the term information system is due to vagueness in the definition of related terms such as system and information. Beynon-Davies argues for a clearer terminology based in systemics and semiotics. He defines an information system as an example of a system concerned with the manipulation of signs. An information system is a type of socio-technical system. An information system is a mediating construct between actions and technology.


Information System Planning (ISP) is a structured approach developed by IBM to assist organizations in establishing a plan to satisfy
their short and long term information requirements. The ISP methodology was implemented at Tel-Aviv University. A comprehensive plan for the development of a Management Information System (MIS) was derived. This paper presents a review of the process by which the plan was obtained, a discussion of the methodology, and its ramifications. information system is frequently used to refer to the interaction between people, processes, data and technology. In this sense, the term is used to refer not only to the information and communication technology (ICT) an organization uses, but also to the way in which people interact with this technology in support of business processes .



REFERENCES:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_plan
http://www.tdan.com/view-articles/5262

Assignment #1

Think about yourself worthy to be called as IT professional, how do you see yourself 10 years from now, what are your strategies to get there? (at least 3000 words)


what a tough question! weew.


As i was thinking for the answer in this assignment, i suddenly pondered and asked myself lots of questions like \"nganong nag IT man ko na dili man ko hawud mu program?\", \" nganong kani man akong course?\", \"kanus-a pa kaya ko mu-graduate?\", .. sigh!


10 years from now, i will be called as an IT professional. I might be working as an IT consultant in the largest company in the Philippines, or i might be developing a system..sabi nga nila \" LIBRE ANG MANGARAP\". To be able to achieve these goals i will surely undergo lots of burdens or should i say headaches??

Some basic and easy ways on how to become successful in your life or otherwise, ways for personal development are:

1. You need to relax
Relaxation exercises range from traditional forms of meditation that have theirroots in Eastern cultures to modern systematic relaxation exercisesthat have been scientifically developed and are more suited to the
western way of thinking. They help to reduce the intensity of stresssymptoms (headaches, migraines, anxiety, insomnia, etc.) but also inpreparing the individual to recognize the symptoms from their initialstages. Their common characteristic is that the person with constantpractice can acquire the habit of thinking and acting more calm and
functional. Acting more calm can help you think and concentrate betterand will help you to become successful in your life.

2. You need to use your time efficiently

People complain that they do not have enough time available. But more oftenthe problem is not the time in quantity but in the way we manage our time. Important elements in proper time management are the do-to lists, prioritization, and the ability to focus on one task at a time, the ability to recognise and set targets. With proper time management you
will have more time to think and plan how to become successful in your life.

3. Demanding Behaviour

Demand behaviour techniques aim to strengthen the capacity of individuals todefend their rights without denying the rights of others and without being aggressive or insulting. In this way you can face the appropriateinterpersonal relations and also to learn how to say "no" whereappropriate and when necessary, to express your feelings rather thanbeen passive and inactive. Learning to sometimes say no will help youdecide what is best for you and you can change your life by being
selective on what to do and on what no to do.

4. You need to learn how to solve your problems

Beingable to solve your problems is a major step on becoming successful.Problems are present in daily life and if you find ways to solve them then this will really change your life.

Some techniques for problem management are:

1) Definition of the problem
2) Alternative solutions to the problem
3) Choosing the right strategy to address the problem
4) Proper design of the selected strategy (where, when, how)
5) Implementation of the solution
6) Evaluation The problems never stop! The basic rule is
this: instead of facing problems «automatically» with our usual styleand approach, to begin to look reasonable and separately each problem,create alternatives and choose the best solution, according to the importance of the problem and our experience.

5. You need to be dynamic

In order to have a positive and dynamic presence you need to be able tofrankly and directly express your feelings and ideas, both negative and positive. To do this you must create a good contact with yourself and with your feelings!In conclusion, it must be noted that there are a lot of ways on how to become successful. This tips only server as
a quick guide to help you get started. The whole process is difficult and sometimes it takes time. This is not always something bad. Instead, it helps us be alert, can warn us against possible dangers and helps us
prepare better.

“Want to be successful?”

Most of us already have good character traits which we can develop over time. Have you ever wondered whether or not you have the character traits to become successful? We have read about people who became successful in different areas
in life but we are not aware on how to reach success as being a professional. Well, success takes hard work and people who are willing to do it.

Here are traits in order to become successful professionals:
·
They enjoytheir work. A sense of purpose is on them and acquiring time of their lives doing
their job.
·
Successfulpeople have a positive attitude and plenty of confidence. They never seem to doubt that they will attain andwhen they do, it contributes more strongly to their self-esteem.

They use negative occurrence to discover theirstrong point.

·

They are influential,disciplined goal setters. Most hard workers have an apparent idea what they want out of life.

Integrity andthey help others succeed.

·

They are determined.They are persisted and kept improving until they got the money.

They take risks. Few people ever get to the top without sticking their necks out - and when successful people make mistakes, they shrug them off and go on with their lives.

They have good communication skills and problem solving skills. They actively seek suggestions from others although
they already come up an answer for a particular problem.

·
They surround themselves with capable, responsible and encouraging people. No matter how smart or creative a person might be, he must have others he can trust.

They are healthy, have high energy levels and schedule time to renew themselves.
In combination these traits work together and give a huge advantage to successful people. Because of this they can easily
and wisely respond to change. Because of strong personal relationships, goodwill and good advisers are present on them when there are things that are going bad. These traits can be learned and genetic.

The Importance of Planning
No one wants to think about a time when they might need long-term
care. So planning ahead for this possibility often gets put off. Most people first learn about long-term care when they or a loved one need care. Then their options are often limited by lack of information, the
immediate need for services, and insufficient resources to pay for preferred services. Planning ahead allows you to have more control over your future.

Why Plan Ahead for Long-Term Care?

Planning ahead for long-term care is important because there is a good chance you will need some long-term care services if you live beyond the age of 65. About 70 percent of people over age 65 require some services, and the likelihood of needing care increases as you age.

Planning ahead helps you understand what service options are available in your community, what special conditions may apply for
receiving services, for example, age or other eligibility criteria, what services cost, and what payment options – public and private –
apply. Having this information helps ensure you will have a range of options when you need long-term care, and makes it more likely that you will have more choice and control over where and how you receive
services.
Planning ahead is important because the cost of long-term care services often exceeds what the average person can pay from income and other resources. By planning ahead, you may be able to save your assets
and income for uses other than long-term care, including preserving the quality of life for your spouse or other loved ones. With planning, there is a greater likelihood of being able to leave an estate to your heirs, because you are less likely to use up your financial resources paying for care.
Planning ahead also means less emotional and financial stress on you and your family. It can provide a way to involve your family in
decisions without depending on them to bear the entire burden alone. Finally, for many people, one of the most important advantages of planning ahead is to ensure greater independence should you need care.
Your choices for receiving care outside of a facility and being able to stay at home or receive services in the community for as long as possible are greater if you have planned ahead.

Why People Don't Plan Ahead

There are many reasons why people don't plan ahead for long-term care. These include the natural tendency to avoid thinking about
becoming dependent on others for your care, misinformation about the risks of needing care, and lack of knowledge about the cost of care and payment options.
Most people don't like to think about getting older, developing a disability, becoming less independent, or needing help with personal
care. Many people don't realize that their chance of needing long-term care by the time they turn 65 is as high as 70 percent.
People commonly misunderstand how expensive long-term care is, and how it is paid for. Consumer surveys have shown that many individuals don't realize that health insurance, Medicare, and/or disability coverage do not pay for most long-term care services. Medicaid pays for some long-term care services, but only if you qualify for the program
because you have limited income and financial resources. Some people find it too difficult to raise these subjects with their
loved ones, making it difficult to explore and define their plans. Adult children often feel like they are patronizing their parents if
they raise the subject or they are afraid of giving the impression that they might not want to provide care if it is needed. Parents often don't want to make adult children uncomfortable or to discuss details
of their finances with them. Finally, some people realize it is important to plan, but don't know
how to go about it. The best way to begin is with small and easy steps.
Even just talking with your loved ones is a great first-step!
You can start planning by reviewing the information on this website and using the resources supplied, including the
Own Your Future Planning Kit.

What exactly do we mean when we say “planning?” Below are some examples of how people might plan for long-term care before they need care. While these are fictional illustrations, they represent a variety
of real-life situations. of people who planned ahead for their long-term care needs. Each person
talks about a different planning option and the reasons for making that choice. Listening to their considerations and decisions can help you think through what might be best for you. If you are unable to listen
to these stories it may be because your computer does not have the necessary components that allow the audio to work. You can get these stories when you order the Own Your Future Long-Term Care Planning Kit
that includes a CD with the real-life planning stories. The people described here are composites drawn from a variety of
real-life scenarios; they illustrate the range of personal circumstances people might find themselves in and the different forms
that “long-term care planning” might take. There is no “one-size-fits-all” plan. As you read these examples, think about your
own circumstances and the types of options you might want to consider.
More information about Private Financing Options is available in the Paying for Long-Term Care section of this web site.

Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. Various business analysis techniques can be used in strategic planning, including SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats ), PEST analysis (Political, Economic, Social, and Technological), STEER analysis (Socio-cultural, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Regulatory
factors), and EPISTEL (Environment, Political, Informatic, Social, Technological, Economic and Legal).
Strategic planning is the formal consideration of an organization's future course. All strategic planning deals with at least one of three key questions:

1. "What do we do?"
   
2. "For whom do we do it?"
   
3. "How do we excel?"
   

In business strategic planning, the third question is better phrased "How can we beat or avoid competition?".
In many organizations, this is viewed as a process for determining where an organization is going over the next year or more -typically 3 to 5 years, although some extend their vision to 20 years.
In order to determine where it is going, the organization needs to know exactly where it stands, then determine where it wants to go and how it will get there. The resulting document is called the "strategic
plan." It is also true that strategic planning may be a tool for effectively plotting the direction of a company; however, strategic
planning itself cannot foretell exactly how the market will evolve and what issues will surface in the coming days in order to plan your organizational strategy. Therefore, strategic innovation and tinkering with the 'strategic plan' have to be a cornerstone strategy for an organization to survive the turbulent business climate.

Vision: Defines the desired or intended future state of an organization or enterprise in terms of its fundamental objective and/or strategic direction. Vision is a long term view, sometimes describing a view of how the organization would like the world in which it operates to be. For example a charity working with the poor might have a vision statement which read "A world without poverty" Mission: Defines the fundamental purpose of an organization or an enterprise, basically describing why it exists and what it does to
achieve its Vision. A corporate Mission can last for many years, or for the life of the organization. It is not an objective with a timeline, but rather the overall goal that is accomplished over the years as objectives are achieved that are aligned with the corporate mission. Values: Beliefs that are shared among the stakeholders of an organization. Values drive an organization's culture and priorities.

Organizations sometimes summarize goals and objectives into a mission statement and/or a vision statement Others begin with a vision and mission and use them to formulate goals and objectives. While the existence of a shared mission is extremely useful, many strategy specialists question the requirement for a written mission statement. However, there are many models of strategic planning that start with mission statements, so it is useful to examine them here.

• A Mission statement tells you the fundamental purpose
  of the organization. It defines the customer and the critical
  processes. It informs you of the desired level of performance.
  

• A Vision statement outlines what the organization
  wants to be, or how it wants the world in which it operates to be. It
  concentrates on the future. It is a source of inspiration. It provides
  clear decision-making criteria.
  

An advantage of having a statement is that it creates value for those who get exposed to the statement, and those prospects are
managers, employees and sometimes even customers. Statements create a sense of direction and opportunity. They both are an essential part of the strategy-making process.
Many people mistake vision statement for mission statement, and sometimes one is simply used as a longer term version of the other. The Vision should describe why it is important to achieve the Mission. A Vision statement defines the purpose or broader goal for being in existence or in the business and can remain the same for decades if crafted well. A Mission statement is more specific to what the enterprise can achieve itself. Vision should describe what will be achieved in the wider sphere if the organization and others are successful in achieving their individual missions. A mission statement can resemble a vision statement in a few
companies, but that can be a grave mistake. It can confuse people. The mission statement can galvanize the people to achieve defined objectives, even if they are stretch objectives, provided it can be
elucidated in SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) terms. A mission statement provides a path to realize the vision in line with its values. These statements have a direct bearing on the bottom line and success of the organization.
Which comes first? The mission statement or the vision statement? That depends. If you have a new start up business, new program or plan to re engineer your current services, then the vision will guide the mission statement and the rest of the strategic plan. If you have an established business where the mission is established, then many times, the mission guides the vision statement and the rest of the strategic plan. Either way, you need to know your fundamental purpose - the mission, your current situation in terms of internal resources and capabilities (strengths and/or weaknesses) and external conditions (opportunities and/or threats), and where you want to go - the vision for the future. It's important that you keep the end or desired result in sight from the start.

Features of an effective vision statement include:

• Clarity and lack of ambiguity
  
• Vivid and clear picture
  
• Description of a bright future
  
• Memorable and engaging wording
  
• Realistic aspirations
  
• Alignment with organizational values and culture
  

To become really effective, an organizational vision statement must (the theory states) become assimilated into the organization's culture. Leaders have the responsibility of communicating the vision regularly, creating narratives that illustrate the vision, acting as role-modelsby embodying the vision, creating short-term objectives compatible with the vision, and encouraging others to craft their own personal vision compatible with the organization's overall vision. In addition, mission statements need to be subjected to an internal assessment and an external assessment. The internal assessment should focus on how
members inside the organization interpret their mission statement. The external assessment — which includes all of the businesses stakeholders — is valuable since it offers a different perspective. These discrepancies between these two assessments can give insight on the organization's mission statement effectiveness. Another approach to defining Vision and Mission is to pose two questions. Firstly, "What aspirations does the organization have for the world in which it operates and has some influence over?", and following on from this, "What can (and /or does) the organization do or contribute to fulfill those aspirations?". The succinct answer to the first question provides the basis of the Vision Statement. The answer to the second question determines the Mission Statement.




REFERENCES:

http://www.longtermcare.gov/LTC/Main_Site/Planning_LTC/Importance/index.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_planning
http://hubpages.com/hub/aaaaaaaaaaaaaa
http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Ways-on-How-to-Become-Successful-in-Your-Life&id=2022098

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM 2

Barriers in IT/IS implementation

BARRIERS ON IT/IS IMPLEMENTATION

NCCC. It’s is all about people: Their associates, customers, business partners and community. Since starting out as a textile store in 1952 they continue to grow, expanding to different retail businesses and locations to serve more people.They strive to offer Service from the Heart first of all to their associates.They also maintain solid relationships with their business partners to provide a wide assortment of basic and unique merchandise.They are proud of journey and we continue to pay tribute to o founders and history by living up to core values of humility, caring, hard work, excellence and fun. They live for theiraa vision to be A Leader Who Cares. "
Based on our adopted company, the NCCC, these are the barriers in there IS/IT implementation:


VULNERABLE ISSUES
Viruses are designed to spread into other programs and can wreak havoc in a system, crashes and program malfunctions. This is the most common problem in IS/IT implementation in an organization.

COST
In adopting an updated version of any information system no one could deny the fact that the cost of each step in a program development, analysis and loading is not that super affordable specially if it’s providing those features that would boost your company’s progress in line with information system / information technology implementation. These are the examples of cost to be critically discussed in their so-called “business case”.
Installation Cost – the cost of physical linking the sites in the system (usually involves the installation de novo of such a backbone, which includes the wiring, transmission facility and connectivity equipment)
Communication Cost – the cost in time and money to send a message from
Availability Cost – the extent to which data can be accessed despite the failure of some links or sites
o because of the high cost and complexity, usually requires the participation of the telephone company and other service providers in its design, deployment, maintenance
o is seldom free and requires a fee for participation (line charges) and additional fees for services (not just Internet access but fees for maintenance and value-added services); the higher financial outlays for capital (equipment and lines) and monthly service charges and for operating expenses (such as staff) make such networks relatively more expensive for participants,


KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge barriers to technology adoption:
1. networks are more pricey to participate in, potential participants have a challenging job convincing their management, and the institutions they may want to link to, to play
2. potential participants have to be sensitive to interoperability issues because the new technology may or may not work seamlessly with existing technology
3. potential participants, especially those in the government sector, will need to worry about how the new technology will impact the institutions bid process for technology acquisition
4. potential participants will have to worry about how the new technology will affect the process by which they currently deliver services, and what kinds of retooling would be required on their part (new staff recruitment, new ways of working, new technology capabilities, relationships with new vendors and service providers)
5. usually requires maintenance and monitoring both on the backbone and user ends, and may span several layers: physical, Internet and value-added services, and applications layers; the telephone company and other service provider (such as the ISP) or providers may all have to cooperate to provide monitoring at these layers.
6. usually require a highly-skilled, dedicated, paid staff (and volunteer help) who provide these services; volunteer help alone is not sufficient

BUSINESS CASE
This could be considered as a barrier due to these reasons:
* Studying the problem too long without acting
* Trying to get everyone's agreement first
* Educating without changing structures or expectations
* Tackling everything at once
* Measuring nothing or everything
* Failing to build support for replication




Many have been arguing that using information technology within an organization can bring substantial gains. These gains initiallly arose through increased efficiency as back-off operations, such as accounting, controlling of stock and wage processing were computerized but as organizations became more sophisticated in their information systems then operations transferred to front-office aplications. The strategic use of information technology, as compared to transaction processing or operational control, has gained the most attention. The initial enthusiasm for the strategic use of IT has been reduced by evidence that information technologycan be a competitive burden instead of giving competitive advantege, and that the advantage might not be sustainable.


Common Barriers
• Studying the problem too long without acting
• Trying to get everyone's agreement first
• Educating without changing structures or expectations
• Tackling everything at once
• Measuring nothing or everything
• Failing to build support for replication
• Assuming that the status quo is OK
More Barriers to Change
• Lack of such resources as time and commitment
• Resistance to change
• Lack of senior leadership support or physician champion
• Lack of cooperation from other agencies, providers, departments, and facilities
• Ineffective teams
• Burdensome data collection
Essential Elements for Change Effort
• Define the problem
• Define the target population
• Define effective treatment strategies and establish procedural guidelines
• Establish performance measures; set goals
• Define effective system changes and interventions
• Develop leadership and system change strategy

Automated Election

AUTOMATED ELECTION IN THE PHILIPPINES
ELECTION 2010

As an Information Technology student, my opinion regarding this issue is that automated election shall be imposed for this coming election 2010. Automated election indeed can minimize the problems of the members of the COMELEC as well as the Filipinos all over the world. By using these automated and advanced equipments, voters won’t be able to have a hard time in manually writing their selected candidates and with just click, they are done voting. And when it comes to the volunteers and members of the COMELEC, they will not at least get tired in tallying the votes. When the tallying of votes are manually done, it will probably reach at about approximately two to three weeks of just counting the votes nationwide. In this way, the results are quicker. If this new way of voting will be done and will be imposed this coming election and the next elections to come, the cost of these equipments will be worth buying for and the result of the votes will be done automatically. And with in this way, we can at least minimize election fraud that can cause for the wrong candidates to be elected and be placed in the wrong position.
According to the news that I’ve read, equipments produced by Smartmatic will probably reach at about 11.3 billion pesos. Big amount isn’t it? But if we’ll look at the big picture and just think of the big change that this new technology might bring and contribute to our country these equipments are worth buying for. I believe that by using these equipments, it will widely contribute all the Filipino voters nationwide and even outside the country.

ADVANTAGES OF AUTOMATED ELECTION:

• can guarantee fair and accurate election
• results are virtually impossible to tamper because its levels of security cannot just be matched
• guarantees a flawless electoral process for the Filipinos
• speedy and fraud free election
• ensures credible and electoral process

As I was reading articles regarding this matter, I have read that there are possibilities that the election and the tallying of votes using these equipments can be cheated. Of course, we cannot deny the fact that there a lot of desperate candidates who are eager to win the election and we do not what they are up to. Maybe they just want to serve their fellowmen, or they want to be more powerful or even one way or another. We really don’t know. There are a lot of ways in cheating the election, one way is hacking the system that will be used in the election. This is not impossible, as technology arises there are a lot of possible ways that can be done. For them, money is in control of everything. If the greedy candidates will do their best in order for them to win, they can use their power and hire expert hackers and programmers just to cheat. One of the reasons why our country is still not in progress is because of the greedy politicians stole and continue stealing the money of the Filipinos.
If there are a lot of ways to cheat the election, there are also a lot of solutions and ways to avoid this problem. If each and every one of us will help in safekeeping the votes, we will be able to lessen this problem and at least in this way we will be able to help our country. Lending a helping hand to those organizations who are trying to help the safety of our votes is one way of being concern to our country. In fact it is only a matter of helping your country as well as your countrymen. And by choosing the right candidates that will responsibly take actions in making difference in the country is a big help. All these things might be simple but these things can make a big change. Our future is at stake and we can’t risk our future right? Then if we want change, and if we will fight for it, all these things are not that hard to achieve. And to be honest, no matter what medium or technology we are going to use, if we will going to help change and put the right candidates in the right position, we will be able to make that change and that change starts within us.

“This is a great leap forward for our country. This about making sure that every vote of every Filipino is counted, and counted properly. This about giving the future of the Philippines back to its own people,” Richard Gordon

These are the articles that I have read in the internet:

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MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) are now on the mindset of going back to manual counting if Smartmatic and TIM will not resolve their conflict. The COMELEC has given the two corporations until Friday to decide whether or not they could push through with the automation contract for the 2010 elections.
If the two companies cannot push through with the automation contract, COMELEC chairman Jose Melo admitted that next year’s elections might be done manually because the commission no longer has the time to convene a second bidding for a new supplier of machines.
Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr., chairman of the House electoral reform committee, told reporters that TIM president Antuñez wanted 500 million php “up front” from its foreign partner. “If you give me a half a billion pesos, all of these problems will be solved.” - This was what the president of Total Information Management Corp. had demanded in a tease manner, but Smartmatic took seriously.“Of course, they took this as a joke but lawyers do not laugh about such things. They took it as a deal breaker. The lawyers thought this was tantamount to extortion,” Locsin said.Locsin said that by making “impossible demands,” Antunez was laying the groundwork for its defense against a lawsuit to be filed by Smartmatic in Singapore. “P500 million is really big because Smartmatic’s bid is already the lowest. You are not supposed to do that, it’s illegal. You cannot just give P500 million profit to somebody. Why will you do that?” Locsin said.
Other option the Commission on Elections is looking will be the joint partnership between Smartmatic and COMELEC, but worst case will be a full manual counting for the May 2010 election as chairman Melo sighted the automation will be “very slim” as” happy days will be here again” for those who will plan to cheat for next year election.

http:\MIS\2010-philippine-automated-election-jeopardy\
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Philippines says plan for automated election on again

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines will hold automated presidential elections next year after the partners of a joint venture that won a $150 million deal to supply counting machines patched up their differences on Friday, officials said.
"We're back to automation," Jose Melo, head of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), told reporters after Filipino company Total Information Management signed a joint venture agreement with Barbados-based Smartmatic to supply 82,200 counting machines.
Lawmakers, political groups and analysts have previously cast doubts over the automated process. Many feared chaos due to potential machine breakdowns and delays in results transmission, which could lead to a failed election and political limbo. But analysts say even manual counting would expose the elections to the likelihood of fraud. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has faced four attempts at impeachment on charges she cheated in the last presidential election in 2004. Melo said the incorporation papers of the joint venture to supply vote counting machines will be filed before the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday and the contract with Comelec will be signed on Friday, the final deadline to automate the elections in May 2010. If no automation contract is signed by July 10, Melo said the Philippines will likely scrap the deal and hold elections manually. The automation should provide results within two days of voting instead of the weeks it takes currently, the agency has said. On Monday, Melo said the plan to automate polls was likely to be scrapped because Smartmatic's local partner broke off from the deal due to differences, but gave the partners until Friday to resolve their dispute.

http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-40785720090703

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Automated election fraud

Comelec’s claims:
Comelec claims that the AES (automated election system) cannot be hacked and that the source code will be open for inspection. These are good for Comelec’s PR efforts, but they do not make automated elections safe from fraud. In fact, they are smoke screens that cover the real areas where fraud can take place. The Random House Encyclopedia defines hacking as unauthorized access to a computer, either for fun or for malicious or fraudulent purposes. Hackers generally use microcomputers and telephone lines to obtain access.
In computing, the term is used in a wider sense to mean using software for enjoyment or self-education, not necessarily involving unauthorized access.
How do we safeguard our vote?
In order to prevent automated election fraud, certain safeguards have to be instituted. These include:
1. The OMR machines should not have any network connection. The election results should be copied to USB memory sticks, which can subsequently be loaded to a separate PC that will transmit the results to the Comelec canvassing system at the municipality and to the dominant majority and minority parties, as well as to the citizens arms such as PPCRV and Namfrel.
2. The above parties should be provided with their own PCs to be able to produce their own COCs. If the Comelec COC does not match the COCs produced by other parties, a careful review should be done prior to transmission to the provincial level.
3. The verified municipal COC should then be transmitted to the multiple groups defined above. Again, the Comelec COC should be compared with the other COCs and the reason for discrepancies should be determined.
4. The verified Provincial COC should again be transmitted to multiple parties. The Comelec and Congressional Canvass should again be compared to the parallel canvasses to assure that fraud is minimized as much as possible.
5. Each of the concerned groups should make their results available on their websites for the public to access. If these proposed measures are followed, there will be true transparency and automated fraud will be minimized.

http://business.inquirer.net/money/columns/view/20090706-214009/Automated-election-fraud

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Smartmatic commends automation of elections in the Philippines

Manila, July 18, 2006.– In his recent visit to Manila, Philippines, Robert Cook, Smartmatic Vicepresident, revealed the importance of automating the electoral process, stating his company’s experience in other developing countries. In his talk with David Celdran, host of “Business Nightly” aired over ANC, a local television news network, Cook exposed that utmost respect is instantly earned by the winning candidate if the citizens trust the election system.

Mr. Cook said that their experience in various developing countries proves that an automated election process that is run by a sufficiently advanced technology can guarantee fair and accurate elections. With the right technology, results are also virtually impossible to tamper because its levels of security cannot just be matched. The superiority of Smartmatic’s automated election system encompasses an election technology that guarantees a flawless electoral process for the Filipinos.

http://automatedelec.Smartmatic/Smartmatic.commends.automation/

COMDDAP 2009

Last July 2 – 4, 2009 the Computer Manufacturer, Distributors and Dealers Association of the Philippines or COMDDAP conducted a 3 day exhibit, sessions and seminars at the Grand Ballroom of the Apo View Hotel. This was opened to the public including the sessions which the registration is through online. The said event was participated by the leading manufacturers, distributors and dealers of computers and other modern gadgets and systems all over the Philippines. The tech update sessions were scheduled on July 2 to 3. These sessions were free of charge. The said sessions were done by the members of Nexus Group.

All the students under Sir RS Gamboa were tasked to join the said event. Most of us chose the First day of the session since we don’t have any vacant schedule. July 2, 2009, at exactly 1:00 in the afternoon we arrived at the Apo View Hotel, Grand Ballroom. Before we enter the place, we were instructed to get a sticker that shall be worn upon entering the Grand Ballroom. Some of my classmates said that we must first register and write our names in a paper so that we may be able to join the raffle draw but the security guard told us that we are not included. (nawong jud mi ug price.haha.)

When we entered the Grand Ballroom, we saw different booths of the distributors that were part of COMDDAP. We saw hi-tech gadgets, computers and many more. And I said to myself, wow! Kuyaw na jud ang technology karon na panahon.(na-ignorante gud ko kadali.lol). I took pictures all over the place and I was really amazed. It was my first time to join that kind of event and it was indeed a great experience.

After we took some pictures and glanced over the gadgets, we immediately went to the sessions that we chose upon registering online. We entered the Vanda function room the Apo View.

The first session was done by the ERIC Dealer Management System. ERIC DMS is an end-to-end softwaresolution for automotive dealer operation. ERIC DMS range solutions cover Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Vehicle Sales and Administration (VSA), and Service Management (SVM). It is also supported by a robust back-end system on parts and supplies inventory, over the counter sales, purchasing and the requisite financial modules
for financial accounting and reporting. ERIC DMS was part by the
Jupiter Systems Inc.

The second session was from HP. The speaker introduced the amazing device which is called the Thin Client. Thin
clients are computing devices that function as an access device on a network. HP thin client has the solution if your business is facing issues such as Desktop replacement costs, Network Security, Supporting
application software on diverse hardware or Ensuring your data remains accessible and secure. HP is a member of Nexus Technologies, Inc. After the session, the speaker asked some questions and gave the one who can
answer a price. They were given flash disks and t-shirts.

The third session was from Microsoft Dynamic Retail Management System. The Philippine retail industry continues to thrive despite the global financial crisis. Retailers challenged with multi-branch servicing cost need a scalable solution to bring sales orders to its branches promote interbrand stock sharing and send sales information to the head office seamlessly. Find out how you can have enterprise-class tools to analyze data at a fraction of the cost. The need for timely business information helps them improve their bottomline, restore order to multi-branch stores and meet geographical challenges. Retail Management System is part the Nexus Professional Services and Solutions or NPSS.

The last session was Open Source For Applications. We were supposed to leave the session since it was already 5:00 o’clock but we chose to stay because we want to learn more. Although we were already hungry, we never hesitated to stay. Open Source for Applications, as companies cut IT spending by up to 10 percent, its income generating prospects need not suffer. Open Source development for business applications has proven to lower acquisition costs, and decrease vendor lock-in reliance and obsolescence rate so that even commercial software giants have acknowledged the rise of this technology by allowing interoperability. We discovered how the use of internet based Open Source platforms is a viable alternative for developing systems such as corporate, e-commerce, CRM, employment, publishing and collaborative. Some of us were also given chocolates from the speaker.

By joining these sessions, we have learned a lot of things from these new technologies that have been introduced to us. It has been a great help for us as an Information Technology Students. Some of the speakers, taught us not only from their products but also they exceed the line in teaching us some new thing. This experience was indeed a great one.

reference:
http://www.comddap.org/