Database

Bergen County Cooperative Library System (BCCLS) was established to share resources among Bergen County public libraries. The cornerstone activity has been, and remains, reciprocal borrowing where a patron's hometown library card is honored at all participating libraries including libraries from other counties.¹ The home library provides patrons with a unique library card number, a primary key. The card allows access to the BCCLS database where they can perform multiple tasks. Patrons can research, request materials (which are held for them at the library), check library statistics, and the status of all the items on their card.

BCCLS uses DaaS from DBMS of EBSCO, INFOTRAC and PROQUEST for magazines, newspaper, and reference resources. For example, ProQuest’s massive information pool, built through partnerships with content creators, is navigated through technological innovations that enable users to quickly find just the right information. The company is currently rolling out the all-new ProQuest^® platform, which moves beyond navigation to empower researchers to use, create, and share content—accelerating research productivity.² Similarly, EBSCO provide customers with an integrated service that combines reference databases, subscription management, online journals, books, linking services and A-to-Z solutions.³ INFOTRAC also provide similar research materials. 

The Statistics database of BCCLS is very informative. It has records of number of items in circulation (sorted daily, weekly and monthly), Collection of various items, expanse analysis, library cards issued, and reciprocal borrowing (weekly and monthly). Each of these attributes are recorded for all the libraries (entities) participating in the BCCLS system. 

Patrons can also access their own files where they can see individual records of items borrowed, date borrowed, date due and allowable renewals.  Patrons also have options to renew items if renewable. 

It has a database software, Workflow, employees use to assist their patrons. Employees, users, have access to this multiple user DBMS where they can track all items (each one with its own primary key), update patron information, reserve and request materials, account for missing and late materials and issue new cards. It is a well thought system with two entities: patrons (customers) and items (books, magazines, DVDs, CDs, etc.). 

Answers to Questions

1.  BCCLS database is very much depended on technology. When electricity is unavailable, which is rare, it becomes difficult to help patrons in their search. The contents of the database are accessible to users, patrons, of all ages. It is almost impossible to monitor under age children to inappropriate materials. 

2.  The database’s competitive advantage is it’s very well organized system that provides users quick and easy access to information needed. The concept of reciprocal borrowing is desirable so patrons have access to materials outside their home library.  

3.  The only improvement I would suggest is parental permission for young users to access the database.

1.  BCCLS – A brief history, http://www.bccls.org/buckles/history.shtml

2. About Us – ProQuest, http://www.proquest.com/en-US/aboutus/default.shtml

3. About Us – EBSCO, http://www.ebscohost.com/pages/about-ebsco

Value Chain

KP Music is an organization which buys and sells used music CDs to other students. In order for the business to be effective and productive, it has set up a value chain with components of inbound logistics, warehouse and storage, production and customer service.

When buying used CDs, KP Music needs to keep in mind which CDs will be in demand. Enough CDs have to be available to for customer choices and therefore be stocked and stored for selling. Supply chain management helps KP music in buying the most popular CDs. When selling, the company uses customer relationship management to aide them with marketing and advertisements. Customer services, sales and ways of keeping royal customers are also monitored to be most effective and profitable.

A system of value chain is essential for any kind of business to be organized and staying on task for generating most profit.

Hardware and Software

KP Pharmacy is an independent drug store which serves a metropolitan area. It offers prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, surgical supplies and health and beauty products.   On a daily average, the store fills 500 prescriptions and has a sale from all other products of $2,500. KP Pharmacy prides itself for the fastest service in the area. To meet the growing needs of the customers and minimize prescription errors, the store’s information system needs to be effective and efficient.

The pharmacy contains two desktop computers, one serving as a server and the other as a backup server. The main server is networked to all the other electronic equipment used in the store. These equipments include three touch sensitive screens, two of which have built in credit card scanners, one wireless hand held device which acts as scanner and reports inventory, two cash (register) drawers, fax, telephone and printer. Two touch sensitive screens with credit card scanner are connected to the two cash drawers. The third touch sensitive screen is for patient use in the counseling area. The fax, telephone and printer are connected to the system through a modem. 

The two desktops are equipped with all the software of the system. Users of these two machines have access to Best RX, a managing system for independent pharmacies. It is works with Windows 2000, XP and Vista. While processing a prescription, you can add or update the doctor, patient, drug, insurance plan, or sig information without losing the entered prescription data. ¹  It automatically flashes warning if there is an interaction between medicines for individuals needing more than one prescription or individuals with allergies. It also performs automated billing to insurances. It includes E-Sign for prescription pick up, E-Prescribing eliminates the paper script, allowing the doctor to send it directly to the pharmacy’s system, and RX Image Scanning allowing the pharmacist to store the scripts on the system, a requirement by law. E-prescription reduces prescription theft and distribution of the wrong medication due to bad hand writing. Best RX does payment reconciliation, account and account receivable, inventory management, refill reminder log, and customized labels. Kinray and Cardinal offer a variety of over-the-counter medications, vitamins, surgical supplies and health and beauty products for the pharmacy. The two desktops and the two touch screens, that act as registers too, have access to the software installed by the vending companies to track inventory, view weekly sales and order products for the same day delivery. The third touch screen monitor for patient counseling has user friendly interactive software, ADAM Health Solutions by Ebix, offering a reference library, interactive drug tools, and specialty program for pregnancies. The Health Solutions include an overview of the human body systems, an interactive online symptom identification tool, health risk assessments, wellness calculators, drug tools, and exam scheduling recommendation tools.²

The hardware has enough capacity to execute everyday activities for a busy drug store. The software allows the employees to be more alert to mistakes, aware of the current stock, and provide effective and efficient service.

1. Products, BestRXWin, http://www.bcsbestrx.com/products.htm

2.  ADAM Health Solutions, http://adam.com/healthsolutions.aspx

Monitoring Social Networks

Social networking is a concept to bring people of common interest together. Before computers, people got together and talked face to face or with letters of recommendation. This interaction was usually limited to the parties involved. With social networking on the computer, time and effort are cut to reach your goal. However, the usage of social networks sites opens opportunities for others to monitor your comments.

For business purposes, social media monitoring is definitely beneficial. If I had a chain of retail pharmacies, I could afford to use companies like Meltwater Buzz, Attentio, and Crimson Hexagon to monitor views on medication and health products. The report by the monitoring companies would give list of the effective, preferred and useless products. The statistics would help provide better service to the costumers. 

Social Networking sites like Facebook, twitter, blogs and my space are like the newspaper announcements for birth, engagements, and obituaries. This websites are for public use. Companies monitoring these websites look for specific details to benefit companies in a particular way. They are watching not how much one Mr. Joe spent on Reeboks but how much a 1000 Mr. Joes spent on Reeboks in an average. 

If an individual likes ones privacy, simply do not make it public. Or invent a better system that billions of people could use without having solicitors.

Systems

An information system is an organized collection, storage, and presentation system of data and other knowledge for decision making, progress reporting, and for planning and evaluation of programs.¹ With an added feedback mechanism, it is designed to make an organization of any size to be most efficient and effective. 

The five types of systems most used are:²

• Transaction Processing Systems (TPS)
• Decision Support Systems (DSS)
• Expert Information Systems (EIS)
• Management Information Systems (MIS
• Office Automation Systems (OAS)

Developed during 1950s, TPS is the oldest system created. It organizes business related exchanges like payment of employees, sales to customers and payment to suppliers. Enterprise Resource Planning was integrated to support organizations with multisite and global businesses. MIS was introduced in the 1960s to provide routine information to managers and decision makers. It allows them to do things right. DSS was added in the 1960s to support problem-specific decision making. Here the management can do the right thing. During the 1980s, EIS or KMS (as our textbook refers to it as Knowledge Management System), was established to use knowledge and experience of an expert and or organization. It is knowledge base of human expertise for problem solving, or to clarify uncertainties where normally one or more human experts would need to be consulted. Expert systems are most common in a specific problem domain, and are a traditional application and/or subfield of artificial intelligence (AI).³ OAS was a term most commonly used in 1970s and 1980s. It is used to collect and organize office information along with raw data storage, electric transfers and basic business activities.

1.       Definition of information system, reference.com

2.       Five Types of Information Systems, bettscomputers.com/fivetypesofinformationsystems.htm

3.       Expert System, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expert_system

Analyzing value of an Information System

Do the research described below, and paste the text into the body of the assignment (which will be available after you click on it). In this task you should (after reading the chapter) choose any type of information system (IS) you want among listed Business Information Systems (p.16); alternatively you can choose any specific IS products sold on the market or developed in-house. Then describe its value for the coompany and describe what parts/processes constitute main systems components as they are shown on fig. 1.3 (p.8). You also have to critically reply to at least one other student's post with additional analysis or corrections/supplements.

I remember when I was little and living in India during the 80s, my father made an appointment with the telephone operator to make an international call and waited at a given time, it happened to be the middle of the night, to talk to my uncle.  In those days, that was technology.  Technology today is defined by computers, internet, software, hardware, apple and apps, facebook and blogs.  The slow life is changed into the fast one with a simple tap. I find facebook amazing.  In the mist of everyday chaos, it allows one to connect. One can Input his or her thoughts, Process it by reading other peoples thoughts, Output only what you want others to see and give a Feedback to those comments that interest you.  Any amount of information has to have a system so there is documentation to prevent miscommunication.