Week 1: Chapter 1

Question 1. What are the characteristics of the modern business environment?

The characteristics of the modern business environment include globalization, e-commerce, the internet and access online 27 hours a day 7 days a week.

Question 2. What is meant by a web-based, global platform, what does it provide, and how has it affected business?

The global, web-based platform that has recently emerged spans the world and is best represented by the Internet and the functionality of the World Wide Web. The platform enables individuals to connect, compute, communicate, collaborate, and compete everywhere and anywhere, anytime and all the time; to access limtless amounts of information, services and entertainment; to exchange knowledge; and to produce and sell goods and services. It operates without regard to geography, time, distance and even language barriers. It enables globalization.

Question 3. What are the main pressures that characterize the modern global business environment?

The main pressures that characterize the modern global business environment market pressures and technology pressures; societal/political/legal pressures.

Question 4. What are/discuss some of the common, IT oriented organizational responses to these pressures?

Some responses regarding organisations responding to these pressures include strategic systems; customer focus; make-to-order and mass customization, e-business and e-commerce.

Question 5. How are IT architecture and IT infrastructure are interrelated?

IT architecture is a high level map or plan of the information assets in an organisation. IT infrastructure represents the physical facilities, IT components, IT services and IT personnel that support the entire organisation.

Question 6. Is the Internet an infrastructure, an architecture, or an application program? or something else. Why?

The Internet represents all three.