Kyle Jones
Info Systems Assignment 4
April 17, 2017
Page 164-165 Problems 1 & 4
1.
Extranets are becoming increasingly popular in the business world today,
and many firms are beginning to adopt them as an internetworking platform. An
extranet is a secure network that uses the Internet and Web technologies to connect
intranets of business partners so communication between organizations or between
consumers is possible. Three companies that use extranets as a means of
internetworking platforms are FedEx, Toshiba, and Mobil. FedEx uses extranets for
the purposes of online ordering and information collection. For the purposes of
information collection, FedEx’s extranet allows a customer to track their packages
online, print off shipping receipts and information, and schedule pickups at certain
FedEx locations across the globe. The extranet at FedEx also allows customers to
order items off their website. Toshiba is another organization that uses extranets in
the form of timely order-entry processing. This means that customers can place
orders up until the end of the work day, and the product will be shipped the next
day, making Toshiba products stand out over its competitors. Another part of
Toshiba’s extranet includes the ability of dealers to check their account balances and
price agreements with Toshiba. Mobil is another company that uses extranets. Mobil
uses extranets to communicate with its distributors more quickly, as well as
allowing their distributors to submit purchases online. Though extranets have major
plus sides, they can also be met with challenges. One potential challenge for a
company in the decision of adopting an extranet is that extranets must have a
comprehensive security system that includes firewalls, antivirus technology, and
other security applications to ensure the safety of the online content. Another
challenge with extranets is that they are expensive to maintain, update, and install.
When deciding on whether or not to adopt an extranet, a company must decide if it
will be worth it and if they can stand to make a profit with one installed.
4.
Social media networks are constantly being invented, improved upon, and
used in the business world today. Social Media is a great way for firms to stay
connected to their customers, and promote their brand. Major social network sites
include Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Yelp. Facebook is the largest social
network out there. Firms to connect with customers, and to grow the company’s
brand use Facebook. Facebook profiles are free to make, making it an excellent
marketing tool. An increase in customer base leads to increased profit margin, and
the overall growth of the business. Just look at any retailer. Almost all of them are on
Facebook, and all of them are able to expand their business capabilities because of it.
Another popular social network that is used by companies is Twitter. Twitter is
popular, and allows people to share their thoughts and ideas through a certain
amount of characters. Companies use Twitter to directly connect with their
customers. If a user has a problem, they can contact the company directly through
Twitter. This allows a company to gather information about their products and
services, as well as gain feedback. Twitter also allows companies to promote sales,
and special deals at any time, which is very appealing to people shopping online.
Pinterest is another popular social media site that people use to share new ideas,
and other things. Businesses use Pinterest to promote new products that fit in with
the newest trends and so on. For example if a new clothing company comes out with
a new article of clothing that is trending at the moment, they would advertise it via
Pinterest as a way to market their product. Pinterest also allows users to put a “pin”
on posts that give feedback on ideas and products, giving companies’ a good idea of
what is trending at the time and how to improve upon their products. Another
popular social media network is Yelp. Yelp is a social media site that is centered
around business reviews, whether they are positive or negative. This helps
businesses know the positive and negative aspects of their company. It can help
them build upon the positive aspects, and help them change the negative aspects.
Take a restaurant for example. A restaurant would want to use Yelp, in order to
track customer service and quality of their food. If they get negative reviews for
their service, they gain information they need to improve upon it. Likewise if they
gain positive reviews regarding a certain dish, they know to make for dishes like
that. There are many social media sites out there, and there are more coming out
every day. Businesses need to utilize social media in order to stay up to date with
customers, as promote their business.