information systems course

Logic (process) flowcharts 55.1 Purpose A logic or process flowchart is a graphical representation of the flow of logic, control, data, or paperwork through a program, a routine, a module, or a process. The flowchart specifies or documents the order in which tasks are performed. Flowcharts are used for documentation and for planning. 55.2 Strengths, weaknesses, and limitations A properly prepared flowchart can illustrate logical flow at a glance. Flowcharts are useful for describing or planning the logical flow through a relatively small module, routine, or process. A flowchart is a good choice for describing or planning a decision-based algorithm where the number of alternative paths does not exceed three. Logic flowcharts should not be used for documenting complete programs or large routines. Flowcharts extending over multiple pages are difficult to follow, and flowcharts (of any size) are difficult to maintain. If a flowchart spills beyond a single page (or a single screen...

10.6 Putting it all together – the complete application The complete theatre application can be accessed at http://www.wisdm.net. The Access database complete with test data and the HTML and ColdFusion web pages can be downloaded to allow local installation and the development of extensions to the functionality of the system. A few pages are shown here to illustrate how the site works. The menu options for the customer are to buy tickets or to register. Users that register can be tracked, their buying preferences noted, and used for one-to-one marketing. To get users to register may need an incentive, such as free membership of the theatre club entitling them to discounted ticket prices. Assuming that the theatre-goer can be enticed into registration then they are presented with the form in figure 10.12. The registration system is implemented using session variables on the server. When a user logs in (using their user id and password) a session variable is created. Users that are l...

8.6 Interaction diagrams There are two types of interaction diagram in UML: the sequence diagram and the collaboration diagram. 8.6.1 Sequence diagram The sequence diagram models the collaboration between objects and actors, showing the exchange of messages needed to accomplish a specific purpose. Typically, a sequence diagram is prepared to represent a single use case. As with class diagrams, sequence diagrams are elaborated throughout the development process with design detail. At the conceptual level the sequence diagram should be consistent with the use case and the conceptual class model. Figure 8.16 is a sequence diagram for the use case 'Internet ticket sale'. The dashed vertical line represents an object's lifeline, with time moving from the top of the diagram to the bottom. Objects are spread out across the page. Note that the class name is shown after a colon – this indicates that we are referring to an instance of the class, a particular production or per...

4.3 Business webs for the theatre industry A straightforward approach would be for the Playhouse to adopt the e-shop business model to provide an additional ticket sales and marketing channel, i.e., e-commerce. Although it is important that the operational benefits of the e-shop are not overly downplayed (the success of the business model of a budget airline, such as EasyJet, derives in part from the reduction in transaction costs of Internet-only ticket booking), the e-shop often represents the line of least resistance. It is the 'obvious' option, but is easy to copy, and in isolation is unlikely to confer any significant or enduring competitive advantage. Tapscott et al. (2000) identify generic business webs that enable organizations to create value in ways that could only be achieved through leveraging the power of the Internet (figure 4.2). The two dimensions of figure 4.2 relate to economic control and value integration. Hierarchical business webs have leaders who ...

4.5 Marketspace transformation and relationship capital The business webs and virtual community stereotypes are useful broad-brush tools for thinking about how the Internet might transform business models in the theatre industry. At a more tangible level we can use the marketspace model (Dutta & Segev, 2001) to think in more detailed terms about how the  traditional 'four P's' of marketing (product, price, place, promotion) might be transformed in cyberspace. The marketspace model (figure 4.13) is built on two dimensions: a technological capability and a strategic perspective. The technological viewpoint comprises interactivity and connectivity. The real-time, online nature of the Internet enables more interactive and richer relationships between organizations and customers. The open and global nature of the Internet increases connectivity and fosters the creation of a shared global marketspace. The strategic dimension of the model takes the traditional '4 Ps...

4.4 Virtual communities According to Rheingold (2000) virtual communities are 'Social aggregations that emerge from the Net when enough people carry on those public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace.' A virtual community has the capacity to integrate content and communication, gives access to competing publishers and vendors, and promotes member-generated content. In a business setting the focus is likely to be on developing business networks, conducting business transactions, and job-hunting; the personal and social interaction aspects of an online business community will likely be less well-developed than a noncommercial community. Hagel and Armstrong identify four types of community orientation: interest, relationship, fantasy, and transaction. Interest-oriented communities typically have high levels of interaction between members on topics of shared interest and are supported by chat rooms, mess...

How the Internet works 2.2.1 Internet protocols A protocol refers to the formalities and conventions observed by computers during communication. The more that protocols are shared then the greater the interconnectivity. The success of the Internet is due in large part to the agreement and adoption of a common standard for inter-computer communication. At the heart of the Internet is the TCP/IP protocol. The Internet can be thought of by analogy to postcards. Imagine that a message for one person is written out on a series of numbered postcards, for example, 1 of 10, 2 of 10, and so on, and the postcards then put into a post box. The cards will be collected and sorted at the post centre, but could end up separated, perhaps even going via different routes to the recipient, and even arriving on different days. The recipient of the postcards can put the message back together because each card is numbered and the total number of cards to be received is known – it is just a matter of wai...