Chapter 3

Network Computing: Discovery,

Communication, and Collaboration

Information Technology For Management 5th Edition

Turban, Leidner, McLean, Wetherbe
Lecture Slides by A. Lekacos,
Stony Brook University
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 3 1
Learning Objectives
• Understand the concepts of the Internet and the Web, their
importance, and their capabilities.
• Understand the role of intranets, extranets, and corporate
portals for organizations.
• Identify the various ways in which communication is executed
over the Internet.
• Demonstrate how people collaborate over the Internet,
intranets, and extranets using various supporting tools,
including voice technology and teleconferencing.
• Describe groupware capabilities.
• Describe and analyze the role of e-learning and distance
learning.
• Analyze telecommuting (teleworking) as a techno-social
phenomenon.
• Consider ethical and integration issues related to the use of
network computing.

Chapter 3 2
 Network Computing
The vast web of electronic networks, referred to as the
information superhighway or Internet links the computing
resources of businesses, government, and educational
institutions using a common computer communication protocol,
TCP/IP. The World Wide Web---the Web--is the most widely
used application on the Internet.

Discovery
Collaboration Intranets
Communication Extranets

Chapter 3 3
Evolution - Network Computing

Internet

Chapter 3 4
Internet Application Categories
• Discovery: Discovery involves browsing and information retrieval.
• Communication: The Internet provides fast and inexpensive
communication channels that range from messages posted on online
bulletin boards to complex information exchanges among many
organizations.
• Collaboration: Due to improved communication, electronic
collaboration between individuals and/or groups ranging from screen
sharing and teleconferencing to group support systems.
• The Net is also used for:
• Education
• Entertainment: People can access the content of newspapers,
magazines, and books. Correspond with friends and family, play
games, listen to music, view movies and other cultural events.
• Work: They can download documents, do research.

Chapter 3 5
The Network Computing Infrastructure

In addition to the Internet and the Web there are two

other major infrastructures of network computing: the
intranet and the extranet
• Intranet: a network designed to serve the internal
informational needs of a company, using Internet concepts and
tools.
• Browsing and Search capabilities.
• Support communication and collaboration.
• Extranet: An extranet is an infrastructure that allows secure
communications (connects the intranets of different
organizations) among business partners over the Internet.
• Enables business-to-business (B2B) transactions
• Provides an interface to exchange of business forms

Chapter 3 6
The Network Computing Infrastructure

A network is designed to serve

the informational needs of a
company, using Internet
concepts and tools.

Chapter 3 7
Discovery - Internet Application Categories

Through the discovery capability users can access information

located in databases all over the world. It facilitates education,
government services, entertainment, and commerce. Discovery
is done by browsing and searching static or dynamic data
sources on the Web.

• Internet Software Agents

• Internet-Based Web Mining
• Other Discovery Aids
• Toolbars
• Material in Foreign Languages
• Information and Corporate Portals

Chapter 3 8
Discovery - Internet Software Agents

Software agents are computer programs that carry out a set of

routine computer tasks on behalf of the user and in so doing
employ some sort of knowledge of the user’s goals

• Search engines, directories, software and

intelligent agents
• Web-Browsing-Assisting Agents
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Agents
• Search Engines and Intelligent Indexing
Agents

Chapter 3 9
Discovery - Internet-Based Web Mining

Data mining refers to sophisticated analysis techniques for

sifting through large amounts of information to discover new
patterns and relationships.

• Predictive Tools
• Classification (Predefined Groups)
• Regression
• Time series
• Descriptive Tools
• Clustering (No Predefined Groups)
• Summarization
• Association
• Sequencing

Chapter 3 10
Discovery - Other Discovery Aids

Hundreds of other search engines and discovery aids are

available

• Webopedia.com
• What Is? (whatis.com)
• eBizSearch (gunther.smeal.psu.edu)
• HighBeam (highbeam.com)
• Howstuffworks.com.
• Findarticles.com

Chapter 3 11
 Discovery - Toolbars

To get the most out of search engines, you may use add-on
toolbars and special software.

• Google Toolbar (toolbar.google.com)

• Copernic Agent Basic (copernic.com)
• KartOO (kartoo.com)
• Yahoo Companion (companion.yahoo.com)
• Grokker (groxis.com)

Chapter 3 12
Discovery - Information in Foreign Languages

There is a huge amount of information on the Internet in

languages that you may not know. Automatic translation of Web
pages is an application offered by many vendors. However, not
all automatic translations are equally good, so evaluation of
these products is needed.

• WorldPoint Passport (worldpoint.com)

• Babel Fish Translation (world.altavista.com)
• AutoTranslate (offered in Netscape browser)
• trados.com
• translationzone.com

Chapter 3 13
Discovery - Information & Corporate Portals

A portal is a Web-based personalized gateway to information

and knowledge in network computing. It attempts to address
information overload by providing one screen from which we do
all our work on the Web. Thus eliminating retrieval time spent
on integrating disparate IT systems.

• Commercial (public) portals offer content for diverse

communities and are the most popular portals on the
Internet. Examples are:
• yahoo.com
• lycos.com
• msn.com
• Publishing portals are intended for communities with
specific interests. Examples are:
• techweb.com
• zdnet.com

Chapter 3 14
Discovery - Information & Corporate Portals (continued)

• Personal portals target specific filtered information

for individuals.
• Affinity portals support communities such as hobby
groups or a political party
• Mobile portals are portals accessible from mobile
devices.
• Voice portals are Web portals with audio interfaces,
which enables them to be accessed by a standard or
cell phone.
• AOLbyPhone
• tellme.com
• bevocal.com

Chapter 3 15
 Discovery - Information & Corporate Portals (continued)

Corporate portals provide single-point access to specific enterprise

information and applications available on the Internet, intranets, and
extranets to employees, business partners, and customers. They are also
known as enterprise portals or enterprise information portals.
• Suppliers portals: Using corporate portals, suppliers can mange
their own inventories online.
• Customers portals: Customers can use a customer-facing portal for
viewing products and services and placing orders, which they can
later self-track.
• Employees portals: Such portals are used for training, dissemination
of news and information, and workplace discussion groups.
• Supervisors’ portals: These portals, sometimes called workforce
portals, enable managers and supervisors to control the entire
workforce management process– from budgeting to scheduling
workforce.
Chapter 3 16
Discovery - Information & Corporate Portals (continued)

Corporate portals
Chapter 3 17
Communication - Internet Application Categories

People exchange and share information by sending and receiving

messages, documents, forms and files. This information-processing
supports the organization and the transaction of business.
Communications can involve one or several IT-supported media, such as
text, voice, graphics, radio, pictures, and animation. Using different
media increases the effectiveness of a message, expedites learning, and
enhances problem solving.

• Electronic Mail
• Web-Based Call Centers
• Electronic Chat Rooms
• Voice Communication
• Weblogging (Blogging)

Chapter 3 18
 Communication Modes

• People-to-people
• People-to-machine
• People and machine-to-machine

Chapter 3 19
Communication- Time/Place Framework

• Same-time/same-place
• Same-time/different-place
• Different-time/same-place
• Different-time/different-place

Chapter 3 20
Collaboration - Internet Application Categories

Collaboration refers to the mutual efforts of two or more individuals

or groups to perform activities in order to accomplish certain tasks.
These tasks range from designing products and documents, to
teaching, to executing complementary subtasks, to working with
customers, suppliers, and other business partners. In an effort to
improve productivity and competitiveness collaboration can be
supported electronically.
• Virtual collaboration (e-collaboration): the use of digital
technologies that enable organizations or individuals to
collaborative
• Collaborative commerce (c-commerce): collaboration
among business partners
• Supply chains
• Dealer/Partner Networks
• Product Networks

Chapter 3 21
Collaboration – Tools (Workflows)

• Workflow Technologies: the movement of information

through the sequence of steps that make up an
organization’s work procedures or business processes.
• Workflow management is the automation of workflows from start
to finish, including all exception conditions.
• Workflow systems are business process automation tools (software
programs) that automate almost any information-processing task.
• Workflow applications:
• Collaborative workflow: addresses project-oriented and
collaborative types of processes.
• Production workflow: addresses mission-critical, transaction-
oriented, high volume processes.
• Administrative workflow: is cross between collaborative and
production workflows.

Chapter 3 22
Collaboration – Tools (Groupware)

Software products that support groups of people who share a

common task or goal and who collaborate on its accomplishment.
Groupware implies the use of networks to connect people, even if
the people are in the same room.
• Electronic Meeting Systems attempt to improve face-to-face
meetings with their electronic counter-part.
• Electronic Teleconferencing (Teleconferencing) is the use of
electronic communication that allows two or more people at different
locations to have a simultaneous conference.
• Video Teleconferencing (videoconference), participants in one
location can see participants at other locations. Data (data
conferencing) can also be sent along with voice and video making it
possible to work on documents together.
• Web Conferencing is Videoconferencing solely conducted on the
Internet

Chapter 3 23
Collaboration – Tools (Groupware) (continued)

Real-time collaboration (RTC) Tools: help companies bridge time

and space to make decisions and to collaborate on projects. RTC tools
support synchronous communication of graphical and text-based
information.

• Interactive Whiteboards work like the “physical world” whiteboards

with markers and erasers, except instead of one person standing in
front of a meeting room drawing on the whiteboard, all participants
can join in.
• Screen Sharing software, allows group members to work on the
same document, which is shown on the PC screen of each participant.
• Instant video, is a kind of real time chat room that allows you to see
the person you are communicating with.

Chapter 3 24
Collaboration – Tools (continued)

Chapter 3 25
Collaboration – (continued)

Collaborative Networks
Chapter 3 26
E-Learning – Web-based Application

Distance learning (DL) refers to situations where teachers and

students do not meet face-to-face. It can be done in different
ways. E-learning is only one form of distance learning. It provides
a new set of tools that add value to traditional learning modes. It
does not replace the classroom setting, but enhances it, taking
advantage of new content and delivery technologies.

• Blackboard Inc. (blackboard.com) offers a complete

suite of enterprise software products and services that
power a total “e-education infrastructure” for schools,
colleges, universities, and other education providers.
• WebCT (webct.com) provides a similar set of tools, but
with a different vision and strategy. It uses advanced
pedagogical tools to help institutions of higher
education make distance-learning courses possible.
Chapter 3 27
Telecommuting – Web-based Application

Telecommuting, or teleworking, refers to an arrangement

whereby employees can work at home, at the customer’s
premises, in special work places, or while traveling, usually using
a computer linked to their place of employment.

• There are numerous non-compensatory benefits and advantages

for employees, employers, and society. The most important being
improved productivity.
• Some disadvantages for the employees are increased feelings of
isolation, loss of fringe benefits, no workplace visibility, and lack of
socialization.
• Disadvantages to employers are difficulties in supervising work,
potential data security problems, training costs, and the high cost
of equipping and maintaining telecommuters’ homes.

Chapter 3 28
 MANAGERIAL ISSUES
• Security of communication. Communication via networks raises the issue of the
integrity, confidentiality, and security of the data being transferred. The protection of data
in networks across the globe is not simple.
• Installing digital dashboards. Many companies are installing “digital dashboards,”
which are a sort of one-way portal that are continuously updated with online displays. The
dashboard is available to employees in visible places around the company and is also
accessible from PCs, PDAs, etc. Large companies, such General Electric, believe that the
cost of the dashboards can be justified by better discovery and communication they
promote within the company.
• Control of employee time and activities. To control the time that employees might
waste “surfing the Net” during working hours, some companies limit the information that
employees have access to or use special monitoring software. Providing guidelines for
employee use of the Internet is a simple but fairly effective approach.
• How many portals? A major issue for some companies is how many portals to have.
Should there be separate portals for customers, suppliers, employees, for example?
Regardless of the answer, it is a good idea to integrate the separate portals. If you build a
separate portal, make sure it can be easily connected to the others.

Chapter 3 29
 MANAGERIAL ISSUES Continued

• Organizational impacts. Technology-supported communication may have major

organizational impacts. For example, intranets and groupware force people to cooperate
and share information. Therefore, their use can lead to significant changes in both
organizational culture and the execution of business process reengineering. Further
impacts may be felt in corporate structure and the redistribution of organizational power.
• Telecommuting. Telecommuting is a compelling venture, but management needs to be
careful. Not all jobs are suitable for telecommuting, and allowing only some employees to
telecommute may create jealousy. Likewise, not all employees are suitable
telecommuters; some need the energy and social contact found in an office setting.
• Cost-benefit justification. The technologies described in this chapter do not come free,
and many of the benefits are intangible. However, the price of many networking
technologies is decreasing.
• Controlling access to and managing the content of the material on an intranet.
This is becoming a major problem due to the ease of placing material on an intranet and
the huge volume of information. Flohr (1997) suggests tools and procedures to manage
the situation.

Chapter 3 30
 Chapter 3

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herein.

Chapter 3 31