This week we started to work in Microsoft Access. This is a database software that is great for gathering and understanding a lot of information, whether it be phone numbers, inventory, guests lists, oe even patient data. It provides a clean way to sort the information, create queries, and reports. Access is very new to me, it does share some similar qualities with Excel, but is still very different. While watching the lectures and going through the scavenger hunt, I was a little worried that this is was going to be very difficult, but like most new software it just takes some getting used to and some familiarity.
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Microsoft Access has so many options that it is unbelievable, and in some ways is easier to use than Excel. Before this class I had seen Microsoft Access and opened it to play around, but didn't know exactly what I was supposed to do with it. Knowing what I know now, I know there is a time and place for Excel and a time and place for Access.
In closing, I give this week, Week 10, a Clear view as I have learned so much from the lectures and am ready to begin my project.
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This week I watched lectures and did some reading on Understanding Software. Most of the information was clear and simple, while some of it seemed pretty intense and complicated. Learning and understanding the types of software was pretty easy, I seem to have a better understanding on the differences between System Software and Application Software. System Software, such as, Windows 7 and McAfee Antivirus are needed for the smooth functioning of a computer and it's peripheral devices. Application Software, such as, Microsoft Word and Quickbooks, help accomplish a specific purpose.
Probably the most interesting thing that I learned this week was about Version Numbers of software. Version Numbers consist of : Major # . Minor # . revision # . build # So a version of an application may look like this. Version: 1.6.4356.41199 This is actually the version of the Bing application that is running on my Blackberry. Version1means that this is the first actual version created for my phone, then the6 is the minor version number which means it has had 6 minor upgrades to fix bugs and to improve performance, the4356is basically how many times it has been tweaked to fix bugs, and the41199is how many times the developers have gone in just to check to make sure everything is still ok and secure.
This information was very important to me because when I see a new version of something I have the tenancy to want to upgrade as soon as it is released, but now knowing that the new versions could be full of bugs and such helped me to understand that I should probably wait a while to make sure everything, or most everything, is worked out before jumping in to something especially when there is a large investment involved.
The muddiest part of this week's lesson was about Writing Software, this seems so confusing, that I am turned off by it even though I am very interested in learning more about it, it just seems like toomuch to grasp! Hopefully it isn't, because I know I am going to have to learn more about it as the semester goes on!
Wish me luck!!
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Week 4:
This week's lesson included a lot of information, such as: Strategy & Technology, The Value Chain, and Porter's Five Forces.
Much of the information I read about this week was also linked to my previous Marketing class, I love it when material seems to flow and much of the terminology is already known to me. It also gives me a sense of pleasure that everything I take from each class is connected together and isn't alien to me.
It was clear to me that when dealing with strategy and technology, you must stay up with the times, but you can't rely solely on the technology to do all of the work for you as technology can be easily imitated and rarely offers sustainable advantage. In the business world one must also be innovative and be able to sense timing. I also had a clear understanding that competition is a good thing, as it leads to improvements in the industry such as stronger products and more benefits for the consumer. It was interesting to learn that Steve Jobs and Bill Gates once worked together!
I also learned about "Switching Costs & Data" and that the costs a consumer incurs when moving from one product to another can involve actual money spent as well as investments in time and possible data loss.
Some sources of switching costs are:
One particular piece of information that I read about and watched a video on that I really enjoyed was about
Porter's Five Forces. This bit of information helped me understand the framework considering the interplay between:
The intensity of rivalry among existing competitors.
The threat of new entrants.
The threat of substitute goods or services.
The bargaining power of buyers.
The bargaining power of suppliers.
It was amazing to learn that Michael Porter had written this framework 30 years ago, and is still successful today.
All in all this was a good week of information, I just hope it all sticks with me, not only for my exam, but also as I grow and work in my career.
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