Download Exam 4 Review Topics and Questions

IS194 Exam 4 Topics
Chapter 9 (Sections 9.1 and 9.3) – Online Retail
The current retail sector
Evolution of retailing – phases, time periods, example companies, societal/technology changes
E-commerce retail vision vs. reality
E-tailing business models – four models, example companies, relative advantages/disadvantages, strategies
Comparison of print vs. online catalogs – similarities and differences
Characteristics of Electronic Markets
Three order fulfillment processes
Comparison of buyer side costs in retail stores vs. e-markets
Comparison of seller side costs in three channel options
Online Intermediaries (Cybermediaries)
Four publishing industry supply chain formats
Relative advantages and disadvantages of each supply chain format
Cybermediary value – theories, example advantages that cybermediaries provide their customers
Chapter 10 – Online Content and Media
Publishing and entertainment, content audience and market
Consumer attitude toward paying for online content, online content revenue models
Key challenges for content producers
Newspapers, magazines, e-books, TV, movies, games – example companies, revenue models, unique challenges
Technology, content, and industry convergence in the content industries
Chapter 8 – Ethical, Social, and Political Issues in E-Commerce
Negative impact of e-commerce technology features on individuals and society
Privacy and information rights – information gathering tools, privacy protections, legal protections (US vs. Europe)
Copyrights, fair use, DMCA
Patents, examples, unique challenges
Trademarks, e-commerce trademark infringement examples
Governance – evolution, benefits of higher/lower levels of e-commerce regulation
Decision Models and Intelligent Systems
Decision models and level of abstraction, visualization, GIS, virtual reality
Intelligent systems – AI goal, comparison of natural intelligence vs. artificial intelligence
Expert systems – knowledge transfer activities, system structure
What makes a system intelligent? – reasoning, rationality, learning
Examples – machine (concept) learning, case-based reasoning (CBR), decision tree, rule-based ES, NLP
E-Commerce Case Study (SWOT Analysis and Netflix discussion)
Identify company’s industry sector and revenue model
Categorize the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
Categorize the company’s strategies as strategic level (diversification, vertical integration, horizontal integration, or
retrenchment), or tactical level (marketing, finance, operations, etc.)
Identify factors to consider when evaluating strategic alternatives
Evaluate strategy sustainability (long term impact on relevant stakeholders)
IS194 Exam 4 Review Questions
Chapter 9 (Sections 9.1 and 9.3) – Online Retail
1. Why was catalog retailing better than town square markets (and general stores) in the late 1800s to early 1900s
period? What external environment factors changed that enabled catalog retailing?
2. Given the three forces that affect the evolution of retailing, why was Internet retailing a logical new retail format to
improve upon mass merchandisers? Describe one example where a future retail format could improve upon our
current Internet retailing capabilities.
3. What are the four e-tailing business models we discussed? Describe one relative advantage (or disadvantage) that each
e-tailing model may have when compared with the other models.
4. Companies can use printed catalogs or online catalogs to provide product information to their customers. Describe
three online catalog advantages, two printed catalog advantages, and one similarity.
Characteristics of Electronic Markets
5. When comparing traditional retail stores with electronic markets, what are three reasons why people may choose to
buy products at retail stores rather than online? In what ways is online buying preferable?
6. There are several advantages companies get when they digitize their storefront and product. What are the cost related
advantages? Are there any disadvantages?
Online Intermediaries (Cybermediaries)
7. What are some advantages a reader would get from buying books directly from the author? What are the benefits of
buying directly from a publisher?
8. Identify three ways in which cybermediaries (for example, Amazon) may actually cut buyer costs when compared with
buying through direct channels. What is one other advantage that Amazon may have for buyers when compared to
purchasing books directly from publishers or authors?
Chapter 10 – Online Content and Media
9. What are the three forms of digital (media) convergence? Give an example of each.
10. Name five different content industries. What revenue model does each industry primarily use?
11. One type of newspaper focuses on national and international news. What are two different types of newspapers?
Which of these types has the least substitutes? What is an example where someone may be willing to pay a fee to get
newspaper content online?
12. Sports Illustrated is a successful magazine. Provide one example of a potential (or actual) horizontal integration,
vertical integration, and retrenchment strategy that SI could utilize.
Chapter 8 – Ethical, Social, and Political Issues in E-Commerce
13. Some actions are unethical and some are illegal. What is the difference? What is an example of an action that would
be ethical, but illegal? What is an example of an action that is unethical, but legal?
14. What is privacy? What is PII? How does PII impact your privacy rights online?
15. What does copyright law protect? Describe an e-commerce example where copyright law is violated.
16. What does trademark law protect? Describe an e-commerce example where trademark law is violated.
Decision Models and Intelligent Systems
17. What is the most abstract decision model? Which is the least abstract? What is a GIS?
18. What is AI? What is the Turing test? Describe an example where AI may have a positive impact on a societal institution
(agriculture, education, energy, healthcare, transportation, etc.).
19. What are the advantages that AI may have over natural intelligence? In what ways is natural intelligence better?
20. Describe an example of deductive, inductive, and analogical reasoning. Which is the hardest to use in AI systems?
E-Commerce Case Study (SWOT Analysis and Netflix discussion)
21. Who are the stakeholders to consider when evaluating and choosing a company’s overall strategy? What is a
sustainable strategy? How would you evaluate a strategy to see if it is sustainable?