Degree: Definition

     The term Degree can be defined as an academic ranking that is presented to the student by his or her college or university. Degrees are generally awarded following the completion of an examination or after the completion of a course. This particular qualification is only awarded after the completion of the study in its entirety.

College: Definition

     The term College can be defined as an educational institution or establishment of higher learning.

GPA: Definition

     In college, students work hard, with the focus on obtaining at least an average GPA score. The true meaning of the term GPA can be defined as a student’s grade point average. For example, in college, your GPA will be utilized to determine your academic honors. A GPA is most commonly utilized toward the assessment of student’s academic record overall. Another example of an academic honor might be a student’s class ranking or his or her making the honor roll in his or her studies.

     A student’s GPA can be identified as a numerical value, which represents the student’s average value of that student’s final grades. A GPA can be calculated by finding the sum of all final grades, and then by dividing this very same number by the number of grades the student has received in all. A GPA is most commonly based on a scale of 0 to a 4.0. For example, in college, a 4.0 is considered to be an A grade level. A GPA of 3.0 is identified as a B grade level. A C is a score of at least a 2.0. A D is a 1.0 and so on. Most colleges identify a score of 4.0 to be a “perfect” grade or score. A GPA can be identified as the grade the student had when first enrolled in the school to the completion date of all grades and performances. Although, like all grading systems, GPA procedures have its pros and its cons as well. 

Telemedicine: Medicine Through Videoconferencing

Read the Real World Case 3: Brain Saving Technologies, Inc. Medicine and the T-Health Institute: Medicine through Videoconferencing

•         From the perspective of the patient, explain how you would feel about being diagnosed by a doctor who could be hundreds or thousands of miles from you. Describe any expectations or concerns you would have about that kind of experience.

     Whenever there is a merge between patient care in the healthcare industry and videoconferencing, the term is then called telemedicine. Telemedicine is known as a procedure developed to help to provide a healthcare service that is most effective and timely as well (Field Telemedicine, 1996). Today, the aspect of technology, as well as its ability, is changing from what it used to be in the past. For example, even today, many healthcare organizations and facilities lack the skill and some facilities may even lack the equipment they need to effectively diagnose their patients. However, videoconferencing has its benefits when it comes to long-distance communication between patients and healthcare firms as explained in the text.

     However, this is not concerning what financial benefits both the healthcare professional and I would acquire upon the visit. For example, videoconferencing involves a number of benefits that include cost. For example, traveling can be a very costly operation when professionals and clients wish to attend meetings and compare information. From a patient's perspective, I would feel a little comfortable yet, a little uncomfortable being diagnosed by a doctor who was miles away from me. For example, a difference in policies, culture, religion and law could have an impact on healthcare diagnosis and healthcare results. In the process, these two parties should hold a clear form of communication in the process of sending and receiving messages that are accurate and timely (O’Brien & Marakas, 2011).

     Patients who need to be diagnosed should feel better about these procedures because they have a better opportunity for a successful healthcare outcome. When receiving healthcare from a professional who resides miles away from your location, there can be a wider scope of skills and available equipment to perform medical procedures and to process information. Telemedicine allows patients to be monitored both in the healthcare facility as well as in their private homes. Another advantage of telemedicine is the fact that hospitals are able to train more nurses at a time. I would also expect telemedicine to help to save resources and to treat more patients as well.

•         Discuss other professions, aside from health care and education that could benefit from the application of some of the technologies discussed in this case. Explain how they would derive business value from these projects. Develop two proposals in different professional settings.

     In a political setting, physical attendance might raise a security issue. The person who is holding the speech may be under tight security to the point where he or she may need to speak over the air. For example, the President, Mayor of a town and or board members might need to be heard by large numbers of people throughout several counties at a time within one state. This is why videoconferencing is so effective because of the ability to send or receive messages or media within real-time frames. As a result, citizens are informed of the particular speech at the same time of a day. IT like video chat sessions would be a much greater value because it would make operations a lot less costly. Another proposal would be recruiting departments within a business. Internet communication could help employers to communicate with potential employees. In the process, internet communication software could help these individuals to better send and receive information like resumes, employer expectations, and norms, as well as work histories and experience to help speed up the hiring process. Prior to actually arriving at the destination or location of the actual business, clients would already have an idea of the work they would be performing and the skills required for the position. Employers would also have an idea of future benefits expected to be gained within their firms by the identification of significant patterns within activities as well (O’Brien & Marakas, 2011).

•         The deployment of IT in health professions is still very much in its infancy. Discuss other uses of technology that could potentially improve the quality of health care.

Compose a list of at least three alternatives.

     There are a number of different uses of technology that could improve the quality of healthcare. For example, IT helps to build capacity which in return can reduce the amount of organizational errors. Another strategy which could be implemented to reduce errors would be to improve education and skill of healthcare providers and to promote patient safety. Strategic partnerships between IT vendors who distribute recommendations and preventative services help to protect geographical healthcare statuses. IT could also be utilized to simplify collection and reporting of patient safety data from the Department of health.

     As a result, organizations can experience improvement in the quality of healthcare and public health by the adoption of national healthcare and safety standards (O’Brien & Marakas, 2011). IT also helps to prevent attacks on the health of patients as well. For example, information technology can transmit messages and alerts to prevent bioterrorism attacks such as anthrax. For example, when high numbers of certain healthcare conditions that are highly contagious, communicable illness or harmful when exposed to higher numbers of individuals, the department of health will be alerted and recovery services will be sent out to mitigate the actual effects of patients. This kind of technology is designed to detect a significant increase or reduction in a particular condition, which gives emergency health-care professions time to respond in a timely manner which increases the chances of a full recovery. Whenever there is a merge between patient care in the health-care industry and videoconferencing, the term is then called telemedicine.

Cogent: Communication: Real World Case

Read the Real World Case 3, Cogent Communications, Intel, and Others: Mergers Go

•         More Smoothly When Your Data Are Ready (pp. 213-214). Place yourself in the role of a manager at a company undergoing a merger or acquisition. Explain your customer’s expectations during the merger with at least three examples and describe what role IT would play in meeting those expectations.

     In the process of managing an M&A, two or more companies join together to form one company (O’Brien & Marakas, 2011). Generally, when a merger or acquisition takes place, the new company that is developed develops a new name as well. Mergers are often perceived as a bad experience for our customers because in the process of a merger minor changes may occur in the process of operations (Moeller, 2009). Actually, it has been identified that over half of all mergers fail to deliver the improvements that they initially intended to. To this company, these changes may be small, however, customers might erceive these changes to be big. For example, changes in IT software or changes to a ompany website may result in a difficulty to effectively understand how to maneuver through the site altogether.

     In the process of a merger, companies should focus mainly on keeping the customer first. New features might misdirect existing customers. Like a cellphone company website, for example, new menu options, formats, and even a new policy might be difficult for customers to understand. IT like gmail.com could help customers to communicate this issue to the company. Text messages and images could be sent to and from other firms.

     Another issue might involve the closing of a company store in a certain location. For example, a M&A could result in the company closing its physical branch in one state and only offering its products and services through its online website. As a result, customers might have to travel to another state just to speak with the company's representatives in person which could be a great inconvenience for customers. Traveling expenses might be looked upon as meaningless to customers who have to travel miles away from their hometown to experience certain services or to purchase specific products. IT like video chat software could help the company to communicate visually with the use of a webcam. The camera can help to operate meetings that are held over the internet. Also, internet services could also help companies to provide door to door deliveries within particular routes to better satisfy potential customers.

     Changes in operations or changes in performances might be confusing to customers or consumers as well (Moeller, 2009). For example, in the process of the merger, products and services might not be offered at the company's highest quality. As a result, customers might decline in their levels of satisfaction. For example, the admission process might be quicker compared to what it used to be, although the information might need to be updated or validated. This could mean long admission time frames. Overall, mergers can operate smoothly with a data center that is well prepared.

•         Focus on what Andi Mann in the case calls “tribal knowledge.” Explain what you think is meant by that, and why it is important to the process. Provide at least one strategy you would suggest for companies that are faced with the extensive presence of this issue in an acquired organization.

     Tribal knowledge is any information that is not commonly known. Tribal knowledge is known as information that is not documented and is unwritten. This type of information can be translated from older employees to new employees of an organization. However, there are both advantages and disadvantages to utilizing tribal knowledge. For example, it has been stated in the text that tribal knowledge can be a disadvantage to a company as well. Whenever one company references information others need to know in order to produce a product or a service, the term tribal knowledge can be identified. This particular type of information is not commonly known by the other individuals within that company. Tribal knowledge could be a list of the company's rules or a set of the company's information is generally known by a specific group of employers within the company. This particular group then makes significant contributions to the quality of performances, products, services and eventually financial strengths. In my opinion, tribal knowledge should be top secret and confidential within a company at all times if possible.

•         Most of the discussion on the case focused on hardware and software issues. However, these are essentially enablers for underlying business processes developed by each of the companies involved. Analyze the different alternatives that companies have for merging their business processes, and discuss the role IT would play in supporting those activities. Be sure to address data management and governance issues.

     Even though some business owners may want to make merging their last opportunity, there are a number of alternatives to making the decision to merge with another existing company. Many say that companies should resist merging altogether. Mergers can also mislead executives within their business operations. The level of expected uncertainty is rather high as well. Therefore, merging could be seen as a last resort. For example, rebase is one alternative. Organic in-house growth provides full control to companies because it can be a lot easier to integrate. As a result, there are lower levels of disruption.

     Although organic growth has been known to be insufficient. Most companies want a balanced level of internal growth and external partnerships. Purchasing a firm can help to balance out interna. Having the right social context and innovation, however, can still onflict with the status quo of a company as well. Your company might choose to build its capacity through internal R&D. Another option is borrowing the resources you need through strategic partner shipping, another merging alternative.

     Cultivating strategic partnerships can be a great way to obtain knowledge from that partner. However, depending too much on the partner and not your company can threaten secracy in the knowledge of your own company. As a result of this, the company could reach a level of growth where your partnering won't be necessary and they might not need you anymore. This is said because, in the process, some of your best, highly skilled professionals would be transferred to and from the other corporation on a routine basis as they help to manage the alliance and to transfer tribal knowledge back to their headquarters. However, tribal knowledge is documented and only exists within the minds of certain people. Strategies could also be identified to kill or to remove tribal knowledge as well. In the process of an M&A, two or more companies join together to form one company.