short tutorials needed as quickly as possible in 2 hours

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ITECH1005 - Business Information Systems

Tutorial Week 2

Competing in Information Age

Weight 1%

The tutorial assessment each week is generally based on your understanding of the week’s

course content and group interaction in discussing your answers.

ASSESSABLE TASKS OF THE WEEK

The tutorial tasks for this week will help you to develop more understanding of the role of

information systems in business

The due date for providing answers to this week’s tutorial tasks is Wednesday, Week 3.

Submit your answer using Moodle by its due date. On-campus students make sure to take

with you a printed copy of your answers to the tutorial session.

Before attempting the following tutorial activities, you need to learn this week’s lecture slides

first. To gain more understanding of the topics covered in this week’s lecture read Chapter 1,

pp. 8-32 of your textbook. The additional resource file “Business Basics.pdf” will provide

you with basic understanding of business concepts.

Case Study: GREAT BUSINESS DECISIONS—The Apple iPod, iPhone and iPad

Textbook, pp. 6-7

Like all great computer companies, Apple began its life in a garage. In 1977, Steve Jobs and

Steve Wozniak built the Apple 1, regarded by many as the first real personal computer. They

founded the Apple Computer, Inc. and the invention of the Apple 2 and the Apple Macintosh.

Apple’s key goal was to make computers accessible to ordinary people. Jobs and Wozniak

captured an opportunity and changed the world through a combination of good fortune and

technical and marketing brilliance. Through the decades, Apple has been the developer of

gadgets which end by taking the world by storm—the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad. Each of

these devices has captured the market on release and often seen off its imitators as well

through a combination of original design, user friendliness and excellent marketing.

Steve Jobs passed away in 2012, but his legacy continues in the Apple company of bold and

left-of-field business decisions and directions.

Provide written answer to the following questions. (Do not forget to bring printed copy of

your answers to your next tutorial/lab class for discussion!):

1. What might have happened to Apple if its top executives had not supported investment in iPads?

2. Why would it be unethical for Apple to sell its iTunes customer information to other businesses?

3. Evaluate the effects on Apple’s business if it failed to secure its customer information and

all of it was accidentally posted to an anonymous website.

4. Do you agree or disagree that Apple’s iTunes, iPhone applications and iPad applications give the company a competitive advantage? Be sure to justify your answer.

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5. Why are data, information, business intelligence and knowledge important to Apple? Give an example of each type in relation to the iPad.

6. Analyse Apple using Porter’s Five Force model.

7. Which of the three generic strategies is Apple following?

8. Which of Porter’s Five Forces did Apple address through its introduction of the iPhone?

9. Which of Porter’s Five Forces did Apple address through its customer-developed applications?

Additional information

To get a deeper understanding of the case study, it is recommended:

 To watch this video on Steve Job’s legacy: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2011/08/24/t_steve_jobs_apple_legacy.fortun

e/?iid=HP_Highlight i

 This article explores the effect of Steve Job’s death on Apple’s future: www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/steve-jobss-death-leaves-apple-

facing-challenges-without-its-lead-visionary/2011/10/05/gIQAbV5xOL_story.html ii

 And this video on the Apple versus Samsung patent infringement case which won US$1.05 billion in damages: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2012/08/25/t-

apple-samsung-verdict.cnnmoney iii

References: Baltzan, Philips, Lynch & Blakey (2013), Business Driven Information Systems

(Australian/New Zealand 2 nd

edition), McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

Baltzan, Philips, Lynch & Blakey (2013), Instructor's Resource Manuals, McGraw-Hill

Australia Pty Ltd

i Andrew Sewer, ‘The legacy of Steve Jobs’, 2011,

http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2011/08/24/t_steve_jobs_apple_legacy.fortune/?iid=HP_Highlight,

accessed 9 September 2012. ii

Michael S. Rosenwald, ‘Steve Jobs’s death leaves Apple facing challenges without its lead visionary’, 2011,

www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/steve-jobss-death-leaves-apple-facing-challenges-without-its-

lead-visionary/2011/10/05/gIQAbV5xOL_story.html, accessed 28 August 2012 iii

Dan Simon, ‘Apple's $1B victory over Samsung’, 2012, http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2012/08/25/t-

apple-samsung-verdict.cnnmoney, accessed 28 August 2012