Information Management Infrastructure for ECommerce

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Information Management Infrastructure for
E-Commerce

• The concept of an information management
  infrastructure
• Creating an information management infrastructure
  identifying, capturing and retrieving knowledge
• Knowledge management systems
• The technologies of interface building
• The criteria for an effective user interface

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An information management infrastructure

• A framework for information management
• A digital nervous system
• a combination of hardware and software, clearly
  distinguishable from a mere network of computers,
  designed to provide knowledge workers with
  accurate, immediate and rich information.

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Technologies and processes for information
infrastructure

• By combining processes and technologies as shown
  in the ESF, an information/knowledge management
  infrastructure supports the continuous process of
  transforming data and information into
  organisational knowledge and distributing it
  throughout the organisation.

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Creating a knowledge management infrastructure

• Identify knowledge sources from data sources
• Capture knowledge - using databases and
  information systems
• Establish a mechanism for knowledge retrieval -
  a web interface

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Databases for capturing information

• Computerised filing systems before database
• The problems with them
• The concept of a database
• The advantages of a database
• Databases for corporate information systems

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Types of database

• Hierarchical Relationship between records is
  one-to-many. Not practical for todays
  environment.
• Network Supports many-to-many relationship but
  is inflexible.
• Relational Supports all types of relationship
  and allows alteration easily.

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• Object oriented dB storing the properties of
  data and their processing methods as objects
  supports integration between systems.
• Hypermedia dB Uses hyperlinks to relate
  documents, and is compatible with the Internet.

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Web-enabling of systems

• Knowledge can be captured in
• databases
• directories
• expert systems and
• case-based reasoning systems.
• EC applications work by the web-enabling of these
  systems.

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Knowledge management systems

• Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
• Customer relationship management (CRM)
• Intranets
• Groupware
• Extranets.

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Enterprise Resource Planning

• An ERP system streamlines a companys data flows
  and provides management with direct access to a
  wealth of real-time information.
• Directory Services and Middleware are used to
  facilitate this process.

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Directory services

• DSs maintain databases on users, services,
  hardware and software resources of a network and
• provide on-line search facilities for users to
  locate information and services.

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Examples of directories for EC

• An directory of addresses of e-mail users
• Directories of passwords and user-IDs
• Directories for security credentials for trading
  partners
• A directory of users of the applications involved
  
• A directory of the companys data resources

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Middleware

• Middleware provides the much needed integration
  between the backend systems and desktop Internet
  applications.
• B2B middleware provides seamless, automatic and
  real time communication between intra- and
  inter-organisational systems at both data and
  process levels.

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Technologies for middleware development

• Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA)
• Microsofts Component Object Model (COM)
• Based on object oriented technology

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Customer Relationship Management

• A CRM system collects information from all
  possible sources by registering every customer
  event and uses it to improve customer
  relationship.

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Tools for CRM

• Data warehouse - a repository of historical data
  extracted from all corporate systems and made
  accessible to business users.
• Data mining - the analysis of data stored in a
  warehouse.

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Data warehousing

• Data warehousing facilitates decision support
  at 4 levels
• routine queries
• more complex queries
• modelling based on historical data
• making prediction voluntarily, based on the
  models.

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Data mining

• Uses the following tools
• Neural computing
• Intelligent agents
• Association analysis

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Steps in CRM

• Creating a centralised DW
• Developing expertise in the organisation
• Choosing the CRM products (the hardware, software
  and operational tools for data warehousing and
  mining)
• Providing the management support necessary
• Utilising the models and predictions made by data
  warehousing tools to introduce changes in the
  business processes.
• Building an interface suitable for all personnel
  involved in gathering customer information.

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The criteria for an effective interface

• The 7Cs concept of user interface design
• Context the ethos
• Content the features
• Community user-to-user communication
• Customisation adjustability
• Communication customer-to-site dialogue
• Connection link to other sites
• Commerce business
• processes

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An intranet for knowledge management

• The objectives of an intranet are to provide
• Facilities for sharing resources
• Internet-type interface for the acquisition of
  information
• Communication with trading partners.
• The benefits
• Save time
• Provide efficient customer service
• Improve communication and knowledge sharing
• Facilitate teamwork
• Improve the speed, security and efficiency

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Characteristics of an effective intranet

• Usable
• Robust
• Integrated
• Secure
• Appreciated by users through skill and
  motivation.

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Groupware

• Groupware is software which provides resources
  for a team to work interactively, regardless of
  the physical location of individuals.
• Some groupware applications for knowledge
  sharing are
• Emails
• Web collaboration
• Message passing by notice boards
• Workflow management

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An extranet

• An extranet encompasses an organisations
  trading partners in its network. Issues important
  in building an extranet are
• Security
• The choice of technology
• The integration of systems
• Development and implementation strategies
• Management and maintenance.

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Important issues in building an extranet

• Security
• The choice of technology
• The integration of systems
• Development and implementation strategies
• Management and maintenance.

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The technologies of interface building

• HTML
• DHTML
• VRML
• XML
• XSL
• Java
• Scripting languages
• CGI

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An effective user interface

• An KM interface must be acceptable to its users.
• This necessitates user participation in the
  design and implementation of the system.
• An interface must be
• Integrated
• Transparent
• Customised
• Reliable

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Enterprise portal

• Enterprise portals provide an all-encompassing
  interface for knowledge distribution. They must
  be
• Personalised
• Well managed
• Useful to individuals as well as groups

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Why a knowledge management infrastructure might
fail

• A KMI often fails because of
• Company size
• Information overload
• Hoarding of knowledge
• Intangibility of benefits
• Lack of expertise
• Obsolescence of information.

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Questions/discussions

• To what extent do you think the websites (and
  portals) in common use today subscribe to the
  criteria for an effective interface for
  information management?
• How do you, as customers, feel about the concepts
  of CRM?

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Case studies

• Frito-Lay
• Cisco
• Mansfield Motors
• W. H. Smith