Using The Five Forces Model To Select A Force And Describe ✓ Solved

Using The Five Forces Model Select One Of The Forces And Describe

Using the Five Forces model, select ONE of the forces and describe how a company that makes bottled water would be impacted (minimum 200 words): (from ch 1) Rivalry among existing competitors Threat of new entrants Threat of substitute products and services The bargaining power of buyers The bargaining power of suppliers. Describe a local area network for a company that is in two buildings that are located across the river from each other. What type of hardware, software and network would you need to construct? Explain the acronyms B2B, B2C, B2G and C2C. Provide at least one example for each. Explain Moore’s Law, provide a detailed example of one piece of hardware that demonstrates that Moore’s Law is true. Describe each term below and provide an example of a company (real or imagined) that uses this concept. Describe how it impacts the company to process information this way. Centralized processing Decentralized processing Distributed processing List three popular uses for the Internet and Web and briefly describe how you use them. Identify and describe the difference between an internet connected computer’s numerical address and the human readable name for that computer. Name three reasons businesses invest in computer hardware and explain why how it would impact the business. Looking at a desktop style computer, monitors and printers are output devices, keyboards and mice are input devices. The computer is the ‘box’ or system unit. Identify and describe at least three components that are found inside the systems unit. Describe the difference between application software and system software. Name one software application and briefly describe its use. Then name an operating system software and list at least 3 things that software does.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

The Five Forces Model, developed by Michael E. Porter, provides a comprehensive framework for analyzing the competitive forces shaping every industry. Understanding these forces helps companies develop strategies to improve their market position. This paper explores one specific force—the bargaining power of suppliers—and its impact on a bottled water company. Furthermore, it addresses questions related to local area networks, business communication models, technological laws, processing architectures, internet applications, hardware components, system software, and key reasons for investing in computer hardware.

The Bargaining Power of Suppliers and Its Impact on Bottled Water Companies

The bargaining power of suppliers refers to the ability of suppliers to influence the price and supply of raw materials or services. In the bottled water industry, suppliers include water source providers, bottle manufacturers, and cap producers. Their power is influenced by factors such as the number of suppliers, availability of substitute inputs, and the importance of their supply to the company.

If suppliers hold considerable bargaining power, they can increase prices or reduce product quality, directly affecting the profitability of bottled water companies. For instance, if there are limited water sources or stringent environmental regulations restrict access, suppliers’ influence intensifies. Companies may face higher costs, which could be passed onto consumers, potentially decreasing competitiveness.

Conversely, if bottled water companies consolidate their sources or develop alternative suppliers, their bargaining power increases. Strategic partnerships, long-term contracts, and diversification of suppliers help mitigate supplier influence. For example, a bottled water company like Nestlé Waters employs multiple sources for water supply to reduce dependency and negotiate favorable terms.

Increased supplier power can also lead to supply chain disruptions, impacting inventory levels and delivery times, thereby affecting customer satisfaction. Therefore, understanding and managing supplier relationships is crucial for bottled water companies to maintain operational efficiency and profitability.

Constructing a Local Area Network (LAN) for Two Buildings Across a River

Establishing a LAN between two separate buildings located across a river involves specific hardware, software, and network components. The primary goal is to enable seamless data sharing and communication between the two locations.

Hardware Requirements

- Networking Devices: A high-capacity wireless bridge or point-to-point (PtP) wireless radio links to connect the two buildings over the river. Such devices include outdoor wireless access points or microwave transmission systems.

- Switches and Routers: Managed switches in each building to handle local traffic and routers to manage inter-network communication.

- Cabling and Enclosures: For devices that require wired connections, outdoor-rated Ethernet cables or fiber optic cables are essential, especially over long distances.

- Security Devices: Firewalls and VPN gateways to ensure secure data transmission across the network.

Software Components

- Network Management Software: To configure and monitor the network hardware, ensuring optimal performance and security.

- VPN Software: To establish secure encrypted tunnels over the internet, protecting data integrity and confidentiality.

- Firewall and Security Suites: To prevent unauthorized access and cyber threats.

Network Architecture

The infrastructure typically involves a combination of wireless links and fiber optic cables, ensuring sufficient bandwidth and low latency. Wi-Fi standards like 802.11ac or 802.11ax can be employed for wireless bridging, supplemented by fiber optics for backbone connectivity. Network segmentation may be used to isolate internal departments, and robust security protocols like WPA3 or advanced encryption are essential for safeguarding communication.

In summary, a reliable LAN connecting two buildings across a river involves deploying high-frequency wireless links, fiber optic cabling, switches, routers, and security software, all configured to optimize performance and ensure security.

Business Communication Models: B2B, B2C, B2G, and C2C

The acronyms B2B, B2C, B2G, and C2C describe different models of electronic commerce and business interactions.

B2B (Business-to-Business): Transactions occur between two businesses. An example is a wholesale supplier selling inventory to a retail chain. For instance, Alibaba.com provides a platform for manufacturers and wholesalers to connect with retailers globally.

B2C (Business-to-Consumer): Companies sell directly to individual consumers. An example is Amazon, where consumers purchase a vast array of products directly from the retailer’s website.

B2G (Business-to-Government): Businesses provide goods or services to government agencies. An example includes defense contractors supplying equipment to military agencies.

C2C (Consumer-to-Consumer): Consumers sell directly to other consumers using a platform. eBay is a well-known example, facilitating peer-to-peer sales.

Each model reflects different market dynamics and technology applications, influencing business strategies, marketing, logistics, and customer engagement.

Moore’s Law and Its Demonstration in Hardware

Moore’s Law, formulated by Gordon Moore in 1965, predicts that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles approximately every two years, leading to exponential increases in computing power and reductions in cost.

Example of Hardware Demonstrating Moore’s Law: The Intel Core series of processors exemplify this trend. Over the years, each new generation of Intel processors has incorporated more transistors—going from about 2 million transistors in the 1971 4004 processor to over 1 billion in modern chips like the Intel Core i9. This growth has enabled significant improvements in performance while decreasing power consumption and cost.

This demonstration illustrates how advances in semiconductor manufacturing, miniaturization, and design have continually pushed the boundaries of hardware capability, aligning with Moore’s Law’s predictions.

Processing Architectures: Centralized, Decentralized, and Distributed Processing

Centralized Processing: All processing tasks are handled by a central mainframe or server, with users accessing resources remotely. An example is a banking system where all transactions are processed through a central server, ensuring uniform data management.

Decentralized Processing: Processing is distributed among multiple independent nodes or servers, often within individual departments. For example, a university may have departmental servers managing local data independently but interconnected via a network.

Distributed Processing: Workloads are spread across multiple computers or servers that work collaboratively to perform tasks. An example is a cloud computing platform like Amazon Web Services, where tasks are processed across multiple virtual machines.

These architectures affect how efficiently businesses process information, manage resources, and scale operations, impacting performance, fault tolerance, and flexibility.

Popular Uses of the Internet and Web

E-commerce: Buying and selling products online. I use Amazon to purchase books and electronics, benefitting from home delivery and vast product selection.

Communication: Email, social media, and messaging apps. I use WhatsApp for instant messaging and Facebook to stay connected with friends.

Information Retrieval: Searching for information via search engines like Google. I often use Google to research topics, access tutorials, or find news updates.

The internet has transformed commerce, social interactions, and information sharing, making these activities integral to daily life.

Numerical Address vs. Human Readable Name

Every device connected to the internet has a unique IP address, a numerical label like 192.168.1.1, used for device identification and communication. However, these addresses are difficult for humans to remember. Human-readable names, or domain names like www.google.com, serve as friendly aliases mapped to IP addresses via the Domain Name System (DNS). This system simplifies accessing resources and enhances usability of the internet.

Reasons Businesses Invest in Computer Hardware

Improved Efficiency: Modern hardware speeds up business processes, enabling faster data processing.

Enhanced Security: Investing in updated hardware helps implement better security measures to protect sensitive information.

Support for Innovation: Advanced hardware supports new technologies like AI, big data analytics, and cloud computing.

These investments improve competitiveness, support scalability, and safeguard operational continuity.

Components Inside the System Unit

Motherboard: The main circuit board connecting all components, facilitating communication between CPU, memory, and peripherals.

Central Processing Unit (CPU): Acts as the brain of the computer, executing instructions and processing data.

Memory Modules (RAM): Temporarily store data and instructions currently in use, enabling quick access for the CPU.

These components collectively enable the computer's operation and performance efficiency.

Application Software vs. System Software

Application Software: Programs designed to perform specific tasks for users, such as Microsoft Word for word processing.

System Software: Software that manages hardware resources and provides a platform for applications, such as the Windows OS or macOS.

Examples:

- Application: Adobe Photoshop, used for image editing.

- Operating System: Windows 10, which manages system resources, file management, and hardware interaction.

Functions of Operating Systems:

1. Hardware management

2. File management

3. Providing user interface

References

Porter, M. E. (2008). The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy. Harvard Business Review, 86(1), 78-93.

Gordon Moore. (1965). Cramming more components onto integrated circuits. Electronics, 38(8), 114-117.

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Stallings, W. (2013). Data and Computer Communications. Pearson.

Laudon, K. C., & Traver, C. G. (2021). E-commerce: Business, Technology, Society. Pearson.

Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2014). The Second Machine Age. W. W. Norton & Company.

Sharma, R., & Mishra, S. (2020). Network security and management. International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security, 18(3), 125-132.

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