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Telecommunications and Networks I. Chapter overview foundation Concepts: Foundations of Information in Business
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| bet | 6/65 | | Sana | 01.04.2017 | | Hajmi | 348.93 Kb. | | #2764 |
II. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Learning Objective
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Identify several major developments and trends in the industries, technologies, and business applications of telecommunications and Internet technologies.
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Provide examples of the business value of Internet, intranet, and extranet applications
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Identify the basic components, functions, and types of telecommunications networks used in business.
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Explain the functions of major types of telecommunications network hardware, software, media, and services.
III. TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
One of the important issues to emphasize in this chapter is the role that telecommunications has played in increasing computer connectivity. Knowledge of technical details may not be that important, but a good understanding of the concepts and basic terminology is. The opportunities provided to businesses through telecommunications should be particularly emphasized. Figure 4.1 is a good example of the major trends taking place in the telecommunications industry. Figure 4.3 gives excellent examples of the business value of electronic commerce applications of telecommunications. Most students are very interested in the Internet. This part of the chapter normally generates a fair amount of discussion. Figure 4.4 can be used to discuss the most popular uses of the Internet. As well, it will stimulate students to more discussion on the uses of this type of technology, and how it can be used in business. Figure 4.5 can be used by instructors to generate open and in-depth discussions with their students on whom and why companies are connecting to the Internet. This discussion should instil in students the fact that in today’s global marketplace (marketspace) just how important a presence on the Internet is for survival. Figure 4.6 illustrates how companies are deriving business value form their e-business and e-commerce applications. Figure 4.7 is a good slide to use when discussing how a companies Intranet can provide an enterprise information portal for applications in communication and collaboration, business operations and management, Web publishing, and intranet portal management. This is a “busy” slide, so instructors should take their time to ensure that students know how all of these interconnecting parts contribute to the communication and collaboration tasks required to function smoothly in an organization.
Figure 4.10 introduce the five basic components in a telecommunications network, in that a telecommunications network is any arrangement whereby a sender transmits a message to a receiver over a channel consisting of some type of medium. Figure 4.11 can be used to discuss with students the concept of a global wide area network (WAN). Figure 4.12 can be used to explain and generate discussion on the topics of local area networks. The main thrust of Chapter 6 is that the Internet and Internet-like networks inside the enterprise (Intranets), and other types of networks have become the primary information technology for many organizations. Figure 4.13 gives an excellent example of complexities and components involved with intranets and extranets. Figure 4.14 illustrates the client/server networks and network computing. Figure 4.15 can be used to raise a discussion with the students on the functions of the computer system in network computing. Figure 4.16 is a good slide to use to discuss the two major forms of peer-to-peer networks (a peer-to-peer network architecture with a directory of al peers on a central server and a pure peer-to-peer network architecture with no central directory server. Figure 4.22 outlines the different types of network topologies – ring, star, and bus networks. Remember, a basic understanding and appreciation, not a detailed knowledge, are sufficient for most business end users. Use Figure 4.23 to discuss the seven layers of the OSI communications network architecture, and the five layers of the Internet’s TCP/IP protocol suite. Figure 4.24 is a good example of telecommunications speed by type of media and network technology in use today.
Instructors are encouraged to contact their cable companies for a sample of telecommunications cables that they may show in class. Many students have difficulty with the different types of communications processors that are available. If at all possible, instructors would be encouraged to take their students to a computer centre where they may see these items in operation.
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