BUS 270: Information and Communication Infrastructure
Course Evaluation

I took the Information and Communication Infrastructure class during the Fall of 2003. This class was
a requirement for the Pre-Business curriculum for the Haworth College of Business.
_______________________________________________________________________

Although I would not consider the Information and Communication Infrastructure class to be one of my favorites, I did learn some valuable information. This class covered many subjects related to Information and Communication and the relation of each to technology. Topics presented in class covered the different comoponents of Information and Communication Infrastructure, electronic commerce, and Enterprise Information Systems, or Information and Communication Infrastructures in businesses.

Before exploring information and communication within businesses, it was neccessary to understand the six layers of Information and Communication Infrastructure, which include the following: Applications Layer, Communications Layer, Computing Layer, Internet Layer, Computer Networks Layer, and Telecommunications Layer. Bascially, the model for Information and Communication Infrastructure demonstrates how information flows throughout businesses through different communication mediums.

Because the business world has entered the information and technology age, this class covered a whole chapter on the Internet and electronic commerce. In this portion of the class, I learned how the Internet functions as a means of communication for businesses as well as a medium for commerce, known as electronic commerce. Businesses use the Internet to communicate within the company as well as with other business outside the company. Information can be communicated through email or another medium, such as teleconferencing. In addition to the Internet, businesses have expanded on Internet technology and form Intranets, where only employees within the business can access information, and Extranets, which involve the same concept as the Intranet, but is opened to select business partners outside of the company.

In addition to the functions and purposes of Internet technology in business, a section on e-commerce was also presented. E-commerce has opened the doors for many businesses. Now, businesses can offer all of its products for sale twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, with only the click of the mouse. Many business also use websites as a medium for customer service. Internet technology has allowed for three different types of electronic commerce, including: Business to Business (B2B), Business to Consumer (B2C), and Consumer to Consumer (C2C). Business to Business e-commerce involves one business selling products to another company for its own use or for furthur production. Business to Consumer e-commerce involves a business selling products directly to customers. This is the most common form of e-commerce and most widely recognized by individuals. It includes websites such as those that sell clothing or house hold products. Another form of e-commerce, Consumer to Consumer, takes place when individuals resell products to other individuals on websites such as E-bay.

The last portion of the class basically covered Enterprise Information Systems. After exploring the value of information and the different channels it can be communicated through, the class presented how all information flowed through businesses through certain mediums of communication. Different computer systems were introduced and showed how each communicated information throughout the system.

I didn't really know what to expect going into this class. When the class first started, I didn't even really understand its purpose. It is hard to say if this class met my expectations, since I didn't have any to begin with. If BUS 270 was not required, I probably never would have taken it. However, I did learn some very useful information that I would not have learned otherwise.

In this class we were assigned a total of six projects, four of which were done in groups. Working in groups was great experience to prepare me for the business world. It taught me how to communicate and function with others to produce one paper. At times it was difficult to work as a group since everyone had conflicting schedules. However, it was a good dose of reality, because it's not any different in the business world.

The projects assigned in this class covered the material well; however, I think too much work was crammed into the fifteen week class. Some projects would have been more effective if they had been combined.

Overall, this class was interesting and I gained some valuable information to carry with me throughout the remainder of my college career and into my future career in Marketing.