Blog 5.2- B2B Electronic Commerce

Ferrum Cinema is a client to Ticket Co. which would be a server. These two companies formed an extranet to perform business transactions more properly. In order for the two businesses to conduct a business transaction Ferrum Cinema would first need to decide what product from Ticket Co. they would like to purchase. Once that is decided, Ferrum Cinema would then connect to the internet through the VPN (Virtual Private Network) after getting through the firewall of their computers. The VPN will allow the Cinema to place an order through the internet because the now have access to do business with Ticket Co. The information will be sent to Ticket Co. and received after the data passes through Ticket Co.'s firewall. The firewall acts as a security guard and protects Ticket Co. from getting unwanted data like a virus. After the information is passed through the firewall, it will go into the server's data files. Ticket Co. can then give Ferrum Cinema their purchased product.

Blog 4.3- Packet Switching Technology

Packet switching allows users to send large and small chunks of data across the Internet concurrently. That is what computers A and B (servers) are doing in order to send data to computers C and D (clients). In order for the packet switching to work the transmission control protocol (TCP) has to break the info into data packets and manage them when they transfer from computer to computer. The internet protocol (IP) defines how a data packet must be formed and to where a router (connects two or more individual networks) must forward each packet. Each packet will then conform to the IP specification. When it conforms it is known as an IP datagram. Each datagram has its own unique IP address which makes the routing and delivery to and from a computer possible.

Blog 5.3- Intranet Diagram

Ferrum Cinema implemented an intranet system to offer services to its employees. An intranet works almost like an extranet, but instead of conducting business between two businesses, the business does its business with the employees of that company. A manager, who would be the client inside corporate network, can set up a schedule for example for the employees to look at. The manager can sit at a designated computer within the company and connect to the server to input the data that is necessary. The data can travel through the firewall which is like a security guard to make sure only certain things can get in and come out. Once the data is through the firewall, it can then process through the internet. When the employee, who would be the corporate client outside local network, logs onto the VPN (setup to ensure that only the employees of Ferrum Cinema and Ferrum Cinema owners can do work on the network) they can then see their upcoming schedule.

Blog 5.1- Critique Your Competitor's E-Commerce Website

We used http://www.cinemark.com for the company Cinemark Century Theaters as one of our competitors. Cinemark's website has 24/7/365 access to it and is a 1-way communication network. From this collected  information Cinemark's website is in the E-Information stage of B2C Commerce. Since a person can purchase a ticket online or physically at a theater, Cinemark is using a Click & Mortar strategy.

Rules: rating 1- 5
1) Unique - 5
2) Easy to use and fast - 4
3) Pleasing - 4
4) Motivating - 3.5
5) Advertising - 3.5
6) Learn from your website - 5

We ranked the rules the way we did because we felt that was the way they seemed fit. The site was unique in the way that it has companies all over the world and some of their companies offer $1 theaters such as the one in Lynchburg, VA. This website was very easy to use and had a quick refresh rate. Creators of this site had easy navigation and the wording was in everyday plain language. So therefore it hit two birds with one stone; it was easy to use and pleasing. The color scheme along with appropriate pictures of new and upcoming movies made the site a pleasing one to look at. Motivation seemed to be all around the site. The cinema offers different discounts, a way to stay socially connected to them, shows upcoming movies, and even a way to purchase a ticket in advance to avoid a long line. Their motivation techniques are good. Cinemark was one of the top choices that popped up on different search engines. Advertising did not seem very big on their to do list but there were some advertisements out on the web for Cinemark Theaters. This theater can easily learn from their website. The information is easy to ready and they can see what they need to do to make their site even better than it is. They can tell they have a lot of viewers visit their site, how fast the refresh rate is (one of the top refresh rates), and how their competition is doing. All together we gave this site a 25 out of 30.

Blog 4.2- A Basic Network

A basic system has a client, server, and a transmission medium. The client will send the server a request for a service in which it provides through the transmission medium. The server will then send the client a response back through the transmission medium. However, the transmission medium has to follow certain protocols (rules) which dictate the communication that is being passed through. Information like a song or photo in which a client might want has to be converted into digital information. This process is called digitizing, but depending on how much bandwidth (the transmission capacity of a computer or communications channel) is needed the picture or song might not be able to fit onto the location in which it it destined. Information that is being passed through the transmission media can travel through two forms of media; cable media or wireless media. Cable media is used when a transmission has a likely hood of having interference. Cable media runs a less likely risk of an outside source interfering with communication. Wireless media is used when a person needs to be mobile.

Blog 4.4- Entity Relationship Diagram

This ERD shows the relationship between three database tables. Each table has a different number of attribute types relating to a single entity; such as the attribute type: customer key relating to the entity: customer. Each attribute has a data type like the attribute type: name would have the data type: text and the attribute: phone would have the data type: number. An attribute of an attribute type would go into more detail; for example name would have an attribute of Tom. Once a entity is complete, the table is called a record. An invoice has many records within it.