Information Management Systems: Managing the Digital Firm, 11e (Laudon/Laudon) Chapter 7 Telecommunications, the Internet, and Wireless Technology 1) Telephone networks are fundamentally different from computer networks. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 249 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 2) Increasingly, voice, video, and data communications are all based on Internet technology. Answer: TRUE Diff: 1 Page Ref: 249 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 3) To connect two computers together in the same office, you must have a computer network. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 249 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 4) An NOS must reside on a dedicated server computer in order to manage a network. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 250 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 5) A hub is a networking device that connects network components and are used to filter and forward data to specified destinations on the network. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 250 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 6) In a client/server network, a network server provides every connected client with an address so it can be found by others on the network. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 252 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1
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7) Central large mainframe computing has largely replaced client/server computing. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 252 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 8) Circuit switching makes much more efficient use of the communications capacity of a network than does packet switching. Answer: FALSE Diff: 1 Page Ref: 252 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 9) A protocol is a standard set of rules and procedures for the control of communications in a network. Answer: TRUE Diff: 1 Page Ref: 253 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 10) Two computers using TCP/IP can communicate even if they are based on different hardware and software platforms. Answer: TRUE Diff: 1 Page Ref: 254 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 11) In a ring topology, one station transmits signals, which travel in both directions along a single transmission segment. Answer: FALSE Diff: 3 Page Ref: 256 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2 12) Coaxial cable is similar to that used for cable television and consists of thickly insulated copper wire. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 257 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2
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13) Fiber-optic cable is more expensive and harder to install than wire media. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 257-258 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2 14) The number of cycles per second that can be sent through any telecommunications medium is measured in kilobytes. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 259 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2 15) The success of the Internet is in part due to its design as an infinitely scalable network capable of handling millions of users. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 265 AACSB: Analytic skills CASE: Evaluation Objective: 7.3 16) VoIP technology delivers video information in digital form using packet switching. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 267 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 17) Web 2.0 is the collaborative effort led by the World Wide Web Consortium to add a layer of meaning atop the existing Web to reduce the amount of human involvement in searching for and processing Web information. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 276 AACSB: Reflective thinking skills CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 18) Wi-Fi enables users to freely roam from hotspot to hotspot even if the hotspot is using different Wi-Fi network services. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 281 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.4
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19) WiMax has a wireless access range of up to 300 feet. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 281 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.4 20) RFID has been exceptionally popular because of its low implementation costs. Answer: FALSE Diff: 1 Page Ref: 283 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.5 21) A device that acts as a connection point between computers and can filter and forward data to a specified destination is called a A) hub. B) switch. C) router. D) NIC. Answer: B Diff: 1 Page Ref: 250 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 22) The Internet is based on which three key technologies? A) TCP/IP, HTML, and HTTP B) TCP/IP, HTTP, and packet switching C) Client/server computing, packet switching, and the development of communications standards for linking networks and computers D) Client/server computing, packet switching, and HTTP Answer: C Diff: 2 Page Ref: 252 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1
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23) The method of slicing digital messages into parcels, transmitting them along different communication paths, and reassembling them at their destinations is called A) multiplexing. B) packet switching. C) packet routing. D) ATM. Answer: B Diff: 1 Page Ref: 252 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 24) The telephone system is an example of a ________ network. A) peer-to-peer B) wireless C) packet-switched D) circuit-switched Answer: D Diff: 1 Page Ref: 252 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 25) Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of packet switching? A) Packets travel independently of each other. B) Packets are routed through many different paths. C) Packet switching requires point-to-point circuits. D) Packets include data for checking transmission errors. Answer: C Diff: 2 Page Ref: 252 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 26) In TCP/IP, IP is responsible for A) disassembling and reassembling of packets during transmission. B) establishing an Internet connection between two computers. C) moving packets over the network. D) sequencing the transfer of packets. Answer: A Diff: 3 Page Ref: 253 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1
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27) In a telecommunications network architecture, a protocol is A) a device that handles the switching of voice and data in a local area network. B) a standard set of rules and procedures for control of communications in a network. C) a communications service for microcomputer users. D) the main computer in a telecommunications network. Answer: B Diff: 2 Page Ref: 253 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 28) The four layers of the TCP/IP reference model are A) physical layer, application layer, transport layer, and the network interface layer. B) physical layer, application layer, Internet layer, and the network interface layer. C) application layer, transport layer, Internet layer, and the network interface layer. D) application layer, hardware layer, Internet layer, and the network interface layer. Answer: C Diff: 3 Page Ref: 253-254 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 29) Which signal types are represented by a continuous waveform? A) laser B) optical C) digital D) analog Answer: A Diff: 2 Page Ref: 254 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2 30) To use an analog telephone system for sending digital data, you must us A) a modem. B) a router. C) DSL. D) twisted wire. Answer: A Diff: 1 Page Ref: 255 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2
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31) Which type of network is used to connect digital devices within a half-mile or 500-meter radius? A) microwave B) LAN C) WAN D) MAN Answer: B Diff: 2 Page Ref: 255 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2 32) Which type of network treats all processors equally, and allows peripheral devices to be shared without going to a separate server? A) peer-to-peer B) wireless C) LAN D) ring Answer: A Diff: 2 Page Ref: 256 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2 33) Which type of network would be most appropriate for a business that comprised three employees and a manager located in the same office space, whose primary need is to share documents? A) wireless network in infrastructure mode B) domain-based LAN C) peer-to-peer network D) campus area network Answer: C Diff: 2 Page Ref: 256 AACSB: Analytic skills CASE: Evaluation Objective: 7.2 34) In a bus network A) signals are broadcast to the next station. B) signals are broadcast in both directions to the entire network. C) multiple hubs are organized in a hierarchy. D) messages pass from computer to computer in a loop. Answer: B Diff: 2 Page Ref: 256 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2
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35) All network components connect to a single hub in a ________ network. A) star B) bus C) domain D) peer-to-peer Answer: A Diff: 2 Page Ref: 256 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2 36) The most common Ethernet topology is A) bus. B) star. C) ring. D) mesh. Answer: A Diff: 3 Page Ref: 256 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2 37) A network that spans a city, and sometimes its major suburbs as well, is called a A) CAN. B) MAN. C) WAN. D) LAN. Answer: B Diff: 1 Page Ref: 256 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2 38) A network that covers entire geographical regions is most commonly referred to as a(n): A) local area network. B) intranet. C) peer-to-peer network. D) wide area network. Answer: D Diff: 1 Page Ref: 256 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2
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39) ________ work(s) by using radio waves to communicate with radio antennas placed within adjacent geographic areas. A) Cell phones B) Microwaves C) Satellites D) WANs Answer: A Diff: 1 Page Ref: 258 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2 40) Bandwidth is the A) number of frequencies that can be broadcast through a medium. B) number of cycles per second that can be sent through a medium. C) difference between the highest and lowest frequencies that can be accommodated on a single channel. D) total number of bytes that can be sent through a medium per second. Answer: C Diff: 2 Page Ref: 259 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2 41) The total amount of digital information that can be transmitted through any telecommunications medium is measured in A) bps. B) Hertz. C) baud. D) gigaflops. Answer: A Diff: 2 Page Ref: 259 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2 42) Digital subscriber lines A) operate over existing telephone lines to carry voice, data, and video. B) operate over coaxial lines to deliver Internet access. C) are very-high-speed data lines typically leased from long-distance telephone companies. D) have up to twenty-four 64-Kbps channels. Answer: A Diff: 2 Page Ref: 260 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3
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43) T lines A) operate over existing telephone lines to carry voice, data, and video. B) operate over coaxial lines to deliver Internet access. C) are very-high-speed data lines typically leased from long-distance telephone companies. D) have up to twenty-four 64-Kbps channels. Answer: C Diff: 2 Page Ref: 260 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 44) Which protocol is the Internet based on? A) TCP/IP B) FTP C) packet-switching D) HTTP Answer: A Diff: 1 Page Ref: 260 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 45) What service converts IP addresses into more recognizable alphanumeric names? A) HTML B) DNS C) IP D) HTTP Answer: B Diff: 2 Page Ref: 260 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 46) The child domain of the root is the A) top-level domain. B) second-level domain. C) host name. D) domain extension. Answer: A Diff: 2 Page Ref: 260 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3
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47) In the domain name "http://myspace.blogging.com", what are the root, top-level, secondlevel, and third-level domains, respectively? A) "http://", myspace, blogging, com B) "http://", com, blogging, myspace C) ".", com, blogging, myspace D) ".", myspace, blogging, com Answer: C Diff: 2 Page Ref: 261 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 48) Which organization helps define the overall structure of the Internet? A) None (no one "owns" the Internet) B) W3C C) ICANN D) IAB Answer: D Diff: 3 Page Ref: 262 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 49) IPv6 is being developed in order to A) update the packet transmission protocols for higher bandwidth. B) create more IP addresses. C) allow for different levels of service. D) support Internet2. Answer: B Diff: 2 Page Ref: 265 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 50) Which of the following services enables logging on to one computer system and working on another? A) FTP B) LISTSERV C) Telnet D) World Wide Web Answer: C Diff: 3 Page Ref: 263 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3
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51) Instant messaging is a type of ________ service. A) chat B) cellular C) Web D) wireless Answer: A Diff: 1 Page Ref: 267 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 52) The need in some cases for employees to have access to sexually explicit material on the Internet, such as medical researchers, suggests that companies A) cannot restrict Internet use. B) need specialized software to determine which types of material are acceptable. C) may need to maintain a database of acceptable Web sites. D) need to base their Internet use policies on the needs of the organization and culture. Answer: D Diff: 2 Page Ref: 268-269 AACSB: Analytic skills CASE: Analysis Objective: 7.3 53) ________ integrate(s) disparate channels for voice communications, data communications, instant messaging, e-mail, and electronic conferencing into a single experience. A) Wireless networks B) Intranets C) Virtual private networks D) Unified communications Answer: D Diff: 1 Page Ref: 270 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 54) A VPN A) is an encrypted private network configured within a public network. B) is more expensive than a dedicated network. C) provides secure, encrypted communications using Telnet. D) is an Internet-based service for delivering voice communications. Answer: A Diff: 2 Page Ref: 270 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3
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55) Web browser software requests Web pages from the Internet using which protocol? A) URL B) HTTP C) DNS D) HTML Answer: B Diff: 2 Page Ref: 271 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 56) Together, a protocol prefix, a domain name, a directory path, and a document name, are called a(n) A) uniform resource locator. B) unified resource locator. C) third level domain. D) root domain. Answer: A Diff: 2 Page Ref: 271 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 57) The open-source Web server that controls 70 percent of the market is A) Microsoft IIS. B) ASP.net. C) Apache HTTP server. D) Netscape. Answer: C Diff: 2 Page Ref: 272 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 58) What technology allows people to have content pulled from Web sites and fed automatically to their computers? A) FTP B) RSS C) HTTP D) Bluetooth Answer: B Diff: 2 Page Ref: 275 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3
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59) To keep internal data secure, a company employing an extranet must be sure to put a ________ in place A) router B) server C) firewall D) switch Answer: C Diff: 2 Page Ref: 277 AACSB: Use of information CASE: technology Content Objective: 7.3 60) A network that connects authorized customers, suppliers, and other business partners to portions of a firm's internal network is called a(n) A) intranet. B) extranet. C) enterprise network. D) virtual private network. Answer: B Diff: 2 Page Ref: 277 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 61) Which generation of network are wireless cellular phone systems entering? A) 2.5G B) 3G C) 3.5G D) 4G Answer: B Diff: 1 Page Ref: 278 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.4 62) CDMA A) is the major European digital cellular standard. B) is more expensive than GSM. C) transmits over several frequencies. D) uses the 1.9 GHz band. Answer: C Diff: 3 Page Ref: 278 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.4
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63) The most appropriate wireless networking standard for creating PANs is A) I-mode. B) IEEE 802.11b. C) WiFi. D) Bluetooth. Answer: D Diff: 2 Page Ref: 279 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.4 64) Bluetooth can be used to link up to ________ devices within a 10-meter area using lowpower, radio-based communication. A) four B) six C) eight D) ten Answer: C Diff: 3 Page Ref: 279 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.4 65) The Wi-Fi 802.11a standard can transmit up to A) 54 Mbps in the 5-GHz frequency range. B) 11 Mbps in the 2.4-GHz frequency range. C) 54 Mbps in the 2.4-GHz frequency range. D) 722 Kbps in the 2.4-GHz frequency range. Answer: A Diff: 3 Page Ref: 280 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.4 66) One or more access points positioned on a ceiling, wall, or other strategic spot in a public place to provide maximum wireless coverage for a specific area are referred to as A) touch points. B) hotspots. C) hot points. D) wireless hubs. Answer: B Diff: 2 Page Ref: 281 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.4
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67) The IEEE standard for the WiMax is A) IEEE 802.15. B) IEEE 802.11. C) IEEE 802.16. D) IEEE 802.20. Answer: C Diff: 3 Page Ref: 281 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.4 68) The WiMax standard can transmit up to a distance of approximately A) 30 meters. B) 500 meters. C) 30 miles. D) 5 miles. Answer: C Diff: 3 Page Ref: 281 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.4 69) Passive RFID tags A) have their own power source. B) have a range of several feet. C) enable data to be rewritten and modified. D) are used in automated toll-collection systems. Answer: B Diff: 2 Page Ref: 283 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.5 70) Based on your reading of the examples in the chapter, what would be the best use of RFID for a business? A) transactions B) supply chain management C) lowering network costs D) enabling client communication Answer: B Diff: 2 Page Ref: 282-283 AACSB: Analytic skills CASE: Evaluation Objective: 7.5
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71) The ________ is special software that routes and manages communications on the network and coordinates networks resources. Answer: network operating system Diff: 2 Page Ref: 250 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 72) A(n) ________ is a device that forwards packets of data through different networks, ensuring that the data gets to the right address. Answer: router Diff: 2 Page Ref: 250-251 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 73) Prior to the development of ________, computer networks used leased, dedicated telephone circuits to communicate with other computers in remote locations. Answer: packet switching Diff: 2 Page Ref: 252 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.1 74) A(n) ________ signal is a discrete, binary waveform that transmits data coded into two discrete states such as 1-bits and 0-bits. Answer: digital Diff: 2 Page Ref: 254 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2 75) ________ is the manner in which the components of a network are connected. Answer: Topology Diff: 2 Page Ref: 256 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2 76) ________ is the dominant LAN standard at the physical network level. Answer: Ethernet Diff: 2 Page Ref: 256 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.2
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77) A(n) ________ is a commercial organization with a permanent connection to the Internet that sells temporary connections to retail subscribers. Answer: Internet service provider Diff: 2 Page Ref: 260 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 78) The backbone networks of the Internet are typically owned by long-distance telephone companies called ________. Answer: network service providers Diff: 2 Page Ref: 261 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 79) A(n) ________ is software for locating and managing stored Web pages. Answer: Web server Diff: 2 Page Ref: 271 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.3 80) A(n) ________ is a box consisting of a radio receiver/transmitter and antennas that links to a wired network, router, or hub. Answer: access point Diff: 2 Page Ref: 280 AACSB: Use of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 7.4 81) How does packet switching work? Answer: Packet switching is a method of slicing digital messages into parcels called packets, sending the packets along different communication paths as they become available, and then reassembling the packets once they arrive at their destinations. Packet switching makes much more efficient use of the communications capacity of a network than did circuit-switching. In packet-switched networks, messages are first broken down into small fixed bundles of data called packets. The packets include information for directing the packet to the right address and for checking transmission errors along with the data. The packets are transmitted over various communications channels using routers, each packet traveling independently. Packets of data originating at one source will be routed through many different paths and networks before being reassembled into the original message when they reach their destinations. Diff: 2 Page Ref: 252 AACSB: Analytic skills CASE: Analysis Objective: 7.1
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82) Identify the layers of the Department of Defense reference model for TCP/IP, and describe how this model works. Answer: The application layer enables client application programs to access the other layers and defines the protocols that applications use to exchange data. One of these application protocols is the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which is used to transfer Web page files. The transport layer is responsible for providing the application layer with communication and packet services. This layer includes TCP and other protocols. The Internet layer is responsible for addressing, routing, and packaging data packets called IP datagrams. The Internet Protocol is one of the protocols used in this layer. At the bottom of the reference model, the network interface layer is responsible for placing packets on and receiving them from the network medium, which could be any networking technology. Data sent from one computer to the other passes downward through all four layers, starting with the sending computer's application layer and passing through the network interface layer. After the data reach the recipient host computer, they travel up the layers and are reassembled into a format the receiving computer can use. If the receiving computer finds a damaged packet, it asks the sending computer to retransmit it. This process is reversed when the receiving computer responds. Diff: 3 Page Ref: 253-254 AACSB: Analytic skills CASE: Analysis Objective: 7.1 83) You have been hired by a tax preparation firm to set up a network connecting several new branches in a metropolitan area. What type of network hardware and transmission media will you choose and why? Answer: Because of security issues, I wouldn't choose wireless transmission. The offices themselves can each have an Ethernet-based LAN, and they can connect to each other and to an Intranet via a secure, encrypted VPN over the Internet. Network hardware anticipated is: coaxial cable, network server, a switch. Because the LANs will be connected through a VPN, a router may not be needed. In anticipation of the need for a lot of data transmission, the connection to the Internet will be through cable modems. A firewall, or several, for security purposes is anticipated. Diff: 3 Page Ref: 255-259 AACSB: Analytic skills CASE: Evaluation Objective: 7.2
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84) You have been hired by a small new Web design firm to set up a network for its single office location. The network is primarily needed for exchanging files, accessing and managing beta Web sites on their Web server, and connecting to the Internet. The firm hires many freelancers who come into the office on an ad-hoc basis and it does not have a lot of money to spend on infrastructure. What type of network will you recommend? Answer: I would recommend a mixed Ethernet and wireless network. The Ethernet LAN would connect the Web servers and primary workstations and connect via cable service to the Internet. Freelancers could connect wirelessly via access points. Diff: 3 Page Ref: 249-250 AACSB: Analytic skills CASE: Evaluation Objective: 7.2 85) What types of capabilities does the Internet provide businesses and what Internet protocols or technologies support these? Which have proven the most valuable to businesses thus far? Answer: The Internet provides ways to transfer files (FTP), work on remote computers (Telnet), distribute information in the form of pages (The Web), have real-time text-based conversations (instant messaging, chat), collaborate (wikis), communicate and share data with suppliers (extranets, Web-based applications), conduct group discussions (newsgroups), real-time voice conversations (chat, VOIP), send text messages (e-mail) and create lower cost networks (TCP/IP, extranets, intranets, VPN). Probably the two most important effects the Internet has had are the effects on network costs and ease of setting up a network using TCP/IP and Internet-based technologies, and e-mail, allowing near-instant documented messaging. E-mail has been a valuable alternative to post office mail. Diff: 2 Page Ref: 265-277 AACSB: Analytic skills CASE: Evaluation Objective: 7.3 86) What are the business advantages of using voice over IP (VoIP) technology? Answer: Business can lower costs by using the Internet to deliver voice information, avoiding the tolls charged by local and long-distance telephone networks. They can lower costs from not having to create a separate telephone network. VOIP enables communication by supporting Internet conference calls using video. VOIP also provides flexibility - phones can be added or moved to different offices without rewiring or reconfiguring the network. Diff: 2 Page Ref: 267-270 AACSB: Analytic skills CASE: Evaluation Objective: 7.3
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87) Describe and explain the idea of "network neutrality." Are you in favor of network neutrality? Why or why not? Answer: Network neutrality describes the current equal access by users to Internet bandwidth, regardless of the services they are using on the Internet. Network neutrality is the idea that Internet service providers must allow customers equal access to content and applications, regardless of the source or nature of the content. Presently, the Internet is indeed neutral: all Internet traffic is treated equally on a first-come, first-serve basis by Internet backbone owners. The Internet is neutral because it was built on phone lines, which are subject to common carriage' laws. These laws require phone companies to treat all calls and customers equally. For example, someone using the Internet to download large movie files pays the same rate as someone accessing their e-mail. Now telecommunications and cable companies want to be able to charge differentiated prices based on the amount of bandwidth consumed by content being delivered over the Internet. Student opinions will vary; one might be: I support network neutrality because the risk of censorship increases when network operators can selectively block or slow access to certain content. Diff: 2 Page Ref: 263-264 AACSB: Analytic skills CASE: Evaluation Objective: 7.3 88) Describe the current trends and movements in Internet technology and content. Answer: One upcoming change is the move to IPv6, a new addressing scheme that will allow for billions more addresses. Other technological changes are being worked on by Internet2 and Next-Generation Internet (NGI); consortia representing 200 universities, private businesses, and government agencies in the United States that are working on a new, robust, high-bandwidth version of the Internet. A current trend in Internet content is Web 2.0 Web 2.0, secondgeneration interactive Internet-based services that enable people to collaborate, share information, and create new services online like mashups, blogs, RSS, and wikis. With Web 2.0, the Web is not just a collection of destination sites but a source of data and services that can be combined to create applications users need. Web 2.0 software applications run on the Web itself instead of the desktop and bring the vision of Web-based computing closer to realization. Another potential change or trend in Internet content is the Web 3.0 or Semantic Web, a collaborative effort led by the World Wide Web Consortium to make Web searching more efficient by reducing the amount of human involvement in searching for and processing Web information. The Semantic Web is still in its infancy. Further development requires extensive work to establish specific meanings for data on the Web, categories for classifying the data, and relationships between classification categories. Once some of this work takes place, computers will be able to make more sense of the Web, intelligent agents will be capable of performing sophisticated search tasks, and data in Web pages will be able to be processed automatically. Another technological change can be seen in the way the Internet is being accessed. Mobile wireless broadband Internet access is the fastest-growing form of Internet access in 2008. Diff: 2 Page Ref: 265-274 AACSB: Analytic skills CASE: Analysis Objective: 7.3
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89) How are RFID systems used in inventory control and supply chain management? Answer: In inventory control and supply chain management, RFID systems capture and manage more detailed information about items in warehouses or in production than bar coding systems. If a large number of items are shipped together, RFID systems track each pallet, lot, or even unit item in the shipment. This technology may help companies improve receiving and storage operations by enhancing their ability to "see" exactly what stock is stored in warehouses or on retail store shelves. Diff: 1 Page Ref: 283 AACSB: Analytic skills CASE: Analysis Objective: 7.5 90) What are wireless sensor networks? How do they work and what are they used for? Answer: Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are networks of interconnected wireless devices that are embedded into the physical environment to provide measurements of many points over large spaces. These devices have built-in processing, storage, and radio frequency sensors and antennas. They are linked into an interconnected network that routes the data they capture to a computer for analysis. These networks range from hundreds to thousands of nodes. Because wireless sensor devices are placed in the field for years at a time without any maintenance or human intervention, they must have very low power requirements and batteries capable of lasting for years. Wireless sensor networks are valuable in areas such as monitoring environmental changes; monitoring traffic or military activity; protecting property; efficiently operating and managing machinery and vehicles; establishing security perimeters; monitoring supply chain management; or detecting chemical, biological, or radiological material. Diff: 1 Page Ref: 283-284 AACSB: Analytic skills CASE: Analysis Objective: 7.5
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