Interview an IS manager within an organization. What types of information and knowledge discovery tools does the organization use? What does the organization seek to achieve with the aid of these discovery tools? What types of tools would be most useful to achieve what the organization seeks?

 

A new aspect of the business has been added to Campus Travel. Students can apply for a loan to help pay for their travels. However, loans for travel are available only to students who are traveling outside the country for at least two weeks. Since the costs for this type of international travel differ depending on how you travel, where you stay, and what you do at the destination, different loan packages are available. For a month in Europe, you have decided to take out a loan. You have already taken a look at several offers but are unsure whether you can afford it. Set up a spreadsheet to calculate the payments per month for the following situations:

â–  Two weeks in Eastern Europe; Price: $2,000; Interest Rate: 5.5%; Time: one year

â–  Two weeks in Western Europe; Price: $3,000; Interest Rate: 6.0%; Time: one year

â–  Three weeks in Eastern Europe; Price: $3,000; Interest Rate: 6.5%; Time: two years

â–  Three weeks in Western Europe; Price: $3,500; Interest Rate: 5.5%; Time: two years

â–  Four weeks in Eastern Europe; Price: $4,000; Interest Rate: 6.0%; Time: two years

â–  Four weeks in Western Europe; Price: $5,000; Interest Rate: 6.5%; Time: three years

         Once you have calculated the payments, calculate the total amount to be paid for each option as well as the total interest you would pay over the course of the loan. Make sure to use formulas for all calculations and print out a professionally formatted page displaying the results and a page displaying the formulas. (Hint: In Microsoft Excel, use the “PMT” function in the category “Financial” to calculate the payments. Use Ctrl+` [grave accent] to switch between formula and data views; calculate the number of payments before using the formula.)

 

Build a presentation using different cloud-based presentation software programs such as emaze.com, prezi.com, or Google Slides. To what extent does your experience differ from using presentation software installed on a computer, such as Microsoft PowerPoint? Where is your presentation stored? Which software would you use and why?

 

Campus Travel is currently evaluating the possibility of using an online spreadsheet as opposed to the traditional locally installed spreadsheet. There are a variety of issues involved in this decision. The company wants you to investigate the possibilities that are currently available while also paying special attention to the company requirements. Campus Travel has the following requirements: (1) the ability to share spreadsheets easily, (2) the ability to secure this information, (3) the ability to save the spreadsheets into other forms (i.e., CSV files), and (4) the ability to do work from anywhere in the world. Prepare the following information:

â–  On the Internet, find different options for online and traditional spreadsheets and list the available options.

â–  Using the company requirements, list the pros and cons for each spreadsheet option.

â–  Using an online spreadsheet, summarize the findings and provide a recommendation to the company. Present your findings with tables and/or graphs, if available.