Problem 1. [50 points] Select a consumer business that you feel is not likely to benefit (or does not now benefit) from the Internet (example: a small barber shop). The business should sell products or services to individuals. Your example does not have to be a real one but should be of a type that already exists in the physical world. (Note: a business can use the Internet without actually selling over the Internet.)

A) [10 points] Describe the example business and explain clearly why you think it is will not benefit from the Internet. (Suggested length: two paragraphs.)

B) [15 points] Describe three business processes that are used by the example business (such as: ordering supplies, advertising, processing payments, shipping goods, packing orders). Don’t just list the three processes. You must explain how they relate to the business. (Hint: it might help you to do a search on the Internet for businesses of the type you are considering.) (Suggested length: one paragraph per process.)

C) [15 points] For each of the processes you listed in part B), describe in detail a good way to implement it electronically using the Internet. (Suggested length: one paragraph per process.)

D) [10 points] Summarize in one paragraph how the example business could be improved by digitizing the business processes discussed in part C and by using the Internet. (Such as: increasing potential sales, reducing advertising costs, improving efficiency.) Be very specific.

Problem 2. [50 points]

In class we learned that the present 32-bit Internet Protocol (IP) address scheme is going to be expanded to 128 bits in the near future. Theoretically this is a large enough address space to address every atom on the surface of the Earth. What this means is that every object on the Earth could have an embedded computer chip with a unique Internet address. Then every object (and human) on Earth would be able to communicate with every other object (and human) on Earth.

A) [10 points] List five business processes that could be improved (or made electronic) if every object on Earth were individually addressable over the Internet.

B) [10 points] List five business opportunities that could be exploited under the plan above.

C) [10 points] Ten years after the introduction of such technology worldwide (say 2015), estimate the number of messages per day that would be carried over the Internet. (You may estimate either packets or whole messages, but tell which you are measuring.)

D) [10 points] List five current types of business that would no longer exist in 2015 according to the plan above.

E) [10 points] Describe what type of business you believe would be the world's largest corporation (in revenue, profit or market capitalization -- your choice) in 2015 under this plan, and of course explain your choice. (Suggested length: one paragraph of description and one paragraph of justification.)

[10 points extra credit] The mass of the entire Earth is slightly less than 6 x 10²⁴ kilograms. Show mathematically that the number of atoms in all objects on the surface of the Earth is less than 2¹²⁸.