News Blog for 12/1

I think I have heard about the Brigadoon Bed & Breakfast hotel when I went to Connecticut. On Monday when the first group talked about the fire that caused financial damages, I was thinking that they can add one of those new candles that use battery called Flameless Wax Candle. They sell it at Brookstone, sharper image, and many other electronic stores. These candles are probably more convenient then buying new candles everytime. I understand that Brigadoon is trying to bring a more old style home feeling however I’m sure many customers will like the idea of Flameless Wax Candles because they don’t have to worry about fires and replace the candles etc.

Once again we learned CRM is useful as a strategy to improve the financial status of this company. I think CRM is one of the most commons strategies to improve commerce. It’s very important to know what customers want and need. Just as I read in a recent article about Verizon Wireless opening its network to “any” device per: http://www.engadget.com/ 2007/11/27/verizon-wireless-opens-network-to-any-apps-any-device-in-2008/

This article basically states “Any device (including applications) tested and certified in VZW's new $20 Million test lab is fair game for use on their wireless network. In other words, Verizon becomes the data pipe, and nothing more for these new "bring-your-own" customers. It's too early to say if this is a watershed moment or not.” This is going to be effective early 2008. I think they are changing due to customer needs. It hasn’t been using Android software platforms which it will accept. Also there is a lot of competition out there such as the iPhone. I think the next step for Verizon should be using SIM cards like Tmobile and other providers.

News Blog for 11/24

The class presentation on Monday was about Time Warner Cable and it’s problems. The presentation explained about fiber optics and how Time Warner and other companies are using it. I currently use Time Warner cable service but am still contemplating about the “bundle package” which offers telephone, internet, and cable service for $99. However I read and article about Time Warner losing customers in several local areas.

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2007/11/19/story2.html?ana=from_rss

Basically the article stated that Time Warner Cable lost 66,000 cable subscribers in its Dallas-area and Los Angeles markets in the third quarter. The company is aggressively trying to correct local problems. They hired about 300 new reps to help with customer service. I use Time Warner Cable but I feel that there aren’t that many problems with the internet; maybe the problems are only in local areas. However Time Warner does have a lot of competition for example Verizon, AT&T, and Echostar. I feel that Time Warner will have to come up with a resourceful strategy in order to beat the competition because they aren’t only competing in one area of business but several.

Individual Assignment for 11/17

Many businesses can use information aggregation especially e-businesses. I think that people selling antiques can use this way of business to promote their items. It’s sort of similar to social networking. It is difficult to determine the price of an antique because people have different opinions on how much they are worth. There is no set value for an antique; it’s basically what many people think and then that price will become the norm and sometimes the prices keep going up just like real estate.

How much do you think this antique is worth? You don't know if it's a real antique or fake antique. And even if you do know it's real and bought it, how do you know it's real worth until a customer decides to pay you a high amount for it. It can be worth $1000 but some people who don't know how to appreciate it won't even pay $50 for it. But using this business strategy similiar to that of eBay, the more bids the more people will think it's worth a good price.

Another business that can use information aggregation business is online diaries and blogs like xanga, myspace, facebook, etc. The more people join, the more popular the site will become and then even more people decide to join. I remember in highschool and beginning of college everyone used xanga. But then as time went by, my space came into the picture and now everyone I know has facebook. Items become more popular when people start using it and talking about it. Basically the most important hardware in this type of business is a computer with internet connection. More in depth, a database can be setup to improve networking. Like always there are problems in every type of businesses. The most common problem would be legal issues such as privacy issues with personal information being disclosed. Another problem with online businesses are the property rights.

News Blog for 11/17

This week the presentation on United Health Group was interesting to me because I work for Health First. Some of the problems stated are familiar to me. I think KeySurvey is a pretty good way to collect the information needed. This not only works for healthcare businesses but any other business out there. The groups mentioned about HIPAA and I just recently found out about that at work. When my supervisor called me into the room the other week, I thought I was in trouble but he just wanted to let me know about HIPAA and that I had to store the documents in locked cabinets before I leave work. And today I came across an article on the web about this interesting new software at http://blogstoday.com/technologlice/?loc+interstitialskip.

It’s a pen-sized scanner that scans in color and is quick. The name is Planon DocuPen RC800 pen scanner. I find this to be a very useful and portable piece of technology. I can bring it anywhere and scan notes, books, or interesting articles in the paper that I want to read later and not have to carry the paper or the heavy books. It’s very convenient. However there is one flaw that I though of. Since it is so portable, people can bring it to work and scan confidential documents. It is great that technology is growing so quick and being more efficient and portable but that also causes crimes to be done easier. Especially privacy matters just like those mentioned in class about HIPAA for the United Health Group and the presentation on McGraw-Hill about the Internet piracy.

News Blog for 11/10

This week in class we were talking about venture capitalists so I went online and found an interesting article about the top ten lies of venture capitalists (http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/01/the_top_ten_lie.html). I feel that venture capitalist just know how to talk and manipulate their subjects. They are convincing and never give a certain answer. In class when we came up with an idea and tried to promote it like a venture capitalist, I felt it was hard because there was so little time to think. But I really liked the idea of the finger as a credit card. It's convinent and also I feel that thieves cannot steal it and use it because fingerprints are very personal. I overheard a classmate say that somebody might get their fingers chopped off but I think that is highly unlikely cause I think a cashier can tell if the finger is distached that the credit card would be invalid. But there is one flaw; how would people make purchases online? If they can scan their fingerprint then there's a possibilty of theft through hacking and stealing the fingerprint to scan for future purchases. The GPS idea which won is not a bad idea either but I feel that the systems are already pretty useful. The part where the group said that when following cars, they can pinpoint the other cars is sort of unnecessary. I feel that if you guys are all going to one location, the GPS will have directions and getting lost from each other is highly unlikely; maybe one car will fall behind but the car will still reach the destination if it was set in the GPS system. In general I learned what a venture capitalist is in class and feel that everyone can be one as long as they work on their speech and persuasiveness.

News Blog for 11/03

This week when we did the auctions everything seemed familiar. I read a book about them before so I knew all the ones we did except the one where the bid would drop in intervals. I think that one favors the person who has the most money. Ebay is the most popular auction site but I went online and found a lot more, for example: national auction list, auctionfire, uBid,etc. However personally I rarely use ebay and other auction sites.

Last time for my individual assignment, I had to answer questions about profiting between the buyer and the seller. And I came across an article on website: http://www.securitymanagement.com/news/retailers-call-federal-regulation-online-auction-sites

Basically this article talks about thieves and how they can sell their stuff online through auctions like eBay. Therefore I can add to my answer last time. Who profits more also depends on how much the seller received the item for. I was trying to say that but I didn’t think of the example of a thief. There are no regulatory rules on ebay therefore many of the items can be stolen goods therefore called e-fencing. I think it’s hard to stop crimes all at once but we should come up with some rules for sellers especially if an item is brand new and they are selling in bulks.