Harrah's Reflection

Harrah's Return on Investment: 62% =====Others: 23%

I think that might be enough said.

The only thing I want to discuss here is some things that I think Harrah's should do in moving forward.  There methods have obviously proven to be successful and they should continue to do what they are doing.  They have differentiated themselves as great properties for customers to visit because of their generous rewards programs.  I am a good example of a loyal customer, I pretty much only go to Harrah's properties because they seemingly offer the best rewards.  Kudos to them.

So the big topic of interest in the consultants suggestions for me was the argument over Quality or Quantity.  Here's my take.  I want both!  It seems that Harrah's does keep their quality customers content with their rewards programs as proven by the consultants, so I am not going to discuss much of that.  But my problem with the presentation was the fact that their rewards program does not seem to bring in the casual gambler.  The choice few that maybe gamble $20.  My goal with the rewards program would to get those people that gamble $20 to gamble $30.  If Harrah's can increase the amount of time that people are actually gambling, then it is a winning scenario just in the design of the slots and tables in general.  So next time someone orders a Long Island Iced Tea, give them the opportunity to sign up for the reward program and give them a $5 table voucher to get them sitting at a table.  Of course I would rather have 50 people gambling $1000 over 1000 people gambling $50, but let's be realistic and say that it is the same net effect.  Harrah's wins. 

Collecting data is what has given Harrah's an advantage, and if they get more customers to sign up and enter their information in the system, the advantage will improve and Harrah's wins again.  Even if they are only gambling $20, they are still a customer and still a data point to help Harrah's differentiate their data modeling system.

62% ROI!!! When can I start?

Pandora Reflection

As a C-level for the Pandora case, I was happy to hear some of the alternatives that the consultants produced.  I was pleased to see that all the alternatives produced a positive net increase in revenues.  I still was not convinced if these alternatives solve the problem at hand that I mentioned in my pre-class blog.  How is Pandora going to increase their net income?  This means increasing revenues without increasing costs or decreasing costs while maintaining revenues.

The suggested plan of action was to combine alternatives 2, 3, and 4.  These alternatives were to develop a mobile application, implement a tier structure, and usage of proper audio advertisements.  I agree that Pandora needs to implement those three alternatives, but I think if they were to combine those three, the first alternative of using social media should be used as well.   The amount of users of Pandora has increased consistently over the years, but is that a number that will consistently increase with competitors, such as Apple, finding new ways to break into Pandora's market share.  I think that if social media was used appropriately, the fact that it is free source of advertisement when people like songs and share with their friends.  It might be a reason for someone who has previously not been exposed to Pandora to check out what there is to offer. 

I don't think there is a question about the tier model option here, but it is just something that will flourish as Pandora uses the Audio Advertisements in correlation with the tier model.  I'm thinking that the tier model should be redesigned to appeal to people that listen for more than 40 hours because those are the customers that Pandora wants to keep.  Maybe offer a tiered pricing system that correlates with the amount of hours that a user listens to Pandora.  Keep your loyal customers happy, save them money, and provide them the opportunity to continue to explore their musical interests in a way where they feel they are saving money.

As for audio advertisements, my suggestion as a C-level was to flood the free service with them because people will then understand that this is why it is free.  People will not be upset, they will just understand that they need to pay for Pandora if it is such an issue.  ALL FREE SERVICES HAVE ADVERTISEMENTS!  Freemium is something that Pandora needs to leave in the past if they want to be a company that stays with us.  I believe that the amount of data that Pandora has collected to link songs/artists of similar tastes be listened to/ discovered/ exposed to the general public in a way that users demand.  Being a first mover into this market should not be looked at like a disadvantage.

Selling the company = Not an Option! Bottom line.

Overall, I feel that Pandora needs to change there business plan.  I got a feeling that the thing that has been holding Pandora back is the fact that the owner wants to maintain a serendipitous listening experience.  This isn't Napster, this isn't free radio, this is the music industry.  Consumers need to understand that the artists that produce the music they listen to and enjoy  need to make money as well.

Bet on Harrahs

I really enjoyed reading this case study about Harrah's because I am a frequent gambler and I do receive many offers from Harrah's properties.  Being that I do live within 45 minutes of Atlantic City, where there are numerous Harrah's properties, I do visit them frequently.  I always wondered why it was the Total Rewards program that was the one that kept on sending me free room offers and free play money.  This case validates the main reason: data warehousing.

Being that I hold a degree in Mathematics, I understand that casino games are in favor of the casino.  If this was not the case, casinos would not exist.  This case does not focus on the inherit profitability that exists with people gambling, it more so focuses on the marketing plan that Harrah's employs.  If Harrah's is expected to make 10 cents on every customer per visit, then it would only make sense to increase the amount of times that a customer visits.  The case states that the success of Harrah's is more based on software than it is hardware, which means that the market analysis is much more important than the actual games that exist in the casino.

It makes me wonder why they always offer me a free room on days Sunday through Thursday.  Duh! I wouldn't normally go down there on those days, but if they bait me into spending my $60 in free slot play, I will certainly take a trip down and take my chances.  Free food, free rooms, free shows... WHY NOT?!?

We are talking about large numbers here.  Being that Harrah's operates in every single place that casinos can operate, it only makes sense to increase the efficiency of their marketing plan to draw patrons to their casinos.  It's not about winning or losing while playing the games because casinos always win when we talk about an extended period of game play and expand that over a larger amount of customers.  The numbers do not lie!  The games are designed that way.  Card counting is a fallacy, only the most brilliant minds can perform such a feat.  As stated in the case, Harrah's market plan has increased the amount of visits per person by nearly half a visit per month (and this doesn't mean that you got in a fight with your spouse halfway down to AC and turned back to go home).  This means millions/billions of revenue that Harrah's can potentially generate.  Sorry, not potentially... indefinitely!

I like spending the Total Rewards points on a free meal at a 5 star restaurant that is located exclusively at a Harrah's property, but then I also like to take numerous pit stops at the tables to test my luck.  NUMEROUS!!  I am a loyal patron to Harrah's and it is because they keep in touch with me because their mailings.  I almost feel obligated to continue playing a Harrah's because I do not want the rewards to stop coming.  Good Job Harrah's! You make me want to work for you.

Oh yeah, my gambling statement did not come up as a loss this year! ; )

Pandora: Helping people find music they love...

As an avid music lover, the birth of Pandora was something that I took in with great appreciation.  I was once a subscriber to Sirius radio because I liked being able to choose what type of music I wanted to listen to when I was in the car.  Whether it was jazz, alternative, or simply just 90's music; satellite radio offered something that that air radio could not.  I was willing to pay for the subscription fee because that offered the opportunity to listen to commercial-free radio.  But when Pandora began, paired up with the flourishing sales of smartphones, it offered the chance to listen to not only your favorite band, but bands that are just like your favorite band on any PDA without a problem.  This introduced me to some music that I would have never heard of if I was listening to radio other than Pandora.  After all, 52% of music that is playing through Pandora is music of unsigned artists.  There's one thing that really makes a music lover happy besides listening to good music, and that's listening to good music that you have never heard before.

With that said, Pandora is sitting in a position where they need to make some decisions relative to making profits because there is seemingly a dramatic increase in the amount of cash that needs to be dished out in royalty fees.  The company is already operating at a point where there has been no dramatic change in net income.   In other words, the more users that Pandora acquires, the more revenues are generated, but this is in direct proportion to the amount of costs that are incurred.  It seems that Pandora needs to make a change to their business plan to counteract this synchronicity. 

So how can Pandora increase its revenues without increasing its costs? Or, similarly, how can Pandora low its costs without jeopardizing a decrease in revenue? 

My first thought was to improve the interface of Pandora.  Being that 93% of their revenue is generated from advertisements, it could be a good idea to advertise some more.  Helping people find music they love is what Pandora specializes in, so why not continue that model?!  So what do music lovers like to do besides listen to music?  How about attend live music so they can see their favorite artists perform?  I know I would like to have an option to click away on a tab that lets me view when the artist of a certain song will be touring in my area so I can see them live.  I am not sure of the functionality of this option, but I can see having a link that automatically searches the band or artist on livenation.com or even ticketmaster.com in your given location.  This type of partnership would not change the functionality of Pandora, but it would potentially drive more customers to buy tickets to concerts of bands they love.  This might increase the revenue side.

Then my second thought was one that aligned with what I stated in the first paragraph and that's the fact that music lovers like to hear good music that they never heard before.  Let's just say that I wanted to plug in Bob Marley into my Pandora and listen to reggae.  Sure, I'll get to listen to some Bob, maybe it will lead me to some Toots & the Maytals, or some UB40.  These are all artists that we expect to get led to.  What if Pandora threw in a wildcard every here and there?  Some band or artist that is up-and-coming that is not well known at all.  For someone like me; I would stop, look at my Pandora, and inquire about this song that I never heard of.  In essence, this creates more interaction with the Pandora platform, potentially creating more revenues.  But revenues would not be the main thing here, it's the reduction in the royalty fees that need to be paid out to the artists.  An up-and-coming band does not need to be paid as much, driving the costs down.  This does not need to happen frequently, maybe one new song for every ten played.  Plus, if a user does not like the song, they have the option to click the next button.  The big picture here is that if 10% of the royalty fees are reduced, we might be able to see a sustainable increase in Net Income without jeopardizing the functionality of the Pandora platform.  Maybe it will create more value to music lovers!

The other point that I want to make here is that there has to be some value in the massive amount of data that Pandora has acquired from their users.  Being a first mover in this industry has enabled them to collect what demographic likes what type of music.  This has to be able to be used in a way that can create more value to its customers.  I look forward to hearing something about this in the presentation today.

Thanks.

Bombardier Reflection

After attending the consultants presentation for Bombardier, I have a greater sense of all the components necessary for the proper implementation of an ERP system.  I really believe that the connection between the Project Management Team and the end users is the essential key to success of any ERP system.  Without this cohesion, any new technology or management approach risks the chances of not being used to their full potential.  We all know that all new technology has more advantages than disadvantages because it would not make it past its development phases if it did not offer a greater upside.  The problem that I see reoccuring is that the human capital involved is not always up to task in learning and utilizing these new avenues to make their daily work activities significantly easier.  This causes a certain lag period where a new ERP system will not be used to its full potential for an uncertain amount of time.  This may result in lost revenues, which is obviously a reason why any management team would stay the course and continue to operate as is.

The consultancy team did a very good job in analyzing all the different soltuions to the problems that persisted with Bombardier as they took the journey in implementing a new ERP system.  THe part of the presentation that correlates with my initial reaction after reading the case study is the request to diversify the project support team.  This goes along with my excitement because there is an indefinite need for support and education professionals with the goal of making a smooth transition to a new ERP system because on board employees are significantly less expensive than consultants.  Teachers are paid an average of $50K in the state of New Jersey and their job duties, in essence, are to shorten the learning curve.  If these efforts can be focused of tech knowledge and program specific training modules, that annual teacher salary will look miniscule if we look at the costs that will be avoided by getting employees on board more rapidly and by resolving issues in a more timely manner.  The next step for me is to gain these skills and  product knowledge to be able to teach how to use these new programs and be able troubleshoot any problems that may persist.  I believe that we are heading in a direction where all companies will be moving away from their old methods and moving to ERP systems and other tech savvy solutions, so why not have an education portal that makes these transitions more fluent? 

MS Project Reflection

My expectations of Microsoft Project Professional were very high as I downloaded to program.  I was expecting a program included all the necessary components necessary to complete a project accompanied by lots of accessories that make the completion easier and more efficient.  Although I did not have a sufficient amount of time to really dive into the whole program, I did notice that it did include components that can be used to plan out the time of a project, how resources should be allocated in the project, duration estimate of each task, and many other aspects that I have never seen offered in a software application.  Being that I have never seen anything like this before, I was impressed to see a software application that performed tasks that assisted project managers in developing plans, assigning resources to tasks, managing budgets, and many other components that take place in a “project.”  I feel that if I was to be put in a position where I was responsible for a project from start to finish, I would love to have a resource such as Microsoft Project to guide me along the way because I feel it has the ability to order my thought process and organize these thoughts in a manner that can be executed with efficiency.  I appreciate the fact that it is a Microsoft product because it can easily be integrated into all the other Microsoft products that are available, such as Powerpoint and Excel, so that people feel more comfortable with using Microsoft Project.  The interface is similar to all the Microsoft Office products, which makes learning it a little easier for someone who is already exposed to MS Office.

But let’s get realistic here.  Being that one of the main tasks of Project is to make project management easier.  I know Microsoft does not make crappy or irrelevant products, so I know that Microsoft Project will do all the things necessary to manage a project in a user-friendly manner.  But the question that I was asking during my trial was does it create value to the people that are actually going to use it?  I looked up some comments on what people had to say that was a disadvantage to Microsoft Project and here’s what I got:

-there’s a steep learning curve.

-there’s a generic focus.

-there’s no collaboration.

-it’s a desktop/ offline application.

-it has some compatibility issues.

Of those five main concerns, I think the one that catches my eye is the fact that there is no collaboration.  I say this because when I think of Project Management, I think of constant and ongoing communication between the parties involved in the project.  Being that there is no outlet for this offered in MS Project, it would require a collaboration platform (an added expense) to act as a complement.  We all know that a single license for Microsoft Developer programs run about $500/license, which is rather steep for something that may serve as something that replaces the planner in your briefcase.  So why not add another expense because our new software does not perform EVERYTHING we need it to. I would imagine that any successful project manager would almost be insulted to have someone tell them to use a new software application to be able to complete a project from start to finish.  One thing that I have learned from many of my case studies this semester is that people are very resistant to change, especially if they believe that there is nothing wrong with what they are doing currently.  For a new software application to be successful, it needs to be flawless.

So who do I believe are the people that would benefit mostly from something like MS Project?  My current answer would be companies that include a small amount of employees, or simply a start-up company.  If everyone is on the same page and all parties understand their duties, I think MS Project would work wonders for them.  But then again, small companies and start-ups might not have the funds to make the investment in MS Project.  Maybe a group of business consultants can use it to plan out all their research or their next presentation and execute it in a more timely fashion so money is not lost there. 

Overall, I think that MS Project is something that can eventually catch on, but I believe it still needs some time to really gain momentum.  Cloud computing is still at a young age, once interconnectivity gains more respect, I see MS Project including a way to have everyone in a large company collaborating in a way that breeds productivity.

Bombardier being bombarded by ERP

After reading the case about Bombardier and their journey of implementing a new ERP system, my initial reaction was one that was overwhelmed and excited at the same time.  Bombardier is a huge company that operates multiple facet of business, mostly focusing on aerospace.  But whenever the description of all the different business processes that are included with launched and new ERP system to a company so large, I almost wanted to start my own business that competes with Bombardier because it seemed almost impossible to make the change.  That was the overwhelmed part of me.  All the data quality issues and technical difficulties are one thing, but the general philosophy of any business changes upon an implemetation of such a scale and this is not to mention the trickle down effect that the new system has on employees that were once comfortable and now are in disarray.

That's where the excited part comes about.  Being that I am involved in the e-learning enviroment.  In the case, it is mentioned that the training modules developed for employees "provided too much information in a short period of time."  This is where my skills and confidence as a teacher start to get tickled because I feel that I could develop lessons that can assist employees in learning new technologies in a cost effective manner.  Bombardier hired a third party to develop training material and it seems that they are not content with the services.  I am an educator that does not want to be in the classroom and I am obtaining my MBA to get into the business side of education.  This gets me excited because it has made me aware that there is opportunity to get into the business side of business education, if you know what I mean.  Maybe in the birth of all of this new technology and interconnectivity, the new thing is really going to be training provided for all these new things.  IDEAS IDEAS IDEAS!

Accenture Reflection

The group of consultants seemed very well prepared for their presentation and had a very good sense of what they were trying to accomplish.  It was a convincing argument and I enjoyed being in the class to observe.  It has been a busy month preparing lessons for the startup website that I am working for so I did not have much time to review the case as observed in my initial preparation blog.  I feel as I may have been preparing for some other case as I walked in the class.
  But when I was observing the group as they presented, I was delightfully surprised that they were dressed well, presented information that I did not just pick up from reading the case, and seemed to present the information in a fluent team-based manner.  No wonder why Professor Peterson commented that the bar has been raised.  Chances for success are increased and thorough preparation and confident delivery.  Good job overall!

Accenture

After reading the case study on Accenture, my key takeaway is that it was a great decision for Accenture to operate their IT infrastructure as its own segment rather than as a cost center.  This might have been a risky decision for the company during the big tech boom of 2001, but all the numbers point to good things.  Even though they were not viewing their IT portion of their business as a cost center, the costs of operating their IT structure has significantly decreased and sponsors have become very happy. 

I am a little confused on the few options that are being presented and look forward to hearing them debated tonight in class.  In my opinion, Accenture has made the right decisions and took the oppurtunity to implement an ERP at  a time that has proven to be approriate.  I am all for ERP's because I do believe they offer many advantages that companies can take advantage of and other opportunities where they didn't even know existed until the ERP implementation.

Suicide Ubuntu Squeeze

Ubuntu is a word that I was previously unaware of.  My professional experience has provided me with the opportunity to work with some of the newest Windows OS's and some of the oldest.  Coming from public education, it's rare to have hardware that is even worth upgrading.  This goes without saying that people or users are very resistant to change.  In some cases, people are not even willing to learn the Apple IOS because they are only familiar with Windows.  With this said, trying to place Ubuntu in the conversation with it's two giant predecessors is like saying the NY Mets will win the World Series next year.

Although this is my perspective on inserting a new operating system into the conversation with Windows and Apple, I was very impressed with some aspects of Ubuntu that I realized were superior to the other existing OS's.

The first aspect was that Ubuntu offers comprehensive software updates.  In today's computer world, security vulnerabilities are coming from third-party applications, Windows and Mac machines are at significant risk because they run lots of these apps and those apps aren’t always updated automatically, which leaves the machines open to attacks.  Ubuntu couteracts this threat by having a centralized repository of applications that continually updates only approved applications.  This protects against such threats.  I just remember whenever I have had problems with my computers in the past, it has been because I did not keep my operating system completely up-to-date, which left my computer vunerable to viruses and other threats.  This alone could be a reason to switch to Ubuntu.

The second aspect that I saw that was quyite appealing was their app store.  Applicatios are what is going to drive the success of any OS these days with these fast growth of PDA's and creation of apps that prove to be useful in many aspects.  When I was browsing through, I felt it was seemless in a way that compared, if not superceded, the Windows and Apple OS's.

Overall, switching to Ubuntu would prove to be a difficult task for any company because many workers are resistant to change.  Are the advantages of Ubuntu great enough for makng the switch for any company?  I don't see that yet.  I feel it is like telling someone to drink this new and better tasting cola when people think Coke and Pepsi are the superior brands.  This is a tough switch.

Zara Reflection

After seeing the presentation by the consultants for Zara, I might have changed my mind about what action the executives from Zara must take.  In my prior blog, I said that Zara needs to take action immediately because the risk of having their ancient POS system deemed irrelevant. 

These were my thoughts before entering class last week, but my suggestions may have been modified after learning some more information about Zara.  I do agree that most companies should upgrade their POS and IT systems if they are operating on something that is older than I am, but if the infrastructure of a certain company is not extremely complex, working on a simple and user friendly system can work just fine for what that company needs it for.

I told the story in class of how I was given the opportunity to try and sell a new POS system to liquor stores in Colorado, but I quickly found out that many businesses are not willing to spend the extra cash on a newer system that performs the same operations as their out-dated one.  Sure, there are many advantages to all the new POS systems, but is it going to help the business grow and thrive?  With Zara, I'm not really sure if they need something new.

If Zara was not operating on DOS, my thoughts would be solidified because there would be no need to upgrade to one of the newer systems.  After all, Zara just keeps track of sales and inventory on their current system.  I still believe that Zara needs to upgrade to a newer system just because there is no support for DOS available anymore.  But if this was not the case, I think this is a situation where "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" 

The main question that I see coming up frequently in most of these cases is "Are the risks greater than the rewards?"  With Zara, the risks may supercede the gain in revenues, so maybe this is actually a do nothing case.

1800JUNKVAN Reflection

Although I was not in the class to see the presentation, I have view the slides presented and appreciate the pros and cons list.  It was along the lines of the reasoning that I had initially perceived and their reccomendations are along the same lines as mine.  I will do a better job refelcting on a case that I will actually see this Tuesday.

Zara

I am going to keep this one nice and short.

Zara is a clothing company that coins itself on having the freshest, newest, and most stylish inventory of any other clothing line.  It seems that this is their sustainable advantage because their stores are predominantly located on the most popular streets in the most popular cities, bringing in the trendiest crowds.

Being that fresh inventory is seemingly the staple of Zara's business model, having their IT solutions provided by a system that runs off of DOS could prove to become a core rigidity.  The simplicity of the system has worked up to this point, but with the treat of losing hardware support and Microsoft not deciding to support DOS anymore could prove to have more risk than reward.

Just imagine if Zara lost all hardware support and the potential lost sales in the time it would take to recover.  I really do not see the solution to this case as a "do nothing" solution because the losses incurred in the worst-case-scenario can be detrimental to the company's future. 

Two main issues with the current system under DOS:

1.) The PDA's and the POS do not share information.

2.) Inventory Balnces can not be looked up.

I have not heard of anyone using floppy disks since I was in elementary school and this case is not that old.  With unlimited storage space available through the Internet, there is no reason a business should not be using this avenue to manage their data.  There won't be any lost floppys anymore, the time to upload the information would be cut drastically, and the Zara central offices would be informed about inventory on cue.  In other words, the room for error is reduced significantly by updating their POS system to something other than DOS.  Plus, looking at Zara's financial performance, it does not look like they are losing any momentum with years of consecutive growth.

With such growth, the risk of continually operating on a DOS system becomes multiplied exponentially.  Plus, the other issue of not being able to look up inventory balances becomes a more significant issue beign that Zara likes to have the freshest inventory in their stores.  Just imagine all of the stores are linked to a central inventory system that can be viewed by decision makers and all the apporpriate apparel can be stocked more appropriately in the most appropriate stores in a manner that does not include going through the store and manually counting what is still on the racks.

I have a little experience with managing POS systems.  I worked in Colorado trying to convert a system that was designed for the medical dispensaries to become functional for any small businesses.  The aspect that I had most experience in was trying to get this POS system into liquor stores.  This system offered everything from payroll, inventory, and all other aspects included in running a small business while it also funneled the information into financial reports.  This was all done in a live manner where managers could access the business' database and view the progress remotely.  Sounds like something like this could be used for Zara.  Since I know that one liquor store on this system costs a nominal monthly fee of $109, I don't see why one Zara store could be operated costing the same. 

If you want to check out the company I worked for, it is <adilas.biz>.  It's based out of Salida, CO and it stands for "all data is live and searchable" or just Salida backwards.

Zara need to change!

1800JUNKVAN

After being thrown immediately into action as a consultant in my Strategic Information Systems class, I have grown interested in the format of how each class will be conducted.  Simulating the scenario that exixts where business consultants meet with C-level executives seemed to create value to our class, my group, and myself by providing us with the exposure to this exact scenario that would exist if a meeting like this would take place.  I feel that my group presented the pressing issues faced by Proctor & Gamble and suggested a viable solution with confidence.  The only aspect that I believe hurt us in our presentation was the lack of support in the advantages of the current paper-based system.  Although the whole "do nothing" poses as a solution that may present the least risk, I don't think it was detrimental to our consultancy because our suggestion was to throw the whole paper-based system out and move on to the EDC.  By supporting the paper-based system as the least risky would void our suggestion completely. 

I look forward to seeing how the consultants present their information regarding 1800JUNKVAN because I see a similar scenario that we presented in regarding P&G.  How should this company upgrade their current business process to maximize efficiency without causing too much noise in each aspect of the operations?  Is the whole "do nothing" option a viable one here as well?  Each option that was presented in the case study had a learning curve in the implementation period, but each option also offered a reduction in data inefficiencies.  For me, the obvious answer to the problems would to use an Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) because it offers more advantages than the others claiming "to integrate business processes by covering every aspect of the business.  But again, this might be because of our current knowledge, not the knowledge that existed when Kingo was required to make this decision.  We have seen companies use programs such as SAP Business One succesfully and these platforms are considered sound operations platforms by many companies today.  But again, these platforms were still young at the time of Kingo's decision so this would be a risky decision for him that he would probably lose sleep over.

Being that I will be in the audience, I look forward to seeing the business processes mapped out by the consultants so we can see where the inefficiencies exist with their current operations.  I would assume that each option will be evaluated thoroughly with a discussion on the advantages and shortfalls of each option.

 The parts of the case that seem like the most pertinent issues are:
-the companies growth is superceding their capabilities causing lapses.
-phone calls of complaining customers.
-the necessity to upgrade to an easy-to-use system that is reliable.

With those issues, 1800JUNKVAN is looking at a scenario where they will not be able to expand efficiently and where they risk the chance of losing loyal customers.  Being there are many options for junk removal, noting competitors such as 1800gotjunk, the market seems to be very sensitive to price.  Losing loyal customers should be a main concern for Kingo as well as keeping the cost down to remain competitive.  These two things seem to vary indirectly because if Kingo choses the better, more costly option, it may require to raise the standard price for a customer (this should not be considered an option).

I think the most valuable exhibit that I would like to see is the potential revenues that are being lost due to these data inefficiencies.  Is that number large enough to make the move to a more costly system?  In trying to put together the numbers for P&G, I tried to put together a cost analysis, but fell short on a couple aspects that may have caused numbers to look a little "fudged".  But for purposes of making the decision, numbers are the most attractive to a C-level executive.  SHOW ME THE MONEY! 

The fortune teller side of me sees 6 swim lanes with each option presented in a parallel fashion, allowing us to compare each option in a side-by-side fashion.  The goal here is to obtain 100% data efficiency.  Maybe a statistic that is representative of success rate (%) for each business process to help us understand the success rate of data transfers with each option.  If this is presented in correlation with customer satisfaction, this result alone might be powerful enough to convince any C-level executive to make a move to the most efficient option.  I look forward to it. 

Advantages to Using Visio

As a required assignment to my Strategic Information Systems class at Montclair State University, we were asked to download Microsoft Visio and take the initial tour of all the functionalities of the software.  Being that I was lucky enough to be a part of the first group to serve as consultants, I took it upon myself to create some organizational charts relative to the Electronic Data Capture system that P&G uses to complete their clinical trials for investigative new drugs.  Here's what I came up with.

 As you can see, I was able to construct two very fluent and informative flow charts to explain some vital information about the Electronic Data Capture system that P&G employs.  Visio allowed me to select different colors to add fluidity to my charts and the creative freedom to organize my thought process.

But I am not here to show off my computer skills and how quickly I can learn a certain Microsoft program, although this may help to mention on some job interviews.  I am here to praise the functionality of Microsoft Visio.  Coming from an educational background with a number of years teaching in a public school classroom, I see perpetual use to Microsoft Visio in creating visual aids to all types of learners, especially the visual ones.  Statistics state that the percent of learners who consider themselves visual is upwards of 65%.  Visio is the tool that maximizes the potential to create supplementary materials for nearly every educational topic, requiring a small sense of creativity.

I literally just took approximately five minutes to create a flow chart for the categorization of quadrilaterals for any geometry class.  I am so impressed with how simple Visio makes these efforts.

Although Powerpoint now has the capabilities to create flow chart, it does not seem to have the "user-friendly" aura that Visio offers for these types of charts.  The world of education should already be using resources such as Visio to save time in lesson preparation, to exhibit information in a simple and concise manner, and to present a majority of visual learners with an exhibit that helps them retain the information more fluently.  I say all this with disregard to the current budget crisis that most schools are facing knowing that a school district would rather keep one more custodian on staff than to obtain a license for some Microsoft developer software.  This is another issue that I have with the world of education... it's more of a "get by with the resources available" when it should be "what is the best way to deliver this material to maximize student learning?"  Teachers are creative and they have the potential to increase student achievement if they make the effort to implement so cutting-edge software and other resources. 

So what I am saying is that if I had access to Microsoft Visio when I was teaching high school geometry, my lessons would include more functional, more appropriate, more visually attractive learning supplements that offer the potential to help my students, my school, and colleagues. 

So how do we get teachers to use new software to recreate educational material in a more approriate manner?  This is a question of whether school budgets will allow this and whether teachers are willing to break away with the methods that they have grown comfortable with.

Good Luck Blogger!

"It doesn't seem like blogs have as much "power" as they used to, especially with the ease and speed of sources like Twitter and Facebook. Most important, however, I don't have the passion for the blog that I once did. While I will surely miss hearing from the authors I've learned so much from, I think I will find other ways to interact." http://www.jessicaschley.com/2012/04/are-blogs-thing-of-past.html

 

I posted a caption from this source because I agree with what is being said by this author. I believe that blogs can be a great tool to share some of your greatest thoughts and ideas, but there are many other tools that seem to have the "trump card" on blogs. To me, blogs are long-winded and tend to share too much information with the public. With the rise of all the social media resources, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., there are more efficient and better directed avenues that one can take to connect with peers or coworkers over the internet and/or take a creative wander through your thoughts. With so much information being thrown at us electronically these days, there is hardly time to read 150 characters (as per Twitter). If the goal of your blog is to have an audience read it and comment on it, why would you write anything more than just a concise thought? conversation starter? pressing issue?

 

A blog takes consistent maintenance, fluency, and creativity to gain any sort of following. If these aspects are non-existent in your blog, it is near worthless to read. This also depends on whether you decide to make your blog private or public. I also feel that most blogs have no direction or thesis and are just an accumulation of gallivanting thoughts or emotions typed by an author that wants the public to read and agree or disagree upon. We are Americans. We lose interest easy and move on quickly. If our attention is lost, a blog is just something that is taking up storage space.

 

With all that said, I do not believe that blogs are worthless. I see the advantages of them, but I do not believe that people are using them correctly. I have a friend that started a website related to cooking modern recipes and began a blog to get people reading about it. She definitely had her mother, her sisters, and her closest friends read it; but maybe nobody else outside of her inner circle. Blogs are a great way to connect people to you and your thoughts, but I see them as an ancillary tool to a person’s social media endeavors.  If you chose to go public with your blog, you should self-advertise via other social media tools, such as Twitter and Facebook, to gain more publicity.  If one obtains the desired amount of online traffic, then the pressure is on!  Maintain your blog, be creative, and write about things that are worth reading or lose your flowing to a blogger who grabs the attention of their followers. 

 

As for applying blogs to the business or office setting, I see danger.  I used to be a high school teacher and I have seen people fired for information made public on their Facebook accounts.  Obviously, an administrator does not want to see pictures of their favorite teacher doing inappropriate things, especially when their students or parents are their Facebook friends.  I see the same problem with blogs.  If the goal is to share some important thoughts or information, we should filter what gets submitted into the cyber world because you never know who is going to read your blog.  This again reinforces my notion that there are other sources out there that serve the same function as a blog and are a better alternative.  It is our nature to gossip and share too much information because we get excited, but sharing should be caring.  Caring as you should filter what is said on your blog because you never know who is reading each post, whose stealing your ideas, and whose desk a print out of your blog can end up on.

 

So I say that blogs on a grand scale are 80% worthless because people do not direct their thoughts in a manner that creates any value to the reader, therefore losing their attention.  As for the 20% that have potential value; these authors stay concise in their words, consistent in their thoughts and direction, and have a purpose that they are passionate about.  The two key things that a blogger must be concerned with is grabbing the attention of their audience and maintaining their attention.  This may be considered a part-time job!

Day One of Blogging

I never imagined that I would ever start a blog. I have always been a person that rejected new technology simply because the new technology becomes old before I ever get my hands on it.  For example, I bought the newest and clearest flat screen tv a couple years back and a week later 3D televisions were released making my new technology not as flashy.  I see that new iPhones come out every year, so why would I spend the 500 dollars on the newest iPhone when the newest one will be old before we blink our eyes twice.

Another thing that deterred me from being interested in blogs is that I view them to have no personal value because I have not encountered any application in my life that has made a blog worth it.  Now that I am in an MBA program at Montclair State University, I am starting to change my opinion about the tools that are out there to connect me to the others hat may or may not exist in my world.  The program is designed to be a cohort, and the plan is to develop relationships with different classmates, all with different skill sets, and build lasting relationships that will prove to be valuable in the near and distant future.  So here I am sharing all my personal and professional thoughts with the Internet world.  We will see how it goes!

I chose the name virtuateachryan for the address of this blog because of my current interest in the world of educational technology.  I have a passion to improve education by utilizing the "new" technologies that have certainly surpassed the level of technology that is used in any educational setting.  My inspiration comes from being a high school math teacher and working in a school that was filled with new technology and a school that used no new technology.  I was supposed to write this blog before I started this class, so as I sit here now... My professor is using his computer to change the slides of the smart board projector when the smart board is designed to be a touch screen.  I am bothered by this because I know the potential of these screens and believe that if they are used to their full potential, the benefits will supercede anyone's stubbornness to stay with their old methods.
Not to contradict my earlier statements on not getting new technology, it is not whether the technology is new or not, it's whether the technology is being used to its maximum potential.

I currently work for a small startup company that has a goal to provide a free service to anyone with Internet service that functions as a video wikipedia.  There are obstacles that need to be tackled, and my workload is still young in regards to maturity, I will continually update on this blog how my progress with this startup is going as well as new ideas that are introduced to me as I coast through this MBA program at MSU.

Happy reading!