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Jacklin Altman wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 6 months ago
In an attempt to make videos “stickier” on social media, Facebook recently debuted its own video app called Riff. This Forbes article details the app and the logic behind it.
The way the app works is that users […] -
Dominic P Lyate wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 6 months ago
Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted today “Major new Tesla product line — not a car — will be unveiled at our Hawthorne Design Studio on Thurs 8pm, April 30″ and these few simple words have sent the media into a tizzy. What will it be? What does the mad genius have up his sleeve? Apparently, according to many outlets and this article, Musk & Co. are working on a home battery solution that can power all of your home electricity needs for a set period of time–all the while interfacing with SolarCity’s (of which Musk is Chairman) solar solutions to provide “free” electricity in perpetuity. I think it’s a great idea that offers a definitive value proposition. If they can get the launch right, and the cost low, I think it’ll reach many millions of households over the next decade. I think this home solution aims to disrupt the “commodity” status that power delivery companies have fallen into, and I can see this spurring some much needed innovation in the marketplace. What ramifications do you think this will have on power companies and their strategy moving forward? Do you see companies like PECO partnering with Tesla to provide these packs as a supplement rather than a “whole home” solution?
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Brittany M Cougle wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 6 months ago
This article talks about how Apple’s new Apple Watch could disrupt various industries, including the fitness wearable and luxury watch industries. Apple’s low-end Apple Watch Sport will likely disrupt the […]
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I do think that the watch industry is underestimating the apple watch a bit. I don’t think that it can compete with true luxury watches (Cartier, Rolex, etc), because if someone wants a watch covered in diamonds that they saw someone famous wearing, they aren’t gonna go for the Apple Watch. However, there is a bit of a cult surrounding Apple and everything they produce, so I think that a lot of people will buy an Apple Watch just because it’s an Apple product. I absolutely think the fitness wearables industry should be worried, as the Apple Watch Sport, if priced competitively, far outranks the competition in terms of functionality.
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I genuinly do not think that the Apple watch will disrupt the watch industry. Even though they are trying to with the Gold Apple Watch, I feel that they are two different customer bases. There is an art to a mechanical watch which a lot of customers see as value. I think if Apple is trying to disrupt the watch industry, then Tesla trying to attract customers who drive manual cars is a good analogy. Even though it is possible, I think we are very far from that occurring.
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I agree with Dan. I don’t believe Apple can disrupt the luxury watch market. A smartwatch has a life cycle, a watch by Rolex or Omega does not. You are expected to purchase a new smartwatch when the next iteration comes around, while the value of the luxury watch increases as it ages. Apple watches may be more functional, but no one buys a mechanical watch for it’s functionality.
As for the fitness wearable angle? I agree, Apple’s brand name in technology products can move mountains and this is one of them. -
I do not think Apple will disrupt the luxury watch industry because they are different customer segments. When I think of a luxury watch I think of high end classy watch that you would wear to work or if you are going somewhere nice. For Apple to create a luxury watch, thats more technologically based. The apple watch has a lot more functions and you can do a lot more. I think Apple will take away the meaning of a luxury watch. Its more for a fashion statement rather than a watch that does everything from a touch of a finger.
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I don’t think the luxury watch industry should feel threatened by Apple’s new watch. People who buy luxury watches, like Rolex, are going for a particular look or style, which Apple’s smart watch will not be able to compete with. Some luxury watches also appreciate in value over time while an Apple smart watch will only depreciate over time as its technology and capabilities become obsolete. Wearing this smart watch would also convey the wrong message over time. People wear luxury watches as a status symbol, a nice Rolex 20 years ago will most likely still be looked at as a fine watch now. Where as a first generation smart watch would be looked at as a low end watch.
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Jacklin Altman wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 6 months ago
I found this article where the author lists what he believes to be the top 5 risks for IT projects. They are as follows:
1. Other projects getting prioritized over yours, thus taking funding away.
2. […]
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Jacklin Altman wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 7 months ago
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I like the idea of detailing all of my accomplishments throughout the year and listing them out because I would be better prepared for my performance review and it is easier to keep track all of the accomplishments. Sometimes its hard to sit and think everything you have accomplished and of course your boss won’t remember everything you have accomplished because you are not the only one on the team.
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I like the idea of the self evaluation. It provides a back and forth conversation that allows you to counter negative aspects of your review. However, I can see it backfiring if your reviewer does not agree with your points and they may view it as you questioning their authority. In addition, when most people talk about their achievements, they blow them out of proportion resulting in less objectivity when it comes to self evaluations. What I think might be better for larger organizations is having several reviewers. More times than not, a person will work with a number of managers in a given year. It may be more objective to average the reviews of a number of managers so if a person is a consistently poor performer, there is verification from multiple sources.
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Jacklin L Altman created the doc Project Plan 9 years, 7 months ago
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Jacklin Altman wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 7 months ago
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You’ve raised a great point. I found the evaluation of information in real-time other than historically to be the most interesting and eye-opening; that is definitely beneficial to businesses. To answer your question (which actually prompted me to write my post on artificial intelligence), I have an answer that goes along with real-time monitoring. This article here (http://blog.xively.com/xively-infographic-future-of-the-iot/) provides an infographic on the future of IoT, and one key benefit for businesses (or, “doing good”) will be that “organizations will predictively meet business needs through intelligent, automated action driven by previously inaccessible insights from the physical world”. The example given was a refrigerator that has sensors in it connected to a scientific lab that is able to dispense enzymes for the purpose of accelerating experiments. The interconnectivity of devices allows the business to automatically recognize when revenue is created and restocking is needed, with the process ultimately allowing the devices to automatically predict upcoming experiments and alert scientists to new enzyme lines. This is just one of many examples of potential benefits (which would save money on operating expenses), and would also be an example of an application for a smart grid in a “smaller sense”.
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Dominic P Lyate changed their profile picture 9 years, 7 months ago
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Brittany M Cougle wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 7 months ago
This article talks about how Mark W. Johnson (Clayton Christensen’s business partner) says that disruptive innovation is not about being better than what currently exists. He says disruptive innovation “transforms a complicated, expensive product into one that is easier to use or is more affordable than the one most readily available.You know an innovation is disruptive when a new population has access to products and services that previously were only affordable for the few or the wealthy.”
A subset of disruptive innovations called catalytic innovations is introduced and described as “providing good-enough solutions to inadequately addressed social problems.” An example would be the MinuteClinic which provides affordable walk-in health services for common health problems. The idea of the MinuteClinic lead to the creation of other walk-in clinics that serve people who cannot afford health care.
As business students we usually focus on the profits to be earned from a new idea or technology, but I think it’s interesting to look at the social changes we can achieve. What other examples can you think of where disruptive innovation was used for social causes? How do you think disruptive innovation can be used for social change in the future?
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Though not as noble as the minute clinic, I think that personal health trackers (Nike+ FuelBand, FitBit, etc) are an example of disruptive innovation working to make things more accessible. Before these personal health trackers, people had to see dieticians and sleep specialists to learn if they were eating and sleeping well. Now, these trackers, which are conveniently worn on the wrist as a small bracelet, allow people to take control of their own health by tracking food intake, exercise, and sleep patterns for under $200, which is a one time cost just to buy the band. Everything else is conveniently linked up through a free app, thus making these health trackers a disruptive innovation that’s inciting some positive social change.
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Dominic P Lyate wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 7 months ago
In this article by Vikram Jandhyala and Will Ludlam of the Seattle Times, the role of collaboration in disruptive innovation is investigated. The authors argue that without collaboration, people become […]
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Arren Soroko wrote a new post on the site Arren Soroko 9 years, 7 months ago
My part-time role at Dorma is as an IT Service Delivery Specialist. Some of my daily responsibilities are tending to the Helpdesk and troubleshooting problems with different types of software and hardware that […]
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Jacklin Altman wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 7 months ago
In light of our learning about disruptive innovation and reading about companies like Apple who have used it to their advantage, I found an article claiming that disruptive innovation is not a strategy and […]
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I agree with the idea. Although it is possible to create a culture of innovation and creativity, it is flawed logic to assume that an organization can plan on disrupting markets on call. What can be done is to cultivate the employees mindsets and approaches and provide them with the resources and empowerment necessary to create new things. Those creations, even if they take place, aren’t guaranteed to be monetized. In plain terms, you can only lead a horse to the water.
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I agree with Mohamed that some companies will be more innovative than others, and that directly depends on their culture. However, even though Steve Jobs didn’t intend to redefine the music industry, that’s because it’s really difficult to determine if a product is going to be successful when the general public doesn’t even know they need it. He knew the iPod’s design, bundling package (software with hardware), music store and business model were unique and extremely innovative, but other than making predictions based on some preliminary research, you will never know a products’ success until you launch it. I don’t think that disruptive innovation is a sustainable business model because that would require predicting the future. However, I think you can strive for sustaining extreme innovation, which will most likely disrupt a market eventually if it is successful in creating that culture.
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Brittany M Cougle wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 8 months ago
Last week we talked about how everything is measurable and it is necessary for organizations to measure the value of IT so that the entire organization sees the importance of IT. This author of this article speaks with Doug Laney, research vice president for Gartner Inc., who says there is a gap between the realized and potential value of information. Laney gives his six models for how businesses can treat data as an asset in order to help close that gap.
Non-financial Methods
1. Intrinsic value of information – breaks data into characteristics such as accuracy, accessibility, completeness, then rates each characteristic and tallies for final score.
2. Business value of information – measures data characteristics in relation to business processes.
3. Performance value of information – measures data impact on key performance indicators over time.
Financial Methods
4. Cost value of information – measures the cost of “acquiring or replacing lost information” as well as lost revenue caused by loss of data
5. Economic value of information – measures how data contributes to revenue
6. Market value of information – measures the revenue generated by “selling, renting or bartering” corporate data.
Do you agree with the methods Laney suggests? Are their other ways you would measure the value of data? Which methods do you think would be most effective at convincing your CEO that data is an asset to your company?
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I agree that these are all great ways of expressing the value of data to a CEO. I think that the non-financial measures will be harder to communicate, however. In IT we tend to understand the value of data and what would happen without it better than other areas of the business. Trying to communicate the intrinsic value or business value, however, is difficult if the person does not already know that data is important. I think that the cost value and market value will be much better because you can show some hard numbers as to why data is important. I think the most effective measure that Laney states is the Economic value of information. This is a hard thing to measure but trying the data directly to the company’s bottom line will be very persuasive.
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Jacklin Altman wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 8 months ago
With our own progress reports coming due each week, I thought I would share this article that has some pointers for how to effectively communicate the status of a project. The author, Rob Redmond, states that to write an excellent status report you need to understand the three components of status, how to write brief details, and what key data is needed by management.
He describes the three components of status as:
Overall: The overall project health
Milestones: Major accomplishments with accompanying dates
Issues: Obstacles to successful project completionHe then goes on to explain the concept of “brief details,” in which he suggests that when reporting a status you:
Use bullet points instead of prose
Avoid unnecessary titles
Shorten sentences as much as possible
Avoid adverbsLastly, key project data that should be communicated includes:
Project Name
Overall health (red, yellow, green can be used here)
Current completion (in %)
Expected project completion
If you are ahead/behind schedule, if so, how much
Issues you faceDo you agree with the author’s three-point structure for status reports? What do you think goes into writing a good status report? How have your status reports evolved after taking MIS 3535?
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I agree with the author’s three-point structure for status reports. All status reports should include the overall project health so that others can get a sense of whether the project is going well or not, right away. Major accomplishments should be tracked to assure stakeholders that the work is being done in a timely fashion and can be very encouraging. Issues should definitely be communicated because if the issues are unknown to others, there is no way they will know if there is something that they can help with.
A good status report should definitely use the green, yellow, red approach to illustrate the health of the project so that it draws attention to what needs to be focused on and less attention to what doesn’t. A good status report should also be written concisely. After taking MIS 3535, I’ve gotten better at writing status reports. I am briefer in the details of what is happening throughout the various phases of the project and am elaborating on details that may be unclear.
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Dominic P Lyate wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 9 months ago
Hello Professor Hohne,
Here is the Project Proposal for Prestige Worldwide. Please let us know if you need anything else.
Thank you!
Project InformationName of the Organization: Prestige Worldwide
Project Title: Bill Scheduler
Project Overview: Our project is to create an app that will link to a user’s credit/debit card or bank account and allow them to schedule when their bills are paid. Users can also split the bill with additional users such as roommates.
Project Timeframe: January 20th 2015 – May 4th 2015
Prepared by: Jacklin Altman, Dominic Lyate, Brittany Cougle, Arren Soroko, Amanda Rossetti
Project Contacts:
Jacklin Altman: tud07405@temple.edu , 267-240-4916
Dominic Lyate: tud09457@temple.edu, 717-799-1607
Brittany Cougle: tud08034@temple.edu , 267-221-2976
Arren Soroko: tue85820@temple.edu, 484-332-6226
Amanda Rossetti: tud07273@temple.edu
Project Summary
Our project aims to solve a major problem that many college students and long-term roommates face on a weekly or monthly basis–why does paying the utility, cable and other service bills always have to be the responsibility of one person? Our project solves this issue by allowing users to load bills from any service provider into an easy-to-use interface, send split requests to roommates, friends or colleagues, and pay the bill together, on-time, every time. The app is also great for anyone looking to keep track of and schedule bills–so nothing goes unpaid. Simply link the utility account (cable, electric, gas, etc.) to the app and receive automatic updates and reminders of when bills are approaching and when they’re due. You can even choose to pay them automatically and receive a receipt notification directly on your smartphone.
Project ObjectivesApplication should integrate with phone calendar to allow user to schedule bill payments and be notified of upcoming payments due
Application should be able to scan receipts, glean relevant information, and integrate information into the bill-splitter
Application should be able to notify other users of split bills, how much is owed, when it is due
Application should interface directly with major billing companies (PECO, Comcast, etc.)
Users should be able to make payments directly through the app, and companies can charge late fees/overages through the appProject Deliverables
Project Proposal
Contains summary of the project
Contact information for all involved
A background of the problem that our application is going to solve
Objectives for proposed app
List of deliverablesWeekly Progress Reports
States the work performed to date
States what still is in the worksList of Stakeholders
List of people who are directly affected by the project
Budget
States how much money will be allocated for the project
Work Breakdown Structure
An incremental decomposition of the project into phases, deliverables and work packages
Risk Management Plan
Foresees risks, estimate impacts, and define responses to issues
Communications Plan
Describes communication channels between stakeholders involved in project
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Dominic P Lyate and Arren Soroko are now friends 9 years, 9 months ago
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Dominic P Lyate and Brittany M Cougle are now friends 9 years, 9 months ago
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Jacklin Altman wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 9 months ago
In class we talked about being innovative versus being creative. An article I read cites Shawn Hunter, author of “Out Think: How Innovative Leaders Drive Exceptional Outcomes,” who discerns the two as follows:
“Creativity is the capability or act of conceiving something original or unusual while innovation is the implementation or creation of something new that has realized value for others.”
The article goes on to discuss how creativity does not necessarily mean innovation, though it can lead to it. In a brainstorming session where ideas are flying around, that’s creativity. It isn’t until some value-driving idea is actually implemented that innovation sets in.
Shawn Hunter also chastises businesses for trying to create creativity on demand, by forcing employees into brainstorming sessions instead of focusing on building innovative processes and products. He claims that innovation doesn’t have to be the next big thing, it can simply be a tweak to a current process that makes the business operate better. He also states that it’s crucial that a business and its entire culture do everything possible to foster innovation in the workplace. The article cites the creation of the Starbucks Frappuccino as an example of innovation. Originally, the idea was rejected by company leaders. It wasn’t until the product was quietly made and sold to customers that it became a hit and was officially introduced into the product line.
Do you think that innovation and creativity necessarily need to go hand in hand? Can one exist without the other? Can one be successful without the other? In your experiences in the workplace, does management tend to focus more on innovation or creativity?
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Innovation and creativity do not necessarily need to go hand and hand. Businesses should definitely make sure that they find their proper balance of innovation and creativity because both are needed in order to be successful. However, every business has to make sure that they set themselves apart by focusing on its strengths in comparison to its competitors. Some businesses are better at being innovative than others, while some businesses are better with creativity. If a business is not great at being innovative and its competitors are and they have the same level of emphasis on innovation, the business that is not as innovative will sink. The same is true for creativity.
Creativity can definitely exist without innovation and vice versa. New ideas can be generated everyday but it does not necessarily mean that the business is going to implement it. A company can implement something new that its competitors already have implemented before them, which lacks creativity. In my experience, management focuses more on implementation than creativity because management seems to favor some people’s ideas more than others. However, management does focus on tweaking existing processes to find ways to do things better for everyone, which is the innovation piece.
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I believe that creativity and innovation are two separate entities. Creativity is more of an art approach to something. It uses design to catch the eye of a consumer. Creativity makes a product beautiful or more attractive. Innovation is more developing a new method of doing something that no one has thought of yet. When I think of innovation it is simple, yet extremely useful.
Both creativity and innovation go hand in hand. Although able to stand alone, both are best used when put together. With a mix of the two, the creation of a new product or idea can far surpass any standard that already exists. For example, when designing a new car. If the engine is a new innovative idea, a consumer may not see the innovation without a creative outside design. Creativity and innovation should be intricately intertwined to create outstanding ideas.
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Using the article’s definition of creativity and innovation I would say creativity can exist without innovation but innovation needs creativity. Someone can come up with many creative ideas but without action they remain that, ideas. Also, not every creative idea is innovative. I usually think of innovative ideas as not just implemented, but somewhat successful. I don’t believe people would call an idea that caused a business to go out of business innovative, but it could have been creative.
I think an issue with being innovative businesses have is trying to force it as he discusses. When you sit a group of people in a room and say, ok innovate, you get people so focused on coming up with a new, innovative solution that they do not come up with any innovations at all. I agree with Shawn Hunter that brainstorming sessions are not always the best strategy to trying to employ when trying to think of a solution. I sat in many brainstorming sessions as an intern where the person running the session did not employ the best practices we discusses in class and all they led to was awkward silence and no solutions. When you put so much pressure on people to be creative or innovative they will self edit before they say anything.
In my experience management looks for innovation because they want actionable ideas. The next question after ‘we could do ____’ is always ‘how would we do that’. They also tend to dismiss the idea if you don’t at least have a starting point.
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Jacklin Altman and Amanda M Rossetti are now friends 9 years, 9 months ago
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Jacklin Altman and Brittany M Cougle are now friends 9 years, 9 months ago
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This app sounds pretty fun and interesting although as a Facebook user, I have never heard of Riff. I do think the app is similar to Vine and Snapchat stories but it may not last long. Riff may be a fun app for a year or so but I think eventually people will stop using it. It also depends how frequently you go on Facebook. I rarely go on Facebook or social media so I would probably use the app once to test it out but that’s about it. I do see many people using the app as it is similar to Vine and that was a huge success.
I think this is another attempt at Facebook capitalizing on other successful apps. Facebook is slowly declining in popularity and trying to regain its market share through other ideas that have already been created. I don’t believe that it will be able to retain users, considering Snapchat and Vine’s popularity. I believe that facebook has shifted to an older segmentation and new add-ons such as these are not appealing to that market.
I am not so sure that this app will be successful on facebook’s part. I think it might be a bit too complicated in comparison to snapchat and vine, and that people will want to stick to what they already have and are used to. However, if Facebook were to buy out these companies and then add in this feature as a bonus to what the people already know, I could see it working out.