Edward N Beaver

I think the main attraction for this service will be when you need product. In the case with the video it worked perfectly because that product was needed immediately. I personally would not pay extra for this service, I can run out to store and pick up the item I need for no additional cost. It does provide a convenience factor but while there are still Brick and Mortar stores I would not pay extra for this service.

Prime Air is definitely the future of delivery and Amazon is at the forefront of it. Amazon has established itself as the best and efficient online retailer by establishing one of the best supply chain networks in the country. Given that it has been successful in establishing an effective supply chain, it makes sense that it would be looking to take it to the next level. I find it interesting and innovative that Amazon is years ahead of its competitors in providing the fastest form of delivery to its customers. It is a move that would save Amazon money on certain lightweight products that have to go through several processes in the supply chain to get to the customer. Given that there are regulatory constraints because of the possibility of the drones interfering with aircraft airspace, I believe it could be safely regulated to fly without it causing accidents in the air. Would I pay more for it? Yes because as a 21st century customer living in a fast paced world, getting my packages in 30 minutes or less would be great especially when I am pressed for time.

I think this service definitely has the potential to be very profitable. I think people would utilize this in extreme circumstances or business circumstances. I would definitely spend money on this, but only in certain circumstances. I wouldn’t pay extra for this service for something where it would not be a big deal if I had to wait for the product, like clothes. I would pay extra for this service if I was in a time crunch, like if I forgot to get a gift for someone on a holiday. I would also use this service for high priced items I want delivered quickly and safely. If had to get a new phone quickly, I would use this. I think businesses may use this when they need a product and they need it fast.

I think this is a great and innovative idea. If someone needs a product quickly, they can have it at their house in less than an hour. There aren’t many other services that can do this right now. People would love this commodity, especially because it’s cool to see a drone arrive at your front door with your package. This could bring Amazon’s delivery and customer service to the next level above anyone else. I personally wouldn’t pay extra for this service because i’m able to run up to the store or wait for my product to come, but I could see many circumstances where people would pay extra for this.

I think this is a great and innovative idea. If someone needs a product quickly, they can have it at their house in less than an hour. There aren’t many other services that can do this right now. People would love this commodity, especially because it’s cool to see a drone arrive at your front door with your package. This could bring Amazon’s delivery and customer service to the next level above anyone else. I personally wouldn’t pay extra for this service because i’m able to run up to the store or wait for my product to come, but I could see many circumstances where people would pay extra for this

Prime Air is a future delivery system from Amazon designed to safely get packages to customers in 30 minutes or less using small unmanned aerial vehicles, also called drones. At first I found this delivery method a little hard to believe, however I do think that it has the potential to be successful. I think that it will provide the benefit of rapid delivery. I think that I would wait to hear reviews of this shipping method before paying more.

Amazon Prime Air is a unique look at product delivery systems; however, I doubt that it is going to be a viable options considering all of the restrictions placed upon drones. The only situation where I can see Amazon relying on this technology to deliver its goods is if every business adopts it. From an insurance standpoint, drones of this magnitude are difficult to insure and Amazon might experience a lot of red tape which would prevent them from fully realizing this innovation. I do not think I would pay extra for this service because the products I buy from amazon are usually not that immediate. The “extra cost” would have to be very low for me to consider paying for it.

Amazon Prime Air is very interesting and exciting delivery system. I love ordering products online but the only negative aspect I face when ordering is having to wait for the product. Therefore, having the product in 30 minutes or less would be perfect for someone who wants the product immediately. My only concern would be security. In the description, Amazon states that ensuring security is one of their top priorities and that their drones will be built with “multiple redundancies, as well as sophisticated “sense and avoid” technology” but I just feel that there are ways around that so others can steal your ordered product. If this delivery method is actually secure like Amazon says it will be, I would 100% pay extra for the service.

I think this new delivery system is the way of the future. The online shopping industry has experienced rapid growth in the past few years, and with this it is going to explode even faster. The one major drawback to online shopping is having to wait a few days to get your product, but with this, for a higher cost, you can get it almost immediately. The only negative I see that may be associated with this, is the loss of jobs (delivery) that will come with it. However, if it came down to it, and I needed a product immediately, I would pay extra to get it in 30 minutes.

I would 100% pay more for this delivery system for products that I want sooner rather than later. A whole industry has cropped up out of people not wanting to leave their house to get food items, why should it be any different for other items? While I could go to the store, that would require 40+ minutes of my time that I could use doing other things. The convenience this delivery system provides is currently unrivaled in this industry and I believe it will be worth the cost.

Not to be a downer but currently this seems like a gimmick form of delivery and still has a lot of development to be done before it gets anywhere near being ready for mass use. There are just too many uncertainties like weather, security, dependability, regulations and delays. While this may seem exciting now, I’d have to see significant improvements to want to use it.

This is one of those revolutionary ideas that I have mixed feelings on. I’m extremely curious to see how often this service would be used, and how Amazon plans to surmount the plethora of problems that would accompany this service. Personally, I wouldn’t see myself ever needing to use this delivery method, because I’ve never needed something from Amazon THAT fast before. I’m glad they are trying out new things, because this will inevitably drive the future of delivery, but for the time being I think this is a little too outlandish for the average person to get on board with.

I would pay extra for this delivery system. The ability to order a product online and receive it within 30 minuets is very appealing to me. The drone is also able to detect its own surrounds and adapt to environmental factors. I order my groceries on amazon, and wait the day to receive the products. The drones would be used for people who don’t like to go shopping (like me).

This would be an incredible accomplishment. If it were to actually come to fruition I would definitely pay for it if it were for something that I needed within that 30 min delivery period. It would change the game and would represent the power and differentiation that Amazon holds in the market and would be interesting to see how they make use of it. It would also be interesting to see how their supply chain changes as they have to ensure their 30 min delivery system and the warehousing of their goods.

i learned that SAP application have two ways of labeling jobs that are created for employees. the two role designs are either Job based Level which assigns common transactions to many roles and relates fewer transactions that are related to those roles. the other way of creating roles is task based. this way is simpler to create but has many more roles creating a lot of complicated in regards to figuring out what each individual does or has authority to d.

In the past two weeks, I learned about SAP authorizations and how that plays an important role in security. The Key Concept illustrates each process in SAP authorization, and how they all work together to protect transactions and programs from unauthorized use. I also learned the differences between defining roles for the task or the position and the pros and cons of each. Lastly, I learned the concepts of beginning financial accounting and how to create and view journal entries in SAP.

In the past 2 weeks, I learned about transaction structure in SAP and how they are defined, also I learend security terminology (role & profile). The most interesting concept in defining roles associated to users is defining effective dates, usually end date is unlimited (1/1/9999) the reason is roles are defined and can be assigned to multiple users. Lastly I learned the difference between authorization and authentication.

In the past two weeks, I have learned the SAP Security Terminology to know the common structures about the T-code and lock concept of SAP security: lock represents authorization object; core represents authorization checks; tumblers means authorization fields; authorization values; and key represents for roles/profiles. I also learned lock, core, and tumblers locations in the transaction and programs. Creating journal entries and reviewing it were also another key points I have learned from past two weeks.

Over the last two weeks, we have learned some of the security aspects of SAP. SAP allows authorizations to be set to match the roles of the users. With the permissions set in SAP this will allow protection of transactions and programs from unauthorized users. In order to gain authorized access, the users ID in the master record will contain all related roles, parameters and user groups. The authentication is used to protect the integrity and availability of the system.

Over the last two weeks, I learned how to make journal entries in SAP, as well as other business controls that can be put in place to prevent fraud. In addition, I also learned about how the roles in SAP can prevent fraud. When the user attempts to do something (like create or edit a transaction), the system checks the users key chain to ensure that they have the appropriate authorization to continue.

In the past two weeks, I learned about user authentication. It should be designed to protect system availability, integrity, and privacy. In SAP security role design, role relationships and access requirements should be fully documented and continually refined throughout the project.

This week’s lecture, we have talked about efulfillment. Last week, we have discussed about eProcurement which is the supplier side of function, however efulfillment is the customer side of function in business. Generally fulfillment is delivery, and efulfillment is a set of distribution strategies to have faster delivery, and lowest possible cost. We also discussed about e-distribution strategies, and one of the key thing that sticks in my mind is resource exchange. I would never imagined to have exchange in resource between two different firms, but this exchange is actually work in real life, and basically two different firms exchange their resource to have better advantage of time, location and save the total cost of delivering the products. It was really interesting to see that firms are doing this to reduce their cost and for other advantages.

In this week’s lecture we discussed eFulfillment and how the Xbox has improved and changed over time. In 2005 it came out with some initial flaws and only sold 600,000 units due to production shortages, and by 2012 it sold up to 75 million consoles and now currently added live TV and integration with social media sites in its latest console. We learned that the eFulfillment is a set of strategies firms use to deliver things faster with the least amount of cost. This is possible with using the internet since it improves the efficiency and use of information.

The goal of efulfillment is to deliver goods faster and incur lower costs by improving the use of information and leveraging existing resources. eDistribution strategies include logistics postponement, dematerialization, resource exchange, leveraged shipments, and click and mortar. Rolling warehouse is products in a shipment not pre-assigned to any destination. This information is determined at the time of the shipment to better meet current demand. Dematerialization means you should replace physical material with information flow. Delivery Value Density is calculated by dividing the average total dollar volume divided by average travel distance per tip. You can improve the DVD through the streamlining method or ECLine model.

In the last lecture, we discussed eFulfillment along with the Xbox Case. eFulfillment is comprised of different distribution strategies that are utilized to create faster delivery at lower costs. This also correlates to eDistribution as well, which is the purchase of goods over an electronic medium to transfer goods and services. Xbox has utilized eFullfillment and eDistribution to expand its product awareness along with revolutionizing the gaming system platform. It was interesting to me that Playstation 3 had excelled prior to Xbox due to my friends all having Xboxes while growing up. However, since the introduction of eFulfillment into Microsoft’s supply chain, Xbox has taken advantage over the plethora of suppliers available to them. They use their purchasing power to get the best little products to produce the actual Xbox, which in turn is sold for a loss. This is interesting to me as Xbox makes most of their profits off of the sale of games rather than the consoles themselves.

In week 9 we discussed the Xbox case. We learned that companies outsource for the following reasons: lower cost, leverage others knowledge/skill, production close to customers, improve quality, speed (entry to the market), and capacity. The Xbox 360 was more design-user friendly than the original Xbox. They also changed the manufacturing location to China (originally close to the customer) because China had the labor capacity and cheaper labor. They changed companies that designed the chips (Intel–>IBM), (Ncidia–>ATI) because it was cheaper and gave them control. In the console market capability stays the same. Xbox had 2 suppliers with the original Xbox and 3 with the Xbox 360 (Flextronics, Wistron, Celestica) for the following reasons: lower risk, flexibility in terms of demand, increased capacity, more competition (advantage, because lower cost), difference in quality (disadvantage of multiple suppliers), flow of information/coordination (disadvantage), raw materials/chips–>getting to the right place at the right time, and cycles of learning. Quality, On-time delivery (finished goods as well as the components), stock-outs, costs, performance to plan, and flexibility are all important metrics to measure. We learned that Xbox business strategy was trying to establish themselves and learn with the original Xbox. In order to do that they had to release before the holiday season. With the Xbox 360 their business strategy was to take over/become a dominate player in the console industry. Xbox was centralizing its supply chain in order to save costs. In conclusion we learned that the supply chain strategy has to mirror/be aligned with your business strategy.

In week 10 we talked about Xbox and their e-fulfillment strategy. We learned that e-fulfillment is the process of a business selling their products online. Xbox sells digital games, game add-ons, and subscription services such as Xbox live and Xbox music through their online marketplace. The way they minimize their costs is that they sell everything digitally so there is no physical production or supply costs except for the maintenance of the marketplace. Before the Xbox one, the 360 sold products online and they were able to keep their costs down by having their production plant in China and going to find cheaper microprocessors for their products.

In our last class we started off by talking about the Xbox case. We discussed how eFulfillment and eDistribution is beneficial for a company. In the Xbox case it was talked about how Microsoft used eFulfillment to cut costs and make delivery faster. eDistribution relates to an electronic medium where services and goods can be transferred. Microsoft excelled at their gaming system, Xbox, but it was not until after Playstation was on top. Soon, Xbox moved on up, by utilizing their electronic forms. It was also talked about how Xbox, and most gaming consuls, make most of their money by selling games, not by selling the consuls.

In week 9 we discussed both the Xbox case as well its E-fulfillment and E-distribution strategies. We talked about why companies outsource different aspects of their business. We learned that companies outsource for a variety of reasons including lowering costs, leveraging others knowledge/skills, move production in closer proximity to customers, improve quality of products, speed, as well as capacity. With regards to E-fulfillment we learned that it is the process of a business selling its products over the internet. For example, Xbox sells digital games, game add-ons, and subscription services such as Xbox live and Xbox music through their online marketplace. Xbox also minimizes its costs by utilizing an E-distribution strategy by selling everything digitally so there is a small amount physical production and supply chain costs; excluding the maintenance costs of the marketplace.

In week 9, we discussed the Xbox case and e-fulfillment. During this time, we saw first hand through the Xbox case how companies take advantage of outsourcing to their benefit and relay that to the consumers. As we’ve learned, companies outsource processes because of specialization. From this, companies realize benefits in increased capacity, better quality component, cost savings, and saved capital from not investing in infrastructure to develop particular components. As we learned, eFulfillment is the leveraging of technologies to deliver the product to the customer. It is the integration of many resources such as inventory levels, payment systems and delivery networks that act as an alternative shopping network for the customer. In addition, how companies develop these strategies through logistics and distribution centers very important in order to achieve top-level customer service levels. In doing so, firms must find the optimal balance in doing so and that becomes the biggest challenge.

On week 9, we began class by discussing the Xbox case and how they utilize eFulfillment, and then proceeded to discuss the value of eFulfillment. I was surprised to learn that eFulfillment was not only the delivery of goods online. eFulfillment actually encompasses the delivery of goods or services online, as well as distribution strategies, real time inventory visibility and product availability, package tracking, payment approval, and more. We also learned about designing distribution networks, making sure they are meeting customer needs, and how much meeting those needs cost. Overall, these things really should improve upon the customer experience.

This week we went over eDistribution strategies. Microsoft outsourced the production of Xboxes to multiple companies to cut down on costs but also did so to allow more efficient companies to manufacture whatever part of the Xbox they were best at. Xbox/Microsoft did this by creating an online marketplace and community where customers could buy games, get special deals, and become as user friendly as possible to dominate the industry. By making an online market, where customers could get whatever they wanted instantly without forcing Xbox to manufacture anything, Microsoft, with their production methods and efficient supply chain they were able to quickly deliver on that demand.

eFulfillment is a process that is surging among the consumer market. I think it is safe to say that for a business to be taken seriously today, they need to have webiste that can handle customer orders, payments, and delivery. When the XBox first came out in 2005, it had all kinds of flaws and only sold 600,000 some units. However, with continuous improvements the console is now a major power in the industry selling over 75 million units. Microsoft very wisely transformed the Xbox from a pure gaming console to a full fledged entertainment console. This completely changed the market for every other console in the industry.

In this week, we talked about efulfillment. eFulfillment is the strategies of distribution. Such as figuring out how to increase delivery speed and reduce price. This included strategies such as Logistic Postponements – A) Merge in Transit: Dell makes computers and merges the monitors, keyboards, etc. from suppliers by UPS at defined sites B) Rolling Warehouse: Products that are in shipment are not pre-assigned to any particular destination. Demand information is given during delivery. Helps meet current demand.. It also included Dematerialization – The material (physical) flow cost. – Whenever possible, replace physical material flow with information flow and shifting reliance on products and services by leveraging information, Resource Exchange – When companies exchange information acting as a virtual areas for each other. It helps lower cost for participants, Leveraged Shipments – Delivering shipments to areas that have a large concentration of orders

In this week’s lecture, we have talked about procurement and strategic source. One key thing that I have learned is that there is difference between process and function in a firm. Simply, function is what each of the department would do as of their task, and process is the actual work that involves with one or more departments to complete the job task. In terms of sourcing which I have few background knowledge, development of our technology make things easier to fulfill the suppliers demand. It also now enables to achieve better cost and services. In addition, we also have talked about the auctions, and I have no idea that there were two different types of auctions (English & Dutch). It was interesting to see how the Dutch auction works in real life. It was something that I would never imagined for auction process.

In the first portion of week 8’s class we saw the presentation for the Hulu case. The presentation revolved around Hulu’s evaluation. The group then went into where Hulu is today. It is a very successful streaming service with 9M subscribers and 700M hours of content. For the future, Hulu plans to add more content and expand globally. In the second portion of class we went through eProcurement, Sourcing and Auctions. eProcurement uses the internet to facilitate, integrate, and streamline the procurement process. We then went through what constitutes eProcurement ( eProcurement= eRequistioning + eContracting + eFullfillment) Lastly we went through Auctions.The two types of auctions we went through were English and Dutch. I actually never heard about Dutch auctions before and thought it was interesting that they are the complete opposite of English auctions. Instead of starting at a low price, the auctioneer starts at a high price and decreases until someone accepts the bid.

In Week 8 we talked about Hulu for the case presentation. Hulu partners with broadcast networsk such as NBC, FOX, ABC, and CBS to distribute their television shows online. They also partner with cable networks as well. They distribute TV Shows like Seinfeld, Family Guy, New Girl, and more. However, Hulu doesn’t come without competition, Netflix poses a threat to Hulu’s services. Netflix carries broadcast and cable network shows too. Netflix also creates their own original series. In the second part of the class, we discussed eProcurement, Strategic Sourcing, and eAuctions. I learned the what the business process and business functions are in terms of the procurement process. eProcurement uses the internet to facilitate, integrate, and streamline the procurement process. Strategic Sourcing identifies strategic mix of suppliers to fulfill demand. eAuction has many types like an English Auction, Dutch Auction, Sealed Bid, Reverse Auction, Combinatorial Auction, and Multi-Stage Auction.

In the first half of class in week 8, we discussed the evolution of Hulu. We had learned that Hulu is a very successful streaming service that is geared more towards television. Competitors include Netflix, HBO to GO, and Amazon Prime TV. We also learned that Hulu wants to expand into foreign markets to increase revenues and profits. This is an obstacle for Hulu, as well as most streaming services, due to strict regulations with TV/Movie data overseas. The second half of the class covered the lecture. It was interesting to see the different types of auctions and how they are actually carried out in the business world. We also discussed eProcurement and its influence on streamlining the production process. It’s interesting to see how the internet enables companies to operate more efficiently and to become more profitable.

In week 8 we talked about the Hulu case. We also discussed eProcurement. We talked about how successful Hulu has been and how although they are extremely successful, there is a lot of competition. What I learned about eProcurement is that it uses the internet to facilitate, integrate, and streamline the procurement process. This can be extremely helpful for businesses looking to purchase materials overseas or from another part of a country, where it could potentially take a lot of time and money to go through this process otherwise.

In our class on week 8 we discussed how Hulu has become an extremely successful television streaming service. By the year 2015 it had 9 million subscribers and they are at an affordable price of 7.99/month. They even offer an advertisement free option for 11.99/month which is still affordable and worth the extra few dollars in my opinion since Netflix is close to that at 9.99/month. Hulu takes a different approach than Netflix by creating a partnership with content providers to offer television content and airs television shows next-day. I think if Hulu can remain advertisement free they will continue to be very successful. In addition to talking about Hulu, we learned more about the procurement process in depth. I knew a lot of this coming into the class from my internship experience as a procurement analyst intern at Wakefern Food Corp. last summer. We learned that eProcurement has changed the face of the procurement process by using the internet to facilitate and integrate the process. It can reduce administrative costs and become more efficient when ordering product by not using paper (also known as eContracting).

Week 8 started off with an excellent presentation from the team who was assigned the Hulu case. They did a great job of describing Hulu’s evolving business model and how they managed to innovate in order to capture consumers in the digital world. The Hulu case was a great introduction into the topic of eprocurement and how businesses make money from providing their services online. One way that businesses who practice e procurement make money is from advertisements, which is why Hulu has the basic subscription services and then the premium subscription which costs a few dollars more per month in order to eliminate the ads. Companies like Hulu are trying their best to form business models that are profitable in the digital age and Hulu themselves have done a pretty good job at getting their foot in the door.

During our week 8 class, we started discussing the Hulu case, which talked about how Hulu wanted to be innovative and obtain more customers. We then started talking about a number of things like eprocurement, and how Hulu had a lot of competition. Hulu is very competitive nowadays with Netflix, so they are doing everything to become a more profitable company in the 21st century.

In week 8, we discussed the Hulu case and global sourcing in supply chain. It was interesting to understand how a digital company like Hulu had its supply chain set up through the acquirement of licenses and rights to content from the original producers. In this sense, it seems like a non-traditional way of a supply chain, because it doesn’t deal with tangible goods. However, this is a legitimate supply chain, no matter which way you look at it because this deals with the process of delivering a product and service to consumers. How Hulu navigated its way into the video streaming market I believe yielded an opportunity for it to compete effectively with Netflix. We then discussed sourcing and procurement that’s facilitated through the internet. eProcurement helps facilitate the sourcing process that companies go through by speeding up the communication process which in turn reduces process costs and perhaps enables firms to entertain more suppliers or more bids. In a way, such benefits allow a firm to greatly expand its supplier network base by taking advantage of the economies of scale that e-procurement provides. This is yet another example in how companies achieve greater success today because the internet enables firms to take advantage of a technology that expands their reach in the world and allowing them to reduce costs while generating additional value throughout the company.

On week 8, we learned about eProcurment, which is eRequisitioning+eContracting+eFullfillment. Overall, eProcurement streamlines the traditional procurement process of acquiring raw materials and components in order to operate as needed, or to create a product. We also talked about the importance of strategic sourcing in supply chain, how it is directly related to eProcurement, and how it can reduce costs. In this section, I particularly enjoyed learning about the different types of auctions. Though I do not recall participating in an auction, typically I have only heard of what is considered an “English Auction,” which is when the quote increases based on bids. I had never heard of “Dutch Auctions” or “Reverse Auctions” before this class. It seems in these types of auctions, the consumer ultimately benefits from a lowered price.

In this week’s lecture, we have talked about procurement and strategic source. The Hulu case was a great introduction into the topic of eprocurement and how businesses make money from providing their services online. It was interesting to see how the supply chain is assembled for a business like Hulu compared to one of a business like Amazon. The product does not really need to be produced anywhere along Hulu’s supply chain. Instead, there are licensing and ownership exchanges which allow products to be advertised or viewed.

In our class on week 8 we discussed how Hulu has become an extremely successful television streaming service. In addition to Hulu we also talked about more about the procurement process in depth. Procurement is the process of buying raw materials to do operations at work. We also talked about out sourcing. The decision to send organizational activities outside the company. Companies outsource because it offers cost benefits (• Labor arbitrage • Scale efficiencies • Eliminate capital $$ and risk • Better Practice), quality benefits (Expertise • Experience ), and aggregation benefits (Capacity ◦ Inventory ◦ Transportation ◦ Procurement ◦ Information ◦ Receivables ◦ Relationships)

Supply Chain Disruptors are a consideration of Risk Management professionals. One way that firms can reduce supply chain exposure is to understand where their suppliers and vendors are located, especially if these vendors are global. Geographies and territories are targets for particular risks such as natural catastrophe risk, civil unrest, and political instability. As was the case with Japan, multiple suppliers of the same or similar products were located closely to one another. Firms can reduce supply chain risk by diversifying suppliers. These firms should avoid using sole or single source suppliers, but rather map out the network of suppliers of their goods. That way, if a disruption occurs, it will be much easier to identify alternative sources for those goods.

Risk Management professionals have also developed tools for mitigating supply chain risks, such as FM Global’s Resiliency Index, which identifies vulnerabilities to specific geographic locations. If firms take this repository of information into account, they can better plan for their business continuity plans.

The best thing to do to avoid a catastrophe like this, is diversifying your suppliers, distributors, and other parties in your supply chain. Part of the reason this disaster was so terrible was because many suppliers were located in a very short distance from each other. Had the companies had other manufacturing sites with extra capacity and production possibility, perhaps losses could have been better mitigated.

In our last lecture we learned about a number of things including SaaS, the iPod, and Blockbuster. It was interesting how we discussed about how successful of a business Blockbuster was, and how Netflix was able to run them out of business. Format changes is a big thing in today’s world, and you a business does not stay on top of the industry changes then they could go out of business. Another thing that our class discussed was the iPod and iTunes. Apple changed the entire music industry because it changed who was affected in the music business. With iTunes, retailers were losing money, buying online, streaming, and illegal downloading became a huge aspect of the cycle of money, and the way we listened to music completely changed.

In our last class before the break, we received our Midterm grades and learned about SaaS, the transformation of the video rental business, and the iPod. With increasing digitization, Netflix changed the video rental business and put Blockbuster out of business. Streaming an unlimited amount of movies or tv shows for one affordable price straight from your home or mobile device is much more attractive than physically going to a store, paying for a video and having to go back to return it by a certain date. Similar to the video rental business, the iPod and Apple changed the music industry by offering music straight on your device for .99 cents a song rather than an individual paying $15 for an album you would have to carry around with you. We learned that SaaS allowed companies to better collaborate by bringing together different business components and benefited “employees on the go”.

In our class lecture we have talked about the changes of delivery of information goods. We have used Blockbuster & Netfilx, Ipod as examples to see how the industry has been changed over the period. In case of Blockbuster & Netflix, the industry and consumers favor pretty much moved from brick and mortar to click and mortar which makes Blockbuster to be run out of their business. Similar thing happened in music industry. As the development of our technology, things get digitized and people started to use iPod instead listening music from CD. Consumer’s behavior has been changed and for both cases, the industry totally changed as well. And lastly, we have discussed about SaaS is being implemented in our society. I feel like it makes everything to be easier (in terms of sharing information, connection between users and networks) from the development of software model.

In the last lecture before break we received our midterm grades back then discussed the changes of delivery of information goods. The examples given in this lecture were Blockbuster, Netflix and the iPod. Netflix changed the game in the its industry and bankrupted/ran Blockbuster out of business. Netflix is a lot more accessible and easy for customers because all of its services are available online where as Blockbuster was a store where customers had to visit in order to get movies, games, etc. This is similar to what happened in the music industry. When the iPod came out many people stopped listening to CDs and started downloading music digitally to their iPods. Netflix and the iPod saved customers money and provided more of a selection. Lastly we discussed SaaS, which is Software as a service. We discussed some os SaaS’s characteristics and benefits/advantages. Some of its characteristics are its lower capital expenditure, location independence and device independence. One of its main benefits its its ability to help businesses better collaborate.

In the first half of week 7 we received our grades back from the midterm exam nd we discussed the delivery of information goods. We discussed the companies Blockbuster, Netflix, and Apple particularly about the iPod. We started off by talking about how Blockbuster was a profitable company, until disruptive innovations came about that changed the industry around them. Netflix threatened blockbuster because it’s manufacturing costs were minuscule compared to the Blockbuster. Eventually, Blockbuster could not compete and went out of business. Apple’s iPod changed the music business by cutting CDs out of the equation. We also learned about SaaS and that it creates multiplicity of devices, unlimited bandwidth, and that customers do not have to pay for the software.

Last class we talked about Software as a Service and the implications it has on traditionally operating businesses such as blockbuster and the CD industry. Companies who adopted the SaaS business model early on have been finding new ways to innovate with technology and gain competitive advantage that has been pushing traditional businesses out of business. Netflix has done it to Blockbuster, iTunes has done it to CD’s; it’s just a matter of time until we see a new innovation that pushed someone else out.

In week 7 we discussed the delivery of information good. We talked about how people moved from renting physical videos from blockbuster to subscribing to Netflix and Hulu (digital providers) to take advantage of paying a low price for substantially more options. Basically, because the format of how people were viewing movies and TV shows changed to digital, Blockbuster and businesses like it folded because they couldn’t compete. Another example is how ITunes pretty much destroyed the CD industry by providing an online marketplace that customers could access anytime and anywhere, as well as provided people with the option to buy one or more songs for a cheaper price, as opposed to buying the entire album.

In week 7, we discussed the topic of delivering of information goods. It’s been interesting to see the transformation of this industry over a relatively short amount of time. The best way to depict this transformation is by looking at the video rental and music sales industry. We all remember how popular Blockbuster was on Friday evenings, when everyone would go rent out some of their favorite selections for the weekend or when we go to the record store to buy our favorite artists’ new record. Now, it’s totally different because all of that stuff can be achieved almost instantaneously at our own convenience through platforms such as iTunes of Netflix. In this case, it puts brick-and-mortar establishments out of business very quickly. While it’s unfortunate that businesses are going through this hardship, it really comes to the benefit of the consumer, as we experience a more extensive selection by-far in a much more condensed format. As we learned, this digital platform now extends to SaaS, or Software as a Service. SaaS helps companies achieve core competencies and has definitely revolutionized how businesses develop strategies for success.

On week 7, we learned about the characteristics of information goods and the distribution strategies that can be used. We focused on some disruptive innovations that affected the way many of us utilize software, music, and movies. It was interesting to review some things that have happened during our lifetime, such as DVDs and Netflix affecting Blockbuster’s business, and how the iPod and iTunes affected the CD industry. These particular innovations made purchasing and utilizing products much easier for the consumer, and less expensive for the original producer of music or movies. Learning about this makes me curious to see what other disruptive innovations will come about and change the way we operate in our everyday lives.

Learning about how RFID is impacting supply chains across the world was very interesting. At this point any business that isn’t making use of this technology is falling behind their competitors who are. The reduction is the amount of shipping/handling errors that RFID technology can deliver is really impressive. This leads to substantial improvements on the balance sheet as errors are caught before they are paid for, rather than after. RFID technology will only decrease in cost, so the payoff for any company that has a mid to large sized supply chain should be integrating it as soon as possible.

Last class we talked about Software as a Service and the implications it has on traditionally operating businesses such as blockbuster and the CD industry. We learned that new technology can disrupted the landscape. For example, Apple iTunes changed the landscape by eliminating the need for CDs. Apple introduces iTunes and eliminated many steps in the supply chain. It allowed more customers to get songs stored on a processor. Instead of a production line, with limited capacity, consumers just ordered from a processor. This is an example of an SaSS which is when the vendor develops a web-native application that hosts the application on line. The responsibilities of the traditional model are transferred to the SaSS host.

There are some common risks in the billing and invoicing:

1) Unauthorized invoice
2) Duplicate invoices
3) All the billing records are lost or destroy

One of the control that can apply will be appropriate billing and invoicing policy

From the slide presentation there is the concept of dunning in SAP. Dunning is a customizable function in SAP that generates a reminder to the customer or vendor to make payment on outstanding invoices, similar to a collection or past due notice. It typically consists of a letter that summarizes the invoices that are past due and politely requests payment to be made. The use of dunning notices must be coexist with active customer relation management in order to maintain a positive relationship with the vendor.

there are many different ways inventory it tracked and verified, the most common verification forms is physical counting, Also, 3 way verification is one way to verify an order is correct.