Scott Friedrich

Jordan, Interesting business model. It sounds like your client base would seek the quality of your product over likely cost benefits of others. Based on this model, how would you deal with a situation where you were competing along the lines of cost?

I agree March, office politics often, and unfortunately, can sway the opinion of even the most steadfast IT executive. In this case, based on the article, this is where VW had struggled previously. The one off deals and “favors” had been more of the norm rather then the exception. I agree that he should stand fast and not waver.

Excellent real world example Kristen. I had a very similar situation arise for one of my clients last year. Globally, the company had decided to move forward with a consolidations tool (similar to Cognos). The initiative was globally funded (company is headquartered in Europe) which meant that the local division would benefit from global funds.…[Read more]

I do believe that the revised process is an improvement over the prior process. The prior process was extremely decentralized and lacked a policy to manage the spend and ensure that all projects were approved or declined based on a common rating scale. At the time that the new process was introduced expenses were increasing without the required…[Read more]

The interconnectedness of the systems thinking characterized by feedback loops resonates in my line of work. For BPC implementations, which is a planning and consolidations software solution, we use the Spiral methodology which stresses continual improvement. The spiral cycle is similar a circular model with a 4 distinctive points including 1)…[Read more]

I agree Mariya, once a deviation from policy is made, regardless of the rationale, it undermines the entire structure. The key here is that IT is acting on behalf of leadership, assisting with the difficult job of identifying the most effective manner to utilize funds. Once the process is established, if Matulovic were to deviate for any reason…[Read more]

How is it possible that under this new system a “critical” project (global supply chain system) was unfunded? What should be done about that?

This is an issue that I face often in my role as a system implementer. In the case of the SAP implementation the project was only partially completed and the removal of funding due to the fact that the…[Read more]

I currently work for KPMG, a global provider of audit, tax and advisory services. My specific discipline within KPMG is working with companies to improve their planning and forecasting through a combination of improved processes and software. The specific software that I concentrate on is SAP’s BPC product which enables planning, forecasting, c…[Read more]

I agree, I don’t trust Yelp entirely but I have found that the volume of recommendations helps me to make a decision. If i see a restaurant that has greater than 10 responses and a 4 star rating, I would likely choose that restaurant over a restaurant with 3 ratings and all of them are 5 stars. Unless there is a high volume of responses, I…[Read more]

The EJ incident had a material impact on consumer confidence for an extended period of time and likely had an impact on both those willing to rent and those considering renting. Avoidance entirely would have necessitated an adjustment to their vetting policy. And while Airbnb’s responses was delayed, I believe the actions taken were proper to b…[Read more]

I think that ultimately a similar fate that has beset Uber will likely begin to further impact Airbnb. As mentioned by Jon, the valuation of the company will continue to increase with increased usage. Additionally, the increased usage will also bring about increased scrutiny from those that compete with Airbnb, namely hotel chains. Similar to…[Read more]

Those that handle sensitive credit card information do have an obligation to keep the data safe to the best of their ability and using sincere practices to protect the consumer. That being said, I do believe that the consumer bears a portion of the risk if they choose to make purchases with credit cards. In a society where risks of fraud exist…[Read more]

Sunnylake clearly had a weakness in their security system which was exploited by the hackers. I believe the issue was caused by a combination of relaxed security policy and general complacency. As is mentioned several times throughout the article, the company had grown accustomed to the system and had reveled in 3 years of successful usage. I…[Read more]

I have not used Airbnb and at present would be reluctant to rent someone’s home rather than stay at a hotel or rent my home out to a stranger. That being said, 12 months ago I never would have thought I would use an App on my iPhone to be driven from one location to another using UberX. From what I have read concerning Airbnb their business m…[Read more]

I love listening to music and listen regularly whether in my car, at work, on a run or at home. I have tried Pandora, Itunes and most recently Spotify. I have found the interface and cost for Spotify is superior to the other options. The ability to select and store music and play on my PC, Iphone and MacBook seamlessly is extremely convenient.…[Read more]