What Amazon Fears Most: Diapers

Posted by & filed under Ecommerce, Supply Chain Management, Uncategorized.

Description: It is good to be the chief executive of a company that’s about to ship 500 million diapers in a single year.  Quidsi is trying to outsell Amazon.  They are competing in a new way.

Source: Businessweek

Date: 10/10/2010

It is good to be the chief executive of a company that’s about to ship 500 million diapers in a single year. For one thing, you get to drive a golf cart as fast as you want in your new 1,250,000-square-foot warehouse.  Click here for rest of story

Questions for discussion:

  • How does Quidsi compete using one of Porter’s four generic strategies?
  • Do they compete differently in the marketplace than Amazon?
  • Where does Quidsi add the most value in their value chain?

Wall Street: The Speed Traders

Posted by & filed under Ecommerce, Functional Information Systems, Uncategorized.

Description: High-frequency trading played a supporting role in the mini market crash last spring that saw the Dow Jones industrial average plunge 600 points in 15 minutes, and yet most people know very little about this type of high-speed automated trading

Source: CBS 60 Minutes

Date: 10/10/2010

A rare look inside the secretive world of “high-frequency trading,” a controversial technique the SEC is scrutinizing in which computers can make thousands of stock trades in less than a second.

Read and see more click here:

Questions for discussion:

  • Would you classify the these high speed trading systems as functional informational systems?
  • Can you identify any downsides to using these sophisticated information systems to make financial transactions?
  • Who should make the decisions and regulations regarding these high speed trading systems?

Over 10 Million Students Now Use Google Apps for Education

Posted by & filed under Cloud Computing, Software.

Description: Google just announced, there are over 10 million students, staff, faculty and alumni that are actively using Apps for Education.

Source: The New York Times – Technology

Date: 10/14/2010

Just about four years ago, Google launched Apps for Education – a version of Google’s online productivity tools (including Gmail and Google Docs) that is geared towards K12 schools and colleges. Now, Google just announced, there are over 10 million students, staff, faculty and alumni that are actively using Apps for Education. With the beginning of the new school year, Google must have added about 2 million new users, as the company cited 8 million users until just a few weeks ago. Click for rest of story

Questions for discussion:

  • What is the main attraction of google apps adoption in the educational marketplace?
  • Do you feel that accessing software from the Cloud offers the same service and reliability as having the software installed on a hard drive?
  • Why would an educational institution not adopt a “cloud” strategy for providing software for their campus?

The Internet kills Gap’s new logo

Posted by & filed under Ecommerce, Social Media.

Description: The influence of Social Media in the marketplace

Source: CNN.com Tech

Date: 10/12/2010

CNN) — The internet’s logo snobs won this one.
Gap Inc. on Monday announced it will drop a new version of its logo after thousands of Facebook and Twitter users called for a return to the classic blue box with tall, white letters — a logo the clothing retailer has used for more than 20 years. Click here for story



Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize how social media influenced Gap’s decision?
  • Was one form of social media more influential than the other?
  • What should Gap’s strategy be in relation to using social media to market their brand?