It is well known that IBM, like most other large IT companies, has been outsourcing it's jobs to India and other countries for years, And it was just a matter of time before the Indian workforce exceeded that in the US.
Well, now it's happened. Exact numbers are hard to come by, because IBM stopped reporting them a few years ago. However, several sources indicate that IBM has about 90,000 US workers and about 110,000 workers in India.
In the grand scheme of things, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Adam Smith, in his great work "The Wealth of Nations" wrote eloquently that in a free enterprise global economy, jobs would migrate to the areas with the lowest wages. Recent stats show that the average wage in the IT industry in India is $17,000 per year, very low by US standards, or Canadian standards for that matter.
Over time, Smith said, the wages in the low wage country will rise, until some sort of parity is achieved. Then the outflow will stop and perhaps reverse. In the meantime, consumers will have benefited from lower cost goods and services, giving them higher discretionary income, which means higher levels of savings, higher levels of investment, growth in business and the rise of home grown employment in, say, service industries, where wage rates are more comparable globally or in industries that cannot be outsourced. The outsourcing country will benefit from higher exports, because the other countries have more money to import with, creating jobs in export industries and helping to offset the lower employment from outsourcing..
What that means is that everyone benefits. Win-win. That's the theory.
You can read more about the IBM employment situation in this article.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Google Planning to Extend Their Search Capability
Google has been conducting a study intended to tell them what information people need that they are not using Google for. In other words, they want to extend their search capabilities to cover that additional information.
One of the avenues for them to follow is context specific, location based searches. It is directed to the use of mobile devices and recognizes that people are often travelling or just in transit from home to work and want particular information along the way. For example, they might get to a bus stop and want to know when the next bus is coming. Or they might want to go to a particular night spot and want to know the wait time.
The system of course depends on using GPS chips to track peoples' movements and pinpoint their location at any time, raising privacy issues. If people don't want to be tracked, they can turn the GPS function off in their phone.
For a summary of the research Google is doing, follow this link.
One of the avenues for them to follow is context specific, location based searches. It is directed to the use of mobile devices and recognizes that people are often travelling or just in transit from home to work and want particular information along the way. For example, they might get to a bus stop and want to know when the next bus is coming. Or they might want to go to a particular night spot and want to know the wait time.
The system of course depends on using GPS chips to track peoples' movements and pinpoint their location at any time, raising privacy issues. If people don't want to be tracked, they can turn the GPS function off in their phone.
For a summary of the research Google is doing, follow this link.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Customize Those Websites for Good Marketing
More companies are starting to customize their websites to respond to the particular needs and desires of their customers. This can be done by tracking some basic data, like what they have searched for before, where they are from, what the weather is like where they are from, their demographic, even the device they are using to connect to your website.
The challenge then is to incorporate the data into the actual style and content of the website they see. That means if they are using a tablet, then the website should be specifically designed for a tablet. Same for a smartphone. There is web development software to accomplish this.
Some of the other information can be linked directly to content, such that if, for example, they searched for hand made kitchen furniture previously, then when they log in, they can be presented with ads, say, on a new line of locally made kitchen chairs. Or if they are from North Bay and it is January, they might be presented with a line of heavy sweaters.
Specific customer oriented marketing is the wave of the future in online marketing. Check out this link for more.
The challenge then is to incorporate the data into the actual style and content of the website they see. That means if they are using a tablet, then the website should be specifically designed for a tablet. Same for a smartphone. There is web development software to accomplish this.
Some of the other information can be linked directly to content, such that if, for example, they searched for hand made kitchen furniture previously, then when they log in, they can be presented with ads, say, on a new line of locally made kitchen chairs. Or if they are from North Bay and it is January, they might be presented with a line of heavy sweaters.
Specific customer oriented marketing is the wave of the future in online marketing. Check out this link for more.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Location Based Marketing Moves Ahead
Cisco announced last week a new technology that can be used to track customers in or near their stores. It uses the customers' cell phone signals, transforming them into WiFi signals, which can then be transmitted back to the store WiFi and analyzed. The technology can track their location quite accurately. In addition, if the customer has previously purchased at that store and agreed to a store promotional campaign, the technology can bring up their past history of shopping and their preferences. All of this big data is then analyzed and used to offer the shoppers special deals on the spot. It's a classic location-based marketing exercise using big data analysis techniques. It's a technology that has a very bright future, since smart phones are holding more and more information and are about to be used for payments, adding additional information to the mix. See this article on Cisco's announcement.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Given Tablets but No Teachers, Ethiopian Children Teach Themselves
The One Laptop Per Child Organization is starting to show some very positive results. Self-learning works! Check out this article.
MOOCs, an Approach to the High Cost of Post-Secondary Education
While not a panacea (none of those actually exist) MOOCs point the way to a way to bring about radical change in the educational system. Check this article.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Strategic Social Business
The use of social networking in business is something that. like other business applications requires a good deal of planning and coordination. It isn't enough to just set everyone loose on conventional social networks and think that it will somehow lead to something good. It might not. Social networking is a potential game changer and can significantly alter relationships within the organization, It can lead to the development of new influencers and result in the decline of managerial authority. That's not necessarily a bad thing because we know that the effect of social networking is to turn the organization upside down in a hierarchical sense and generally level the organization out. But if its going to be beneficial to the organization in terms of productivity and doing a better job of serving customers, then that requires enough planning to ensure that the set up of the networking is consistent with corporate goals and strategies. In fact, it should be considered a key part of the strategic planning. Check out this article on the subject.
The use of social networking in business is something that. like other business applications requires a good deal of planning and coordination. It isn't enough to just set everyone loose on conventional social networks and think that it will somehow lead to something good. It might not. Social networking is a potential game changer and can significantly alter relationships within the organization, It can lead to the development of new influencers and result in the decline of managerial authority. That's not necessarily a bad thing because we know that the effect of social networking is to turn the organization upside down in a hierarchical sense and generally level the organization out. But if its going to be beneficial to the organization in terms of productivity and doing a better job of serving customers, then that requires enough planning to ensure that the set up of the networking is consistent with corporate goals and strategies. In fact, it should be considered a key part of the strategic planning. Check out this article on the subject.
Friday, November 09, 2012
Secure Web Data under PCI Requirements
The Payment Card Industry's requirements for protecting credit card data can be challenging and confusing for those who must comply. Many hire consultants or Public Accountants to help them..
All retailers need to understand how to protect the credit card and other customer data that comes from online transactions. According to Verizon's 2012 Data Breach Investigations Report, retailers are the second leading source of leaked data (after the hospitality industry), accounting for 20% of total breaches.
For an interesting report on this topic by the staff of InformationWeek, click this link.
Monday, November 05, 2012
Movement Tracking Software - The Next Big Thing
As our devices become more and more powerful and more of them contain cameras, the time may be ripe for some useful movement tracking software. For example, if you get up an leave a room, such software could ensure that your TV is turned off, the lights are softened or turned off, and appliances, like the oven are off.
Tracking software could also learn your gender and study your facial expressions to determine whether you are about to make a decision. It could track your movements in a store, for example, and note your hesitation in looking at a new car and offer you a discount on the spot.
Speaking of cars, your car could keep an eye on you and determine if you are falling asleep and then warn you or even pull over to the side of the road.
These are only some of the technologies under development as we speak (read?). IT promises to be a game changer in many areas. For some more on the developments in one company check this link.
As our devices become more and more powerful and more of them contain cameras, the time may be ripe for some useful movement tracking software. For example, if you get up an leave a room, such software could ensure that your TV is turned off, the lights are softened or turned off, and appliances, like the oven are off.
Tracking software could also learn your gender and study your facial expressions to determine whether you are about to make a decision. It could track your movements in a store, for example, and note your hesitation in looking at a new car and offer you a discount on the spot.
Speaking of cars, your car could keep an eye on you and determine if you are falling asleep and then warn you or even pull over to the side of the road.
These are only some of the technologies under development as we speak (read?). IT promises to be a game changer in many areas. For some more on the developments in one company check this link.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Gartner's Top Ten Trends for 2013
Gartner Group has come out with their annual publication of the top ten trends in technolgy for 2013. For the most part, the list is predictable. The growing importance of mobile devices is featured, for example. But they won't replace PCs any time soon. PCs are deeply embedded in the work world, and in fact most of the applications used in business cannot be used effectively on mobile devices. Maybe eventually, but not yet. On the other hand, the number of devices in use to access the internet, and the sheer volume of usage might outstrip PCs at any time.
Other predictions feature the growing use of the cloud for personal purposes. This makes sense in a multi-device world, where people on the move will want to have access to their data without always having to synchronize their various devices.
And the growth of big data and data analytics is an important trend that cannot be denied.
For an article on the Gartner Trends, check out this link.
Gartner Group has come out with their annual publication of the top ten trends in technolgy for 2013. For the most part, the list is predictable. The growing importance of mobile devices is featured, for example. But they won't replace PCs any time soon. PCs are deeply embedded in the work world, and in fact most of the applications used in business cannot be used effectively on mobile devices. Maybe eventually, but not yet. On the other hand, the number of devices in use to access the internet, and the sheer volume of usage might outstrip PCs at any time.
Other predictions feature the growing use of the cloud for personal purposes. This makes sense in a multi-device world, where people on the move will want to have access to their data without always having to synchronize their various devices.
And the growth of big data and data analytics is an important trend that cannot be denied.
For an article on the Gartner Trends, check out this link.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Big Data for Government
A new Study released last week for the purposes of advising on policy in the US government provides a cogent analysis of the opportunities available to government through big data.
Big data has evolved as a term denoting the vast quantities of structured and unstructured data now available on the Internet and on various Information Systems. There has been a growing interest in the data from businesses and governments over the past year. Tools to analyze the data are being implemented in a wide number of organizations.
"The report pointed to possible values of Big Data analysis for the federal government, including determining the most effective medical outcomes across large populations, analysis of health anomalies in the hospital or home through sensors, new levels of real-time traffic information, a better understanding of the most effective online learning techniques, better fraud detection, or improved weather predictions."
The analysis of big data was incorporated in a significant big data initiative launched by the Obama administration earlier in the year. This new report marks a significant contribution to the policy issues that are now being addressed.
For more, check out this article.
A new Study released last week for the purposes of advising on policy in the US government provides a cogent analysis of the opportunities available to government through big data.
Big data has evolved as a term denoting the vast quantities of structured and unstructured data now available on the Internet and on various Information Systems. There has been a growing interest in the data from businesses and governments over the past year. Tools to analyze the data are being implemented in a wide number of organizations.
"The report pointed to possible values of Big Data analysis for the federal government, including determining the most effective medical outcomes across large populations, analysis of health anomalies in the hospital or home through sensors, new levels of real-time traffic information, a better understanding of the most effective online learning techniques, better fraud detection, or improved weather predictions."
The analysis of big data was incorporated in a significant big data initiative launched by the Obama administration earlier in the year. This new report marks a significant contribution to the policy issues that are now being addressed.
For more, check out this article.
Friday, October 12, 2012
The Perils of Giving Out Your Private Information
Check out this article on this important topic. Something we need to keep reminding ourselves of.
Check out this article on this important topic. Something we need to keep reminding ourselves of.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Mobile Phones - A Revolution
IT may be an understatement to say that mobile phones have changed the way we communicate with each other. IT goes much deeper than that. They are changing the way we as humans interact with each other in profound and revolutionary ways. never in the history of humanity have we been in such close contact with each other. And never have so many events been so transparent to so many people. Pictures and videos of significant events can circle the globe in seconds, and change the way people perceive them and their implications. This has already led to the downfall of governments.
CNN is recognizing this with a new series "Our Mobile Society" recognizing the profound effect of mobile technology on our society.
IT may be an understatement to say that mobile phones have changed the way we communicate with each other. IT goes much deeper than that. They are changing the way we as humans interact with each other in profound and revolutionary ways. never in the history of humanity have we been in such close contact with each other. And never have so many events been so transparent to so many people. Pictures and videos of significant events can circle the globe in seconds, and change the way people perceive them and their implications. This has already led to the downfall of governments.
CNN is recognizing this with a new series "Our Mobile Society" recognizing the profound effect of mobile technology on our society.
Friday, October 05, 2012
Mobile Marketing
The shift from traditional PC's and laptops to mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets has had numerous implications. One that has been particularly under scrutiny lately is that of marketing. Not too long ago, internet marketing was something new and the world of marketing was severely shaken up. Marketing strategies were forced to embrace the internet and to find ways to reach customers without aggravating them by slowing down their browsing.
The old traditional marketing in pre-internet days saw ads transmitted to a very passive audience on TV or in the print media. On the internet, however, the audience is far from passive - one click and they're gone. So marketing had to be less intrusive, quicker and more instantly engaging. It also had to combine internet and non-internet marketing in a way that the two complemented each other. Marketing has fully adapted to this scenario. The advent of social media and the consequent social marketing has extended that paradigm.
Now users are moving in large numbers to mobile devices, and their tolerance for advertising and interruptions is even more limited. Mobile users are often on the run, and want to do things very fast. For example, they may be on the street and want to find a particular restaurant and make a reservation. The last thing they want is to wait through an advertisement on a clothing store sale.
It presents a real dilemma for advertisers.Just how quick can they make their advertisements and still get their message across. One answer, of course, is to shorten the message. Make it not more than 5 or 6 words. For example, "Hillside Buick sells buicks and pontiacs" or "Big sale at Hillside Buick"
Those may not be the best examples, but the point should be clear. Even flash ads may come into vogue - where Hillside Buick is flashed on the screen for a half second, creating a subliminal impression.
With people using Facebook more now on mobile units than on computers, that company now faces these problems in spades. Read about it in this article.
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
F-Commerce -How Useful is it?
Facebook's stock price will only improve when investors see that businesses are finding it a useful tool for marketing. That's the only way that Facebook will be a commercial success.
Indeed, Facebook seems a natural. it has many millions of users who are engaged and active. The users represent all demographics except the very young.With a little ingenuity, a demographic can be targeted. Customer feedback can be obtained very quickly. Product endorsements by customers can be provided to other customers and potential customers. In short, all the ingredients are there.
And yet, businesses are often not too sure what to do and how to proceed with Facebook They set up Facebook pages, try to get content into it and generate "likes". But the result is often desultory,
F-Commerce needs to be approached with a strategic plan, one fueled by research and qualified social media experts. It needs to be consistent with corporate strategic plans and executed accordingly. It must be managed as the significant initiative that it is, not as a sidelight. That doesn't mean it will work out, but it will give it a better chance.
Check out this case study.
Facebook's stock price will only improve when investors see that businesses are finding it a useful tool for marketing. That's the only way that Facebook will be a commercial success.
Indeed, Facebook seems a natural. it has many millions of users who are engaged and active. The users represent all demographics except the very young.With a little ingenuity, a demographic can be targeted. Customer feedback can be obtained very quickly. Product endorsements by customers can be provided to other customers and potential customers. In short, all the ingredients are there.
And yet, businesses are often not too sure what to do and how to proceed with Facebook They set up Facebook pages, try to get content into it and generate "likes". But the result is often desultory,
F-Commerce needs to be approached with a strategic plan, one fueled by research and qualified social media experts. It needs to be consistent with corporate strategic plans and executed accordingly. It must be managed as the significant initiative that it is, not as a sidelight. That doesn't mean it will work out, but it will give it a better chance.
Check out this case study.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Security Threats No Bigger for the Cloud but Different
Alert Logic, a company that provides Security-as-a Service, has released a study they did exploring the types of security threats faced by Service providers handling outsourced systems as opposed to in-house IT operations. They found that the level of security threats is about the same, but the types of threats differ.
The difference comes from the profile of the two types of operation. Cloud providers tend to have a suite of applications along with a single or controlled number of operating systems. In house providers tend to have many different systems knit together. Also they are dealing with the many issues presented by Bring Your own Device (BYOD) trends, which mean the opening of new points of vulnerability.
For a report on the study, check out this article.
Alert Logic, a company that provides Security-as-a Service, has released a study they did exploring the types of security threats faced by Service providers handling outsourced systems as opposed to in-house IT operations. They found that the level of security threats is about the same, but the types of threats differ.
The difference comes from the profile of the two types of operation. Cloud providers tend to have a suite of applications along with a single or controlled number of operating systems. In house providers tend to have many different systems knit together. Also they are dealing with the many issues presented by Bring Your own Device (BYOD) trends, which mean the opening of new points of vulnerability.
For a report on the study, check out this article.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The Importance of Structured Data
The availability of structured data is increasing and is extremely important to the effectiveness and fairness of the capital markets. In this article, some current trends in the development of structured data are outlined.
The availability of structured data is increasing and is extremely important to the effectiveness and fairness of the capital markets. In this article, some current trends in the development of structured data are outlined.
Thursday, September 06, 2012
Social Marketing - Attract, Interact and Transact
Marketing through social media has become an essential part of most corporate marketing strategies. But not all companies have incorporated the differences in strategy that are called for by social media. Too many of them approach social media as just another advertising channel.
That approach badly misses the point. In the attached article, the authors use the phrase "attract, interact, transact" which aptly captures the essential elements of a social marketing strategy. In particular the interact part says a lot about what is often missing in corporate strategies. The advertising must reach out to the audience and invite participation. For example, instead of saying "Acme widgets have something for everybody", ask the question "Which Acme widgets do you use the most?" or "Which Acme Widgets are most useful to you?"
When the questions and answers appear on the media, people not only feel a part of the action, they can read the answers and get some honest feedback about the product from customers which may help them in using it. Everyone benefits.
Finding ways to initiate interaction with customers and potential customers takes a lot of creativity, but it's the only to make best use of social media in marketing
Check out this article for some good examples.
Marketing through social media has become an essential part of most corporate marketing strategies. But not all companies have incorporated the differences in strategy that are called for by social media. Too many of them approach social media as just another advertising channel.
That approach badly misses the point. In the attached article, the authors use the phrase "attract, interact, transact" which aptly captures the essential elements of a social marketing strategy. In particular the interact part says a lot about what is often missing in corporate strategies. The advertising must reach out to the audience and invite participation. For example, instead of saying "Acme widgets have something for everybody", ask the question "Which Acme widgets do you use the most?" or "Which Acme Widgets are most useful to you?"
When the questions and answers appear on the media, people not only feel a part of the action, they can read the answers and get some honest feedback about the product from customers which may help them in using it. Everyone benefits.
Finding ways to initiate interaction with customers and potential customers takes a lot of creativity, but it's the only to make best use of social media in marketing
Check out this article for some good examples.
Wednesday, September 05, 2012
GETTING PERSONAL CANADA: Investors Hunt Clues in Online Corporate Reports
7 August 2012
Dow Jones News Service
(c) 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
By Evelyn Juan
Digging through pages of corporate financial reports can be confusing and intimidating.
But for investors looking to buy stock, there are some new ways to navigate through companies' financial reports to gain insight on trends and risks--crucial information that can make or break investment decisions.
Jerry Trites, lead judge for electronic disclosure with The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants' Corporate Reporting Awards program, said some companies have been moving away from the standard presentation of information, which is non-interactive. Instead, these companies are giving active investors a wide variety of online tools to help them construct their own analysis of the companies' metrics.
Empowering potential investors is part of an effort by some companies to be best-practice leaders. Better informed investors--knowing where a company stands, where it's going andits plan to get there--will make smarter investment choices.
Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. (POT, POT.T), for instance, has a so-called DataTool program in the investors section of its website that allows users to slice and dice several types of data for their own research. Investors can cull historical data on income, cash flow, andeven compensation details of executives. The DataTool also allows users to pull out market figures and track historical data on fertilizer consumption, supply and demand, or world population trends.
Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd. (AEM, AEM.T) has a similar tool called the Interactive Analyst Center that helps investors collect financial and operating data in aggregate form or in charts and ratio diagrams.
"Investors can analyze and create their own indicators out of all that," said Mr. Trites. "A lot of active investors are doing that."
Typically, a company's investor relations portal on its website serves as a database for information about quarterly financials, annual reports, regulatory filings, news and other information that would be of interest to shareholders or potential investors. However, the data are rarely interactive and investors are left on their own to connect the dots when looking for data that could help them see historic or market trends.
For the novice investor looking for clues through the financial reports, Mr. Trites said a good start would be to examine quarterly profitability trends, revenues, and current assets and liabilities.
But beyond looking at financial statistics, Mr. Trites urged investors not to overlook notes that pertain to recent events affecting the company. In assessing risks, for instance, investors should closely look at the management discussion and analysis portion of financial reports, then tie down risk discussions into the chief executive and president's report that both give highlights of the company.
Telus Corp. (TU), which won CICA's overall award for excellence in corporate reporting last year, has a separate section on its website showing how its mergers and acquisition activities affect investors' stock holdings.
Some companies, like Bank of Montreal BMO), also provide the transcript of conference calls with investorsandanalysts, where risks and other issues are more thoroughly discussed by management with analysts.
"Risk has been very difficult to predict," said Mr. Trites. "In the last few years, particularly since 2008, investors want to try to find companies that present best risk profile and still give them some kind of risk return."
(Evelyn Juan writes about financial advisers and their jobs, with a particular focus on news, trends, business strategies, organizational changes, and regulatory issues relevant to the retail brokerage sector in Canada. She also writes about wealth management practice and personal finance issues. Evelyncan be reached at 416-306-2025; evelyn.juan@dowjones.com andis on Twitter @evelynjuan.)
(TALK BACK: We invite readers to send us comments on this or other financial news topics. Please e-mail us at TalkbackAmericas@dowjones.com. Readers should include their full names, work or home addressesandtelephone numbers for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit and publish your comments along with your name; we reserve the right not to publish reader comments.)
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