Inter-organizational Studies- Academic Article

The Effects of E-business on the Performance of Strategic Alliances

By: Hung-Wen Lee and Jhy-Hong Ding

What this article discusses is the different affects that E-business plays on the performance of strategic alliances. E-business and strategic alliances are both ways that businesses can gain a competitive advantage in the global market. With the growth of communication and information technologies companies have found it beneficial to use these technologies to help them gain this competitive advantage.  Organizations are able experiment and see what strategies would work with the implementation of e-commerce.

The writers Hung and Lee present 10 hypotheses that they test in order to determine their final results. The ten hypotheses presented are:

H1a-3c: The relationships of both partners, the better communication of both partners and the greater level of alliance performance all depends on the greater extent of e-business and how much resources are invested to it.

H2a-2c: The extent of similarity between alliance members is determined by the higher level of relationship expectations, communication expectations and trusts between both alliance members.

H3a-3b: The extent of expectations of the future relationships between the alliances is determined by the higher level of communication and trust between the alliances.

H4: When the extent of communication between the alliances is high then so is the trust.

H5: When there is a high level of trust between the alliances, the performance between alliances will be higher.

The article also presents a model the helps in discovering the relationship between e-business and strategic alliances. The model presented uses many variables such as strategic alliance familiarity, alliance and communication expectations and the trust between both partners.

                                  Figure 1: Research Framework

The authors found that the model they used to test their results found that some of the hypothesis that they suggested were accurate. Although the implementation of e-business improves communication it does not play a direct role of the performance of strategic alliances. It is the different applications that have an effect on alliances. What their testing found is the positive level of trust and communication between strategic alliances was based on the expectations of future relationships and the level of e-business.

My thoughts are similar the results that were found. I believe that e-business can help strategic alliances in many ways but the most important thing for strategic alliances is to develop a good level of trust and communication with one another.

Article Citation:

Hung-Wen, Lee, and Ding Jhy-Hong. "The Effects Of E-Business On The Performance Of Strategic Alliances." Total Quality Management & Business Excellence 21.7 (2010): 707-724. Business Source Complete. Web. 3 Aug. 2012.

Growing your firn- Academic Article

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=11&hid=21&sid=0a8b616b-6ffe-40d6-8d2a-db321c811038%40sessionmgr12&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=76460284

In business, especially economics, people do not like tinkering in the field of religion. But does it affect the way some people do business, and are some companies using religion as an incentive, saying if they do business with them they will have a better afterlife.

They have done research to show that many households do not feel presured from businesses as mucha s they may feel from their religious organiztion. The families that do in fact contribute money religiously, had been doing it and it was not a direct effect of businesses trying to guilt them into it.

It is found however, that charitable giving is a soft spot for many people that are already religious givers as well as those who ar not. Charity seems to be the place where businesses alike can get a lot of poeple to contribute monetarily.

Growing your company- current event

http://search.proquest.com/wallstreetjournal/docview/1027823975/1383EAAAEAB611BD88F/14?accountid=7108

Everyone knows who Ebay is and how they work. But what if they want to open their "doors" to a larger crowd. Since the beginning of Ebay, they have not allowed minors, those under eighteen, to purchase or seel from their website. They now are creating a portion of their website to target just this group.

Many people are skeptical about this because of the material that may be exposed to these minors, but Ebay insists that the parental controls involved will be so intense you will have no need to worry about your child.

This decision has been a good one for Ebay, because of this they have seen a boost in revenue by 9.1% just this month. It seems that at the moment it is working out for Ebay, now we will just wait and see when the first minority dilemna will occur?

Inter-Organizational Studies - Current Event - Shinea Sharma

Inter-Organizational Studies - Current Event 

Apple Inc versus Samsung

   The legal concept of copyright dictates that the original creator of a product deserves exclusive rights to it. Infringement of this concept is seen as a violation of the creator’s intellectual property rights. However, some companies try to eliminate competitors by claiming that their patent rights have been breached. Apple Inc., the maker of iPhone and iPad, is expected to rock horns with Samsung in courtroom over claims of breach of patent rights and unfair competition (Levine & Gupta, 2012). Apple has sued Samsung over allegations that Samsung has copied the design of Apple’s iPhone in manufacturing its Smartphones. Apple argues that Samsung blatantly copied its design thereby infringing its intellectual property rights. On the other hand, Samsung has counter-sued Apple claiming that Apple is trying to block competition in order to continue enjoying excessive profits in the US market (AFP, 2012). 
   
  Apple Inc. is a multinational cooperation located in the USA, and it manufactures and sells personal computers, computer software and consumer electronics. The company was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, and it has come to known for its populous products such as the iPod, iPhone and the iPad. Currently, Apple Inc is only behind Samsung and Nokia in the mobile phone trade industry.  Samsung electronics is a South Korean multinational information Technology and Electronics Company, which is a subsidiary of Samsung Group. Samsung is the leading company in mobile manufacturing industry and it controls the mobile phone market more than any other company in the world (Chen, 2012). The company has recently introduced Smartphone S III, which has hit the ground running almost instantly. However, this product has seen the two titans in the mobile phone market upgrade their antagonism to courtroom battles. 

    The case will take place in a federal court in California, San Jose. The outcome of the case has the potential to reshape the ever-evolving mobile phone market, which is hugely controlled by the two antagonists. Should Samsung lose the case, it will be forced to pay Apple in excess of $2.56 billion, which could actually be tripled (Levine & Gupta, 2012). In addition, Samsung would be prohibited from selling its tablet computers and Galaxy smartphones in the US market. Undoubtedly, this would be a serious blow to Samsung considering that at acquires more than 20% of its profits from the US market. On the other hand, should Apple lose the case, it will be forced to pay Samsung exorbitant financial damages and sale of its iPhose S4 would face a brisk future. Samsung has swiftly outperformed Apple, as well as Nokia in the mobile phone market and it is currently the world’s most recognized smartphone manufacturer.

     At the moment, US consumers seem to prefer Samsung’s S III to Apple’s iPhone S4 because the former is better and user friendly than the latter. This is a significant competitive threat to Apple considering the market antagonism it is currently facing from Hauweii Mobile Phones. The Wall Street had predicted that Apple Inc. would sell approximately 28 million iPhone between January and June of 2012. However, Apple Inc managed to sell only 26 million iPhones, which is a sign of increasing competition and defeat by Samsung’s smartphone S III, which recorded sales exceeding 50 million smartphones (Bloomberg, 2012). Therefore, it can be argued that Apple Inc is employing excessive legal claims to derail the sales of smartphones until it launches iPhone S 5, since iPhone S 4 has been defeated.  Nonetheless, the jury will decide.

     The possible outcome of the case will significantly affect the financial stability and competitive edge of the loosing company. Thus, financial managers in both firms should be introducing cost-cutting measures in order to guarantee financial health of their firms. In case of Samsung, the marketing managers should heighten the campaigns for smartphones in the US in order to make more sales before the case is decided. In addition, they should advertise more in smartphones emerging markets such as Australia and South America. This would guarantee or even exceed the level of sales even if the case is lost. Finally, Samsung’s production managers should be thinking of another, better design, which would serious defeat Apple’s iPhones.           


References

AFP. (2012, July 22). Samsung smartphone sales booming. News24. Retrieved from     "http://www.news24.com/SciTech/News/Samsung-smartphone-sales-booming-20120722" http://www.news24.com/SciTech/News/Samsung-smartphone-sales-booming-20120722
Bloomberg. (2012).  Samsung Beats Apple in Smartphone Sales. Bloomberg Tv. Retrieved from    
"http://www.bloomberg.com/video/91596700-samsung-beats-apple-in-smartphone-" http://www.bloomberg.com/video/91596700-samsung-beats-apple-in-smartphone-sales.html

Chen, B. (2012). Samsung’s New Galaxy Phone Tops 10 Million Sales. The New York Times.     Retrieved from http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/23/galaxy-s-iii-10-million/
Levine, D.  & Gupta, P. (2012, July 27). Apple, Samsung take patent fight to crucial California     trial. Reuters. Retrieved from 
"http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/27/us-apple-samsung-trial-idUSBRE86Q16X20120727" http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/27/us-apple-samsung-trial-idUSBRE86Q16X20120727

Applied Strategy- Academic- Heavy Technology Use by Advisors Shows Positive Results

Applied Strategy- Academic- Heavy Technology Use by Advisors Shows Positive Results

 

Article by: Rebecca King

Abstract by: Russell Medley

 

Rebecca king is report on some results conducted by FPA in late 2011.  These surveys were based on the idea of asking business owners, employees and employers questions about their satisfaction level while at work and their use of technology.  The surveys were implemented to try and discover a connection between the two.  The results show that the higher the use of perceive integration (being the use of technology in your business) the higher percentage of those that would agree to being “on track” to their business/career goals.

The findings suggest that technology has appositive influence on the level of efficiency present in a business (see table 2 in the article).  It is evident in almost all of the surveys that a certain level of satisfaction is felt when a business has a strong grasp on the use of technology in their everyday operations.  The reason this works is because once the technology is in place and running effectively, you as a business person are given more time to do the things that make your business grow like prospecting for more clients or honing your skills instead of sitting at home waiting for your fax machine to finish printing the invoice.  Some tasks can even be done automatically for you such as monthly bank account checks and automatic payments.  This can be a huge time saver for the average do it-your-self business professional.

Lastly in the article it is said that technology should be put in place to “improve your professional and personal life, if it doesn’t, a re-evaluation of your current technology and how you’re using it is in order.”  This basically means that just because you have a ton of gadgets at your office, if they aren’t working FOR you, then they are working against you.  Having a fax machine, scanner, printer, 3 cell phones, 4 computers, 2 price scanners, a photo booth, and GPS equipment are all great…but not if you are the one who has to operate all of them.

Source:

Journal of Financial Planning; Mar2012, Vol. 25 Issue 3, p28-29, 2p, 3 Charts

Innovation-Current Event-Turning Plastic Into Fuel

Innovation Current Event-Turning Plastic Into Fuel

A new innovation currently on the rise is turning plastic into fuel. In an article titled, “JBI finds way to turn plastic into fuel,” a company in Niagara Falls discovers a way to save big on fuel costs. There are many places around the world that throw away plastics and they just sit in a land fill and take up space. If everyone would recycle their plastic products and this process discovered by John Bordynuik would be implemented around the United States, I believe gas prices would dramatically decrease. “Bordynuik said his invention allows JBI Inc. to produce fuel at a fraction of the cost of major refineries, and can convert two tons of plastic into 109 barrels of fuel.” (Tighe) Scientists have been studying this process for years but the products they come up with are very low quality, but this guy is the first to successfully product a quality product. This inspired many people to try and do the same. In Fairbanks, Bernie Karl began using his own machine for transforming plastic waste into oil. (Miller) In an article titled, “Turning plastic into oil would eliminate plastic waste and stick it to greedy oil companies,” it states that, “the machine takes anything form Styrofoam to plastic bags and melts them down in a vat heated to 800 degrees, turning the plastic into gas. The machine then sends the gas into a water container for cooling, which turns the gas into fuel.” (Miller)  CynarPic is another company that has been focusing on the technology to turn plastic into fuel as well. “Cynar Pic is developing and has patent applied for a technology which converts a wide range of ELP into liquid fuels, mainly diesel which Cynar calls-End of Life Plastic to Diesel(ELPD)” (CynarPic) As  you can see, there are many companies that are in the early stages of development in this new technology. I think it is a great idea and would help not only lower gas prices but also eliminate a lot of the plastic waste.

"CynarPic Converting End of Life Plastic into Liquid Fuels." CynarPic. n.d. n. page. Web. 26 Jul. 2012. <http://www.cynarplc.com/>.

Miller, Sarka-Jonae. Natural News.com. 09 05 2012: n. page. Web. 26 Jul. 2012. <http://www.naturalnews.com/035807_plastic_oil_energy.html>.

Tighe, Maryellen. "JBI finds way to turn plastic into fuel." Buffalo News.com. 11 06 2011: n. page. Web. 26 Jul. 2012. <http://www.buffalonews.com/business/article452079.ece>.

Inter-Organizational- Current Event- Facebook Acquires Face.com

Overview    

Facebook has been involved in numerous acquisitions since its launch. On June 18, 2012 Facebook announced one of its most recent acquisitions with Face.com.  It is unclear how much Facebook acquired the company for but it is said to be anywhere from 55 to 100 Million (Sutter).

Face.com is an Israeli company that was launched in 2007.  The Israeli company was best known for helping third parties integrate facial recognition to social networking sites (Owens). The facial recognition technology provided by face.com allows many social network sites that individuals use daily to automatically detect faces on the pictures that are uploaded by its users (Bloomberg).

Facebook website has been integrated with the company’s services and applications (Sutter). Features which many of us have seen or used on Facebook like PhotoFinder and PhotoTagger have been implemented in the website for two years. These applications operate by automatically detecting people's age and facial features when a photo is upload. The PhotoFinder application assists users in locating photos of themselves and friends. The PhotoTagger is an application that automatically mass tags photos uploaded by users (Newman). 

Expected Outcomes

Since its launch Face.com has targeted the creation of face detecting applications, especially for mobile devices (Owen). What many speculate including myself is this acquisition has a lot to do with Facebook wanting to lead in mobile photo capturing and uploading. For Facebook these face detection applications have not worked so well on mobile devices and tablets (Sutter). Many photos that users upload through their phones end up going untagged and this has a direct effect on Facebook as it minimizes the amount of news feed users get.  Facebook's recent 1billion dollar acquisition with Instagram also indicted that Facebook is looking to place a major emphasis on photo sharing through mobile devices (Owens).

Therefore, what users of Facebook will more than likely see in the future is the creation of new tools that will make it easier to tag friends in photos through mobile devices (Newman). This acquisition will most definitely assist the Facebook management team improve and enhance functionality and accuracy of the services on mobile devices and tablets.

Works Cited

Levy, Ary. "Facebook Buys Face.com, Adds Facial-Recognition Software." Bloomberg. N.p., 18 June 2012. Web. <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-18/facebook-buys-face-com-adds-facial-recognition-software.html>.

Newman, Jared. "Facebook Buys Face.com; Prepare for Easier Photo Tagging." PCWorld. N.p.,18 June 2012. Web  <http://www.pcworld.com/article/257832/facebook_buys_facecom_prepare_for_easier_photo_tagging.html>.

Owens, Jeremy C. "Facebook Acquires Face.com, Stock Continues to Rise."MercuryNews.com, 19 June 2012. Web. <http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_20883128/facebook-acquires-face-com-stock-continues-rise>.

Sutter, John D. "Why Faces Matter to Facebook - CNN.com." CNN Tech. Cable News Network, 20 June 2012. Web. <http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/19/tech/innovation/face-recognition-facebook/index.html>