Sierra's Business Blog

Soccer Buoys Business, Not City!

2008-06-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

I saw my teammates post on Champions League final and its economical effect. I found that very interesting and made further research and found out actually it is not really profitable to the hosts as it claimed to be.

The League of Champions final, besides a sporting event, was a grandiose financial undertaking. The winner of the match Manchester United became about £85 million richer, and Moscow received about £35 million. City officials s to spent all of the city’s two-year sports budget of $227 million. At the end of the day only the service sector saw a payoff from it.

Analysts estimated that English fans left about £35 million behind them when they visited Moscow, with every fan spending over £650 on the two-day trip. That makes this year’s championship twice as expensive as last year’s in Athens. The estimates are based on the attendance of 40,000 fans. In reality, only 25,000 Britons came to see the match, with many holding back due to the trip’s high price.

The expenses of preparing for the match were shared by the City of Moscow and the Russian Soccer Union. A RSU posted on its web site that most of the expenses, the size of which is not being made public, were borne by the city. Some analysts estimate that the city spent 800 million rubles (about $33.7 million) on Luzhniki Stadium, 10 million rubles ($420,000) sprucing up the stadium’s grounds and the surrounding area and 37 million rubles (about $1.5 million) on temporary pedestrian bridges over roadways near the arena. Moscow received from the UEFA 20 percent of the revenue from ticket sales, which was 35 million rubles. Moscow also received a premium of $1.15 million. The only other revenue the city received from the event was in the form of restaurant and hotel taxes.

The city’s foreign guests were greeted by special inflated prices. The Baltschug Kempinski Hotel was booked for the match dates as soon as they were announced last year. A special rate applied between May 20 and 22 with rooms starting at 28,000 rubles. Swissotel Red Hills was charging 40,000 rubles for rooms that usually cost 18,500 rubles. The Euroluxe Hotel at the edge of the city raised the price of its double rooms from 3950 rubles to 16,000 rubles. Rooms that cost 2900 rubles in the Izmailovo complex were raised to 6000 rubles. Restaurants saw a 50-percent increase in business.

As we can see from the numbers it was not profitable to the City of Moscow at all. But at least they can get some of their money back in forms of taxes.

Entry #14, 20600793

Mozilla Firefox 3.0

2008-06-17T07:41:00.000-07:00

For fans of Firefox, Mozilla’s increasingly popular multi-platform Web browser, today is a big day indeed: It’s the official launch of Firefox 3 (Windows only — Mac and Linux releases are imminent). So, what’s new? What’s exciting? What’s the big deal?

For starters, the developers claim Firefox 3 is significantly faster than both 2.0 and Internet Explorer 7. That’s always good. The new Places Organizer lets you tag, manage, and search bookmarks — a big improvement over the old bookmark manager. Firefox 3 also delivers improved security features, better password management, resumable downloads, and an auto-completing location bar:

Type in all or part of the title, tag or address of a page to see a list of matches from your history and bookmarks; a new display makes it easier to scan through the matching results and find that page you’re looking for.

You can see the full list of Firefox 3’s new goodies on Mozilla’s site. You might also want to check out Lifehacker’s Top 10 Firefox 3 Features.

There is a case pending in EU economical court against Microsoft and it seems like in near future Windows OS will be sold without Internet Explorer. Mozilla and European consumer commission accusing Microsoft of product tying.

Mozilla is a part of Software As A Service or Web 2.0 generation of softwares. It's distributed for free over the net and independent programmers can create new features and share it with others. Because of that it became the most popular internet browser and aiming to get a bigger share.

Entry # 13, 20600793

Politics and outdated perspectives hurt business.

2008-06-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

Gazprom to Stick to Britain’s Model in U.S.

Russia’s gas monopoly Gazprom is in talks with holders of a few gas traders in the United States about the buyout of the majority stakes from them. The monopoly applies the same methods to pave the way to Britain’s market of gas retail, which has been thoroughly protected against its expansion. Gazprom has covered 1.5 percent of it, stepping up the supplies from 2 percent to 8 percent in the last six years.

The company is studying chances for the first acquisition in the United States, Vitaly Vasiliev, who is the CEO at Britain’s subsidiary of Gazprom, Gazprom Marketing & Trading (GMT), made clear it very clear. The project could start from scratch, or via the partnership or through the acquisition, Gazprom will make the final decision by this year-end, the official specified.

The monopoly is eyeing stakes in traders, but the final agreements haven’t been attained yet. The negotiator is the U.S. division of GMT, GMT USA, which office opened in Texas in 2006.

Russians are trying to build the capability for Gazprom to place its volumes in the market in the most profitable way, to gain the value that Gazprom lost by simply selling at the border or to somebody in the middle. And the promotion experience of the top managers are inspiring. Vasiliev took over GMT in 2002, when Gazprom covered around 2 percent of Britain’s market. Since then, however, the monopoly has extended to above 8 percent on wholesale gas market and reached 1.5 percent on retail market. The progress appears even more impressive given the general antagonism of Britain’s authorities to Gazprom.

On the other hand some financial analyst expressing that fear by US and UK governments might actually make it impossibly for Gazprom to gain more than 10%, which in other words investments for increase of market share might be in vain. Therefore analysts proposing for Gazprom to invest into gas and oil rich Central Asia or try to extend its pipeline monopoly.

Entry # 12, 20600793

Glazer wins control of Man United

2008-06-17T03:21:00.000-07:00

from BBC/Sport
US sports tycoon Malcolm Glazer has won control of Manchester United in a £790m ($1.47bn) takeover bid.

The American has secured the 28.7% stake owned by Irish racing tycoons JP McManus and John Magnier, and now has more than 70% of the Premiership club.

Red Football Ltd, acting on behalf of Mr Glazer, said the Irishmen had sold their stakes for 300p a share.

Club fans have vehemently opposed Mr Glazer's ambition all along and fear that ticket prices will soar.

The bid comes five days ahead of the 17 May deadline when Mr Glazer had to make known whether he planned to bid.

'Aggressive'

Mr Glazer now wants to buy the rest of the club's shares. If he gets 75% plus one share, United could be delisted from the stock exchange and Mr Glazer could transfer his debt onto the club.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TIMELINE OF A TAKEOVER
March 2003 - Glazer buys 2.9% stake in club
March 2004 - Glazer says he has "no current intention" of making a bid
June 2004 - Glazer's stake in club nears 20%
October 2004 - United confirms bid approach from Glazer, as his stake nears 30%
November 2004 - Glazer ousts three directors from United's board
December 2004 -Glazer makes revised bid
February 2005 - Glazer makes new bid approach, valuing United at £800m, the club later opens its books to the tycoon
14 April 2005 - Glazer moots £800m bid for club
28 April 2005 - Takeover Panel sets 17 May deadline for Glazer to announce whether he intends to buy United
12 May 2005 - Glazer launches formal takeover bid for United after upping his stake in the club to almost 57%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If he can get 90% plus one share, he can make a compulsory purchase and scoop up the other 10% of the club's shares.

With heavy trading in Manchester United shares taking place after the announcement, it is already looking increasingly likely that Mr Glazer will quickly reach the 90.01% stake he needs to force out any remaining shareholders.

United's third-biggest shareholder Scottish mining millionaire Harry Dobson is already reported to have sold his 6.45% stake after the Irishmen sold theirs.

Shares in Manchester United closed up 34.25 pence, or 12.92%, at 299.25p on Thursday.

Constitutional Affairs Minister Harriet Harman said the government had urged Mr Glazer to have talks with fans, the Football Association and the club in order to ensure there was "constructive involvement".

She told BBC One's Question Time: "Manchester United is very important to English football and the government is keeping a very close eye on the situation.

"The fans are very worried and obviously there is concern that ticket prices will go up and that there won't be investment in the players."

'Damaging'

Mr Glazer first showed an interest in buying the club last autumn and tabled a formal proposal in October, which was rejected by the board.

The owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is thought to be keen to exploit the strength of the Manchester United brand in the US.

Two weeks ago, the club board said it could not recommend Mr Glazer's second takeover proposal to shareholders because his business plan appeared to be too "aggressive".

His offers were rejected on the grounds that his plans relied too heavily on borrowed money.

The club's chief executive David Gill said Mr Glazer's business plan was "potentially damaging" to the club amid fears that the American could saddle it with up to £300m worth of debt.

However, members of the board did agree that some shareholders might think the offer was a good one.

Outrage

Manchester United fans are angry at the latest news. Last year, they formed a shareholders' association to buy club shares and try to protect it from Mr Glazer's clutches.

A spokesman for Shareholders United, which represents 17% of the club's shareholders, told the BBC that Mr Glazer was "no Roman Abramovich".

"He's not turning up with a suitcase full of his own cash and he is, in effect, asking Manchester United fans to pay for his takeover, to pay for increased ticket prices and increased merchandising," said spokesman Oliver Houston.

"We feel completely betrayed by John Magnier and JP McManus."

The Irishmen are estimated to have made a £70m profit from their stake.

A spokesman for the duo said: "They saw it as an investment. They got a very good deal."

'Game over'

"I'm giving up my season ticket," said Shareholders United president Nick Towle.

"I'm not putting a penny of my money into this guy's pocket."

Mr Towle said Shareholders United still hoped to stop the tycoon getting a 75% stake.

"If we can get to that 25% of the remaining shareholders, that would be great," Mr Towle added. "But it's looking like an uphill battle for us."

Analysts are convinced that the 76-year-old is unstoppable.

"I think it's pretty much game over now as the key to all this was always going to surround what the Irish duo would do with their stake," said Richard Hunter of stockbrokers Hargreaves Lansdown.

8th Entry, 20400241, Yohan Park

Champions League final had €260 mln economic impact

2008-06-17T03:16:00.000-07:00

Last night's Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea has been the richest match in the history of football.

Professor Simon Chadwick, director of Coventry University's Centre for the International Business of Sport, said that the match at Luzhinki stadium generated €260 million in prize-money, spending and TV income. The two sides will share €140 million with the victors receiving about 100 million and the losers taking home €40 million.

"The economic impact of the match is incredible not only for England. The interest for the match was unprecedented, with millions of people rushing from work to buy food and drinks adequate for watching a football match. The restaurants and bars also made solid profits," Chadwick said. He compared the event with the National Football League's Super Bowl in the USA.

ITV, who broadcasted the final, have increased their advertising rates for slots around the game by 50 per cent, with an actual 30-second slot during the final itself costing upwards of €350,000.

6th entry, 20400241, Yohan Park

Euro 2008 Kicks Economies Up a Notch

2008-06-17T03:09:00.000-07:00

by Mark Scot © SPIEGEL ONLINE 2008

The economic impact of the three-week soccer championship is expected to exceed $2.15 billion for participating countries, including hosts Austria and Switzerland.

As the US gears up for the NBA Finals, other sports-crazy fans around the world will turn their attention to the three-week European soccer championship in Austria and Switzerland, the third-most-watched global sporting event after the Summer Olympic Games and soccer's World Cup Finals.

While the championship, known as Euro 2008, brings together Europe's top 16 national soccer teams, its widespread appeal makes the contest a truly global phenomenon. The Union of European Football Assns. (UEFA) expects TV audiences will top 1 billion worldwide for the matches held between June 7 and June 29. More than 100 million visitors are expected to visit the championship's official Web site, a fourfold increase over the last event held in Portugal in 2004.

Such exposure means big bucks for Europe's economy. According to Simon Chadwick, director of the Birkbeck Sport Business Centre at the University of London, Euro 2008's economic impact on UEFA's 52 members across Europe could top $2.15 billion. That includes extra tourism revenue for Austria and Switzerland, multimillion-dollar TV licensing agreements, and increased food and beverage sales as fans head to bars or host barbecues in support of their home teams.

"Euro 2008 will have a halo effect on the wider European economy," says Chadwick. "This impact will be felt in many countries, principally driven by sponsorship and commercial revenues."

The Bottom Line

While the business impact of this year's tournament is light-years ahead of the first UEFA championship in 1960, some elements have remained basically unchanged. Teams are still split into four groups to play each other in a round-robin format. The top two from each group then move into the knockout stages, until eventually a European soccer champion is crowned. Greece is the defending champion from 2004, but Germany, Italy, and Spain are the favorites this time.

No matter who wins, Austria and Switzerland will reap rewards from the hundreds of thousands of fans expected to descend on both countries during June. Consultants Rutter & Partner estimate Euro 2008 will bring $358 million into the Swiss economy, while consultants SportEconAustria figure Austria will gain $369 million.

Where will the money be spent? Kim Hollywood, a spokesperson for the Austrian tourism board, says the hotel and service industries will gain the most. In Austria alone, overnight bookings have already hit the 2 million mark -- well above usual rates for June -- while almost 11,000 temporary jobs have been created to cope with the influx of visitors. "Austria wants to show that it knows how to celebrate," she says.

Huge Wide-Screened TVs

For fans unable to attend one of the tournament's 31 matches, each of the eight host cities has invested millions of dollars in "fan zones," centrally located party areas where supporters can gather to watch the games. UEFA has forked over more than $13 million for the necessary infrastructure, including huge wide-screen TVs to show the action.
Sponsors, such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Adidas also have spent millions in product promotion to maximize their connection with Euro 2008. "Fan zones help people engage with our products in a meaningful way," says James Leipnik, chief of communications and corporate relations for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Canon, one of the official sponsors.

Britain Bumped, Other Countries Buoyed

The tournament's economic bounce won't be limited to the host countries. Along with extra food and beverage sales, gambling across the Continent is expected to rise as Europeans stake money on teams winning Euro 2008. British betting firm Ladbrokes expects more than $700 million to be wagered on matches during the three-week event, in part thanks to the explosion in Internet gambling.

The economic windfall will benefit some European countries more than others, though. Because the English national team failed to qualify for Euro 2008 (Britain's other home nations -- Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland -- also missed out), Britain likely will lose hundreds of millions of dollars in potential revenue. More than 40 percent of the English express a "strong interest" in soccer, so Birkbeck's Chadwick reckons the team's absence could depress the economic impact of Euro 2008 in Britain. When England reached the quarterfinals of the 2006 soccer World Cup, for example, an estimated $3.1 billion was spent in the local economy.

Too bad for Britain this time around, but other countries in the final 16 could get a nice pick-me-up. From Portugal to Russia, the European soccer championship will undoubtedly be a kick for the economy.

- 5th Entry, 20400241, Yohan Park

European Football Market Tops €10 billion

2008-06-17T03:02:00.000-07:00

Accountants Deloitte and Touche have estimated the European football market to be worth around €10 billion in their latest report on football finances. Dan Jones, director of Deloitte and Touche Sport commented, 'England's matchday incomes are now almost three times those of other big leagues. German, Italian and Spanish clubs need to address revenue generation and commercial issues at their stadia urgently or they will fall further behind.' In particular the report notes that clubs in Italy and Spain 'lack the relative balance between different revenues that Premier League clubs have (being too reliant on broadcasting money) and have historically shown far less discipline regarding player costs.'

The report shows that the 'big five' leagues in Europe (which between them account for 80 per cent of all football income) experienced mixed fortunes in terms of revenue growth in the 2001-2 season. England (up €1.7 billion) and Germany (who broke €1 billion for the first time) recorded very healthy increases of 21 per cent and 19 per cent respectively. French revenues were static and Italy decreased by 2 per cent. There were no reliable figures for Spain. The 2001/2 growth rates meant that the English Premiership built on an already substantial revenue gap to the next biggest league (Italy). The absolute gap now stands at over €600m.

Wages again rose substantially. In the big leagues the increases ranged from 6 per cent in France to 26 per cent in England. Only Germany recorded a percentage wages increase (19 per cent) less than growth (17 per cent). Wages/turnover ratios increased everywhere except Germany. The English Premiership was Eropean champion in terms of operating profits, generating €130m in 2001/2, up from €125 million. Germany saw operating profits rise from €87m to €100m. France, and particularly Italy, recorded sizeable operating losses. Italy's loss of €404 million, up from €216 million in the previous season, was largely the result of static income and rising wages.

The Premiership remained the best-attended top division in European football. Its average crowd is eleven per cent above its nearest rival, the German Bundesliga. Italy's Serie A, whose average attendance fell by eleven per cent, slipped back into third place. Average attendances in Spain have fluctuated around the same levels, in the low twenty thousands, for years. France, after a post World Cup boom, has settled back into fifth place. The Premiership is the only league to exhibit consistent growth in attendance in every season since the mid 1990s.

The UEFA Champions League is the de facto sixth 'big' European league. Its estimated broadcasting income of €420m would rank it third among the 'big five' leagues. The competition's average attendance in 2001/2 (34,351) was higher than any of the 'big five' domestic leagues.

-4th entry, 20400241 Yohan Park

14. No-Key Glass Keyboard

2008-06-13T17:33:00.000-07:00

The No-key Keyboard by Kong Fanwen is definitely something worth looking at - it features a totally radical design that is a welcome departure from what we see every day in the market. Guaranteed to be the flattest full-size QWERTY keyboard to date, you get a full glass surface, camera and lighting that uses motion capture technology to translate those lightning quick finger movements into actual characters on the screen.

The No-Key is very simple: just a light source, a camera and an etched sheet of glass, showing the key positions. You just type, the cam sees your contact with the glass and sends appropriate commands to your PC. And one image suggests it'd be waterproof, and we could expects PCs in our bathrooms soon

Reference : http://www.itechnews.net/2008/06/12/glass-keyboard-has-no-keys/

14th blog by 20200652

Vice Fund

2008-06-13T07:22:00.000-07:00

Beginning of this year Economic Inquiry presented report that

related tocause and affect of alcohol and cigarette. First of

drinking alcohol beverage does not related to all household

income. Most peopel think that high-earnersdrink expensive

beverage and people with low income drink cheap alcohol

like soju. It's also regardless of family background or heretical

facts. Most likely it's depend on personality and peer pressure

group. There are groups that have different characters, and

a group that prefer to drink in this society is considering

future as hopeless. It's also important to emphasize

whne did you start to drink.

Smoking is slightly different from alcohol because most

of their customers depend on blue labor in society. America

is sort of different because price of cigarette. An important fact

is regardless of price, because it's high rate of taxes.

There is a fund called vice fund which depend on income of

cigarette and alcohol company. Which means it's an industry

that does not effect by currency of economy. It means

Vice Fund is totally different from SRI. However, it's

most safe fund to invest.

14th edition 20400402 (make up for last week)

Telecommunication

2008-06-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

Business in Tele-communication area is enormous and also has

an import role in society. There are a lot of tele-communication

business most of countries, however, Korea is sort of different

from others. The biggest fact in this field is 3 companies are

allowed by government; SKT, KTF, LGT. Regardless of wire

and wireless communication business there are several more.

Most companies in Korea do not prefer to joint venture

especially in Korean market. This year SKT and Hanaro

telelcom will joint venture, but as matter of Hanaro had

a law suit, because they had been used personal informations

illegally. The service that SKT and Hanaro was going to

provide is wireless and internet combined. Eventually,

Law suit had been charged and it delays until now.

However, high inflation destroys economic in Korea

and world wide. Government provides different rule

in order to provide services to customers with

lower price. Basically high inflation causes to affect

economic negatively and it requires a lot of cost to

live. Maybe high-inflation is a time like Great

depression but it could be a chance to have

a better business in the future because less-

distriction of law in business field.

20400402 14th edition

LG v.s. iPhone!

2008-06-13T00:06:00.000-07:00

Introduction: LG has stepped up to the plate to compete with iPhone, with its beautiful touchscreen, access to mobile TV, and a 2 megapixel camera. Both devices are similar in design. It is streamlined, simple, and beautiful. However, LG Vu (phone) is more capable. It is one of the first device to have Flo TV mobile, TV service through AT&T service. Consumers can watch MTV to CNN with very clear graphic visuals and sharpness, just for $15 a month. iPhone is also available of providing the TV service from AT&T, but their latest model can't tune into that TV service.

Differentiation: Obviously, LG has taken its technology into more advancement that its competitors. Vu also has other gadgets that makes it more "fun" for the consumers. For example, the phone has vabration method whenever the touchscreen buttons are pushed to let the users know the button has been pushed. In addition, by the tilt of the screen, it automatically adjusts the screen view accordingly, so that the users can watch the content whenever it is vertical or horizontal. Web browser function is also embedded in Vu. Websites are viewed in orignial HTML format just like the actual internet websites sited through computer. Finally, it has the state-of-art megapixel within a phone that gives a very sharp quality in digital camera mode pictures.

More improvements required: Vu is very functional, however, it is not complete in terms of filling the gaps of technological inefficiency. For one, Vu has weak internet connection compared to the other competitors. Samsung has very strong and flawless connection to internet. Vu also has weak power in batteries than iPhone and Samsung. The lifespand of one battery until it needs to be charged is about half the time shorter than the strongest battery inputted device, like Samsung's products.

Conclusion & Marketing Proposals: We are living in a day where one day's absence of cell phone provides very troublesome inconveniences. However, cell phones being part of our lives for some time now, not only consumers seek the function of communication from the cell phones but also the design. LG Vu is an exemplary model to meet design aspect of customer satisfaction. It is very sheek, sharp, and luxurious in design. Also, people want phones that have multi-functions. A cell phone without a camera is so not attractive, even though most people have a separate digital cameras. Internet access through mobile phone has become very convenient too. You can download movies, use the GPS system, and view news from it. However, in terms of LG's potential success in marketing, it should sponsor for direct formative advertising. iPhone has a very strong brand image through iPod, and in order to compete, they should advertise their technological lead in the mobile market. Also, a product can quickly fish its customers but the reliance in the product is the key factor that builds a loyal relationship with the customers. As mentioned in the "more improvements required" section of this blog, LG should really look into their technical difficulties and reduce the defects. Also, it is important to have customer service, after-purchase services, and customer satisfaction measures. In the end, it is the one who snatches the heart of consumer's that last in the global competition.

source: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2008/tc2008069_365878.htm?chan=search

(#20300742, #14th entry)

20600674 (Entry #14- Smartphones for Women)

2008-06-12T17:53:00.000-07:00

In a big shift for the phone industry, women have emerged as eager buyers of not just iPhones but of all so-called smartphones — BlackBerrys, Treos and other models. In the last year the number of American women using smartphones more than doubled to 10.4 million, growing at a faster pace than among men, according to Nielsen Mobile, which tracks wireless trends.

Smartphones are cheaper now — as little as $99 for the petite BlackBerry Pearl — and are better designed. Women have been using them for years in business, of course, but many are finding that the phones can also help manage their families’ hectic schedules and keep them in touch with friends. “Women, including wives and mothers, need to keep track of their busy lives, too.”

The phone makers and service providers increasingly see women as the path to the entire household. According to Verizon Wireless, 71 percent of women make the decision about their family’s wireless choices, including phones and service plans. (Smartphones require data plans that can cost $30 or more a month.) As a result, smartphone makers are beginning to market specifically to women.

Women were less likely to be wowed by fancy gadgets. Instead, as smartphones have become sleeker, smaller and cheaper, they have become more appealing to them. “Now they are small enough to be in your purse or pocket,” Mr. Christopher said. “Design does matter.”

Competitors have been working hard to catch up to Apple in the design department. This month Sprint, a unit of Sprint Nextel, will begin selling the Instinct, a touch-screen device created by Samsung that shares many features with the iPhone. And this summer R.I.M. is adding the BlackBerry Bold, which, like the iPhone, runs on a faster mobile network.

Nielsen’s research shows that women are more price sensitive than men and half as likely to care about whether they have used a specific brand before. Years ago the market was much more focused solely on function. Now there is more focus on lifestyle.” “Companies need to be careful to not think that to sell smartphones they just need to be pink,” she said. “There are other things women want.”

Steven P. Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, understood this when his engineers created the iPhone. Although it is not marketed specifically to women, it has a clean design and multimedia features that many women say they like, but that the BlackBerry lacks.

According to Nielsen, two-thirds of women with smartphones say they use them primarily for pleasure rather than business.

As I was reading this article, I had hoped there would be more smartphones in Korea as well. Smartphones does seem really convinient, especially for busy and working moms to take care of their family and work schedule. Also, as we have learned in class, marketing a product is about how the product gives value to the consumer. In this case, the smartphones design did matter, but the function was the more important component. Also, for women, they wanted a small smartphone that they could put in their purse. Looking at this attributes, we can conclude that being aware of consumers needs and wants are important.

I would like to get an iPhone as well!

- by 20600674 (entry #14)

USB 3.0: Stirs Conflict in Competition

2008-06-11T00:27:00.000-07:00

Introduction: USB 3.0 promises unreal data transfer speed. As it is closing its preparation for the release in the market, the dispute regarding its requirements in the IT industry is arising. It is the conflict between the corporation which knows the specs of USB 3.0 and those who don't. USB 3.0 is also known as the "super speed" and it prides in data transfer rate of 4.8Gb per second. This is approximately 10 times faster than the USB 2.0. The date expected of its release into the market is late this year or early next year.

Conflict in the IT industry: AMD, NVidia, ViaTechnology, and etc. is unsatisfied with Intel's behavior of maintaining technology secrecry. These companies are now dedicated to finding their own independent technology to fight back against Intel's selfishness. Intel is the top leader of its industry in manufacturing CPU, chip sets, and etc. It is not the whole innovative technology that its competitors are seeking, rather they want to know the specifications and standard requirements of USB 3.0. This will allows profit for the whole industry, but Intel seeks to grasp the whole entire market without having to share any information on how they are going to release the product to the public. Intel may release such information regarding the specification and requirements of USB 3.0, but that is only after the completion of their goals. This forces other competitors to just sit and wait. It seems that Intel's goal is to be ahead of everybody in the race of USB 3.0, and they claimed that the complaints of its competitors are improper.

What Effects on Consumers?: There are many PC manufacturing companies who want to adapt compatibility on their products for the use of USB 3.0. Intel is the only one who knows recipe of such specification. Of course, it in the best interest of the consumers to purchase a better, more efficient product. However, if Intel gets sole lead on this upgraded product, the consumer sovereignty is at stake. Intel can have relative amount of control in determining the price of the product until the competitors rival with their own products. It would not be illegal under the Anti-Trust legal issues, but it will have effect on consumers. Innovators will have to pay more for it, general consumers would just have to simple wait til the price drops.

Conclusion: Intel's strategy is not illegal by any means. They have invested their own capital expenditures to come up with hot, new item. Also such competitive advantage enforces other competitors excel in advancement of technology. In result, this provides improved technology of the world. However, too much greed can isolate a company. Imagine if you are top of the class. Your classmates want to know how you study, what style of notes you take, and what pages to read. But continuous rejection of such help can lead your classmates to be uncooperative. In case you miss a class for one day, who would you ask for notes on the missed lecture? Ah-ha~! Now do you see?

source: 1. http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=105&oid=030&aid=0001956039

2. http://www.zdnet.co.kr/news/digital/0,39030978,39161626,00.htm

#20300742 (#13 entry)

13. Value of design in products

2008-06-10T00:36:00.000-07:00

Ipod, Lucky Strike, LG Chocolate Phone, VW Beetle, Nike Airforce one, Sony Walkman, what are their similarities? What attracts the customer's first sight? Sales of these products exploded all over the world for their design. What made Apple's ipod so successful? Does Apple have the best mp3 technology? Does new Volkswagen Beetle have better horsepower? Their design is what brought them success.

When LG Chocolate phone developers were discussing about the release of Chocolate Phone, technicians and user interface experts opposed its release while fought for it strongly. LG made the final decision to release the Chocolate phone through strong impose by designers and it swept the phone industry all over the world. At the time, Chocolate phone became a big issue on the world's news, internet and magazines. It was selected as one of the world's top 5 well designed phone by british electronics magazine 'STUFF'. What can we learn from this case?

As more businesses are transforming into E-market, design has become very crucial element in customer's decisions. In the eyes of designers, designer is what is most important in the product. Similarly in the eyes of engineers, performance is what is most important in a product. All though they are equally important, lets take time to think about what we consider more when we're purchasing a product. Is there really a huge difference in technology today? Do we really feel the difference in watching Samsung and LG TV? Why do people chose listen to Ipod, ride Beetle, talk on chocolate phone when there are chaper products with better performance? All though there might have been other factors may have added to their sales we should regard the impact of design on customers.

No references. 100% Own thought.

13th blog by 20200652

CUV next generation of SUV

2008-06-07T23:54:00.000-07:00

CUV(Cross Utilities Vehicle) is a target as next generation

of SUV. Price of gas is dramatically increasing and one

barrel costs $130 today. Motor companies in the world

focus on CUV. There are 20 different types of CUV came

out as a model recently and it seems like blue ocean for

each company but it will be a red ocean pretty soon.

Two different types of CUV already came out in Korea

and including Japanese and European companies

already produced various CUV. CUV is not a luxurious

vehicle yet it has a lot of potential to grow up. It has

different way and purpose to use. As we learned

most likely star productof each company is familiy sedan.

However, a lot of customers want to have SUV and

cost of CUV probably will shift customers' consume.

Basically the biggest concern in this case is how to

present to customers.

20400402 13th edition

By 20600674 (Entry #13 VOIP in Tokyo Cellphones)

2008-06-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

Tokyo Telco Bets Big on Voice-Over-Internet
Japan Communications is set to offer mobile phones that make calls using voice-over-Internet protocol technology, which could lead to lower rates

Sometime in July, telecom services venture Japan Communications is expected to lease wireless spectrum from NTT DoCoMo (DCM) for a new type of cell-phone service. The Tokyo company is likely to be the first operator in Japan to offer mobile handsets that can make calls on-the-go using voice-over-Internet protocol technology.

JCI's service and other mobile VoIP services like it have the potential to change drastically the economics of cellular services. Analysts say that VoIP should mean lower rates for subscribers, especially for long-distance calls. That's good news for users in Japan, where basic monthly rates average around $60 and are among the highest in the world.

JCI officials have a loftier goal: Simplify communications by routing mobile-phone calls through the same digital channels we now use to browse the Net. Microsoft (

MSFT) and Cisco (CSCO) have been pushing this concept, known as "unified communications," in recent years, but hurdles remain even for these tech giants.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reflection:

VoIP on cellphones is excellent because of the low price!

However, there are some technical challenges that they must overcome.

VoIP has high tendency for dropped calls and interrupted connections.

If Japan Communications want to succeed in implementing VoIP on

cellphones, they need to overcome this technical problem.

If not, it will quickly alienate users.

They simply will not want to use the new technology.

If the technical problem is solved, then I think VoIP on cellphones will be a success!

12. Danger of Hacking : Kevin Mitnick the most well known hacker in the world

2008-05-30T05:05:00.000-07:00

Doing businsses over the web made things convinient for us in many ways, however it follows risks. The web is always exposed to the crackers. Recently the biggest retail site in Korea Auction.co.kr was cracked by chinese crackers and lot of private information was sold to different companies. Kevin Mitnick, is the legend in the world of hacking. When he was caught and prisoned, lot of students saw him as a hero. A movie was made about him, and if he was casted, it could have brought success however he was busy running away from the FBI.

Kevin drew into the world of hacking when he was very little and joined a hacker group in LA. He changed his grades in highschool through his hacking skills and only concentrated on hacking.

He quit highschool and began to hack into department of national defence in colorado. He realizes his knowledge wasn't good enough for it. Then he hacked into COSMOS systems and stole MircoPort system manual and ungrades his knowledge. What was amazing was that he hacked with computers that was placed for free use at the stores. It took him just couple of hours to couple of minutes to hack into DEC, Novell, Sun mircosystems and other IT companies.

In 1994, he made a big mistake of hacking into a Simomura Stomu's who was a japanese IT security expert. Stomu realized his compter was hacked and tracked down Kevin Mitnick. In 1995 febuary 15th, the King of Hackers gets arrested. At this time, Kevin had hacked into over 35 IT companies and stole informationn that was worth 30 million dollars. Allthough he didn't do any harm to these companies, hacking is a crime therefore he had to serve in prison for 2years. He is now working as a security consultant and his story teaches us the importance of internet security.

reference : http://blog.naver.com/kmc774?Redirect=Log&logNo=60013941895

12th blog by 20200652

LG and GE

2008-05-29T05:23:00.000-07:00

GE announce that they might sell part of their division to LG.

As we know GE has 100 year of history as eletronic company

and also they have 2nd biggest market share in U.S. which

2o%. However, they are looking for companies that can

buy their part of division. Basically they have been

selected companies that located in Mexico, Turkey, China

and Korea. On the first hand, it seems a lot of benefits

to purchase part of their division on the other hand

it's extremely risky like a gamble. If it goes into

positive situation then, whoever purchases GE will

be the most dominant electronic companies and

also it will increase sales revenue and possess

more market share. The most synergy effect

is LG might compete against with HI-AL.

However, risky part of this business is

taste of customer and important directors in

each companies have to replace their position.

No body can predict the future, but What I

want to say is regardless of a risk it's better

to purchase because since GE has a good

relationship with retailers, it will give a

chance to sell to various customer in

different markets. The first step will be

hard, however, business is competition.

entry 12 20400402

New Transportation

2008-05-29T03:41:00.000-07:00

Introduction: Engineers Yanagisa and Gennai from GEN Corporation have created this "chair-helicopter", Gen H-4. Above pictures are taken as the pilot Yokoyama Yastoshi drives this craft in Vinci, Italy on May 25th. This place is known for the home of Leonardo Da Vinci. During the Renaissance Era, Da Vinci is known as the first designer of early helicopter. By this demonstration flight in Vinci, it was relevant to fly this craft in the home of helicopter.

Function: It is able to fly up to 10~20 meters height at max. In the demonstration, the pilot flew about 5 meters high for about 10 minutes. The spectators were amazed by this small craft's power and abilities. It is very mobile as well as speedy; it goes up to approximately 88 kilometers per hour. Gen h-4 uses coaxial rotor; it has 2 rotors above the head with each of 4.5 meters dimensions. It uses the rotation of the propellar to float in the air. The gas tank holds 2 to 5 gallons with 4 independent motors that each carry up to 10 horsepowers. The weight is about 75 kilograms.

History and market potential: The design and invention of Gen h-4 starts from 1990. It was made in Japan by the above mentioned engineers. So far the price of this craft is $57,000 and it has been sold to Japan for 5 and USA for 2 crafts. Yanagisa quoted that the safety of this aircraft is very secure as long as the driver gets simple training, everyone can enjoy it, and he hopes his invention to be as common as the scooter for public.

Potential Market: I think it is a great idea to manufacture and have this kind of transportation available for public. Of course, there should be a legal structure to enforce new set of traffic laws. People should be required to acquire a special type of license as well. But just imagine driving one of these things. I believe in business opportunity of this invention. People will be thrilled to fly and get around to places where they need to go. So the next thing to do is probably get a patent of this invention once it has been approved as a transportation. Even if it is not accepted as a method of transportation, it might still be a good business opportunity. But the target consumer will be of the wealthier class.

source: http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhnmode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=105&oid=092&aid=0001940250

#20300742 (#12 entry)

20600674 - Entry #12 (Bad advertisements)

2008-05-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

Not all advertisements are good.

Advertisements can make or destroy a product.

So I came across some printed/online advertisements/banners and I’m featuring them here.

Advertisement 1:NikeThey have had this tagline for a long time now.So there’s somebody Just Doing It.

Advertisement 2:ColgateI would not wanna use Colgate for brushing my teeth after that.

Advertisement 3: Which of these air conditioners will you use? LG? or Samsung?

Companies might unintentionally be advertising really badly. ;)

As you see from the pictures of the air conditioners, colgate, and nike...

They were not made for advertisement, but due to poor quality and

poor location, it made the product look extremely bad.

11. Nintendo Wii in the Fitness market

2008-05-23T05:05:00.000-07:00

Nintendo Wii is a game console that was released on 2006 November by Nintendo, Japan.

Nintendo Wii has changed the idea of game console around, targeting no only children but to all age groups. One of the main reason for its change is because Wii is extremely easy to control and includes games such as tennis and bowling which anybody can easily understand and play. Although Wii has not yet been introduced in many countries, its sales hit 3 million units. New York Times have reported Wii, which is just about $300 is entering the fitness market. New York Times is forecasting the Wii fit to be distributed in health channels along with the game channels. An average health machine costs $3,000, and Wii which costs just one tenth will be very attractive to the health industry.

This is how Wii works. The Wii is connected to the television and its sensor detect's player's movements. It provides upto 50 types of exercises listing aerobics, balance training, yoga and so on. One of the biggest reason for Wii's success in America may be due to large over weighting population. Instead of continous training, Wii helps to lose weigh through games and I believe it is the best solution in solving the problem of over weighting.

reference : http://e3nin.nintendo.com/wii_fit.html

11th blog by 20200652

Skinniest Phone in the World

2008-05-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

Introduction: Believe it or not, this sexy looking device is the world's skinniest phone. It is designed by Tamer Koseli, who was bornn in Switzerland but now dwells in Turkey. This phone is called the "NEED". It doesn't have a camera function and cannot play mp3 files as songs. However, its interface uses touchscreen function. You can roll down the screen to see the bottom or upper menus of the screen. You can also write with magnetic pen the numbers you want to call and dial. Although it might lack fancy functions other phones might have, it has a sexy design unbearable with spec of width 2cm, length 14cm, and thickness of 0.5cm.
Uniqueness in the Market: There are many models of phone with many different functions. For example, camera phone, mp3 phone, and etc. The setbacks of these items are that although it has many useful functions, they do not overcome the abilities in functions than regualr digital camera, mp3 sound quality, and etc. Then, why not just go back to the old purpose of phone's use? People are more aware of design as they tend to be more expressive in their appearance. The clothes they wear, perfumes they put on, shoes they wear, jewelry they put on, and etc. This "NEED" phone is just screaming uniqueness. Imgine typing your own numbers to dial. Isn't that a fun concept with easy access? It really seems like a hit item.
Target Group: It seems that people of younger age would most likely to consume this item. People up to late 20s or early 30s seem like the most preferrable target group. However, you can color them according to older consumer's preferance; you can also distinguish the color to target certain sub-targets. For example, Gold- Luxury for the older generation, Grey- for more grave business men, Hot Pink- for youthful ladies, Dark Blue- for youthful guys, and etc. The design is a very important factor that sells the item, however, it seems very feasible that one might invest in the R&D of this product to have multi-purpose functions. Then it just might be the next iPod of the phone industry.

source: http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LS2D&mid=sec&sid1=104&sid2=235&oid=105&aid=0000008754
& tamerkoseli.blogspot.com

#20300742 (#11 entry)

Money is not just money

2008-05-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

Consumers of coin collector have been increased

and value of coins have been increased at same time.

Bank of each nations have different strategy to sell

their coins to their customers. The biggest reason

that they are trying to selling coins is most of people

rely on credit card and less consumption of cash.

Therefore, bank need to find their cash cow in

order to make income consistently.

I think its of one of phenamenons which banks

are trying to make their income for shorterm.

As we know money is a lot easier to spend in

modern society with various options.

Maybe it is such spectacular news for coin

diggers but its only for a while. If all the

banks in the world trying to commerized

their cash as product, it will be value-less

eventually. My idea of the best way in

order to make profit is reduce size of

cash department and invest their capital

in order to make stable income.

20400402 entry11

20600674 - Entry #11 (Jeju seeks investment to become business hub)

2008-05-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

The Jeju government said yesterday it will focus on three key development projects -- medical tourism, technology-based industrial complex and English town -- to develop the resort island into an international business and tourism hub.
Calling the island, "the land of promise," Kim Tae-hwan, governor of the Jeju Special Self-governing Province said in an investment seminar held at a hotel in Seoul yesterday that he will make the island the most favorable place to stay and to invest in East Asia.

The investment forum, which drew about 600 participants, was jointly hosted by the government of the Jeju provincial government and the Jeju Free International City Development Center.

Since the National Assembly approved a set of bills to expand autonomy and ease regulations on investment and education on Jeju Island last year, the provincial government has been stepping up to

lure Korean and foreign investors.

The Jeju government said yesterday it will focus on three key development projects -- medical tourism, technology based-industrial complex and English town -- to develop the resort island into an international business and tourism hub.

Calling the island, "the land of promise," Kim Tae-hwan, governor of the Jeju Special Self-governing Province said in an investment seminar held at a hotel in Seoul yesterday that he will make the island the most favorable place to stay and to invest in East Asia.

The investment forum, which drew about 600 participants, was jointly hosted by the government of the Jeju provincial government and the Jeju Free International City Development Center.

Since the National Assembly approved a set of bills to expand autonomy and ease regulations on investment and education on Jeju Island last year, the provincial government has been stepping up to lure Korean and foreign investors.

"I will try to minimize and simplify all of the administrative procedures for all investors," Kim said. The special law on Jeju autonomy expands the governor's power by letting the local government decide its own regulations on foreign schools, land development and investment.
Under the government's plan, the island will develop health care town specialized in medical tourism and "English town" to provide all-English elementary, secondary and higher education. The government also plans to develop a cutting-edge industrial complex for information and communication technology and bio-technology companies.

In Jeju, foreign corporations are permitted to run hospitals on the island while continuing to ban domestic profit organizations from the medical service sector.

The Jeju provincial government said it will ease restrictions on marketing activities by medical institutions targeting foreign patients and overseas Koreans who are not covered by domestic health insurance.

The Jeju government plans to open "English Education City" in southwestern part of the island to increase competitiveness of the service industry and curb growing deficits in the education sector.

The English town will also attract branch campuses of universities in English-speaking countries. The Jeju government said it is also discussing with the central government to relax regulations on foreign schools on the island .

Governor Kim said he will also offer a number of benefits for Korean companies planning to relocate their offices and employees to the island.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Remember in class when Professor Abraham showed us a video clip on medical tourism?
Guess what?! Jeju, Korea, is also opening up to become a medical tourism site! Additionally, they are building an English town. ;) With medical tourism, an english town, and technology-based industry complex, I think more people will be attracted to Jeju, thereby making Jeju a more profitable tourist site. I am excited about this new investment plans by Jeju and I am looking forward to seeing this developments come true! If we attract more tourist, then that's more money for our country~ :)

Opportunity Cost

2008-05-16T05:17:00.000-07:00

Human beings developed every part of subjects in the world with

resources through opportunity cost. 60's to 80's there was a word

called preserve but most of world focused on development area

to create profits. 15th of may WWF claimed a report that 1/3

of creatures in the world have been reduced through 35 years.

As professor mentioned on wed. class, regardless of different

aspect; developing countries like India and China also rest of

countries live like America. Limited resources can not maintain

world's consumers. Basically most of people understand

opportunity cost but result of nature is able to explain

opportunity cost matter is not everything. What I want to say

is systematic order in society has a big problem in order to

cooperate. As matter of a fact, air from tree is not enough for

human beings to breath now and rest of air we breath is depend

on ocean. As we know we don't have enough iron on land,

and regardless of air we breath; there is a theory that

human beings have to get natural resources that lied on

bottom of ocean. People still say this is opportunity cost

and I would like to say it is matter of death cost.

Development is good yet we have to consider the priority

materials.

20400402 entry10

Fun Marketing

2008-05-16T01:16:00.000-07:00

Introduction

"Fun" is something that attracts people of young, old, rich, poor, and just about all. It makes people intriguing and and brings laughter. This is a universal concept. However, the new leading trend, today, is FUNOLOGY. It is a word combined of fun and technology. By knowing this basic human nature, one can become a successful consumer or a very rich businessman.

Market Application

Then how can this fun and funology concept be applied to the market industries which prevails throughout the world? There are many markets and industry competition among the companies. Products or services have no longer meaning in their original context. We live in a world where beauty prevails and fun supports these concepts of beauty. For example, even a mug is no longer just a ceramic cup with a handle. There are many colorful textures with different pictures of characters or designs. So as a competitive company, how can you distinguish your products or services from the others? People like to see different functions in electronics that are accessible through easier understanding. They also like every-day products--cups, knives, furnitures, wallsheets, and etc--in different colors and designs; people will no longer suffer the dullness of a product for its main purposes only. Then in terms of retailers or shops to provide these products or services, what kind of efffects will it have in terms of interior design, architectural atmosphere, and services of workers? They better have something attracting to lure consumers into their shops. Let the consumers interact with products before purchase and let them enjoy their shopping more. There are so many more ideas and fields businesses can explore and create. So the goal is to know the evolving psychology of the consumers.

Conclusion

Businesses need to be aware of the upcoming trends, hence become the "trend catcher". They also need to be aware of the power of simplicity. Generally, consumers seek easier, faster, more modern, stronger, and etc. products, however, if the product or service requires of complex function for the consumers to be aware of then it is no good. Because each generation has its own taste of preferrence, businesses must continue to know that trend. Being fun and simple is all there is to it to engrasp the attraction of the consumers and take hold of the market.

sources:http://annals.yonsei.ac.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=245

#10 entry (#20300742)

20600674 - Entry #10 (VoIP)

2008-05-15T00:16:00.000-07:00

VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol

Today, I would like to introduce to all of you a really cool technology called VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). It is related to the terms IP telephony and internet telephony and you will definitely hear more often about this technology during the next several years.

There are three packets of communications: Digitized voice, data coexist, and video.

The video has become a major network consideration for 21st century organizations because it’s a bandwidth hog. Volp technologies enable analog telephone communications to be digitally transferred and routed over data networks, whether it’s a wide area network (WAN), a logical area network(LAN) or the internet.

How can business benefit from these enabling capabilities?
Many organizations found that they can save a lot of money off their monthly telecom expenses by using VoIP. I will mention some of the reasons.

1. Organizations can save money on long distance calls and those made on a WAN between intra office staffers who work in dispersed locations.

2. Organizations can reap savings by having data and voice traffic on one network rather than having to manage and pay for separate data and voice lines. This makes network management, and telephony system updates and upgrades easier. With a centrally controlled IP telephony system, any changes network administrators have to make to the telephone system such as adding a new employee, or when an employee moves seats, is much easier. Changes are made through a simple web based applications.

3. Another benefit is “Click to talk”. It is when online customers who want to speak with a live customer service representative can click on a hyperlink and be connected with the most appropriate rep for some human to human contact.

Here is a survey done on VoIP in America:

Isn't this technology so cool? Many organizations have already adopted VoIP into their organization and a growing number of organizations are planning to do so.

By: 20600674 (Entry #10)

10. Windows Vista threatening the growth of PC industry

2008-05-13T02:27:00.000-07:00

With the release of Windows Vista(The latest Windows by Microsoft), the Personal Computer Industry was expected to grow, however customers are raising their voice for problems they are facing with the new OS.

Usually when new OS is released, people purchase new computers according to the system requirement of the OS. Back in 2001, when Windows XP was released, there was huge increase in PC sales. Windows Vista was expected to bring similar outcome, however it decreased sales of computers in Korea due to many problems.

What are the major problems of Windows Vista?

According to the poll that was carried out by vista4beginners.com, the two major problems Vista had was lack of proper drivers and application compatability issues. The problem that most bothered the Koreans was the speed problems. Koreans found the Vista OS too slow in processing. Vista continously faces problems not only with application but also with web interactions. Some software and driver companies mention on their websites that their product is no compatable with Windows Vista. These issues resulted big firms to cancel their PC upgrade.

Major PC manufacturers such as HP, Dell, Samsung, LG use Windows Vista as basic option, and they are already in contract with Microsoft to provide Vista along with their PC. Therefore buyers are waiting for modified Vista with fixed problem.

reference : http://news.mk.co.kr/outside/view.php?year=2008&no=305564

10th Blog by #20200652

Korean banks are expanding into CIS

2008-05-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

KEB Launched Office in Moscow

It looks like the banking sector of Russia has lured Korean credit institutions. Korea Exchange Bank has opened an office in Moscow, Shinhan Bank is buying a small bank here.

Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) that rates the fifth in Korea in size launched the Moscow office in late April. The bank specified via its web that it set to arranging establishment of KEB’s full-fledged subsidiary in Russia. People in KEB consider the chances of acquiring stakes in the capital of Russia’s retail banks, explained a top manager of western bank’s subsidiary, who had talked to KEB representatives.

The bank will start by consulting Korean companies and the companies of Russia that have business with Korean firms, KEB’s statement specifies. “KEB is well-known in Korea, it enjoys solid authority and has been long eyeing Russia’s market,” said Roman Khapaev, who is the general director at Hyundai Motor CIS, the exclusive importer of Hyundai Motor in Russia.

KEB is by far not Korea’s only bank that intends to expand in Russia. Korea’s second bank, Shinhan Bank inked the preliminary agreement to buy out Finasovy Standard (Financial Standard) bank in late past week.

Since Korean companies aggressively investing in to CIS economies, I am confident that Handong students can easily qualify for vacancies, since they are familiar with Korean business culture and also have knowledge of local expertise.

Entry #11, 20600793

Memory is very important in business.

2008-05-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

Forgotten projects, misplaced business cards and failure to remember someone’s name are all factors that undermine your success. Missed opportunities are commonplace but need not occur. Memory is a skill we can all develop and it’s vital for creativity.

People often ask me what the link is between memory, speed reading, creativity and innovation. Well, if you can remember something you have read, discussed, observed or did six days, six weeks or even six years ago and link it to a situation now, you will be much more creative.

How do you develop your memory? It is simply a matter of imagination and association.
Just like when you observe that you parked your car in front of a big tree, you create an image and connect it to something concrete.

To remember that a client’s address is 963 High Street, imagine the sum 9 - 6 = 3 floating high up in the air.

Professor Scott Lincoln is very good at doing it. He can tell you the names of students who is taking his class, without looking at roll. He usually associates students names with some object, that's how he learns korean language as well.

I am pointing this out that most of the time Professor Lee brings examples so its very easy for us to recall it. As a matter fact I remember Steve Jobs visiting Xerox and after that starting his own company with unpatented invention of Xerox.

Entry #10, 20600793

Web 2.0

2008-05-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

Ask a dozen tech pundits to describe Web 2.0 and you're likely to get two dozen explanations as to what it is. The precise definition remains open to debate — and in some ways, that's exactly the point. This much is clear: Web 2.0 represents an important shift in the way digital information is created, shared, stored, distributed, and manipulated. In the years ahead, it will have a significant impact in the way businesses use both the Internet and enterprise-level IT applications.

As the name suggests, Web 2.0 describes a set of next-generation Internet technologies. These protocols and tools make it easier to create online applications that behave dynamically, much like traditional PC-based software. They're also highly social, encouraging users to manipulate and interact with content in new ways. Web 2.0 pushes computing power off the desktop and onto the Internet, which means less time and money spent on PC software administration. As a general rule, Web 2.0 tools are also less expensive than traditional software — and many are even free. Because they're Web-based, all you need to get started is an up-to-date browser.

In a Web 2.0 world, instead of merely reading a newsletter, for example, you might begin to publish one of your own. If you're frustrated by the way your current software compiles data, Web 2.0 services can make it easier to display the data in a different way. Having versioning problems with shared documents? Web 2.0 allows groups of people to work on a document or spreadsheet simultaneously, while in the background a computer keeps track of who made what changes where and when.

In general, the key characteristics of Web 2.0 are:

Web-based applications can be accessed from anywhere
Simple applications solve specific problems
Value lies in content, not the software used to display content
Data can be readily shared
Distribution is bottom-up, not top-down
Employees and customers can access and use tools on their own
Social tools encourage people to create, collaborate, edit, categorize, exchange, and promote information
Network effects are encouraged; the more people who contribute, the better the content gets

Still confused? Then you should come to MIS class on Thursday, 2nd period at CE1, 114, there will be a big presentation on emerging technologies which includes Web 2.0

Entry #9, 20600793

Leadership

2008-05-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

Have you ever feigned confidence to superiors or reports? Hidden the fact you were confused by the latest business results or blindsided by a competitor's move? If so, you've bought into the myth of the complete leader: the flawless being at the top who's got it all figured out.

It's an alluring myth. But in today's world of increasingly complex problems, no human being can meet this standard. Leaders who try only exhaust themselves, endangering their organizations.
There is a better way to lead: Accept that you're human, with strengths and weaknesses. Understand the four leadership capabilities all organizations need:

a) Sensemaking--interpreting developments in the business environment
b) Relating--building trusting relationships
c) Visioning--communicating a compelling image of the future
d) Inventing--coming up with new ways of doing things

Then find and work with others who can provide the capabilities you're missing.
Take this approach, and you promote leadership throughout your organization, unleashing the expertise, vision, and new ideas your company needs to excel.

Incomplete leaders find people throughout their company who can complement their strengths and offset their weaknesses. To do this, understand the four leadership capabilities organizations need. Then diagnose your strength in each:

Entry# 8, 20600793

9. Dress like a successful businessman

2008-05-11T04:42:00.000-07:00

Dressing appropriately creates an image of a trust-worthy person. Hotel emplyees can guess approximate income of their guests by seeing how they are dressed.

President Sugawara is probably the most well known image maker consultant. He has consulted most successful CEOs and news anchors in Japan. According to Sugawara, the follwing must be kept in mind to create good image

1) Avoid shoes with worn off heels and have them polished

2) Avoid white or patterned socks

3) Do not pull your pants up all the way to your belly if you have big stomch and have them ironed

4) Wear dark tone jackets. It appeals leadership

5) The backside of the jackets should not have fold marks

6) The sleeve of the jackets must be approximately 1cm shorter than the sleeve of the shirt

7) Bright tone shirts, such as pink yellow is only for fridays right before the weekend

Apart from above suggestions, it is important to carry a pen with you, so that you don't borrow from others. Apart from dressing, it is also important to have claean hair style, short and clean nails, clean breath, accesories and a memo.

reference : http://blog.naver.com/gregchoi?Redirect=Log&logNo=140021027010

9th blog by 20200652

20600674 - Entry #9 (Wrapped for Success)

2008-05-09T07:17:00.001-07:00

Take a look at this car's design. It's Matiz, a campact car built by GM Daewoo. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Matiz, the company held a design contest for the car's exterior. The grand prize went to a college student Shin Hye-kyung. She received 3 million won.

When I saw this design, I thought that it would be really nice if the car manufacturers would put these kinds of designs (chosen by the customer) on the car exterior. If the car manufacturers allowed customers to choose designs for their cars, then we could each have an individual car that is distinctive. ;) We could personalize it to our style and taste.

about presentation

2008-05-08T22:48:00.000-07:00

We had presentation last week and as a professor mentioned that

presentation has to be visualized when we have to present. Since

then, I am trying to visualize most of presentation for the most

of my classes. However, what I realize for presentation in the

real world is different from what I just learned. Even though,

most of presentation has to be visualize in order to deliver

information simple as possible to the other, presentation of the

real world has sort of different from what I expected. What I

realize is definition of presentation is for clients or listeners.

Eventually one of friends of mine who work at Deloitte showed

her presentation for LG Display and her presentation has a lot

of words. One of the biggest of reasons that has a lot of words in

presentation is taste of clients. I think if we look at worldwide

business then visual presentation is not the only way to present

to others. The best way to present is customize presentation for

clients in order to deliver as much as I can.

20400402 Josh Yoon entry9

Shizuoka Broadcasting (Interesting Ad)

2008-05-07T05:36:00.001-07:00

Shizuoka Broadcasting (Interesting Ad) (continued)

2008-05-07T04:47:00.001-07:00

Introduction: Consumers are no longer subject to loud shouts by the companies, or are they just gullible enough to accept the facts as they are exposed to. They think and know their rights as they hold a special power called the consumer sovereignty. It is rarely aruguable that a company's success derives from a strong, intimate and personal relationship with its customers. The saying that, "customer is the king", has become one of major business priciples and companies better be aware that these group of people should not be perceived as just money-makers, but a potential factors that can influence success on its longevity scale.

The company: As I was streaming through interesting video clips in youtube.com, I have found a very funny clip about Shizuoka Broadcasting. The above video is the one. This led my curiosity to search deeper about Shizuoka Broadcasting System, Inc. It is a Japanese broadcaster in Shizouka. Its radio station is affiliated with Japan Radio Network (JPN) and National Radio Network (NRN), and its TV station is affiliated with Japan News Network (JNN). However, it first started with Shizuoka Newspaper in 1941. Then in 1952 the broadcasting was born as the civil law radio station of Shizuoka. It was not until 1958 that it started its television broadcasting. Ever since then, the company has grown with viewer's attention of the SBS as it became more accustomed to Japanese tv station.

Expectations:The commercial was very interesting and simple. Basically the theme of the ad was that Shizuoka was enthusiastic about viewers' wants. However, was the ad just to catch viewers' attention without any firm promises or guarantees that the Shizuoka's main interest was really the viewers' wants? I have searched via internet and have found that Shizuoka is a real promise-keeper. In January 2008, Shizuoka has selected Datacraft, Asia's leading IT solutions and services company, to construct earthquake-safety High Availability Network (HAN) equipped with Network Admission Control (NAC). Shizuoka headquarter is based on Tokaido fault line where earthquakes occur every 100 to 150 years (last one being occured at 1854). The contract to adopt Datacraft by Shizuoka was valued at $600,000, but as Mr. Koichi Sugiyama (Managine Director of Admin Dept of SBS) said, “the SBS media organization has a long-standing commitment to ensure that it continues to broadcast news – on radio, television and in print – even in the worst possible physical circumstances", the investment is considered more valuable than the digits mentioned. Ever since the lesson of 911 attack of New York, a quick recovery in disaster is very crucial for broadcasters which communicate daily updated news and etc. In case of such emergencies, SBS is preparing to meet the viewers needs as they expect what is expected of a best broadcaster.

Conclusion: Not only is SBS dedicated in producing what they have been doing, they are concerned about the extreme circumstances. When such circumstances occur, SBS is ensuring the viewers to count on them to produce fast news. Truly, isn't that what the viewers want? Fast news despite the hardships broadcasters might face to produce them?

(resource) http://www.datacraft-asia.com/pages/subpage3_1.asp?page=3&rptid=262

(video link) http://youtube.com/watch?v=jsw_iBZlgMI&feature=related

#9 entry (20300742)

20600674 Entry #8 (Daddy diaper bags, barking robots fill ’08 niche)

2008-05-01T03:52:00.000-07:00

Rucksack-like diaper bags that dads can carry without embarrassment, tourist packages for senior citizens and mobile phones with tracking chips for children are among the year’s most promising products, according to the National Statistical Office’s analysis of “BlueSumers.”BlueSumer, a word created by the statistics agency, means consumers drawn to “blue oceans,” a phrase that describes new, uncontested markets. The agency designated seven BlueSumer categories for 2008 yesterday.
They include:
1. parents of only children
2. young consumers seeking high-end goods and services
3. middle-aged and older consumers actively seeking travel and cultural services
4. childless couples and couples whose children have grown who have time for romance
5. stay-at-home dads and house husbands
6. people who live alone
7. children and parents concerned about the increasing crimes against children.

“We interpreted changes in social trends and consumer sensitivity based on national data,” the statistics agency said in a statement. “After analyzing the population, consumption and other statistics, we have designated the BlueSumers.”For example, the agency pointed out that people in their 50s accounted for 17.5 percent of overseas tourists last year, higher than any other age group. In addition, spending on culture and entertainment by people in their 50s or older is increasing. Accordingly, the agency said travel and leisure packages for older people and cosmetic surgery that hides aging are promising products.Also, with the number of sexual crimes against children under 13 rising to 1,081 in 2007 from 642 in 2003, worried parents will purchase mobile phones for their children with tracking chips and security services that guard children’s safety, the agency said.

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Due to the change in social trends, it seems like travel agencies, cosmetic surgeons, and mobile phones with tracking chips industries are going to do well this year 2008. With increasing sexual crimes against children, it seems like the industry with security services that guard children's safety is going to boom this year.
Also, with increasing babyboomers who retire, the travel agencies with leisure package programs for the retirees are going to do really well.

If you are planning to invest in Korea, invest into the industries mentioned above.

Amusement During "Business" in the Toilet

2008-04-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

Introduction:Here's a new twist. Just take a look at these toilet papers. The old-traditional, boring toilet papers have taken its transformation into humor and somewhat "art". This is an example of very simple idea of which usually do not cross most people's minds. Although these examples of toilet papers are not manufactured by a company, but rather someone's "prank" to show of its ingenuity.

Skepticism in Business World: Will it have success, if it were to be produced to consumers in business? How much would the printing cost and how much more expensive will it be if they were compared to other toilet paper companies? Are the inks hazardous to human? Which target should it focus on? These are probably the most concerning questions to answer if a business is about to launch off regarding these products.

Risk: These toilet papers are differentiated alright, however, the consumer's perception of importance regarding toilet paper should be calculated first. Yes, it is fun and amusing to see such toilet papers but will it have endurance in the market? Or will it be just a fad? I was attracted by its humorous designs and I am wiling to buy these toilet papers for not more than 50 cents extra (each roll) prior to my original product. What can be done to decrease the risk of this item's failure in the market?

Application to Business Strategy: How about a picture of someone you don't like? Would you then purchase it if you can customize pictures of someone you dislike (prank rather than hate)? How about as a present to your friend with his picture on it? I guess the most successive way to achieve this idea on toilet paper is for the purpose ofadvertisement. When people use the publie toilets, they do not prepare a book or magazines to read while they "execute" their "business" in their stalls. However, what if a company wants to put an advertisement on it for the public bathrooms? For example, let's say you are in a family retaurant bathroom and the toilet paper has an ad of refreshing beverage quoting, "stomach trouble? digestion problem? drink a cold, refreshing **** soda~!". It would be a great strategy for marketing. A company can write jokes, short stories, etc. to amuse and capture audiences in the toilet bathroom. Just imagine how pointless time you spend on public toilets. It would be a great item and an idea to imprint advertisements. It would definitely be a niche marketing strategy, because people do go to bathroom, inside or outside their homes.

resource:http://www.toiletpaperworld.com/tpw/encyclopedia/navigation/funfacts.htm

#20300742 (#8 entry)

8. Salaries in Korea according to corporations and occupation

2008-04-29T18:31:00.000-07:00

The amount of salary is one of the subjects university students are concerned with.

What is the average salary and of the Koreans?

Koreans say we have almost reached $20,000 income per head. How much of this is it true? According to the most recent statistics, Hyundai Motors and Kia Motors shared first slace of highest starting salary with KRWON 38,590,000. Followed by Hyundai Contruction, GS Construction, Woori Bank, City Bank Korea, Dae Lim and Daewoo shipbuilding and marine engineering with the starting salary of KRWON 34,000,000. Samsung electronics and Posco ranked 44th with KRWON 30,000,000 and LG electronics had slightly higher salary with KRWON 31,500,000.

According to the research carried out by Ministry of Labor, Pilot(Ship) had highest income over all other occupations with KRWON 91,470,000. The next ten were

2 opthalmologist with KRWON 70,690,000

3 University President with KRWON 68,890,000

4 Laywer with KRWON 68,840,000

5 Director, or Executive of a company with KRWON 63,330,000

6 Surgeon with KRWON 58,160,000

7 Dentist with KRWON 57,950,000

8 Executives of the Administration with KRWON 56,840,000

9 Phychiatrist 56,780,000

10 Otorhinolaryngologist with KRWON 56,610,000

These are only average figures and surprisingly the occupation with the lowest income was 전도사 with lower income than shoe fixer. The occupation with the highest income ship pilot had been holding the first place for the highest income for a long time, which was least expected by most of the students.

references. 1. http://cafe.naver.com/runnru2n.cafe?iframe_url=/ArticleRead.nhn%3Farticleid=6

2.http://blog.empas.com/narak26/26119216

8th bolg by 20200652

Economic Growth after Olympic

2008-04-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Most people in modern society believe Olympic causes economic

growth. Olympic did not create for economic, and political

purposes; however, profits of 1984 LA Olypmpic was around

300 billion dollars and Seoul Olympic was 400 billion dollars.

Probably, development of broadcasting caused to effect economic

growth. Also it means people who had stable life wanted to go to

travel with events. This year's Olympic will be held in China;

it is different Olympic and it became the issue in the world.
Basically Chineses communist does not want Olympic related to

their regime or polictical perpective. China expects to increase

GDP between 0.3 to 0.4 annually after Olympic. Which means

China is looking for investment and consumer based on

economic growth. Most of people are expecting to grow tertiary

industry such as IT or service business. However, Chineses

goverment will invest in secondary investment based on

communist regime's decision, because since there is a huge gap

between rich and poor. If I am an investor or consultant then

I prefer to invest in secondary industry. China is one of the biggest

country with capital yet they are still communist.

20400402 / entry 8

John Motson.

2008-04-25T05:20:00.000-07:00

John Motson - Football Commentator

John Motson has been a member of the Match of the Day team for nearly 30 years and is regarded by many as the voice of football.

The son of a Methodist minister, 'Motty' joined the Barnet Press newspaper as a junior reporter at the age of 18.

He later moved to the Morning Telegraph in Sheffield where he first covered league football.

A short freelance spell with BBC Radio Sheffield was followed by a switch to network radio in 1968, where on Radio 2 (then BBC Radio's main sports station) he made his name as a sports presenter as well as a commentator on football, tennis and boxing.

At the age of 26, John became a junior member of the Match of the Day staff in 1971, following the departure of Kenneth Wolstenholme, and soon became one of its key commentators.

Over 1,000 matches

Between 1979 and 1994, Motson was the BBC's TV commentator for 29 consecutive major cup finals - FA Cup, World Cup and European Championships.

He completed his 30th assignment at this level with the final of Euro '96 and subsequently covered the World Cup final in 1998 and 2002 and the final of Euro 2000.

Altogether, John has covered well over 1,000 matches for the BBC.

He has also researched and narrated over 30 football videos and written four books, including Motty's Diary - A Year In The Life Of A Commentator, which was published in 1996.

John and his wife Anne have one son, Frederick, 14 and away from football his interests are running, the cinema and reading thrillers.

In 1998 John was honoured with his own 'audience with' show on BBC ONE, The Full Motty and appears in 'mini' form on BBC Sport's website.

Reference: www.bbc.co.uk - John Motson.

20400241 John Park / #7

7. Potential of Korean Animation Industry

2008-04-25T01:21:00.000-07:00

Although we are familiar with Japanese and American animation companies, we can not name a single Korean animaton producer. Nobody was aware of Korean animation until Profossor told us there are Korean made animations and cartoons that are exported different places of the world. Who are these animators? Which animations and cartoons did they make? Until I found out about a team called Dr.Movie, I used to think Korean level of animation was at least ten years behind japanese animation. Yesterday, I have watched an animation called 'The sword of a Stranger'. As a student of department of industrial design, I was amazed by the visual effects and other art works. What amazed me more was the Korean names at the credits, after the movie. Although they are unknown to Koreans, they have been in the animation industry since 1990 working mainly with Japanese and American animation entertainments. These are some names of animation they worked on and most of them were major success and watched world wide.

From the Development to the Post-Production

Alexander - OVA, 13 animations, Mad House (Japan), 1998~1999
G-Police (Game, US)- opening pictures/CF, directed by peter Jeong, 1998
FORGOTTEN SAGA (Game)-opening pictures, Sonnori, 1998
Wonderful Days - Pilot animation for the feature. Co-Produced with 'Tinhouse',1999
Nongshim Kellogg, Lotte Dooley Soda - CF, 1999
Top Blade - 51 episodes TV series, Co-produced with Japan, SCM(Japan), 2001
Final Fantasy Unlimited - 46 episodes TV series, Digimation (Japan), 2001
Michelle -26 episodes TV series, Co-Produced with 'ICONIX', 2001 ~2003
RAGNAROK (Game) - opening pictures, Gravity, 2002
Dragon Drive-38 episodes TV series, Badai Visual(Japan), 2002
Mutineer's Moon - Trailer of OVA, ADVision(USA), 2003
Odette & Bootoo - Pilot animation of the original feature, 2003 From the Layout to the Post-Production

Wing Commander - TV series, Universal Pictures (USA), 1996
SPAWN - TV series, HBO (USA), 1997~1998
Godzilla, Men In Black - TV series, Sony Columbia (USA), 1999
X-MEN - TV, Film Roman (USA), 2000~2003
Zeta Project - TV series, Warner Bros. (USA), 2001
JLA - TV series, Warner Bros. (US), 2002~ 2003
Dragon Drive - TV series, Bandai Visual (Japan), 2002~
Bat Man - DTV, Warner Bros.(USA), 2002~2003
etc. In-betweens, Ink/Paint, and Digital Shooting

The Legend of Island Rodos - OVA, Mad House, 1991
Samurai Jugei - Animation Feature, Mad House, 1992
Macross Plus - Animation Feature, Triangle Staff, 1994
Memories - Animation Feature, Mad House, 1994
Princess Mononoke - Animation Feature, Studio Ghibli, 1997
Vampire Hunter D - Animation Feature, Mad House, 1999~2000
Card Captor Sakura - Animation Feature, Mad House, 2000
Metropolis - Animation Feature, Mad House, 2000~2001
Spirited Away - Animation Feature, Studio Ghibli, 2001
Cowboy Bebop - Animation Feature, Sunrise, 2001
Steam Boy - Animation Feature, Production IG, 2001
The Cat Returns - Animation Feature, Studio Ghibli, 2002
Ghost in the Shell II - Animation Feature, Production IG, 2003

Official DrMovie Site : http://www.drmovie.biz/index.html

They proved the level of Korean animation and with their technology and investment, I believe Korea will soon be able to produce top level animations.

7th blog by 2202200652

Star product

2008-04-25T00:10:00.000-07:00

As we learned about star product, we are able to think what is

star or not. When I go to big city like seoul, there is a lot of cars

and it's hard to move around. While car traffic on the way, we

can see company's star product and extremely sensational cars

like Ferrari, Bentley and so on. However, cause of oil crisis and

cost of oil might cause company's star product. Sonata, the most

well-known Hyundai's car, sold most last 4 months in Korea. 2nd

place was Kia's morning. It doesn't use much of oil to drive

and it's easy to drive in city. As matter of a fact, cars in seoul are

usually big. They want to show who they are with what they drive.

However, reality causes to change people's idea. My opinion is family

sedean will no longer star product. When we go to Europe, people

prefer to ride small cars already. I don't how long we will drive

gasoline cars but price of oil will definately change star products.

20400402 / entry 7

More billionaires but no decent hospital in Moscow.

2008-04-24T23:43:00.000-07:00

The number of Russian billionaires has grown to over 100, with 10 unable to make it onto Forbes Russia magazine's rich list, the respected business daily Vedomosti said Friday.
With a combined wealth of a staggering $522 billion, the Forbes 'golden hundred' list for Russia is topped by Oleg Deripaska, the head of holding company Basic Element, at $28.6 billion, who has seen his capital grow by over $11.8 billion from last year.

In second place is steel tycoon Alexei Mordashov, owner of Russia's largest steelmaker Severstal, with $24.5 billion, more than double his recorded wealth in 2007, while Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich slipped to third with $24.3 billion.

The fall in the value of the dollar is believed to be one of the reasons for the sharp rise in Russian billionaires, whose numbers have jumped by 50 to 110 since 2007, with $1.1 billion needed to make it into the 100 list compared with the 2007 figure of $660 million.

I have made reasearch and there is no International Hospital, currently in Russia, even though in Moscow city. The avarage salary is growing rapidly and people are more concerned about their health, but can get a decent service. International Hospital might not work in Russia, since the number of tourist coming is very low, less than 50 thousand people per year. The weather condition is not so good, most of the time its snowy or rainy. Moreover the entertainment is not as amusing as in Thailand.

On the other hand Roman Abramovich pledged to build a state of art hospital with new high tech equipments and world respected doctors, but it would be only affordable to rich people. The reason for his decision to build a hospital is again Forbes.According to the Forbes global rich list published in March, Moscow has become the billionaire capital of the world with 74 billionaires overtaking New York. So he is targeting mainly those billionaries.

20600793, entry 7

Successful Marketing: Harley-Davidson

2008-04-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

The tattooed broad shoulders revealed as black leather vest is about to pop by the muscular chest is portrayed by a typical "bad-ass" rider spirit. However, despite the derragatory images motor-cyclists once had, motorcycle is becoming a global hobby. People of variety now choose this job: doctors, lawyers, pastors, professors, entreprenuers, and etc. The sensation of driving the open escape is what the riders desire. They race the endless horizon as wind is felt by their senses--smell, touch, hear, taste, and vision. In the midst of this booming hobby and lifestyle, Harley-Davidson is the representive of such wild experience. According to Forbes, Harley-Davidson was ranked the top 3 best marketing company in year 2002. In the year of 2001, Harley-Davidson was able to generate profit of $438 million on #3.4 billion sales (increase of 25.9% and 15.7% relatively), and the share price increased almost up to 40%. It is making the Japanese competitors struggle. The marketing strategy of this successful business can be accounted to its keen awareness of what the brand isn't, more than what it is. It also "resonates in the heart, soul, and the mind of its customers". This strategy is evident through Harley-Davidson's unique membership service called the H.O.G. (the Harley-Davison Owner's Group). Each year, the website promotes a run through the best location a country can offer to a rider in the same country the rider lives in. The dealers are all over the world; they are in all the countries you can think of from A to Z. These members share information about their rides and local courses while the website itself introduces world-famous courses. You can also post up your pictures of Harley-Davidson to show up in the H.O.G. community. This network of unique maketing keeps the original members have thicker relationship with the company while rumors of ecstatic Harley-Davidson experience is vastly spreading. This year Harley-Davidson celebrates 105th anniversary and the more is expected from this company since their revenues are steady ever since the increase in year 2002. I believe Harley-Davidson has done a wonderful job of not just targeting its customers but to keep their consumers satisfied. There's not a single country which will neglect Harley-Davidson's customer's service. In reflection to class lecture, it is no longer valid to just shout to the consumers that the company's product and services are the best but to interact with them to let them judge for themselves.

entry #7 (20300742)

(quote and financial sources: http://www.forbes.com/2002/08/01/0801marketers.html)

20600674 - Entry #7 (I Can Has Cheezburger?)

2008-04-23T00:17:00.000-07:00

Eric Nakagawa, a software developer in Hawaii, posted a single photo of a fat, smiling cat he found on the Internet, with the caption, "I can has cheezburger?" in January, 2007, at a Web site he created. It was supposed to be a joke. Soon after he posted a few more images in the same vein: cute cats with funny captions written in a silly, invented hybrid of Internet shorthand and baby-talk. Then he turned the site into a blog, so that visitors could comment on the postings. What happened after that would have been hard for anyone to predict.
"We just thought, O.K., they're funny,"Nakagawa says. "Suddenly we started getting hits. I was like, where are these coming from?"

He saw traffic on the blog, I Can Has Cheezburger, which he runs with his partner, "Tofuburger" (she refuses to disclose her real name) double each month: 375,000 hits in March, 750,000 in April, 1.5 million in May. Cheezburger now gets 500,000 page views a day from between 100,000 and 200,000 unique visitors, according to Nakagawa. The cheapest ad costs $500 for a week. The most expensive goes for nearly $4,000. Nakagawa, an accidental entrepreneur who saw his successful business materialize out of the ether, quit his programming job at the end of May: "It made more sense to do this and see how big it could get."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Take a look at this! People make money when they do something that they are interested or are passionate about. Many of the most popular bloggers have similar stories as Nakagawa. They started out with a niche idea - an inside joke, a particular obsession. Then, what happens?! It explodes! It becomes so popular!

You might be wondering, "how do these blogs make people keep returning to their sites?"

Nakagawa answered that they basically create a playground where people keep coming to play, so they are tyring to create new games all the time.

How to attract readers:

Don't just let readers rate or comments on the posts. Make the blog interesting by making the readers also create the entries. In the Cheezburger's site, fans submit pictures, write funny captions, and send them in. Any visitor can vote on the subminssions, and the most popular ones make it to the main page. This is why readers keep coming back. It is a community! They interact with the blog. The idea of building a community around content supplied by users sustains several top blogs, and most put the idea of community ahead of making money.

Why is blogging so popular and successful? It is because blogging creates a direct connection between authors and readers, a conversation with distinct voices carried out in comments and e-mails and other blogs.

To see how top bloggers earn money, go to the sites below: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/07/0714_bloggers/index_01.htm
http://icanhascheezburger.com/

By: 20600674 (Entry #7)

France Telecom

2008-04-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

France Telecom officially confirmed that they are in negotiation to purchase Norwegian Telenor and Swiss TeliaSonera. Both Nordic operators are big players on former Soviet republic's telecom market and a great portion of France Telecom interest roots probably exactly in this feature.

France Telecom is Europe’s third telecom operator in terms of capitalization ($86.9 billion), yielding only to Vodafone and Telefonica. The 2007 revenues reached $82 billion. The company owns assets in Eastern Europe, including Romania, Moldova and Russia (the Orange brand with services rendered to corporative clients exclusively), as well as in the United States, Central Africa, China and Vietnam.

The market capitalization of TeliaSonera equals $38 billion and Telenor has $35 billion. In Russia, TeliaSonera owns 40.8 percent in MegaFon, it also has cellular assets in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova. Telenor holds 33.6 percent in VimpelCom and has 56.5 percent in Ukrainian Kyivstar.

I think France Telecom will pave the way to Russia for a few big telecom brands. “Russia has been long the blank spot on the map of Europe’s biggest telecom brands, though France Telecom, Vodafone and Telefonica are present in the overwhelming majority of European states. One of the reasons why France Telecom wants to buy out one of two Scandinavian operators, is perhaps, the chance to promptly turn into a noticeable player on the markets of Russia and CIS, where the actual penetration of cellular communication is much less than in Eastern Europe.

In case the deals happens it will give inspiration to other big telecom companies to try to hold firm presence in respectable markets, since most of them are growing economies.

On the other hand Russian government recently made it clear that it won't allow big companies to dominate the market and have M&A with other companies. I am certain it’s a right policy for now. As we can see in Korea there are only three major companies: SK Telecom, KTF, LG Telecom, we could say there is not much competition, no price wars. Monthly plans are almost same with minor differences and the basic cost of commuting is very expensive with other countries.

I am convinced that telecom companies in Korea are working unethically, since they have highly advanced technologies just like in Europe and US and charge more. I believe doing business should be about bringing value and serving not just about making money.

20600793, entry #6

6. UMPC the next digital giant

2008-04-18T01:35:00.000-07:00

UMPC the next digital giant
With the increases of wireless internet services, Laptop users have been increasing.However carrying around 2kg Laptop isn't an easy task.Companies such as Fujitsu, Sony, Samsung, Kohjinsha, Asus, Walkzen have introducedtheir UMPCs, wich stands for Ultra Mobile Personal Computer and gained everyones attention in the digital market. The new models of UMPC were not as successfuldue to low performance and high price. But they are back on the road again withthe newer, improved model.
UMPCs were first introduced in year 2006 at CEBIT, Germany the worlds biggestIT exhibition. The first UMPC appeared by partners MS and intel.
UMPCs can run basic computer applications. It can play music, movies, word processors,web browsers and simple games.
The first UMPC models priced around $1,000, but now they are down to $400-$500.
Unlike PDAs, they usually come with a keyboard, and because of their portability,and functions, UMPC has a high potential market.

6th entry by 20200652

Ads in the sky?

2008-04-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's a bird, it's man, no it's an ad! Here's a new twist to advertising industry; what if you can see it in the sky? This brilliant idea started from an advertising company in Alabama. This images in the sky are composed of helium, oxygen, and soap materials. It has no side-effects to the natural environment and also even to people. With "cloud-manufacturing" machine, the "cloud" advertisement can be made; it makes 0.6 to 1.2m of cloud images every 15 seconds onto the sky. These ads can sustain at 90 to 150m and travel up to as far as 6km in the sky. To rend one of this magical machine costs about $2,500. Disney is one of the ad company's first contractor.

I think it's very innovative to produce an idea to advertise in the sky. Just imagine how stuffy earth is with so many ads on every street. However, it'd be fun to look ads on the sky. I'm pretty sure it will have great impact on sales because the idea's so fresh and new. Even so, I cannot help but to wonder what happens if the sky is overcrowded with ads? What if different ads collide, who pays the damage? I don't but so far, just the thought of seeing one in the sky, I am very interested in the idea. Wouldn't you want to see your favorite brand in the sky? Or if you are rich enough, propose to "her" in a fashion that even nature seems to agree. Hehehe.

#20300742 (#6)

Eight Tips on Making the First Move

2008-04-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

In Business, interaction and relationship with people is very important. Remember how Professor Lee said in class that people are the most precious asset? In Business, you have to have a lot of connections and it is beneficial if you know a lot of people. The problem for some of us though is that it is hard for us to approach new people. Even if we were to approach them, some of us just do not know what to say. Most people have some level of social anxiety, especially when it comes to meeting new people. We focus on the embarrassment and the rejection rather than the opportunity of a new business partner, sales prospect or friend. For some, making the first move can bring on everything from tense muscles to a slamming heart.

This is why I would like to share with you eight tips on making the first move. This is going to help everyone in business.

Make Eye Contact
Looking anxious and having lack of confidence is bad. The best way to appear confident even if you are not is to make eye contact and smile. If you do, you'll be off to a good start

Picture Someone Familiar
Before approaching someone, look for physical characteristics that remind you of a close friend or relative. Maybe the person's hair is like your mother's; maybe he smiles like your best friend. Focus on the similarities, and you can convince yourself, if only for the moment, that you are comfortable with a complete stranger.

Listen First, Speak Later
Rather than jump-starting a new conversation, sometimes it's easier to jump into one that's already going on. Be careful not to bulldoze your way in; instead, wait for a lull and have something relevant to say that pushes the conversation along. This tactic works well in business settings where everyone is gathered for ostensibly the same reason but still may not know each other. The first 10 or 20 seconds might feel awkward, but before you know it, you'll be shaking hands and exchanging names.

Share a Common Experience
Executed with aplomb, this time-worn technique works in any setting--from business meeting to hotel bar. Don't recognize a familiar face? Lead with something that circumstances suggest you might have in common. Example: "The traffic was a nightmare!" Trite, perhaps, but a useful conversation starter.

Be Generous
Many people get worked up about initiating a first interaction because they are afraid to seem aggressive, says Mark Goulston, a psychiatrist in Santa Monica, Calif. Pre-empt that reaction by offering your targets some sort of fig leaf: a question about themselves, a book recommendation, even a compliment. Cheesy as it sounds, something like "Excuse me, where did you find that great tie?" still works. Hey, people are self-centered--use it to your advantage.

Focus On Them
Beyond the ego-stroking, there is another benefit to making the conversation all about the other person: It takes the pressure off of you. "When a person is focusing on themselves--wondering if they are blushing, sweating or trembling--their anxiety level increases," says Gottlieb.

Practice, Practice
Rehearsing icebreakers with a friend before going to a meeting or party can be very helpful. Practicing in advance not only helps you brainstorm things to say, it also helps to build courage. "Planning what you want to say, and considering in advance what you want someone to think of you, will give you confidence in that first interaction," says John Baldoni, a corporate communications consultant based in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Have Reasonable Expectations
Most people have some level of social anxiety, especially about meeting new people. George Clooney notwithstanding, the person you are trying to approach is probably nervous too. Take comfort: We're all pretty much in the same boat, so make a move.

I hope this eight tips will greatly help you in your business interactions.

By: 20600674 (Entry #6)

Burberry

2008-04-15T08:11:00.000-07:00

Berberry is the most well British clothing brand. Even though

Burberry is not belong to England anymore, people still consider

this company represents England. Since Chinese company

bought Burberry, they differentiate price of clothes 6 years ago.

Basically their differentiations were 50% sale and

celebrity advertisingment. The fact that cause to have better

profit is it has its own reputation with history and also with

selling price. Usually Burberry consider as one of those luxurious

brand with traditional design. Therefore, they use this idea with

50% sale in the market. I think some shopping freaks will love it.

It caused them to have 16% more profit and also their stock value

went up 13% more. This is really sensational and smart strategy,

because it maintains their value and increases their sale.

20400402 Josh Yoon entry 6

Koreans negative attitude towards starting english education.

2008-04-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

5. New Korean president Lee M B's plan of starting more english based education in Korea has been revealed and there had been lot of criticism. Over 90% of the population is against it and said it would not work out. While I was reading their replies and responses, I have learned more about our personality. First of all, Koreans have negative view of starting, changing and renewing. They are afraid of the new. This is ofcourse in terms of culture. The new Bus system, renovation of Chung Gae Chun, and Separate Lanes for Buses, were all criticised heavliy although we are taking lot of benefits from it today. Secondly, Koreans have lot of pride. Some think we'll fotget how to speak Korean and think that we are adopting Alien's language. Since we have been living in a small country, our thoughts are very narrow. Thirdly, Koreans love criticising. A small mistake on an internet article will be pointed out and criticised by hundreds of people. This problems in indifferent in Handong. Due to difference in view point, students fight over their belief resulting over hundred replied articles. There are clear, distinguishable advantages of english speaking countires. For example, Indian Institude of Technology has been sending their students to organization such as NASA, microsoft etc, because they were able to communicate. Koreans are very talented with science and maths. If students of KAIST new english, they would have been hired by world famous orgainaztions. I hope Korean schools adopt Handong's system so we could be global leaders.
5th Blog by 20200652

Focus is the leader for five straight years!

2008-04-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

Ford Sales Recover from Labor Unrest in Russia

Ford improved its position on the Russian market in the first quarter of the year, with its Focus model becoming the sales leader. At the same time, sales sagged for eight other foreign carmakers. The Association of European Businesses has published sales data on new foreign car sales in Russia in the first quarter. A total of 454,000 foreign cars were sold in that period. That represents market growth of 54 percent.

Chevrolet was the top seller, with 58,500 vehicles, and 59 percent sales growth. It was followed by Hyundai, with 44,000 sales, equaling 97 percent market growth. In third place is Ford, with 41,500 sales for 6 percent market growth. The Ford Focus was the most popular foreign car in Russia with sales of 20,100 in the first quarter, even though that is a decrease in sales of 3 percent for it. The Chevy Lacetti was close behind it with sales of 20,000, a 148-percent increase in sales. The Renault Logan was in third place with 18,000, sales up 45 percent.

Ford has thus largely recovered from the 1-percent drop in overall sales (3-percent for the Focus) it experienced in January due to labor unrest at its plant in Vsevolozhsk, Leningrad Region. In January, Ford sales were in fourth place, and the Focus, which has been the sales leader for the last five years without break, ceded its position to the Hyundai Accent.

In addition, the Chinese Chery noted a 19-percent drop in sales in the first quarter of the year. Truckmaker FAW Commercial was down 24 percent. Hafei dropped 16 percent, the Iranian IKCO fell off by 54 percent, Citroen fell by 20 percent, Mercedes Benz Vans were down 14 percent, Lexus down 1 percent and Alfa Romeo dropped by 76 percent. Distributors noted production interruptions and, in the case of FAW and Hafei, delays associated with Russia's conversion to the Euro 3 fuel standard.

Entry 5, 20600793

Designer : Sung-kyu Nam

2008-04-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

How many times has your mom or dad yelled at you for watching TV while lazing on your bed? We all know that it isn’t the correct posture to watch TV. But don’t you agree that it’s the most comfortable pose to exist in while getting engrossed in your favorite soap or movie. So brushing aside all those facts and figures that state about the cons of watching TV in a lying-down position, allow me to introduce you to the coolest TV that I came across today. Aptly called as the NapTV, it is true to its name. Designed by Sung-kyu Nam, it an extraordinary fusion of TV and a Chair. Slide under it to watch what’s on the screen and when done, sit on it and sip on your cuppa coffee.
It can also be hailed strictly as a personal TV as the images show that not more then one person can benefit from its design. So you and your partner need to take turns to watch respective shows.

20400681 entry5

Football MBA in Liverpool University.

2008-04-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Football Industries MBA

Faculty
Social and Environmental Studies

Department
The University of Liverpool Management School

Full-time
Programme code
MBA/FOOTBALL
Major code
HIFI
Programme length
1 year

Part-time
Programme code
MBA/FOOTBA/P
Major code
HIFI
Programme length
2 years

More information
Department brochure
Management School (PDF, 803Kb)
Programme contact
HIFI Administrator
Research degree info.
Research Degrees in The University of Liverpool Management School
Website
The University of Liverpool Management School website

Programme Outline This MBA will be of interest to students wishing to pursue a career in the football industry, be it with football clubs, governing bodies or related marketing, media and sponsorship companies.

The fundamental aim of the programme is to combine professional development in the field of the football industries with a critical awareness of the issues involved in football management, marketing and administration. The programme comprises three elements:

a grounding in the core disciplines essential to management
specialised professional development by means of taught modules
a project or dissertation comprising an independent piece of research

The programme also offers students the opportunity to gain practical experience in the football industry or related industries via a placement scheme. Such placements generally last up to one month, and offer students first-hand experience and knowledge of specific elements of the industry.

The Football Industry Group has an unrivalled range of contacts with clubs, media organisations, financial institutions, organising bodies and other related companies, mainly in the UK but also abroad, to offer to students for placements, although students are welcome to arrange their own placement in consultation with staff.

Programme Structure This 12-month programme consists of nine taught compulsory modules including Research Skills for Management and elective modules, followed by a research project carried out over the summer period upon completion of semester 2.

Full details and advice on entry requirements, financial support, admissions and module summaries are contained in the department brochure available to download above.

20400241 Yohan Park

Ten New Rules for Getting Ahead

2008-04-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

Business is all about people. To succeed in the business world, one needs to have good interactions with people. Here are ten rules that will help you in the future for getting ahead in the business world.

Rule No. 1: Get the Lead Out of Your Resume
Nothing spells "blah" louder than the typical jargon-filled corporate résumé, yet nothing is more commonly found on recruiters' desks. A Big Leap résumé has to sound like a human being wrote it, about him or herself.

Rule No. 2: Don't Answer That Ad
Big Leapers don't respond to job ads—they make contacts and create conversations that lead to job offers, funding, or consulting engagements.

Rule No. 3: Get the Gang Involved
If you haven't been a networker, you'd better start, because a Big Leap absolutely demands the participation and cooperation of your network

Rule No. 4: Build an Online Presence
Create a free LinkedIn profile to tell the world who you are and what you know and care about. If you're a writing type, continue the megaphone-building with a blog, a podcast series, and a daily "tweet" or two on Twitter.com.

Rule No. 5: Don't Abuse Your Network
Treat your network as a brain trust, not a favor bank. From thoughtful conversations, personal introductions will flow, if they're meant to.

Rule No. 6: Don't Skimp on Research
A Big Leap career move depends hugely on careful, methodical research, from coffee dates with subject-matter experts, to online exploration of deals and people moves, to attendance at industry conferences.

Rule No. 7: Whatever Else You Do, You're a Salesperson
Think you're an IT hotshot, a marketing whiz, or an innovation prodigy? You may be, but like it or not, you're also a salesperson-and you're selling yourself. Don't think of yourself as a natural sales type? Look for opportunities to hone your skills: Pitch your boss on a big idea, or convince your colleagues to go along on a potentially ticklish idea.

Rule No. 8: Edit Your Story
In every Big Leap encounter-face-to-face, online, or on the phone-you need to tell your story in concise, compelling fashion. No rambling, off-point, off-color tales; just those that tell people what they need to know.

Rule No. 9: Pick a Role Model
Whether you're headed for an international assignment, an entrepreneurial escapade, or something completely different, focus on a person you know or a public figure you admire. Study their Big Leap moves and figure out which ones will work for you.

Rule No. 10: Be Open
A Big Leap doesn't require you to know exactly what you want at the outset. It requires that you want to find out, and then to do it. Keep your ears, eyes, and mind open. This doesn't mean you shouldn't be focused, but don't be rigid.

- 20600674 (Entry #5)

Forbes' Richest Rappers List

2008-04-09T04:38:00.000-07:00

Forbes has ranked several lists of most affluent business men and women, but in August, 2007 they have organized a list exclusively devoted to hip-hop. Today, rap music is becoming more and more influential around the globe. It is common to hear famous rap musics almost everywhere: Mongolia, China, India, Philippines, Ghana, Ecuador, and etc. Forbes has recognized the most influential hip-hop entrepreneurs and made a list according to net gross of each rappers in 2006.

The Richest Rappers:

1. Jay-Z - $34 million
2. 50 Cent - $32 million
3. Diddy - $28 million
4. Timbaland - $21 million
5. Dr. Dre - $20 million
6. Eminem - $18 million
7. Snoop Dogg - $17 million
8. Kanye West - $17 million
9. Pharrell Williams - $17 million

10. Scott Storch - $17 million
11. Ludacris - $16 million
12. T.I. - $16 million
13. Outkast - $14 million
14. Lil Jon - $14 million
15. Ice Cube - $13 million
16. Jermaine Dupri - $12 million
17. Swizz Beatz - $12 million
18. Chamillionaire - $11 million
19. The Game - $11 million
20. Yung Joc - $10 million

(Jay-Z) (Snoop Dogg & The Game)

(Pharrell)

(T.I., one person)

#5 (20300742)

2nd Gold Rush

2008-04-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

Probably gold is one of the most well-known jewerly and we also use
as money. Gold is not like cash we can put into a wallet but most time
gold shows society's economic status. Gold is extremely expensive to
purchase today and people prefer to sell gold. People in korea
ususally buy a gold ring to babies after 100days from their birth.
However, one little ring costs $160 and people prefer to give them
as cash. Another phenomenon is People in America are rushing to
gold; they ususally go to Corolado, California and Alaska. Also People
sell gold goods that has important memories, because America didn't
create jobs. Some people gave up their own jobs and focus on gold
rush. What I really want to say is people of 20th century always
talk about future, but pretty much no one talked about how we are
going to build future with limited resources. Even if some future
scientists said future, and no one listen. I think now is not the only
moment, because of tomorrow.

20400402 Josh Yoon entry 5

Game market and release of Starcraft 2

2008-04-04T04:02:00.000-07:00

4. In year 1996 Blizzard entertainment released a strategy game called Starcraft and within

4 years over one million copies were sold. Starcrat started the emerge of PC Bang (Cyber Cafe)

and PC stations earned over 500 millions dollars on starcraft alone over these years.

Starcraft led to formation of Pro Gamer Association in Korea and they were scouted for TV commercials. This led to the creation of Clans which players formed groups to enjoy the game together. And now Blizzard entertainment is waiting to release the second starcraft.

Just like previous starcraft brought in new culture and market into Korea, many game experts

are guessing Starcraft 2 will have lot of impact on Korean game market. After the first starcraft, Blizzard Entainment has released 3 more games, which were Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, and World of Warcraft. All these games were great success not only in Korea, therefore Korean game industry would likey to grow over 20% with the realease of Starcraft 2

4th Blog By 20200652

Food Crisis

2008-04-04T02:59:00.000-07:00

Since China announced news that they will export food or grain, cost of food and grain

went up enormously. As oil is the energy for cars in the world, food is the energy of humanbeings. Even though we are living based on capitalism, money does not

consist everthing of society. Food is the one of human's basic need for us to survive.

It means cost of food is not stable, it's hard to generate energy for humanbeings.

Number of people in the world are enormously increasing because there is no war and

development of medical technology. Peace and human technology brought a lot of

advancement and adventage for us but as light exists there is darkness at sametime.

This is one of homework we all have to solve and responsible about it.

Most of people who live in 1st world country consider money solves everything

but we all have to realize is resources are limited.

20400402 Josh, Yoon Entry 4

Brand Identity

2008-04-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

Brand identity in terms of a logo is important as part of building a great business online.
It is important to design something that will make the customers remember and associate the logos with the company.

Your brand logo is important because it sets the whole tone for your company and the website.

99 percent of the time, brand identity is located near the top of the page and it is the first thing users see when they come onto the website.

To make a good brand logo it is important remember:

It has to relevant to the company (vision of the company or the product)

It has to be eye catching (don’t make it too complex – it will confuse people and make it hard to remember)

It has to be able to be remembered easily

It has to be easy on the eyes

In my design class it is also import to use color. This is set the tone of your company.

Even though customers can't remember what the logo looked like they will remember the color and how they feel about it.

20400681-entry 4

Gazprom

2008-04-03T07:21:00.000-07:00

•What is Gazprom?

–The largest Russian gas extractor provides 20% of the world and 60% of Russian gas needs

–After acquisition of SIBNEFT with $13 billion it became 3rd biggest oil producer

–Owns 150 000km natural gas pipeline system 300 000 employees

–Joint stock company but mostly owned by Russian government

Gazprom

-Internal market

-External market

-Price of Gazprom gas in different markets as of 2006

I wanted to continue on Russian perspective of doing business. As you can see from price map of Gazprom's gas most of Russian consumers are heavily subsidized. Company has been a subject of political instrument against other states, just to mention one is Ukraine.
Since its the major "cash cow" of Russian economy and useful tool in foreign policy Russian government have created unreasonable barriers for foreign investments in field of oil & gas production. Only 1% of its profit goes to R&D.

Most of the people who are running the country assuming that gas is gas and it will be generating cash, but they are not using high oil and gas prices efficiently. Majority of politicians have communist perspective somehow mixed with market economy, but don't want to privatize the oil or gas companies with can be much more efficient in cutting "fats" and not getting involved into politics, attract more foreign investors.

I think in order to grow Gazprom and Russian authorities should take following steps:

•Removal of subsidies and price controls;

•Lowering or elimination of trade and investment barriers;

•Privatization of state-owned industries; and

•Restructuring gas sectors, “unbundling” of natural monopoly activities,
introduction of competition and regulatory reform.

Entry 4. 20600793

Video Games Hit the Sales in the First Quarter

2008-04-02T01:14:00.000-07:00

According to a market research made by the NPD Group, video game sales went up 34% on February and reached the high number of $1.33 billion. It doesn’t matter if there are gaming consoles in short supply, like the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360, because people keep buying games.
After all, gamers are always waiting for new (good) titles, and believe it or not, companies make most of their money on games and accessories. That is why a PlayStation 3 controller costs €50 here in Portugal, and a PS3 game is a bit more expensive. Even PlayStation 2 games don’t come cheap, such as Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 that was approximately priced at €60 when it first came out a few months ago.
Anyway, one of the games that will surely become a hit when it comes out on late April is the popular “Grand Theft Auto IV” made by Rockstar. According to some analysts, there will be 9 million units sold until October for different gaming consoles, and 6 million units will go straight to Xbox gamers.
On the other hand, there are already successful games (in terms of sales) on the market, such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, that took the first place on the top list of games during February, with close to 300,000 units sold. Devil May Cry 4, and Wii Play also had some success, but not as good as Call of Duty.

(20300742, #4 entry)

Microsoft Surface Tabletop Computer

2008-04-01T01:47:00.000-07:00

Be ready to replace your Desktop Computer with this well featured Computer as a Desktop. This is what Surface Computing is all about. It is a computer tabletop where you can interact with the digital world of computing like you would on any other table. You can pull and drag pictures from one source to another, resize them and save them in the folder. All this action with your fingers!!

Isn't this amazing? Truly, our technologies are advancing very quickly. ;) In order to compete in this kind of market, we've got to think ahead. Most importantly, we've got to think differently and find areas where there is a need.

The traditional forms of computing will soon be taken over by this new idea of Surface Computing which promises a rich experience and blurs the line between the physical and virtual worlds. It gives an opportunity to explore more than we can imagine. Surface Computing gives us the liberty to think big, think comfort and think unimaginable.

Microsoft Surface Computers Features
This Windows Vista Personal Computer is tucked inside a table base and topped with a 30-inch touchscreen in a clear acrylic frame, with five cameras mounted beneath the screen to recognize the finger movements on the screentop The tabletop is also programmed to recognize physical objects, based on their shape and the special codes affixed to them. The interior frame is powder-coated steel and the machine comes with an installed memory of 2GB and 256 MB graphic card.

The Power:
Microsoft Surface has been optimized to recognize as many as 52 touches at one time, which means several individuals can work together and independently on different programs, at the same time.

- 20600674 (Entry #4)

2008-03-30T00:28:00.000-07:00

What is guerilla marketing:
Unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources. Is a marketing statics that is not bind by location or time. It is revealed where there are lots of people with out any previous advertisement. I think people want something new. Something that will shock them.

In my design class we have to think of new marketing strategy and how we can incorporate them to design.

Guerilla marketing is not only for selling but it also help people to think of the situation one more time.

Here are some of the example of guerilla marketing

in germany they have basket ball layout on the garbage bin
donation for the homless
interior design
anti- "BIG" company (independent coffee house)

"vandalism, street-art or guerilla marketing?"

so what do you think?

20400681-entry 3

Business perspectives

2008-03-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

Russia is an emerging economy along with China, Brazil and India. Compare with other emerging economies much of its economic rise came thanks to oil prices. Russian president Vladimir Putin was wise in distributing petro dollars among ordinary Russians. But the question remains how long Russia can ride this wave of high oil prices?
It does not seem there will be a dramatic change in oil price in near future, oppositely it is going up and Russia's finest oil is priced 113$ per barrel. The main threat to Russian economy nowadays is their mentality. Russian authorities need to learn from their Chinese counterparts to keep politics as far as possible from business. Let me bring couple examples where Russian government harmed russian consumers.

First is when Russia banned meat imported from Poland, because Poland was willing to host american missile defense system. As a result of it russian consumers had to pay almost 67 cents more per each kg of meat at stores.

Second one would be when Estonian authorities relocated Bronze Soldier memorial, Russian government made sure that businesses did not use Estonian ports which used to handle russian cargos. Consequently it is hard for importer since they are losing opportunity to save some money by using estonian ports, since Estonia is a member of EU and has low tariffs.

For some people it might seem pure political problem and they might agree to that economical pressure should be used in order to defend your interests, but I am confident that it is not wise to do so at the expense of your own people, whom you make to pay more for the same product.

I wrote this article, since Prof. Lee mentioned in the class about perspective of korean conglomerates. I believe each culture is unique and should be preserved, on the other hand when it comes down to business we should able to use strategies and tactics which our opponents use and get rid off the so called "fats".

Entry 3. 20600793

energy crisis

2008-03-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

As prof. Lee mentioned in the class, consumption of enery in the world is increasing enormously.

One barrel of oil costs more than $100 and most raw materials are 2 times more expensive.

Basically this is a matter of management; all the natural resources are given by Chirst but

people on the Earth wasted this resources to make their own profits. Humanbeings are looking for their own comfort and conveniance; it causes us to improve technologically. People are

always to find their profits to imrove their life based on capitalism in modern society. Most of

people think capitalism is the foundation and fundamentality in this society but when you look

at the world deeper, there is a word called "energy". Without energy, there is no way to operate

or improve. When I look at oil problem on news, they don't really talk about environment and

they prefer to relate most of matters with capital. Well, money is good but we all have to

consider what is the priority.

20400402 Josh Yoon Entry 3

Consumers Are Holding Back

2008-03-27T03:01:00.000-07:00

I was reading the Business Week today and it said that Americans are postponing their purchases of pricey items (cars, homes, clothes, and electronics) due to economic uncertainty.

For many years, Americans craved and loved big-screen TVs, McMansions, SUVs, and new wardrobes. However, today a large numbers of Americans seem to have entered a state of consumer paralysis. They simply are not buying.

The temperature readings that came out on consumers this week were almost uniformly bleak. Auto sales fell in the first two months of the year (BusinessWeek.com, 3/18/08), and J.D. Power & Associates predicts total U.S. sales in 2008 will total 14.95 million vehicles, which would be the lowest annual total since 1995. Retailers are struggling, from discounters such as Target to midmarket department store chains like J.C. Penney to Nordstrom at the higher end. And even the top-performing electronics chain, Best Buy, has cut its fiscal 2008 profit forecast, blaming weak sales of TVs, digital music players, cameras, and video games.

Also, consumer expectations about the future are at their lowest point since the recession in the early 1970s.

What's keeping some Americans up at night is uncertainty. Uncertainty about the fate of their employer, about steadily rising gas and food prices, and about their ability to handle huge credit-card bills or resetting mortgage rates. "Consumers are concerned about future job prospects, and the high level of gas and food prices has devastated the financial situation of lower-income households," says Richard Curtin, a University of Michigan research associate professor and director of the Reuters/University of Michigan monthly consumer survey, which will come out later this week.

The only thing that people load up on these days are basic necessities (BusinessWeek.com, 1/17/08). They flock to stores where they can save money by buying items in bulk—places like Costco, which reported earlier this month a 31% profit increase in its latest quarter, and BJ's, the warehouse-club chain that reported that its profit quadrupled in the first quarter. Sales of food and other grocery items increased at Wal-Mart Stores, giving its February retail sales a 2.6% boost.

The broad environment of US society is in the phase of uncertainty and if this continues, big companies like General Motors and General Electric are going to have a difficult time fighting off recession.

Big companies and manufacturers should come out of an idea to surive through this economic uncertainty and recession in consumer purchase.

BY: 20600674 - Entry #3

3. Story of successful business man Vijay Mallya

2008-03-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

I would like to share about an Indian business man, Vijay Mallya, who is now the president of UB group in India. His father, who was the former president of UB group died in 1983, leaving him in control of an empire with annual revenues of $100 million. Vijay Mallya was only at his early 20’s at the time and then entire company started to worry and board of directors thought the company will break down in no time because of his lavsih lifestyle. Vijay Mallya spent most of time spending tremendous amount of money attending parties and traveling with models. When Vijay became the Chairman of UB group, he sold out many of UB group’s businesses. Out of 22 businesses he inherited-ranging from a brewery to a drugmaker to a battery manufacturer he only kept those that were very profitable. Then he established Kingfisher Airlines which became a great success. Today, revenues for the UB Group run to $1.2 billionVijay’s net worth is estimated at $1.5 billion-a figure he doesn’t quibble with. He has a collection of 42 homes scattered across the world, 250 vintage cars, a customized Boeing 727 and two other corporate jets, and three yachts including the Kalizma, a 165-footer once owned by actor Richard Burton. Now, he’s aiming to go global. Vijay Mallya hopes to begin Kingfisher flights to the U.S. and Britain by the end of the year. Vijay Mallya’s story supports what professor told us in class about how Korean companies keep investing in all fields of businesses. Selling off non-profitable business and investing more on a profitable business is a good business strategy.

3rd Blog by 20200652

3. Second Chance Through Business

2008-03-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

In Los Angeles, where gang affliated crimes and criminals are "over-populated", there seems to be a new hope of light amongst the dark corners of the streets. A corporation like Homeboy Industries has started 12 years ago in a converted warehouse(Homeboy Silkscreen). It made T-shirts just like any other competitors in the same industry. However, the only distinct difference was that the company hired ex-gang members as its employees. While skepticism may arise, the company had revenue of $1.1 million last year to help offset the company's expenditures.

Homeboy Bakery, another branch of Homeboy Industry, has a new plant that has $3 million in ovens and machineries. The manager of Homeboy Bakery, Alvaro Ocegueda, supervises 25 gang members who have become bakers under his guidance and special training at Los Angeles Trade Technical College (2-year community college). He hopes to produce millions of dollars in revenue throughout the next three or four years. Homegirl Cafe also made $220,000 within five months by serving breakfast and lunch six days a week. This successful revenue is credited to Patricia Zarate (cook and manager), along with 27 girls who were gang affiliated. Homeboy Maintenance makes about $6000 a month, while as Homeboy retail store sold $25,000 in Homeboy shirts and caps in a recent three-month period.

Although the Homeboy Industry may seem like a potential conglomerate, it is a nonprofit charitable corporation that last year had a budget of $5 million and goals that emphasize rehabilitation over revenue. Rev. Gregory Boyle (executive director), who is a Jesuit priest have found this organization two decades ago in East Los Angeles, emphasized that rehabilitation for gang members is the primary goal for Homeboy Industry. It is not simply about seeking a talent and hiring of the employees but rather, this company helps by providing mental therapy to gang members, housing assistance, job development counseling and tatto removal treatments. In conclusion, core purpose of this corporation is not about money but a second chance to those who have side-tracked and showing them the possibilities of their potentiality. What amount of digits in total revenue can match up to a man born again in the light?

-20300742 (#3 entry)

Reds go 3 points clear as Chelsea held by Spurs

2008-03-21T17:58:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night produced a comfortable win at Old Trafford for United as two piece's of Ronaldo magic sunk Bolton. The Portugese winger bagged a brace with 2 early first half goals to kill off a Bolton team lacking in any kind of killer instinct.

The match was notable for another stunning free kick from the number 7 as Ronaldo unleashed a rasper to strand Bolton goalie Al Habsi. This piece of brilliance came after the fleet-footed forward had already broken the deadlock with a well taken half volley after a goalmouth scramble from a Nani corner.

Ronaldo's quality aside, the biggest talking point of the game was Fergie's team selection, as the wily Scot rested 3 of his 4 first choice defenders ahead of the big game against Liverpool this Sunday. Sir Alex did state that Rio Ferdinand had picked up a knock, but this blogger would be amazed if the cultured centre-half didn't start against United's bitter rivals on Sunday afternoon. The omissions of Paul Scholes, Evra, Wes Brown, Ferdinand and Rooney indicates the gaffer had one eye on the decisive clash at the weekend.

On a side note, Ronaldo was given the United captaincy in what could be part of Ferguson's charm offensive to keep his star man out of Real Madrid's clutches once again this summer.

While the United result never looked in doubt, Chelsea and Tottenham played out a pulsating 4-4 all draw at White Hart Lane. Chelsea will feel they should have won, after squandering the lead on no less than three occassions. Spurs will also feel they should have taken the points though as Ashley Cole should have walked for a horror challenge on Alan Hutton in the first half. Added to that, Dimitar Berbatov missed a golden chance to get a late winner after being denied by a tremendous save from Cudicini.

All in all a good night for United - now 3 clear of the Gunners and 5 points ahead of Chelsea. A win against Liverpool this Sunday will see that lead extended over one if not both of these teams as all eyes will be on Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge when the top four go nose to nose.

20400241-#2nd Entry

United Go Top as Derby Restore Some Pride

2008-03-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

It was a good day for United in the Premiership on Saturday as Fergie's men ground out an important 1-0 victory over bottom of the table Derby which springboarded the Reds to the summit of the league table. Even better news was to occur later in the day as Arsenal's league form continued to capitulate with a 1-1 home drawn against Middlesboro - leaving the Red Devils at the top of the shop on goal difference, but with a crucial game in hand.

The win over Paul Jewell's Rams should have been business as usual for Fergie's boys, however this win was far from routine. Derby were coming into this one after a 6-1 spanking at Stamford Bridge in midweek and for the first twenty minutes it seemed inevitable that they would have their collective asses handed to them once again as United, and Ronaldo in particular, carved open some excellent chances.

However United spurned chances and as Derby weathered the storm it was they who nearly took the lead before the break, with United debutant Ben Foster twice denying Scotsman Kenny Miller.

Indeed it was fairly lively debut for Foster, who had a good game despite leaving some question marks over his kicking. Interestingly, his opposite number was former United goalie Roy Carroll, who probably had a better game in this one than many he had when representing the Red Devils.

Thankfully for United, the Irishman's goal was eventually breached with Wayne Rooney crossing in for the unstoppable Ronaldo to put away his 31st goal of the season in the 74th minute. After the Portuguese had broken the deadlock the result was never in doubt, with Carroll again having to deny his former team mates on more than one occasion.

The importance of this result was compounded by the news that Arsenal were later held to their fourth league draw on the trot with Middlesboro grabbing a share of the spoils at the Emirates. Ironically for the Gunners it was Arsenal old boy Jerome Aliadiere who did for them with a goal for the Smoggies on his return to North London. Kolo Toure bagged a late leveler for the Gunners but it wasn't enough to return Wenger's team to pole position.

This could be a crucial weekend in the title race with Arsenal gearing up to face Chelsea, Liverpool and United in three out of their next four league fixtures. Not to mention the added distraction of what could be two energy sapping games against Liverpool in the Champions League during this spell.

Only a fool would count Chelsea out of the race and despite some poor cup results, Avram Grant's flat track bullies are stalking the top two with brutal efficiency. Another league game and another win saw Chelsea's impressive league form continue at Sunderland as John Terry popped up with a crucial goal to put Roy Keane's Blackcats to the sword. This leaves Grant's men within just 3 points of both United and Arsenal, and like United, they have a game in hand on the Gunners.

Those games in hand will happen this Wednesday night as United entertain local rivals Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea travel to their Carling Cup conquerors Tottenham Hotspur. United have eminently the more winnable fixture and while Bolton will be looking to inflict an unlikely double over the Champions, Ferguson has enough aces in his pack to get a measure of revenge over Megson's men. Make no mistake, if United fail to put a bit of daylight between themselves and Arsenal on Wednesday night, then it can be considered an outright disaster by anyone's standards.

Chelsea will also have revenge on their minds as they go into the first of two consecutive clashes against North London opposition. Spurs made Chelsea look ordinary in the Carling Cup Final and the Ramos Revolutionaries will be more than confident of taking some points off their bitter local rivals on Wednesday night. The match may also be a true litmus test of Chelsea's title aspirations, the team from the Kings Road have bulldozed inferior opponents all season (Barnsley aside), but have come up short in the big league matches and in two recent cup ties. If they are going to keep pace with the leaders then the Stamford Bridge outfit really need to take something at White Hart Lane and while their outstanding record on this ground shouldn't be ignored, Ramos's team may have a psychological advantage following their Wembley victory.

In the cold light of day, even a Chelsea loss won't knock them out of the race this Wednesday, chiefly because both United and Arsenal need to visit the Blues before the end of the season and Chelsea's home record is second to none. However, failure to take the points against Spurs will leave Grant with a bloody nose, and the media, possibly along with Chelsea honcho Roman Abramovich, will start to sharpen those knives once again.

20400241-#1st

Christians in the Business world

2008-03-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

Millions of Christians head off to their work/careers each day without a true sense of meaning and purpose in what they do for a living. Many of them are bored, and simply waiting for “something better to come along.”

God’s design and plan for our vocation is that our work and how we go about it would be an act of worship to Him. God wants us to understand that what we do for a living is part of our ministry and mission field to further His Kingdom and to bring Him glory.

Our guest speaker on Tuesday, Ray Hilbert, covered a very important topic. It was about how Christians should approach the business world. I, personally, had a lot of questions concerning this topic.

Ray Hilbert, during his lecture said that we need to maintain a balanced life between work and family. This got me thinking. As a Christian, we are called to glorify God through our work. Being a salt and light in the workplace is surely glorifying God, but isn't doing well and excelling in the marketplace glorying God as well?

In a market and society where everyone is busy competing with each other, cutting on sleep and family time to work more to excel and succeed others, how could Christians glorify God by succeeding others in business if we do not work as hard as them? I believe that Christian companies should become the Best company in the world. If so, shouldn't Christians work harder than others to become the BEST? I wonder then, is it possible to become the BEST if we maintain a balanced life between work and family? I would like to maintain a balanced life as well, of course. Professor Lee also mentioned during our lecture that many people neglect their responsibilities at home during the rapid growth and competitive turbulence phase of the production growth.

What are we as Christians to do? Are we to sacrifice becoming the best company in order to maintain a balanced life? What does God want? What is biblical?

We Christians want to glorify God by setting up the Best company in the world. But is this possible when we maintain a balanced life?

How could we say that we are going to change the world or even the business world/marketplace when we are not doing well in business?

We need to excel in business to influence others. If so, don't we need to work harder than others to do well in business?

However, if we work hard and neglect our families, then God will not be happy because we are not being responsible by looking after our familes.
On the other hand, if we go home at 6 o'clock sharp and spend time with our family, maintaing a balanced life, while others are working to succeed and excel, non-Christians are succeeding us in business and influencing the world.

What is biblical about this?
What is your opinion?

I would really like to hear your comments on this topic.
I don't know what is right.
I truly want to know what is biblical.

Is it possible to be the BEST and still maintain a balanced life?
Or do we have to sacrifice being the BEST to maintain a balanced life?

By: 20600674 - Entry #2

Want to Make Big Bucks? Believe in Yourself

2008-03-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

Recent research proves that strong self-esteem translates to a higher financial income - whether you have wealthy parents or not. Researchers at the University of Florida found that high self-esteem leads to earning more money. If getting rich is connected to a positive self-concept, do all wealthy people enjoy high levels of positive self-regard? Well, let's see.
University of Florida management professor Timothy Judge says, "People with high opinions of themselves as teenagers and young adults drew bigger salaries in middle age than their less confident counterparts, and the gap was widest for those from privileged backgrounds."

This means that even if you grew up with affluent parents you're more likely to earn more money if you have high self-esteem than unconfident people (with rich parents). The financial status of your parents gives you a boost up the ladder, but it's your self-confidence that translates to big bucks in the long run.

Professor Judge found that self-esteem makes more impact if your parents have professional occupations or backgrounds. People from affluent families earn $28,000 more per year if they're confident, as compared to those who have wealthy parents but aren't confident. Those from less advantaged families only earn $7,000 more if they have high self-esteem than those who have lower self-confidence. Your background makes a difference for your future, but your self-confidence gives you that extra boost to succeed.

Not all rich people enjoy high self-esteem. It depends on various personality and family factors, one being how the wealth was achieved. For instance, working, planning, failing, and readjusting your goals is more likely to lead to a positive self-concept than inheriting a few hundred million dollars from mom and dad. Struggling for financial wealth or any type of success can lead to a healthy self-concept, unless of course it was obtained through illegal or immoral means. If you feel bad about yourself, money won't increase your self-esteem. Neither will losing weight, sprucing up your appearance, or buying a new red sports car.

One way to build a positive self-concept is to succeed at slightly difficult things and learning to bounce back from failures. Try setting small challenges at which you're likely to taste success, such as making conversation with a stranger at a party or speaking up at a meeting at work. Work up to bigger goals, and go easy on yourself when you stumble.

You dont have to be hard on yourself and too negative. Every human being is truly unique and you are as well, no matter what other people might say or think about you, you should always keep in mind that your opinion is what that matters.

Entry 2.

20600793

Equus and Genesis

2008-03-19T05:39:00.000-07:00

As prof. Lee gave a lecture about Gap in class, a lot of companies

in the world came out with different name of brands based on

a same route or foundation. As matter of a fact, the world's

well-known companies have a lot of branches. Such as Lexus, Acura,

Audi, Sprite and so on. However, when you look at Korean

companies,there is no such branch company that has luxury brand.

Recently, Hyundai-car launched two branches, which are Equus and

Genesis. Equus launched couple years ago and the result tells us that

it wasn't successful. In my opinion, two facts are affecting branch

business in korea; one is Koreans' mentality matter and another

is company's marketing problem. Mentality matter is people in korea

consider korean brand as cheap brand, and the other hand they

don't believe in their product. Marketing problem is even though

Hyundai launched Equus and Genesis in different ways, they sell

Equus and Genesis at Hyundai-Car dealer shop. Which means even

if you invest capital to differenciate one and the other, image itself is

too strong to new launching company. Fundamentally, launching and

investing are not everything for branch business and I think their

new step is to seperate their new image from original like Toyota and Lexus.

20400402 Josh, Yoon Entry2

2. Differentiation & Innovation

2008-03-19T01:03:00.000-07:00

The name "pimp watch" is quite common among the youth who has consistant intrigue in fashion. Let's first talk about the word "pimp". It's funny how people don't use the word to demean someone, neither perceived as a derogatory term. Pimp actually means hip, cool, awesome, stylish or represents just about anything that is generally positive; it no longer means a fearful, afro-haired man in his pink tight pants with purple fur muffler who prefers to slap their prostitutes with their back hand rather than forward hand.

I came across an ad few weeks ago in a fashion magazine of a product called the "pimp watch". Its slick design caught my attention but rather I was confused. It had no dials but only several dotted lights. At first, my thought led me to believe that it is just a fashion item with no purpose but to attract others whenever it lit up. Unable to conquer my curiosity I did a research on the internet. It comes out to be that pimp watch is actually a time indicating device. It had its own unique way of reading the time. And this product uses LED (light emitting diode or luminescent diode) to produce light. Basically what the company did was differentiate and innovate the watch. LED is used in TV, computer, or any other electronic devices which indicates light and various colors. Company used such a commonly used device to create a new product. Also the time reading method is very unusual, however it is an innovation of how people read time without the dial (this is very fresh). On top of that its name is of younger generation's commonly used term. I think it is a brilliant idea and for fun I have purchased my own.

-20300742- (#2 entry)

commision charge fee of bank

2008-03-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

As we know we all live based on capitalism, basically money has to come and go around. Most of people in modern society has at least one bank account and use their bank in various ways based on their purpose. Which means bank is a route and high way of money, because it moves
around and transfer from one to others. As we pay money while we're on high way, money itself
get charge from bank in order to transfer in Korea. Cost of price is obviously ridicuous, because
commision fee is $3 in korea. In terms of commision fee in korea is no matter how much money
moves around, it still costs you same. What bank saying is how much money you send it costs
same for them. However, even if what they said is right, this is unfair to customers who send little amount of money. Bank is part of service business and in order to run business they have
to consider customers' service. It's privilege to have banking business in capitalism society, but
they shouldn't abuse their privilege.

20400402 Josh, Yoon entry 1

Exporting emerging Korean cultures to other cultures

2008-03-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

Most of we are familiar with the term 'Samurai', 'Ninja' and 'Geisha'.

These words are known not only in Asian cultures but worldwide.

They appear as heroes in movies, games and animations.

It is because Japan had succeeded in selling their cultures to other places.

Then what is the best source we have in Korea that we could sell to the world?

Korea has one of the longest history in the world and I am sure many will be interested to learn about our tradition, but what I believe is more intersting to everyone, especially to the newer generation is new emerging culture of Korea.

Korea has the fastest internet connection in the world and people are adapted to IT than anywhere else in the world. Most of cyber events, problems, researches and cultures start here in Korea.

For example, the term 'ProGamer' or the occupation started in Korea and Pro Gaming Leagues and teams were first formed in Korea. The Korean term 'Gosu' which refers to master, superior, high-grade player, has become a common term for all the gamers of the world. I was surprised to see many American game sites that inculded the term 'Gosu'.

Personal web page, Cyworld has started years beofre in Korea and America's Facebook succeeded after years later.

Another good example can be NAVER KnowledgeIN (지식인). Every problems we face, and questions we have, others have it too. It is very useful tool to solve a question. It is amazing there isn't STILL any similar site in English. Thier concept is differnt from a search engine. Whenever I get sick, I look up on searching for my symthoms, and it gives direct result and I know what my illness is. This is something that can't be done through search engine such as google. (I can't search for 'I have headache and bad stomach.') Starting a site with similar concept in English I strongly believe will bring success.

Korean language itself is very descriptive and flexible, and Koreans too have great ideas in humor and stories. Well known emoticons such as :) or ;p are widely used among English users, but Koreans streched further and came up with creative emoticons like

d(-.-b) = Thumbs up

ㅠ_ㅠ = crying

(/-.-)/ㅕ = Flipping a table

I believe that our ideas and emerging culture is a great resource and a valuable item that would sell. I often come across extremely humorous, great stories and ideas that I am encouraged to translate it to english and share it with the whole world.

We are the first in taking next step of the cyber world. This is the field we are ahead of others.

And exporting our new culture, will definitely be a good business strategy.

- 2nd Bolg by 20200652

Vision!

2008-03-13T04:41:00.000-07:00

More than 800 new students were admitted to school this semester, the classes now have 40 to 50 students, the line to cafeteria is so long that it even reaches Creation dormitory during lunch time. So the question arises why so many people keep coming to Handong, even though university still young and has a lot to improve.

In this dynamically changing world universities not only have to provide best possible education but more importantly vision and spiritual atmosphere for students from all over the world in globalization effort.

As the days are passing, months are coming; years changing to centuries Handong Global University is working hard with new generation of humanity in order to make a world a better place to live for each and every one of us.

Alibek 20600793

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish!

2008-03-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

From Steve Jobs' commencement at Stanford University:

Sometimes life's going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love, and that is as true for work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking, and don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it, and like any great relationship it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking. Don't settle.

by: 20600674 - Entry #1

Business Cards

2008-03-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

Through this blog I want relate design into business stragety.

In Business the first thing you take out when you meet a person is your name card or your business card.Name cards or company cards are small but its more that just introducing yourself.Now days business cards are also form of advertisement to the company. It helps them to remember and be interested by it.Name cards also help individuals to express themselves.

you have to scratch like a to find out what inside.

dentist business card. You don't even need to read the information to know about it.

different shapes

you can even eat it

Business card shouldn't be kept inside a wallet and be forgotten about it. It has impact other so they can have a positive image toward the company. I think it personal name cards are also helpful to make an impression to other people.

20400681 entry 1

Our Behavior... Our Habits...

2008-03-11T05:16:00.000-07:00

The first lecture from Professor Lee about natural resources becoming more and more scarce has brought our team a topic to reconsider. The money that most people love or need (if the word love builds uncomfortable conscious for some) has changed our life style. The chopped trees by the acres of field no longer think sky is the limit. Mother Earth is exploited as we drain every ounce of her blood for gas. By the old saying, "we are what we eat", we can presume that gluttony of our consumption pattern has distorted our efficiency. We are greedy and it seems we are consuming ourselves to death. We believe that this is a topic our class should hold seriously.

-Isaac Yim 20300742 (#1 entry)

Business Idea for T-shirt

2008-03-11T03:23:00.000-07:00

I thought of an idea of selling T-shirts with hilarious pictures and texts.
There are many online sites where they print any design we ask for.
There are couple of sites in America, but they don't ship it all the way to Korea
and it is much cheaper to make it here.
The following is one of the biggest sites for funny shirts
http://www.bustedtees.com/
We could use this sits as design reference and create our own design
and try selling them to handong students.
Instead of making many prints with one design,
if possible we could print different designs for each shirts,
because people, especially Koreans don't like wearing clothes others have.
(not team, club, 단체 shirts)
We could also apply Korean language to T-Shirts.
There are three designers among us, so I thought may be we could think about it together.

-20200652 Yohan Kim

Welcome all SIERRA MEMBERS.

2008-03-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Sierra Blog Site for Business Strategy Class this semester.

Here're the names of our group members.

Kim, Yohan
Yim, Isaac
John Yohan Park
Josh (Jong Kwon) Yoon
Sharon Hwang
Julia Ji
Alibek

Let's have fun!