Now then i have the time to write about week 3 lecture. Lecture 3 is interesting as the concept of 'Wisdom of Crowd' is being discussed in class. Kind of amazed that the aggregation of information from many individuals are often better than a single individual (even though the particular individual might be very intelligent). I think that is the part of the reason of the rising trend of Wiki (Web 2.0)
During the lesson, there also discussion about business opportunities that can be viable in the mobile industry. At the same time, it also simulated me to think of more business ideas. One of the ideas that I shared with my teammates is to provide advertising services for the hospitality industries. So what is the idea?
We will be using 3G technology integrated with transportation service to provide this advertising service. Target audience will be definately the tourists and the transportation will be logically Cabs. Right now, tourists usually have problems receiving information of tourist attraction, hotels and etc when they visit in Singapore.
All we need to include is a communication device with 3G capability that can be installed in taxi and the websites will be restricted to the sponsors that provide the advertising contents. Of course the revenue model will be from the sponsors. I am still exploring the operation chain that is required. I believe this business is quite scalable as more other services can be included that specifically targetted to local as well.
P.S Guys, if you are interested about e-commerce, pls visit Nexus 2007 - Leading in Times of Disruptive Change!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
2nd week Starhub case study and HTML
After one week preparation, our group finally go for Starhub case presentation. It turned out to be GREAT! Although some minor mistakes here and there, it was still considered a good presentation given the time we have! Tian Yi, thanks for the Power Point preparation! Cris, thanks for bringing down Hip Hop 'uniform' and the time to dress up yourself! Well done, Team! Next time we should video record our presentation and preparation process. haha!!
After this case study, I really amazed by Starhub's capabilities and her potential which initially I think that Starhub is there just to compete with Singtel. However, it turns out to be not entirely correct. To a certain extent, it is Singtel who is in the offensive mode (especially during the bid for the EPL boadcast rights) trying to have a cut in the paid-TV market. However after Starhub won the bid, Singtel seems to tone down and focus more on retaining her own customer base by providing more integral services like "Mio" which is to integrate mobile, fix-line and broadband package to the consumers.
I believe the reason that Starhub was awarded for the EPL rights is also they have a stronger technological infrastruture (the cable of course) to deliver TV program services to the customers. I think this is important in the e-commerce and m-commerce. In this industry, high fix cost is required for the infrastructure. In other to increase Internet access speed for their customers, Starhub has pumped in $600m just on upgrading. However, it is still profitable if you got many customers (Economics of scale)because the cost of deliver the service is almost $0(variable cost is low)since the transfer of data per cable is being fully utilised. Well, it all talks about scale and NUMBERS!
This week lesson is a bit 'techy'! Well, I will still try to follow the lesson. Well we talk about usual matter like the origin of WWW and its application etc. I think what is more important here is the understanding of the technology available; its strength and its limitation. First of all, Prof Gilbert bring in the topic on TCP/IP. He had actually explain to us as simple as it is but I think I need to understand better by gathering more information. I googled to this website http://www.yale.edu/pclt/comm/tcpip.htm to have a better understanding of the technology. In short, TCP is meant for packaging and IP is meant for addressing
The TCP/IP is described as robust and able to automatically recover from any node or phoneline failure. This design allows the construction of very large networks with less central management. Although the recent Taiwan earthquak was serious, network was affected but the fact is we still can go online. This illustrates the robustness of TCP/IP protocol. The technology behind is Internet Ptotocol version 4 (32-bit number of addresses) which allows data packages to deroute if any catastrophic event happens that damage the network cables. However, this will be compensated by a slower speed as the 'flow' of the data will not be steady because the packages are scatter around everywhere in the network.
In accord to the limitation of IPv4, IPv6 is using 128-bit number of addresses which implies that it is faster due to the larger data packages can be transferred in the network. However, it also mean that it will be harder to deroute the data packages. So what we really want? Actually it is depends more on the industry. Industries like TV and stock information require real-time data streaming. Therefore, these industries will need IPv6 more as compared to other industries.
The good news is that TCP/IP can allow both versions to co-exist. TCP/IP serves as a standard for the Internet industry. As the diagram has shown , TCP/IP can do a lot more. Having a better understanding of the technology, I undestand why Starhub is willing to spend $600m to upgrade their infrastruture to DOCSIS3.0 for their cable TV and gaming.
In the lesson, we also discussed about email. It is not a complicated technology but it has indeed change the way how communication is being done. Email is a lousely-coupled form of communication as compared to phone-to-phone verbal communication which is tighly-coupled. I think this is an important attribute especially to the business users as what is more important are the delivery of the message rather than immediacy(moment of greatest value)
End of the day, I think the most beneficial part is to be able to write some simple html scripting. Haha! Anyway, I still got a lot more stuff to know about technology. It's really about self-learning!
After this case study, I really amazed by Starhub's capabilities and her potential which initially I think that Starhub is there just to compete with Singtel. However, it turns out to be not entirely correct. To a certain extent, it is Singtel who is in the offensive mode (especially during the bid for the EPL boadcast rights) trying to have a cut in the paid-TV market. However after Starhub won the bid, Singtel seems to tone down and focus more on retaining her own customer base by providing more integral services like "Mio" which is to integrate mobile, fix-line and broadband package to the consumers.
I believe the reason that Starhub was awarded for the EPL rights is also they have a stronger technological infrastruture (the cable of course) to deliver TV program services to the customers. I think this is important in the e-commerce and m-commerce. In this industry, high fix cost is required for the infrastructure. In other to increase Internet access speed for their customers, Starhub has pumped in $600m just on upgrading. However, it is still profitable if you got many customers (Economics of scale)because the cost of deliver the service is almost $0(variable cost is low)since the transfer of data per cable is being fully utilised. Well, it all talks about scale and NUMBERS!
This week lesson is a bit 'techy'! Well, I will still try to follow the lesson. Well we talk about usual matter like the origin of WWW and its application etc. I think what is more important here is the understanding of the technology available; its strength and its limitation. First of all, Prof Gilbert bring in the topic on TCP/IP. He had actually explain to us as simple as it is but I think I need to understand better by gathering more information. I googled to this website http://www.yale.edu/pclt/comm/tcpip.htm to have a better understanding of the technology. In short, TCP is meant for packaging and IP is meant for addressing
The TCP/IP is described as robust and able to automatically recover from any node or phoneline failure. This design allows the construction of very large networks with less central management. Although the recent Taiwan earthquak was serious, network was affected but the fact is we still can go online. This illustrates the robustness of TCP/IP protocol. The technology behind is Internet Ptotocol version 4 (32-bit number of addresses) which allows data packages to deroute if any catastrophic event happens that damage the network cables. However, this will be compensated by a slower speed as the 'flow' of the data will not be steady because the packages are scatter around everywhere in the network.
In accord to the limitation of IPv4, IPv6 is using 128-bit number of addresses which implies that it is faster due to the larger data packages can be transferred in the network. However, it also mean that it will be harder to deroute the data packages. So what we really want? Actually it is depends more on the industry. Industries like TV and stock information require real-time data streaming. Therefore, these industries will need IPv6 more as compared to other industries.
The good news is that TCP/IP can allow both versions to co-exist. TCP/IP serves as a standard for the Internet industry. As the diagram has shown , TCP/IP can do a lot more. Having a better understanding of the technology, I undestand why Starhub is willing to spend $600m to upgrade their infrastruture to DOCSIS3.0 for their cable TV and gaming.
In the lesson, we also discussed about email. It is not a complicated technology but it has indeed change the way how communication is being done. Email is a lousely-coupled form of communication as compared to phone-to-phone verbal communication which is tighly-coupled. I think this is an important attribute especially to the business users as what is more important are the delivery of the message rather than immediacy(moment of greatest value)
End of the day, I think the most beneficial part is to be able to write some simple html scripting. Haha! Anyway, I still got a lot more stuff to know about technology. It's really about self-learning!
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Week 1
Well, i'm back to school! Yeah. Taking another tech-business module after entreprenuership minor! I have heard a lot of times about disruptive technology but the true understandings of that theory only after the class (I hope I get it right this time round.). Disruptive technology: An innovation that overturns the existing dominant technology in the market and most of the time, the disruptive technology might not be anything better in term of quality as compared to the existing dominant technology. In fact, I feel that it is more like business strategies that create the 'disruptive' impact as disruptive technology is like filling up the holes in the value chain of the market that are previously not filled by the big players. The diagram below shows the capability of a disrupter, who initially supplies the low-end consumers, increasing their profit margin to meet the demand of the high-end consumers.
In the lecture, Prof Gilbert has mentioned 5 key disruptions in the network industry (e-commerce).
1. Digitalization
2. Globalization
3. personalization
4. Mobility
5. Convergence
Personally, i think most people agree that digitalisation and globalisation have changed the way people gather and process information. Today, we talk about global industry, we are actually referring to the information-based or knowledge-based industry. We need information/knowledge to help us make critical business decision. People are searching information over the web because the information are not restricted by physical location (there is no need for you to go to National Library to borrow the book) and they are always there for you to access (no need to worry that the library book you want is being borrowed by someone else). A very good example to illustrate the 2 phenomenon is Amazon.com.
I see the last 3 disruptions as the recent trends that are happening in our today information economy. Nowadays, telcom providers can actually detect the location of you based on the signal that is transmitted by your mobile phones. This form of information is essential as it is about to tell the customer’s income pattern by the place they frequently go or their residential areas. From there on, businesses can actually customize their products or services to suit the needs of the consumers rather than standardizing their products to meet the general public. This is what we call personalization. This form of business behavior has ever become more prominent especially the rise of Internet.
Mobility is another big disruption in the technology market. Today, mobile phone is used as a standard for distant verbal communication rather then a fixed line phone. I call my mum through her mobile not through the home line. This is because the one I called is my mum (not my home!). As observed, fixed-line phone industry is greatly affected by the shift of consumer preference.
Lastly, we talk about convergence. A very good example is the use of wireless technology. Mobile phone today has many build-in features. I use my phone as an organizer, MP3 player and checking emails. These are some convergences happen in the mobile industry. The reading on Fixed Mobile Convergence (StarHub) has made me understand more on technology convergence and the necessary management reshuffling to meet the demand of such convergence.
In my own point of view, the disruptions that we talked about in the lecture suggest that all 5 of them are inter-linked with one another and by putting all 5 of them together, it suggests that e-commerce today is highly interactive i.e. a system of immediate two-way communication rather than a system of one-way communication in a schedule basis. This brings to the next big thing in the e-commerce: Web 2.0.
Web 2.0 is a concept of delivering highly-personalized web application to the end-user. Blogs and wikis are some of the Web 2.0 tools. To put it simply, Web 2.0 is all about YOU! The end-user! From my own point of view, the true potential is the capability of executing computing application using internet browser. Example: Meebo.com, a company that collates many instant messengers such as MSN and Yahoo! Messenger into one website. In another words, there is no need to download any messenger software to do instant messaging. I believe this will pose possible disruption in software industry.
Join 2nd Life!!
In the lecture, Prof Gilbert has mentioned 5 key disruptions in the network industry (e-commerce).
1. Digitalization
2. Globalization
3. personalization
4. Mobility
5. Convergence
Personally, i think most people agree that digitalisation and globalisation have changed the way people gather and process information. Today, we talk about global industry, we are actually referring to the information-based or knowledge-based industry. We need information/knowledge to help us make critical business decision. People are searching information over the web because the information are not restricted by physical location (there is no need for you to go to National Library to borrow the book) and they are always there for you to access (no need to worry that the library book you want is being borrowed by someone else). A very good example to illustrate the 2 phenomenon is Amazon.com.
I see the last 3 disruptions as the recent trends that are happening in our today information economy. Nowadays, telcom providers can actually detect the location of you based on the signal that is transmitted by your mobile phones. This form of information is essential as it is about to tell the customer’s income pattern by the place they frequently go or their residential areas. From there on, businesses can actually customize their products or services to suit the needs of the consumers rather than standardizing their products to meet the general public. This is what we call personalization. This form of business behavior has ever become more prominent especially the rise of Internet.
Mobility is another big disruption in the technology market. Today, mobile phone is used as a standard for distant verbal communication rather then a fixed line phone. I call my mum through her mobile not through the home line. This is because the one I called is my mum (not my home!). As observed, fixed-line phone industry is greatly affected by the shift of consumer preference.
Lastly, we talk about convergence. A very good example is the use of wireless technology. Mobile phone today has many build-in features. I use my phone as an organizer, MP3 player and checking emails. These are some convergences happen in the mobile industry. The reading on Fixed Mobile Convergence (StarHub) has made me understand more on technology convergence and the necessary management reshuffling to meet the demand of such convergence.
In my own point of view, the disruptions that we talked about in the lecture suggest that all 5 of them are inter-linked with one another and by putting all 5 of them together, it suggests that e-commerce today is highly interactive i.e. a system of immediate two-way communication rather than a system of one-way communication in a schedule basis. This brings to the next big thing in the e-commerce: Web 2.0.
Web 2.0 is a concept of delivering highly-personalized web application to the end-user. Blogs and wikis are some of the Web 2.0 tools. To put it simply, Web 2.0 is all about YOU! The end-user! From my own point of view, the true potential is the capability of executing computing application using internet browser. Example: Meebo.com, a company that collates many instant messengers such as MSN and Yahoo! Messenger into one website. In another words, there is no need to download any messenger software to do instant messaging. I believe this will pose possible disruption in software industry.
Join 2nd Life!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
