Introduction to Information Systems Essay

Abstract For my final paper I will Identify three vital tools of knowledge management and knowledge management systems, social networking systems, (CRM) customer relationship management, and (31) business intelligence. I wlll explain how an organization can utilize knowledge management resources to assist the company in running a successful business. will also explore knowledge management as we know it today. Knowledge Management Introduction Knowledge management is crucially important to any organization for resources which aids a company In providing its staff with the most accurate data needed in uch a competitive and fast passed time. We will explore three tools that aid us in knowledge management and learn how these tools are of great benefit to a successful business. We will also look at knowledge management as we know it today. Narrative sections There are three vital tools of knowledge management and knowledge management systems I want to explore. They are as follows: social networking systems, customer relationship management and business intelligence. Information technology aids knowledge management to provide up to date and ccurate data desired on a moment’s notice to companVs members. A knowledge management system is of great value for any organizations in everyday situations by enabling the employee access to other college’s documents and information. Knowledge management systems allow each staffs member the capability to stay organized and utilize figures and data from the organization. Being able to share this information throughout the company can help the organization in providing a better quality job that may even lead to improvements. Each business varies in the types of knowledge management needed to run its rganization trom documents, technology, networks, just to name a few. Each type ot knowledge managements can accommodate different business methods from push strategy; pull strategy, competence management to databases. You must first distinguish between the vast types of knowledge to understand the different kinds of knowledge management needed. Different fields focus on different types like explicit knowledge, tacit knowledge, and embedded knowledge. sale or a great investment opportunity. A social network allows a company to interact with its customers and employees all around the globe. More businesses are growing by staying connected with its customers with Facebook and Twitter. Social networks give a company the capability to reach a broader audience via the World Wide Web. The larges social network site today is Facebook which a lot of companies are beginning to utilize. Social networks operate through person-to-person and social influence. Companies can target their customers through social networks and optimize their social outreach. Companies also have the capability to respond to a customer’s concern and engage in a meaningful connection with repeat and new customers. With the hundreds of networking sites to access, it can be a challenge to manage multiple social sites, but the opportunities are endless. Customer relationship management provides an inside look to its customer’s purchase patterns that help plan the organizations sales activities. CRM will allow a company to target customers and generate leads for their sale items. Customer relationship management allows the business the needed information to better understand their customer base, building a more efficient business relationship between company, customer and distributer. With such important information gathered, a company can deliver customer gratification while make the most of its profits. A business can utilize CRM software to focus on the customer’s specific consumptions and thus tailor to their needs. CRM software provides a company with a buyer history and preferences leading to potential buys. Shoppers buying patterns can help to cross sell other items. Shoppers can be made aware of available items of their preference making for an easy marketing strategy. Business intelligence is raw information gathered from a data warehouse to help ake effective business decisions. With business intelligence you can better understand the strengths and weaknesses of your company and stay competitive in todays market. With the proper information and good IT support a company can operate with good business intelligence. There are steps to properly utilizing good business intelligence. Gathering of information and incorporating existing information is the key to decision making. Data Marts are critical to help its members gain access to specific information needed. For better decision making, each epartment can access only the portion of information it requires versus being overwhelmed with unnecessary information. Being able to access the right information and the right time will help minimize errors of duplication and help run each department efficiently. Having the right software with good IT makes for a successful business. advantage of every source available to you. Your organization will run efficiently and with minimal inaccuracies. Focus on delivering up-to-date data for timely decision making.

Organizational behaviour assignment

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Public Examination Should Not Be Abolished Essay

While several states are implementing some form of standards-based reform, there is very little empirical evidence to prove that standards, assessment, and high-stakes accountability programs are effective in improving public schools. In many states, such as California, attempts to implement standards-based reform are inconsistently or carelessly aligned with quality research. The following are some of the shortcomings of standards-based reform. 1. Recent reports on the standards-based reform movement in New York suggest that in many schools the careless implementation of standards and assessment may have negative consequences for students. Vague and unclear standards in several subject areas in several states complicate matters and do not serve as concrete standards defining what students should know and be able to do. 3. Top-down standards imposed by the federal or state government are also problematic. They impose content specifications without taking into account the different needs, opportunities to learn, and skills that may be appropriate for specific districts or regions. Table 1: Advantages of SBA compared with external examinations Point Characteristics of SBA Characteristics of Exams Scope Extends the range and diversity of assessment collection opportunities, task types and assessors Much narrower range of assessment opportunities: less diverse assessment; one exam per year Authenticity Assessment done by students’ own teacher; less possibility of cheating as teacher knows student capabilities; assessments more likely to be realistic Removes assessment entirely from teaching and learning; stressful conditions may lead to students not demonstrating real capacities Validity Improves validity through assessing factors that cannot be included in public exam settings Limits validity by limiting scope of assessment, e. g. difficult to assess interaction skills in exam environment Reliability Improves reliability by having more than one assessment by a teacher who is familiar with the student; allows for multiple opportunities for assessor reflection/standardisation Even with double marking, examiners’ judgments can be affected by various factors (task difficulty, topic, interest level, tiredness, etc); little opportunity for assessor reflection / review Fairness Fairness is achieved by following commonly-agreed processes, outcomes and standards; teacher assumptions about students and their oral language levels is made explicit through collaborative sharing and discussion with other teachers Fairness can only be achieved by treating everyone the same, i. e. setting the same task at the same time for all students. Feedback Students can receive constructive feedback immediately after the assessment has finished, hence improving learning The only feedback is usually a grade at the end of the course; no opportunities for interaction with assessor; no chance to ask how to improve Positive washback (beneficial influence on teaching and learning) Ongoing assessment encourages students to work consistently; provides important data for evaluation of teaching and assessment practices in general Examination is purely summative, and does not serve any teaching-related purpose; effects on teaching and learning may even be negative; may encourage teaching to the test and a focus on exam technique, rather than outcomes. Teacher and student empowerment Teachers and students become part of the assessment process; collaboration and sharing of expertise take place within and across schools Teachers play little to no role in assessment of their students and have no opportunity to share their expertise or knowledge of their students; students treated as numbers Professional development Builds teacher assessment skills, which can be transferred to other areas of the curriculum Teachers have no opportunity to build their assessment skills; get little or no feedback on how to improve as teachers

Explain how specific male and female traits are correlated to Essay

Explain how specific male and female traits are correlated to reproductive success, and how this has affected human mating preferences - Essay Example The reproductive value of males is not determined by physical appearance but reproductive investment (Ellison 14). Genetics and behavior reveal that males are aggressive and competitive though certain traits strengthen the capacity of other individuals. Behavioral traits such as boldness, assertiveness and activeness make the dominant male more attractive to the females. A high status male is quite preferable as a mating partner. The male guarding trait is significant in the reproductive success because a male who protects his offspring has the potential of achieving reproductive success. The age and maturity of a dominant male affects reproduction. Younger males are viewed as fit for copulation and breeding in comparison to older males. Fertility in males is also important in reproductive success because sperm competition is linked with length. The longer the sperm tail, the faster it can swim and the higher the chances of fertilization. Human males with longer sperms are more viable and vice versa. Human male height is quite preferable because it is associated with strength and protection by the female counter parts. The male body size is significant in selecting a mate. It is a fact that women prefer men with broad chests and muscles as compared to thin short men (Cartwright 87). Females choose their breeding mates after considering certain factors. An example is good genes because they look for males with certain phenotypes with the hope that these characteristics will pass on to their offspring. Hormone regulation and age is a major determinant of reproductive success in females. Estrogen is an important hormone in human females during breeding and pre breeding. Its concentration is associated with reproduction success. Older women who have attained menopause are incapable of conceiving while younger women are highly prolific (Ellison 124). Fertility limits females’ reproductive success in humans. In addition,

Anemia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Anemia - Essay Example There are numerous types of anemia, and each one is caused by different reason. The most common type is iron deficiency anaemia. This is caused when your body is deficient of iron which is necessary to keep the red blood cells functioning properly. Haemoglobin's key component is iron, which helps the red blood cells carry and store oxygen. If there is not enough iron present then the red blood cells will carry less oxygen to the different organs and tissues of the body1. Blood need to be monitored once in month after the patient is diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia. It is done to check whether the body is responding to the treatment, and some condition rarely may cause serious implications. After your iron level is back to normal the anemia has to be monitored at home. Only few symptoms of the illness are obvious in people who have iron deficiency anemia. The symptom's severity depends on how quickly the anemia develops. Most common symptoms are exhaustion, tiredness, shortness of breath (dyspnoea), and palpitations (irregular heart beat)2. Iron deficiency anemia occurs when the body is suffering from the iron insufficiency. The general physician can easily diagnose the iron deficiency anemia through a blood test. ... Lower reading indicates that you have anemia which also means that there is a deficiency of red blood cells.3 Other types of anemia can cause by a deficiency of vitamin B12 or folate (folic acid salt) in the body. Vitamin B12 also helps the body to produce red blood cells, it keep the nervous system healthy. Folate which is a folic acid salt works with vitamin B12 which produce red blood cells and it is very important for women who are pregnant, which helps in the growth and development of the baby. Eggs, dairy products and meat contain vitamin B12. Folate best sources are green vegetables like broccoli, peas, chickpeas and brown rice. A vitamin B12 deficiency is not common younger people, but it is most common in those people who are over the age of 75. Folate deficiency is also most general in people above 75 years of age. An anaemic person follows strict vegetarian diets who tend to be more at risk of developing a vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 anemia has the following general symptoms, which can tell that whether the patient is suffering from it. These symptoms include: fatigue, breathlessness (dyspnoea), and dizziness, irregular heart beats (palpitations), headache and loss of hunger. Usually the body stores enough vitamin B12 that last approximately for 2-4 years. However, it is very important that level of vitamin B12 is maintained in your diet which will ensure that is store of the vitamin is kept at a healthy level4. Patients suffering form any type of anemia he should take antioxidants, Copper (if deficient), Folic acid, Iron (when iron deficiency is diagnosed), L-carnitine, Magnesium, Taurine (if deficient in

An integrated marketing communications programme for Rapanui Essay

An integrated marketing communications programme for Rapanui - Essay Example ...........................................5 Introduction Integrated marketing communication can be defined as the way of integration of all the methods pertaining to promotion of brand in order to promote a specific product or service among the targeted customers. Its goal is to make all aspects of marketing communication like sales promotion, advertising, direct marketing, public relations, online communications, social media and personal selling to work together as a unified force maximizing the cost effectiveness rather than permitting each to work in isolation. It integrates and coordinates all chosen communication and marketing tools, sources and avenues into one seamless programme that is designed for maximising the impact on customers and other end users at minimum possible cost (Kitchen and Pelsmacker, 2004, p.20). The integration affects entirely the company’s marketing channel; business-to-business, internally directed and customer focused marketing communications. Classic communication methods in fashion industry Marketing communications can be defined as the communications in marketing that is used to create a favourable image towards a brand of product or service, an idea or a person. Marketing communication allow the marketers to inform, motivate, persuade and remind consumers. Companies entering the market with fashion clothes can use all elements of communication mix in their advertising, communication, personal selling and sales promotion and public relation. Advertising Any paid form of non personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services by any identified sponsor. The pages of professional magazines and newsletters are common avenues for advertising information related to the product of firm. Effective communication by means of advertising and media can make a distinction of its firm from its competitors who are less focused (Blakeman, 2007, pp.25-30). Sales promotion These are short term incentives which encourage the purchase or trial of service or product like discount for access to database over a limited time period. Publicity and public relation The programmes are designed to protect or promote the image of company or those of its products including product literature, exhibition and articles about the product of organisation in professional or in consumer publications. Personal selling Personal selling can be defined as the face-to-face interaction with one or more prospective purchasers for the purpose of making sales. Sales are generally the primary means of selling business goods and services in business-to-business marketing. Each component of marketing communication has its specific functions and own features and can be most effective in reaching a specific communication target. However, the greatest beneficial effects for the company can be achieved by integrating the individual elements of integrated marketing communication. Contemporary communication methods in fashion industry A n umber of emergent and contemporary issues affecting both the practice and understanding of professional marketing communications have become a concern for decision making and is value centred. A wide range of accessible communication options and the areas of professional practice need to be managed and incorporated under the leadership of integrated marketing communications. Marketing communication earlier includes the dominant paradigm of the agency of advertising but now it is changing. In recent years, the emergence of specialist services companies providing

Osborn-Parnes Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Osborn-Parnes Model - Essay Example However, by searching for several good answers through the combination of divergent and convergent thinking using imaginative techniques at all stages of the Osborn-Parnes model, it becomes possible to arrive at several workable and innovative solutions. This model has five major steps, although the mess-finding step, which is preliminary in nature, is also added to locate a problem or challenge to which the model can be applied. These steps are mess or objective finding, fact finding, problem finding, idea finding, solution finding or evaluation of ideas, and acceptance finding or implementation of ideas (Treffinger et al, 2012). Each of these steps first employs divergent thinking, whereby there is generation of ideas, after which convergent thinking is applied for the selection of the most promising ideas to be explored further. This paper will apply the Osborn-Parnes model to solve a problem related to opening a maternity shop in a retirement village. The mess-finding or objective-finding stage is the preliminary phase of the creative problem solving process. During the start of the creative problem solving process, one may not have an idea concerning where their creative thinking skills are applicable. This is the phase where one becomes aware of the concerns, challenges, and problems that require to be solved, during which opportunities and challenges are identified (Arp, 2012). Here, both divergent and convergent thinking styles are used with the aim of identifying the business, objectives and concerns. To begin with, because people living in retirement villages are not looking to get children, the sales and marketing process will face several objections. This type of shop, firstly, would be quite profitable if it was opened in a retirement village because there are no such shops open, which would provide first move competitive advantage.

Literture Review of 2 Articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Literture Review of 2 Articles - Essay Example According to previous researchers, the supplementary schools aim at developing the ethnic and cultural identity of the child, as well as boost their self-esteem and confidence. Another major aim of the schools is to ensure the good performance of minority and ethnic children that school in state-maintained schools. Through obtaining data from electronic databases of the British Education Index (BEI) and Education resources Information center, ERIC, the study researches on the aims of the supplementary schooling programs. The research uses questionnaires for purposes of investigating the thoughts of the young people on the supplementary education. The outcome of the research is that there was the establishment that the pupils were happy with the supplementary education to a higher extent than their satisfaction with the mainstream education system. In the article on early childhood special education, the main aim of the research was in exploring the different ways in which teachers of the early childhood special education can support the social behaviors of the children in the context of their preschool classes. In the research design, there was the collection of data from six children in a natural classroom observation. The researchers coded the data from the children and analyzed it for emergent themes contained in a qualitative framework. Among the outcomes of the research revealed the fact that there existed a variety of behaviors and strategies applied by teachers of the early childhood special education. These strategies helped the teachers and their assistants to respond in a social manner to the children in their classrooms. In surveying the views of the pupils attending the supplementary schools in England, the researchers were conducting the first part of a major and wider research project that intended on evaluating the role of the

Simulation Of Routing Protocols Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Simulation Of Routing Protocols - Essay Example Furthermore, the simulation has 50 nodes in a 1500m*300m area. Nodes move according to the random way-point model. If we analyzed then we come to know that for unattended sensor networks energy consumption is the significant metric, for it maps in a straight line to network operational lifetime. In order appreciate energy use we scrutinize existing ad hoc routing protocols using models of energy expenditure and radio dissemination for the Lucent Wave LAN direct sequence increase spectrum radio by IEEE 802.11-1997. We primary only regard as energy cost outstanding to packet transmission or reaction. We calculated energy consumption of four ad hoc routing protocols (AODV, DSR, DSDV, and TORA) by a straightforward traffic model in which a only some nodes send data over a multi-hop path. By this energy model we originate that on-demand protocols such as AODV and DSR consume much fewer energy than a priori protocols such as DSDV (the shady bars in Figure 1). This makes sagacity since a priori protocols are continually expend energy pre-computing routes, even although there is no traffic passing on th ese routes (S. Ahn and A. U. Snakar, 2001, pages 56-66). Decentralization: Decentralized thoughts resides ... It's an essential idea for approaching authority, distributing rights and responsibilities additional extensively from top to bottom. Decentralization has took away lots of decision making procedure from centrally controlled authorities. Decentralization tendency carry on by the proliferation of lots of computer gadgets, similarly, notebook computers, palmtop computers. In computational web, decentralization has become part of computing environment which is connected jointly, similarly, fax machines, telephones, and television. Aims: The major aim of this project is to evaluate the performance of the StarLogo environment by simulating a variety of routing protocols in an Ad hoc network. Also, evaluating and checking the effectiveness of routing protocols in simulated environment with modify in the mobility model. What Effect Does A Change Of Mobility Model Have On The Effectiveness Of Routing Protocols In Ad Hoc complex Since it is unfeasible to evaluate the behavior of the network if the traffic nodes run out of energy previous to the transit nodes, we give traffic nodes inestimable energy. Traffic nodes follow the similar mobility model as transit nodes, but they do not run GAF or forward traffic. Since we treat traffic nodes particularly, we do not count them when exposure the number of nodes in the simulation. According to the above figure the comparison of non-zero energy node segment over time: CEC, GAF and plain ADOV under dissimilar network mobility. If we analyzed then we come to know that Traffic load is 20pkts/s. Dissimilar traffic loads do not influence the outcome. In the fable, "CEC,x" means running CEC by silence time x, so is "GAF,x". CEC also demonstrate a

Participation Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Participation Discussion Questions - Essay Example ‘These laws protect the employees in matters such as compensation, working conditions, and retirement benefits. I agree with you that it is imperative for managers to have excellent knowledge of employment laws. Managers lower their business risk by complying with employment laws because a lack of compliance can lead to governmental fines, civil lawsuits, and a loss of brand value. If a corporation fails to comply with basic employment laws such as paying at or above minimum wage they can incur in damages beyond the potential fines. The customer can lose confidence in the corporate behavior of the company and switch to the competition. In the 21st century corporate social responsibility has become an important strategy to achieve business growth. The utilization of hiring practices that foster diversity has positive benefits such as improving creativity and gaining insight into other cultures. If an employee violates employment laws a manager must discipline the person and possible terminate employment if the violates warrants such punishment. Knowledge is power, thus education the workforce on employment will improve the quality and value of the human capital of a corporation. As you mentioned understanding employment laws is a two way process since both employer and employees are affected by them. Applying educational efforts in the corporate world to increase the knowledge of employees of employment laws is a sound investment. The overall business risk of an enterprise decreases as the employees become more knowledgeable of employment laws. Diminishing interpersonal conflict due to a lack of knowledge of employment increases the productivity of the workers. I liked your idea of creating handbooks with information regarding employment laws. Doing so is an initiative that provides documentation the workers can use to study on their own time about employment laws as well as reference

The Expectations for 2062 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Expectations for 2062 - Essay Example This essay approves that phones would never be the same, there will be no touch screens, phones will come with sensors again detecting what is going on in the mind of the user, it will send a message to the people who the user wants to interact with. The phones will also come with an anti-spam policy which would restrict the users from using blasphemous language and posting crude stuff over the internet. Cars would change too, there would be no drivers required to drive the cars. It would be auto-driven and equipped with all the safety measures so as to avoid fatal accidents. This paper declares that ambulances would have separate lanes so as to reach patients quickly; there would be an alarm in each house which would trigger itself upon detecting unrest. For instance, the alarm would trigger itself if someone is trying to rob a house and the nearest police station would be informed automatically, the alarm would trigger itself should anyone require medical assistance and an ambulance would arrive within no time to assist the patient. Such sophisticated systems would become a reality in 2026. People who die of hunger would never die of it in 2026; the world would become self sufficient which it sadly is not now. There would be no nuclear weapons because the world would not require it. To conclude it is fair to say that 2026 will bring about some unimaginable changes, technology is bound to get even better in the coming years. Most other things would also get better when the technology becomes better.

New Coronary Intervention Codes in 2013 Essay Example for Free

New Coronary Intervention Codes in 2013 Essay Coronary Intervention Codes and Reimbursement: Two Decades of Effective Advocacy Why have interventional cardiologists’ salaries ranked at or near the top compared to other specialties for the past decade (1)? Long hours under high stress using extreme skills to perform dangerous procedures? Yes, but there is more. Effective advocacy by the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) has played a large role. This is the story. Medicare, enacted in 1965, based reimbursement for physician services on the actual charge on the current bill, the customary charge over the past year, or the local medical profession’s â€Å"prevailing† charge over the past year, whichever was lowest (2). This system was chaotic and confusing. In response, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 switched Medicare to the Resource Based Relative Value System (RBRVS). This used Hsaio et al’s estimates of physician time and effort to assign Relative Value Units (RVUs) to physician services (3). In 1991, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) convened a series of Technical Expert Panels (TEP) to refine Hsaio’s initial estimates of work for selected procedures. One of these was percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). A representative of the SCAI/ACC convinced the TEP to increase reimbursement for PTCA from Hsaio’s estimate of 9.5 RVU’s to 10.5 RVU’s. The 20 million or so coronary angioplasty and stenting procedures performed in the US since 1992 have all been reimbursed at a rate reflecting that 1 RVU increase granted by the TEP in 1991. Thus, this one instance of effective advocacy by SCAI/ACC increased reimbursement for these 20 million coronary intervention procedures over two decades. Now jump to 1994 when STRESS (4) and BENESTENT (5) compared elective stenting to balloon angioplasty, and a randomized trial compared then state-of-the-art Palmaz-Schatz and Gianturco-Roubin II stents (6). Elective stenting was just starting; most stents were placed to bail out failed balloon angioplasty. In this milieu a code for coronary stenting was developed. The expert panel that advised CMS on reimbursement estimated that the average stenting procedure required 120 minutes of physician time from first injection of lidocaine to last catheter withdrawn (diagnostic catheterization not included), 45 minutes of preparation time before the procedure, and 60 minutes of physician work after the procedure, for a total physician work time of 225 minutes per coronary stenting case. Thus, interventionists have been paid for coronary stenting at a rate based on almost 4 hours per procedure for the past 17 years. New Coronary Intervention Codes and Values For the past several years, CMS has attempted to curb Medicare expenditures by identifying and reducing payment for over-priced services. In 2011 CMS identified coronary stenting as possibly over-priced and required that it be re-valued. The value of a service depends on the time required to perform it, and to a lesser extent the intensity of the work. SCAI and ACC knew that invasive cardiologists were reimbursed for 4 hours of work per stent case since 1994, and that procedural times might have shortened since then. A re-valuation could significantly decrease the RVUs paid for a coronary stenting procedure. Interventional cardiologists were also keenly aware of problems with the existing coronary intervention codes (Table 1). Reimbursement for an emergency middle-of-the-night ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) stent procedure was the same as for elective stenting of a healthy patient at noon. Stenting of complex left anterior descending bifurcation lesions requiring 3 stents was valued the same as stenting of a type A lesion requiring 1 short stent. SCAI/ACC experts decided that if interventional procedures were to be re-valued, it was time to get codes that recognized and reimbursed for the extra work of performing complex coronary interventions. SCAI/ACC experts developed a new set of codes that describe interventional procedures with greater detail (Table 2) and won their approval by the AMA Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Panel. Then they had to be valued. This required several steps. The first step was a survey of practicing interventionists to estimate physician work and time required for each new coronary intervention code. As expected, practicing cardiologists estimated the skin-to-skin time required for coronary stenting to be much less than original 2 hours – 45 minutes to be exact. Without the new codes, reimbursement for coronary stenting would likely have been reduced proportionately, by over 50%. Fortunately, SCAI/ACC experts convinced the American Medical Association Relative Value Update Committee to recommend to CMS that the new complex coronary intervention codes be reimbursed at higher rates (by up to 25%) than simple coronary stenting. Overall, reimbursement for the family of coronary intervention procedures will drop 18-20%, much less than the 50% that might have occurred without the new codes. New Coronary Intervention Codes Solve Old Problems The new codes solve several longstanding problems. .1. For a decade interventionists have complained that they are not reimbursed for the intensity of STEMI PCI. Now they are. RBRVS rates intensity using units of â€Å"RVU’s per minute of procedure time†. The intensity of seeing patients in clinic rates.03, coronary bypass surgery rates.10, and emergency tracheostomy rates.26. Coronary intervention codes were previously rated at.10, but the new code for STEMI PCI has an intensity rating of .18. Intensity of other new coronary intervention codes is raised to the .13 – 15 range. .2. The extra work and stress of PCI of grafts and chronic total occlusions is now recognized and reimbursed higher, by 10% and 25% respectively. .3. Stenting preceded by atherectomy is now reimbursed at a higher rate (by 12%) than stenting alone. Previously there was no differential. .4. The additional work of performing PCI on multiple branches of a single artery is now recognized with separate codes. CMS refuses to pay for these, and SCAI and ACC are lobbying CMS reverse this decision. The good news is that CMS’ decision does not limit reimbursement because CMS bundled the value of the â€Å"additional branch codes† into payment for the base codes. SCAI/ACC still recommends that the â€Å"additional branch codes† be used because some private payers may choose to reimburse them. Interventional Coding Examples to Illustrate Basic Principles .1. Problem: Coronary angiography is followed by ad hoc coronary stenting of the right and circumflex coronary arteries. Solution: 93454 (coronary angiography), 92928 (stenting single coronary), and 92928 again (stenting circumflex). Principles: As before, catheterization is coded using the separate cardiac cath codes, which are paid at 50% when performed with coronary intervention. Also, the base code for coronary stenting (92928) is used for both vessels, whereas previously the base code was used once, along with an â€Å"each additional vessel† code which was retired in 2013. .2. Problem: Stenting of the circumflex is performed followed by atherectomy and stenting of the ramus. Solution: 92928 (stenting single coronary), 92933 (atherectomy and stenting single coronary). Principles: Previously CMS recognized and reimbursed for procedures in only 3 arteries (the left anterior descending, the circumflex, and the right) and might have denied reimbursement for the ramus PCI. Starting in 2013, CMS recognizes two additional arteries (the left main and ramus arteries) and will reimburse for PCI in all of them. Also, use the new â€Å"atherectomy + stenting† code (92933) offers higher reimbursement than the stent code (92928). . 3. Problem: A patient with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction has a 99% lesion with slow flow stented. Solution: 92941: (stenting of subtotal/total occlusion causing acute MI). Principle: This code can be used for any acute MI patient (STEMI or non-STEMI) with a â€Å"total or subtotal† lesion. CPT does not provide a definition of â€Å"total or sub-total†, so if the code is used an accurate description of the lesion to support this code should be included in the procedural report. .4. Problem: Bifurcation stenting of the left anterior descending is performed, with PTCA of the sidebranch ostium and stenting of the parent vessel. Distally, a separate diagonal sidebranch is rotationally atherectomized. Solution: 92928 (stenting of the LAD), 92921 (angioplasty, additional branch for the LAD diagonal bi9furcation), 92925 (atherectomy, additional branch). Principles: PTCA of the diagonal as part of the bifurcation stenting is now recognized. When a separate branch is treated, use a second â€Å"additional branch† code. .5. Problem: Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) shows a significant left main lesion extending into the proximal LAD which is stented. Fractional flow reserve across a distal lesion is measured and is not significant. Solution: 92928 (stenting of the left main/LAD), 92978 (intravascular ultrasound), 93571 (fractional flow reserve). Principle: As before, IVUS and FFR codes are used as â€Å"add-on† codes in addition to the base coronary intervention codes. When a single stent is used to treat a lesion in the left main extending into the LAD or circumflex, it is coded with only one code.

Unilever Organized Its Supply Chain Management

Unilever Organized Its Supply Chain Management Abstract According to the analysis of some cases of how Unilever organized its supply chain management, we found that Unilever organized their factories, regional supply chains, business groups and corporate center with strategic focus and in an operational environment. Plan-source-make-deliver is the way Unilever managed their supply chain. Simultaneously, we found that Unilevers supply chain management focus on the multi-local aspects of the business at a national or regional level and the multinational aspects. Introduction In todays globalised world, every company has to face strong competition. Each company has to consider many factors if they want to be successful in the market. One of important elements in this is the supply chain management, this involves the moment of materials as they flow from their source to the end customer. Unilever is a global firm and they have numerous products, as result the ways they manage the flow of their product from beginning to the consumers is vital. The question was asked: How do Unilever organize their supply chain management. Methodology The study was conducted by a group of four team members in Middlesex University on the pre-sessional program in August 2010, namely: Lam Trinh, Long Ta, Pan Zhen Zhao and Chi Doan. The instrument used in this study was secondary research. In which, individuals of the team used various resources, especially online academic directories to locate the necessary articles related to the topic supply chain management and take a specific British Group, Unilever and its organising system, as an example. After the research team had read the academic textbooks, the relevant information was analyzed and noted in order to assess the main ideas. The process took two weeks. The first week involved choosing a suitable topic and company. The choices were based on individuals possibility and interest in the field of business and management. The second week included researching resources from the schools learning resources and other reliable sources. A total of five sources were found, of which two were theory-based online journal articles and were obtained through academic directories, and three were from media articles and company-official website. There are some limitations with the study. One of them is that it is difficult for second language learners to understand complex articles and sophisticated arguments. Furthermore, it is a difficult task to identify and collect the best helpful and suitable information for the report amongst numerous of sources. Literature review Organizing supply chain management (OSCM) is one of the most important things which companies need to do to not lag behind economically in the fast-moving business world. That is why this report researches in-depth five articles: Unilevers supply chain efficiency, Unilevers supply chain vision, supply chain case study, how Unilever aligned its supply chain management, and Unilevers spotlight. According to Supply Chain Management Review (Monahan, Sean; Nardone, Robert, Nov2007, Vol. 11), it has been claimed that Unilever has to upgrade facets of its supply chain operations to stay ahead in the fast-moving consumer packaged goods industry. Furthermore, Srivni (http://www.zimbio.com/ Jun-19-07) asserted that while Unilever keeping its global branding, its strategy is to have local supply chain for local demand to minimize complexity. It seems a lucid strategy for OSCM in order to make profit and consolidate brand effectively. Findings In this section, author using SWOT analysis to analyze the internal and external environment of Unilever. Figure 1 Strengths Weaknesses Clearly supply chain management vision highly complex supply chain and production line Using information technology Local supply chain for local demand Strong network of sales and distribution Many products have low profit Opportunities Threats Increasing in environment friendly product Globalization There are many competitors Strengths Unilever is a global company so their supply chain management seems to be very well organized. The first strength is Unilever make a clear vision for their supply chain management. IEE (www.iee.org, 2004) states five strategies on Unilever supply chain management: Clearly defined global strategy and an effective and robust strategy into action processes. Focus on cost reduction, to be achieved through regular monitoring of a standard set of globally shared KPIs along with consistent data acquisition. Consistent global approach to, delivery of manufacturing excellence. Convergent organization. Clearly defined skill definitions of all supply chain roles. Established process to enable a rapid and cost effective implementation of innovation. Furthermore, Unilever implement information technology (IT) in their supply chain with the purpose to manage the flow of product better. Because Unilever have many factories in the world, they use different type of supply chain for each country so they can meet the demand of local customers. Strong network of sale and distribution is the one more strength of Unilever. Weaknesses Unilever have a huge number of product brands (over 1600 brands) but 400 brands make up over 90% of Unilevers total sales (http://www.zimbio.com, Jun-19-07)good . As a consequence, the ineffective brands make them money but not very profitable and become one of their weakness point. Opportunities Customers focus more on the products which are friendly with environment, it is an opportunity for Unilever to follow the trend and get more customers from competitors with the strategy in greening their supply chain such as cutting emissions. The second opportunity for Unilever is globalization develop. Their supply chain will find easier to approach customers because the world without barrier. Threats Unilever set up factories, branches in more than 100 countries and they have numerous competitors from other global companies like PG and Nestle and also competitors from local. Global enterprises with strong brands and experience in management while local companies understand the demand of consumers and they have support from local government lead to a threat for Unilever. Discussion and analysis IT solution According to Srivni (http://www.zimbio.com, Jun-19-07), the first solution for Unilever to organize supply chain management is the use of information technology. Firstly, Unilever use enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to manage activities in supply chain. ERP with huge databases can access the status of supply chain such as distribution and sales. As a result they can control the flow of products well and make sure it is not interrupted. By using IT in supply chain management, company also reduce the costs and improve efficiency in the chain and bring the company closer to their consumers. Moreover, IT helps Unilever track their products better from distribution centers to stores, they will have right strategy to reduce the length of product runs and make other refinements to react more quickly to changes in demand (http://www.zimbio.com, Jun-19-07). Finally, Unilever apply integrated supply management information system (ISIS) which help the collected information is analyzed quickly and easily by supply managers in national as well as global companies. With this system, its managers may discuss and make a decision with suppliers clearly and effectively. Therefore, both of them make benefits from this way (Sean Monahan and Robert Nardone, 2007). Path to Growth Based on the weakness point in SWOT analysis, Unilever make a plan name: Path to growth focus on reducing non production items (NPI). Before discussing the results of this plan, this report is going to analyze the reason why they have to cut NPI. In 2000, there were over 1600 brands belong to Unilever. However, the company recognized that the high profit brands were around four hundred and many other brands take a huge amount of money to organize their supply chain. Unilever decided to stop producing over five hundred and sell seven hundred brands and get over 16 billion euro. With this amount of money, they can invest more in supply chain management system. The goal of this plan is simplify the business and reducing complexity (http://www.zimbio.com, Jun-19-07). This plan brings to Unilever many advantages but there are some disadvantages when Unilever apply Path to growth. In 2004, their net profit lost by over 300 million dollars, and the company still focus significantly on local market lead to fragment in global market. Conclusion The purpose of this report is answering the question: How does Unilever organize their supply chain management? The finding is based on the SWOT analysis which shows the internal (strengths and weaknesses) and the external (opportunities and threats) environmental in supply chain of Unilever. Unilever apply IT to manage their supply chain to reduce the cost and improve the effect. They also use plan path to growth to sell and stop production over one thousand ineffective brands. These strategies help Unilever to organize their supply chain better and more effectively. Recommendations Unilever is a strong company in global market. They have many strengths point but they have some weaknesses point. After the process of findings and analysis the information of Unilever, the company should focus more on their supply chain of high profit products to maximize revenue and ensure their supply to customers is on time.

Effect of the Internet on Business Development

Effect of the Internet on Business Development The internet is a network of computers who can share data and communicate between them. Its reach is almost every place in this world (see table 1). Any other technology has never changed a business as fast as internet has done. There are many stories of how a business been transformed on internet. EBay, the biggest e-shop was created by his founder to trade niche goods but now, one can buy or sell almost everything in this world to virtually everywhere. You can transform your business if you are nicely connected to your customers, suppliers and other trade partners. Internet is the best possible connector in a business who is at your service for virtually nothing. There is whole world at your disposal and you dont need to open a shop everywhere. Only thing you need is internet connection with some computer system. If you are able to offer a better deal you are in business otherwise, irrespective of how big or small you are, you are going to run out of business. The impact of interne t includes: Less importance of economies of scale. Fewer barriers to internationalization. Lower marketing communication costs. Greater price standardization. Less information floating time. Easy and fast communication between buyer and sellers. Changes in intermediary relationships. The internet lowers transaction costs in three ways: Search costs: The amount of information available to the buyer and the seller can be increased with the help of internet and that can be accessed conveniently and timely. Contracting costs: The internet helps to establish better communication and monitor the performance of partners in business relationship. It is easier to negotiate and compare prices via internet. Co-ordination costs: The cost of sharing information is reduced due to internet and is helpful in integrating business operations. What is e-business? (Kotler and Keller, 2009) e-business describes the use of electronic means and platform to conduct a companys business. E-business is short form of electronic business, where internet and related technology is used for normal business operations. Here internet is used to increase productivity, reduce costs and thus to increase turnover. The effect of Internet on business Internet has changed the business immensely. It has made the world come closer and trade economically and efficiently. It has created a virtual market where everything is available, not physically but virtually. The greatest effect internet has done on business is that it made trade price sensitive and more logical. A customer now is able to do the research work or comparisons before buying a product or services. Not only customer but it has benefited firm as well. Now firm is able to reach distant customer easily and cheaply. They can create awareness about their product and can interact directly with customer to know their preference, problem and potential solution. There is lot more to come and has impact on almost every sector of business. In further chapters we will discuss about these impacts in detail. Dissertation Objective The objective of writing this dissertation is as follows: To analyse the role of internet in development of business. To highlight the way a firm can effectively use internet technology to gain competitive advantage over their competitors. Project Structure This dissertation is divided in seven chapters with each chapter dealing with a specific topic dealing how internet helps in developing a business. First chapter Introduction contains the basic detail about the internet and their business application. Chapter 2 with heading literature review discusses about the internet and its impact on international marketing, the internet and the e-value chain and international marketing strategy and e-business. Here, the things discussed are the essence of the academic work of known writers. Chapter three discusses about the virtual market (market space) and their different aspects (like how this market can be exploited, what the possible pitfall are and where opportunities lies). Chapter four is about marketing on internet. Here some of the important discussions are on interactive marketing, push marketing and advertising via internet. There is also discussion about global business strategy and driver that need to be adopted for international ma rketing via internet. In chapter five, the academic analysis of internet as a tool for development of business is done. Here porters generic competitive advantage model, Rayport and Sviokla model of marketspace and Dutta and Segevs market space model has been discussed in brief. Further a SWOT analysis of inter is done with some suggestions. In chapter sis a very brief case study of eBay is done. Chapter seven is about the managerial implication of the changing scenario due to internet and in marketplace. Literature Review The Internet and its impact on International Marketing The Internet (Fletcher et al, 2005) The internet is a global network of interlinked computers operating on a standard protocol that allows information exchange. (Carolyn Siegel, 2004) It is the worlds largest network of interconnected distributed computer networks. Thus we can infer that any system which is able to share information to other system through a globally accepted protocol is part of internet and this whole interconnection may be called as internet. Internet commerce (Kotler and Keller, 2009) e-commerce means that the company or site offers to transact or facilitate the selling of products and services online. The internet user in the world is growing fast and so is the market scope for the marketers. According to Internet World Stat, 23.8% of total world population are active internet user. Thus, a vast population of more than 1.5 billion is ready to buy and sell on internet given a better deal. It can be only imagined the vastness and growth of market that within 8 year (2000 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 2008) the world internet users grew by 342% and out of those users, 85% have purchased something on internet (Source, Nielsen, Feb 2008). The Internet and International Marketing (Carolyn Siegel, 2004) Marketing is a collection of activities that bring buyers and sellers together to make exchanges that satisfy and give value to all parties. (Carolyn Siegel, 2004) Internet marketing or e-marketing (electronic marketing) is marketing on internet with the help of emails, World Wide Web or other means. It also includes production and selling of internet related products. According to Fletcher in 2005, the introduction of electronic business has changed the fundamental principles of international marketing. He pointed out certain things that internet has changed are: Size of firm is no longer a barrier to internationalization. No need of overseas intermediaries as it became easier to locate customer and deal directly with them. No longer is traditional way of internationalization (moving from familiar to less familiar country) applicable as information became easily available and the communication medium is interactive. The internet (as a low cost medium) allows small and medium firms to become global marketer at their early stage. This is due to the fact that internet can help establishing better communication among overseas customers, suppliers, agents and distributors. We will discuss more about drivers of internet business model, impact of internet on international marketing in chapter 5. Characteristics According to Richard Fletcher et al, 2005, the internet is both communication and a marketing intelligence tool. As a communication tool it helps to build and maintain effective communication with overseas suppliers, distributors and customers. The internet has good information processing capability which acts as link between firm and external environment (discussed later). This ability of internet used as marketing intelligence tool. The internet is used as marketing channel and has following characteristics: Ability to store vast amount of data (information) inexpensively at virtually different location. Interactivity and ability to provide information on demand. Relatively low entry and establishment costs for sellers. Serve as distribution medium for goods like software, e-books etc. Powerful and cheap tool for searching, organizing and processing information. The ability to provide better insight of a product than that of other form of printed catalogue. The Internet and the e-value chain Netchising or Virtual value chain According to Beck and Morrison (2000), the physical value chain activity while globalization has not seen good results. This is due to the fact that a firm uses their resources in overseas activity at the expense of opportunities of domestic market. Not only that, there are other problem faced by an organisation like coordination of physical operations across the globe, the cultural differences, the cost of expatriates and vulnerability to environmental risk that can damage reputation of the firm. Most of these problems can be effectively solved by netchising, a term coined by Beck and Morrison (2000). Netchising is the practice of handing over overseas operations to partners (generally overseas) by outsourcing, subcontracting or franchising. Netchising has following advantages: Efficiency: generally overseas partners are more efficient and are specialized in carrying out the outsourced activities than the outsourcing firm. Convenience: exchange of information becomes easy. Now, orders can be directly placed to the firm without any local agent and a firm can also share information to the customers directly. Reduction in Transaction cost: It reduces the cost of carrying business operations which ultimately benefit the profitability of firm. International value chain According to Plumley (2000), international e-business value chain is the combination of e-commerce platform and secure transaction support (see figure 2.1). The e-commerce platform builds on the countries business rules and language where as secure transaction support builds on currency clearing and legal requirement. According to Gartner Group, internet affects the supply chain (see figure 2.2). It shows that a customer can buy and pay for the product or services easily and at the same time a supplier can also communicate directly with customer and with their own other internal departments. International information chain According to Karmarkar (2000), internet value chain is closely linked with international information chain. The language and cultural differences is the main hurdle in the path of globalization of a firm. When a firm deals with information product (like music, e-books or software) then it becomes easier to go global. In certain cases when product or services are not much attached to language or cultural factors (for ex. Technical publishing and industrial services), then also it is easy to become global. In production of information product and services low labour cost is the key as relative cost of hardware and software has come down. Now, firms look for low cost labour market (like India, China) to develop information products. Outsourcing of information services (customer care service such as call centres) and software development cell are some examples. Thus we can say that in information value chain, the physical infrastructure doesnt play a vital role. International Marketing Strategy and e-business Internet issue and foreign market entry According to Oxley and Yeung (2000), the e-commerce readiness of a market is determined by three factors: The rule of law: A customer is not able to see the original product while purchasing online. Therefore, they need to be assured that if they purchase a product or service online; they will get them as they were told or shown online in given time limit. According to survey by e-consultancy in 2008, 84% buyers look for the sign that a website is secure before making a purchase. Thus, a market (country) must be able to provide an environment where property rights are well defines, courts are efficient in resolving disputes and consumer credits and consumer protection regulations are well established and enforced (i.e. strong tradition of the rule of law). The transactional integrity of online business: It is difficult to track a e-business trader by their e-mail address or website. Also, the entry and exit barrier in e-business is low and this is used as a weapon by dishonest e-traders. They can execute fraud and again be able to do it with a new name (as they can entre again in market with new identity). When dispute arises, it is hard to practise legal action in a different country and can be costly. The availability of infrastructure: migration from traditional market to online market is not possible until customers have access to personal computer and internet connection at reasonable price. Apart from these facilities, they do have the facility of credit card or online payment system. Thus, internet related infrastructure and financial infrastructure are essential Electronic Marketplace Internet a virtual market According to Garrison, (1996), the internet acts as a catalyst for sociological change. It has changed the nature of market, the way of business operation and the mode of communication with customers and other business partners. It has created a market space which has affected the traditional marketplace and consumer preferences by providing greater facilities to them. Internet has become the largest market available to mankind where almost everything is been sell or bought. This market space doesnt exist in physical terms but can get everything available in physical market. Physical vs. Virtual Value Chain Value chain is nothing but a set of value adding activity for the product or services. Rayport and Sviokla, 1996, argued about a new value chain termed as virtual value chain where product or services exist as a piece of information and can be delivered through information based channel of communication. This virtual value chain is different from physical or traditional value chain where one can see or touch products. He said the virtual world as market space while the physical world as marketplace. According to Fletchar et al 2005, the virtual value chain is a realm where products and services exist as digital information delivered through information based channel. He also differentiates virtual value chain and physical value chain on the basis of information used. The virtual value system uses information as the source of value while in physical value chain it is used as a supporting element of value adding process. Thus we can say that now a day a firm has to compete in two busin ess environment, one is traditional and other is virtual business environment. The distinction between the two can be understood by this example. when consumers use answering machines to leave a message, they are using an object that is both made and sold in the physical world, however when they buy electronic answering services from the phone company they are using the market space à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  a virtual realm where products and services are digital information and are delivered through information-based channels. (Rayport and Sviokla, 1996) Figure 2: The Virtual Value Chain in relation to The Physical Value Chain (source: Hollensen, 2001). Adoption of Value Adding Activities: Company adopts value adding information activities in the following three stages: Visibility: Here large scale information systems are used to coordinate activities in the physical value chain. Mirroring Capability: It is the capability of substituting physical activities with virtual and thus creating a parallel virtual value chain in the marketspace (see figure 2). New Customer Relationship: This is the flow of information to customer to deliver value in new ways. This parallel physical and virtual value chain operation allow firms to deliver value to their customer in both marketspace and marketplace. These operations create marketspace based relationship with customers. The virtual value chain consists of five steps, say, gathering, organising, selecting, synthesizing and distributing information. These value adding activity allow company to identify customers desires more effectively and fulfil them more efficiently. This happens, for example, when a car manufacturer shifts its RD from the physical to the virtual value chain. By doing so, they involve customers of different locations in the new product development process. The physical value chain is linear (a sequence of activities with defined input and outputs), whereas the virtual value chain is non-linear (a matrix of potential inputs and outputs that can be accessed and distribute by a wide variety of channels). Relationship marketing It is a way of marketing where marketers or firm try to attract, maintain and enhance relationship with customers and other business partners. Internet (or website) acts as the best medium to communicate with people related to business. Firms now focus on relationship marketing to gather information from customers, to develop customized product or services for a focussed customer group. The internet helps firms to improve relationship with their customers and suppliers; and help them to work effectively. Now a firm doesnt need a middleman or a agent as they can sell directly to the customer via internet. Thus the distance with customer is decreasing and a firm need a smaller supply chain which can increase their profitability. The lesser distance also allows firms to establish a close relationship with customer and provide those customized products or services as per their need. The firms (like eBay, Google etc) involved in innovative business have always realized the power of customer relationship. They bank on the ability to process large relationship database. With the help of this relationship database they formulate their strategy and develop innovative way of marketing. The relationship marketing not only benefit the firm but also the customers. The customers are benefitted because firm can develop customized and focussed marketing message. Mattsson, (1996), has described a relationship as combination of three main components, which affect the parties involved in a business. Those components are legal(L), behavioural(P), and atmospheric (E). These three factor determines the success and failure of a relationship marketing in a particular market. Thus it is possible to have a successful buyer-seller relationship in domestic market totally failure in overseas market. Finally we can say that relationship marketing includes the management of a firm and thus it must be included in the business plan Marketing on the Internet Internet and Global Business Strategy (Kotler and Keller, 2006) e-marketing describes company offers to inform buyers, communicate, promote and sell its products and services over the internet. Drivers of Internet Adoption in International Marketing Once a firm establishes an internet portal (website), they automatically become a MNC (Multi National Company). Quelch and Kelvin (1996) describe two evolutionary paths of a website: Information to Transaction Model (figure 4.1) adopted by existing MNCs where they offer information to address the needs of existing customers. Transaction to Information Model (figure 4.2) adopted by internet start-up companies where they begin with transaction and use the medium to build brand image and secure repeat orders. The basic purpose of these models is either to reduce cost or to increase revenue. According to Quelch and Kelvin (1996), these drivers fall into four quadrant as given in figure 4.3. Internal customers focus/ cost reduction (quadrant 1): This is applicable to the companies who use website as a tool to communicate with their customers. Their main focus is to provide customer services for domestic market. They just happen to attract international traffic. Internal customer focus/ revenue generation (quadrant 2): This is applicable to the companies who use website not only to communicate with their domestic customers but also offer transactions online. This enables a firm to reach those international customers who might be inaccessible via other media. External customer focus/ cost reduction (quadrant 2): This is applicable to the companies whose main aim is to attract international audience through their website. This happens to benefit all customers because of the international scope of operations. External customer focus/ revenue generation (quadrant 3): This is applicable to the firms who not only focus on attracting international audience but also offer transactions worldwide. Here transaction involves connecting buyers and sellers. Company target providing services to existing customers and attract new customers from global market. Impact of Internet on International Marketing Variables The modification in marketing mix variables is necessary while using internet for international marketing. The impacts of internet on application of marketing mix while going to international market are as follows: Pricing: Due to internet customers are more aware of prices in different countries and thus there is increase in price standardization across borders and price differential become narrow. One advantage of this is that price can be customized easily with customers need and their profile (segment). Distribution Channels: Internet has dramatically reduced the number of intermediaries earlier needed for worldwide distribution channels. As now, less capital is needed for inventory and thus the role of intermediaries has been changed. The new roles of intermediaries include collection, spreading, interpretation and distribution of information rather than traditionally handling and distribution of products. Creation of new Market: Internet offers new opportunities for firms to create market by helping buyers and sellers to locate and negotiate trade terms with each other (ex. eBay etc). There is also a market developed for executing transaction between traders (ex. PayPal etc). New Product Diffusion: The traditional test as you go practice where shifting products from one country to another is now outdated. Now, new product announcement or launch generates immediate demand (as information travel faster on internet) and that requires immediate availability of goods. Customization: Due to internet, getting demographic and purchasing profile of customer became easy. This allows firms to customize products for local adaption as per local market demand. Advertising on internet Internet is a low cost advertising medium having reach to global audience. Advertising on internet includes banner advertising on website, email, blogs and links to search engines. As traditional media of advertising is quite expensive and at the same time internet infrastructure is improving day by day and able to prove support to video and graphics on web. With this improvement a firm can successfully launch an online advertisement campaign. Interactive advertising According to Haeckel, Marketing interactivity is a person-to-person or person-to-technology exchange designed to effect a change in the knowledge or behaviour of at least one person. He also point out that interactivity is function of certain dimensions, which is given as: I = Æ'(N, C, F, SI, CI, T, CT, SY, M) Where, I = impact of interaction, M = Type of media involved (Other factors not discussed as not relevant to current topic). Now, as a technology, internet is the strongest media for interactive marketing. The reason for that is Internet is used by almost a quarter of the total world population. It is not limited to a particular geographic reason. The growth of user is fast. Cheapest and fastest way of interacting with majority of population (both for customer and marketers). Haeckel also pointed out that there is going to be much more business and marketing use through internet. He made a graph which shows how we find usage of a new technology with time (see graph below) and thus we can say there is more in store than what we are seeing and using presently. Even interactive marketing may see turnaround with this technology. Marketing with push technology (Wetzel, 2008) defined push marketing as, customers are provided information by receiving or viewing advertisements digitally, such as: e-mail, SMS, RSS, phone calls, etc., as subscribers of the latest product and service information provided by the company. The internet is the cheapest and most effective media that is used for push marketing. Advantages of Push Marketing via Internet Tracking of Customer Preference: It is easier to track user preference with the help of push technology (internet) and customize according to their preferences. A good example of this is Google AdSense that tracks the users visited website or keywords in mail and according to those criteria it shows advertisement (related link). Increase Accessibility: With the help of push marketing a firm can increase customer accessibility by the firms marketing and advertisement of the products. Subscribers get pushed by built in developed software called PointCast that enable users to receive automatic content updates via their internet connection and web presence as the channel to get information when their computers are not in use. Corporate identity in cyberspace Firms are now using web to extend and reinforce their companies brand image in a cost efficient manner. This serves as a complementary media device that re-establishes a firm in consumers mind. By providing valuable information to users a firm can expand their brand image. The regular updating of information may attract customers to visit website regularly, which will reinforce firms image and provide them a chance to create a new and extended cyber image. Analysis and Methodology Competitive Advantage via Internet Porters three generic strategies for competitive advantage According to Porter (1985), a firm can earn high return if they are able to position themselves well enough, irrespective of the structure of the industry and profitability of the industry. He pointed out the fundamental basis for above average performance is sustainable competitive advantage in long run. For that sustainable competitive advantage he gave three generic competitive strategies. Cost Leadership: According to porter (1985), a firm is having cost advantage over his competitors if the cumulative cost of performing value activity is less than the competitors. He further discussed that a firms cost position is a function of; (a) the composition of their value chain to their competitors, (b) their relative position in cost drivers. Now, we see that how internet helps them to achieve them cost leadership by affecting the above two functions. Differentiation: Porter (1985) describes another strategy for competitive advantage is to differentiate their product with competitors products. This means raising the quality with ignoring the cost for the sake of quality. Now internet can help them to do that by interacting directly with customer and customizing products according to target group. Many firms now use blog site to interact with customers and promoting their new or customized product. Focus: Porter describe this as customizing products or services to suit a focused or small segment of consumer group. The internet helps firms to focus on different aspects of the products and customer group. Internet even allow firm to receive specification from each and every customers and according to them they can produce customized products or services. As discussed in chapter 3, the relation of physical and virtual value chain (Hollensen, 2001), we find there is virtual value chain corresponding to each physical value chain. By applying this value chain a firm can become cost leader as it depends on two factors discussed above. A firm can shift to virtual value chain to gain cost advantage over their competitors physical value chain. For example Federal Express (FedEx), a shipment company allows consumer to track their parcels. This tracking system via internet is very efficient and economical. The FedEx has now reduced more than a million query calls per month by providing online shipment tracking system. This is one of the way of reducing cost and step towards cost leader position and at the same time it differentiate FedEx from their competitors. But this is not enough as sooner or later others will follow same practice and FedEx lose the competitive edge. The real edge lies on the innovative and creative way of finding or chang ing physical value chain to virtual value chain. So now apart from technology, innovative idea of using technology is the key for success of a firm. Stuck in the middle Porter (1985) points out a situation, where a firm try to achieve both generic strategy (cost leadership and differentiation) but fails to achieve any of them. He calls this situation as stuck in the middle. According to him, a firm stuck in the middle will compete at disadvantage as others competitors (cost leader, differentiators) will be better positioned to compete in any segment. In case of Google AdSense, Google is offering a differentiated advertising tool at very low cost (usually one get this via auction, where price is driven by customer not producer) is offering a differentiated (highly unique and effective) advertisement. Here both cost leadership and differentiation is achieved by Google with the help of technology. Johnson et al (1998) discuss about the core competency of a firm may be difficult to imitate because they are complex. The google is doing the same thing by making the internal structure complex, which is hard to imitate by competitors. Thus, they can put the mselves in a position where for an advertisement position (ex. Out of five position or space, advertisers bid for first position then second and so on), firms bid among themselves. Thus, it is possible to achieve a position where a firm can achieve cost leadership and differentiation without compromising one for the other with the help of technology (say internet) and their own creativity (say way of using internet). E-business marketing Models and International Competitiveness Rayport and Sviokla Model According to Rayport and Sviokla (1995), the internet has changed the nature of trade. Internet has made both physical location of inventory and the actual place (marketplace) of trade irrelevant. They argued that traditional marketplace (the physical market) transaction has been replaced by markets place (virtual market or e-market) transaction. They concluded that brand equity is created in marketplace through content (i.e. the product offering), context (the communication programmes) and infrastructure (i.e. the pricing and value chain activity related to distribution). While in market space (internet marketing); content, context and infrastructure has been transformed to innovate new ways of creating value. The changes are: Content: Now, everything possible is delivered electronically whether it is product, service or information. Even though operating system (Microsoft window) are available online. They tim