Thursday, September 08, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Micro-Entrepreneurship in the Internet - Research direction
Introduction
Micro-Entrepreneurship is an important and relevant topic, as it is really a stepping-off direct for new entrepreneurs and innovative businesses. Technically defines micro-enterprise as smaller business unit, characterized by fewer than 10 workers, although it is quite common that initially starts with a volume of annual turnover under 2 million. According to Hisrich and Peters (1998, p.9) entrepreneurship is defined as the process of creating something new with value by devoting the essential time and effort, assuming the accompanying financial, psychic, and social risks, and receiving the resulting rewards of monetary and personal satisfaction and independence.
The definitions of entrepreneurship are varied, but in general include the ability to create, innovate, bear risk, manage and achieve targets (Jennings, 1994, p. 12). Until not long ago to set off a business required a significant investment and take risks that could considerably affect the economics of entrepreneurship.
Fortunately, with the business opportunities folded in the Internet, a worldwide phenomenon of micro internet entrepreneurship is growing. Proof of this is that there are thousands of micro – entrepreneurs around the world that are establishing their own online business every day. Entry costs are very low or almost zero and the benefits and life style are appealing.
Rationale
As our economy continues to globalize and the internet makes it easier to start a business, there will be an increased number of workers making the transition from employee to contractors and micro – entrepreneurs. It is a trend that is being implemented in society and in a few years that will change the way we work and do business. A new era opens the possibility to generate income and become self-sufficient to have just anyone with a PC and an Internet connection. However, there are also challenges in initiating and managing a successful online business and those will be explored in this research project.
References
Bryman Alan, 2008, Social Research methods. Third edition, Oxford University Press
Creswell John W, 2007, Qualitative inquiry and research design, Second Edition, SAGE Publications, UK
Hisrich , R. D. and Peters, M. P., 1998, Entrepreneurship (4th Edition) Boston. McGraw Hill.
Jennings, D.F, 1994, Multiple Perspectives of Entrepreneurship: Text, Readings and Cases. South-Western, Ohio, USA.
Simpson Poon, Paula M.C. Swatman, (1997) "Small business use of the Internet: Findings from Australian case studies", International Marketing Review, Vol. 14 Iss: 5, pp.385 - 402
Monday, July 18, 2011
Sunday, July 03, 2011
The effectiveness of Cause Related Marketing (CRM) on E-commerce
My latest research topic was the effectiveness of cause related marketing (CRM) on e-commerce. In 2009 alone, $1.57 billion was spent on cause marketing. And as marketing, communication, fundraising, and shopping transition to an entirely online world, the aim of this study was to examine if online CRM has an influence on customer perception and purchasing behavior.
According to the survey, almost 80 percent would switch brands, similar in price and quality, to one that supports a cause and more than 50 percent would be willing to purchase a more expensive brand if the brand supports a cause of interest. Israeli’s appreciate CRM activities and 95 percent believe a company has a more positive image when it supports a cause and almost 70 percent agree that more online companies should be involved in CRM.
Some key success factors for affective online CRM strategy were identified. First of all, based on the survey, security and credibility of the website are the most critical elements that influence online purchasing decision. Price is also an important factor as can be expected.
There seems to be a gap between the subjective norms of the respondents and how they perceive CRM. On one hand, they appreciate companies that involve in CRM and agree that more companies should engage in CRM. They would try new brands and some would even pay more for products that supports SRA but on the other hand 80 percent think that companies that are involved in SRA act out of self-interest and SRA is not an important factor when purchasing online.
On the other hand, with a contradiction for the above findings and conclusions, based on the survey when asked what is important to you when purchasing online, CRM was rated the last one from all the 11 variables. A possible explanation for this is that the combination of e-commerce and CRM is not widespread in Israel and educating the skeptical Israeli market is essential. Explaining the values and advantages behind this approach can be beneficial both to consumers, business involved and obviously to the cause itself.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Top 10 Mobile Internet Trends 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Facebook Advertising Grows Up - KATV Channel 7 - The Spirit of Arkansas:
Information contained on this page is provided by companies via press release distributed through PR Newswire, an independent third-party content provider. PR Newswire, WorldNow and this Station make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.
SOURCE Edge.BI Ltd.
HERZLIYA, Israel, March 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Edge.BI (http://www.Edge.BI), the leading Decision Support solution for paid advertising, is delighted to announce today that it has won approval as an official Facebook Ads API Tool Vendor, one of only 15 such companies to have passed Facebook's exhaustive and rigorous testing procedures.
Itai Levitan, CEO of Edge.BI, said, "Everyone knows that one of the biggest issues with Facebook advertising today is conversion tracking. Edge.BI comprehensively solves this concern by offering the richest, deepest tracking solution available in the market; and now, with today's announcement, our Clients know that they are working with an authorized API Tool Vendor ensuring fast, simple, trouble-free implementation."
Edge.BI works by using URL-parameters to link Facebook Ad Campaigns directly with actual Client reported performance. This has two advantages; firstly, it avoids many of the pitfalls associated with traditional tracking methods that can lead to a 20%-40% discrepancy between what the trackers are showing and what the Client's back-office or CRM systems are reporting.
Secondly, up till now, traditional tracking solutions have shown an incomplete story; by tracking just the initial conversion and ignoring everything that follows such as profitability, product mix and purchase frequencies, they have left Advertisers in the dark about their real ROI. As Nick Clements, VP Marketing at Edge.BI, says, "By linking advertising channel data directly to actual client transaction data, we empower Advertisers to see the full story of exactly how each campaign is impacting their businesses' bottom line. It really is taking paid advertising to the next level of accountability."
Marketers have proven in the past that with greater ROI control, they are prepared to spend more on their paid advertising. Now, with better tools to help Advertisers make better decisions on where to invest their next advertising dollar, Facebook may soon be leading the online marketing plans for more companies.
About Edge.BI
Edge.BI Software-as-a-Service is used to optimize campaigns in 72 countries, across 40 languages; it is suitable for any organization or agency serious about its Search, Facebook, Mobile, Media Buying Affiliate Marketing, or any other digital marketing that can be tracked with a URL.
With Edge.BI, advertisers can break out to a new level of campaign performance by combining their hard-won in-house expertise with a cutting-edge Decision Support platform to deliver a 40% ROI improvement across all paid advertising. The purpose-built platform also achieves a 90% reduction in non-productive time spent on data and reports, and runs even the most sophisticated analyses, without Excel/SQL frustrations, at the speed of the Internet.
Name of Media Contact: Nick Clements | |
Title of Media Contact: VP Marketing | |
Company Name: Edge.BI Ltd. | |
Contact Phone Number: +972-9-950-9249 | |
Contact E-mail: nick.clements@Edge.BI | |
Website URL: http://www.Edge.BI | |
This press release was issued through eReleases(R). For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.
©2011 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved
Monday, December 27, 2010
Learning & research insights and conclusions
1. Sharing is better. With the one –on-one interview I have learned that it is important to make a proper introduction to the interviewee. Showing some examples and describing your research is essential for them to get a clearer picture and be willing to share their thought and perceptions. I realized that the introduction at the second interview where I explained more about my research and the topic of online CRM and opening the three sites for illustrating the concept enabled the interviewee to understand and relate to the topic and as a result to be more cooperative. The interview even started the interview by say: “I must say that your introduction got me in the mood”.
2. Define topic, research questions as specific and clear as possible. Defining the topic and research questions took some time. I found this stage to be quite frustrating since I was not able to move forward with my research without carefully finalizing those sections. Moreover, even after I thought that I have the appropriate definition and questions I went back and redefined those several more times. Clear definition of topic and research questions are pre-requisitions for continuing with the research.
3. Short, clear and simple questionnaire. From my limited experience, people are not very keen about filling-in questionnaires, surveys and interviews. When I asked my acquaintances to fill in my questionnaire the first question most of them asked me is how long it is. Only after I assured them that it is less than 10 questions they promised to fill it in. Designing a short, straight forward questionnaire can help with the completion rate.
4. Offer incentive. With the questionnaire I emailed it and published the link for it on my facebook, twitter status and also my blog. I asked people to fill in my questionnaire and forward it to their friends who might want to complete one as well. A friend of mine emailed it to an acquaintance, who invited her for a date (they are still dating thanks to my questionnaire!). Leveraging this story, I emailed the questionnaire again asking people to fill in my questionnaire and by doing so they might ‘win’ an unexpected date. The feedbacks were very positive and completion rate went up. By offering an incentive, not necessarily tangible, people might be curious and more willing to cooperate.
5. Respects Privacy. When asked people to fill in the questionnaire and also to be interviewed I sensed they feel a bit uncomfortable. I tried to share some details about the research with them to help them feel comfortable and also promised them that they are not required to reveal private information and it is anonymous. This made them feel more comfortable about participating in the research.
6. Use Technology. I realized that using technology for research purposes can be very helpful for gathering information – distributing questionnaire online through social networks, emails, blogs and organizing information with Mendeley software.
7. Reflective learning diary on the go. Keeping track of the learning experience while doing the research is better than waiting with this to the last minute. In the beginning I managed to write down some points but somewhere along the way, with all the work around it, I stopped doing so. It was much challenging to try and remember what happened instead of reflecting along the entire process.
8. Reflective learning = blog writing. By conducting this research and trying to keep track of my progress, I have realized that one of the things that made the reflective learning experience better was my experience with writing a professional blog. It is also reflected in the format of this diary.
9. Short cover story. During the ethnography people looks at me and tried to understand what exactly is my role with the three students. When being asked I said that I’m conducting a research about donation and I felt they are comfortable with my answer. I did not go into details and they were satisfied about the answer.
10. Managing Time efficiently. As it takes time to get in the research state of mind, defining specific time at the schedule is very important. Also, spending more than 3 hours working on the research at the writing phase, I found it fairly challenging. The gathering data stage is also very time-consuming. I realized that all phases take more time than what I have expected.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
The enchanted Palace – Kensington Palace
The exhibition in Kensington palace is something different. The tree element keeps repeating in all kind of ways – growing from the ground through carpets, hangers to paper notes, jewelry display and decorative artifact. The exhibition holds many features that connect to princess D.
The princess bed, cloth, favorite scientists, baby items and portraits are all being presented in a very unique, innovative way. It’s not another exhibition with the history written on the wall but a composition of worldwide features such as was and play, clock, dance and royal secrets…This is a much recommended exhibition in London .
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Survey about online companies that are involved in Social Responsibility Activities
Monday, October 11, 2010
Mendeley Teaching Presentation
Monday, August 09, 2010
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Interior design tips for organized living environment with a newborn baby
Having a new baby is exciting, overwhelming and life changing…with the happiness and joy that comes with the cute tiny baby, new parents experience a major change on their living area, baby’s taking over physical space. Baby’s equipment - toys, playing area, diapers, cloth, furniture and other essentials – are endless and we seems to be lost in our own home. Here are some advices for happily organized living with baby’s never ending equipment
- Change and store – when baby grow and new equipment is needed it is much recommended to store/give/sell or whatever you decide in order to clear some space.
- Match and buy – try to think about your space limits and purchase accordingly. If you enjoy a minimal living area consider buying suitable equipment to mach it. It is also important to think about the colors and try to choose matching colors or neutral to blade with your space and not to take over it.
- Corner it - arranging the space is critical and you don’t want it to be all over your home. Try to allocate a corner or a defined area in the kitchen and in the living room for the baby’s equipment. Pay attention first and for most important for security factors. Be aware of sharp corners of furniture, areas that you cannot see your baby, high things that can fall or the baby can full them.
- Arrange, Arrange & Arrange – don’t let things to get out of control…you should try and keep the space as organized as possible so try to pick thing and put them back in their place once a day to prevent out of control mess.
- Ask for small gifts - in many cases, the new parents are in a situation that they can ask for thr gifts they want. If you are too ashamed not to take the initiative, you might be left with little room to live in your apartment or house. Control your space by controlling the type and size of gifts your family and friends may offer you to celebrate the new birth, your kids first birthday, etc.
- Enjoy your baby in an organized area, it will improve your and the baby’s life.