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Is Second Life Ready for Business?
Launched in 2003, Second Life (SL) is a virtual online model simulation of a real live world. This program may be used for several purposes, such as socializing with other users, participate in different activities online, and even develop and purchase virtual products. Users are even able to buy and sell virtual property. Interestingly, many real businesses have created accounts with Second Life online.
Many consumers of SL as an online gaming community; however, it is much more than that, as it is increasingly being utilized for discussions within the business universe among colleagues. Well-known corporations are taking advantage of SL features for their own advancement, including computer companies and advertising agencies. Educational firms are using SL as well. These and other companies may wish to use the simulated world of SL to hold meetings, train new employees, respond to questions, and much much more (Wagner, 2007).
Although I have just learned about the growing community on SL, I feel I could make a real presence there. I would likely offer some software or other business related items. This way, I could have nearly continuous contact with my customers if they had any questions. I could offer my clientele around the clock support for a very modest price, and be available for them via the Internet 24 hours a day if they have any crises. I anticipate that this venture would be a success because of the un-tapped arena of constant access not tied to a fee.
I did a brief search for SL paraphernalia on the auction site, eBay, and was in fact surprised by what I found. First, it was somewhat difficult to find SL related merchandise on the site, but that may be because many non-associated businesses have been jumping on the bandwagon of the rather common name, “Second Life”. I expected to find much more there than I did, but what I did find were mostly books about how awesome SL is as well as money, or credits, to spend on the product. One interesting item for sale was a ‘Sexy female avatar’ for use in the online community… at a buy now price of $60.00. From what I understand, this image cannot speak to you, touch you, or interact with you in any way!
Nevertheless, SL does have some significant obstacles to overcome to really take over the real world. The most important may be the concept of making things private online. Many of the companies speaking with each other in the virtual world are competitors in the actual business community. Moreover, there will be challenges in making SL a true household commodity without more abundant advertising.
Despite feeling that I could be successful with SL, I would not want to work for the company. Furthermore, I do not feel this will be the wave of the future in business communication and dealings. I am just afraid that this novel idea will more than likely go the way of many great ideas before it, from the dodo to the dot-coms of the 1990s. I would be too afraid of the corporation going belly-up, especially in this current economical climate.
JetBlue hits turbulence
In 2000, David Neeland founded the discount air carrier, JetBlue. By eliminating certain unnecessary expenses, JetBlue sought to offer high quality service at a low-cost price tag. However, some luxury upgrades were available, such as television at each seat, and leather appointments for each passenger.
In its effort to keep prices low, JetBlue computerized much of its workforce, and hoped to provide a lean and efficient service. Furthermore, JetBlue chose to automate much of its information systems, including contracting with Microsoft to provide all of its technology needs. This pared down computerized system worked initially for the goal of offering low cost but advanced flying. This novel idea helped spur tremendous growth in the company, and many industry insiders argued that JetBlue could not possibly keep up with demand for its services.
Unfortunately, JetBlue pushed the envelope a bit too aggressively, and found itself stranded in Ney York City one wintery day in 2007. The treacherous weather resulted in the passengers and the crew getting confined inside the planes for many hours without basic necessities such as water, food, and working toilets. As may be imagined, many other passengers quickly canceled or rerouted their flight plans, and the wholly computerized system at JetBlue could not handle the increased pressure. What’s worse, JetBlue did not have a significant procedure available to notify the stranded passengers about the delay.
To keep costs low, JetBlue operated with a skeleton work crew and subsequently was unable to manage in the face of an emergency. The airline relied heavily on low cost technology that was unable to withstand high traffic volumes as witnessed during the New York storm. The storm saga was as a result of multiple systems and business functions failures. The major failure was with the Transaction processing systems (TPS). This is a system responsible for ticket reservations and tracking the flow of all transactions. JetBlue was unable to manage passenger rebooking or rescheduling their flights because of TPS failure. Since TPS is the major source of information for all systems its failure proved disastrous for the airline, as there was no flow of important information regarding all transactions. Passengers were outraged (Saclun, 2010).
JetBlue responded to the crisis with action. They updated out of date technology, brought in increased staff, and introduced a customer Bill of Rights to help answer the complaints of frustrated passengers. In a very personal way, JetBlue’s CEO took complete responsibility for the saga, and vowed to make important changes for the benefit of its customers. Nevertheless, there is undoubtedly a need to have better communication with passengers while on the ground waiting for a flight to take off. People want timely information, and JetBlue failed to give them that. I would institute a policy that describes issues accurately and in a timely fashion for clients. Furthermore, I would be sure to provide the basic needs of all passengers on board the aircraft.
A customer bill of rights will most likely not work if it is just words on a paper and do not reflect real live change within the corporation. Saving money is an excellent goal, but reliable customer service is just as important. A well-trained human staff will go a long way to help JetBlue recover from this public catastrophe.
Can Technology Save Soldiers' Lives in Iraq?
Of course, we all want the soldiers who fight for our way of life to succeed. However, there are many barriers to that goal, including an increasingly bureaucratic management style that may be costing lives. For example, the information systems used during the Iraq war were largely unresponsive. This was a great departure for many soldiers during the war, especially as similar troops had improved equipment in Afghanistan. Once the U.S. forces in Iraq started to use a similar strategy, they were able to communicate the information horizontally to fellow soldiers, and allowed them to pass the information more quickly and efficiently. This significantly improved the performance of the soldiers’ information systems.
The information system used by soldiers during the Iraq war was highly outdated and time intensive. Much of the data that was passed from member to member had to traverse a vertical chain of command that delayed the critical information getting to the troops on the ground.
Fortunately, the Tactical Ground Reporting System (TIGR) was developed. TIGR is an application developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) that is described as a cross between Google Maps and Wikipedia (Laudon & Laudon, 2010). This application not only helps to get the information about people, places, and activity but is also able to track them. The information flows horizontally in TIGR. This application is very useful to U.S. patrol groups in Iraq because of localization, easy customization, and transformation of information. Information about key infrastructure, landmarks and terrain can be collected, organized, and accessed via standard interface and navigational aids (Laudon & Laudon, 2010).
TIGR will be a much needed boost for future military campaigns as it will allow soldiers receive information in a timely manner and be able to act on it quickly. As more troops access and use this data, the more advanced the information will become. Thousands of military are currently using this technology and will be adding to the details with every use of the system.
Flexible Scheduling at Wal-Mart: Good or Bad for Employees?
Originally a manufacturer of computerized timeclocks, Kronos has expanded beyond data collection to software and services. The company now provides applications for workforce management; consulting, education, and support services to its customers, including software hosting for its applications. This is the new system that is being proposed for use at Wal-Mar, and that all of its employees must abide by.
However, Wal-Mart is trying to implement this new Kronos system, which will automate a process that usually requires personal judgment between management and employees. The Kronos system will create work schedules that are favorable to the company’s profit margin with little regard for the issues facing any individual worker. Wal-Mart will be responsible for the potential conflicts the new system may cause its employees. Wal-Mart employees will face an ethical dilemma, too, with the Kronos system. The new system generates schedules that are irregular and unpredictable and may decrease the employee’s job stability. This has the potential to create significant hardships for these minimum wage staff. The ethical issue if employees will cheat on the personal availability forms so the system will create a schedule that is favorable to their needs.
Both sides, Wal-Mart and its employees, should be guided by the Candidate Ethical principle of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Would Wal-Mart want its employees to treat customers as callously as the employees feel they have been? Do the employees want Wal-Mart cheating against them like many of them might on their availability slips? Wal-Mart must consider Descartes’ rule of change. While the new scheduling system may bring only small changes now, what happens if the corporation continues making similar small changes to the detriment of its employees? What will those incremental changes do to the employees’ morale in the long run (Jones, 2011)?
Unfortunately, computerized scheduling will undoubtedly cause employee morale to suffer. The higher paid experienced associates feel the system enables managers to pressure them to quit since they are unwilling to work nights and weekends as determined by the faceless system. The managers can then replace those positions with lower cost staff at an overall savings to the company. The Kronos scheduling system is a bad choice all around.
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