Remote work: Surveillance vs. Privacy

5

October

2020

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During these Covid-19 times, working from home has become the norm after the applied measures worldwide in order to help maintaining social distancing. Due to the inability of checking on their employees as they work from home, many companies have been afraid of a decreasing productivity at work. Consequently, employers have increasingly felt the need to introduce more and more surveillance tools that would help them monitor and track how their employees are spending their time as they work from home.

From applications that help keeping track of the time spent on each tool, to software that tracks the steps you take every day. Companies are going one step beyond basic time-tracking tools such as Toggl, and are beginning to opt for the introduction of ever more invasive programs such as Hubstaff – a software that monitors employees’ performance by taking snapshots of their monitors and calculating a productivity score based on the keystrokes, mouse movements, time spent and websites visited.

A software that is programmed to take snapshots of an individual’s screen as they are having a confidential videoconference; or that tracks down the user’s GPS coordinates as they go to the nearest cafeteria for a short coffee break, surely raises too many ethical concerns as it violates both the employees’ privacy as well as the privacy of those with whom they interact.

Not only does it raise ethical concerns, but it has also been proven that employee surveillance reduces trust between employees and their employers, driving down motivation and engagement. The ‘stress-inducing, demotivating and dehumanizing’ practice of monitoring – as described by a manager in the report Workplace technology: the employee experience – hinders employee autonomy and proactivity, both of which are necessary for a healthy and thriving company in the current digital era.

The use of surveillance software was initially intended to keep workers engaged and ensure their productivity. However, an unsurprising counter-effects occurs due to the implement of these tools: employee engagement and productivity declines together with the quality of the work they do. This is not a “vindictive reaction” to the application of such tool, but simply the result of feeling controlled and uncomfortable at (remote) work.

In a time where GDPR laws are being enforced to protect people’s privacy, how can such surveillance tools be accepted? Why are they still being implemented despite the evidence on its counter-effects?

Monitoring might be necessary and helpful to companies to make sure the work is being done and to collect data that might be used to improve the company’s strategy – especially when remote-work becomes the norm. However, managers must think through very carefully the techniques they are going to use: how will they be implemented, to what degree will they invade their employee’s privacy, and what are the possible consequences. In a time where remote work is the model to follow, how do we find the balance between tracking for improvement and respect for people’s privacy?

 

Satariano, A. How my boss monitors me while I work from home. The New York Times, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/06/technology/employee-monitoring-work-from-home-virus.html

Jones, L. “I monitor my staff with software that takes screenshots”. BBC News, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54289152

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Workplace technology: the employee experience. July 2020, UK. https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/workplace-technology-1_tcm18-80853.pdf

Kensbock, J.M., Stöckmann, C. “Big brother is watching you”: surveillance via technology undermines employees’ learning and voice behavior during digital transformation. J Bus Econ, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-020-01012-x

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Was Huawei allowing an unknown app to invade into our phones?

7

October

2019

5/5 (2)

As many of you probably know already, the Trump administration banned US companies from doing business with Huawei a few months ago. As a consequence, the Mate 30 Pro, Huawei’s latest flagship phone was launched without Google apps due to the import ban. The phone came with a basic, open-source Android instead of the advanced Google Mobile Service (e.g. Google Play Store, Gmail and Google Maps) we are accustomed to.

However, a few months ago an anonymous Chinese company called Lzplay came with a workaround. Through their website, you can easily download their app to gain access to Google services. Google apps should not be able to work on Mate 30 due to the lack of system-level permissions. However, Lzplay’s method managed to do so. Nonetheless, not without a price. According to John Wu, an Android security researcher, Lzplay used undocumented Huawei APIs inside the operating system that is used for device security to trick Google servers. What does this mean for your phone? After the installation of Lzplay, your Mate 30 Pro’s security is at risk since the application has administrator rights. That means that Lzplay can easily brick your phone or install ransomware without you noticing.

According to Huawei’s documentation for security authorization SDK, third party developers are required to sign legal agreements and let Huawei review it in order to gain access to the software development kit (SDK). Therefore, the developer of Lzplay was somehow aware of these undocumented APIs, signed the legal agreements, went through the reviews and eventually have the app signed by Huawei. It should also be noted that Lzplay was launched 3 days before the public launch of the Mate 30 Pro which means that Lzplay knew well about all of this before the launch and had the time to build an app, went through the review process, and launch a website. Wu suggested that Huawei is aware of the secret tools Lzplay used and explicitly allowed its existence since this will allow people to get Google Play onto the devices that would have been blocked otherwise.

Last week, Wu revealed the information regarding Lzplay and shortly after, the website of Lzplay was taken offline and the signature was remotely revoked by Huawei. Does this mean that Huawei played a part in this? It’s hard to say. According to a Huawei spokesperson, the multinational technology company has no involvement with Lzplay. It could be that Huawei created Lzplay to alleviate Google app anxiety for potential Mate 30’s customers. If this was the case, then it sure did backfire Huawei. Albeit, the backdoor may be shut for now but could be opened again through another method. Probably, a more solid one than the one Lzplay offered.

References:

Amadeo, R. (2019). ‘The Internet’s horrifying new method for installing Google apps on Huawei phones’. Accessed on 7 October 2019 on https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/10/the-internets-horrifying-new-method-for-installing-google-apps-on-huawei-phones/2/

Cooper, D. (2019). ‘Huawei’s Mate 30 loses workaround for installing Google apps’. Accessed on 7 October 2019 on https://www.engadget.com/2019/10/02/huawei-mate-30-workaround-lzplay-shut-down/?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAF-jsfJEpD19GyD_nXAQn-U0-gpP1qukCY-g7MT-c7nx7eTOV_o2k3bTYi6CoLTeBDOS1_K3xhhys9OsnNdzjmrZrp7qcUacIYBP-q26AJX2LK8XiuegqjcUF0iudVPLpmCsC2Al37FZae8eKAlFkXE0UJEBUWYTcHe4npVX0gmw&guccounter=2

Huawei (n.d.) ‘安全类授权开放开发指南’. Accessed on 7 October 2019 on https://developer.huawei.com/consumer/cn/devservice/doc/30702

Phelan, D. (2019). ‘Huawei Shock: Mate 30 Pro’s Back Door To Google Apps Slams Shut’. Accessed on 7 October 2019 on https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidphelan/2019/10/01/huawei-mate-30-pro-has-the-back-door-to-loading-google-apps-just-slammed-shut/#c69d7dc76a82

Wu, J. (2019). ‘Huawei’s Undocumented APIs – A Backdoor to Reinstall Google Services’. Accessed on 7 October 2019 on https://medium.com/@topjohnwu/huaweis-undocumented-apis-a-backdoor-to-reinstall-google-services-c3a5dd71a7cd

 

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Is Instagram the new beauty standard?

28

September

2019

5/5 (3)

Do you also catch yourself mindlessly scrolling through Instagram whenever you have got some time to spare? Believe me, you are not alone. But have you ever wondered how all these images of other people’s bodies may affect how you view your own body? No matter whether these pictures are your friend’s holiday picture, influencers’ gym selfie, or a celebrity’s beach photoshoot. You may think by yourself: “I wish I looked like her”.

Nowadays, the usage of social media is gradually growing and has already infiltrated into our daily lives. Instagram creates the illusion of perfection which is perceived by many as the beauty standards. In contrary to these beauty standards, our normal non-perfect lives seem somehow abnormal. As a result, some people may resort to drastic measures, or even eating disorders as their dissatisfaction with their body grows to try to achieve these unattainable goals as “beauty standards” (Dakanalis et al. 2014).

As we are scrolling through Instagram or posting pictures of ourselves, negative thoughts about our own body may arise (Holland & Tiggermann, 2016). A harsh comment by someone may result in dissatisfaction with our own body as many of us tend to interpret our social standing through comments or social comparison (Toma et al. 2008). A nice example is a video I encountered a few years ago by Cassey Ho, a social media fitness entrepreneur. Please watch the video below.

 

This video reflected how the comments by others on social media may affect how we feel about our own body. It made me start wondering how much of what we see are real on Instagram. Nowadays, there are numerous apps for altering your face and body as well as beauty filters to cover your imperfections (Fallon, 2014). Many of the pictures we see online are altered to enhance their features before it goes online. Even if I do not want to admit it, I will often find myself comparing to these influencers as well. I believe many followers of these Insta-celebrities do as well and what these followers think, actually becomes the new beauty standard.

This is just how trends work; they are going in and out like a fast fashion. Back in the day, flat chest and slim waist were in and now curvy body, thick lips and big booty are in. What is next? What do you think about the current beauty standard that is defined by altered pictures as the result of the current technology? Are you able to catch up with the current trend or will you rather alter yourself just to fit in? Let me know in the comments below!

 

Sources:

Dakanalis, A., Clerici, M., Caslini, M., Favagrossa, L., Prunas, A., Volpato, C., & Zanetti, M. A. (2014). Internalization of sociocultural standards of beauty and disordered eating behaviours: the role of body surveillance, shame and social anxiety. Journal of Psychopathology, 20, 33-37.

Ho, C. (2015) The “Perfect” Body [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsL7W-GHhJA

Holland, G., & Tiggemann, M. (2016). A systematic review of the impact of the use of social networking sites on body image and disordered eating outcomes. Body image, 17, 100-110.

Fallon, K. (2014). Streams of the self: The Instagram feed as narrative autobiography. In Proceedings of the interactive narratives, new media & social engagement international conference (Vol. 101, pp. 54-60).

Toma, C. L., Hancock, J. T., & Ellison, N. B. (2008). Separating fact from fiction: An examination of deceptive self-presentation in online dating profiles. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34(8), 1023-1036.

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The Winner Takes It All – WeChat

4

October

2017

5/5 (1)

In September 2016, the messaging app WeChat had more than 768 million daily users. 50% of these users use WeChat for at least 90 minutes a day and 35% of their total mobile use was spend on the WeChat application (WeChat, 2016). In recent years, WeChat has become one of the largest platform communities in the world. WeChat is currently dominating the mobile internet in China and will continue to do so in the future. In order to understand WeChat’s long-term strategy this informative article will mainly focus on the recently introduced feature of WeChat: the WeChat Mini Programs.

But first, for the people who do not know WeChat that well, you should know that WeChat has become more than just a messaging app. Besides its messaging feature, WeChat’s other main features are (Bhagat, 2017):

  1. WeChat Moments – WeChat’s main social media feature
  2. WeChat Pay – WeChat’s in-app pay feature
  3. WeChat Game – WeChat’s games feature

There are many other features (fun fact: there is even a “Go Dutch” feature that allows users to easily split bills and pay using the WeChat Pay feature), but they will not be covered in this article.

This article highlights the WeChat Mini Programs functionality, because it has the potential to disrupt the application industry. In short, the WeChat Mini Programs enables (third party) apps (so called mini programs) within the WeChat app. One of the main advantages is that users do not need to download or install the mini programs. This will lead to phone storage and time savings for the users. Furthermore, the development of a mini program is faster and cheaper (Brennan, 2017). In the following video this new feature is further explained:

The mini programs can also be extremely powerful for SMEs. For example, a restaurant chain could develop a mini program that allows customers to browse through the menu, order food, pay the bill and “Go Dutch” all within the same app. This new feature offers endless new opportunities for companies (for more examples click here). However, there are also some limitations for the mini programs. For example, the mini programs have fewer possibilities than normal apps. Also, the use of QR codes is very common in China, but not outside of China. Therefore, it would be harder to implement this system outside of China.

In the lecture of yesterday we saw some examples of companies opening up to third parties. This led to an enormous increase in market cap. With WeChat opening up to third parties by allowing them to build apps within WeChat, it has a great potential to grow as well. Especially when you take the network effect into account (more users using mini programs will lead to more mini programs, which will lead to more users etc.). With the introduction of this new feature, WeChat is also taking on the App Store and Play Store, because probably less (especially Chinese) people will download apps from both stores. Creating the mini program platform WeChat also has a new source of income. In this triangular platform (between users, companies and WeChat) WeChat could charge companies to increase their revenue. In conclusion, Mintor (2017) argues that WeChat is transforming into a new mobile operating system (OS) and could even compete with the IOS and Android OS in the future.

I agree with Mintor and believe that this could be WeChat’s long-term strategy. Please let me know your thoughts about WeChat’s mini programs in the comment section!

Bibliography:

Bhagat, R. (2016, 29 september). 5 WeChat Features That WhatsApp Should Really Use. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/rahilbhagat/2016/09/29/5-wechat-features-that-whatsapp-should-really-use/#1806fc837eea

Brennan, M. (2017, 1 februari). WeChat Mini Apps by Matthew Brennan, China Marketing Summit 2017 [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjBc_3bHbJQ

Minter, A. (2017, 19 januari). WeChat’s App Revolution. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-01-19/wechat-s-app-revolution

WeChat. (2016). The 2016 WeChat Data Report. Retrieved from http://blog.wechat.com/2016/12/29/the-2016-wechat-data-report/

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News on the move

3

October

2017

5/5 (25)

 

Are you unsure which newspaper has the best content, or fits the best to your interest? Are you unable to decide which subscription you should take? Do not worry, Solutions are on the rise!

Times are changing. The expansion of digital technology has enabled media to use fixed and wireless network connectivity to reach users with new methods. Altering the industry structure in production, distribution and the methods to monetize content. Existing competitors have initially adopted some of the technological changes trying to cope with it. Now however, new entrants are disrupting the industry completely.

Rising stars like Blendl are centralizing most media stories and interviews in one application (Blendl.com, 2017). Also the rise of intelligent personal assistants Amazon Echo and Google Home who are able to consult online sources for news and other information. This broadens the offer of one single Platform giving the possibility to reach niche markets and the general public with one platform. These smart personalized solutions open the door to long tail strategies adding value to the industry as a whole (Brynjolfsson, 2011).

Accessing all information through one platform has decreased the switching costs between different news media. Increasing the power of customers and decreasing the power of suppliers who have to participate in applications and systems like these. Changing the direct web channels of media partly back to centralized platforms. The suppliers will have to change dramatically to adapt (Hagiu, 2014). It seems certain that the revenue from the traditional market will shrink, shifting from multiple sources towards more centralized platforms with contributions of different parties.

I think, and I follow therewith the general opinion, that due to these developments the news industry has become a vulnerable market. Where the scale-based advantages of incumbents are weakened and new entrants possibly have great opportunities to succeed. Currently the different companies within the industry are experimenting with pricing strategies. Varying from versioning, to group pricing and personal pricing or even completely free. Only time can tell whether the news industry will regain it’s profitability, by changing the prevailing Information Strategy while adopting the newly developed technologies successfully within new sustainable business models.

References
Blendl.com (2017) via Blendl.com

Brynjolfsson, E., Hu, Y., & Simester, D. (2011). Goodbye pareto principle, hello long tail: The effect of search costs on the concentration of product sales. Management Science, 57(8), 1373-1386.

Evans and Wurster (1997). Strategy and the New Economics of Information. Harvard Business Review. September-October, 70-82.

Hagiu, A. (2014). Strategic decisions for multisided platforms. MIT Sloan Management Review, 55(2), 71.

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Your Romance Is So Boolean…

8

October

2016

3.89/5 (19)

Chances are big you have ever tried an online dating application. Or at least considered one. It no longer is a taboo if you met your fiancée through the world wide web. Online dating applications such as Tinder, OkCupid and Match have millions of users per day. They range from testosterone driven adventure seekers to incurable romantics. Nonetheless, they are all searching for the perfect match.

In the quest of finding this perfect match, users have many conversations and look at even more profiles. This creates an enormous amount of valuable data. But how can we use this data? Will data analysts become the new Cupids and brew love potions? Is it even possible to catch abstract concepts such as love and romance in algorithms, in order to find a perfect match?

According to Christian Rudder, founder of OkCupid, the problem is not in the algorithms, but in the data itself: “My intuition is that most of what users enter is true, but people do misunderstand themselves.” That is where big data comes into play. Why would we ask people to fill in questionnaires, would it not be better to find this data statistically?

Nowadays, we know so much about a person through analysing their behaviour on the internet. On a dating profile, one can easily state he loves classical music. However, his Spotify-history or iTunes purchases could reveal he actually listens to pop music most of the time. Everyone knows how important a first impression is. If you are not into snobs, why would a dating applications even bother to show people with a Ralph Lauren loyalty card?

Big data offer enormous opportunities to online dating application. At the same time, these opportunities raise serious issues. What about privacy concerns? How will such an influence affect people’s social skills? Would you like to be introduced to your future wife by your computer?

 

References:
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-26613909

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13 startups you should know about before planning your next trip

4

October

2016

4.82/5 (22)

We are all familiar with start-ups like Airbnb or old players like Expedia when it comes to traveling. But there are much more companies on the rise that can help you a lot in all aspects of traveling and make everything a bit more convenient. From planning and booking your trip to help you out in case of flight cancellation, there seems to be a great start-up for everything nowadays. If you’re about to plan your next trip, feel free to get some new inspiration on which apps to use from this list. Also, if you had great experiences with apps that are not included in this list, feel free to add them to the comment section below.

 

Planning your trip:

Flights:

Hopper – For finding the right dates to fly and the right date to book

Hopper is a flight-search engine that relies on data of trillions of flights they’ve collected and analyzed in the past. It lets you search for your itinerary and then tells you some useful information such as what a good deal on this particular route usually is and at what dates you are able to get the best deal. With all their analyzed data the app will also tell you if you should book right now or wait for a later date when the flight will be cheaper. They claim to have 95% accuracy in predicting flight prices, so it is definitely worth to check it out.

Hipmunk – Use chat bots to book your travel

Do you miss the old times when you would just walk into the next travel agency and discuss your plans with a travel agent? Good news, with the rise of AI and chat bots you can now chat with a computer about your travel plans. If you are curious and want to give it a try, head over to Hipmunk and try it out.

Screenshot 2016-10-04 18.07.55

 

GoEuro – Multi-modal travel search engine

If you are traveling on a budget or you just want the quickest option to go from A to B then GoEuro might be the right choice for you. The platform is a multi-modal travel search engine, which means you only need to specify your Destination and GoEuro will give you an overview about all means of public transportation to get there. It compares prices as well as total travel time for train rides, bus rides, and flights. The platform automatically includes transit time to get to the airport and gives you the option to sort all options based on your preferences. They are pretty successful and just scored $70m for their series C funding from investors to expand their services further. You can check them out here.Screenshot 2016-10-04 18.19.45

 

Accommodations:

TalkTalkBnb – a social network for traveling and learning languages

During my research for this post, I found TalkTalkBnb, which I think is fantastic. The service is a mixture between AirBnb and Couchsurfing. Travelers can sign-up, list their native language and where they’d like to travel. Hosts also create a profile, which lists the language they’d like to learn. Travelers are offered free accommodation in exchange for only speaking their native language throughout their stay so their hosts can really practice without with pricey language lessons. I think the concept is a great way to get in touch with local people and to travel on a budget. If you’re as eager as me to try it out, head over to www.talktalkbnb.com.

 

Plan the whole trip:

tripl – big data startup that predicts your next travel destination

tripl is a German start-up that will suggest you travel destinations based on your profile on facebook. They will analyze your likes and your posts from the pasts to find the right vacation for you. Their website definitely looks very appealing and I liked the recommendations they gave me. If you want to check it out head over to www.tripl.de

 

Travelcircus.com – full-service booking platform for exclusive weekend short-trip packages

Travelcircus gives you handpicked weekend getaways and I had to include this because the co-founder is indeed a former BIMer! He graduated two years ago here at RSM and is currently the Head of Operations of travelcircus in Berlin. The concept is pretty unique, you can just pick a city and the website will suggest you places (and nice hotels) where you could go for a weekend. You can find it here.

 

Activities:

Rungoapp – running app with offline turn-by-turn voice directions

Have you ever been in a foreign city and wanted go for a run without getting lost? With rungoapp, you can just pick a route and you will get turn-by-turn voice directions so you don’t get lost. The app works even offline so you don’t have to worry about your phone bill at the end of the month. You can check it out here.

Screenshot 2016-10-04 20.16.20

 

bimbimbikes – online search engine for bike rentals

Bimbimbikes lets you compare prices for local bike rentals and you can even reserve your bike and pay in advance. So if you’re used to biking everywhere you go and you don’t want to change this habit when you’re on vacation, this is a must have for you!

 

Komoot – plan you next hike or bike tour

Komoot is a great app if you want to go outside and be active during your vacation. It doesn’t matter if you’re into hiking, running or biking, with this app you have access to great routes wherever you are. They have very detailed maps that have information that Google or Apple Maps not have so that they can always come up with bike-friendly streets for example. If you want to read a detailed review follow this link, otherwise you can download the app here.Screenshot 2016-10-04 19.17.50

 

 

Photography:

Fripito – photography guides by locals

If you are into photography and also like to travel a lot, then Fripito might be for you. Fripito is a mobile app that gives you photo guides made by locals from hundreds of destinations around the world. These guides include tips on where to find interesting spots, local light conditions, recommended equipment and camera settings. If this sounds interesting to you, head over to Fripito to read more about it.

 

The roll – organise your photos smarter
Not sure which picture you want to instagram? Or do you want to show your friends the photos you took on vacation but exclude all the embarrassing selfies and photos of your food? Then “The Roll” might be the right app for you. The app uses image recognition technology and machine learning that not only group photos based on their content but can also highlight the best ones. Photos are automatically tagged and displayed in categories so you can search and share without clutter. I’ve used this app for quite some time now and the algorithm works really well, I definitely recommend you to check it out. As of now they only offer an iOS app, that you can download here.Screenshot 2016-10-04 19.32.55

 

Save money when traveling abroad:

There is already a post about this topic so if you think your bank asks a little too much as soon as you leave the country, check out this blog post

 

Back home:

Get refund for delayed or cancelled flights

There is this one thing when traveling, that has the potential to ruin basically every trip: delays and flight cancellations. But especially for somebody that is flying on a budget, delays and cancellations don’t necessarily mean only bad news. There is a EU regulation in place that can make you entitled for up to 600€ in case your flight was canceled or delayed. But airlines are systematically fighting this regulation and as long as you don’t get yourself a lawyer you probably will never see a penny. However, I wouldn’t bring this issue up here, if there is not a startup that proposes to solve the problem. Basically, there are two different ways you can cope with this issue. You can go to Flightright and they will use their lawyers to fight for your compensation. If they are successful and the airline finally pays out the refund, they will keep 25% of the sum and you get the rest.

In case you don’t want to wait that long you can just head over to WebuyyourFlight.com. They will check your claim within 48 hours and immediately send you up to 400€ for your flight if your claim was valid. You don’t have to wait for their legal team to get active, instead you will get the money right away. Bear in mind though, that you would get more money from Flightright, as their fees are lower than the fees of webuyyourflight.com.

 

I hope this list will help you for your next trip and you will try out some of the apps or services. Please feel free to add more start-ups to the comments that you think should be in this list !

 

 

References:

GoEuro banks another $70M to keep building out its travel planner platform

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Marktplaats and eBay, brace yourselves!

4

October

2016

5/5 (2)

Most of you have probably seen the ‘For sale’ pages on Facebook, where people offer and buy second hand items. Believe it or not, these pages are being visited 450 million times each month, so Facebook decided to respond to this demand. ‘Facebook Marketplace’ is a marketplace inside the Facebook app that launched yesterday in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand on mobile devices. In these countries, the ‘Messenger’ icon in the Facebook app will be replaced by the ‘Marketplace’ icon. If it proves to be a success, Facebook will continue to expand their marketplace to other countries and also to the web platform. Should eBay, Marktplaats and other large players brace itself?

Nowadays when people want to sell a second hand item, they do not just place it only on eBay or Marktplaats, they also share it on Facebook. Does Facebook offer more advantages than the existing platforms? There are several advantages to Facebook Marketplace that could make users choose for Facebook Marketplace instead of for example Marktplaats or eBay:

  • Buyers and sellers can easily communicate through the already existing Facebook Messenger.
  • Posting items for sale is free, which is not the case on other platforms for some product categories.
  • Fraud can be reduced, as buyers can check the profiles of the sellers to see whether they are ‘real’ people.
  • Facebook can show their users second hand items based on their interests because Facebook knows these.
  • While on eBay or Marktplaats people search for specific items, Facebook users might go through Marketplace simply because they’re bored and could find something they like (spontaneous shopping). This could increase the range of potential buyers.

Besides aforementioned advantages, Facebook has the advantage of a strong brand name and the large amount of users.  It’s hard to place any predictions about Facebooks new feature, but I believe that Facebook Marketplace has strong advantages and will therefore be a big threat for platforms such as eBay and Marktplaats. However, we will see what future will bring us.

 

Sources:

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/facebook-marketplace-sell-old-junk/

http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2016/10/introducing-marketplace-buy-and-sell-with-your-local-community/

https://www.iphoned.nl/nieuws/facebook-marketplace/

Facebook launches Marketplace, a friendlier Craigslist

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The new future: customization with technology!

17

September

2016

5/5 (1)

It is often difficult to find the perfect pair of sneakers that goes along with different occasions and different outfits.
We all have experienced the problem where you have found the perfect clothes but you are unable to find the matching shoes. Therefore, clothing retailers are discovering the value of permitting the customer to create their own preference based product. The business trend of personalization/customization is becoming more important nowadays.

Considering Porter’s five forces, the bargaining power of buyers is high on the Internet. This is because the Internet is transparent, making it easier for customers to compare and choose among different products. Customization assists companies to differentiate their products from those of their competitors and therefore it could be distinguished as a source of competitive advantage. This is quite important in the fashion industry since the competition is strong.

Customization also gives companies the opportunity to reach the unpredictable millennial generation shoppers, a group known for their fast-moving preferences. This is often the younger generation. By providing customization options to them, the customers are prone to pay 20% more than they would do on the standard equivalent of the product.

‘ShiftWear’ might be beneficial for the millennial generation shoppers. The application allows customers the complete control of their sneakers since they can add their own design on the sneaker. The customer could browse on the Internet with their phone and download a pleasant design on the ‘ShiftWear’ app. Subsequently the application creates a connection with the ‘ShiftWear’ shoe and the design will then be displayed on the sneakers.

‘ShiftWear’ allows shoppers to have a variety of designs ranging from stunning visuals to animations.  They could therefore express themselves through their unique fashion pieces. In my opinion this customization is also sustainable since the customer would only have to buy one pair of ‘ShiftWear’ sneakers instead of ten sneakers that will suit the different occasions. It is also quite special as technology is used for implementing customization, which provide value to the business.

What are your thoughts on ‘ShiftWear’? Do you consider this as an innovative technology?

References for this article:
http://www.shiftwear.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2p2_jaV3ow

http://www.bain.com/publications/articles/making-it-personal-rules-for-success-in-product-customization.aspx

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Safer Social Media

5

November

2015

5/5 (1)

Cyber bullying has become a common occurrence online these days. Social media makes online communication easy and fast. Although these are positive attributes and reasons as to why social media is so popular to begin with, just as easy as it is to communicate with people about your day-to-day life, it is just as easy to bully and attack someone online. In recent years as the popularity of social media has increased and more teenagers join social networks, the amount of cyber bullying has risen along also. Last year, in a study conducted in the U.S., one million children admitted to being harassed, threatened or exposed to some form of cyber bullying on Facebook. To some it may not seem like a big deal because as reflected in the study 90% of these social media users ignored this behavior. However, more than ever this negative behavior is leading to an increase in fatal consequences. Until recently, there has been no full-proof way to manage online bullying.

In 2015 the app My Social Sitter was develop. The purpose of the app is to stop cyber bullying and ensure a safer and negative free social media environment. Using a four step process the app, which is connected to the social media platform of the user: detects, shields, informs, educates and rewards. The initial detection step has the ability uncover any harmful communication being received, and even harmful communication being sent out by the user. This is followed by the shield of protection, which prevents the negative message from advancing to the intended recipient. From there the user is informed whether a message has been posted or rejected within seconds and if they themselves are sending out a negative message they have the opportunity to edit their post. Along with the informing process is the apps ability to detect very serious messages surrounding depression or suicide. In this case the users parents are automatically informed. The final step is education and rewards. From the shielding step users are taught what is appropriate and what isn’t and the end they receive rewards for every positive post, such as tokens or gift cards.

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The newly developed app has many positive attributes with the first being its quick response rate whenever a message has been sent or rejected makes it easy to keep track with what is taking place on your social media. Another point is that the app is able to detect slang and sentiment in six languages, which increases chances of preventing cyber bullying because youngsters don’t usually write in formal English when they’re on social media. Another is the reward, which is a great motivation for kids and teenagers as they’re usually would not pay attention to ideas like this, but in this case they get something out of it. Finally, it keeps users’ social media profiles private from their parents with the exception of the notifications regarding harmful messages.

Personally I think it is about time an app like this was developed. Some social media sites have put regulations in place to try and hinder cyber bullying as much as possible, but it has not been the most effective. For that reason, I think social media sites like Facebook need to begin advertising the product in order to inform more people. Social media use is continuously rising and it is necessary to make it a safe environment because there is no reason bullying should take place. The app gives individual control to users, its fast and creates a more enjoyable online environment.

Resources

  • App stops social media bullies – CNN Video. (2015, October 28). Retrieved November 5, 2015. http://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/10/28/anti-bullying-app-good-stuff-newday.cnn.
  • My Social Sitter Webpage. http://www.mysocialsitter.com/index.php.

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