Chosen Case Study And E-Commerce

Question: Discuss about theE-Business Application for Alibaba Case Study. Answer: Introduction E-commerce is the type of commercial exchange of products and monetary units that in which, every transactions are conducted through the internet (Yao et al. 2015). In this system, the buyer orders a product by choosing from a wide variety of products in the official website of a certain e-commerce company and the company delivers the selected product to the customers home and the transaction is conducted either through the internet (net banking, online payment by cards, etc.) or manually during product delivery. In this report, the chosen e-commerce company is Alibaba and their e-business strategies and IT infrastructure have been discussed. Chosen Case Study and E-Commerce Company Operation Alibaba Group operates its business through e-commerce system and has branches all over the world. Their main business objective is to build a worldwide e-commerce infrastructure in order to provide services to more customers and establish a strong commercial organization (Du et al. 2013). In addition to providing business options, they also allow mutual interaction between the customers as well as the product merchants in order to satisfy customer demands for more efficient business system. For all these processes, they have successfully implemented a strong Information Technology infrastructure that has led them to commercial success (Leong et al. 2016). Alibaba Groups main aim is to further develop the company in the future along with the implementation of latest technologies in order to increase the existing market competitiveness as well as gaining more control over global market. Ease of Use of the E-Commerce Site The e-commerce site of the company is very easy to use as it has a very customer-friendly interface and any new user can easily find the products and varieties the company provides. Moreover, the company provides a large number of offers and discounts as well as wide variety of products all of which are clearly displayed on the official website of the company (Zheng et al. 2015). Any user, who wants to buy a product, can find the product of his needs as well as its varieties and different sellers from which he can choose one of the choices. The company enjoys massive popularity within the regular customer base due to this user-friendly appearance of the site and the availability of the services as per the displayed information in the website. E-Business Applications Used Alibaba is the largest e-commerce company in the world and hence, it must have a suitable e-business application that will help run the business in the company efficiently. For this, Alibaba has subscribed to Big Data services paired with a microfinance system. Big data is a virtual data storage technology that stores huge amount of business and commercial data and provides an efficient system for managing and calculating the business records and statistics (Xiao et al. 2015). Again, Alibaba has partnerships with different online vendors for different online operational procedures like online payments, virtual data storage system and others. For example, the online payment system of Alibaba is managed by a vendor named Alipay. All these e-business applications together have promoted the growth of Alibaba as the largest e-commerce and e-business company in the world. E-Commerce Marketing Strategies Alibabas main marketing strategy is to spread business over different regions by taking over small and medium sized regional retailers and varying the price of products according to the demand in that particular region (Xue et al. 2015). Alibaba promotes the growth of the regional retailers, which in turn promotes its control over the regional market. Alibaba also has the end goal to expand its e-commerce business all over the world with the help of latest technical upgrades and a successful marketing strategy. Hence, the company mainly focuses on developing the e-commerce system further and mixing it with more innovative marketing strategies. E-Commerce Supply Chain Strategy Alibaba mainly operates its business with the help of supply chain strategy. Alibaba is not a manufacturer or even a retailer. Alibaba has a number of subsidiaries that manufacture and sell products (Fan et al. 2015). The products of these companies are sold in the name of Alibaba and the subsidiaries are only responsible for delivering the products to the home of the customer. Payments are also directly made to Alibaba and the subsidiary companies get their share of the sales. Since Alibaba deals with e-commerce system, it provides product description in the website as well as the name of the product seller. Upon service booking, these companies pick the selected product from manufacturer or their own factory and deliver them to the customer in the name of Alibaba (Cheung 2016). This is how, Alibaba has built up a successful global supply chain and promotes growth of its subsidiary suppliers in order to gain control over the regional market. E-Commerce Security Strategies The main weakness of the company is in the application of its security strategies. The whole business system of the company depends on the activities of the third party vendors with whom the company has forged partnerships. The company also uses highest technical systems for conducting its business (Dongwei 2016). However, aside from some basic security measures, the company will have no particular answer if it is attacked by some serious third party cyber attack. Hence, the security strategy of the company needs to be revised for ensuring the safety of the business system of the company. IT Architecture The IT architecture of Alibaba includes a worldwide network of cloud computing services as well as a central Big Data system. Alibaba has subscribed to several cloud computing services and conducts all the business related activities through these services. Moreover, the Big Data system is used to store all the business data and statistics within a central virtual storage server (Hu et al. 2014). Alibaba also has partnerships with different online vendors for different online operational procedures like online payments, virtual data storage system and others that have been successfully interconnected by the company to build up an efficient IT architecture system. Conclusion From the report, it can be concluded that Alibaba is a successful e-commerce company because of its successful business plan and a very efficient e-commerce service using the latest technologies in the internet. Their main business objective is to build a worldwide e-commerce infrastructure in order to provide services to more customers and establish a strong commercial organization. Alibaba has partnerships with different online vendors for different online operational procedures like online payments, virtual data storage system and others. All these factors as well as a successful IT architecture have allowed Alibaba to flourish over a large area of the world. Recommendations In spite of international success, Alibaba has certain weak spots. Some recommendations for compensating these weak spots are as follows. Low End Market Although Alibaba promotes growth of the regional market, it mainly deals with the high end market i.e. it mainly deals with high priced advanced technical products that are mainly purchased by the higher levels of the society. Alibaba should also promote the medium and low end markets in order to enjoy even more control over every layer of the global market. Too Much Virtual Interface Dependence Alibaba depends on the virtual interface and cloud services too much. Moreover, they use third party vendors for the online payment management. This is a very risky business as a large scale cyber attack from a third party can cause massive damage to the companys business. Hence, the company should start its own online transactions and data management systems in order to have more control over the commerce related activities. References Cheung, M., 2016. 28. the e-commerce revolution: ensuring trust and consumer rights in China.Handbook of Cultural and Creative Industries in China, p.412. Dongwei, S., 2016, January. Cross-border e-commerce helps SMEs reach global markets. InInternational Trade Forum(No. 2, p. 16). International Trade Centre. Du, J., Lu, J., Wu, D., Li, H. and Li, J., 2013. User acceptance of software as a service: Evidence from customers of China's leading e-commerce company, Alibaba.Journal of Systems and Software,86(8), pp.2034-2044. Fan, J., Tang, L., Zhu, W. and Zou, B., 2015. The Alibaba Effect: Spatial Consumption Inequality and the Welfare Gains from E-Commerce.Available at SSRN 2707293. Hu, J., Holt, S., Marques, J. and Camillo, A.A., 2014. Marketing Channels and Supply Chain Management in Contemporary Globalism: E-Commerce Development in China.Handbook of Research on Effective Marketing in Contemporary Globalism, p.325. Leong, C.M.L., Pan, S.L., Newell, S. and Cui, L., 2016. The Emergence of Self-Organizing E-Commerce Ecosystems in Remote Villages of China: A Tale of Digital Empowerment for Rural Development.Mis Quarterly,40(2), pp.475-484. Xiao, Z., Wang, J.J. and Lenzer, J.H., 2015. The role of geographic specificity of logistics for e-commerce companies' Inter-firm integration: A case study of Alibaba. InProceedings of the 20th International Conference of Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies, HKSTS 2015: Urban Transport Analytics. Xue, W., Xiao, B. and Mu, L., 2015, December. Intelligent mining on purchase information and recommendation system for e-commerce. InIndustrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM), 2015 IEEE International Conference on(pp. 611-615). IEEE. Yao, Y., Yen, B.P. and Yip, A., 2015. Examining The Effects of The Internet of Things (IoT) on E-Commerce: Alibaba Case Study. In15th International Conference for Electronic Commerce (ICEB), Dec. 6-10, 2015, Hong Kong. Zheng, L., Yihui, Z., Shen, W. and Guanqi, D., 2015. Micro Characteristics and Problems Reflected in the Development of Peasant E-businessman: A Case Study on an Alibaba's E-business Town in Fujian, China.

Locating Operations Essays - Economy, Money, Finance,

Locating Operations Quick revise Regional Location Businesses need to choose which regional locations are best for their operations.There are a number of factors that impact regional location. Location is based on a combination of quantitative (measurable) and qualitative factors Cost Cost of land varies between locations Costs of labour and services also vary The choice of business location therefore affects profitability Resources The availability of resource can influence location These may be natural resources or could be technological resources Businesses often cluster together in areas where there is particular expertise e.g. hi-tech organisations are centred on the M4 corridor in the UK Infrastructure Infrastructure refers to energy and transport facilities These factors influence the ease, speed and costs of production The impact of infrastructure on firms is dependent on the type of business and their needs Market Location of the market may influence location choice For some businesses it is important to be close to the market If businesses don't need to be close to their market they may need to have good access to the market Government Intervention Government grants are offered in certain areas these make the area more attractive to businesses Qualitative Factors Businesses may also consider qualitative factors including: Quality of life Image Ethical issues Analysis of Factors Businesses will use a number of methods to analyse the best location: Break even analysis They will calculate costs and revenues to see how many units they need to break even. If fixed costs e.g. rent are lower in one location than another this will reduce break even output If variable costs e.g. wages are lower in one location than another this will reduce break even output The greater the margin of safety at a particular location the lower the risk Investment Appraisal Techniques Businesses can use investment appraisal techniques such as payback, ARR and NPV to see which location is best Businesses usually select the option with the quickest payback, the highest ARR and the highest NPV Types of Location Decision Organisations have a number of different location decisions: Where to locate their business When they start up Relocation Expansion International Location Multinational businesses locate in more than one country. If you locate overseas you need to consider additional factors Why locate overseas? Businesses often locate overseas to: Exploit lower costs Benefit from less regulation Benefit from cheaper labour Use minerals / resources in a country Exploit market opportunities overseas To be closer to overseas customers To overcome protectionist trade barriers To decrease trade union power To decrease exchange rate problems Sources of finance These are how businesses get money to finance growth, to overcome working capital / cash flow problems etc. Choosing the right source of finance Businesses need to consider a number of factors when deciding what sources of finance to use External sources of finance are more expensive as you need to pay interest To use retained profits you need to get agreement from shareholders The source of finance chosen also depends on the time period and what you need the finance for The key questions that managers have to answer are: how much finance is needed whether it can be obtained internally whether it should be borrowed temporarily, with a view to paying back, or obtained as permanent (e.g. share) capital ( if borrowed) whether the loan is for the short (up to one year), medium (1-5 years) or long term. The amount and nature of this finance varies from firm to firm, and is influenced by a firm's size, its form of ownership, the type of technology currently being used within the firm, the relationship between capital and labour, the length of credit periods (taken and allowed), and the age of the firm's assets. Internal sources From inside the business e.g. directors No external body to pay Generally No time limit Internal Sources - Retained Profit Cheap and flexible Technically profit is shareholders so they need convincing its used effectively Usually okay infrequently Idea retained profit used to generate future profits and therefore used for purchase of fixed assets Opportunity cost needs to be assessed Internal Sources - Control of working capital and cashflow Working capital measures the amount of money the business

An English Sample of Abstract of Extended Essay - A Review

An English Sample of Abstract of Extended Essay - A ReviewAn English sample of abstract of the extended essay is useful to the student that's willing to apply and excel in an advanced level of education. It gives a basis of information on the subjects and the students will be able to know their focus on the study which is more appropriate for them. Studying for English papers is not an easy task and requires lots of dedication and hard work.Students are required to carry out several tests to get complete proficiency in English. The exam papers usually include questions regarding English composition and literature. These are very important subjects that you need to have perfect command over. There are various research institutes and universities that offer valuable courses to fulfill the requirements of your students and they will be able to think at a higher level. To be a true professional you should be able to make yourself accountable, then the emphasis on your studies will not be difficult.You will find many students that are teaching English without teaching. Some of them are from elementary level, while some are from secondary levels. There are also the kids who are not prepared to learn English and they think that a university English course is sufficient to prepare them for the exams. It is better to learn at your own pace and stay ahead of the game if you want to excel.One of the most interesting parts of English is the grammar and the sentence structure. It is essential that you are familiar with these aspects so that you can become proficient in English. Students need to focus on these aspects so that they can master the language easily.When the student applies for the test then the principal will ask him or her questions on the content and the specifics of the subject. This allows the student to answer in details as many of the questions as possible. This helps the student to concentrate more on the subjects and write the essay effectively.The paper s of abstract of the extended essay will contain facts and analysis about the subject and they are often derived from the information gathered by the teacher's friends. It is very important that the student should be able to spot any grammatical and spelling errors in the essay. Sometimes mistakes will come from the writer's perception of the situation but on some other times, the person may even commit the same mistake.Papers are always in demand and papers are mostly given in the colleges after giving consideration to the requirement of the students. Students can make the most of their opportunity and get their homework as well done as possible. The essays of abstract of the extended essay will help them become more aware of the language so that they can face their examinations.

American Qualities essays

American Qualities essays American is freedom. We have many freedoms that many other countries are not as fortunate to have. As the melting pot of many races and religions, we are responsible for keeping the opportunities available that were promised by our forefathers when they founded this country: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. America was built on multiple cultural backgrounds fleeing persecution, poverty and lives without simple freedoms. An American quality that is seen in various works of literature stemming from our freedoms is individuality. Individuality allows us to express our inner most feelings. In the poem, The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost, is an insightful and idealistic attempt to illustrate the paradox of free will. In the first line, Frost uses the metaphor, Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, to establish not only the hard decision a traveler must make in the poem, but in life itself. Life is like those woods because no one can clearly see or predict what will happen in the future, only hope to choose a path that will lead, one to good fortune and happiness. The freedom of choice allows us to be individuals. Many have a desire to be adventurous, yet we fear possibilities of failing if we are different from others. In Frosts poem, the road he decides to take is wanted wear. This road is not a well traveled path, and no one has taken it before. This shows that the speaker may not want to be like everyone else, a follower, but instead, chose a different path and be himself, a leader. The ce ntral idea of this poem is individuality. Frost shows that being his own person is the more difficult path. Frost shows that we should all express our feelings and be our own person, even if no one else will follow. We can see, therefore, that American qualities do imitate the essential thoughts of the American mind. Most American pe ...

Career Options for Archaeology Degrees

Career Options for Archaeology Degrees What are my career choices in archaeology? There are several levels of being an archaeologist, and where you are at in your career is related to the level of education you have and the experience you’ve received. There are two common types of archaeologists: those based at universities, and those based at cultural resource management (CRM) firms, firms that conduct archaeological investigations associated with federal construction projects. Other archaeology-related jobs are found at National Parks, Museums, and State Historical Societies. Field Technician/Crew Chief/Field Supervisor A field technician is the first paid level of field experience anyone gets in archaeology. As a field tech, you travel the world as a freelancer, excavating or conducting survey anywhere the jobs are. Like most other kinds of freelancers, you are generally on your own when it comes to health benefits, but there are benefits to the ‘travel the world on your own’ lifestyle. You can find work on CRM projects or academic projects, but in general CRM jobs are paid positions, while the academic field jobs are sometimes volunteer positions or even require tuition. A Crew Chief and Field Supervisor are Field Technicians who have had enough experience to earn additional responsibilities and better pay. You’ll need at least a Bachelors level (BA, BS) college degree in archaeology or anthropology (or be working on one) to get this job, and unpaid experience from at least one field school. Project Archaeologist/Manager A project archaeologist is the middle level of the  cultural resource manager jobs, who supervises excavations, and writes reports on excavations conducted. These are permanent jobs, and health benefits and 401K plans are common. You can work on CRM projects or academic projects, and under normal circumstances, both are paid positions. A CRM Office Manager supervises several PA/PI positions. You’ll need a Masters Degree (MA/MS) in archaeology or anthropology to get one of these jobs, and a couple of years experience as a field technician is very helpful, to be able to do the job. Principal Investigator A Principal Investigator is a Project Archaeologist with additional responsibilities. She conducts archaeological research for a cultural resource management company, writes proposals, prepares budgets, schedules projects, hires the crew, supervises archaeological survey and excavations, supervises laboratory processing and analysis and prepares as sole or co-author technical reports. PIs are typically full-time, permanent positions with benefits and some retirement plan. However, in special cases, a PI will be hired for a specific project lasting between a few months to several years. An advanced degree in anthropology or archaeology is required (MA/Ph.D.), as well as supervisory experience at the Field Supervisor level is also required for first time PIs. Academic Archaeologist The academic archaeologist or college professor is probably more familiar to most people. This person teaches classes on various archaeology, anthropology or ancient history topics at a university or college through the school year, and conducts archaeological expeditions during the summer terms. Typically a tenured faculty member teaches between two and five courses a semester to college students, mentor a select number of undergraduates/graduate students, run field schools, conduct archaeological fieldwork during the summers. Academic archaeologists can be found in Anthropology Departments, Art History Departments, Ancient History Departments, and Religious Studies Departments. But these are relatively difficult to get because there arent that many universities with more than one archaeologist on staff- there are very few Archaeology Departments outside of the larger Canadian universities. There are Adjunct positions easier to get, but they pay less and are often temporary. You’ll need a Ph.D. to get an academic job. SHPO Archaeologist A State Historical Preservation Officer (or SHPO Archaeologist) identifies, evaluates, registers, interprets and protects historic properties, from significant buildings to shipwrecked vessels. The SHPO provides communities and preservation organizations with a variety of services, training and funding opportunities. It also reviews nominations to the National Register of Historic Places and oversees the State Register of Historic Sites. Has a very large role to play in a given states public archaeology effort, and is often in political hot water. These jobs are permanent and full-time. The SHPO, him/herself, is usually an appointed position and may not be in cultural resources at all; however, most SHPO offices hire archaeologists or architectural historians to assist in the review process. Cultural Resource Lawyer A cultural resource lawyer is a specially-trained attorney who is self-employed or working for a law firm. The lawyer works with private clients such as developers, corporations, government, and individuals in connection with a variety of cultural resource-related issues that may arise. Those issues include regulations that must be followed in connection with property  development projects, ownership of cultural property, treatment of cemeteries located on the private or government-acquired property, etc. A cultural resource attorney may also be employed by a government agency to oversee all cultural resource issues that may arise, but will probably entail work in other environmental and land development areas as well. She may also be employed by a university or law school to teach subjects related to the law and cultural resources. A JD from an accredited law school is required. An undergraduate degree in Anthropology, Archaeology, Environmental Science or History is helpful, and its beneficial to take law school courses in administrative law, environmental law and litigation, real estate law and land use planning. Lab Director A laboratory director is typically a full-time position at a large CRM firm or university, with full benefits. The director is in charge of maintaining artifact collections and the analysis and processing of new artifacts as they come in out of the field. Typically, this job is filled by an archaeologist who has additional training as a museum curator. Youll need an MA in Archaeology or Museum Studies. Research Librarian Most large CRM firms have libraries- both to keep their an archive of their own reports on file, and to keep a research collection. Research librarians are typically librarians with a degree in library science: experience with archaeology is typically beneficial, but not necessary. GIS Specialist GIS Specialists (Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analysts, GIS Technicians) are people who process spatial data for an archaeological site or sites. They need to use software to produce maps and digitize data from geographic information services in universities or large cultural resource management companies. These can be part-time temporary jobs to permanent full time, sometimes benefited. Since the 1990s, the growth of Geographic Information Systems as a career; and archaeology has not been slow in including GIS as a sub-discipline. Youll need a BA, plus specialized training; archaeology background helpful but not necessary.

Humans are rational. Critically discuss the theoretical and empirical Essay

Humans are rational. Critically discuss the theoretical and empirical evidence from psychology for and against this assertion - Essay Example These biases, such as confirmation bias, anchoring, base rate neglect and overconfidence, make up the first section of this essay. The biases are present in behavioral economics, which dictates that humans will behave in a way that is efficient for them in an economic sense, and this makes up the second portion of this essay. There is some indication that humans can be rational when it comes to domain specific tasks – such as exposing cheating or enforcing social contracts. Because of this, more study should be done regarding other domain specific tasks to indicate if there are pockets of rationality in other domain specific areas. Moreover, there is considerable thought that the irrational nature that is detected on the tests could be the result of something other than irrationality at work – such as poorly worded tests, computational errors, incorrect norms being applied, or inattention of the participants. Therefore, it is possible that humans are not as irrational a s these tests might presume. This analysis makes up the third and last portion of this essay. Discussion Reasoning is a part of cognition, which is virtually wholly made up of using inference. There is some question of whether or not reasoning has a separate cognitive system unto itself, or whether or not it is merely a part of the whole of cognition (Manktelow & Chung, 2004, p. 66). That said, reasoning must be distinguished from intuition. The main difference between reason and intuition is that reasoning is done deliberately and consciously, while intuition springs forth from the mind in a spontaneous fashion, without effort or a conscious search (Kahneman, 2003, p. 1450). Thus, when a person is doing an income tax form, he is using reasoning; when that same person revolts at eating a piece of chocolate that is the shape of a cockroach, that person is working from intuition (Kahneman, 2003, p. 1450). Reasoning is a function that is only in the higher order beings, as there has be en no evidence that reasoning is present in animals or children who are pre-verbal (Mercier & Sperber, p. 3). There are three basic types of reasoning, according to Samuels et al. (2004). They are descriptive, which describes how humans actually reason; normative, which describes how humans should reason; and evaluative, which describes the difference between how humans actually reason and how they should reason. In other words, there is an assumed standard that has been established by the normative project, so researchers interested in the evaluative project are interested in finding out how actual reasoning fit the assumed standard (Samuels et al., 2004, p. 1). These are the bases of deciding whether humans are rational or irrational – does their reasoning fit what is normative? If this is the case, then rationality can be presumed, for this would mean that the individual is making decisions that benefit him or herself. There are a series of normative rules that prescribe h ow humans should behave. One of these is cancellation, which means that a human will eliminate â€Å"any state of the world that yields the same results, regardless of one’s choice† (Tverskey & Kahneman, 1986, p. s252). Cancellation is important because only one state will be realized, which makes it easy to evaluate the other options separately for each state. Transivity is another rule, which means that each option in an

Chemistry Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Chemistry - Research Paper Example the historical background of hydrogen, its chemical formula and elements, as well as its use in compounds that make up the fabric of our very existence. Hydrogen was first produced artificially by a scientist named T. Von Hohenheim in the 16th century. In combining metals and strong acids he created a flammable gas; however he didn’t realize that what he had created was hydrogen. It wasn’t until 1671 that Robert Boyle combined iron fillings and dilute acids that the element was rediscovered. In 1766 Henry Cavendish became the first to understand that the gas produced by these combinations itself constituted a wholly unique substance. Finally, in 1783 Antoine Lavosier gave the element the moniker of hydrogen upon discovering that water was produced when the then unnamed substance was burned. (Rigden 2003) The name is derived from hudur, which means water and and gennan, meaning generate, thus giving it water generator. It was named this because of Cavendishs experiment where he combined oxygen and hydrogen. Hydrogen has the atomic number 1 and the symbol H. Hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas (at room tempe rature) and highly explosive. Hydrogen is the least dense gas known to man. Its melting point is 14o K and the boiling point is 20.28o K. The atomic mass of hydrogen is 1.00794 amu. Because it has only one electron it will react very quickly and, in many cases, violently. To view this, combine hydrogen with fluorine. Hydrogen has three isotopes. The first is H-1, Protium, which is stable. Protium makes up 98% of naturally occurring hydrogen. The second is H-2, Deuterium, which is also stable. Deuterium makes up 1.99% of naturally occurring hydrogen. The third is H-3, Tritium, which is radioactive. Tritium has a half-life of 12.3 years. Tritium makes up about 0.001% of naturally occurring hydrogen. Hydrogen has numerous uses, the most common of those are balloons, metal refining, and production of electricity. Some of those uses are dangerous.