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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
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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.

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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. Whats 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
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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, JetBlues 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.

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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,

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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 companys 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,
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too, with the Kronos system. The new system generates schedules that are irregular

and unpredictable and may decrease the employees 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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References

Jones (2011) Flexible Scheduling At Wal-Mart: Good Or Bad For Employees?

http://www.papercamp.com/essay/21830/Flexible-Scheduling-At-Wal-Mart-Good-

Or Bad for Employees? Last accessed June 10, 2011.

Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (2010). Management information systems:

Managing the digital firm. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Saclun (2010) JetBlue Hits Turbalence Case Study.

http://www.managementparadise.com/article.php?article_id=377 Last

accessed June 10, 2011.

Wagner, M. (2007) Using Second Life As A Business-To-Business Tool.

http://www.informationweek.com/blog/229216287. Last accessed June 8,

2011.