Apple Pay is a mobile payment service designed to allow Iphone 6 and Iphone 6 Plus users in the United States to make payments with their Iphones. This works both in stores as well as participating apps. Apple Pay has already began to change the way consumers pay for products but we will also begin to see a drastic change in how producers market their products.
Jack Philbin, CEO of Vibes, a mobile marketing company that works closely with Passbook and Google Wallet said, " Apple announcing Apple Pay was a wakeup call for marketers." Unlike Google Wallet, Apple Pay does not allow merchants to push their products to consumers. Some believe this is a flaw of apple pay but lets take a step back and look at the previous mentioned platform, Passbook. Apple Pay is just a payment functionality. Event though passbook has been around since 2012 Iphone users are just now beginning to pay attention to their mobile wallets now that it offers an easy way to pay for things through their Iphones.
Passbook allows companies such as Gap, Starbucks, The Home Depot, and Bloomingdales to upload mobile coupons and loyalty cards. Since the introduction of Apple Pay, these companies have seen a 54% increase in people installing coupons and loyalty cards. I think its safe to say that this increase is due to the presentation of Apple Pay.
Passbook has also taken advantage of the ability to know your location. Starbucks has been using Passbook for years now. Whenever a customer who has downloaded a Starbucks loyalty card is near one of the stores the card will appear on the lock screen. This also works for downloaded coupons. If someone was to add a Walgreen coupon, the coupon will appear on the lock screen when you get closer to the companies stores.
It will be interesting to see how many companies shift to creating loyalty cards and coupons that can be uploaded to Passbooks. Only a few stores allow consumers to use these in stores but I believe in a few years each store will offer this type of payment.
Microsoft Excel is maybe the most critical PC programming system utilized as a part of the working environment today. That is the reason such a large number of specialists and planned workers are obliged to learn Excel to enter or stay in the work environment. From the perspective of the manager, especially those in the field of data frameworks, the utilization of Excel as an end-client figuring instrument is crucial. Not just are numerous business experts utilizing Excel to perform daily practical undertakings in the working environment, an expanding number of executives depend on Excel for choice backing. Microsoft Excel has become the primary function and tool needed for individuals in the corporate world, thus leaving individuals who fall short of knowing how to specifically use these programs in the dark age. Being familiar with Microsoft has because adequately related to a young child learning their ABC'S because without these tools progress is difficult to obtain. Excel is a function that allows companies and firms to create such things a pivot tables, charts, diagrams, in addition to a plethora of other functions. It has proven to make the jobs of the every day corporate individual simple with its creative and unique tools offered, for instance in the chart function, Microsoft Excel, then again, gives an outline creation work that can issue you more precise representation of your figures, and the adaptability of embellishment and moving those graphs around. Drawing a graph on paper or even by hand in a representation system implies that your outline is lasting in the hues you've picked, information cuts and shape. In Excel, however, you can, in a click, go from pie outline to structured presentation, essential hues to pastel, and include or uproot a legend and tomahawks titles. None of these switches upset the respectability of your unique network information, yet the adaptability of utilizing Excel simply issues you more to do with the diagram once its at first rendered onscreen. Microsoft Office's Excel application permits clients to store, display and control information sets. Exceed expectations spreadsheets sort out this information into worksheets, each with various columns and segments. Every line or segment has one or more cells, with every cell holding a solitary information esteem. Exceed expectations gives a scope of computerized capacities for working with these put away information qualities, including the diagram capacity. When information is put away in an Excel spreadsheet, anybody with access to that spreadsheet can control the information keeping in mind the end goal to dissect and convey its significance. The outlining capacity can be a key component in these methods. Another function that proves to useful within excel is the tables and pivot tables, in addition, Excel expectations can be accustomed to bring data from different records and archives together, with the goal that it exists in a solitary area. And also crude information and data from different spreadsheets, it is conceivable to import content and pictures. Different articles can be included utilizing the Insert tab, or extra spreadsheets can be added to the record. In closing, to be successful in todays society as well as in the corporate field individuals must have strong knowledge of Microsoft Excel as it has has to make things simple within the workplace, in addition, Excel has increase the amount of accuracy within companies with its charts and tables. The ABC's are a primary and important aspect to when kids start learning, and Microsoft Excel has become that for the corporate field.
Recently a computer scientist by the name of Ben Taskar has decided to tackle one of the biggest problems in artificial intelligence. The problem that Ben Taskar and the rest of his research team are working towards solving is the question of "How to make computers learn faster than children?". In the article "Computer Learns to Think Like a Child" Greg Johnson-Penn explains that a toddler learns what a car is by someone pointing to an automobile and saying "car" several times. However, computers learn what a car is by a person inputting thousands of images of different cars. At first glance it is difficult to believe that a toddler is more intelligent than a computer, however Greg's example helps to put into perspective how complex it is to program learning into a computer.
The implications of successfully creating an algorithm that learns like a toddler will be groundbreaking. This technology would enable us to solve problems facing our society at an unprecedented rate. If Prof. Taskar accomplishes his goal creating an algorithm that allows computers to learn, artificial intelligence will improve exponentially. As a result this new technology issues that face our society such as incurable diseases, world hunger, failing economies, etc. could possibly be solved by computers all over the world constantly looking for ways in which these various issue can be solved. However, although the implications of self-learning computers has the potential to be a great asset it could also be a great detriment.
Prof. Stephen Hawking agrees that the potential for artificial intelligence to improve humanity is valid. However, he fears the consequences of creating something that can match or even surpass humans. Prof. Hawkings believes that if we ever were to successfully create a computer that could think on its own it would eventually take off on its own and redesign its self at an increasing rate. Although this might sound like something like out of a cheesy science fiction movie the reality of us ever reaching this point is very real. Artificial intelligence can already be seen all around us today from Google predicting our searches, to ads on the internet tailored to our viewing habits, all the way down to our cellphones predicting the words we'll use next. The question that I would like to pose is "Would artificial intelligence of this caliber be more of a detriment to society than an advantage?"
Other than tables and charts, another good way to present data is with maps. To use maps in a presentation, the data needs locational information (for example, state, zipcode, lat/long, street name and/or street numbers).
For this assignment you will need to find some data with locational variables, so fusion tables can geocode each record. Remember each row is a record and each column is a data field. Make sure the data you get has a few numbers-based data fields (example:building size, sales price, land acreage and/or year building was built).
Assignment:Remember to use screencast-o-matic to record the steps below.
1) Use the excel file from the last two Excel HW assignments. Use the one you already downloaded. The version in the cloud might have been altered from my using it last class.
2) Cut the number of rows from 8,000+ to about 200.
3) 200 will make Google geocoding finish sooner
4) Create the concontenate column (see video below) remember Monday's class
5) Use Save-as to make sure this file is saved as an excel file (.xls)
6) Upload into Google Fusion Tables
7) Map records
8) Change style (see video below)
9) Add Legend to map (see video below)
This Homework #6 is due Sunday March 29, 2015 at midnight.
There is no Classmarker exam.
Once you finish your Google fusion table, upload your created video and complete the form below, to submit your homework.
Your grade will be based on how well your map looks and the coloring of the location dots based on sales price, city or date.
I will be available for a one-on-one on Skype (username: osistrunk3).
Join.me can be used so I can look at your PC screen from my PC screen
Just text me (4045090533) to set an appointment.
Do not wait until the last minute.
You will need a Google account (Gmail, Drive, Blogger or other). Any account should work. Once you have one Google account, you can add other services. Google fusion tables are on Google Drive. If you do not have a Google account, sign up for free, for Google drive.
What is Google Fusion Tables?
It allows you to visualize data in a map format instead of a table or chart format. You can upload excel data with locational information (Lat/Long, addresses, city and etc.). Once you upload this spreadsheet, you can map each row (record or transaction) to Google map. It allows you to show your data in a map format. Google will map each row. Once mapped, you can use the informational data about each row (the columns) to highlight what is important. For example, your data has addresses. You can map each address and show them on a google map. The you can change to color of each dot based on other information in the spreadsheet, like sales price.
This week, Alibaba unveiled technology that allows people to make payments simply by smiling at their phones. Using facial recognition, the new Alipay system will authorize payments by comparing the image seen by a smartphone's camera to a pre-known picture of the person making the payment.
Such a system obviously improves convenience, reducing the need for people to remember and use passwords and is part of a smartphone-biometrics trend that began with the inclusion of fingerprint readers on the iPhone to allow for easy unlocking of the device.
Facial recognition is no exception.
While it is unclear as of yet exactly how Alipay's authentication works, in general, facial recognition technology relies on the fact that the user authenticating is actually presenting his or her face and not an image of someone else's. At the entrance to a building, for example, a guard and security cameras would see if someone were holding up a picture rather than approaching a scanner in person.
Allowing facial recognition to be used to authorize payments from smartphones clearly poses risks; if a criminal were to gain access to someone's phone, either by stealing it or finding it after it is lost, the odds are pretty good that he or she could obtain a high resolution image of the user either directly from the phone, or by doing a search online with the user's information obtainable from the phone. This is especially true if the phone were not locked at the time, although many people's phones contain enough information on the lock screen to allow people to find their images online. Could such images be used to illegally authorize payments?
While biometrics are clearly here to stay, it is important to understand the potential risks before using them.
Whether you're a business, chemistry, math, or physics major, making presentations will be an important part of your career and it is very important that you are able to make great presentations. Charts are very important when displaying data and information when making a presentation. The use of charts allows one to visualize different data sets in a graphical view. The use of graphs aids the general understanding of the data that is being displayed. Charts show patterns and relations between data. As the data used to make the chart is changed/updated, the corresponding chart is automatically updated.
I use to believe that converting data to different charts was such an easy concept that everyone understood how to do it, but I quickly found this untrue during my first internship. Some of the younger professionals at the company didn't understand how much of an asset having organized and comprehensible charts to accompany their presentations were. Many people would just spit out numbers and patterns without any visual representations. This would lose the attention of the audience and therefore, the audience would miss the overall purpose of the presentation.
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The link below further discusses the importance of charts when making presentations as well as a detailed discussion of when to use each type of chart.
In order to have a successful chart, you must know the message you want to convey to your audience, as this dictates the type of chart you will use. You must choose a style catered to your data and purpose. Next, you must choose a good color scheme that will grab your audience's attention, but not distract them. Lastly, you should review your chart and make final revisions.
Steve Case whom is the co-founder of AOL explains how the internet is valuable and continues to increase in people that use it on a daily basis. He stated that companies like Google, Twitter and Facebook are able to excel in many ways because of how many people use the internet in today's society. People that use the internet is on its all time high and continues to increase more and more. Companies that look to benefit and expand their market understand the best way to do so is by taking over the internet. This way you can reach out to millions of people with a click of a button. The article states that more than half of our economy uses the internet and is increasing more and more each day.
It took AOL 10 years to reach 10 million users. The pace is growing rapidly because it took Facebook 10 months and Snapchat reach 1 million in 10 weeks. Society is becoming more internet friendly and lean on the internet for many of resources. Image in another 10 years where it would be with this unbelievable pace that it is already going on.
Case stated that "The pace of change and the threat of disruption creates tremendous opportunities for entrepreneurs if they understand the battle ahead" which means that the day of age is changing for entrepreneurs and its for the better. The internet makes it a lot easier to sell your company or your organization in so many ways because of the benefits the internet brings.
Your Excel HW #5 is to create a Youtube video that shows you creating your excel charts. I got this idea from last semester. So as I stated in our last traditional class, your excel homework assignments for HW#5, #6 and #7 will be recorded by you and placed in your Youtube account. There will be no Classmarker exam for these three assignments. I will grade each of your videos.
DIRECTIONS:
Watch my video - Homework requirement within this video
Excel data for HW #4. Click here to download. After it opens go up to the menu and click File>Download, to download this Excel file on to your computer. Then open it in your Excel.
The exam must be completed by midnight Sunday March 22, 2015. No Classmarker Exam. There is a Youtube Exam. For YouTube Exam Directions - see above tab.
Complete to form located at the Youtube Exam tab, to submit your exam
Below are some videos to help you with learning how pivot tables work. Both Windows and Apple OS versions.
"It means Google knows the rules for driving on every road in the United States and they're working on Europe. So they know that on this block you can go 25 and on the next block you can go 35. They know where you can take a right turn, a left turn or whatever," Berkley said. In that respect Google has the capacity to change auto insurance because it will be able to charge a different amount for every driver and every car.
"They can give you a plug in device, not unlike Progressive, and they know exactly when you're breaking the law and when you're not. They can rate you exactly on how good a driver you are. Every day," he said.
In addition, the better a person drives, the less this person will pay so Google's platform will likely appeal to regulators. That's because it's a self-correcting model. Drivers who notice their car insurance going up because of poor driving can change their driving habits.
"There's something else. I no longer pay by the car, I pay by the driver. You plug it in and they know how many miles you drove. And they know what kind of car it was," Berkley said
And they charge in accordance with that, making it a real risk-based system. Plus, because Google has Gmail, they can charge direct and sell direct, he said.
These technology driven changes are based on information and facts and will provide Google with better predictability.
"It's exciting, it's challenging. … It's change," he said. And agents can either embrace it or lag behind.
Softening the blow, Berkley said agents will continue to have an important role in the auto insurance business because people will still be willing to pay for the service agents provide. "But we need to start by asking — 'what do our customers want, how do we serve them, what are we going to do to make money and see that that they are happy?'"
He likened the impact of Google's entry into auto insurance to that of Geico when it pioneered its model of selling coverage online and direct.
Many of us over the last couple of weeks have learned a lot about the different capabilities of Excel. This includes using different functions to sort data, analyze data, and ultimately make a decision based off the data. From the homework's and class discussions, we have gotten a broad idea of analyzing data to make decisions, but what is the use and importance in the industries of our interest. Below are examples of how data decision-making affects some target industries for Morehouse College business students.
Sports- Today many General Managers across all major sports use different data to determine, draft picks, roster, and personnel. When trying to find the next Tom Brady, sports team rely heavily on their analytics when making decisions. Below is an article from ESPN.com about a leading NBA analytic specialist and how his role has grown exponentially in the last few years.
Marketing- Analyzing data is the single most important thing that marketers look at to see if there strategy worked and what they should target next. Every decision will ultimately affect the bottom line and can set the course for the firm or product.
Investment Banking/ Stock Picking – Combined, banks employ thousands of analysts that's only job is to analyze and research data from either a company or industry. The decisions in this industry based off sorted data are almost limitless. From creating a new hedging strategy to picking one stock over another. The article below from the Wall Street Journal gives some specific ways banks themselves use it.
Consulting – Most consulting firms have an "analytics consultant", position. That alone reflects the importance of analytics in consulting. There basic function is to provide analytics and translate them for their clients to improve their businesses.
Thus, analyzing data is very relevant in many industries across the board. This shows the importance not only being able to analyze, but to sort the data effectively using Excel.
