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Sunday, September 24, 2006

Managers Could benefit diagnosis tools used by Doctors

Distribution Business leaders could benefit from fundamental technologies designed for Medical Practitioners including Doctors and Nurses.

Doctors and Nurses have at their disposal a software tool known as Epocrates.  The tool has long been available as a database that was run from handheld devices.  Recently the tool was expanded and is now available as an online tool.

Basically it provides Doctors with information at their finger tips such that they can check facts quickly and confirm things about various prescription medicines.  A doctor can look up recommended prescription dosages, drug interaction information even find information about which health plan will might a particular drug and if its available in a generic alternative.

So if a Doctor wants to prescribe a patient a drug like Diovan, for treatment of high blood pressure, they can look it up and cover their bases asking the patient if they have kidney disease or liver disease or if they might be pregnant.  If yes they can recommend an alternative.
Distribution business could benefit from having an all in one fact checking database, providing information about the latest freight rates, or freight routes from Hong Kong to Los Angeles.  A database that compiled a list of all Retailer Compliance requirements could help a logistics manager confirm that a shipment is packaged correctly and if the shipment is canceled or delayed before it leaves the dock, they could confirm that the shipment could be rapidly reconfigured and shipped to an alternate customer still meeting their compliance requirements.

Such a tool would need to be available both in handheld form and online, but could be very  valuable.  Many service providers from freight carriers to call centers even factoring houses and collections company provide a significant amount of information online, but no one puts it together in one place in one tool where  a business can diagnose the big picture and provide the best possible response.


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Business Intelligence Demands on the Rise

Many companies over the last dozen or more years have upgraded their core systems, made updates for the Year 2000 bug, and then blissfully run through a number of upgrades and improvements adding components from reporting, to web dashboards, HR systems, CRM systems, contract management, logistics and reverse logistics systems and more.

All those systems, all those modules and components and add ons have increased the need for a severe build out in Business Intelligence tools that can put all those systems together and tell a company what is going on within their organization and all the touch points in their corporate partnerships from supply chain to sales.

Last year (2005) SAP saw a 130.9 percent growth over the previous year in sales of business intelligence tools.  This increased their market share from 3.8 to 7.6 percent.  A group of normally heavy hitters in this area from Business Objects, Cognos, SAS and Hyperion saw increases in their revenues.

Microsoft walked appears however to be the horse in the rear that is getting ready to make its move as it comes around the turn.  It saw revenues increase last year from $213 million up to $290 million, then proceeded to start rolling out SQL Server 2005 with new and improved analytics tools, then it made an even greater effort and agreed to acquire ProClarity in May.  With improvements in OLAP tools and many plugins, Microsoft is now positioned to compete head on with the top providers in their home turf, selling BI tools directly to SAP customers and more.


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Keeping a Work Force Educated on the Latest Technologies and Applications

I've written on multiple ocassions about the benefits and challenges of online education programs and some of the myths surrounding the genre, plus I've recently written many tips to succeed that I learned the hard way as it relates to e-learning environments. This is not something for the unmotivated nor is it something for the unprepared or for those that have learning difficutles. E-Learning takes a serious amount of dedication and time, but if you can committ you can benefit. Employers are finding that these types of programs can pay serious dividends. Online Education and training programs are often cheaper than hosting training in house and they are usually much less disruptive to day to day operations. Plus, not only do business benefit from the knowledge that their employees come back to work with, but they benefit from the fresh motivation that comes from learning new ideas, new techniques, new confidence in their abilities and most of all new appreciation in their employers investment in their future. If you want to get an employee up to speed on a database system, on RFID technology or get them going on a Green Belt or Black Belt program in Six Sigma, an online offering is just a few clicks away and your business will benefit from it. As a business owner make sure that you provide the employees with the times and means to get the most out of the training. Online programs can be less disruptive on operations, however they do need the appropriate level of support. Make sure you review the program, the schedules and even the syllabus with your employee. If you see a skill set listed in the syllabus that is important to your future plans for the company or this employee, let them know how much you value the topic and challenge them to focus closely on this topic. There's nothing more important in a training program than identifying the relevant topics and bringing new knowledge and skills back to the job and the organization! Technorati Tags: , , , , ,
Friday, September 22, 2006

Robo Moto or Instantmoto Vending Machine Stores

Motorola anounced this week that it will start selling some cell phones and accessories through robotic vending machines. The Instantmoto stores will be located in the San Francisco area in malls and airports. Consumers will be able to buy various cell phones including the Razr and the Q. After the purchase they will need to sign up for a service through a carrier over the internet. This will be available for T-Mobile, Cingular and Verizon services. Motorola has established this deal through Zoom Systems, specialists in automated vending machines. Technorati Tags: , , ,
Sunday, September 17, 2006

Stores without Employees?

If McDonalds can outsource drive through teller work to call centers in India, why not take a convenience store one step further and eliminate employees all together. That's just what this Get and Go has achieved. No employees all vending machines and atm tellers and plans to do more like lotto tickets. One thing they are not missing is a healthy margin. Upwards of 60%! Technorati Tags: , ,
Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Podcast and Portable Media Expo

I will be attending the Podcast and Portable media Expo.  If you would like to meet up with me at the event, arrangements can be made I'm really looking forward to the expo and will be attending as many of the events as possible.
Monday, September 11, 2006

Dell Distributing a delayed Quarterly Report

Dell Inc became nothing less than famous for its direct to consumer distribution model.  However, today it anounced a delay in its quarterly reporting spurred on by what originally started as an informal SEC investigation.  That investigation has expanded and now the State of New York is investigating accounting issues dating back to 2002.  Some reports even indicate that the Department of Justice is getting involved.

According to CNBC reports, the questions raised may relate to concerns over methods used in balance sheet reporting relating to reserves accrued by Dell.

Balance sheet reporting is a growing area of concern for many large companies.  Unlike problems at Apple relating to the expensing of Stock Options, most balance sheet reporting problems are created when reserves for potential future charges are set up.  The valuation of these potential future charges hit the bottom line when the reserve is taken normally.  However, problems and discrepancies can become uncontrollable when methods of valuation or impractical or tediously out of control due to large volumes of transactions. 

This is no excuse, but in an age of cut backs, downsizing and extreme outsourcing, proper valuations are even harder to assess when there is no area of the company that has a solid grasp on the issues at hand.

Many retailers, who also sell directly to consumers, have run into issue with Balance Sheet accounting relating to chargebacks, and warranty or returns issues. 

A reserve may be set up for an expected expense down the road.  If the accrual is not large enough for the future expense that will come due, unexpected one time charges must be assessed to catch up the books.  So if accruals from years past are too light, then not only will a catch up charge need to be executed to literally pay the bill, however a restatement in earnings and all the related transactions such as income tax reporting may be required.

So profits in the past may be rosier than they really were, when their late to catch up expense finally come home to roost,

On the flip side, if a company over accrues, they will increase their expenses and have a big profit hit at some time in the future.  This can result in situations that might not help a stock valuation out much, but that can significantly reduce a tax bill.  After all lower profits translate to lower taxes and lower overall expenses.  Cagie officers can always find some place to park that extra reserve later on down the road.

Unfortunately, there are the books disclosed to the public and then there is someone behind the seens that translates what those books really mean.  Balance Sheet Accounting is one aspect of the Rosetta stone of the real set of accounting books.  Don't ever let your due dilligence team stop at the Profit and Loss or income statement, always make sure there is nothing hidden in the balance sheet.

Think the third party auditors are going to catch this?  Maybe in a perfect world, a world where Enron's don't happen, but again the devil's in the details and auditors don't always dig far enough into the details either.  They get a few weeks a quarter to figure out what is going on, even less than their counterparts that are actually within the company.

Not to be cynical, but Sarbanes Oxley doesn't carry much weight off shore either.  The loop holes for this legislation start just a few miles off the coast and cover most of the world.  Yes, many US companies are trying to get up to standards, but if you look to companies outside of the US, they rarely have any requirements to meet this level of standards, even when they operate in the US.


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Monday, September 04, 2006

Dun and Bradstreet aka D&B

I used to work as a credit and accounts receivable manager, first for Motorola and then for a spin off called Giant International. In both companies, we subscribed to Dun & Bradstreet. They provide many different services, including company profiles (I believe they even purchased Hoovers some time ago). We used their company profile reports as one source of information whenever we might consider doing business with a new partner. We would also use their services in part to make credit decisions in regards to new customers and sometimes with new partners. D&B in addition to collecting profile information, also works like a credit bureau analogous to Equifax or TransUnion. They provide credit scoring and risk assessments for the companies they profile in many cases. We would subscribe on a yearly basis, and for our package would receive 5 business reports per month and 5 credit reports per month. Some of their reports can be very in depth and some are very summary level. They utilize self submitted information, but also use third party information to verify financials, and credit ratings from banks, and vendors and even utilities. Just as a person should work to keep their personal credit in good repair, it is very important for a business to keep their business credit in good repair. I would not advocate spending a great deal of money to do this unless your company intends to buy and sell a large quantity of goods or services on credit to other businesses. I will leave off on the details from here, but let me state that this is just a summary of what they do and how their information can be used. Technorati Tags: , ,