It was with great difficulty that I and my helpers selected the 10 blog comments that you will get to vote on. We tried to reward hard work, research, creativity, enthusiasm and academic integrity throughout the term. In the end, we had to make a choice and picked what we felt were the top 10 comments. Congratulations to all of you for your hard work and many thanks for making Blogonomics a respectful and fun learning environment were students are free to express their views in an approachable manner.

Congratulations to the 7 finalists who wrote the 10 comments selected. Their blog names in random order: JPlourd, gcardenas90, Bowtech1, MGMBoston, sweetheart, DriftingAE86 and g_kings.

Click here to elect the Last Blogger Standing for the Winter/Spring 2010 term

Being a pioneer in an industry flooded with fraud and short term survival rates can have its advantages. For EBay, it proved to be critical. I give you a hint; it’s all about its customers.

Review EBay’s business model and perform a SWOT analysis by identifying the company’s STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES and THREATS. Remember, the first two are internal factors affecting the organization while the last two are external factors affecting the company’s business environment. Feel free to point out errors in someone else’s comment if you feel the author has identified external factors as internal or vice-versa.

If you are in my Marketing class, research Amazon’s promotion in terms of sales promotion and advertising. Make sure to point out the elements and how effective you think they are and why.

If you are in my Intro to Business class, find or compute Amazon’s EPS for the last 3 years. Compare these ratios to at least one of Amazon’s competitor’s EPS and determine whether Amazon has performed better or worst than its competitor(s).

Have fun!

Yesterday, I got to try the iPad for the first time, and I must say I was impressed. Great user interface, great screen resolution, light weight, small enough to carry with you, yet large enough to use as a light laptop. As an Apple stockholder, I couldn’t be happier about Apple’s new gadget. By the way, the stock climbed above $242! Go Apple!

Now, let’s understand the business behind Google. As users of Google, it is difficult for many of us to understand Google’s business. Most users aren’t exactly Google’s customers. Most of us simply use Google for free! So, how is it that Google makes money?

If you are in my marketing class, find out what product/service Google provides to its customers and at what price.
If you are in my Intro to Business class, find out Google’s profit margin and return on equity for the last 3 years. How would you interpret these ratios?

This week, we begin looking into individual companies to understand some of the marketing and financial variables that contribute to a company’s economic success. Our first pick, Apple Inc.

Over the last decade, Apple has provided investors/owners with over a 700% return on their original investment. During the same time period, the Dow Jones Industrial Average reported 0% growth. (The Dow is an average used to measure the performance of 30 large US companies representing industries that determine economic performance in the United States). However, you needed to wait until 2005 to see the stock outperform the Dow and explode into a high growth stock. An amazing story and a great investment!

Let’s look into some of the factors that have contributed to Apple’s stock recent success. If you are in my Marketing class, find Apple’s target market and the bases and descriptors used to segment its market(s). Remember that it is possible for a company to market the same or different products to multiple segments.

If you are in my Intro to Business class, look into Apple’s Income Statement. Look for revenue and profit growth over the last ten years. Can you find any trends? Look into Apple’s Owner’s Equity account, how is the company financed? (Hint: Debt vs. Equity). Note: we will be covering “Understanding Financial Information and Accounting” in class over the next two weeks; therefore, don’t attempt to answer this blog post until March 30th.

Don’t forget to do research and cite your sources. Good luck!

Look into Cummings Properties, a well known commercial landlord in Massachusetts. Find out their vacancy rates today and compare them to prior years’ rates. How do rents per square foot and size per tenant vary depending on location and type of space (labs vs. ready-to-go office space, etc)? What kind of opportunities does this market offer commercial tenants? And therefore, what kind of promotional strategies can commercial landlords use to attract and/or retain tenants?

Good luck!

I found years ago that economic adversity can bring opportunity. Back in 2002-2003, the Dow was in the middle of another bear market and the so called do it yourself investors realized it took more than free charts and chat rooms to manage a portfolio of investments. It was during this time that most clients came to me looking for help and advice. It seemed that during good times, anyone could make money in the stock market; however, during the bear market of 02-03, it was quite easy for the self directed investor to lose money. It was out of need that they sought my help. Furthermore, given my expertise in financial planning, it was during the same period that I introduced the business planning services for small business owners. In 2003, the unemployment rate surpassed 6%, high compared to the 4% we faced on January of 2000. Highly qualified entrepreneurs who had lost their jobs in the technology field were starting their own business and were in need of business planning to obtain financing from the Small Business Administration and other lenders. Throughout the years, I continued to introduce or modify services to fit the needs of my target market. Last winter, I introduced the live chat to provide advice to individuals online off business hours. Later, I introduced the 401K review and reintroduced the business planning services as federal funding was allocated to help small business owners thru the Small Business Administration. It is during difficult economic times that many of the most successful ideas have been introduced (do a little research, you would be surprised!). If you can find a solution to society’s problems and can reach the right target market and price your product or service accordingly, you are bound to be successful.

You will have until Thursday, February 25, 2010 to complete the following blog assignment. Please don’t complete this assignment until we get a chance to discuss it in class.

Think about your answer to last week’s blog prompt. Think about the conditions you posted could make a business successful in this economic environment. Do a little research using the Wall Street Journal or Yahoo Finance resources and find one small business that currently trade in a US stock market that meets the criteria you posted was needed to succeed in this environment. Provide three reasons to support your claim. (We will discuss this prompt in class)