Good job EVAs

Just wanted to write a short post to congratulate the fledgling EVAs of ETEC 522 2009.

Well done. Lots of evaluations (tables and prose) and comments on EVA findings. Thanks also for the useful resources that have been posted to support extensions to the content for Module 2.

d.

September 21, 2009   2 Comments

Ingenia and Recombo

recomo page 1recombo market 2

September 21, 2009   3 Comments

Bplans Pitch Site

A VERY new (pitches are not quite public yet) addition to bplans.com this section of the site allows users to post video pitches to the community to be evaluated (looks like 522 has some competition).  With a host of other free information on pitches and business plans, this site would be well worth a browse in preparing to develop your own pitch.  Welcome video by Tim Berry gives some solid thoughts on developing a pitch.

bplans.com pitch site

YouTube Preview Image

September 21, 2009   2 Comments

Resources

The Business Link is a joint web site- hosted by Govt. of Alberta and the Govt. of Canada.   http://www.canadabusiness.ab.ca/

This web site has many different sections from marketing- financing and includes a section  on e-business

Marketing- http://www.canadabusiness.ca/servlet/ContentServer?cid=1104766631708&pagename=CBSC_AB%2FCBSC_WebPage%2FCBSC_WebPage_Temp&c=CBSC_WebPage

e-business- http://www.canadabusiness.ca/servlet/ContentServer?cid=1184870303638&pagename=CBSC_AB%2FCBSC_WebPage%2FCBSC_WebPage_Temp&c=CBSC_WebPage

September 21, 2009   No Comments

posting

Hi:  I have completed my Business bootcamp analysis of the 2 pitches.  I did them on a chart in word.  I would to copy the chart into my post.  How do I do this?

Bev

September 21, 2009   3 Comments

Recombo and Ingenia

September 21, 2009   No Comments

Venture Internet Resources

I don’t remember seeing any of these sites posted let me know if you find them helpful!

 

http://www.1000ventures.com/venture_financing/vfin_vp_chart_byvpa.html – cool venture planning concept chart!

http://abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank– American version of Dragons Den, prime time version of making the pitch! 

http://sbinformation.about.com/cs/bestpractices/a/jointventure.htm – I found this interesting it is all about the benfits of entering in a joint venture to improve the chances of your company’s success.

September 21, 2009   No Comments

Pitch Analysis for RRU and Recombo

Okay, so here is my evaluation of Royal Roads University (RRU) open courseware and Recombo.  Having been my first time as an EVA I found this to be challanging task.  More research time on both topics is what I would need to go forth with an investment.  Teachers love these little organizational charts!! 

Criteria Recombo RRU
CEO Credibility -Seems to have a solid understanding a vision for what recombo is trying to achieve- Mentions walking away from business in 2005 if he doesn’t achieve results he wants, although it shows that he is focused on results as an investor I would never want to hear that type of negativity during a pitch

-Also it seems that is not the CEO of recombo, which leads me to wonder why he is making the pitch

– We are not formally introduced to a CEO therefore we don’t know who is behind all the ideas of opencourseware- I feel unsure of who will be ultimately accountable for the progress of the corporation/initiative
Management Team – Little is mentioned about the management team besides the former VP of Terra Lycos- Understanding the management team is important because without the right team the company has a critical flaw – No mentioned of a management team, however given that it is RRU is a university its name does provide some credibility
Business Model – I believe Recombo has a viable understanding of where they want to go and I would be interested in hearing more details about Recombo’s plan to improve elearning as they obviously see it as a niche market for their products – RRU seems to not deliver a tangible plan for how they will implement opencourseware.-Will it be all at once or will it increase gradually, how much will it cost and what revenue will it generate, I think RRU is looking to create revenue indirectly through enrolment

– opencourseware appears to be an altruistic venture and therefore is free to the user

Competitive Products Considering the eagerness of publishers to get into the corporate training market I believe there is a huge market to be captures in the near future – RRU does not explain the target market they will be pursuing for example what age demographic
Market readiness – Considering that computing is headed towards more integration everyday, the need need to translate information between programs is and will become more important and the market for Recombo’s products is ready for solutions – Since RRU does not mention what it would consider to be a success we don’t know what RRU’s exact goal is we need to see exactly where they want to go and how they are going to measure their success
Technical  innovation – Recombo makes no points about whether any of their technology is available only from them, however they may be leaders in their ideas – I see RRU as getting “on board” with this idea rather than having a technology which is unique to their institution
Exit Strategy – Recombo seems unclear about an exit however an IPO is mentioned and acquisition by IBM, however according to Brad it would need to have the right price – Destination is unclear, I am not sure how I see how I will get a return on my investment
Overall investment status – Although Recombos seems to have a sound plan and idea for an emerging market I would need to do more research into the IT industry to understand more about other perhaps similar opportunities before investing in Recombo.  Also I would prefer to hear about more about the sales in the company and its operating costs. – Granted that RRU and opencourseware sound like a wonderful altruistic idea for improving learning opportunities for everyone I would not directly invest capital in this venture as it is very unclear how I will generate a direct monetary return in the future.

September 21, 2009   5 Comments

Second Life Cubed

Second Life (SL),  owned by Linden Lab, is an online 3D world created and maintained by its users (residents).  Click here for a short video. Although not originally intended to be, the Second Life platform is emerging as a learning technology.

Face 1 – Market Focus

The SL platform offers opportunities to all three market sectors on the cube. Higher education institutes like colleges and universities have raced to establish themselves on the SL grid to offer distance/blended course offerings and to create virtual learning spaces. The corporate world serves as another market because companies, both private and government, can establish a presence in SL and use the platform for training and development. To a lesser extent, the K-12 sector represents another market focus. Although the potential is there for profit from the K-12 markets, growth has been slower due to several restrictions and barriers.

Face 2 – Types of Offerings

As a learning technology, SL offers infrastructure as a mechanism for providing online learning opportunities. Although general membership and participation in SL is free, those wanting to create learning opportunities must purchase land and pay other service fees.  Content and subject matter is the responsibility of the users/clients. Varying levels of technical support only is offered by SL to its paying customers.

Face 3 – Who is the Buyer?

Typically, SL as a learning technology is purchased by corporations, school districts, and higher education institutes. According to the cube, I suppose it is either “learning bought for learner” or “learning bought centrally” depending on how the purchaser intends the technology will be used and whether the use of SL is imposed on learners and institutions. Interestingly, there is an opportunity for revenue from individual learners once immersed in the learning technology because SL has its own currency system and market that entices users to make purchases, sometimes costing real world funds.

Face 4 – Global Markets

The SL platform is best suited for regions with excellent Internet infrastructure. Regions where Internet and bandwidth is limited or restricted will experience far too many problems using SL as learning technology. In fact, broadband Internet and above average computer hardware are minimum recommendations for using SL. Regarding the issue of language, the SL platform is available in English, French, German, and Chinese. This could be viewed as a restriction, however, because SL is created and maintained by its users creative ways to translate the interface have been used including an in-world translator.

Face 5 – Development of the Market

I’m hoping this face of the cube allows for some blurring of the boundaries because I’m not exactly sure where SL as a learning technology fits in regarding development of the market. As previously stated, poor Internet infrastructure, potential language barriers and poverty creates unfavourable market conditions for selling SL as a learning technology in some regions. It simply is not a good fit in some countries. However, generally speaking, the global market freely imports  and exports learning technologies. Potential buyers are free to consider using SL. While SL does face a small number of competitors in the virtual world market, its popularity gives it a slight edge.

Face 6 – Learning Technology Competing with Other Forms of Learning

SL is a learning technology that “works with a well developed learning system”. SL is likely going to be used to enhance teaching and learning by those who have chosen to explore the benefits of the engaging environment of 3D virtual worlds. In some cases, however, I could see that the use of SL as a learning technology could be imposed on a system as a cost and time saving means of delivering instruction and training. Corporations, for example, might make it mandatory for employees to enroll in professional development delivered in SL as opposed to the more traditional means of expensive face to face training sessions and conferences. In this case, drawing from the cube, the technology is “imposed and competes with existing learning systems”.

September 21, 2009   8 Comments

A Small Step Out Into The World

Welcome to Module 3 – which takes up weeks 3 & 4 of the course.

We’ve given this module more time than the others because it begins a shift in thinking to the perspective of the entrepreneur – which is more daunting than that of the analyst.   It’s so much easier being a critic than an innovator!   What entrepreneurs need most is focus, and identifying a customer is obviously a critical part of that.  Identifying a market is also critical, and the CUBE is one good tool for creating an understanding of the global marketplace.

I really appreciate all the great global resources that have already been offered forward by 522 students, and I’m looking forward to more!

DavidV

September 21, 2009   No Comments