IUJ Essay Trilogy – 3rd part

Unique aspects to support candidacy

I would like to elaborate more points of view to support my candidacy, and I hope that these can be considered as value-add to my application.

1. Consistency and Commitment. I took a major in IT, I have been working for 5 years in IT, and I really want to run business in IT as well. Thus, by taking the E-Business Management Program which very much deals with information technology, I have demonstrated my consistency and commitment in the industry.
2. Societal Responsibility. I believe that what I will have to gain from IUJ must be returned to the society, especially in my country, where most part still has a very limited access to education and technology. I believe with the help of official sponsors, international governments, local community, as well as IUJ alumni network, such sensitivity to the environment and the people will make a significant contribution in making equal opportunity in education and technology comes to reality.

Again, I do really hope that this opportunity can come to reality to support what I have laid out for the future.

IUJ Essay Trilogy – 2nd part

Integrated Mobile Marketing: Toward Preference, Priority, and Location-based Marketing

By the time I write this essay, I have been using the internet for about 6 years. Various services such as email, news, instant messaging, web hosting, tutorials, blogs, online games and thousands of other services are available to be accessed. One quick question, what is the very same thing across those services? Yes, Free!!! Those services are available at no cost. Of course there are services that require our credit card information, but no doubt they are way outnumbered by those free ones. I am not sure with millions of other internet users, but for me it is clear that I want those services remain free, or otherwise I will switch for such.I have prepared a topic for my graduation thesis. A thesis about a business model with still holding the “Free” concept in mind and very much utilize the internet and mobile technology served with some marketing knowledge on top. The thesis title is: “Integrated Mobile Marketing: Toward Preference, Priority, and Location-based Marketing”Let me give a sneak preview about the thesis:

1. Objectives: To provide marketing/advertising services for merchants by giving free internet and mobile services to subscribers, in cooperation with mobile network operators.
2. Details: Service provider will offer new advertising channel to merchants targeting the before unreachable market. The old fashion advertisement delivered through radio, television, and other printed media will be complemented by this mobile advertisement.Service provider will give free mobile services to subscriber such as SMS/MMS, news/events update, reminders, streaming, push email, and so o, accessible via an internet portal, and most importantly is independent from the type of devices and mobile networks (GSM, CDMA, etc). For each services used, system will smartly insert the advertisement message from merchant. Note that advertisement will be implemented by preference, priority, and location matching as what has been laid out in the phases of system implementation.In delivering those free mobile services, service provider will cooperate with mobile network operator to get some special deals such as for the bulk SMS/MMS and data services.
3. Parties: Service Providers, Merchants/Advertisers, Mobile Network Operators, Subscribers.
4. Phases of Implementation:
   • Preference phase, will be the key phase because the implementation of a preference matching engine will lead the way of the next phases.
   • Priority phase, as the traffic grows, system should be able to track the customers’ behavior and with the help of predefined rules, priority marketing is not impossible.
   • Location phase, this will be the ultimate phase where the beauty of “one-to-one marketing, anytime, anywhere” is only a step away.
5. Benefits and Revenue Model:
   • For service provider: revenue sharing or charge per service mechanism applied to merchants/advertiser, as well as customer base for further/new business model.
   • For merchants/advertisers: double the sales, new customers, and lower marketing costs.
   • For mobile network operators: resource optimization by the increase of network traffic (voice, SMS, MMS, and data), which in return will increase overall revenue and decrease overall costs.
   • For subscribers: free services, free services, free services.

I understand that the above business model is still immature, but I believe that by evaluating, assessing, and improving it through a proper study can make it a reality to my career plan. Furthermore, I am sure that IUJ’s reputation in internet and mobile research will give a significant contribution to such realization. Blessings from IUJ and E-Business Management Program are very much expected.

IUJ Essay Trilogy – 1st part

When I applied to IUJ, there were some short writings I need to provide to be eligible for the admission. This is the first part of three. Well, I understand that these are way from perfect. However, I just want to digitally archive my whole IUJ experience, and who knows it might spark others to have the same invaluable experience.

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E-Business Management Program prepares me as one of the future IT Entrepreneur

I am the youngest of 3 brothers and 1 sister in my family. My father had always been an entrepreneur in his entire life. Although he had never really made it, his courage and spirit remain within our lives, and this has always been one of the supporting factors for me in reaching my long term career plan that is to be an Entrepreneur, especially in IT (Information Technology) industry.

I dream to run my own business that naturally classified into 2 categories: first is by providing products and/or services that are economical and have a large number of customers, while the second is for high profile projects. This strategy is mainly to be able to create cross support environment in terms of resources, if necessary. I want the business to be professionally manage, innovative, and as agile as it can to be able to survive.

Products and/or services I would like to offer are related to internet (web) and mobile technology. I suppose my background (education and working experience) is absolutely fit into those emerging technologies, and I am sure that both solutions can help creating more values to the business I want.

I understand that it is a long way to achieve my goals, not to mention the tough competition to be faced and the globalization issue which for me can be negative and positive meaning. Negative is because companies from the rest of the world can play the same game in the same market, but positive is just the other way around.

That is why I have set milestones to be achieved in a short term period. The followings are those goals not in a specific order:

• To have the opportunities to shape my hard-skill and soft-skill competencies, which are the foundations of IT business.
• To broaden my network and knowledge about players and products/services in this industry.
• To get a higher degree of international education, which will ease the way to achieve the next milestone, that is:
• To have the exposure of working in a multinational company, which I believe will give me the taste of globalization.

I can say that the above goals are partially achieved, especially the first and the second, during my current and previous working period, and for the rest, I believe IUJ (International University of Japan) is the way to be, the reasons are:

1. To me, it is obvious that Japan is a country of innovation and technology, just like Swiss for watches, and America for its Hollywood movies. Thus, it is the right place I am heading in accordance to my plan.
2. IUJ is the first and only international campus in Japan. It has experience and accomplishment in educating global leaders. This is what I precisely need, an international academic institution with comprehensively designed practical curriculum and research activities.
3. Furthermore, IUJ’s unique E-Business Management Program is unmatched elsewhere. Its concept of the ability to create business values by all kinds of IT technologies is one of its kinds across Asia Pacific.

Finally, it will be my greatest honor if IUJ can give me the opportunity to join in and be part of the network, and support realizing my goals.

Replacement for the Internet?

Is it possible? Is it worth the effort? How should it function like? More security? Faster performance? Well, maybe you can ask those questions to Japanese Internal Affair and Communication Minister, Yoshigide Suga. They will start the development of this successor of Internet, and will commercialize it in 2020. Just like the common business practice here in Japan, this one is no difference, in the sense that, government, businesses, and academia are need to be on the same page.

The ministry will seek 7.8 billion yen to support this grand project. They would like to make Japan as the leader in developing post-internet technology and setting global standards. By doing this, will help Japanese companies become more competitive in information technology.

hhmm..sounds ambitious? Maybe not, considering how Japanese telecommunication provider, NTT DoCoMo, has proven it right their competencies in developing global standards for mobile internet – CHTML. With the support and wide business agreements, they are really determined to make such a project a reality.

TM To Sell Public Fixed Phone Business

Telekom Malaysia – the major shareholder of Indonesia’s 3rd largest mobile operator Excelcomindo, plans to sell their Public Fixed Phone business unit. After filing loss of 34.5 million RM in 2006, and 11.4 million RM on the first half of 2007, TM opts to focus on their cores which is network facilitiy and service provider. It is Pemec Corporation, who will pay US$ 6 million for the deal. Pemec is a joint venture between Permodalan Nasional Berhad – the Malaysian government’s investment corporation and New Corporation from Japan.

How not profitable fixed phone business is? how much is the investment of a telephone booth? and most importantly how can operators maximize the usage of this public telephones to generate more revenues in the midst of new technologies and innovations making a phone call cheaper and cheaper? Anybody would like to share?

Mobile Comics for Indonesian Subscribers

This is something fresh and smells good. Although it is slightly behind if compared to the no-doubt Japanese mobile market (see previous post: 20 Japanese Smartphone Features), the presence of mobile comics in Indonesian market is a major milestone I would say, since it has a multiplier effect. First of all is for the newly launched 3G network. This mobile comic will enrich the available mobile content. Youngsters have more to watch, more to consume. Next is, the comic industry in Indonesia was under exploited. Many good authors outhere, but they are not tapped. I remember when I was a little kid, I rented series of popular comic titles such as “Si Buta dari Goa Hantu”, “Si Pitung”, “Godam”, “Gundala si Putra Petir”, etc. Everybody loves them. However, those were lasted only till my primary years I guess. Since then on, Japanese manga dominates our bookstores. Thus, with this new distribution channel, I hope the industry will be alive again.

It is the country’s largest operator – Telkomsel, who will bring those old good memories back for the mobile subscribers. However, when the launch date is, nobody knows. Lets just hope that Telkomsel will soon bring those digital superheroes to their existing 2.7 million 3G subscribers. Only 1.2 of which have the proper phone, and only 850 thousands actively use the 3G services generating US$ 20 ARPU.

20 Japanese Smartphone Features

1.  Mobile Wallet
2.  Mobile MANGA (Japanese Comics)
3.  Mobile Check-in at Airports
4.  Mobile Keys for Door
5.  Mobile Employee Badges
6.  Mobile Cinema Tickets
7.  Mobile Transport Passes
8.  Fingerprint Authentication
9.  Face Recognition / Authentication
10.  Mobile Discount / Promoti0n Coupons
11.  Scented Phones
12.  Mobile Fashion Consultant
13.  Mobile Live TV
14.  Wii-like Mobile Phones (Motion Sensor)
15.  Physical Bookmarks for Mobile (Shops)
16.  Privacy Screens
17.  Scan Barcodes, even on Fruits and Vegetables Labels
18.  Mobile GPS Navigation
19.  Electric Wave Posters (uses RFiD)
20.  Waterproof Phones

source: http://www.boohooforyou.com/ 

Of all those 20, so far I have only tried mobile manga, mobile tv, and scan barcodes. What about you? To see how advance the mobile technology in Japan, here it is: