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Showing posts from October, 2018

Week 9 - AI in The Manufacturing Industry

Artificial Intelligence stormed its way in to the Manufacturing Industry due to its precision and accuracy in completing a single task. The sheer amount of versatility that AI has to offer is second to none when it comes to determining which option is the best with regards to Manufacturers. On one hand, Manufacturers can hire humans, who frequently make mistakes and cannot have the precision of an Artificially Intelligent robot or software. With a human worker, one must also pay them a salary or wage. On the other hand, a Manufacturer can have an automated system where there is precision far beyond that which is capable of a human. There is also maximum efficiency to take into account because AI does not take breaks unless it is to repair a malfunction. And finally, Manufacturers solely have to pay for the AI once and that is it. Over the years, the amount of Manufacturers that use AI equipment and machines have risen dramatically due to the above stated reasons. It's simple reas...

Week 9 - Three Ways to Prepare for AI (Adept)

In Surfing The Tsunami An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Options for Responding  by Todd Kelsey, he explains the final and best option in order to prepare for AI. The best option is Adept, or actively learning how AI works, and being involved with that process in some way. Listening to some of Kelsey's talks in class, its clear to see that he does not wish for people to drop whatever it is they are learning or are passionate about, in reality, its the opposite. Kelsey is urging his students to incorporate in some way, shape, or form, AI into what they are already passionate about or what they are currently studying. The best thing about AI is that it can be whatever one creates it to be. It is the ultimate tool that will be a necessity in the not too distant future. By incorporating AI into what we are passionate about today, we will be ready for the times ahead when AI is everywhere. https://www.amazon.com/Surfing-Tsunami-Introduction-Artificial-Intellige...

Week 9 - Three Ways to Prepare for AI (Adopt)

Todd Kelsey explains in his book Surfing The Tsunami An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Options for Responding, the concept of Adopting AI. Adopt is a step above Adapt. To adopt AI, Kelsey explains, is to incorporate AI systems already out there into ones own business. For example, QuickBooks is an AI software that keeps accounting records automatically without the use of an accountant. Kelsey also goes on to explain that there seems to be no limit to how sophisticated AI can become. With that in mind, one can infer two things. One, robots will inevitably take over the world. And two, the less serious outcome, is that AI will become a pivotal aspect in any future business. So it is best to learn and adopt AI now in order to be ahead of those who do not. Even the simplest of AI additions to one's company may not pay dividends immediately, but the knowledge and experience gained from using and getting familiar with the AI will be extremely useful in the future...

Week 9 - Three Ways To Prepare for AI (Adapt)

In the Book Surfing The Tsunami An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Options for Responding by Todd Kelsey, he discusses three ways to integrate oneself into the changing world of AI in order to be ready for AI in the future. The first option, Adapt, is the bear minimum one should do in order to have a leg up on someone else when it comes to AI. When Kelsey talks about adapting, he means to be aware of what the current state of AI is, and to keep tabs on any changes that are made in that industry. By doing this, it enables one to become more aware of the many possibilities that AI has for the future of not only business, but many other industries as well. AI is becoming more and more useful in a multitude of other industries besides business. The medical industry is pushing the boundary with the accuracy of diagnoses in patients by using AI. Even in the gaming industry, AI is becoming more and more prevalent. Recently, Tesla's Owner, Elon Musk and his team ...

Week 9 - Business Is Not About What You Know, But Who You Know

"Business is not about what you know, but who you know." That phrase is thrown around a lot, especially to new people entering the business world. And although one must know a fair deal about how the business world works, that phrase is mostly correct. In previous years before the Internet, a single person could have strong connections with dozens of people. However, nowadays with the help of the Internet, it is possible to have strong connections with hundreds, or even thousands of people. These connections play a huge role in the business world. Knowing the right people and talking with each other to exchange information, negotiate prices, etc. can all positively affect how successful a person or business can become. Marketing is not just about how a business can advertise to its consumers, it could also be applied on the small scale, to individual people. The multitude of marketing techniques out there can be used to form these strong connections with people. The more ...

Week 9 - Pricing and Discount Strategies Many Businesses Use

Many Merchandising Businesses depend on the profits they make from selling inventory. In order to increase that profit, businesses must either increase the selling price or decrease the Cost of Goods Sold. When looking at increasing profits by raising the selling price, it becomes obvious that if a business increases the price too much then the consumer will not buy that product. In order to combat this, many different pricing strategies are used in order to increase the selling price of an item to the point where it is still reasonable enough for a consumer to purchase that product. One of the main strategies companies use, almost universally, is by not using whole numbers when pricing. For example, when shopping at any store, the price of an item is usually $XX.99. The 99 cents is used to somewhat distract the consumer because consumers look first and foremost at the whole number amount rather than the decimal amount. This is naturally caused because of our human psychology. By prici...

Week 9 - Understanding AI Can Be Extremely Beneficial

Knowing how important a role AI plays in the future of business, it's safe to assume that those who are on the AI train will become successful, and those who are not on the AI train — well, good luck. It may or may not be as clear cut as those who understand AI will become successful and those who do not understand AI will not be successful, but with the ever increasing rate of how much AI has been improved upon over the past few years, it may not be a bad idea to learn a little bit about what AI is and how it can improve a business's profitability. Aside from the obvious fact of not paying salaries to employees with jobs that can be done by AI, Artificial Intelligence can sometimes make better decisions than real people. No human being on this planet can say with 100 percent certainty that they are perfect with whatever it is that they do. However, with AI making near perfect decisions is not that far away. With a concept called Deep Learning, it is possible for AI to learn...

Week 9 - AI Is Changing How The Business World Works

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has grown exponentially over the years. As advancements in computer technology grow, so does the capability of Artificial Intelligence. The functionality of AI in the business world was slow in the beginning. From being able to calculate a number from data using a formula that was manually coded, to now being able to do analyze that same data and produce the best possible option all on its own. The early years of AI were mainly to automate the routine tasks performed by many people. Through the constant development of computer technology, AI is becoming more and more versatile and useful for much more than just the routine. To be able to analyze a set of data, a feat only people with college degrees and years of training could do previously, would be ground breaking for the business world. Instead of paying salaries to many people to analyze the data, a company could pay a one time fee for the AI to be installed and run it from then on — possibly saving ...

Week 9 - YouTube Advertisements Are Revolutionizing the Online Marketing Industry

For many years, YouTube has been the top video sharing platform on the Internet. Each day millions upon millions of people tune in to their favorite content creators to share in a common experience. Whether it be a video game, makeup tutorial, or anything else that is uploaded onto the website, there is no argument that YouTube traffics most of the videos on the Internet. Because of the high amounts of traffic that YouTube generates each day, more and more businesses are buying advertisements to place on videos. These advertisements are made to be short and to the point. With YouTube implementing the "Skip-ad" function, it's imperative that the advertisement grabs the audiences' attention within the first five seconds or else it will just be skipped and the money paid to put on that advertisement would be considered a waste to the business. Although having an attention grabber is not anything new for advertisements, in a world where one is able to have the option whet...

Week 6 - A Healthy Relationship With Customers Can Boost Your Business's Performance

A standard merchandising business has a singular main goal it wishes to achieve every day— increase the total amount of sales. There are a multitude of different ways to achieve this goal. Businesses may offer discounts for customers who are buying in bulk or make special offers on payment plans and offer in-store credit. Whatever the case may be, these tactics are used in order to achieve the main goal of increasing sales. Taking a deeper analysis of why these tactics work, it is simple to see that a customer's main concern is to save as much money as possible while also purchasing quality goods. The businesses who can acknowledge and understand what it is that customers want from them are more capable of providing quality goods at an outstanding price that benefits everyone. This can be done through the use of payment plans, discounts, in-store credits, rebates, etc. Any way a business can maintain a healthy amount of profit through all the price cuts to their products can result...