Category — Business & Technology

Ink and paper is so 20th century. New MBA and undergraduate business students are accustomed to living, working, and socializing online. Because they’ve grown up on computer games it’s a logical progression for business schools to incorporate computer-based simulations into the curriculum.

Business education is catching up with simulated business models where students get to apply classroom learning to a set of real world variables. With virtual workplace scenarios and computer-based simulations, students practice choices they’ll have to make in the real world. By some estimates, more than half the business schools accredited by AACSB are using online business simulations.

What’s a Business Simulation?

The case study has long been used in business school to simulate real business situations and illicit practical responses from students. Online simulations allow students to oversee operations management of a virtual factory and network with other executives. They apply theory to a virtual workplace. The game aspect of business simulations stimulate even more competition among students. And what’s B-School without some cutthrouat competition?

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Paul Edmondson knew he had a great idea, but even he didn’t expect such rapid growth. Edmondson is the CEO and Founder of online publishing site HubPages, which launched in August 2006 and now has over 100,000 registered users. It gets more than 5 million hits a month, mostly from search engines like Google and Yahoo. Authors create content-rich pages with easy to add text, photos, videos, and RSS feeds and earn money from Google Adsense, Amazon, and Ebay. To reach the masses, Edmondson and his colleagues have created the site so that no technical knowledge is required. And it’s free. Definitely a killer startup.

In this interview I ask Paul Edmonson how he knew he was on to something and what prepared him to go out on his own.

LD: What gave you confidence that HubPages would be successful.

E: We thought if we made a great product and built a community that people would use the service. We had a simple plan. To try things. To do more of the stuff that worked and to stop doing the things that didn’t. Nearly 6 million people visited HubPages.com last month. One of the things we did well was monetize Hubs, so we introduced a new ad optimization product called YieldBuild that served nearly 200 million ads last month as well.

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Holidays are big business and Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest. Just ask the retail industry. It’s not like we wouldn’t be compelled to show our love through token gifts without them, but holidays give consumers that crucial sense of urgency, a deadline to show your love. And by show, we mean go out and buy something because it’s really not the thought that counts.

Now that Americans have some extra stimulus package cash coming, retailers are hoping you’ll feel flush. Consumers this year are expected to demonstrate their love in a bigger way than ever before. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2008 Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, average consumers expect to spend $122.98 on Valentine’s Day, up from $119.67 last year. This adds up to over $17 billion spent on Valentine’s Day. And this is just one of the many holidays American’s traditionally celebrate.

Success In The Cards
The old standbys - candy, flowers and jewelry – are making way for fresher options like gift cards an nights out. But cards are still the top choice, accounting for 60% of Valentine’s Day spending. At just a few dollars a card, that’s a lot of paper. In a 2006 study by the International Mass Retail Association estimated the number of valentines exchanged in the U.S at over a billion.

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Guest article by Hans Christianson

It’s your first day on the job. You have mad skills. You’re armed with the latest technology. And you’re dressed to impress — clad in jeans, an unbuttoned shirt and crocs. Sound too good to be true? It’s not, if you have an Master of Business Administration in Digital Media.

The MBA in Digital Media is your all-access past to the entertainment world. Film, music, gaming, television and interactive media — you name it. You’ll build a solid foundation in business theory and concepts. And you’ll also take your education outside the classroom with internships, projects and industry events.

Learn to Speak Their Language
You have the latest idea. It’s going to revolutionize how movies are distributed. Or it’s going to save the ailing recording industry. If you could only get someone to take you seriously. That’s where the MBA in Digital Media comes into play. You’ll learn how to speak the language of business. You’ll be able to join in the conversation.

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