Unwitting Host

Assuming a traditional family, a local bank focused on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) would likely track the following information:

• when ATM withdraws are made



• family member ages



• when a home was purchased



• annual salaries



• monthly expenses (bill pay)



• investments and securities held



• insurance owned



• debt to income ratio



• credit score

Given these detailed facts about this family, what might be the bank's CRM response to the following events:

1. The family elects to have another child - In this scenario the bank would likely attempt to interest the family in mortgage refinancing options, savings accounts, long term investments, or perhaps alter the current insurance policies



2. The loss of a job - Such an unexpected event is as troubling to the bank as it may be to the unemployed. The bank may seek to offer insurance coverage for credit instruments or assist in the liquidation of investments.



3. A grandparent is stricken with a severe and long term illness and has no medical insurance, leaving you to pay the bill - The bank may offer an extension of credit or remind you of your own need to purchase long term care insurance. A refinancing option may be provided on your home.



4. Repetitive transaction fees are assessed for using an ATM not in the bank's ATM network - The bank may encourage you to begin using an online banking option if available or suggest more frequent point-of-sale (POS) purchases.



5. Identity theft - The bank may institute a program to alert you if unusually expensive, repetitive, or uncommon purchases are made. They may offer to cancel and replace any cards that may be unaccounted for. In addition they may contact a credit reporting agency to notify them of the event.



6. An addition is built on the client's home - A refinancing option may actually provide more income to the homeowner through a combination of increased property values and decreased interest rates. A loan could also be offered to cover the immediate costs of renovation.

Although it may be disconcerting to some to have so much personal habits and information being tracked by third parties, we also readily take advantage of the benefits from targeted advertising and a reduction in traditional "junk mail" or "spam".

Here are some quick thoughts on the application of the Porter Five Forces Model in the movie rental industry.

1. Buyer power is high as a result of the many choices available in within the industry through rental stores, pay-per-view, and web based rental outlets.

2. Supplier power is low as a result of the plethora of consumer options as described above.

3. There are many substitute products and services in this industry. Consumers have many alternatives to traditional movie rental outlets with low switching costs.

4. The barriers to entry are moderately high. Some entry barriers include: large title inventory and storage, shipping infrastructure, name recognition, low profit margins, customer service and support structure.

5. There is heavy competition within this industry with additional threats from digital downloads and traditional proprietary piracy.

Content. Let me share with you some observations upon waking up after having slept in my car one evening in Logan, Utah.

It is very cold in Logan. I awoke to frost, streaked across my windshield in a latticework of interconnecting thorns of ice. My breath misted the interior of the windows, in circling clouds of vapor. The sun peaked up over the eastern mountain range that cradled this small college town, and sleep released me from it's fitful visitation. I rooted around in my car for some snack or tidbit to quell the tightness forming in my gut. A smile of satisfaction crossed my face as my fingers closed around the waxy surface of a small green apple that had rolled behind my seat. I ate in absolute silence, no cars passed, no pedestrian walked by, not a single bird sang, as the sun's rays slowly worked their way down into the valley and then scattered in a thousand directions as they reflected off the jeweled surface of frost covered trees, houses, and cars.

Here am I. Congratulations! Not only to me for entering the "blogosphere", but also to you for finding my small segment of this vast internet universe. Enjoy what exists and anticipate more.