Debating Data Sharing, Security Post-Snowden

Photo: npr.org

I was in my car listening to NPR this morning when I heard a segment on Edward Snowden and the NSA leak scandal. This segment, which featured an interview with the agency's chief technology officer, seemed highly relevant to the field of IT management.

The NPR report focuses on how Snowden obtained classified information. Apparently, the U.S. government had created an information-sharing protocol so that members of various agencies could review data from other organizations.

As the report noted, an investigation into the Sept. 11 tragedy determined that information sharing could have proven useful in the days that preceded the terrorist attack.

In response to the Snowden scandal, government agencies are beefing up security and protecting sensitive information. The overarching question is whether these reforms will inhibit the type of file sharing that could prove useful in thwarting future attacks.

This conundrum exists in the corporate world as well. Companies must consider the level of security they employ to protect financials, internal communication, marketing strategy, etc. At the same time, it can prove beneficial to have a system in place where employees from different departments, or a cross-functional team, can access such information.

Here is the link to the NPR segment. It is well worth the listen.

Making the Pitch: Advertising and Demographics

I have been thinking quite a bit about targeting marketing, particularly from the perspective of identifying and going after the ideal demographic group(s). I am putting together a pitch book for my blogging/social media services and, in the process, have been paying considerable attention to how other businesses approach marketing.

This weekend, I happened across two marketing moves that I want to highlight.

The first example comes from the legal profession. While at the Taste Carolina Wine Festival on Saturday, Chad Garrett, a Greensboro, N.C., lawyer, had a booth where he was handing out hangover kits to attendees that included Alka-Seltzer, Advil, and a business card.

Garrett's specialization? Cases involving DUI offenses and traffic tickets. Given that hundreds of people were sampling wine from nearly 20 vendors, there was a decent likelihood that some of them would overdo it. If they were pulled over they would have conveniently had Garrett's business card in their goodie bag. Opportunistic? Sure. Brilliant? Absolutely!

This morning, I noticed that Wake Forest University took out a three-page advertisement touting its business school in the upcoming in-flight magazine for U.S. Airways. Specifically, the article promotes the university's program for working professionals. Hannah Sherk wrote a sharp piece, entitled "The Wake Forest Way," that promotes the school's academic philosophy, engagement and long-term financial benefits for graduates.

There are several reasons why Wake Forest might have elected this tactic to market the evening program. Nearly 40% of U.S. Airways' travelers are considered working professionals, based on the airline company's official media kit. U.S. Airways also claims that more than 3.2 million people will have the opportunity to see the article when it runs next month.

Apparently, U.S. Airways allotted space in the October edition to feature one executive education program. By seizing the opportunity, Wake Forest presumably kept other programs (Kenan-Flagler, Fuqua, etc.) out of the magazine. You could also argue that, by advertising the Wake Forest brand, the university hopes to draw attention to the other programs in its business school (full-time, MA, etc.)

It is unclear exactly how much the ad cost Wake Forest; U.S. Airways typically charges about $22,000 for a four-color, full-page advertisement, but they could have promotional rates for specialized content.

I did have some questions about the targeted marketing of the article.

Evening students work and live near the school's Winston-Salem and Charlotte campuses in North Carolina. A high percentage of U.S. Airways travelers would be unable to participate. The campaign would also fail to reach working professionals who do not fly, or those who use Delta, United or another carrier.

I do have one theory for the broad marketing pitch. Could Wake Forest be planning an online/distance learning program for working professionals? It isn't that far-fetched; Wake Forest announced on Thursday that it will be joining Semester Online by offering a bioethics course. And there is scuttlebutt from people who have been to see Farrell Hall that Dean Reinemund may be cooking up a game changing strategy for the program.

Only time will tell if this theory pans out.

Is Business School Turning Into Drunken Debauchery?

Photo: www.designinstruct.com

John Byrne, editor-in-chief of C-Change Media, just posted an article on his LinkedIn page that is sure to get the attention of business school students, administrators and prospects.

Byrne pieces together a number of recent articles and events to make the case that MBA programs are becoming more like raves and less relevant as prep for C-suite jobs.

There is "a growing feeling by many that MBA programs have devolved at many top schools into two years of boozy partying, hookups and travel - with a job search thrown in," the article asserts.

Apparently, platinum programs such as Harvard Business School are gaining reps for "decadent, alcohol-infused parties and lavish travel."

Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor at Stanford University, told BloombergBusinessweek that the MBA experience can be easily summed up as "booze, cars and houses."

Any thoughts on this? Is there a class divide in business school? Have MBA programs disintegrated into a big social scene?

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