I’m taking  some very demanding courses adding to this the 18 credit hours “what was i thinking “.

anyhow, this is an assignment for my international marketing class..

the instructor asked us to plug in everything we would be using for a day. enjoy!

“A Beginning ”

Though writing in a table form was supposed to make things easier, it made me a little confused because somehow it was harder to link the events together.

I didn’t want to give only some mere information on when, what, how and where I used the items listed. Therefore, I had an idea of making the whole thing as a short story to keep the flow going. I placed short paragraphs in between,  gave it my best shot and this is the outcome of it. Enjoy!

“Here Comes the Sun”

A loud, ringing shrill woke me up.  One of these days that alarm clock will give me a heart attack. The funny thing is I did not set the alarm to ring at this time. I mean it’s a Thursday morning, my heart was beating so hard I couldn’t fall back asleep and I laid there thinking what a worthless clock it is, since I’ve been truly “alarmed” by it at least half a dozen times and have NEVER purposely set it for its intended use, my vision was blurry and so were my thoughts. I had this particular assignment on my mind and I thought “the longer the day, the longer the list!”

• The following events were recorded on a note pad through out the day (Thursday the 15^th of October 2009) and later on they were edited and transferred to this file on different time periods.

Time	Action taken	Item(s) used	Category	Made/ manufactured/ packed in
7:00 am	-Woke up! -Brushed my teeth -Washed my face	-A VERY annoying alarm clock -Toothbrush (Oral B)* -Crest toothpaste -Soap (LUX) -Deep Clan invigorating scrub (NEUTROGENA)	Misc Toiletry Toiletry Personal hygiene Personal care	China Germany Germany K.S.A France
7:22 am	-Prepared a cup of Lipton Chai latte -Had my breakfast -Smoked 2 cigarettes	-Bottled drinking water (Nestle) -Kettle (Black & Decker) -Chai latte (Lipton) -Mug  (IKEA) -Cake (LU) -Cigarettes (Davidoff)	- Tool Drink Misc Food Products Misc	K.S.A China India China France Germany

After the quick morning waking up process and that cup of Chai-Latte I figured out that I REALLY have a long way to go before I get done with this list. One more thing, the LUX soap or “Hand Wash” was manufactured in Saudi Arabia, and I kind of recalled all this talk about our local industries in the MKT 420 class, so I kept reading the rest of the details and I found this at the back of the bottle “beware: it seems good enough to eat! But we don’t recommend serving it for desert!” sounds even more tempting!

“Helter Sketler”

By the time I was done with my breakfast, I felt kind of grumpy and I wanted to go back to bed. And then I saw the book I was reading last night on the table so I thought I’d just do some reading. The book I was reading was a novel by J.D. Salinger called “The Catcher in the Rye”.  Later on I received a call from my friend and he told me they were going to the beach. At that particular moment I thought “WHAT ABOUT THIS NOTE PAD AND THE ASSIGNMENT? WHAT WAS I THINKING? THIS DAY WILL NEVER END”, I packed my stuff and I got ready for an “awesome” day at the beach with my beloved note pad and a never ending list of things that I’d be using, hoping I won’t forget any important stuff in the middle of all this mess.

Time	Action taken	Item(s) used	Category	Made/ manufactured/ “designed” in
8:13 am	-Started reading	-The Catcher in the Rye	Books	England
9:02 am	-Received a call	-iPhone	Mobile phones	China
9:15 am	-Started packing	- Bag (edc) - Polo-shirt (Polo Ralph Lauren) -Tanning Oil (Hawaiian Tropic) -Shampoo (Head & Shoulders) -Sunglasses (Dolce and Gabana) -Swimming shorts (NEXT) -Wallet (Armani Jeans) -Flip Flops (Von Dutch)* -Wristwatch (Tag Heuer)	Tools Clothing Cosmetics (sun protection) Personal hygiene Accessories Clothing Accessories Footware Accessories	China Sri Lanka U.A.E K.S.A Italy China China U.S.A Switzerland
10:03 am	-Started driving to the beach	-Car (Renault)	Automobile	France

I just love APPLE, they wrote “designed in california” at the back of the I phone, it’s like they’re saying “we don’t want you to feel bad for the extra dollars that you paid” it is “designed in california” or at least this is what I thought.  After noting down most of the stuff I packed, I noticed that some of the stuff I bought were a rip off. I mean you buy a piece of cloth that costs you 300-700 SR and then you find out that  it’s made in Sri Lanka?  I understand that the brand has its value and manfucatring would be cheaper there, but still that doesn’t seem fair to me.  “Got to look more into this” I thought.

“Driving my Car”

I had to pick up my friend first, and then we started the road trip to the beach, kfupm’s beach that is, which is 15-20 min drive from the university’s student housing area (our starting point).  Of course we had to stop at the mini-market to get some items that we would be using later on that day at the beach (food, snacks, drinks, and a towel because appearantly I forgot mine).

Time	Action taken	Item(s) used	Category	Made/ manufactured/ “designed” in
10:06 am	-Grocery Shopping	-Bottled Drinking Water (Hana) -Beer (Holsten) -Green Tea (Lipton) -Chips (Bugles) -Shampo (Herbal essences) -Chocolate (Kinder Schoko-Bons) -Chocolate (snickers)	- Drinks Drinks Food products Personal hygiene Food products Food Products	KSA Germany U.A.E U.A.E France Belgium Holand
10:34 am	-Arrived -Listening to music	-Car (Renault) -iPhone (iPod)	Automobile Phone	France China
04:08 pm	-Left the beach	-Car (Renault)	Automobile	France

On the way back I had to stop at the mini market because I haven’t recorded most of the things I’ve used, it felt a little bit awkward.  After that I got back to my room, took a shower and slept for an hour or so.

“With a Little Help of My Friends”

I woke up at 6:21 pm, turned on the PS3 and started playing. In the process I thought I would avoid writing things on the notepad for an hour or two but thinking through this made me realize that everything I’d be using will end up on those yellow pages.

Time	Action taken	Item(s) used	Category	Made/ manufactured/ “designed” in
06:21 pm	-Woke up	-Wristwatch (Tag Heuer)	Accessories	Switzerland
06:38 pm	-Playing Video Games	-PS3 (Sony) -Joystick (PS3 Sony) -Video Game ( Uncharted 2)	Video Game console Remote Controller BLURAY DVD	China China U.S.A.

After what rounded up to two hours of continuous video gaming I thought I need some fresh air, after I was done with Eisha prayer I called my friends to go out. Fortunately, two of the guys were already planning to go to Tokyo games (A video games store) and I ended up going with them. Later on, at the store my iPhone came in handy again, at this particular time while we were at the store my friend found a game that he wasn’t sure if he should buy it.  “There’s an app for that” I said. IGN an app that offers updated reviews and scores of games for all consoles. You can even predefine what consoles exactly you want to be updated by. “The app offers an in-depth review of all games, followed by it’s score and the option to see it’s trailer online or visit the actual website”-(iTones store).

Time	Action taken	Item(s) used	Category	Made/ manufactured/ Developed in
08:06 pm	-Went out	-Wristwatch (Tag Heuer) -T-shirt (Armani Jeans) -Belt (Diesel) -Shoes (Catpillar) -Jeans (Diesel) -Perfume (Calvin Klein Euphoria) -Car (Honda Accord)	Accessories Clothing Accessories Footwear Clothing Fragrance Automobile	Switzerland Peru Italy China Italy USA Japan
08:34 pm	-Bought a video game	-Borderlands	BLURAY DVD	Austria
08:54 pm	-Went back to the university dorms

“A Shot Of Rythem”

When we got back we gathered in my room. My friend and I started jamming and the rest of my friends were taking turns playing PS3. I lost track of time for 2 hours, after that we felt hungry so we went out to grab a bite to eat. And of course, due to the very few choices we had, we went to a Mexican grill restaurant;  “This has been a dilemma since I came to Al-Shargya.”  I mean if you really think about it, if you wanted a decent place to eat in, the options you would have are very limited.

Time	Action taken	Item(s) used	Category	Made/ manufactured/ packed in
09:09 pm	-Playing music	-Electric Bass (Yamaha RBX 374) -Bass amp. (Ibenz TBX 150R)	Music instrument Sound amplifier	China China
11:00 Pm	-went out	-Restaurant (TGI Friday’s)	Restaurant	U.S.A.

“Every Little Thing”

At first I thought about picking an item that I use every day PS3 . But then, there’s this aspect of figuring out the components, which would be very confusing if I picked the PS3, I really have no idea what’s inside this machine. And this is exactly what made me choose it. I use it on daily basses and it’s one of the few things that I can barely survive without, all this and that and I almost know nothing about it.

As I started I was holding the ps3 and flipping it around trying to figure out how am I going to start. Well, it’s a computer and computers have processors. And as I would found out later, this is foremost the only thing that I could be writing about.

The microprocessor or the “Cell Broadband Engine” that is being used in the PS3 is amongst the most powerful processors in the world, as it deploys a unique multi-core architecture. As well as powering the Playstation 3 it is used in high-end Toshiba notebooks and a new range of blade servers for IBM. The Cell Broadband Engine, or Cell BE, is a processor designed jointly by Sony, Toshiba and IBM starting in 2001.

Getting more into this, I found out that four major Japanese technology giants, including Sony and Toshiba, have revealed they have chosen Ireland as the location for some cutting-edge R&D projects including  the Cell Broadband Engine.

As part of a joint initiative between Sony, Toshiba and IBM, Trinity College, Dublin            has been chosen as the location for a research centre into the Cell Broadband Engine, the powerful chip at the heart of the Sony Playstation 3.

“Ireland’s success in R&D is based on a culture of cooperation and collaboration to win complex, high value, sophisticated investments. The country’s pro enterprise philosophy of inclusiveness, informality and teamwork are the foundations on which Ireland is increasingly viewed as an exciting location for R&D. This is supported by the fact that 43% of all IDA supported foreign direct investments into Ireland in 2008 were Research, Development initiatives.” Barry O’Leary, CEO IDA Ireland

“The End”

Going through this exercise made realize things are not only made in third world countries, before I started I thought I already knew the concept of the supply chain management and that it could be applied properly in real life examples, that is in general. I used to think that companies take the manufacturing plants to china or India because the labor is way cheaper there and it wont cost them to build big facilities or giant manufactures, though that is true in most of the cases. But sometimes companies may face other obstacles that could prevent them from doing so.  It’s a long process that needs to be studied in details, considering the location, the accessibility of that location, safety issues, cost, regulations and the list keeps on going. What really had my attention is that Saudi Arabia has a relatively well-developed infrastructure in terms of industrial growth and development.

Sources: -

1. IDA Ireland, 01/09, “http://www.idaireland.com/news-media/press-releases/irelands-rd-capacity-show/index.xml”

1. IBM system & technology group, 2008 “http://www.simbiosys.ca/science/white_papers/IBM_eHiTS_BLW03019USEN_1.1.pdf”

1. Wikipedia, “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_(microprocessor)”

King Orders Investigation into Jeddah Floods

It is unfortunately the case in Saudi Arabia that those responsible for serious problems frequently escape culpability because of their connections, wasta. Usually it’s family connection, often connections through marriage, but sometimes through tribal origins, business relations, or simple friendship. The lack of accountability is a crippling factor for the Saudi economy and Saudi society. If nothing else, escape from accountability means that there are no ‘lessons learned’ from earlier problems. According to this report from the official Saudi Press Agency, here reported by Saudi Gazette, this SOP (standard operating procedure) won’t be followed in the investigation into what went wrong in Jeddah last week. The King has named an investigatory committee, under the leadership of Pr. Khaled Al-Faisal, Governor of Mecca Province, to look into the disaster. Named to the panel are:

1- Chairman of Control and Investigation (CIP),

2- representatives from the Ministry of Interior including Chief of Civil Defense, Deputy of Makkah Emir, Chief of Administrative Intelligence, and Chief of Makkah Intelligence,

3- a high ranking official from General Intelligence,

4- Deputy Minister of Justice,

5- Assistant Deputy of General Control Court.

I don’t find a forensic economist on the list, someone to track the money intended for flood mitigation and control, and the overall Jeddah sewage and drainage system. Did the moneys allocated for that go where they were supposed to go? Nor do I see any Civil Engineers listed. There was a physical failure of systems, not unlike the failure of flood control in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. And what about Geologists, Hydrologists, or even Cartographers?

25% of UK Ads on Social Networks

Social networking sites accounted for more than 25% of all UK display ad impressions in August, according to research by comScore’s Ad Metrix service. Of the 54.2 billion display ad impressions delivered to UK Internet users in August, 25.5% of them, or 13.8 billion, were viewed on social networks:

Key findings:

• Telecommunications companies—including Telefonica O2, Deutsche Telekom, and British Telecommunications—were the heaviest social networking site advertisers, delivering more than 949 million display ad impressions on social networking sites in August, or approximately 7% of all display ads delivered in the site category.
• The retail advertiser category, which includes leading brands such as DFS, Tesco, and John Lewis, ranked second with 753 million display ad views, followed by banking brands (e.g., Barclays and HSBC) with 248 million, travel brands (e.g. Thomas Cook and Travelzoo.com) with 213 million, and entertainment brands (e.g. Sky and Sony) with 181 million display ad views.
• Of the top 10 advertiser categories on social networking sites, teen content advertisers like Habbo and NHS-owned TeenLifeCheck delivered the highest proportion of their ad impressions in the social networking category at 37.3%.
• Online dating advertisers (33.8%) and retail advertisers (30.1%) also delivered an above-average proportion of their ads in the site category.

All Age Groups Reached by Ads on Social Networks

A demographic analysis of display ads on social networking sites in the UK revealed that while ad delivery skewed somewhat younger than average, all age segments were reached with a notable percentage of display ads:

Key findings:

• 15- to 24-year-olds were the highest indexing age segment, accounting for 29% of display ad impressions while representing 23% of the total category audience.
• Those between the ages of 25 and 44 received ads at a slightly higher than average rate, while those 45 and older received ads at a lower than average rate.
• Each of the five age segments accounted for at least 15% of the category audience and 10% of ad impressions.

“CPMs on social networking sites have traditionally suffered relative to other content categories, in part because of the perception that much of the audience are younger consumers with lower spending power,” said Mike Read, comScore managing director, Europe. “However, these data suggest that every demographic segment is reached via social networking sites. Brand advertisers who ignore this channel may be missing a significant opportunity.”

About the data: The data presented here derives from comScore’s Ad Metrix program; house ads and ads smaller than 2,500 pixels were excluded from the analysis.

blackberry?!

Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information, including email, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications.

RIM technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data. RIM’s portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry wireless platform, BlackBerry devices, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements.

Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

hey everyone

hey everyone this is my mis 300 group blog

Integrating Facebook in WordPress

Many users do not like having to register for each blog where they would like to post comments, especially if they already have accounts on so many other social networks, such as Facebook and MySpace. So a single online ID for several purposes would be ideal, wouldn’t it? That’s the idea behind the OpenID protocol, which started in 2005. It decentralizes the identification of users for various providers and services. In essence, you can create an account on Facebook and connect it to services such as MySpace or even a personal blog. If you want to change your profile for all of these services, that too is decentralized: you simply change the settings on your Facebook account. OpenID is a chance to make the Web and its services more easily accessible. There are reasonable risks and concerns involved, but also many opportunities.

Facebook announced in 2007 that it would implement OpenID, and others followed, which explains why we now find more and more buttons that say “Connect with Facebook” or “Google Friend Connect.

The plug-in allows users to comment on a blog using their Facebook account; and if they are already signed in or on Facebook, they need not sign in again. Users do not have to register for a unique account on the blog because the plug-in retrieves the user’s information directly from the Facebook API.

The plug-in integrates a lot of Facebook functions: for example, users can send invitations and share stories and comments on Facebook, which gives your blog the benefit of word-of-mouth marketing. To do this, you need to activate the plug-in option that publishes a user’s activity in their respective activity feed.

Iphone Free Apps

Since there’s nothing cheerful these days to talk about, let’s just switch to another frequency..

 If you happen to own an iPhone, or recently purchased one, here’s MY top free apps.. Of course this is NOT an ultimate list, but it’s all Apps that i tried and found very useful and/or fun (and they’re NOT organized in any kind of order)

5.LockBox

Ever went to the bank and wanted to write your account number, but forgot the card with that number on it? Or wanted to write down your Social ID number and forgot that too? Instead of carrying your wallet around, LockBox offers you the ability to store these number, and securely encrypt them with a password.. It’s not a bullet-proof encryption, but it will do the job..

4. Faces Visual Speed-Dial Lite

a VERY convenient tool that allows you to place picture thumb nails to 12 people at a time (24 in landscape mode).. Instead of going through your phone book reading those small contacts to call a friend, you can visually glance at all your speed dial contacts of your choice, and configure the app to either call them with one tap, or open an option menu to SMS them.. I found it very hand when am driving, it can get pretty dangerous having to scroll down a list just to call someone .. Another free app like this? Don’t use the iPhone while driving XD..

3.iPray

Though the app takes a while to load, this application is very useful.. It automatically synchronizes the prayers times of the city of your choice, and it gives you the choice to choose wether to be alarmed with a Prayer tone when the time comes.. Another excellent feature is that it gives the accurate date in Hejri, better than the other ones in the AppStore so far..

3.TweetDeck
Ever since iPhone met Twitter, these two had lots of love babies.. And some are great in ways, and others are great in others.. So far, TweetDeck was the chosen one.. An amazing interface, works very fast, and it allows you to add custom columns with specific keywords to keep you updates of any tweets about them.. Though other twitter clients be a bit better, i found this (As an overall) just perfect.. And with a simple Facebook application, Tweet on This.

2.PandoraBox

You’ll never need to stalk the App store for free apps again, or go through my blogs again for that matter .. With this app, you’ll be updated with the recent news about Free apps, or apps that were for money and became free for a limited duration.. Thanks to PandoraBox, i came across allot of good apps that aren’t free but were for a limited time.. I wanted to recommend some of these here, but they’re not free anymore, so this is a must-have app if you’re cheap like me..

1.IGN

Offering updated reviews and scores of games for all consoles.. You can even predefine what consoles exactly you want to be updated by.. The app offers an in-depth review of all games, followed by it’s score and the option to see it’s trailer online or visit the actual website.. As a gaming addict, this came in handy when am in a store looking to purchase a new game and wanting to know it’s rating and feedback..

Of course, feel free to mention any free app you think i should try out, and i might replace an app in this list with it…

Our impression about the first week

1-Omar Bakodah,
I think it was a terrible week for me i had issues with everything in the university system, i hope it gets better.

2- Mohannad Mandourah,
It was unusal to me because this is the first time i had to work in the first week. I expect it to be a successful semester.

3- Muad Abu-Nemah,
Nice week although, i didnt study well i got good grades in the last quiz.

4- Ezzat AL-Mohammed,
For me it was as usual nothing new the same as every semester.

THE Masterminds

This’s a quick introduction of the members who created this blog “the masterminds”:
1- Omar Bakodah
Majoring in Accounting, intrested in all kinds of sports and this is my first blog i hope you like it.

2- Mohannad Mandourah:
Majoring in Marketing, Sophomore Standing. Main intrests are music and computer games. welcome you all.

3- Ezat Al-Mohammed, majoring in Accounting…interested social networking.

4- Muaath Abu Nemah, My major is MIS, intereted in chatting, networking and playing and watching football.