Software piracy is defined as an intentional act of an individual or organisation to obtain computer software through illegal means. This may include downloading the software from the internet, purchasing a duplicated copy from unauthorised retailers and/or borrowing or ripping off an original copy from a friend, this is according to the definition spelt out by the Business Software Alliance (BSA). Aside from that, one is also considered to have pirated a software if the software that was purchased had been installed on multiple computer systems, thus exceeding the licensing entitlement.

                       The progress of a country also depends on the attitude of the people it has. You will see highly industrialized countries and how amazing it is that they were able to impose discipline among themselves. Everyone is aspiring to be in a place where everything is in order, wherein everybody is doing their part not only for self- improvement but for the good of others and the country as a whole. Philippines is a rich country where natural resources are abundant, however it is sad to say that we’re not moving that fast compared to other countries like Hongkong and Singapore. We have all been lenient when it comes to implementation of laws and regulation unlike those two countries stated above. An example of it is an issue of software piracy, where it is rampant and yet, it is not considered as a big issue to us. Almost in all areas whether it is at school or even in some business establishments, software piracy is there. I can understand why some of us are doing it, for example for students they would just copy a software of MS Office from their classmates and have it installed on their laptops rather than buying one that would cost four weeks of their allowance. Who would like to live for four weeks without allowance, just to have a legal copy of the software? Whereas on the side of business, they would do it to reduce the cost of doing their business, especially for those businesses that just start up. On the other hand, if we view it on a large scale if everyone is doing it, it could affect the economy; especially those software companies will lose profit and may not even continue doing business anymore and thus it may also lead to many people to lose their jobs where their families depend on.

                             Hence, proper implementation and strict laws when it comes to piracy should be imposed. Before that could be done right education should be given to the people, may it be discussing the effect of it in the economy. Anti-piracy laws should be strictly implemented and sanctions should be done. Conducting software audit is necessary as well to make sure that only licensed software is being used especially when it comes to business organizations. Authorized reseller can only sell the software. Most of all the government should also take part not only on the implementation of the laws but also in helping citizens to do what is right. A good idea that I can think of is negotiating with those software providers when it comes to their market price, make it more affordable almost for everybody. Another one is the government can subsidize a budget example for the students or the school itself for the use of licensed software. Allotment of budget from the money that people pays for their taxes. That money should be used for the good of the country and its people.

                          Leaders should set a good example to the people they lead. Discipline is always the key to success. It should come within us. Let us not ask what our country can do for us, but always ask ourselves what we can do for our country.

Famous Benjamin Franklin once said “An Investment in Knowledge always pays the Best Interest. In an organization there will be different persons who have different field of expertise. To build a “Dream Team”, that knowledge must also be shared, and with that it will enrich everyone in the organization.

The “World of Sales Dog” that’s what our organization is called. Not that we’re dogs, but we relate different personalities with that of a man’s best friend. Definitely, we are all after the result. You’ve got to be success-minded. On this line of career, knowledge management is very beneficial. It can increase productivity, in such a way that everyone will share experiences that he/she encountered in the field and also share some techniques on how to handle difficulties and objections. It goes hand in hand with time savings, as what the saying goes “Experience is the best teacher”. It will also increase the process of transparency and also reduce errors.

On the other hand, there are barriers that would contribute in implementing knowledge management in our organization. First, are different priorities and individual differences that ideas or views might not coincide with one another. Time is another factor, since not everyone might be available during the meeting where knowledge and experiences are being gathered and scrutinize. Lack of communication may also add the implementation, since not all would be willing to cooperate and everybody’s busy in their own self.

No matter what the barriers are, everyone’s given a choice and free will to decide what they want. “Knowledge is Power, but Knowledge sharing is Empowerment”- this means that a mind once stretched by new knowledge can no longer return to its previous form. Likewise, a group of minds characterized by coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose… is empowerment.

                        What does “BI” means? It’s not what you think it is. Bad Influence? (lol), not in the world of business. ” BI” means Business Intelligence, which consist of theories, methods and set of technologies that converts raw data into a useful and meaningful one for the use of business and improve its processes. Effective and proper use of business intelligence tools should be encourage to an organization to get the job well done with minimal waste of  resources at a given time with less amount of effort which will lead to profit maximization. This could be done through; thorough understanding the importance of Business intelligence.  Thus, it is the major factor towards the successful implementation of BI. Therefore, BI plays a major role in accomplishing an organization’s mission which will have direct positive results on business performance of an enterprise by making smarter decisions. Designing a BI strategy for effective use is a tedious process, but everything is possible- clear objectives, vision and mission of the enterprise should be well understood for effective implementation.

                      A reward system can greatly encourage employees to unleash their best. On the other hand, enterprise must established criteria for success and set a clear goal and details on how it can be achieved. Punishment is not necessary as well in the implementation of company’s business intelligence strategy. Once the reward system is reasonable enough the employees will be well-motivated and of course once everybody sees that everyone is working at their that would encourage him/her to do the same. When everyone is on the same pace when it comes to effective use of business intelligence, that would be the best time for a raise on their pay based on their job performance that would require them to use the applications. So that it would be fair with everyone in the enterprise.  They would have the same chance to get to the top.

                     Any strategy on business intelligence will work effectively, as long as everyone understands it’s purpose and willing to cooperate on the implementation for the betterment of the enterprise and also for personal improvement. So that it would be a Win-win situation. Enterprise will help the employees get what they deserve to reach their goals and at the same time they would help the enterprise in the achievement of their mission and vision as well as its objective.

CONVENIENCE is the magic word. It’s everybody’s main concern. There are lots of invention and innovation that contributes to make people’s lives easier and faster. One of them is the popularity of online shopping. Imagine these: you don’t have to go out, run your car, and spend your hard earned money for your gasoline and buy that thing you need in the mall or the store. Why not, sit back relax and enjoy the comfort of your home, surrounded with your loved ones …especially if it’s your day off, remember it’s just a 2 days off. Online shopping can be of great help when it comes to time management, you can shop any time you want at your own convenience. You don’t need to bear the pain of going to the mall which is only operating during business hours. “There’s a lot in store for you”, this is another great offer that online shopping provides. You can have access to different products and services around the world that you can compare. Way easier as well, coz you don’t have to go back and forth to actual stores if they don’t offer a certain product. And when, you do shopping on the last minute, it’s a hassle to go to stores and malls coz for sure it’s not only you who do shopping, plus the fact that if it’s a gift or a present for someone special, you have to fall in line to get it wrapped…mind you, the road your taking is not easy…why not take a detour, switch with online shopping, they can get the items, easier and faster through express shipping they can have your gifts wrapped, delivered right on time.

On the other hand there are also disadvantages of online shopping. One is that there is no personal touch, like asking if what the customer’s want, suggesting a brand that better suits their needs. Another is that customers may not get the product that they really want; the actual product looks different compared to what’s online. There is also hassle associated with it if the product needs to be returned it could also incur additional cost on the part of the customer. You’d better be wise in choosing what products you want to buy, would consider buying and won’t buy over the internet.

As we go on with life’s exciting adventure, we have choices to make. It could either satisfy us or ask for more, or it could make us regret, same with online shopping we need to take a good look and examine what we buy and make smart choices. There are products that I don’t have hesitation buying through the internet like cosmetics, textbooks and home decors. First with cosmetics coz there are specific brand that I used so it’s easier to just buy it online, also with textbooks required in school, since title, author and edition are given so it would be convenient to just buy it online. For home decors, it could save me time by just browsing through the internet I could choose the best home decors that suites my home style. Products that I would think about before buying are gadgets like cellphones, because looks can be deceiving (lol) I want to see the real thing before buying it, as well as checking the features and apps, although its specifications are being displayed. Another is shoes, although I like their post, but it would be a hassle if I need to return the product that won’t fit me. Last are books-like novels, self-help and business books, coz with online shopping you can’t browse the content of book, which you can do we you go to a bookstore and might purchase it for a cheaper price compared online. There are also things that I would not consider buying online and those were outfits, especially business outfits and get ups for important gatherings, I’m really particular about it, I want to make sure that attires are well- fitted, it looks good on me and I would feel comfortable and confident when I wear those. Another is gifts or present for my loved ones, I want to have personal touch on those things, I want it to be perfect and things that they will surely like and used. When I shop on those things online, stuffs like bags, accessories, gadgets it might not look exactly the same as what I’ve expected, so I don’t want it to create frustration on the part of my loved ones, and to me as a buyer. Lastly, I won’t buy home appliances online and just have it delivered, despite the fact that it would be much more expensive, it would be a delay in case that the appliance is malfunctioning and needs a repair.

The role of online shopping in the society is appreciated. To the buyers, we just need to be extra cautious in the things that we buy online, make sure that they demonstrate proper customer handling, honesty and care for their customers.

                      Outsourcing IT security is a difficult decision. Proper planning and evaluation of the outsourcing company is a must because of risks involved in it. As what the old saying goes “Keep your core business processes close.” A company should know what area of their business they are good at, so they could focus on its improvement. Outsourcing is an option for a company if there’s a sector on their business that needs to be done by somebody else for further growth. On my own point of view, IT security shouldn’t be outsourced. Only a company knows their core values, processes and their area of specialization.

                     When IT security is turnover to an outside organization there are pitfalls associated by it, such as bad experiences in the part of customers, data security or protection issues, increase in operational cost if wrong outsourcer was selected, loss of business knowledge, vendor failure to deliver companies expected results, government oversight or regulation, time and effort to transfer knowledge to the vendor and worst, it may all lead to the fall of the company.

                      In case there is a need to outsource, stipulations should be  included in a service level agreement with an IT security outsourcer to ensure that it did not exploit the openness of your systems and steal strategic and sensitive information. Before setting guidelines for outsourcing, organization should check their own security policy as well, and then it’s time to take the first step in setting rules to be followed by the outsourcing company. Rules must be clear and concise.Good security policy which includes classification of data whether it is sensitive or common data is the number one consideration. Second, is that outsourcing vendor, is following a strict security policy and have a set of security rules to protect the data from copying to portable devices. Then,outsourcing company should have sound intellectual property protection laws, a clear understanding with your company’s privacy and intellectual property policies and must go by it. Start employing the use of database monitoring gateways and application layer fire walls before outsourcing. Educating employees on the outsourcing side on how to handle and protect sensitive data is necessary. Proper monitoring is important as well as the method to monitor material exceptions on your vendors ensure the rule of least usage. Confidentiality on records and accessibility should be regulated, wherein you shouldn’t provide access to all your records during the same time and must ensure monitoring. Vendor needs to monitor outbound Internet traffic and checks emails for potential information leaks .Conducting audits regularly on database and network security will ensure secure outsourcing and identifying issues and potential hazards on the system. Evaluation of the vendor’s prevention technologies, data flow controller, technologies to protect sensitive data from being emailed or copied to removable types of media and employee’s strict compliance to the policies.

              CHANGE is the only constant thing in the universe. One of the changes that brought the world into a new vision and advancement is Information Technology. It’s fun to travel back in time for a little while, a time where technology is not yet on its peak. Almost everything is done with personal touch. When I was small, our family live far away from the city that’s almost far from civilization as I can say. Since then, my dad worked outside the country, I used to sit beside my mom when she’s writing her love letter for my dad, greeting him on occasions like their anniversaries, birthday, and holidays, or just even saying hi and how are you. Pretty sweet and adorable, even it takes about a month to receive each other’s mail. Could you imagine that? Those were the times where cellphones, emails, were not yet introduced. Telephones and fax machines are already introduced that time, but those resources are not that accessible to where we live and it cost much to do international calls. Despite of those challenges of the past, I can proudly say that mom and dad’s relationship is still strong and unbreakable. Those were my childhood days.

                Now, welcome to the age of Information Technology! As we can see in today’s world, technology played an important role in our daily lives. Personally, in the line of my work, we need to keep updated with technology to further increase our sales. Communication gadgets were very useful to contact our clients, e-mail to send them information and updates. That’s only some advantages on the business side. Technology also plays a great role for keeping harmonious relationship with our loved ones, especially when they are on the other side of the planet. Video calling, skype,facebook and other social media bring families closer; it seems that they’re just by your side when talking to them using those media.

                It is simply amazing, how Information technology finds ways to create possibilities in the world. It’s up to us to make the most out of it, through proper and effective use. We always need to bear in mind the consequences of exploiting the use of it can bring destruction not to other people but to ourselves. Let’s do our share to bring out the best in ourselves and make a difference to the lives of others through the gift of Information technology.