Update & Payments Via Mobile Number

Hello Everyone!

So it is back to reality this week after the Easter holidays. I had a meeting with my dissertation tutor this morning with the first full draft of my research and all went really well. I am not where near finished yet but i can see light at the end of the tunnel now. I have around a week to finish my dissertation with a weeks allowance for binding and prining…it has come round so fast!

Since being a business student i have regularly been watching and reading the news and i found an interesting article which i wanted to talk to you about. According to the BBC News consumers will now be able to use mobile phone numbers to make bank payments from 29th April 2014.

The changes mean that account holders will be able to pay friends, family or traders without having to ask for their bank details. In stead, they will only need to ask for their mobile number, according to the payments council. However, both parties involved within the transaction, will have to register to use the service, known as Paym-pronounced "Pay Em".

I don't know about you but it almost seems too good to be true and almost like an open opportunity for frauds to strike. However, the payments council, which supervises bank transactions in the UK, has rejected fears about fraud.

According to Neil Aitken, from the payments council,"the only thing that people would be able to do if they got you mobile number is pay you - it will be integrated in to your existing banking app so it;s password protected".

Those wishing to make payments via mobile phone numbers will still need to use their banking apps, which require customers to long on to their accounts. Account holders will need to visit their own banks website for more details. Similar systems have already been introduced by Barclays and RBS NatWest.

Hmm, sounds quite interesting right?! What are your thoughts on this new payments method?

Speak soon!

The Plan After Easter Break

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are all have a great Easter break…even though i am incredibly jealous as mine is none existent! I am currently in the University library writing up the remanding chapters for my dissertation and it suddenly struck me…what is the plan after Easter break? I know the main plan for my final 3rd semester is to complete my dissertation, hand in my dissertation, complete a handful of exams and then graduate! When written down it sounds so incredibly easy…the thought of everything is actually quite scary! But then what?!

In my previous post i briefly mentioned how i wouldn't be having much of an Easter break and so far this has been 100% true. I have lugged my way into University everyday with bags full of books (very good exercise) fully determined to get a full 9am - 6.30pm hour shift done packed full of dissertation work and revision. I find working at the University is so much better and i have less distractions. There is a library full of books within walking distance and some staff on hand to ask for advice.

It's the final week of Easter break and it has literally flown by so fast. I have literally had to make a full schedule for myself to make sure i stay on track. I promised myself i wouldn't be one of those student how finishes the work hours before the submission deadline…for a dissertation that sounds crazy! I mean if you get the work done appropriately good on you but it would seriously stress me out…eeek!

Looking at my calender i only have 3 weeks remaining to complete my dissertations….2 of which are for writing and editing and 1 week is to get my dissertation bound looking all pretty and professional. Then after that i have three exams scattered throughout May which we are still waiting on the timetable for (we were told it would be released last week…tut tut) and then GRADUATION in just over 12 weeks.

I can't believe the last three years have just flown by.

Speak soon!

Easter Break = No Break

Hello Everyone!

Yay! It is finally Easter break, which means lots of relaxing, enjoying the sunshine and doing pretty much anything other that University work right?! NOPE! Easter break for me = No Easter break. 

I am currently writing this post up from the Learning Hub at the Bedford campus. It is officially Easter break but unfortunately I will not be having an Easter break due to the growing amount of work i need to finish. I need to completing the remaining chapters of my dissertation, this is worth 70% of my final dissertation grade and they consist of the Methodology, Findings, Analysis, working on my Literature Review, Appendices and a reflective report and so on.

I think the thought of writing a dissertation is still quite daunting to me. Essentially it is 9000-10,000 word report but the word Dissertation is just so scary. I really cannot believe i am three years into my degree and i will be graduating in a few months time. The 1st draft and final deadlines are approaching and i am in a slight panic mode and want to make sure i get everything finishing within good time. I am hopefully working towards a 2:1 or 1st degree which means a lot of hard work is needed.

I have been University all day everyday for the past few weeks. I am determined to not get everything on top of me and fall behind…that would not be good. I think if i work constantly hard the next few weeks hopefully it will all be worth it and then i can enjoy the Summer and being a graduate!

I will fill you in on more dissertation antics soon!

Project Management Event - Practice Week

Hello Everyone,

I can't believe it's the 1st April today?! Where has the time gone?! The thought of having to submit the first full draft of my dissertation at the end of the month is absolutely frightening. For todays post I thought i would update you on my goings on recently…one of which was conducting a real life event for my Project Management Unit.

Last week myself and my Project Management team had to conduct our Business Management Battle with the first year business student during their third and final practice week of the year. We had been planning this event for the past four plus months and it was great to see it all come together and be such a success. Our event consisted of three major events which spread out across the week…A scavenger hunt, quiz and Dragons Den experience. Even though we planned three events, during the actual event we had to use our initiative and create a fourth event to spread over the time table which the lecturers issued to us…so as a team we decided on a SWOT analysis which would aid the first years in creating their pitch for the Dragons Den experience at the end of the week. Amongst all of this myself and my Project Management team were keeping a scoring systems which the students were aware of but had no idea on the criteria. It was an element which we thought really motivated the students to get involved and that element of competitiveness amongst the students really shone.

Overall the event went really well and the students were more involved out of all of their previous practice which was great to hear. Our event required a little more work and consideration as it was across a longer period of time but also because the University was our client (no pressure). We have had great feedback from the lecturers and they are considering using the event plan for future students which is quite exciting. The next stage is to complete a 1500 - 2500 word reflective report on the event and answer a few questions about how it went, how it could have been improved, how well the team worked together and so on.

The Project Management reflective report will be my last assignment of the year minus the remaining chapters of my dissertation. Once all of the written work is complete all i have left to do is three exams during May, wait for results and graduate in July! Ahhh!

Thanks for reading - Speak soon!

WhatsApp sold to Facebook

Hello everyone,

Whenever i have a free moment from my dissertation writing i always like to check what news is going one in the world. As a business student this is something i need to constantly be checking up on and keeping up to date with.

Recently i saw an article online about how Facebook has confirmed a deal to purchase WhatsApp. Facebook seems to be diving into all routes these days as a few years ago they also purchased the ever so popular Instagram App. Facebook announced that purchase of the purchase of the mobile message service WhatsApp in February, in a $19 billion deal that represents the social media company's biggest acquisition yet. I was interested to give the article a read not only because i use the App myself but also because it is something that can be raised in my Strategy and Change Management unit as Facebook are strategically changinging themselves to be dominate in their field. Clever clogs or what!

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, described five-year-old WhatsApp as an 'incredibly valuable' service that was well on its way to connecting 1 billion people around the world. The deal is a big bet for Facebook, which has until recently struggled to convince investors of its strategy for mobile. WhatsApp has more that 400 million users around the worlds and claims it is adding more that 1 million new registered users a day. To be honest, there is not one person i know who does not use the App themselves, i regularly use it and if you are connected to wifi abroad you can easily communicate around the globe. It allows unlimited free text-messaging and picture sending between users and is among the worlds most downloaded mobile apps. Facebook's successful bid comes after Google reportedly made a $1 billion offer for the company last year.

I think i need to start designing my own app…who knows, Facebook may want to purchase it from me in the future! Who wouldn't want over $1 billion in their bank account?!

What are your thoughts on the new acquisition.

Speak soon

Twitter Commerce

Hello Everyone,

Social media is a wonderful thing and can really aid businesses to grow. I am quite partial to it and i use all types of social media to help advertise my blog. I recently read an article on the Telegraph which spoke about how Twitter is planning to expand into an e-commerce platform also. I thought this was quite relevant to a unit i am studying in my final year which actually looks at E-Business Management.

Leaked documents have revealed that Twitter is planning to allow its 232 million users to buy products directly from the site, as part o a new online retail venture called Twitter Commerce. According to 'Re/code' which is a technology blog, Twitter is partnering up with US e-commerce site 'Fancy', which counts Twitter founder Jack Dorsey as an investor and board member.

Mock-ups of the e-commerce proposal show how Twitter users could make a purchase from seeing a tweet with a picture of a product and a button that says 'buy with Fancy'. Facebook has attempted a similar move in September 2012 when it launched their Gifts spin-off that allowed users to buy physical goods from the site. However, it scrapped the scheme after less than a year due to a lack of user demand…could this be the same for Twitter?

What do you think about Twitters new e-commerce venture?

Speak soon!

A Reflection...

Hello Everyone,

The other day i noticed that i only have around 11 weeks left at the University before i graduate and that seems so scary. As you may know i am in my final year currently writing up my dissertation and boy is it a task and a half. I always knew i had to do a dissertation but now i am actually writing one seems so surreal. So i thought i would conduct a small reflection post about why i initially chose the University of Bedfordshire. 

I am actually a Bedfordian myself so i didn't branch out far when opting to go to University. I applied to a variety of Universities and i got into all of my choices. When it came down to confirming my place i knew Bedford was the right University for me. When you think of a University on your doorstep you don't always assume it'll be that great…but for what i wanted to study and for everything i wanted out of University it was the best choice for me. You are going to have ups and downs and i did question the fact about not flying the nest and choosing to live away at University but overall i did make the right decision. 

The decision making process is something that we are constantly facing throughout my Business Management course. The application process was pretty easy although i think i can vouch or a lot of students who were in my class that we couldn't wait to see the back of UCAS. I chose similar courses at five different Universities but knowing i had the option to study at home, work and blog along side it just seems like the perfect opportunity. 

The University does offer some great resources which do come in super handy when writing assignments and revising for exams. Something i really like that the University has issued recently and i will be taking full advantage of is the Library 24 hour services. Sometimes working in an environment like the library is so much better than at home because lets face it there are lots of distractions! 

I actually filmed a video with the University answering a tone of questions so as soon as that it released i will post it on here if you would like to take a peek at that also.