...have to be resourceful to be successful. Some turn to helping non-profits to raise awareness of their products... ...Big Skinny, on the other hand, went at it in a BIG way, erecting a 21 foot by 10 foot wallet right in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA. Guinness World Records quickly crowned it the World's Largest Wallet. Several not-for-profits benefitted from this unique fund-raising vehicle to remind holiday shoppers to help the poor and others in need. Day after day, representatives of these groups told about their worthy causes and collected donations. Each group had its own pocket in the giant wallet. "Our hope is that the big crimson wallet urges folks to open their wallets to help address the needs of the underserved community," says Alexandrov, who also arranged for the Big Skinny website to stream live videos from historic Harvard Square of all those who participated. Those groups served include the Jose Mateo Dance Theatre, Salvation Army, Pediatric Aids Treatment Solutions, Harvard Square Homeless Shelter, Old Cambridge Baptist Church, Solutions at Work, Earthen Vessels, Molecular Frontiers, Cycle Kids, Cambridge Arts Council and Medulla Thyroid Cancer Research at John Hopkins. The Big Skinny Wallet, conceived by Alexandrov, solves the top five wallet problems. It is made of ultra-thin nylon micro-fiber and its unique design results in a 50 percent reduction in size. www.macedonian.org Entrepreneur Holiday Gift Ideas Under $50 by Margie Zable Fisher December...
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...bitcoin work? Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer network, a set of protocols (standards for interoperability), client interfaces (called wallets) and a currency that operates on top of all of those technologies. The bitcoin system allows any person to send or receive a fraction of a bitcoin (the currency unit) to another person, anywhere in the world. The bitcoin system operates on the Internet without the need for banks or bank accounts and allows people to send money like they send email. To start using bitcoin, you need a bitcoin client, or "wallet" application. The bitcoin client allows you to use the bitcoin network, just like a web browser allows you to use the web. There are many different types and makers of bitcoin wallets, for desktop and mobile operating systems and also available as web applications. To receive bitcoin, you need a bitcoin "address", which is a bit like an email address or bank account number. If someone knows your bitcoin address, they can send you money, but cannot do anything more, not even identify who you are or where you are. Therefore, you can freely share your bitcoin addresses with anyone without fear or security risk. Once you have a "wallet," it can create any number of bitcoin addresses for you, even one per transaction. Give those addresses to anyone you want to send you bitcoin. Tip: bitcoin addresses are created by your wallet and do not need to be registered with anyone, or linked to your identity or email address. They can be used immediately to...
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...globally. Finally, your thoughts, comments, trading advice, and content have monetized value! How it Works: MTR will initially premiere on the Social Media Platform ToshiDesk™, where MTR will be utilized as an incentive based digital currency. MTR will connect Advanced Level Crypto- traders who provide qualitative data, insight, and analysis within the FinTech industry to Novice & Intermediate enthusiast seeking an in-depth real-time perspective of the world of Digital Currencies. Main Focal Points of MTR: The platform ToshiDesk™ will have integrated web wallets attached to each account. Master (Content Provider) and Trader (Subscriber), have convenient & secure access to funds with instant confirmations within MTR’s blockchain. Each ToshiDesk™ user will have a generated wallet address linked to each account to deposit and withdrawal MTR funds from. Users load their wallets with the provided generated web wallet address. Users will be able to use funds for generously tipping members on multiple platforms. ToshiDesk links data analysis & insider knowledge to the rest of the world. MTR’s Value: MTR will be integrated with core components that support the fundamental values of decentralization. ToshiDesk™...
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...A digital wallet is an electronic device that allows an individual to make electronic commerce transactions, which means that with a digital wallet, consumers can purchase products in a store or on-line with their mobile devices. Digital wallets are being made not just for basic financial transactions; it can also contain holder’s identification and all the information about coupons, discounts and credits awarded by merchants. In the future, a digital-wallet could potentially verify the age of the buyer to the store while purchasing alcohol. | Digital wallets are expected to be big business. By 2014, the market will reach a massive $245 billion. The shift is coming rapidly, as payment methods are moving away from credit cards, debit cards and cash to smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.There are a lot of concerns rising about digital wallets lately. Many argue that digital wallets will never succeed due to its privacy and security problems. Here are the answers to some of the concerns raised by consumers and those answers will show that digital wallet is a market trend and have its potential to be a huge success. | Concerns are heightened when considering the complexity of a digital-wallet transaction, especially compared to the simplicity of cash or straight credit. In the case of a smartphone, the data passes through not only the smartphone's hardware and operating system but also through a specific payment app, and finally, the source of the payment, such as your...
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...Wireless Payment – Wallet Share Introduction George would do anything to get rid of his wallet. It is heavy and creates an ugly bulge in his pocket. George has been to Japan where he saw locals using phones to seamlessly pay for everything including tolls, fares, groceries, and other expenses. So when Google announced their new Nexus 4 phone with the ability to touch and pay, George got really excited. George was one of the first people to get a mobile payment enabled Google Nexus phone and promised himself that he would never pick up his wallet again. What’s more, Google even showcased a new vending machine, in San Francisco, where George purchased a Coke using his new Nexus phone. George was on top of the world and very excited. He actively started looking for the universal mobile payment symbol at retailers so that he could plan his wallet-free shopping. Unfortunately even after owning his phone for a whole year, George is still carrying his wallet. Mobile payments are a subset of a larger electronic payments ecosystem, where payments are initiated using a mobile device. The history of mobile payments dates back to 1997, when Coke introduced the first touchless vending machines based on Simple Messaging Service (SMS) payments. Initially the system was used for simple tasks like downloading ring tones and buying movie tickets; payments were billed directly to the customer’s mobile account. The big push came from Asian countries like Japan and the Philippines...
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...talked about Phone-as-wallet but Google has recently converted this possibility into a reality by introducing ‘Google Wallet’. Google Wallet is a free mobile application - wireless, wallet-less way to pay. It offers secured mobile payment service by tapping phone on ‘specialized’ checkout terminal. Google Wallet allows its users to store any number of credit cards, gift cards, and loyalty cards on their smartphones. Google also offers its own prepaid card that can be loaded with money from a bank or a credit card account. How it Works: Smartphone user enters the credit card information in Google Wallet and registers the card. After the bank issuer of credit card verifies the card details, card information is stored in secure microchip on user’s smartphone. The smartphone is now ready for making payments. User can now tap his/her phone on specially enabled electronic payment pads called ‘paypass’ to pay for their purchases. These specialized paypass devices are designed using ‘NFC- Near Field Communication’ technology that reads the card information from the secure microchip and authorizes the payment. Loyalty cards are used in similar manner and allow shoppers to redeem points or offers for their purchases. The Google Wallet app is locked with a PIN, making it more secure than the regular wallet. The Secure Element chip, which holds digital payment credentials, doesn't interact with any regular smartphone software and hardware. Current: Google Wallet functions on smartphones...
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...Are you tired of those pesky credits cards in your wallet? Are you sick of how long it takes to reach in your wallet and break out a credit card to pay for you items at the grocery store? Well, if you said yes then there is now an app for that. Apple has recently announced that the new iphone’s will come ready with an application that allows you to store your credit card information and scan it at all easy pay location. This week I have read and summarize the article: Apple Teaming up with Visa, MasterCard on IPhone Wallet written by Mat Townsend at Bloomberg. In this paper I will break down the article, offer up issues and perspectives, and how I feel about the technology. To summarize, the article starts off by telling us that Apple intends to partner up with Visa and MasterCard by turning the next iPhone into what they consider a “mobile wallet”. The new iPhone claims it will make payments to retailers easier by including a near field communication integrated into the phone. They claim this technology in conjunction with fingerprint technology will allow customer the ability “to securely pay for an item in store with the touch of a finger”. The article continues on to say that google has been investing into ways of giving phones the capability to make payment at retailers causing retailers to slowly adopt the concept, but the market for it was limited. With apple coming into the scene Ben Bajarin, an analyst for Creative Strategies LLC in San Jose, claims apple will quickly...
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...University of La Verne La Verne, California The Age of the Mobile Wallet A Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for BUS500F: Business Marketing College of Business and Public Management Department of Marketing September 2015 Trend Identification: Today's digital technology is constantly evolving. A significant and popular financial trend that has taken over society is the use of Mobile Wallets. This technology allows you to pay for a product or service, using an application from your mobile phone at a Near Field Communication (NFC) reader. When the phone is held to the NFC, it will vibrate or beep to confirm payment. Customers have no need to carry cash, checks, or credit cards when there are apps such as Apple Pay that link directly to your bank account. Sounds easy enough, right? Many concerns from consumers and producers will arise from this Mobile Wallet. The most important being identity and financial fraud. I believe this new technology will affect all aspects of the market from production, to the final product, and certainly consumers. The way we pay for products and services has changed, leaving a decline in the need for physical currency. Will hard cash become obsolete? Or is this revolutionary trend just another fad? [pic][pic] According to Trendwatching.com, "Apple Pay saw 1 million cards registered in its first three days after launch. And by 2017, there are forecasted...
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...Spring 2016 DIGITAL WALLET Digital wallet is also called as electronic wallet or e-wallet. In the beginning of the internet, people were doubtful about entering credit card information, and the electronic wallet was imagined to advance a protected e-commerce environment. Although millions of e-commerce customers present their card information online without a wallet these days, portable instalments might bring about almost everybody to have a computerized wallet in the future. Digital wallet is a desktop application or mobile application used for making purchases through credit cards online. It reduces entering shipping, invoice and credit card information when a purchase is made at online store. The information either stored in the cloud or are encoded in the client's PC, and the wallet's advanced endorsement distinguishes the cardholder. An e-wallet might likewise store insurance cards, loyalty cards, drivers' licenses, identification cards and passwords. Some wallet applications let clients enter extra information. A digital wallet consists of both software and data part. The software gives security and encryption to the individual data and for the genuine exchange. Regularly, e-wallets are saved on the customer side and are effectively self-protected and completely perfect with most e-commerce web sites. Server-side e-wallets are picking up popularity among maximum retailers because of the security, proficiency, and added utility it gives to the end-client, which...
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...It is apparent that the American population--in its current state--exhibits a clear lack of understanding of the way money should be spent. According to an article titled “Empty Wallets and Sparse Portfolios: Causes and Consequences of Poor Financial Decisions” printed within the peer-reviewed journal Advances in Consumer Research, The average amount of debt held by an American is over thirty thousand and are more likely to borrow money and pay more long-term if it means they will obtain an item they desire immediately (192). Credit is an important concept to consider when considering the financial health of Americans. While the idea to save money until we are able to afford objects which we desire is the economically wise move many people--including...
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...Mobile Wallets Alternative to savings accounts ? September 2012 Mobile phones can do almost anything these days "I'm amazed at all the cool stuff I can do with my new phone. Yesterday I sent a photo to my mom, bought some music, watched a movie, trimmed my sideburns and neutered my cat!" Mobile Wallets FINAL.pptx 1 How many of you have received SMS alerts from your bank on your phone? How many of you have a smart feature phone? How many of you have a mobile banking application installed on your phone? How many on you are aware of USSD based mobile services? How many of you have transferred money using mobile banking? Mobile Wallets FINAL.pptx 2 Huge untapped potential for MFS in India Fundamental drivers for adoption of mobile payments in place Transactions on mobile channel remain small '000 cr % of HHs earning > INR 1.5 lac pa % of popln b/w 20-50 yrs of age 150.1 7,100 7,077.5 1 % 54 44 72 46 % 100 0 100 Younger 50 Richer Demographic 0 FY 12 2 High Mobile Penetration # / 100 200 100 0 201 202 2 0 119 150 83 # of subscribers per 100 pop 201 202 2 0 100 83.4 3 Prevalence of Paper Payments % of txns 100 50 0 46 54 50 83 17 e-payments paper payments 1.8 0 NEF T POS (credit & debit) ECS (Debit) Mobile Source: RBI Data, Euromonitor , EIU, BCG Payments Model Mobile Wallets FINAL.pptx 201 202 2 0 3 One reason : lack of consumer awareness Penetration far lower than other payment...
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...10 SECRETS HIDDEN IN WARREN BUFFETT’S WALLET BY ROBERT P. MILES Warren Buffett’s 24-year-old wallet was recently purchased for $210,000 at a charity auction because it included a stock tip. But before Buffett sent his wallet to the winning bidder, he removed a significant and personal item that reveals 10 secrets to his extraordinary wealth-building success. A t a recent auction for a girl’s charity, Warren Buffett’s Wallet was won for a bid of $210,000 because it included a stock tip. Before he sent his 24-year-old wallet to the winning bidder, he removed a significant and personal item that reveals many secrets to his extraordinary wealth-building success. What was the item? I’ll tell you in a moment. First, let me take you back to 1969. At this time, Warren Buffett was in the process of liquidating his Buffett Partnership and focusing his time and energy on building the holding company that’s known today as Berkshire Hathaway. And one of the first businesses he purchased as a wholly owned subsidiary of his new conglomerate was the Illinois National Bank, which was, at the time, the largest bank in Rockford. One of the things that makes this purchase particularly interesting is that, viewed over time, the purchase and management of the bank provides an almost picture-perfect example of the ten investment and management principles that have made Buffett the world’s greatest investor. SECRET NUMBER 1: Invest in an old economy company...
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...Case Study Big Skinny Wallet Name: Institutional Affiliation: Table of Contents Contents Executive Summary 3 Case Study Big Skinny Wallet 4 2. A Summary of an Environmental Appraisal Analysis for Big Skinny in UK 5 Rationale for Marketing Big Skinny Wallet 5 2.1 Macro Environment 6 2.1.1 PESTEL analysis 6 2.1.1.1Political 6 2.1.1.2 Economic Analysis 6 2.1.1.3 Social-Cultural 8 2.1.1.4 Technology 8 2.1.1.5 Demographic 9 2.1.1.6 Legal Environment 9 3.0 Micro Environment 10 3.1 Customers` Profile 10 4.0 Market Segmentation and Target markets 11 4.1 Market Overview 11 4.2 Target Market I: for Big Skinny Company in the U.K 12 4.2.1 Long-established Online Retailers and Suppliers 12 4.2.2Target Market I: Positioning of merchandise 13 4.3 Marketing Mix for Big Skinny in long-established Online Retailers and Suppliers 14 4.3.1 Marketing Objectives 14 Product 15 Price 16 Place 18 Promotion 18 4.4 Target Market II: All-out Social Media Campaign 19 4.4.1 Marketing Mix Target Market II: for All-out Social Media Campaign at Big Skinny 20 Product 20 Price 21 Place 21 Promotion 21 5.0 Three year marketing plan…………………...…………………………………………………………………………………………………..23 6.0 Recommendations 23 References 25 Executive Summary Big Skinny is a company that produces the world`s thinnest wallet. As such this paper regards the environmental appraisal of Big Skinny Company and its entry in the UK market. For the environmental...
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...Abstract E-Wallet had been receiving enormous attention globally due to its high innovativeness as a secondary option to leather wallet. Usage of credit cards, cash or checks had been reduced due to the advancement of technology and emergence of e-Wallet. E-Wallet is an easy-to-use, convenient electronic prototype which acts as a secure global payment system by using only a mobile smartphone. This study is directed towards developing a model to explain the consumer's’ intention to adopt e-Wallet in the social context. It adopts Consumer Need for Uniqueness Theory based on the concept of Counter-Conformity Motivation (CCM) also known as Need For Uniqueness. Many researchers had explored the relationship of consumer’s intention to adopt on the technological usage context. However, little research in social context had been carried out. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the factors affecting the consumer adoption intention in social context. This paper found that CCM, self-identity and word-of-mouth (WOM) are the salient determinants in this study of knowledge of consumer adoption intention in e-Wallet. Keywords: e-Wallet, intention to adopt, counter-conformity motivation, need for uniqueness 1.0 Introduction According to the historical evidence, the first use of money is assumed to have started around 600 BC in term of coins (Davies and Davies, 2002). However, the world is evolving, due to the rapid change in technology. Most of the consumers have changed their...
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...Analysis and Critique of: “Managed Hearts and Wallets: Ethical Issues in Emotional Influence By and Within Organizations” Molly Wagner November 29, 2012 Business Ethics: PL 311 Tuesday Thursday 12:30-1:45 The ethics of advertising and emotional appeals by businesses grows into a hotter topic as the United States falls deeper into a world completely pervaded by ads. While the pure inescapability of ads and appeals creates enough controversy, emotional aspects add further to the debate. In the past, most companies managed their advertising so that it reached the local people, and informed them that the company carried a product and the use of the product. Their advertising tended to be informational and, in general, inherently true. Now with a worldwide market, companies must employ emotional and associative ads and appeals to create a competitive advantage. Ingrid Smithey Fulmer and Bruce Berry discuss in their article, “Managed Hearts and Wallets: Ethical Issues in Emotional Influence By and Within Organizations,” the emotional appeals by businesses internally to employees and stakeholders, and externally to customers. A critical analysis of Fulmer and Barry’s article points out that, while the issues are many and not wholly backed up, they are logically believable and concisely argued. The article begins by defining important terms such as “mood” and “affect,” and describing the origins of emotion and logic. This provides a nice background to increase...
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