State-Of-The-Art Driving Environment - Essay Example

Lexus TEN: TEN On The Scale! Introduction In a challenging world in search of integration, it is obvious that each and every significant area of our lives have to be optimized to their fullest potential. Our transportation experience -as drivers as well as passengers- needs the functionality that all of us expect out of so many and relevant technological and scientific advances right in our time. Five years from now, we will enjoy the comfort and the benefits of a new hybrid luxury sport car, equipped with an innovative entertainment, communication, and information online system powered by the latest e-commerce capabilities available in the near future. This state-of-the-art driving environment has to be studied from all possible angles, so we can clearly see the sound and profitable business outputs arising from the e-commerce integrated solution to be implemented on the future LEXUS TEN, thanks to the expertise of our engineers team, our business strategic alliances, and our expected proactive and synergic interaction with our clients. This way our brand will consolidate considerably higher, keeping alive our tradition in luxury, elegance, and innovation in the realm of the international car industry scene (see: Lectures notes, Topic 4, page 4). LEXUS TEN will really deliver a high degree of quality to our lives. It will really perform according to our expectations. Our concept car project analysis has come up with promising figures, and LEXUS TEN is a real winner. The secret ingredient is the integration of e-commerce in the marketing mix, adding value and functionality to each and every driving experience. All of us become winners with LEXUS TEN, because LEXUS TEN is undoubtedly a real winner right from the start. The In-Car Entertainment System LEXUS TEN will utilize the forms of online entertainment expected in 2010 for its in-car entertainment system. LEXUS has always been committed to excellence as it is stated on LEXUS homepage: "Lexus engineers don't just look to the future, they create it. Innovative leadership in luxury, technology, performance and styling is the backbone of the Lexus philosophy" (Lexus International, 2005). So LEXUS TEN will have the latest technologies available in 2010 like Bluetooth, infrared, laser, geo-navigation, optical fiber, IPods, PDA, broadband, etc. They will be integrated as a system in search for functionality. The aim is to improve our products. For example, by using the wireless technology of Bluetooth the driver will have a hands-free experience while driving. The use of voice will be a common place in this new environment where the driver will activate his/her phone system just by the use of voice. So the LEXUS driver and passengers will enjoy a new kind of communication, and the LEXUS brand will have a leading edge over its competitors through the integrated use of all available technologies. Let's see the definitions of these technologies and their applications for the in-car entertainment system. Wikipedia (2005) says the following about these technologies. Bluetooth "provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices like personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, laptops, PCs, printers and digital cameras via a secure, low-cost, globally available short range radio frequency. Bluetooth lets these devices talk to each other when they come in range, even if they are not in the same room, as long as they are within up to 100 metres (328 feet) of each other, dependent on the power class of the product." Broadband "in general refers to data transmission where multiple pieces of data are sent simultaneously to increase the effective rate of transmission. In network engineering this term is used for methods where two or more signals share a medium. Various forms of Digital Subscriber Line service are broadband in the sense that digital information is sent over one channel and voice over another channel sharing a single pair of wires." The Global Positioning System, usually called GPS "is a satellite navigation system used for determining one's precise location and providing a highly accurate time reference almost anywhere on Earth or in Earth orbit. It uses an intermediate circular orbit (ICO) satellite constellation of at least 24 satellites." Infrared (IR) radiation "is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than microwave radiation. () IR data transmission is also employed in short-range communication among computer peripherals and personal digital assistants. () Infrared lasers are used to provide the light for optical fibre communications systems." iPod is "a brand of portable digital audio player designed and marketed by Apple Computer. Devices in the iPod family offer a simple user interface designed around a central scroll wheel. Most iPod models store media on a built-in hard drive, while the smaller iPod shuffle and iPod nano use flash memory. Like most digital audio players, an iPod can serve as an external data storage device when connected to a computer. The bundled software used for uploading music and photos to the iPod is called iTunes. iTunes is a music 'jukebox' application that stores a comprehensive library of the music on a computer, as well as playing and ripping it. The most recent incarnations of iPod and iTunes have video playing and organization features. Other forms of data can be added to the iPod as if it were any other data storage device connected to the computer." A LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is "an optical source that emits photons in a coherent beam. () In consumer electronics, telecommunications, and data communications, lasers are used as the transmitters in optical communications over optical fiber and free space. They are used to store and retrieve data from compact discs and DVDs, as well as magneto-optical discs." An optical fiber is "a transparent thin fiber, usually made of glass or plastic, for transmitting light. () A few communities have Fiber to the Home technology which provides subscribers with Ultra High Speed Internet, Telephone, and Television services. () The optical fiber can be used as a medium for telecommunication and networking because it is flexible and can be bundled as cables." Personal digital assistants (PDAs or palmtops) are "handheld devices that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. A basic PDA usually includes a clock, date book, address book, task list, memo pad, and a simple calculator. Many PDAs can access the Internet via wireless or mobile 'phone technology. One major advantage of using PDAs is their ability to synchronize data with a PC or home computer." Using these technologies the in-car entertainment system will have wireless Internet connection and many other wireless capabilities according to the technology used. It will also have the advantages of geo-navigation thanks to the GPS technology that will be integrated with the online in-car entertainment system. It will have communication with the outside world. For example, it can be programmed to let the driver know through instant messages whenever he needs fuel or to go to a fast food restaurant where it is located or if there is one close to him/her. The driver and the passengers will have the option of downloading music and videos from the iTunes website and so on. LEXUS competition is ample and varied. According to the Wikipedia (2005) we have the following fact: "Lexus directly competes with such traditional luxury brands as the European Audi, BMW, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz, the American Cadillac, Lincoln, and Chrysler, and fellow Japanese brands Acura and Infiniti." But we have been leaders all along the way as we strive for excellence since our very beginning. The same Wikipedia (2005) recognizes our leading status when it says that "Lexus is now known to be one of the finest three automobile makers in the world, sharing its spotlight only with Mercedes Benz and BMW. Mercedes takes credit for styling, BMW for performance, while Lexus is widely known for luxury, service, and reliability." And service is one of our most prominent features when it comes to have a competitive advantage over the competition. We have to stress this fact over and over again in order to have a clear mind for the future. LEXUS specializes on service, luxury and reliability, but service must be always emphasized as it is the key to our leadership. Our relationship with our customers has to be our strong point. And as we keep a clear competitive advantage over our closest competitors, we will increase our profits by a wide margin. A competitive advantage means a "better product/service, different, and more effective" (Lectures notes, Topic 3, page 12). All the technologies used in the LEXUS TEN online environment will work together to produce the necessary synergy to make LEXUS TEN in-car entertainment system as exciting as possible. In this case one plus one is not two, but three. Synergic in nature, the sum total of all the technologies will translate in a better driving experience. E-Commerce will be the backbone of all this in-car entertainment system as all the technologies will provide added value to the online environment focused on E-Commerce capabilities like shopping, banking, subscription services, buying music, videos, books, magazines, etc. The in-car entertainment system powered with all the available technologies will provide an ultimate and new ultimate driving experience through the intensive use of E-Commerce capabilities to the online mix centered on LEXUS TEN own homepage. Alliances with Suppliers LEXUS will enhance its own marketing resources through many different alliances with suppliers like Sun Microsystems, Dell, IBM, Microsoft, and Sony, among others. With Sun Microsystems will have access to Java technology. With Dell and IBM we will have access to well-known hardware equipment. With Microsoft we will have as a plus benefit the use of Windows as an operating system for the in-car entertainment components. With Sony we will have access for our customer of a great variety of music and videos. The importance of relationships should be emphasized at the same time that we become aware of the process of disintermediation that the new technological online environment produces as it is clearly stated as follows: "Relationships are built into the transactional system and not artificially created. They are a model for the companies of the future which will bring the concepts of mass customization and disintermediation to life. I believe that industry after industry will adapt the principles to stay competitive and profitable" (Wunderman, 1998). Our relationships with our alliances must be win-win solutions that will improve the E-Commerce experience of our customers. And these alliances have to enable us to get a real competitive advantage over our closest competitors following our tradition of luxury, reliability and service. LEXUS TEN will be the standard of the future. Now it is just a concept car that belongs to the LF-A line of LEXUS prototypes, but in the near future it will be named LEXUS TEN, with the slogan of "TEN on the scale!", always aiming to be the best sports car in the market. We will take extreme care of building strong strategic alliances that will provide our in-car entertainment system with the excellence for which we always strive for. This way our customers will be confident using our E-Commerce features and our profits will be maximized thanks to great value added by the power of our expertise and the synergy with our business alliances. The process of disintermediation is growing very rapidly, but we have to remember that intermediaries are necessary for the following reasons: "infrastructure hardware and software providers, connectivity providers, bandwidth providers, website service providers, web information system service providers, security service providers, information service providers" (Lectures notes, Topic 3, page 8) As we can see from the following predictions, Internet is a new medium that it is changing our lives at a rapid pace, but this new channel of communications offers many opportunities ahead if we adapt ourselves to its future trends. Let's see. 1.- Web ad spending continues to grow, but fewer companies advertise. 2.- Smaller, faster, cheaper. 3.- Internet everywhere. 4.- Cyberspace and the analog world merge. 5.- Relationship webs emerge as an important force. 6.- The global Internet takes off and shakes things up. 7.- The public wakes up to privacy issues. 8.- TV and the web merge, but not as we expected. 9.- "Me too" sites die in droves. 10.- The web gets taxed. (Carton, 1999 ). Our strategic business alliances have to take these future trends into consideration. We have to be ahead of our times. Our alliances will provide us with the products, services and technologies that will make the LEXUS TEN in-car entertainment system one of the best. Our E-Commerce features will ease the spending experiences of our customers. Everything and everyone will work together for the better. This will be a synergic relationship between LEXUS and its alliances that will offer new E-Commerce possibilities to our clients, and they will sure enjoy them to the maximum. Customer-Manufacturer Relationship Customers are the lifeblood of our business. We will continue delivering luxury, reliability and service. We have to keep an eye in our relationship. When doing E-Commerce we have to focus on a new trend as Paul Soltoff (2003) points it out: "I expect permission-based marketing to move toward request-based marketing. Consumers will clearly indicate the precise information they want to receive." With request-based marketing we optimize our overall interaction with our customers. So this new trend has to be kept in mind. There are also new trends for the near future that will help us have an idea of how we have to deal with our customers when reaching them via E-Commerce. We need new ideas like the following in order to deal with our customers: 1.- Consumers want to communicate with each other. 2.- People want to actually see stuff. 3.- Privacy is still a big issue. 4.- Getting people over their initial resistance is key. 5.- Service and support are vital. 6.- Slow and steady will win. 7.- Don't expect behavior change; help streamline existing behaviors instead. 8.- Information rules. 9.- Market to the channel. 10.- Make the experience easy. (Carton, 2001). In order to achieve all our customer-related goals LEXUS TEN will provide them with an user-friendly interface based in a website full of useful features. The navigation bar will include many options that will enhance their experience. Some of the menus and sub-menus will have the following features: home, contact, RSS, chat, music, video, free e-mail, troubleshooting, shopping, newsletter, support, geo-navigation, search, security, networks, business, friends, family, society, calendar, agenda, portfolio, priorities, schedule, notes, database, ideas, alarm, time, weather, traffic, phone, news, sports, radio, IPod, PDA, air conditioning, locks, banking, instant message, subscription, private room, games, fun, directory, phone book, address book, maintenance, repairs, fuel, oil, car info, updates, tools, etc. All these features will be of great assistance to our customers and at the same time they greatly improve our product by adding value to our customers' everyday interactions with us and their driving experience with LEXUS TEN. As we will have many useful alliances, our customers will enjoy the benefit of using Microsoft Windows as a widespread platform, and their connection will be faster to the LEXUS TEN website and the Web. Our competitive advantage will be based on luxury, reliability and service as it is our tradition. But mostly we have to focus on service as our customers' needs have to be taken into account as our main priority. It is clear that our profits will be maximized as our customers will require our products and services more and more often. The interaction will be on all along their driving experience, so they can be in contact with us at any time and we will do business with them through the powerful E-Commerce capabilities of the in-car entertainment online system. All this will translate in higher degrees of synergy between our company and the customers. We will listen to their feedback, and at the same time we will provide the service, the comfort and the performance needed. This will be a win-win relationship that will give us a leading edge thanks to our competitive advantage enhanced by our synergic relationship with our customers online and in real time. Conclusion Our business planning hierarchy will help us in a very relevant way. Our corporate strategy in producing LEXUS TEN will be backed by product strategy, information technology strategy, marketing strategy, human resources strategy and E-Commerce strategy (Lectures notes. Topic 4). This kind of structured planning will help us achieve our business goals. Our ROI (Return On Investment) (Lectures Notes, Topic 4, page 5) will be as profitable as possible thanks to our competitive advantage over our competitors. Once again we have to emphasize our leading edge based on luxury, reliability and service. The future looks promising with the LEXUS TEN in-car entertainment system. The costs will be minimal and the profits will be substantial as we will be leaders in innovation in our market. Our level of integration will be very difficult to beat or to equal, so I think that this is a very profitable project that we should endeavor to accomplish. Putting everything together we will have a steady growth with a significant market share of satisfied customers. That is LEXUS TEN. We will always aim to have TEN on the scale! I hope you will approve this white paper keeping in mind our common goals of innovation through technology at all levels of achievement. References Carton, S. (1999, December 29). Predictions for the Millennium. Clickz Network. (World Wide Web page). Available: http://www.clickz.com/experts/ad/lead_edge/article.php/819751 (16 October, 2005). Carton, S. (2001, January 10). Ten E-Marketing Ideas for Building Customers Online. Clickz Network. World Wide Web page). Available: http://www.clickz.com/experts/ad/lead_edge/article.php/835081 (16 October, 2005). Lectures notes. Topic 3. The E-Commerce Framework & New Patterns of Competition. Page 2. Lectures notes. 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