CRM

Siebel Systems launched what it calls an "end-to-end enterprise business intelligence solution." The product recognizes a need for analytics that can compile many sources of information into a single data warehouse. At its "User Week" in Los Angeles, Siebel announced BI applications for financials, ...

With a front-office firing, a rosy earnings report and a renewed court battle against Oracle, PeopleSoft continues to keep industry watchers busy. After the announcement Friday that PeopleSoft CEO and President Craig Conway had been fired, many observers assumed that the move was related to Oracle's...

IBM recently announced that it will pour US$250 million into the development of radio frequency identification and sensor network technology over the next five years. In addition to developing hardware, including the wireless tags and readers, IBM also plans to provide software and integrated suppor...

While American minds may be opening to various self-help pharmaceuticals, from Viagra for erectile dysfunction to Wellbutrin for depression, American feet aren't equally comfortable walking the aisles of brick-and-mortar drugstores to get the goods, some studies show. Enter Drugstore.com, a site lau...

The Oracle-PeopleSoft controversy has caused a ripple -- or perhaps a wave -- that has not yet reached the shore of software development, but it carries implications for many software firms. Although Oracle's hostile takeover of PeopleSoft is by no means a done deal, the very possibility signals a s...

It's time the software industry quit ducking the tougher questions of growth by blindly claiming that every segment will either be conquered by or collapse into the domain of enterprise resource planning systems. It's getting tiresome to have so many industry insiders, financial analysts, journalist...

The global convenience retailer 7-Eleven Inc. is rolling out custom Hewlett-Packard technology in 5,300 U.S. locations. Both companies believe the partnership will transform convenience retailing, and some analysts agree. Aberdeen analyst Chris Selland says the plan could be revolutionary. "These gu...

In the early days of the dot-com boom, companies tracked "hits" and "eyeballs" and measured "stickiness" on their hastily created Web sites. As Web sites matured into viable business channels, however, these simple Web metrics proved to be of little value. Just as the customer data generated through...

A federal class action lawsuit filed Thursday accuses Salesforce.com, its CEO and its chief financial officer of withholding critical, detrimental financial information from potential investors in order to boost the share price of the company's IPO. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court i...

Customers today come in increasingly unique and differentiated segments. They want to be seen and approached as individuals with specific needs and to feel that offers address them personally. Satisfying these self-segmented customers requires a careful balance of science and art. While creative ide...

General Motors and Ford suffered declining U.S. sales in August. Each announced Wednesday that it will cut production in the fourth quarter, risking profitability for the calendar year. Chrysler, on the other hand, beat the bum month experienced by its competitors with its fifth straight month of sa...

Many people consider order management the heart of any enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. It's heresy in many manufacturing companies even to talk of changing from a home-grown order-management system to an outside ERP system. One world-class distributor is an example of one reason why. It h...

Not satisfied to be slowpokes in sales and customer service, the life insurance industry has continued to invest in customer relationship management (CRM) technology even as others have shied away from making capital expenditures in the current economy. No matter the market's misery, these insurance...

As investors awaited a ruling in the antitrust suit of PeopleSoft against hostile takeover bidder Oracle, rumors circulated that a white knight bidder may emerge, kicking Oracle and its persistent pursuit of PeopleSoft to the curb. Among the rumored third bidders are IBM, Microsoft, and the German f...

Best Buy Co. has announced the rollout of an electronic product code (EPC) strategy designed to increase its supply chain efficiency over the next several years. The company yesterday said it plans to leverage radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to drive the change. RFID allows retailer...