Topic: Business

Customers and customer relationships are fundamental to the growth of any business. So why is it that as a business grows it moves further away from its cutomers? Instead of walking a mile in their shoes they discard them. Scott Cook, co-founder of Intuit, understands the importance of customer-driven innovation and credits it for the success and perpetual growth of his company. [Software 2005 audio from IT Conversations]

There are hundreds of people who call themselves eBay experts -- type "eBay expert" on Google -- but Jim Griffith, also known as "Griff," is the official dean of eBay education & eBay University instructor. Hear Larry Magid talk to Jim about buying and selling on eBay, how sellers make a profit by simply buying product X from Wal-Mart for $20 and selling it for $25, and what buyers should do before they get out their credit cards. A must for all kind of eBay retailers. Fact: there are approximately 430,000 eBay sellers who either make a profit full time or part time in the US alone. [Larry's World audio from IT Conversations]

Ken Berryman's presentation outlines the new factors affecting the industry and how companies can adapt to remain a force in the game. The belief that software companies can work under different rules than companies in other sectors no longer holds water. The world has changed and the demands of customers and the market have become more sophisticated. [Software 2005 audio from IT Conversations]

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with John Hagel, who with co-author John Seely Brown, has written "The Only Sustainable Edge," a new perspective for business. [Tech Nation audio from IT Conversations]

Does IT really matter? Have we reached the end of innovation in the Software industry? Kim Polese, CEO of SpikeSource, doesn't think so and makes a convincing case that the software industry is undergoing a revolution, which will create even further innovations. This is known as Web 2.0 and it is changing that way software companies are executing their business strategy. The second generation of the Internet is forcing these companies to transform their development, delivery and licensing models and to re-examine their core competencies. [Web 2.0 audio from IT Conversations]

Dr. Moira Gunn interviews Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine about what's the hot new thing! Chris joins Moira to review the latest technology coming up at NextFest 2005 in Chicago. [TechNation audio from IT Conversations]

Whereas the life expectancy of people is steadily increasing with time this is not the case for business. Today business life expectancy is decreasing and is touching all types of businesses. Join Dr. Jim Goodnight, founder and CEO of SAS, the largest privately owned software company, speak on growing and sustaining the long-term enterprise. SAS has been in business for three decades and has sustained a 10-15 percent growth during its lifetime. Listen to discover the SAS secret sauce. [Software 2005 audio from IT Conversations]

"Fight!" exhorts Professor Lawrence Lessig, as he rallies the open source community in what he calls the war against monopolistic businesses. How is this war affecting the culture of innovation? How do you need to defend your right to innovate? Hear Professor Lessig lay bare with his powerful arguments the stories behind the defining milestones of this war starting with the historic 1976 Sony Betamax judgment, in his keynote talk at the OSBC 2005.

How does a five million dollar company become a fifty million dollar company and eventually a five hundred million dollar company in the high tech industry? Join a panel of CEO's as they share their thoughts and experiences on building a business capable of sustaining long periods of growth. Along the way you will discover the social and technical challenges they faced and how they triumphed. [Software 2005 audio from IT Conversations]

With the recent acquisition of PeopleSoft behind it, Oracle is changing the game on many fronts. Charles Phillips, Oracle President, speaks candidly about the Information Age Application strategy and how it is bridging the gap in the packaged application space. Oracle is already two years into the strategy, which promises to simplify, standardize and automate information in the enterprise. [Software 2005 audio from IT Conversations]