For this assignment, read “The Purina Story” on page 129 and the “Let's Get Technical—Data Mining” section on page 133 of the textbook. Once you have read and reviewed this information, respond to the following questions with thorough explanations and well-supported rationale.
Compare and contrast online research and data mining. How does each affect the business strategy of a company?
Classify the research methods used by Purina in the case study, and determine if some type of cross-selling would benefit the company’s brand. Provide support for your conclusion.
With the privacy concerns of today’s online consumers, do you find Amazon or Purina behaving unethically in their practices? Why, or why not?
Analyze the privacy policies of Purina and Amazon online. What parts of their privacy policies are reassuring? Is there anything of concern?
Sample Solution