Reference no: EM132233344

All companies want to get close to their customers to serve them better. Getting close requires collection, processing and analysis of customer data at the granular level. Advanced computers and software tools used for data analytics make it possible to analyze data at the granular level. Companies such as Facebook and Google normally collect this data directly from customers and then value is derived using information systems. Sometimes users willingly provide the data; in other cases third parties collect data without users knowing what is happening. An easy way to collect consumer data is to tap the numerous social (Google +, Twitter, Facebook etc.) and professional (LinkedIn, Xing etc.) networking websites where people willingly provide information about themselves. Data collected from diverse sources provides the potential to look for fruitful new ways to combine it and create value. Value here is defined as the potential to create more commerce from data. Do you agree with this practice? Why or why not?