Student Advantage offers meal and debit cards that are used on many university campuses. Its core competency is forging partnerships with universities and corporations to create products and services that help students buy the things they need at a discount from stores such as Barnes & Noble and Champs Sporting Goods. Student Advantage recognizes job strengths and relationships.

It attempts to create structure that builds shareholder value, makes employees accountable, and sustains a chain of command and communication. Student Advantage had to quickly learn the technological capabilities at different universities so that it would know how to sell its products. It uses contingency planning and makes cautious technology investments to reduce risk.

A challenge for Student Advantage is that the students who are the market for its products are very technologically sophisticated, so Student Advantage must work to stay ahead of the technology curve. For more information on Student Advantage, go to http://www.studentadvantage.com/ discountcard.

Questions

1. How does Student Advantage use technology to market its products and to provide internal controls

2. How does the emphasis on e-business allow Student Advantage to expand into new markets?