Sociotechnical Plan - Smart Homes

The Fall of Kodak

Greetings to all,

Kodak’s Good Plan that went Wrong

For years since its founding, the Kodak organization had dominated the business of photography. It was at the dawn of the digital age, according to DiSalvo (2011), when Kodak’s good plan of business began to go wrong due to circumstances outside of its control. According to DiSalvo (2011), the city of Rochester NY, where Kodak headquarters is stationed, was a center of the highly successful business where employees were known to stay with the company for years and even up to retirement. When the digital age of the 1990’s began to develop and computers began to take root, Kodak did not change its plan of action or way of business; and in turn, over the years as digital cameras began to come onto the scene, Kodak’s profits began to dwindle and the organization began to lose relevancy in the modern economy. The outside circumstance beyond Kodak’s control was the technological development of the digital age when Kodak was still focused on the old good plan that had now lost its relevancy (DiSalvo, 2011).

A Potential Impact for my Sociotechnical Plan

For the collaboration of human beings and technology, you need not look any further than the rising trend of the smart home phenomenon. A smart home is a home or building run, controlled or interacted with using artificial intelligence or digital technology. The potential impact of this combination of human interaction with technology has the potential to impact those living with a disability or the elderly, as this technology can assist with their ability to control their home with limited interaction or centralized interaction from a mobile device (Dreyfus, 2009). Additionally, there is the potential for the remote access and control of home security systems that in turn can have a financial impact on homeowners and their insurance costs (Smith, 2014).

This is a relevant social technology due to the simple fact that as our society gains more technology in our everyday lives and integrate it into how we live, it will in turn shape our social norms and how we interact with our surroundings. The invention of a technology that changes how we live our lives or interact with one another will, in turn, change our lives in ways we can only imagine and potentially how we see the world or our society itself.

Two forces that will affect this innovation idea is that of the public’s trust and concern for privacy as well as the demand for more home oriented technology. After the revelations made by Edward Snowden regarding the National Security Agency’s surveillance program on the American people, the American public has become concerned about digital privacy. This force of public opinion can cause a delay in home integrated digital technology, as a person’s house is where they wish to feel safe the most (Munger, 2015). The second factor is the consumer culture of the United States, with the latest and greatest technology available on the market. The force of digital consumers based on demand can very easily impact this innovation and change the way people live in a modernized society (Lang, Shang, & Vragov, 2015).

References

DiSalvo, D. (2011, October 02). The fall of Kodak: A tale of disruptive technology and bad business . Retrieved from Forbes : http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2011/10/02/what-i-saw-as-kodak-crumbled/#1d9426f320f5

Dreyfus, D. (2009). Smart-home technology for persons with disabilities. American Family Physician , 80(3), 233.

Lang, K., Shang, R., & Vragov, R. (2015). Consumer co-creation of digital culture products: Business threat or new opportunity . Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 16(9), 766-798.

Munger, M. (2015). No place to hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. surveillance state. Independent Review, 19(4), 605-609.

Smith, K. (2014). Home smart home. Best's Review, 115(7), 16-22.

            

Serendipity, Error, Exaptation Examples

Greetings to all,

Serendipity

A serendipitous discovery that turned out to be good or useful was the invention of the microwave oven. In the year 1945, 
an American engineer by the name of Percy Spencer was testing magnetrons using high-powered vacuum tubes inside a 
radar system. One day Spencer was working near a magnetron that was producing microwaves while Spencer had a peanut 
butter candy bar in his pocket. While working with the magnetron Spencer noticed that his candy bar had melted and 
shortly after Spencer’s research lead to the invention of the microwave oven (Tweedie, 2015).   

Error

A discovery that came about through an error is that of the discovery of penicillin. On September 3^rd, 1928, Alexander 
Fleming returned from vacation to his lab to discover in one of his Petri dishes that had contained Staphylococcus 
bacteria had an unusual spec of mold growing inside of it. This mold he noticed had caused the inhabitation of bacteria
 growth around the mold. Through further experimentation, Fleming found that his mold had the capability of killing a 
large amount of different harmful bacteria. This mold would later go on to be what we know today as penicillin (ACS, 
1999).  

Exaptation

A discovery that fits the description of exaptation or repurposing to achieve something new is that of Listerine. In 
1860 Louis Pasteur’s had a theory that germs were the cause of a wide range of infections that affected medical patients. 
Inspired by this theory Doctor Joseph Lister in 1865 performed operations in a chamber sterilized by an antiseptic and as
 a result, the mortality rate at the facility began to decrease. As a result of this discovery in 1879 Dr. Joseph Lawrence 
developed created what we now know today as Listerine mouthwash, with the original intent of it being primarily using 
surgeries and bathing wounds. After its invention was it realized that this product could also be used as a mouthwash to
sterilize the mouth (LISTERINE, 2015).

Meaning of the Terms

For me serendipity is simply something that is found to be of use in one way or another; I have read about numerous 
examples discoveries being useful or beneficial, this can range from the invention of the automobile to solar panels. 
Errors, as they pertain to discoveries, are mistakes that lead to the accidental invention of something else; the perfect 
example of this that I have read so for is that of the pacemaker (Williamson, 2011). Exaptation is the utilization of a 
discovery intended for a specific purpose and using it for something else other than its original intent. With 
exaptation, I have to laugh and think about how books are sometimes used as TV stands or boxes as tables as that
 is not the purpose of their design but that is what they are used for in some cases.  

References

ACS. (1999). Discovery and development of penicillin . Retrieved from ACS: American Chemistry Society : 
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/flemingpenicillin.html

LISTERINE. (2015). From surgery antiseptic to modern mouthwash. Retrieved from Listerine: 
http://www.listerine.com/about

Tweedie, S. (2015, July 03). How the microwave was invented by a radar engineer who accidentally cooked a candy
 bar in his pocket. Retrieved from Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-microwave-oven-
was-invented-by-accident-2015-4

Williamson, M. (2011, September 29). Wilson Greatbatch: Inventor of the implantable cardiac pacemaker. 
Retrieved from Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/wilson-greatbatch-inventor-of-the
-implantable-cardiac-pacemaker-2363206.html

Forecasting and Predictions

Greetings to all,

The concept of forecasting has to do with being able to predict what will happen in the future with as much accuracy as possible; this is a practice utilized heavily in the business sector. With the uncertain and unforeseen future in business, it is imperative that business owners have some visibility on the potential future their business will face so that they will better be prepared for such a future (Gilliland, 2003).

One infamous prediction concerning innovation that eventually came true was that of mankind traveling to the moon. In 1865 an author by the name of Jules Verne wrote a book titled, “From the Earth to the Moon”; in this book Verne told the story of astronauts that traveled to the moon and returned using a metallic spacecraft. In 1870 Verne followed up his book with a sequel titled, “Around the Moon.” What is interesting about this correlation between fact and fiction are the details Verne got right about the real lunar expedition nearly a century later. The location of the launch, for example, Verne designated to be Florida because they would be able to launch from there with the moon directly overhead.  NASA would later choose Florida as its launch for many of the same reasons. In Verne’s novel, animals were used in a practice launch to determine if human passengers could survive the trip. Likewise, NASA used mice and monkeys in its initial testing (Regas, 2015).

It would seem from these similarities that even though it was a work of fiction, Verne thought through the realities of a lunar expedition and took into account the potential problems as well as ideal conditions for such a launch. In essence, Verne was practicing a sort of forecasting for his work of fiction by troubleshooting the same potential factors NASA would later consider in a real launch.

Two forces that impacted the success of this prediction coming true were that of the Cold War conflict as well as the national pride of the time. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched a satellite called Sputnik into space during the Cold War; at this time the United States and the Soviet Union were not only in an arms race, but with the launching of Sputnik the space race was also brought underway. In addition to the death of John F. Kennedy, who gave his nation the goal of going to the moon by the end of the 1960’s, along with the war in Vietnam happening at the time, the mission to the moon was a welcome distraction for the United States at the time as well as a source of national pride (Siddiqi, 2000).   

References

Gilliland, M. (2003). Fundamental issues in business forecasting. Journal of Business Forecasting Methods & Systems, 22(2), 7-13.

Regas, D. (2015). The science of Jules Verne's fiction . Sky & Telescope , 129(6), 32-37.

Siddiqi, A. A. (2000). Challenge to apollo: The soviet union and the space race, 1945-1974. Washington DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration .

Scenario Planning VS Traditional Forecasting

Greetings to all,

The concepts of scenario planning, as well as traditional forecasting, are two different methods in which conclusions about future projections are drawn in different ways. The concept of traditional forecasting, for example, is a concept that relies on past as well as present data in order to develop a forecast of how the future will play out. This prediction of the future based off of relevant data from the present and past allows for a limited window into the prediction of future events. In other words, traditional forecasting is well suited for short term planning and predictions but does not take into account long-range planning (Marceau, 2016).

By contrast, the concept of scenario planning is exactly as it sounds: planning for different scenarios that can present themselves in the future based on the current direction an organization is traveling. One key difference from traditional forecasting is that scenario planning takes into account the fact that the current direction the organization is traveling can be diverted in the future into a completely different direction depending on the current situations surrounding the organization. These factors or driving forces are described in the acronym “PEST” by Woody Wade (2012), and “PEST” stands for political, economic, societal, and technological. These driving forces are areas that have the potential to have an unforeseen impact on the direction the organization is trying to move. The organization can then outline the different possible scenarios utilizing the different factors associated with the direction the organization is trying to move. Based on the different factors taken into account with each different scenario or contingency, the organization can take into account trends, essential elements, and critical uncertainties to narrow down the different scenarios into which one that has the potential to be more effective based on a cross comparison between the different scenarios. These scenarios range from likely to extremely unlikely; however, this allows the organization to preplan in the case of an uncertain future in order to be prepared for whatever scenario they are presented with.   This makes scenario planning a much more effective concept for long-term planning, as it prepares those utilizing the method for potential long-term solutions or issues that may arise (Wade, 2012).

The advantage presented by traditional forecasting is that is useful for short-range planning; however, in contrast, it has a great disadvantage when it comes to long-term planning as the uncertain future controlled by unforeseen variables makes it very difficult to forecast the future. The advantage with scenario planning is the preparedness it provides for long-range planning to the one utilizing the method; however, the disadvantage is this method takes a lot of time and thought, initially making it not as fast on the turnaround of data needed by modern-day businesses.      

References

Marceau, D. (2016, August 1 ). The fatal flaw in traditional forecasting methods. Retrieved from Prevedere : https://www.prevedere.com/traditional-forecasting-methods/

Wade, W. (2012). Scenario planning: A field guide to the future . Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The Pacemaker

The Pacemaker

Game-changing ideas are those that alter or change the landscape of a particular topic or field. Some of these game-changing ideas have been in the form of inventions that were discovered by accident with unintentional errors. One such game changer is that of the pacemaker, which is responsible for bringing about a serious change for patients suffering from heartbeat irregularities.

The Accident

An electrical engineer by the name of Wilson Greatbatch from the University of Buffalo in the year 1956 was working on a circuit for a Chronic Disease Research Institute to record heart sounds at the time. However while assembling his device, he installed an incorrect resistor into his circuit and as a result, he discovered that his circuit was pulsing at what sounded like a heartbeat. Familiar with heartbeat irregularities, Wilson Greatbatch realized the potential for his mistake; however, it would not be until 1958 when he met with William Chardack from the Buffalo Veterans Administration Hospital and both men successfully tested the device on a dog. Later in 1960, ten pacemakers would be installed into human patients successfully as a result of Greatbatch’s original mistake (Technology Review , 2001 ).    

The Forces that Supported

The advent of the pacemaker filled the demand from a need for medical patients suffering from heart complications in order to regulate their heart beat. In this case, the invention took some time before it could even get off of the ground due to the simple fact of a lack of enthusiasm from the initial time it was discovered. The real push forward was the test conducted in 1958 with William Chardack when they successfully tested the pacemaker on a live dog to determine whether or not the device would work. This was essential to the pacemaker taking off in the medical field, as it solidified the fact that the device was capable of working and serving a benefit to the medical world.

Points Learned

Wilson Greatbatch was an electrical engineer that developed a medical device; it was not until he was able to work with a medical doctor willing to test his device that it would start to gain traction in the medical field. This point is important because it shows that for this particular accidental invention, it took an actual test in order by experts in the medical field before it would be widely accepted. This brings to the forefront the issue that many startup companies face and that is gaining traction with their new idea and bringing it to market (Davila & Epstein, 2014).

    The second point taken is that even though the product was developed and worked, Wilson Greatbatch continued to make improvements on his product and eventually developed a corrosion-free lithium battery which extended the life of his pacemakers from two years to ten years (Technology Review , 2001 ). This was a breakthrough innovation, but Greatbatch continued to improve on his discovery, which is what is called incremental innovation, where the product being developed continues to be refined and made better (Davila & Epstein, 2014). 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the advent of the pacemaker was a breakthrough innovation that helped to greatly benefit a population of patients within the medical field suffering from heart irregularities. The support for this innovation came from an expert in the medical field who helped the inventor successfully test his device causing it to gain traction in the medical field. The inventor then continued an incremental refinement of his device as time went on refining his product for the benefit of the patients.

References

Davila, T., & Epstein, M. J. (2014). The innovation paradox . San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Technology Review . (2001 ). Setting the pace. Technology Review , 104(7), 96 .

  

Greetings to all,

For todays post we were asked to discuss one technology and one trend from the following website. 

One trend currently sweeping the field of education is that of the implementation of a long term impact plan to help bolster and benefit higher education. Discovery and innovation from research conducted at universities have the ability to impact not only the local communities in which they are based but also the world, depending on the findings. In order for these incubators of discovery to be bolstered and have a large impacting reach, education leaders are looking into ways in which they can move this process forward. One method being proposed is the application of a business based startup model that can be applied to the research universities to bolster discovery and innovation. What is known as the lean startup movement is a movement designed around technology, where technology is used a as catalyst for the purpose of promoting a culture of innovation in a more cost effective and widespread manner that is easier to manage (New Media Consortium, 2016).

One technology that is currently in widespread usage, and that ties into the trend of higher education adopting a startup model of management, is that of cloud computing. Cloud computing is a technology that has been around for some time now that allows users the ability to store, save, and retrieve data from online storage (New Media Consortium, 2016). This technology is beneficial when we discuss research universities trying to bolster discovery and innovation, as cloud computing makes the storage of files and sharing of data much easier since, depending on the setup, multiple users can have access to a cloud from anywhere at any time. Currently, however, one issue is the current state of digital literacy amongst students. With the technology boom that encompasses the internet, computers and others mobile devices, the digital world has invaded almost every aspect of modern life, to include academics. Academic leaders are looking into ways in which students can be educated and become digitally literate. One example of this is in the UK at Staffordshire University where the faculty there has developed a community-based online forum in which peer-to-peer learning of digital literacy is achievable. This is just a small example of information sharing to help foster a learning environment; and for many academic leaders this issue is considered to be a solvable one due to the fact that programs such as the Staffordshire University one are well under way (New Media Consortium, 2016).

One force that has impacted the trend for research universities to adopt a technology-based lean startup program to bolster discovery and innovation is the economic need for further development in innovation. There is a demand in our current economies for the latest and greatest technology and anything that can help bolster this will have an impact on that demand. A second force that is impacting this trend is that of the need and desire by research institutions to improve their processes and advance their technological capabilities to improve their output.   

For the technology of cloud computing, especially in the academic world, the desire for ease of access and sharing of data is a force that has impacted the adaptation of could computing at academic institutes. A second force that has impacted cloud computing is the demand for increased storage beyond that of local capacities; a problem that cloud computing is able to remedy.

References

New Media Consortium. (2016). Advancing cultures of innovation. NMC Horizon Report: 2016 Higher Education Edition, 8-9.

New Media Consortium. (2016). Cloud computing. 2016 NMC Technology Outlook: Internationl Schools in Asia, 10.

New Media Consortium. (2016). Improving digital literacy. NMC Horizon Report: 2016 Higher Education Edition, 24-25.