TB801: The report of your study should be in the form of a business case made to a potential customer or supplier of your system or service: Technology and innovation management Essay, OU, UK

PART A – THE REPORT

The report of your study should be in the form of a business case made to a potential customer or supplier of your system or service.

1. the current situation. This would include a description of the setting you have studied. Here, you could outline such matters as the problems faced by the individuals in your study or the current issues of concern within the organisation. You should also briefly describe the method you have adopted for your study and the materials you have collected.

2. the requirements of the system Here, you outline what is needed in the situation to cope with the problems and issues you have reported in (1). Requirements are different to problems. It is important to show how these
requirements are related to what has been discussed in (1).

3. how a system might meet these requirements. This is a detailed design for an system to meet the requirements outlined in (2). This could includes a description of the kind of hardware and software that would have to be provided to meet the requirements.

It might also outline the basic information flows through the system, particularly how relevant data will be entered into the computer and how it could be presented to users. You should show evidence of carrying out a detailed design exercise – like paper prototyping. The system you discuss could be a conventional technology, a more innovative one (e.g. a mobile device, a smartphone app or some kind or internet service) or a radical design of your own invention.

4. the strengths and opportunities of your proposal. In the light of your study you should justify your proposal. This could be based on qualitative factors such as better customer or user satisfaction, transformation of existing work practices or quantitative, such as savings in time and cost.

5. the weaknesses and threats to your proposal. Again, in the light of your study consider the potential problems and difficulties that may be faced if it was introduced. These could include costs, competitive solutions, negative impacts on work practices, particular training difficulties, customer and user dissatisfaction.

6. the steps required to implement your proposal. Briefly consider what future actions are required to carry forward your proposal. These may be further studies that need to be undertaken and/or design and development activities that should be carried out next.

PART B – An essay concerning a topic discussed in the lectures 

It is critical that this essay refers to issues, themes and methods discussed in the literature. It should show evidence that appropriate articles have been read and understood. You should refer to literature mentioned in the course as well as academic articles you find to be relevant. As a guideline you should refer to at least three additional academic articles relating to your study that are not in the general readings provided on the KEATS website. A good resource for articles is the ACM Digital Library accessible through KCL’s eJournals system.

Choose to answer one from the following questions. It is important that you clearly indicate which question you have answered.

1. Describe what is meant by the term ‘ubiquitous computing’ and discuss some of the challenges for deploying these types of system in organisations. Consider how social scientific findings and methods might contribute to the development of these technologies?

2. GOMS is a method that has been used to assess the usability of a computer system. Describe this approach and describe its limitations. What methods can be used that address these concerns?

3. There has been much recent debate about how Artificial Intelligence could support decision-making by professionals, such as those in medicine, law, and accountancy. Taking one of these professions as an example, discuss the requirements of such systems if they are to be used to help make decisions.

4. Provide details of an approach to the Responsible Innovation (RI) of technology. Taking a recent example of a problem with a Machine Learning technology, show why it is important for an organization to innovate in a responsible way.