“Technology Assessment”
More Details and Technology Links for
INDIVIDUAL Deliverable due Week 3
From the syllabus:
This assignment is a written (1-2 page) memo from student to manager, highlighting the benefits and challenges of implementing a new /emerging technology at the business.
Your goals for this Technology Assessment Report are the following: 1. to explain WHAT it is 2. to explain HOW it might impact "the business" (and/or society at large) 3. to ASSESS any risks, challenges, or opportunities that it creates 4. to make a RECOMMENDATION related to adoption of the technology for “your company”.
In your report, it is most important to give YOUR opinion of the technology impact, YOUR assessment of the risk/return, and YOUR overall recommendation for how it might be adopted, all from the point of view of “your company”.
The following elements will be assessed: 1. Technology Description and Analysis (75%), divided into the following categories: * Understanding of the technology (20%) * Success in evaluating and explaining how the technology might affect a business (20%) * Ability to consider the risks and returns that might occur with this technology, (20%) * Ability to make a clear recommendation (for or against its adoption) (15%) 2. Report format (Introduction, Key Points, Conclusion/Recommendations) (10%) * Grammar & Vocabulary (5%) * Turnitin score (5%) NOTE: Scores of less than 10% are acceptable.
Please use a standard MEMO format:
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
The Body of your memo should follow the standard rules for an effective essay (covered in class). You must cite your sources!!
Company Context: “your company”: You may assess the technology from a specific business use for a company you have worked for previously, or for one of the company examples listed below. Just make sure it is clear in your introduction what company usage you assumed when assessing the new technology.
Company options: 1. Technology Start-up located in San Francisco, focusing on iPhone applications 2. Consumer products company, retail & online, with overseas manufacturing 3. Major multi-national corporation with regional headquarters in major cities throughout the world 4. NGO focusing on hunger & access to food, located in the UK with offices in Africa and India.
Assignment Details: 1. Watch the video or read about the technologies listed below. You must choose a technology from this list. 2. Select ONE technology or technology use that is interesting to you. Research that technology further with at least one additional online source. 3. Write a 1 – 2 page (MAX) Assessment fulfilling the 4 goals listed above. (Document may be 1.5 or double spaced). Assume you are writing this technology assessment to introduce this idea to your boss, in this case, me. ) 4. You must cite the original AND additional resource(s) either in footnotes or in a Reference Section at the end (does not count as part of your page count).
YOUR ESSAY WILL BE RETURNED as unacceptable IF source(s) are not cited.
There are TWO purposes in this assignment: * FIRST, I want to introduce you to some of the new technological products and usages available today and have you think about how a new idea can be applied within a business. THEN, * I want you to practice writing an effective business assessment appropriate for submission to your boss and (possibly higher bosses). (Please refer to the tips for writing quality essays in our class PPT.)

Think SHORT & SWEET & STRAIGHT TO THE POINT!!

(LIST of technology links are on the next page.)

10 technologies that you MUST select from: 1. The New York Times - Computers with Brains? Learning from experience, just like humans. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/29/science/brainlike-computers-learning-from-experience.html?ref=technology&_r=1&

2. "Automatic" ... it's an app that collects data from your car. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AyXNeRbpRk and more details: http://www.cultofmac.com/257082/automatic-app-test-drive/

3. Virtual Reality – is it more than just for games? http://mashable.com/2015/01/09/virtual-reality-ces-2015/ products: Oculus-rift or Razer OSVR (open source virtual reality) headset

4. Flying Cars – is it possible? http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/in-pictures-flying-car-up-for-auction/article22364805/ how close are we? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY85eExk7Zo

5. Google Glasses AND Sony SmartEyeglass Attach! – after all the hype – wearable computer screens still not yet mainstream Google: http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/gadgets/google-glass-1152283/review & Sony: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/201412/14-118E/

6. Talking “smart” cars - http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-03/talking-cars-to-prevent-wrecks-get-u-s-rules.html and the latest from CES: http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/smart-watches-self-driving-tech-cars-transform-at-ces/

7. Agile Robots http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/526536/agile-robots/

8. Agriculture Drones for crop monitoring - http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/526491/agricultural-drones/

9. Flexible Technology - http://www.technologyreview.com/news/529991/bendable-displays-are-finally-headed-to-market/ plus a video sampling http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3E7fUynrZU (…a little long, but some neat products)

10. Commercial Solar Windows – a company “product video” - http://www.newenergytechnologiesinc.com/ - another version – via Reuters News Service: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/energy/stories/solar-windows-how-the-latest-technology-makes-it-possible