technological trends

Professor Sherif DelawerSoha Wasfy Zoelfakar IbrahimStrategic Management Course

Technological Trends

Cloud Computing; Characteristics and Elements

One of the technological trends that has become truly popular recently and has been heard of quite a lot lately is Cloud Computing.

In this paper, I will briefly explain what Cloud Computing is; and then I will illustrate some of the characteristics as well as elements of Cloud Computing.

Cloud Computing can be divided into two parts. The first thing that caught my attention when I first read about Cloud Computing is the word “cloud”. For me the word suggested the idea of the intangibility of computing. This is because a network of remote servers hosted on the internet is used to store, manage, and process data, rather than local servers. So instead of having everything saved in your local servers, infrastructure and storage, everything is provided and stored over the internet somewhere remote; thus the word ‘cloud’. However, when I read more about how the name came into being, I learnt that it was inspired by the cloud symbol that's often used to represent the Internet in flowcharts and diagrams.

Some of the most important characteristics of Cloud Computing are its being sold on demand, typically by

the minute or the hour; its elasticity and the ability to scale up and down so a user can have as much or as

little of a service as they want at any given time; and the service is fully managed by the provider so the

user needs nothing but a personal computer and Internet access. The latest technological innovations and

the high-speed internet especially the fiber optics that ensure very high speeds of uploads as well as

downloads have all accelerated the users interest in Cloud Computing. This flexibility and these different

characteristics are therefore attracting individuals and businesses to move to the cloud.

As for the different elements of Cloud Computing, they are as follows:

The public cloud in which is a set of hardware, networking, storage, service, and interfaces owned

and operated by a third party for use by other companies or individuals.

The private cloud in which is a set of hardware, networking, storage, service, and interfaces

owned and operated by an organization for the use of its employees, partners, and customers.

The hybrid cloud in which an organization combines services and data from a variety of models to

create a unified, automated, and well-managed computing environment. A hybrid computing model

enables an organization to leverage both public and private computing services to create a more

flexible and cost-effective computing utility.

Whether it is public, private, or hybrid, a user would need a cloud provider that provides elasticity,

scalability, provisioning and standardization. Elasticity is important because it means that a user is able to

use a service for a long or short period of time based on need.

In conclusion, I personally believe that Cloud Computing is one of the most important technological trends

heard of lately and it will continue to develop and get more sophisticated in the near future to provide easier

and more reliable usage whether it is in business or in personal everyday life.


Knowledge Economy

Knowledge Codification

While reading about Knowledge Economy, I came across a very interesting publication titled: The Knowledge-Based Economy, by The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development. While going through it, there was a point that has captured my attention which is Knowledge Codification. I continued to read more about it and I found out that it is a huge topic that is that is also very related to knowledge management. That is why I would like to discuss some of the information I learnt about knowledge codification in this paper. I will talk about the different kinds of knowledge which are important for the knowledge-based economy.

To start with, knowledge codification is the representation of knowledge in a way that make it more accessible so it can be easily used by an individual or an organization. Thus the process of knowledge codification involves the following:

1. Converting “tacit knowledge” into an “explicit usable form”2. Converting “undocumented” information into “documented” information3. Representing and organizing knowledge before it is accessed so that knowledge is visible,

accessible and usable for decision making

As for the different kinds of knowledge which are important for the knowledge-based economy, they can be divided into 4 categories; the know-what, know-why, know-how and know-who.

1. Know-what refers to knowledge about facts. Know-what questions derive answers that would be informative. For example: What are the names of the presidents of the Egyptian Republic since 1953? This question is an example of what’s drawn from this kind of knowledge.

2. Know-why refers to the scientific knowledge of the principles and laws of nature. This kind of knowledge underlies technological development and product and process advances in most industries. The production and reproduction of know-why is often organized in specialized organizations, such as research laboratories and universities. To get access to this kind of knowledge, firms have to interact with these organizations either through recruiting scientifically-trained labor or directly through contacts and joint activities.

3. Know-how refers to skills or the capability to do something. Businessmen judging market prospects for a new product or a personnel manager selecting and training staff have to use their know-how. The same is true for the skilled worker operating complicated machine tools. Know-how is typically a kind of knowledge developed and kept within the border of an individual firm. One of the most important reasons for the formation of industrial networks is the need for firms to be able to share and combine elements of know-how.

4. Know-who involves information about who knows what and who knows how to do what. It involves the formation of special social relationships which make it possible to get access to experts and use their knowledge efficiently. It is significant in economies where skills are widely dispersed because of a highly developed division of labor among organizations and experts. For the modern manager and organization, it is important to use this kind of knowledge in response to the acceleration in the rate of change. The know-who kind of knowledge is internal to the organization to a higher degree than any other kind of knowledge.

These 4 categories I believe are very important as they facilitate the process of deriving knowledge and thus lead to both a better representation and usage.


Globalization: Hyperglobalizers Vs. Sceptics

The thing that has truly caught my attention when we have discussed the idea of Globalization in the course is the fact that there are different schools of thought and different perspectives of looking at globalization.

In this paper, I am going to briefly summarize what I have learnt about 2 of those 3 schools.

To start with, there are 3 schools of thought; Hyperglobalizers, Sceptics and Transformationalists. I personally, after having understood how each school views globalization, would most probably belong to the school of the Sceptics.

Let me first start by a brief about what the Hyperglobalizers’ school of thought claims. Hyperglobalizers suggest that “Today’s global economy is genuinely borderless. Information, capital and innovation flow all over the world at top speed, enabled by technology and fuelled by consumers’ desires for access to the best and least expensive products”. (K. Ohmae, 1995). “In this ‘borderless’ economy, national governments are relegated to little more than transmission belts for global capital or, ultimately, simple intermediate institutions sandwiched between increasingly powerful local, regional and global mechanisms of governance.” (Ohmae, 2005, p. 65)

Hyperglobalizers say that the globalization is an effect of the economical changes in the world and that this will create a new era where there would be a global market that would escape even the political boundaries or regulations.

The main arguments put forward by Hyperglobalizers is that it is a new era, it is essentially an economic phenomenon, that the global marketplace rules over and that it brings denationalization of economies through networks of production, trade and finance.

On the other hand, Sceptics have an opposite point of view. This is because they do not believe that globalization would ever go that far and that it is more of a myth than anything. Sceptics argue “We do not have a fully globalized economy; we do have an international economy and national policy responses to it”. (Hirst and Thompson, 1997)

Sceptics argue that Globalization the way Hyperglobalizers see it does not exist. “We do not have a fully globalized economy; we do have an international economy and national policy responses to it”. (Hirst and Thompson, 1997). Their main argument is that the idea of the ‘end of the state’ and the ‘new era’ always viewed by the Hyperglobalizers is overstated. This is because they believe that what is happening is more of an interaction between the dominant international economies which are divided into three major economic and political blocs which are Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Yet, they believe that the national governments are still powerful and will continue to regulate the international activities and that the phenomenon of globalization is more related and connected to the richest countries.

As I mentioned earlier at the very beginning, I do share the same point of view as that of the school of Sceptics. This is because that school of thought is rather realistic and is very close to what the world is already experiencing with major economic and political blocs influencing the global economy and the global markets.


Sustainability

Social and Environmental Responsibility for Sustained Economic/Financial Prosperity

After discussing the concept of sustainability in today’s businesses, organizations and corporations, I began to understand how important it is and how much it already exists in our everyday life. I haven’t realized that or even knew that there is anything known as sustainability before covering it in the course. When I read about it I came across this definition: Sustainable Development is “… development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. That is why I find that the idea or social and environmental responsibility in order to sustain the economic and financial prosperity of any organization is crucial, and it is not specifically only for the organizations, but also for the whole humanity in general.

I have also started to notice the social and the environmental responsibility at my own work place. Where I work, Sutherland Global Services, they recognize both the social and the environmental responsibility.

Thus in this paper, I will briefly summarize 3 main points that highlight how my workplace/organization recognizes its responsibility towards the society and the environment. I will be quoting the mission statement and what the company itself says about the activities geared towards the society, diminishing any cultural gaps and/or differences and promoting diversity, as well as its responsibility towards the environment. It is worth noting that these 3 points that I am highlighting are not simply words promoted but are rather activities that are implemented and are regularly emphasized in the workplace.

As for the social responsibility, Sutherland recognizes the importance of breaching gaps between the rich and the poor.

Sutherland Global Services Charitable GivingOur employees and company have a long standing history of generosity and support of our communities. To maximize our impact in supporting worthy local and global causes, Sutherland established a global Charitable Mission Statement in 2007. It is the charitable mission of Sutherland Global Services to stand firmly behind causes and technologies which foster, support and assist in advancing Global Youth.

Another thing that is always being highlighted and is also part of the social-cultural responsibility is commitment to diversity.

Commitment to DiversityWe consider a diverse workforce a natural requirement to our continued success, and we have maintained a strong commitment to diversity since inception. The qualities we strive for within our own organization are the same qualities we look for in our suppliers – creativity and innovation.

As for the environmental responsibility, Sutherland’s main focus is on the Go Green global initiative. Go Green

Sutherland Global Services recognizes its corporate responsibility towards preserving and protecting environmental resources and has implemented sustainable business practices that continue to have a positive impact on the environment.

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