The lectures in this course review a number of relevant emerging technologies that can assist organisations in all sectors of the business world. Focusing on several technologies and examining how those technologies operate within an industry as well as the impact on those organisations within that industry addresses several of the course objectives.

The purpose of this assignment is to enable students in teams to critically evaluate one specific emerging technology each (per team member) to form a collective project. These collective emerging technologies will then be discussed through a report as well as an interactive presentation. In order to discuss and present these technologies, each team will choose an industry or an area of business (such as non-profit organisations) in which to position their technologies. The technologies are chosen based on the needs of the chosen industry. Teams will be comprised of two (2) or three (3) students per team.

The report:

The report will take the form of a well-researched academic report of approximately 12-15 single spaced pages (exclusive of references and diagrams). The point of the exercise is to produce a collective discussion that is well supported with references from respected sources. You should include academic journals, books, theses, trade magazines and well-respected sources of related Internet material that you find relevant. Please note - Wikipedia, although classed as an example of one of our technologies, is NOT considered a reliable source to quote in an academic paper, without backup from other well reputed sources. Your report should present as a collective effort, not a series of submissions by various team members. It is expected to FLOW as one document. Each team member should be identified in the report, with a notation about which technology he/she wrote about. Use the format below to write your report.

The following aspects are required in the report:

1. Introduction

a. Provide a general overview of your industry, including the level of uptake of technology. Provide a general overview of each technology your team is writing about including a definition and description of each technology, to include characteristics, level of adoption and relevance for your industry. Discuss how an organisation within your industry would currently use the technology for advantage. (For example, is the technology used to enhance global reach or to streamline operations?) Please use reliable references to describe the technology, and its relevance for the industry or area of business your team was assigned.

b. Provide a one paragraph overview of what you intend to write about in the rest of your report

2. Business justification for the use of the technology (for each technology)

a. Discuss the impact of each technology on your industry or area in the past five years, including such issues as organisational growth, changes in how the organisation functions, return on investment potential, changes in staffing, ability for global reach, and any other relevant areas

b. Choose one organisation within your industry or area as an example of how each technology can or will operate. Include in this section the two discussions below:

i. Discuss how each technology has, or could have, affected the organisation in a positive way

ii. Address the five organisational advantages discussed in lectures: Return on Investment, Increase Competitive Advantage, and Provide Customer Convenience, Meet Demand from Suppliers or Customers, and Streamline Operations with regard to how the technology meets these needs within the industry.

iii. Discuss the challenges of implementing and operating the technology within the organisation.

3. Future prospects for the technology

a. Discuss where you see these technologies moving in the future within this industry or area. Be specific for each technology.

i. Do you believe that these technologies will continue to be used in organisations in their current form, or do you believe that the technologies will progress to other areas or expand in some way?

ii. Do you feel that there are areas within your industry where these technologies are not currently being utilised to their full potential?

iii. Which of the organisational advantages discussed in part two could emerging technologies impact for this industry?

4. Conclusion

a. Summarise and evaluate each technology, its success or failure, cost benefit and other factors within your industry.
b. Summarise your report in one paragraph