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Showing posts from December, 2020

The Mis-Forecast of E.T.

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           One instance where a company would have probably had more success with scenario-type planning was when Atari decided it would be a good idea to release E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial video game in 1982 (Sauter, Comen, Frohlich, & Stebbins, 2018) .   It seems to me that because the movie was so successful, Atari thought it would make sense to launch a video game.   I do not see an error in their logic.   What they seemed to not count on or take for granted was that while consumers like a high-quality movie, they would somehow settle for a subpar video game.   The video game was so rushed that when it was finished, it was just that – finished.   It did not sell well and cost a total of $26 million.   It was such an embarrassment that the remaining unpurchased games were buried (Sauter, Comen, Frohlich, & Stebbins, 2018) .   This reminds me of the current Cyberpunk 2077 fiasco where the game was so buggy that not only were games returned and refunds disbursed, but the inv

Socio-Technical Plan Discussion

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Define             A socio-technical plan or system is one that encompasses how the advent of new technology will influence and affect our society.   ComputingCases.org focuses on the ethical concerns brought on by new technology (ComputingCases.org, 2020) .   These systems include hardware (computer monitors), software (Windows OS), people (police officers), data (criminal files), and laws and regulations (are any of these data protected from view by others?)   Socio-technical plans will change with time.   They are living things in that sense and will mimic the society they are trying to become a part of.   These trajectories are from changes that are made by those in social power.   Since this power is the force that can bring about change with this trajectory, it is important that the ethical value and motivations of these changes are kept in check (ComputingCases.org, 2020) .   There is nothing worse than an idea that started out as hopeful and good, becoming one of the most har

A Realized Prediction

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  Research the concepts of forecasting and predictions in a business or innovation context             According to Data Science Blog, a prediction is where you used for “estimating the outcomes for unseen data” while forecasts also estimate outcomes but use a time series.   The difference between these two is this temporal element (Döring, 2018) .   With innovations in mind, this can be seen as forecasting relating to ideas that correspond to how the environment is currently trending.   For example, I can see that cell phone accessories were created when cell phone usage was beginning to boom.   Predictions will be those ideas that are thought of outside of the box.   Trends and current factors will not necessarily be a part of their creation.   While ideas generated via forecasts are very useful and practical, when an idea created out of the box is found very useful it can be seen as more of a wonder. Identify and document one infamous prediction that actually came true      

Think Tank Methods

  Key points about specific methods:  Group Size             There is a balance between too many members and too few.  An ideal range is from five to 12 members (Monet, 2017).  It is believed that if the group is in this range, members will be more likely to participate.  This, of course, assumes that each and every member will have something notable that they feel is worth saying.  This reminds me of class size.  If I was in a smaller class, that did not guarantee more participation from me.  If I felt that I had something worthwhile to share, then I would participate. If more members are needed and the group size is larger than this ideal range, it is suggested that the larger group is split into smaller groups for the majority of the discussion.  Later, the smaller groups will combine into the larger group in order to share ideas. Environment             This is similar to the idea of a “safe place.”  This phrase is spoken often intense, emotional television scenes when one characte

Scenario Planning versus Traditional Forecasting

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  Scenario Planning definition             According to Schultz Financial Group scenario planning is “The process of visualizing what future conditions or events are probable, what their consequences or effects would be like, and how to respond to, or benefit from them.”   An example would be visualizing the benefits and risks of making 4G communications everywhere.   Many people believe that the radiation created from this can cause cancer and would become a greater risk than reward.   Others feel that this information is false, and we would get a greater benefit than risk in faster telecommunications.   The other side of the coin needs to be examined as well.   What would happen if we continued using 3G and chose not to upgrade?   Would our communications suffer?   Would other countries that utilize 4G gain an advantage over us?   Trying to understand the many scenarios created by decisions is the basis of scenario planning. Forecasting definition             Forecasting involv

Accidental Solutions

       Inventions are amazing and the people who create them impress me.   They are almost like  magicians  who made something that we had not imagined until it was created.   Sometimes they are  very useful  and a godsend while other times they are blinks in the social timeline, and others  surprisingly last a  long time whether they serve a huge purpose or not.             Viagra has an interesting birth story.  Impotence has been an issue for males for as long as there have been males and affects about 30 million American men (History.com, 2009) .  It is not only a physical issue but a psychological one.  A man’s self-esteem and self-worth can decline when they are unable to perform sexually.  Every species has an innate responsibility to procreate for the survival of the species.  Humans are the same way and even if a man no longer wants to have any more children, the ability to procreate is something that is ingrained in him as something that is necessary for survival.        

Comparison of Two Decision-Making Techniques

  Delphi technique             The Delphi method was created by the Rand Corporation in the 1950s.   It gets its name from the Oracle of Delphi, a priestess of Apollo who gave prophecies.   This technique is one that comes to a consensus after speaking to a group of experts (Twin, 2020) .   Multiple rounds of questionnaires are answered, and this information is used to forecast based on a “group response.”   The members are told of the aggregated answers and can change their responses according to how they interpret this “group response.”   Information is also provided by members of the group between these rounds.   Based on the fact that this process takes multiple rounds and members can change their responses, this method seeks to find a correct response through consensus.   Correct meaning a mutually agreed result for the group. Analytic Hierarchy Process             The Analytic Hierarchy Process is a technique that takes Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) and compares them w