Business: An Annotated Bibliography

Thesis: Similar to industrial revolution in the nineteenth century, the current digital revolution appears to be closing doors, but in reality, is creating a net increase in economic opportunities.


Further Reading:

Collins, David & Mike Ryan (The Strategic Implications of Technology on Job Loss. CBS Business Library, 2007) This article very closely mirrors the argument that we are setting forth in our chapter. It argues that technology will create job loss, but there will be opportunities for reallocation of jobs across the economy. Furthermore, firms willing to adapt can turn a difficult situation in to an opportunity for improvement. [I found this article in an attempt to find arguments that technology is damaging to the economy because it creates job loss, but I ended finding this and found it very applicable.]

Evans, Nicholas (Business Innovation and Disruptive Technology. London: Financial Times Press, 2002)  This book discusses methods and strategies to take full advantage of disruptive innovation to gain a competitive advantage in the workplace. This is very applicable to our exploration of the effects of technology on the average individual, and how those individuals can adapt. [Found on Google Books]

Phaal, Robert & Clare Farrukh & David Probert (Technology Roadmapping--A Planning Framework for Evolution and Revolution. University of Cambridge, 2003) This article presents a unique perspective on technological forecasting and social change as presented form the University of Cambridge engineering department. Their model is often used in industries to analyze business plans, the impact of new technologies on marketing, and threats and opportunities for stakeholders in particular technological areas. This article applies to our investigation of changing business models that have been brought to fruition by the digital revolution. [Found on Google Scholar]

Thought Leaders:


Anthony, Scott (The Silver Lining: an Innovation Playbook for Uncertain Times. Harvard Business Press, 2009) In this book, Anthony addresses the need to carry on with innovation in the midst of tough economic times. It will be important to look at the effects of the recession in addition to effects of technological advancements on certain shrinking industries. This book will strengthen our idea that technological innovation advances opportunities even during uncertain times. [Anthony's book came up  as a related book to Govindarajan's, and I felt that his ideas fit well with ours.]

Christensen, Clayton (Managing the Threat of Disruptive Technology. Stanford CA: Stanford Video, 2000) This video is an excellent perspective on the value of disruptive technology and the need to embrace and adapt to change. Clayton Christensen's views on the benefit of technological innovation aligns with our argument that the digital revolution will create a net benefit for the global economy, and for individuals who are willing to adapt. [Found on HBLL website]


Govindarajan, Vijay (The Other Side of Innovation. Harvard Business Press, 2010) For our chapter we have been looking at the effects of innovation on industries and individuals, but we don't really address what it takes to become the innovator. VG introduces best practices for innovation, and emphasizes that innovation is not just ideas, but ideas plus execution. [I knew that Clayton Christensen had been awarded the number 1 spot on the Thinkers50 list of business thought leaders, so I decided to look at other leading thinkers in business. VG is number 3]

Changing Tides

Having recently joined the business team, I've been trying to do a bit of research about the shift in the job market thanks to technology. Actually though, I just came across this article by happenstance, which was reviewing the weeks new tech announcements but had just the information I had been looking for. Namely, this graph:

The job market has always and will always shift as a result of technological advancements, so I've not been terribly concerned that people in shrinking industries will be out of the job and out of luck for the rest of their lives. They will adapt. What does interest me then, is the kinds of jobs we're losing, and the possible effect that will have in the shaping of the next generation. As the above graph indicates, many of the industries that are losing steam traditionally require a lesser degree of expertise. Many of these jobs appeal to those who do not have an opportunity to pursue higher education, or do not wish to do so (there are obvious exceptions to this generalization - banking, newspapers, pharmaceuticals, etc.). Anyway, what will happen when the demographic that is attracted to these jobs is forced to adapt to a level that requires more training, education, etc. What will happen to the high school students, the empty-nesters with a bit too much time on their hands, the young men who can't go to school because they have to support their family? I suppose my question here is, will we really all adapt to the tech era? When tablets take over the role of restaurant servers and kiosks take over the role of grocers, will people be willing to make the jump to jobs like information technology or online publishing?

Really though, this is not nearly as black and white as I'm making it out to be. Of course there will always be a broad range of jobs, but I can't help but wonder if this shift might have real implications on the way we educate and bring up the next generation. Maybe for those already in the workforce it will be difficult to bridge the gap, but perhaps more of our children will be able to fit into the mold of the emerging job market. Further then, might this indicate the possibility of a future generation that is more motivated to excel academically, knowing that menial jobs will be fewer and far between? Might America become more seriously competitive on a global scale? Lots of questions here, not a lot of answers, but I'm looking forward to pursuing the topic it further.

Technology and Legislation

As a member of the government group, I'm excited to start looking at some of the effects of technology growth on government. Having just read an article about the need for more regulatory laws restricting the ability of corporations to use technology to gather private information about their customers, I want to focus for now on the legislative branch. I'd like to look at where we've been, where we are now, and where we're headed.

Yep, that's the one.
Note the Walkman capabilities.

As I read the article, a thought struck me about something that my ISys 201 teacher told us last semester. I don't remember the exact statistic, but the point was that if transportation technology were improving as fast as information technology, we'd be able to travel around the world... well, a heck of a lot faster than we can now. Really though, everybody knows technology is improving fast. In fact, just last night I was thinking about my little Sony Ericsson that I had not to long ago, and how I always felt like the internet on that phone was a joke, and I wondered why anyone would ever need internet on their phone. Obviously times change. The reason this concerns me though, is that our government was not designed to be a fast moving entity. On the contrary, it was designed to take quite some time and a fair amount of hassle to get anything done, mostly to prevent rash decisions. It seems, however, that this does not coincide well with the ever adapting world of information technology.

For the next few posts then I'll begin outlining the life and works of three congressional subcommittees:

• Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology & the Law (which I'll likely have to abbreviate from now on as PTL, for obvious reasons)
•  Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet (CTI)
• House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation (TI... admit it, "whatever you like" is now stuck in your head). 

For each subcommittee I'll be focusing on the following areas:

• History
• Foundation, development, past legislation
• Recent and ongoing activity
• Growth
• Ability to adapt to rapidly changing technological environment
• Jurisdiction
• Areas of expertise 
• Members
• Representation according to political party - impact on legislation

I'm looking forward to focusing in on this area, and hopefully I'll be able to find some insights about the short and long term effects of technological growth with respect to congressional legislation.