Impact of New and Emerging Technologies

Question 1

workforce skill set

Answer 1

increasing need for employees to update their skills following the introduction of new technologies

Question 2

demographic movement

Answer 2

the way in which the population structure changes

Question 3

science and technology parks

Answer 3

help the transfer of knowledge, support businesses and research centers

Question 4

privately owned business

Answer 4

• owner makes decision
• small with limited sales, stock, workforce
• flexible: easily adapt to new technologies
• may not have enough funds

Question 5

crowd funding

Answer 5

raising money from a large amount of people who contribute a small amount of money online

Question 6

government funding

Answer 6

government provides financial support to businesses they believe will support the economy, making use of new and emerging technologies easier for them

Question 7

not for profit

Answer 7

reinvest the money they make into their chosen cause

Question 8

transportation costs

Answer 8

the enviornmental and financial cost of moving products between locations
* changing from diesel lorries to electric vehicles
* making fewer journies by establishing distribution centers with good links to end destination
* designing products that are lighter/more compact packaging, so more can fit into the carrier

Question 9

pollution

Answer 9

release of substances that are likely to harm or contaminate the environment
* use new technologies to reuse/dispose of waste
* being energy efficient

Question 10

waste generated

Answer 10

• 4 R’s
• Reduce: use computer controlled machines to minimise rejects, sending emails not letters
• Reuse
• Recycle: convert waste material into other usable products
• Recovery: recovering waste generated in factories, e.g. heat energy for electricity production

Question 11

workforce

Answer 11

• tech enables people to choose how to work e.g. remotely
• blurs home and work boundaries
• negative effect on home life and leads to overworking
• companies need a wider skills base to adapt to changes in tech

Question 12

consumer

Answer 12

• often aware of new tech, inc. demand and inc. use of scarce resources
• allows consumers to input design themselves, e.g. customising business cards online/3D printing

Question 13

children

Answer 13

• offer education and entertainment
• e.g. Minecraft - creative opportunities
• children spend too much time using digital devices at the expense of social and physical activities

Question 14

people with disabilities

Answer 14

• assistive technology
• years of trailing required first

Question 15

wage levels

Answer 15

• companies need to pay more to attract staff with specialist technology skills
• previously high-paid jobs become automated, associated wages can fall

Question 16

highly skilled workforce

Answer 16

• technology leads to automation of routine
• demand is growing for highly skilled individuals
• people with HYBRID SKILL SETS are likely to be in demand
• workers need to keep developing technical skills throughout their careers, or else they will be replaced

Question 17

apprenticeships

Answer 17

• manufacturers give trainers new products for testing, encouraging apprentices to use them in work
• log evidence and progress online
• no guarantee of employment at the end of training

Question 18

population movement within the EU

Answer 18

• migration: movement of people from one permanent home to another
• common in EU
• EU residents free to choose to live and work in any EU member state
• immigrants bring energy, innovation, and experience filling skill gaps
• online communication tools reduce need for workers to move

Question 19

social segregation

Answer 19

• minority populations tend to live in clusters
• leads to social segregation
• reduced contact between diff. groups
• create social barriers, limits access to better jobs and education

Question 20

changes in working hours and shift patterns

Answer 20

• workers can pick working hours convenient to them and the business due to technology
• maximises labour available, inc. productivity and job satisfaction
• blur work-home boundaries

Question 21

internet of things

Answer 21

the system of interrelated devices that are connected via the internet

Question 22

give some examples of IoT

Answer 22

• alarm clock: custom tones, turns on coffee maker
• automobile: maps traffic in real time, track location
• refrigerator: RFID tags reorder groceries, suggest recpies
• mobile phone: secure identification and verification for payment
• heating/air conditioning: controls temp and lights for maximum efficiency
• oven: oven settings from computer or phone if running late
• printer: automatically reorders ink and paper as needed
• TV: immediate “one click” ordering of products seen on commercials

Question 23

waste disposal

Answer 23

• use efficient manufacturing processes
• harnessing waste energy and using it elsewhere e.g. heat
• design products so the whole or parts of them can be reused/recycled

Question 24

materials separation

Answer 24

• useful materials separated from waste to be recycled and used again
• fewer raw material required
• less material sent to landfill
• automated machines separate materials by type

Question 25

packaging of goods

Answer 25

• packaging can be redisgned to improve ability to biodegrade
• recyclable

Question 26

standardised design and components

Answer 26

same component used across many designs. Usually individual part, manufactured in large numbers, to an internationally accepted standard
* e.g. resistors, nuts and bolts, screws
* +consistent safety and quality
* +speeds up product development as the parts already exist
* +cost saving
* -difficult to customise
* -so quality of product can suffer

Question 27

just-in-time (JIT)

Answer 27

digital stock control ensures parts are only recieved when they are needed in production process
* e.g. car manufacturers (production line), on-demand publishing (photos, greeting cards)
* +inc. efficiency and reduce waste
* +changes to production to meet demand
* -break in supply chain holds up production
* -cost of more frequent deliveries
* -fewer bulk-buying discounts

Question 28

lean manufacture

Answer 28

reducing/eliminating waste in a product by design, manufacture, distribution, and customer service
* e.g. no overproduction, minimse defects, reducse storage, movement, or processing of parts and products
* +multi-skilled teams responsible for each part of production process, improves efficiency as workers can share their skills
* -time-consuming data analysis
* -disruptive changes to exisiting processes

Question 29

batch production

Answer 29

set no. of products, made in limited quantities/time
* e.g. limited edition products
* +lower capital costs
* +reduces inventory/storage space
* +assembly line can be reconfigured easily for other batch production products
* -downtime when reconfiguring production system

Question 30

continuous

Answer 30

identical high-demand products 24/7
* e.g. standard components
* +reduced cost of starting/stopping process
* +materials cheaper in high quantities
* -automation leads to staff redundancy
* -low flexibility in changing product/design
* -fault in production can stop whole process

Question 31

one-off

Answer 31

single, unique product made by skilled workers
* e.g. yacht or specialist furniture
* +high quality products
* -products expensive, cost of materials is higher and production is labour intensive
* -long production times

Question 32

mass production

Answer 32

efficiently and consistently producing many products at a low cost per unit
* e.g. toys
* +materials cheaper in higher quantities
* -initial set up costs are high
* -production line breaks: manufacture halted
* repetitive