technology Flashcards
PEST factors
what is technological change ?
the continued invention and innovation of products and processes and the spreading of this change throughout society
how do businesses create a competitive advantage ?
businesses that are pro-active will be early adopters of new technologies and seek to exploit their benefits
what are UK firms like regarding new technology ?
they have historically been slow to adapt to new working practices and technologies
UK stakeholders tend to view them more as threats (job losses) rather than opportunities
this has proved to be harmful to competitiveness in foreign markets
what is automation ?
a machine or system that accomplishes (partially or fully) a function that was previously carried out (partially or fully) by a human operator
benefits of automation ?
- reduce costs for : manufacturers, distributors, supermarkets ect.
- improved productivity
- faster production
- shorter lead times
- lower labour costs
- improved quality
negatives of automation ?
- not positive for job agencies
- reduced flexibility
- damage to reputation
- job insecurity fears
- job losses
- redundancies
- high cost of investment
examples of automation ?
banking ATMs, remote central heating control, self-check out tills, smart utility meters, warehousing and stock control
positives of new technology ?
faster manufacturing - get products to the market quicker, improved employee productivity, increase leisure time for employees
improved decision making - more data and information available, employees make fewer mistakes, customer needs are met more often
lower costs (medium-long-term) - less errors, greater efficiency and less reworking
negatives of new technology ?
high initial costs - cost of purchasing technology, redundancy costs for some employees, ongoing maintenance and repair
security of data - need to protect sensitive customer/supplier data, expensive firewall and data security software, vulnerability to cyber-crime
job insecurity/cultural change - replace human labour with capital, lower productivity levels, remaining employees fear further change
what are other communication methods ?
instant messaging, email, mobile technologies, video conferencing
benefits of communications : customers
the significant growth in global connectivity, provides an even larger market for firms who already use the internet to connect with their customers
negatives of communications : customers
less interest in traditional communication methods
- labour intensive customer services are being replaced with more impersonal automated systems
- traditional paper-based advertising is less common as electronic media offers more flexibility and personalisation
technology and life cycles ?
changes in new technology have meant that the lifecycle for many products are now shorter
new products are being developed far faster to replace old ‘outdated’ technology
- example : mobile phone market
3D printing
they are able to produce three dimensional solid objects of almost any shape by building up layers of material
has applications for many areas : medical transplants, engineering, housing
has transformed prototype designs, bringing down the cost of design and the time taken to generate them
- providing firms with a flexible, more cost-effective form of manufacturing
business location
- other factors
bank call centre operations have been able to be relocated to cheaper locations/countries such as india
the internet allows for global connectivity
has made operations more fluid
outsourcing
- other factors
technology has enabled quality checks to occur in real-time and this has meant that firms now hold more confidence in sending out work to more companies in other counties
allows them to cut costs
what is cad ?
- manufacturing
computer aided design
the software enables manufacturers to plan out their designs and to more cheaply model and amend designs where more suitable
benefits of cad ?
- designs are more accurate as human error is often eliminated
- lower cost of designs as no need for physical prototypes
- speeds up the development process
- gets products to the market faster
negatives of cad ?
- software needs to be updated
- expensive
- staff need training to use it properly
what is cam ?
- manufacturing
computer aided manufacturing
means using machines that are controlled by computers
- is widely used across several industries not just electronics
how does cam operate ?
all machines in cam control use cnc (computer numerical control) : strings of numbers to control the machines
the numbers provide all the commands needed
these are normally stored in the machine as a program
benefits of cam ?
faster machining speed, greater accuracy, greater consistency, more efficient with 24/7 operations, ability to machine complex shapes
negatives of cam ?
expensive
- computer systems are more expensive to introduce than the human based machines
time
- can take a long time to write the codes
- coding needs frequent modifying
inflexible
- cnc best suited to producing identical items
- expensive reprogramming needed when items change
