Technology
Q1.1 Problems facing policymakers
The major problems facing policymakers especially in the IT department include cyber battles, private data industry, health choices, real time communications and the need to subsidize to greener technologies. Most online transactions are threatened by cyber crimes that cause havoc to individual rights to privacy.
The fight for supremacy between top companies offering similar services has really compromised the comfort of many online users. Companies also strive to upgrade the personal data industries without considering the effect it impacts online users. They ought to reflect on all alternatives so as to minimize market frequencies by improving transparency. A poor innovation strategy has also caused bad health choices. Food industries that struggle to survive tight competition end up overusing ingredients that cause inflammatory problems to the users. Companies, therefore, need to be clear on their products so as not to put their customers in danger.
Finally, companies offering online services must strive to set real time communication strategies that will improve their systems. They should conform to changing communications in accordance to the need of their customers.
Q1.2 Saudi IT Problem
Information Technology is normally aimed to improve the economic development, especially in developing nations. However, there are several challenged that slow down its implementations. For instance, several companies in Saudi Arabia face problems that come in hand with the assimilation of IT systems. These problems include poor telecommunication network, changing the external environment, lack of awareness by top management, lack of IT standards and failure of commitment when implementing IT systems.
Q2. New Green IT Technologies
Climate change effects have been felt all over the globe. Strong storms, food scarcity and the extinction of animals have been caused by unfriendly technologies that hurt the environment. However, most companies and cities are designing new ways and ideas that can help to counter these effects. Firstly, China is developing an eco-friendly city known as Tianjin that will be home to more than 350,000 residents. The city will be powered by wind technology and solar energy. Its rainwater will be recycled as seawater desalinated to create a suitable environment for aquatic organisms.
Secondly, China is building tall towers that will help to clean the air and reduce water pollution. The towers are fitted with equipment that can suck water from surrounding lakes, purify them through the use of filters before returning them back to the lake. Also, the towers will be self- sustaining since they will make use of solar panels, wind turbines and the recycling of wastes to generate energy.
Moreover, energy harvesting concrete was developed in 2009 by Laurence Kemball. The concrete fetches energy by converting footsteps into electricity that is stored and used to power devices. The concrete can also be used to detect crowd movements that can help a lot in optimizing space. Other green technologies that have been developed include smog-eating buildings, cool pavements and roofing tiles that purify the surrounding air.
Q3. Apple new release
The planned release of iPhone 7 by Apple is being anticipated for from all over the globe despite the sales decline of available iPhones. According to Hall (2016), smartphones in China have saturated the market hence posing great challenges for iPhones growth. The purchase of iPhone products that comprise of iPads and Mac computers have also declined. This is due to the availability of cheaper product with similar specifications.
Continuous releases by Apple are really a danger to the existing raw materials that ought to be shared favorably in all development areas. For instance, China’s earth resources and chemical that are used for camera lenses and other tools are fast depleting. The heavy use of these products especially by big companies is a danger to the future generations who will suffer due to the scarcity of resources.
Big companies ought to recycle their old products to come up with new designs that will be used to develop new devices. The introduction of iPhone SE will be a plus to the environment. The combination of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s technologies to produce iPhone SE helps to minimize the use of new raw material for the development of new phones.
Q4. ICT Sustainability guidelines
Sustainability is the processes or the developments that are aimed at meeting the needs of present users without compromising the survival of future generations. Information and Communication Technology has been used to boost sustainable development since it helps to activate organizations goals and objectives. However, this boos has led to detrimental effects that need to be tackled head on. Therefore, European and Australian governments have developed sustainability guidelines that are in line with the rules set in the 21st century.
The Australian government, as well as their European counterparts, has set minimum standards for ICT equipment. The rules are mandatory in every company that aspires to conduct its business within their territories. For example, a rule has been passed that ICT equipment supplied must have clear documentation on its environmental impacts. Manufacturers are supposed to self-assess so as to eliminate hazardous materials and boots end-life design. Additionally, in accordance with the 21st-century guidelines, manufacturers have moved a step to design products that have more processing power but uses less energy. This has been made possible by use of green technologies that makes use of renewable energy like solar power and wind energy. ICT products have also been designed so as to minimize the CO2 hence reducing global warming.
In addition to the 21st-century guidelines, European and Australian governments have also set rules that dictate the packaging of IT equipment so as to reduce wastes. The movement towards a paperless economy is aimed by many countries so as to eliminate environmental dangers.
Q5. Sustainability and Green IT in Saudi Arabia
In 2014, environmentalists in Saudi Arabia degreed that all companies must go green within five years. All developments and technology advancements ought to meet the set standards to mitigate noise pollution and to improve air and water conditions. The regulations were aimed to preserve the soil as well as reduce hazardous substances entering the sea.
The Kingdoms regulation was echoed by Faisal Alfadl, the Saudi Green Building Forum (SGBF) boss. He termed it an excellent move that would safeguard the environment especially during an era of many developments. An Economic City was to be developed with green projects that would lower carbon emissions. Additionally, buildings had to be equipped with renewable energy sources and recycling equipment.
Q6. CSR and sustainability strategies in Woolworths and Coles
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) comprise of company objectives that are aimed at improving governance, boosting sustainability, adherence of labor and human rights as well as community engagements. They are targeted to ensure company’s transparency in dealing with corruption and also during marketing.
Woolworths and Coles are top supermarkets that strive to obtain better pies of the market. However, a CSR strategy that was put in place by Coles has helped them to grow tremendously to a point of threatening the sustainability of Woolworths. Coles’ management lowered the prices of their goods with the aim of adapting to the market changes. On the other hand, Woolworth increased the prices of their commodities so as to increase their profits without caring about their customers. For instance, it is hard to find a Woolworths customer who does not complain of the price increase. The Coles’ strategy to price their products lower helped them to grow to an overall score of 7.1 compared to 5.7 Woolworths.
Moreover, Coles’ score card on morale was higher compared to that of Woolworths. According to Knight (2015), employees of Coles’ supermarket aspired to make their organization better. On the other hand, the management gave their customers a good value for their money especially with a reduction of prices. The high morale of employees and the customers show that Coles’ supermarket is keen on labor and human rights. Their ethical standards are unquestionable even to their suppliers.
Woolworth trailed Coles on a survey that ranked them the best on the availability of fresh goods, value for customers’ money, pricing and overall presentation. They thrashed Woolworth in corporate governance as well effective economic strategies that minimized their expenditure. Additionally, their marketing strategy of maintaining lower prices helped to capture the customers love and loyalty that dictated their continued growth.
Q7. Eco-Design
Eco-design is an effective design that is aimed at reducing environmental impacts while producing a favorable product for the market. It is a major design for the greener product development where each life-cycle is clearly analyzed and accuracy approved. By use of the eco-design strategies, developers can eliminate toxic substances as well as reducing environmental burdens by assessing the main use of products. Additionally, it clearly states how products can also be disposed.
According to Acaroglu (2010), designers possess a greater power to develop products that have the highest positive impact to the users. Therefore, developers are required to design for dematerialization. This is the reduction of the size and weight of material with the aim of reducing environmental effects. For instance, a lighter or smaller product can be disposed of easily. Moreover, eco-design makes use of the raw material with low impact to the environment. It is also aimed at eliminating toxic substances. Finally, eco-design strives for a cleaner production. This comprises a reduction of carbon emissions as well as recycling of energy and materials to provide an eco-efficient environment.
Q8. Sustainability and the future
When thinking about sustainability in the future, we ought to reflect several options and assess if these options are related to emerging issues and human values. The transformation for a sustainable future largely depends on the mindset of developers, companies, and governments since anything they do dictates the pathway towards economic development. It is good to set long-term targets but it is better to steer a company step-by-step to achieve daily targets than assuming all will just be okay.
Sustainability will definitely take the center stage in the most organization and individual strategies. Each organization is striving for its existence in the future; therefore, the minimization of costs and use of renewable energy sources is inevitable. Governments will enact laws that will promote a sustainable development. Organizations, on the other hand, must design technologies that provide best solutions to environmental changes. By highlighting the effects of environmental degradation, organizations can design methods that will guarantee the survival of both living and non-living organisms irrespective of their locations.
According to Reubold (2014), sustainability can be achieved when all sectors are developed subsequently and honestly. Improvements should be felt in the education, health, construction, agricultural and transportation sectors. Costs have to be reduced in all areas by use of technologies that are environmental friendly. A healthy soil, fresh air, and fresh rainfall cannot be achieved by dipping the head in the sand and assuming all is well.
Q9. WIKI tool use
The use of Wiki tool to share ideas has been a great platform to obtain ideas and solutions to existing problems. The way it organizes articles, presentations and posts help students to pick main points and use it as a base for their academic arguments. It provides clear writing skills that can be adapted by writers who aspire to polish their skills. It enables users to structure their ideas in a summary that covers all the aspects of the article in question.
Additionally, it contains information from various sources that can be combined to obtain better solutions. It has relevant articles that can be used by scholars with much ease. It gives room to polish research skills since all the articles are arranged in a manner that is continuous to a topic and unit.
Moreover, it provides room for collaboration and communication between individuals pursuing the same course or unit. It has a portal that accepts contributions from all members hence making them learn together. It contains all relevant information that ranges from maps, presentations, news, findings, reviews and videos.
Q10. Drones and the future of sustainability
Investing in drones to attain economic and environmental sustainability is the best way to go in accordance with the changing technologies. Drones ought to be used to make work easier not only for military operations but also for cheaper and easy delivery of goods. Drones can be used to monitor constructions, the environment and for other agricultural purposes. Additionally, drones can be used in surveys to generate digital maps of farms and other places that may not be human inhabitable.
The use of these devices can help to cut down the expenditure which is a great challenge to all organizations. Moreover, it can help online shops to provide faster and safe delivery services since products can be airlifted directly to the users. It can help to cut down immense fuel costs that could have been spent for transportation via trucks.
Finally, the use of drones is very sustainable especially when faced with natural disasters that need immediate attention. For instance, drones can be used to transport food and medical products to victims of flash floods or landslides. It can also be used to conduct rescue attempts in radioactive places that may not be safe for rescuers.
Bibliography
Acaroglu, Leyla, “Design for Sustainability,” The Secret Life of Things (2010), http://www.thesecretlifeofthings.com/#!ecodesignstrategies/c88j (accessed May 29, 2016).
Hall, Zac, “Opinion: Why Apple’s releasing an iPhone 5se, not a 4-inch iPhone 7,” 9to5Mac (February, 2016), http://9to5mac.com/2016/02/08/opinion-4-inch-iphone-5se-iphone-7/ (accessed May 29, 2016).
Hering, Garrett, “Sky’s the limit: Drone makers target sustainability,” GreenBiz Group (July 2014), https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/07/11/8-drone-developers-target-sustainability (accessed May 29, 2016).
Hoebee, Shelby, “10 Amazing New Green Technologies in the Works,” TopTenz (September 2014), http://www.toptenz.net/10-amazing-new-green-technologies-works.php (accessed May 29, 2016).
Khosrowpour, Mehdi, Managing Social and Economic Change with Information Technology. Harrisburg: IDEA GROUP PUBLISHING, 1994.
Knight, Elizabeth, “Woolworths v Coles - the report card is in,” The Sydney Morning Herald (June 2015), http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/woolworths-report-card--plenty-of-room-for-improvement-20150625-ghxo9q.html (accessed May 29, 2016).
McCullough, M, “Saudi Arabia's green decree brings hopes of sustainability,” the guardian (may 2014), http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/saudi-arabia-green-construction-oil-sustainability-environment (accessed May 29, 2016).
Reubold, Todd, “WHAT DOES A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE?” ensia (February 2014), http://ensia.com/voices/what-does-a-sustainable-future-actually-look-like/ (accessed May 29, 2016).
Shaughnessy, Haydn, “The Top Ten Innovation Challenges for Policy Makers in 2012,” Forbes (June 2011), http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2011/06/18/the-top-ten-innovation-challenges-for-policy-makers-in-2012/#13c6bf1d3a51 (accessed May 29, 2016).
