Advanced Computer Networks

1
[Introduction to Networking]

Week 1 - Introduction to Networking

Article Review
Directions:
1. Read the article entitled : The first business computer: A Case Study in
User-Driven.
2. Answer the questions below, 10 pts for each item. Please support your answer
with citations.

Case Study Questions

1. What drove the company J. Lyons to develop the first business computer application?

The company J. Lyons is food manufacturing and catering business which in the early days of its
operations, had an insight on how they conduct their business and how it can affect them in a grand
scale. They have employed several top-ranking students from top universities as their executives and
drive the innovation and improve business process and their management styles. This in turn, gave
them an opportunity to look for ways to improve their business processes. [2]
When they have visited the United States, they stumbled upon Howard Aiken from Harvard
University. He designed the ENIAC computer, capable of doing multiple calculations and have been
commissioned to be applied in the banking industries. They were referred to University of
Cambridge in England where a new computer, called EDSAC was currently in development. Later,
they have been informed that the EDSAC computer will not be available after 18-24 months due to
lack of budget. Having heard this predicament, the top executives presented a proposal to the board
of directors to fund EDSAC development and in return, create a version of this computer to be
applied to their business. Their business pitch was, it will be the first business computer application
of the EDSAC computer, even to the world.

2. As a food manufacturing and catering company would you consider J. Lyon’s first business
computer a great technological innovation? Explain why.

In the early days, computers were only found inside military installations, universities and research
facilities. Regular folks seem to be distant to the innovations with regards to computers at that time.
Computer innovators didn’t have the vision yet what applications will computers contribute to the
public. That is why I think that even though they were just a food manufacturing and catering
business, their top executives were visionaries and have found a way to use these early computers to
better understand their process and reach their business goals.[1]
I would consider J. Lyons first business computer as a great technological innovation because first, no
one had officially used computers at that time in business applications. Second, the technological
innovation was spearheaded by the business users, and during that time, only computer scientist and
military facilities drive its advancement. And lastly, it paved the way for other companies to invest on
computers to facilitate their business process and in the end, their business goals. I think it’s a great
feat/achievement in the part of the business users.

Assessments
3. Does the study by Goffee and Jones on sociability and solidarity proved its importance inside
an organization and a company a success?

Gofee and Jones did a recent study on the relationship between company success and the types of
company cultures. First, they defined the two type of cultures which are: sociability and solidarity.
Sociability means organization as a community and encourages friendship among colleagues.
Solidarity on the other hand, emphasize shared objective rather than shared values. Gofee and Jones
noted that successful companies can exist using both types of cultures, including the extremes. They
then classified types of organizational cultures in four archetypes: networked, communal,
fragmented, and mercenary. They suggested that it is possible to devise a contingency framework
that best fit the organization based on two cultures and the four architypes of organizational cultures.
[3]

Based on these suggestions, the author plotted the performance of the Lyons company. He said that
based on solidarity, Lyons rating had a higher rating than sociability. The company put focus on the
company’s objective by introducing the management. The management set a definition of roles and
the way performance was measured.

Gofee and Jones pointed out that management with both high solidarity and sociability, thus with a
communal type of culture, suggest a successful company. They also found out that there are three
features that makes communal culture a success.

1. Communal culture promotes innovation.

2. Communal culture creates synergies with other organizational subunit and promotes
learning.
3. Communal culture is important for organizations that takes a long view at the future.

In summary, Gofee and Jones provides an insight how company culture determines failure or success.
There are several combinations of cultures that also promote learning and innovation, such as the
example with Lyons company.

4. What do you feel you've learned that is worth knowing from this article? Explain.

It’s worth know that the type of culture the organization possess will be a strong catalyst on the
expected outcome of a company. Based on the research conducted by Gofee and Jones, organizations
with high solidarity and sociability as well as a communal culture will last longer than other
combinations. It also gave us an understanding on why and how J. Lyons achieved its first computer
application and how innovation was nurtured in the type of organization they had in the early 1940s.
This article also described how business objective shown by their management paved the way for
innovation in their company as well as in the world of computing.
In the organization I’m currently working, I feel that we have solidarity in terms of business
objectives and how we play a major role in achieving them. However, I feel that we need to enhance
our sociability aspect and promote the communal culture so that we can expect great results and
drive innovation in our company. That is the best lesson, I think, that I’ve learned from this article.
Somehow, I feel that employees and management are distant to each other that they we don’t
operate as a solid team. Now, the only factor that matters to employees are monetary gain that they
lose focus on the objectives of the organization.
 Advanced Computer Networks
3
[Introduction to Networking]

References

[1] Campbell-Kelly, M. (1997). User-Driven Innovation: The World's First Business Computer. Business
History, 39(1), 106-108.

[2] Kanstrup, A. M., & Christiansen, E. (2006, October). Selecting and evoking innovators: combining
democracy and creativity. In Proceedings of the 4th Nordic conference on Human-computer interaction:
changing roles (pp. 321-330).

[3] Goffee, R., & Jones, G. (1998). The character of a corporation: How your company's culture can make or
break your business. HarperCollinsBusiness.

Assessments