ASSIGNMENT

Course Code : MS - 94
Course Title : Technology Management
Assignment Code : MS-94/TMA/SEM - II/2016
Coverage : All Blocks
Note: Attempt all the questions and submit this assignment on or before 31st October, 2016
to the coordinator of your study centre.
1. How is technology helpful in designing the business strategies of a firm? Explain with the
help of a suitable example.
2. List out of the various routes of technology transfer. Choose a firm you are acquainted
with, which has adopted a specific route of technology transfer for its product. Discuss the
merits and demerits involved in adopting the specific route by the firm.
3. Discuss the different phases of diffusion. Explain how the diffusion process can be
improved in a firm.
4. What do you understand by Technology Management Group? Explain why is it essential
for an organization to have a Technology Management Group?
5. Why is development and training of human resources important as a part of technology
organization for a firm? Explain giving examples.

Answer
1. How is technology helpful in designing the business strategies of a firm? Explain with the
help of a suitable example.
Ans.: nvention is an activity often identified with a single engineer or scientist working alone
in a laboratory until he or she happens upon an idea that will change the world, like the light
bulb. In reality, industrial invention, at least since the time of Edison, has involved many
people working together in a collaborative setting to create new technology. Innovation
requires an even broader set of people, including manufacturing engineers, marketing and
sales managers, investors and financial managers, and business strategists. The methods for
organizing this set of people to bring a new idea from the laboratory to the marketplace form
the basis of the discipline of innovation management.
Innovation traditionally has been viewed as a linear process, which involves several stages in
sequence: research, development, manufacturing, marketing, and ultimately, reaching the
customer.
In each step, a group of employees take the idea as it is passed to them from the previous
stage, modify it to accomplish a specific function, and pass it on to the next stage. Each team
involved in the process has a clear function. Researchers are responsible for creating a
working demonstration of the technology, developers and engineers turn it into something

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that can be produced, manufacturing engineers actually turn out the product, and marketers
sell it to customers.
This linear model of innovation has proven to be a misconception of the process, however.
For example, problems during the manufacturing process may require researchers to go back
and change the technology to facilitate production. The technology may reach the marketing
stage, only to turn out to be something no one wants to buy. Technology cannot be handed
off between stages like a baton in a relay race. In any case, managing innovation in a
sequential process would take a very long time, especially if each stage needs to perfect the
technology before it can move on to the next stage. Some models simply add on to the linear
stage-gate development approach, adding R&D discovery or planning phases to the front end
of the process.
An alternative to the linear model of innovation was offered by the expanded, chain-linked
model of innovation. This model captures the interactions between the different stages of
innovation in a more complete fashion. Some of the important aspects of innovation
highlighted by this model are:
 Technologies can move both forwards and backwards in the process, for example
going back to the lab if further development is needed.
 Downstream stages (such as marketing) can be consulted for input at earlier stages
(such as design and test).
 Scientific research and engineering knowledge contributes to every stage in the
innovation process.
 Most firms create technology platforms, which are generic architectures that become
the basis for a variety of technology-based products and services.
 The knowledge and skills needed for innovation are developed by communities of
practitioners, not by individuals, and many of those communities exist outside of a
particular firm (for example, in universities).
 Users of technology can be an important source of ideas for improvements or even
new innovations with substantial market potential.
While the chain-linked model of innovation is more difficult to comprehend and analyze than
the linear model, it is ultimately more rewarding as it tracks more closely to the way that
innovations actually progress on their way from the laboratory to the marketplace.
Technology strategy (information technology strategy or IT strategy) is the overall plan
which consist of objective(s), principles and tactics relating to use of the technologies within
a particular organization. Such strategies primarily focus on the technologies themselves and
in some cases the people who directly manage those technologies. The strategy can be
implied from the organization's behaviors towards technology decisions, and may be written
down in a document.
Other generations of technology-related strategies primarily focus on: the efficiency of the
company's spending on technology; how people, for example the organization's customers
and employees, exploit technologies in ways that create value for the organization; on the full
integration of technology-related decisions with the company's strategies and operating plans,

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such that no separate technology strategy exists other than the de facto strategic principle that
the organization does not need or have a discreet 'technology strategy'.
A technology strategy has traditionally been expressed in a document that explains how
technology should be utilized as part of an organization's overall corporate strategy and each
business strategy. In the case of IT, the strategy is usually formulated by a group of
representatives from both the business and from IT. Often the Information Technology
Strategy is led by an organization's Chief Technology Officer (CTO) or equivalent.
Accountability varies for an organization's strategies for other classes of technology.
Although many companies write an overall business plan each year, a technology strategy
may cover developments somewhere between 3 and 5 years into the future.
The United States identified the need to implement a technology strategy in order to restore
the country's competitive edge. In 1983 Project Socrates, a US Defense Intelligence Agency
program, was established to develop a national technology strategy policy.
2. List out of the various routes of technology transfer. Choose a firm you are acquainted
with, which has adopted a specific route of technology transfer for its product. Discuss the
merits and demerits involved in adopting the specific route by the firm.
Ans.: Technology transfer, also called transfer of technology (TOT), is the process of
transferring skills, knowledge, technologies, methods of manufacturing, samples of
manufacturing and facilities among governments or universities and other institutions to
ensure that scientific and technological developments are accessible to a wider range of users
who can then further develop and exploit the technology into new products, processes,
applications, materials or services. It is closely related to (and may arguably be considered a
subset of) knowledge transfer. Horizontal transfer is the movement of technologies from one
area to another. At present ransfer of technology (TOT) is primarily horizontal. Vertical
transfer occurs when technologies are moved from applied research centers to research and
development departments.
Technology transfer is promoted at conferences organized by such groups as the Ewing
Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Association of University Technology Managers, and
at "challenge" competitions by organizations such as the Center for Advancing Innovation in
Maryland. Local venture capital organizations such as the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association
(MAVA) also sponsor conferences at which investors assess the potential for
commercialization of technology.
Technology brokers are people who discovered how to bridge the emergent worlds and apply
scientific concepts or processes to new situations or circumstances. A related term, used
almost synonymously, is "technology valorisation". While conceptually the practice has been
utilized for many years (in ancient times, Archimedes was notable for applying science to
practical problems), the present-day volume of research, combined with high-profile failures
at Xerox PARC and elsewhere[citation needed], has led to a focus on the process itself.
Many companies, universities and governmental organizations now have an Office of
Technology Transfer (TTO, also known as "Tech Transfer" or "TechXfer") dedicated to
identifying research which has potential commercial interest and strategies for how to exploit

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it. For instance, a research result may be of scientific and commercial interest, but patents are
normally only issued for practical processes, and so someone—not necessarily the
researchers—must come up with a specific practical process. Another consideration is
commercial value; for example, while there are many ways to accomplish nuclear fusion, the
ones of commercial value are those that generate more energy than they require to operate.
The process to commercially exploit research varies widely. It can involve licensing
agreements or setting up joint ventures and partnerships to share both the risks and rewards of
bringing new technologies to market. Other corporate vehicles, e.g. spin-outs, are used where
the host organization does not have the necessary will, resources or skills to develop a new
technology. Often these approaches are associated with raising of venture capital (VC) as a
means of funding the development process, a practice more common in the United States
than in the European Union, which has a more conservative approach to VC funding.
Research spin-off companies are a popular vehicle of commercialisation in Canada, where
the rate of licensing of Canadian university research remains far below that of the US.
Technology transfer offices may work on behalf of research institutions, governments and
even large multinationals. Where start-ups and spin-outs are the clients, commercial fees are
sometimes waived in lieu of an equity stake in the business. As a result of the potential
complexity of the technology transfer process, technology transfer organizations are often
multidisciplinary, including economists, engineers, lawyers, marketers and scientists. The
dynamics of the technology transfer process has attracted attention in its own right, and there
are several dedicated societies and journals.
There has been a marked increase in technology transfer intermediaries specialized in their
field since 1980, stimulated in large part by the Bayh-Dole Act and equivalent legislation in
other countries, which provided additional incentives for research exploitation.
Basically there are two ways of acquiring new technology: develop it or purchase it. The
second way of acquiring new technology is commonly called “technology transfer”. The
important reasons for purchasing technology are :
(i) it involves little or no R&D investment;
(ii) technology can he used quickly; and
(iii) technical and financial risks are often quite low.
There are also good reasons for selling technology, such as
(i) increasing return on R&D investments;
(i) (ii)technology may not have immediate use; and
(ii) technology has already been utilised upto its limit.
Therefore, technology transfer occurs because of the existence of “buyers” and “sellers”. The
sellers are called “transferor” or “licensors” and the buyers are called “transferees” or
“licensees” in the technology transfer process.
Transfer, as defined, means the acquiring through purchase and use of technology. Therefore,
the definition of technology transfer is the acquisition and use of knowledge. There is no
transfer of technology unless and until the technical knowledge is put to use. Technology

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transfer is not restricted here only to scientific or engineering items. The manufacturing,
marketing, distribution and customer service are among the factors that are included in
technology transfer.
3. Discuss the different phases of diffusion. Explain how the diffusion process can be
improved in a firm.
Ans.: Diffusion of innovations is a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate
new ideas and technology spread. Everett Rogers, a professor of communication studies,
popularized the theory in his book Diffusion of Innovations; the book was first published in
1962, and is now in its fifth edition (2003). Rogers argues that diffusion is the process by
which an innovation is communicated over time among the participants in a social system.
The origins of the diffusion of innovations theory are varied and span multiple disciplines.
Rogers proposes that four main elements influence the spread of a new idea: the innovation
itself, communication channels, time, and a social system. This process relies heavily on
human capital. The innovation must be widely adopted in order to self-sustain. Within the
rate of adoption, there is a point at which an innovation reaches critical mass.
The categories of adopters are innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and
laggards. Diffusion manifests itself in different ways and is highly subject to the type of
adopters and innovation-decision process. The criterion for the adopter categorization is
innovativeness, defined as the degree to which an individual adopts a new idea.
There are five stages within the diffusion process:
 Awareness Stage: An individual becomes aware of the existence of an idea but
lacks knowledge of what it does, or the benefits of it.
 Interest Stage: An individual has a desire to obtain more information on the idea:
what is it, what does it do, how will it affect our culture, what are the possibilities
of using it?
 Evaluation Stage: An individual mentally questions the selfishness that the idea
can be used; how will it benefit me? The individual also begins to demonstrate
interpersonal communication by requesting feedback on the idea from others.
 Trial Stage: If it benefits the individual, then the idea will be tried. It will be a
personal experiment, a small sample to be tested in a way that concludes how the
individual can benefit most from it.
 Adoption Stage: The individual begins to scale the idea and use it consistently.
This adoption stage is largely based on continuous satisfaction of the idea.
It is widely accepted that innovation plays an important role in determining the
competitiveness among firms operating in the construction industry. Specifically, as design is
a critical element in construction, innovation is highly vital in the architectural and
engineering design (AED) sector where firms are more likely to remain competitive if they
are continually successful at developing and/or implementing innovation. To achieve this, it
is imperative that firms be able to understand how innovation can be effectively diffused.
According to Rogers, diffusion is a process in which an innovation is communicated among
members of a social system over time. Innovation itself has also been regarded as a product

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of complex social interactions among members of a social system within which the
generation and/or implementation of such innovation create a social change. As such,
successful innovation and its diffusion process have been viewed as dependent chiefly upon
socio-psychological processes embedded in the social system. In particular, there has been a
growing research interest in the „climate for innovation‟, a manifestation of socio-
psychological phenomena that acts as a critical determinant of people‟s motivation and
behaviour, driving the diffusion process.
4. What do you understand by Technology Management Group? Explain why is it essential
for an organization to have a Technology Management Group?
Ans.: Technology management is set of management disciplines that allows organizations to
manage their technological fundamentals to create competitive advantage. Typical concepts
used in technology management are:
 technology strategy (a logic or role of technology in organization),
 technology forecasting (identification of possible relevant technologies for the
organization, possibly through technology scouting),
 technology roadmap (mapping technologies to business and market needs), and
 technology project portfolio (a set of projects under development) and technology
portfolio (a set of technologies in use).
The role of the technology management function in an organization is to understand the value
of certain technology for the organization. Continuous development of technology is valuable
as long as there is a value for the customer and therefore the technology management
function in an organization should be able to argue when to invest on technology
development and when to withdraw.
Technology management can also be defined as the integrated planning, design, optimization,
operation and control of technological products, processes and services, a better definition
would be the management of the use of technology for human advantage.
The Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering defines technology
management as the field concerned with the supervision of personnel across the technical
spectrum and a wide variety of complex technological systems. Technology management
programs typically include instruction in production and operations management, project
management, computer applications, quality control, safety and health issues, statistics, and
general management principles.
Perhaps the most authoritative input to our understanding of technology is the diffusion of
innovations theory developed in the first half of the twentieth century. It suggests that all
innovations follow a similar diffusion pattern – best known today in the form of an "s" curve
though originally based upon the concept of a standard distribution of adopters. In broad
terms the "s" curve suggests four phases of a technology life cycle – emerging, growth,
mature and aging.

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These four phases are coupled to increasing levels of acceptance of an innovation or, in our
case a new technology. In recent times for many technologies an inverse curve – which
corresponds to a declining cost per unit – has been postulated. This may not prove to be
universally true though for information technology where much of the cost is in the initial
phase it has been a reasonable expectation.
The second major contribution to this area is the Carnegie Mellon Capability Maturity Model.
This model proposes that a series of progressive capabilities can be quantified through a set
of threshold tests. These tests determine repeatability, definition, management and
optimization. The model suggests that any organization has to master one level before being
able to proceed to the next.
The third significant contribution comes from Gartner – the research service, it is the hype
cycle, this suggests that our modern approach to marketing technology results in the
technology being over hyped in the early stages of growth. Taken together, these fundamental
concepts provide a foundation for formalizing the approach to managing technology.
In today’s corporate environment, it is essential that leaders and managers understand the
term “technology management” and how it applies to the success and sustainability of the
company. As amazing as it may be, many people (even small business owners) have no idea
what technology management is; this article will help clear up what seems a confusing
concept for many.
There are many strategies used today in the business world that play a part in the total success
of the company. Planning, organizing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, staffing – these
are all strategies that are necessary to take any organization to its full potential and maintain
that level of success. Technology management is much the same; the difference is that the
word “technology” stumps many. Think about all of the things that make life easier today;
cell phones, computers, software – these are examples of the technological advances that
have contributed to making modern life easier and more convenient. Hence, the term
“technology management” simply means the management of technology!
Throughout every level or division of the company, technology management is essential; this
includes communications, marketing, product development, and efficiency in reporting.
Today, technology management is one component of the business environment that allows
companies to remain competitive in any market, even those with fierce competitors.
Those who work in the technology management field are often responsible for determining
whether a certain technology is valuable or will be an asset to the performance and success of
the company. Additionally, technology management is often defined as those individuals or
team members who work to make all things technical (computers, software programs, etc.)
easily usable to the people who use these devices or programs.
5. Why is development and training of human resources important as a part of technology
organization for a firm? Explain giving examples.
Ans.: Human resource departments typically conduct activities designed to train and develop
company personnel, whether to address performance problems or help prepare an employee
for a management role. In addition to formal training courses (such as instructor-led sessions,

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web-based training and seminars), you should offer flexible alternatives such as coaching,
mentoring and job-rotation experiences. Developing employee capacity involves managing
programs such as employee orientation sessions, policy and procedure awareness sessions,
leadership development workshops and other options designed to enable your company (and
employees) to succeed.
In a rapidly evolving landscape, productivity is not only dependent on employees, but also on
the technology they use. Training and development goes a long way in getting employees up
to date with new technology, use existing ones better and then discard the outdated ones. This
goes a long way in getting things done efficiently and in the most productive way.
Self driven
Employees who have attended the right trainings need lesser supervision and guidance.
Training develops necessary skill sets in employees and enable them to address tasks
independently. This also allows supervisors and management to focus on more pressing
areas.
To transform our company into a learning organization and encourage a culture of continual
learning among employees, we have launched a training and development initiative called
'RateGain Lighthouse'. We call it lighthouse, as it symbolizes strength, guidance and
direction. We conduct various in-house training sessions on knowledge-building and skills &
process.
The network facilitates various training sessions, based on experiential learning
methodologies. We have also engaged globally renowned experts like Aaron Ross, author of
'Predictable revenue' and world renowned Sales coach and trainer. His session for our sales
teams have transformed the way we are working. The results from our training and
development initiatives have been very positive and it clearly shows that it is not a fad.
Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) have become one of the most important tools
for many businesses. Even the small, twenty-person office needs to realize the benefits of
using HRIS to be more efficient. Many firms do not realize how much time and money they
are wasting on manual human resource management (HRM) tasks until they sit down and
inventory their time. HRIS is advancing to become its own information technology (IT) field.
It allows companies to cut costs and offer more information to employees in a faster and
more efficient way. Especially in difficult economic times, it is critical for companies to
become more efficient in every sector of their business; human resources (HR) is no
exception.
Human resource management is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an
organization's most valued assets - the people working there who individually and
collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business. HRM is the
acronym for the term “Human Resource Management”. Human Resource Management is the
organizational function that deals with issues related to people such as compensation, hiring,
performancemanagement ,organization development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee
motivation, communication, administration, and training. HRM can also be performed by line
managers.

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A Human Resource Management System (HRMS), Human Resource Information System
(HRIS), HR Technology or also called HR modules, or simply “Payroll”, refers to the
systems and processes at the intersection between human resource management (HRM) and
information technology.
It merges HRM as a discipline and in particular its basic HR activities and processes with the
information technology field, whereas the programming of data processing systems evolved
into standardized routines and packages of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
On the whole, these ERP systems have their origin on software that integrates information
from different applications into one universal database. The linkage of its financial and
human resource modules through one database is the most important distinction to the
individually and proprietary developed predecessors, which makes this software application
both rigid and flexible.
Employees are becoming more self sufficient in the workplace because of HRMS and the
growth of technology. They are able to answer questions, download forms, enroll in benefits,
change payroll options, and complete training on their own. This saves both time and money.
An employee does not have to make several phone calls in order to speak with the one person
who knows the answer to their questions. Answers are readily available, usually on the
company intranet. This also frees up HR to focus on more profitable activities for the
company, such as recruiting and employee development.